Hollyleaf/History

This page contains the detailed history for Hollyleaf.

History

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In the Power of Three arc

The Sight

Hollykit is a young ThunderClan kit, introduced as the daughter of Squirrelflight and Brambleclaw, the latter being the ThunderClan deputy. She has two brothers, who are named Lionkit and Jaykit. She and her brothers are first seen playing with a dead mouse outside their den. After they are done playing with the mouse, she finds her brother has discovered a rotten piece of prey—a wren. She squeaks in disgust and shock at the amount of maggots in the bird.

While Brambleclaw sends out patrols to search for the fox dens, Hollykit, Jaykit, and Lionkit ask Brambleclaw if they can come and help. Brambleclaw tells them he wants them to help guard camp. Hollykit and her brother, Lionkit, are excited at first, but Jaykit claims that Brambleclaw is only trying to keep them busy, and their excitement quickly fades. The three kits decide to find the fox cubs' den by themselves to prove that they can be helpful. They sneak out through the dirtplace tunnel and head towards the lake. They are almost spotted by Brook and Stormfur, but they hide in a bush, so that they can not be seen by the other cats. The kits reach the Sky Oak and find the fox den, and Lionkit decides that they should raid the den through the escape passage. The cubs turn out to be much bigger than expected and almost kill the kits. They escape, but Jaykit accidentally falls into the hollow. Hollykit is relieved when she sees that Jaykit is okay. Leafpool, the medicine cat, seems to encourage Hollykit to become a medicine cat after she shows worry for her kin as Leafpool takes care of him.

When Lionkit gets scratched by thorns, Hollykit leaves to the medicine den to get herbs for the cuts. Leafpool is gone, but Jaykit shows Hollykit which herbs to use. Leafpool comes in then, and Jaykit says that Hollykit remembered the smell from when he got treated. Leafpool is impressed, and Hollykit soon decides to become a medicine cat, feeling that she owes her Clan for trying to raid the fox cubs' den earlier.

Willowpaw and Mothwing visit the camp, and as they get ready to leave, Hollykit asks Willowpaw how to become a medicine cat apprentice. When Willowpaw leaves, Hollykit tells Leafpool she wants to be her apprentice, and Leafpool says that she will ask Firestar. Lionkit and Jaykit do not understand why Hollykit would want to be a medicine cat when she could be a warrior, but Hollykit sticks with her decision. Hollykit takes on the name of Hollypaw after Leafpool agrees to be her mentor. However, Hollypaw does not do well as a medicine cat apprentice. She is told to fetch certain herbs but returns with the wrong ones. Treating injuries often makes her squeamish, and she begins to doubt her skills as a medicine cat apprentice.

Soon, Leafpool takes her to practice battle moves, which she excels at. She is dedicated to the warrior code and tentatively believes that Firestar should have kept Graystripe as his deputy over Brambleclaw.

A battle erupts when Hollypaw is out collecting tansy. She is shown fighting Smokefoot with Graystripe, and in her excitement, Hollypaw forgets to check cats for injuries when it ends, though Birchfall notes that Hollypaw fought like a warrior. After the fight, Hollypaw decides to become a warrior apprentice instead, and Brackenfur becomes her new mentor. Lionpaw comments on the way her eyes shine when she goes into battle, though the courage seems to be lost when she treats her Clanmates and says she should have been a warrior from the start. The Clan cats believe that the switch between Hollypaw and Jaypaw was set up. Later, she goes to the Gathering and is excited by the thought of the Daylight Gathering as well.

During the Daylight Gathering, which was suggested by Squirrelflight during the previous Gathering, she beats Heatherpaw, a WindClan apprentice, in a fighting competition, even though Heatherpaw is a lot more experienced than she is. Heatherpaw compliments her on her fighting skills. Firestar rewards her by allowing her to have the first pick of prey from the fresh-kill pile. Afterwards, she and Squirrelflight both congratulate Jaypaw when the Clan leaders announce that he saved Breezepaw and Lionpaw when an old badger set collapsed, trapping the two apprentices.

Dark River

Hollypaw worries about her friend in RiverClan, Willowpaw, a medicine cat apprentice. She knows that RiverClan moved their camp to the island where Gatherings are held, and also that RiverClan is having problems. She asks Jaypaw to ask Willowpaw about what is happening in RiverClan for her, because she is not a medicine cat apprentice anymore, and would not see her at the half-moon medicine cat meeting. One night, she has a dream about Willowpaw. In the dream, it is raining. Willowpaw is running ahead of her, and Hollypaw cannot catch up. She tries to call her, to ask her what is going on in RiverClan. But Willowpaw cannot hear her, and she wakes up, disturbed.

She starts to notice that Lionpaw is very tired and grumpy during the day, and attempts to question him about it. However, he is touchy and sharply tells her that nothing is wrong. She feels upset about this, remembering when she and her littermates shared everything with each other. She asks Jaypaw if he knows what is going on with Lionpaw, but Jaypaw tells her he does not. While on patrol with Brackenfur, Cloudtail, and Cinderpaw the next morning, they scent a fox in their territory. Cinderpaw is first to announce it is female, but the scent is stale. Hollypaw is puzzled by this, knowing that Cinderpaw had never come across a fox before.

That night, she notices that once again, Lionpaw is missing from the den. Hollypaw starts to go and find him, and Cinderpaw decides to come along. They go out into the forest, trying to pick up his scent trail. His scent leads to the WindClan border, which worries Hollypaw. She and Cinderpaw then see Lionpaw near the border, playing with the WindClan apprentice Heatherpaw, whom Hollypaw fought at the Daylight Gathering. Hollypaw grows angry and interrupts them. Lionpaw becomes defiant and angry, and the two start to argue. She threatens to tell Brambleclaw if Lionpaw continues to see Heatherpaw, putting their bond at risk. He becomes furious, and storms off back to camp. Hollypaw is still worried, however, wondering if Lionpaw will ever forgive her.

When Millie interrupts her own warrior ceremony to tell Firestar she wants to keep her kittypet name, Hollypaw grows uneasy. When Daisy and Brook stick up for her, some of the Clan cats start to agree. Hollypaw is against this, arguing that they must live by the warrior code and that Millie should have accepted a proper Clan name.

She later has her assessment, along with Cinderpaw and Mousepaw. Mousepaw becomes determined to catch a squirrel in the Sky Oak, so Hollypaw and Cinderpaw watch anxiously as he climbs it. Their mentors, Brackenfur, Cloudtail, and Spiderleg, all come running, and watch Mousepaw climb the tree. When Mousepaw gets stuck, Cinderpaw climbs up to get him, despite her father's protests. Hollypaw is horrified when Cinderpaw slips and falls out of the tree. Spiderleg orders her to go and fetch Leafpool. Hollypaw bursts into camp and leads Leafpool and Jaypaw to where Cinderpaw is. When they realize that Cinderpaw has broken a hind leg, Leafpool becomes very upset, reminded of her old mentor, Cinderpelt, who got hit by a Twoleg monster and, as a result, had an unusable hind leg for the rest of her life. Hollypaw tells Jaypaw that she has never seen Leafpool so upset before.

During the next Gathering, she tries to talk to Willowpaw, but she tells her that she cannot talk, and leaves. Because of Willowpaw's inability to talk, Hollypaw decides to find out RiverClan's problem on her own. Hollypaw takes an adventure over to RiverClan territory, but is caught and kept hostage in RiverClan's temporary camp. While there, Twoleg kits invade RiverClan's camp. The next day, Squirrelflight comes to fetch her.

Lionpaw, Hollypaw, and Jaypaw search for the missing kits from WindClan. Before that, Hollypaw had accused Lionpaw of betraying his Clan, but she was stopped by Jaypaw, who calmly told her that she was still being punished for helping Willowpaw. Heatherpaw and Breezepaw search with them too, and they rescue the kits from drowning in the tunnels where Lionpaw and Heatherpaw used to meet. Hollypaw then decides that she can no longer be friends with Willowpaw, as she is training to be a warrior now, not a medicine cat.

Outcast

After bringing prey to the queens, Hollypaw speaks to her mother, Squirrelflight, about being both a warrior and a mother. Squirrelflight tries to reassure her, but Hollypaw is frustrated still.

Hollypaw is present at Foxkit and Icekit's apprentice ceremony. Later, she goes on a patrol with Firestar and Brackenfur to find Berrynose and Birchfall trespassing and hunting on ShadowClan territory.

She finds Jaypaw sheltering from the rain, but he admits that he is looking for another way into the tunnels after Hollypaw voiced her suspicions. When Jaypaw tells his sister about the ancient cats, Hollypaw is fascinated, yet hesitant about keeping the stories a secret. In the end, she agrees to.

During a hunting patrol, Brook talks about the Tribe and comments that Hollypaw is a good hunter because of her strong back legs. Like her siblings Jaypaw and Lionpaw, Hollypaw longs to go to the mountains. Later, Hollypaw tells Cinderpaw that she should focus on becoming a better hunter before training to become a better fighter. Hollypaw watches an advanced training session for the new warriors Berrynose, Hazeltail, and Mousewhisker, and is disturbed when Ashfur and Lionpaw start to fight savagely. She participates in the training session but is distracted with memories of the fight. Her father Brambleclaw reassures her and tells her that she is his little thinker.

After Hollypaw and her siblings are given permission to join Brambleclaw and Squirrelflight on the journey to help the Tribe, she goes with Squirrelflight to WindClan to bring Crowfeather and Breezepaw to ThunderClan. Hollypaw also feels a bit of sympathy for Breezepaw but shakes it off because of him having led other apprentices to try to fight the dogs, and possibly get killed. She also thinks about how she can become the leader of ThunderClan throughout the book and is worried that she is acting ambitious but later convinces herself that she isn't.

Hollypaw, along with Jaypaw, Lionpaw, Brambleclaw, Crowfeather, Breezepaw, Tawnypelt, Stormfur, Brook, Night, and Talon journey to the Tribe of Rushing Water. Hollypaw and the other apprentices meet a loner named Purdy and secretly agree with Breezepaw when he voices his annoyance that Purdy is with them. She sees cows for the first time as well. While traveling there she, Lionpaw and Breezepaw enter a barn to catch some fresh-kill against orders. She does not think it a good idea, but decides to come because she wants to help them; although it turns out she is too edgy to hunt anything because of her fear of being caught and getting in trouble. After Breezepaw catches a mouse and Lionpaw and Hollypaw are about to share a mouse, they are attacked by dogs and are saved by Purdy as he shows them a way out of the barn.

Afterward, Hollypaw picks ticks off Purdy to thank him for saving them. She finds out that Purdy's owners had died and that he is living on his own. She commented on how his life is harder than the elders of a Clan. When the cats are close to the Tribe's home, Hollypaw yowls loudly about the view, warning the intruders and almost causing a fight. When the group of cats reaches the Tribe of Rushing Water, she teaches the "to-bes" fighting techniques with Lionpaw and Breezepaw. While she finds it difficult, she enjoys the experience of being a mentor. However, she and Lionpaw admit to each other that they don't think the Tribe can learn Clan ways. Hollypaw is part of the patrol that brings the message about the boundaries to the intruders and is horrified when she realizes the intruders have no code of honor to follow. Hollypaw is pleased that the Tribe chose to fight the intruders rather than flee.

Before the battle against the rogues begins, Hollypaw, Lionpaw, Breezepaw, and Pebble enter through a hole in the ceiling to scare off the nursing she-cats. Hollypaw fought very hard in the battle. When it was over, she became horrified when she saw Lionpaw covered in blood; thinking it was his own. It was, however, the blood of the cats whom he had been fighting, and she helps him wash his pelt. Jaypaw gets them alone after this, and tells them both about the prophecy.

Eclipse

Hollypaw stresses highly over the prophecy and is exasperated when Lionpaw shows little concern. She wants to use her powers to preserve the warrior code. She and her brothers return to the Lake territory, along with Crowfeather, Tawnypelt, Brambleclaw, Squirrelflight, and Breezepaw. Stormfur and Brook remain with the Tribe of Rushing Water.

Hollypaw, Brambleclaw, Sandstorm, and Brackenfur go to find out why WindClan was stealing food from ThunderClan territory. They meet Harespring, Owlwhisker, and Ashfoot, the last of which is the WindClan deputy. Harespring attacks Brambleclaw, but Brambleclaw easily pins him down. Ashfoot then begs for him to let her Clanmate go and leave WindClan territory. Brambleclaw does so reluctantly. When Hollypaw tells Lionpaw about this, he carelessly rips moss which Hollypaw observes is now too messy for the kits.

Hollypaw finds another tunnel that leads to WindClan, but she doesn't tell Lionpaw in fear of him using it to meet with Heatherpaw. After Blossomkit, Briarkit, and Bumblekit are born, she congratulates Jaypaw for helping Leafpool with the birthing.

During the battle with WindClan and RiverClan, Hollypaw helps Mousewhisker into the battle after he pokes his eye with a thorn in the darkness. When she goes to get help from ShadowClan, Ivytail is guarding the camp and tries to stop her. However, Hollypaw successfully convinces Blackstar to help.

Hollypaw is the first cat to see Sol on WindClan territory, and she thinks he is a lion. The others think she is just seeing things. She later helps her littermates find Sol, and is strangely mesmerized by his amber eyes. After the battle, Hollypaw is the one who discovers Squirrelflight's wound. When Leafpool tells everyone to leave Squirrelflight, Hollypaw protests as Sandstorm guides her away. She helps build a soft nest out of ferns for Squirrelflight.

Hollypaw and her brothers head out to find Sol, the cat who claimed to know the sun would disappear. During the travel, she pricks her nose on a thorn in the dark and is tired from the long journey so soon after the battle. When they find Sol, they offer to let him come to ThunderClan. When they start home, they are stopped by a ShadowClan patrol and taken to their camp even though they didn't cross the border. In the camp, Hollypaw sees Tawnypelt's three kits. Once they return, Hollypaw is promptly ordered to go hunting with Lionpaw, and their mentors.

Jaypaw becomes annoyed with her because she murmurs "the Warrior Code" repeatedly under her breath. At the very end of the book, she, Lionpaw, and Cinderpaw get their warrior names: Hollyleaf, Lionblaze, and Cinderheart.

Long Shadows

Sol convinced ShadowClan to stop believing in the Warrior Code. Due to this, Hollyleaf goes with her brothers to spy on ShadowClan. Later, Tawnypelt brings her kits, Tigerpaw, Flamepaw, and Dawnpaw, to ThunderClan as to teach them about StarClan. Hollyleaf is on the patrol that finds them by the border.

Hollyleaf, Jaypaw, Lionblaze, Tigerpaw, Flamepaw, and Dawnpaw create a fake sign from StarClan, which turns into a real sign when Raggedstar and Runningnose appear to bring ShadowClan back to the warrior code. While Ashfur almost pushed the three cats off into a blazing fire, it was revealed that Squirrelflight was not any of the three's mother and Brambleclaw is not their father even though he thinks he is. Ashfur tells them that he is not going to keep their secret, and leaves, sparing Hollyleaf, Lionblaze, and Jayfeather's lives.

When he leaves, Hollyleaf immediately demands Squirrelflight tell them if she had told the truth—and Squirrelflight apologizes, admitting she had told the truth, and that she truly isn’t their mother. Hollyleaf quickly comes to resent Squirrelflight for lying about them being her kits.

She is horrified when she learns of Ashfur's intention to announce her heritage at the Gathering, because she believes it will make the other Clans hate ThunderClan for their diluted blood even more. However, unlike her siblings, she sees the futility in trying to dissuade Ashfur, telling him to his face that if he wants to destroy his own Clan that it's his business.

Ashfur and Squirrelflight are missing when the Clan gets together to attend the Gathering. Hollyleaf thinks to herself that she wouldn't care if Squirrelflight never returned to camp. She shies away from thinking about Ashfur at all. Squirrelflight finally arrives, covered in mud from an apparent fall into a stream. Firestar gets tired of waiting for Ashfur and the patrol leaves without him, only to find his lifeless body in the stream at the WindClan border. At first, it is assumed that he has drowned, but Leafpool discovers a laceration on his neck that confirms that he was murdered.

Sunrise

Hollyleaf is chosen to go on the Sol patrol, on which they go to the sun-drown-place to find Sol, as Firestar believes him responsible for Ashfur's death. She is charmed by Sol for a while but then loses interest. Her tongue gets stuck on the ice, and Brackenfur has to help her get unstuck. She helps to try and get Brambleclaw and Birchfall out of the water by holding a stick out to them when they fall in the sun-drown-place's depths.

After Honeyfern's death while saving Briarkit from a snake, Hollyleaf goes into Leafpool's den to demand information about her parentage from the medicine cat. Leafpool misinterprets Hollyleaf's question, which was asking her to tell her everything she knew, instead believing that Hollyleaf knows that Leafpool knows that she killed Ashfur. Hollyleaf tries to deny this but is overcome by guilt and self-disgust and confesses. When she explains why she did it, Leafpool reveals that she is Hollyleaf, Jayfeather, and Lionblaze's true mother. Hollyleaf is overcome with hate for the cat who broke the warrior code to give birth to her and becomes obsessed with learning the identity of her father.

She discovers that her father is Crowfeather, a WindClan warrior. Obsessed as she is with the warrior code, she cannot stand being both a medicine cat's kit and half-Clan. At the Gathering she reveals the truth about her heritage, screeching her hate for Leafpool, the cat who gave birth to her, and Squirrelflight, who lied to her and her littermates. She is shocked by the blatant disapproval the other cats show for her revelation, believing that she had done the right thing. Leafpool, ashamed of what she had done, steps down as the ThunderClan medicine cat. Hollyleaf leaves the Gathering and returns to ThunderClan. Hollyleaf then finds Leafpool's deathberries and prepares to force the medicine cat to eat them when Leafpool says she has already lost everything, and that it would be worse for her if she stayed alive. Hollyleaf hesitates, then lets Leafpool go.

Hollyleaf decides to leave the Clans because she can't stand being a half-Clan cat and a medicine cat's kit, and is spotted running for the tunnels by Jayfeather. He and Lionblaze follow her to try and stop her, but Hollyleaf does not listen. She then admits that she was the one who killed Ashfur. Jayfeather reaches into her memories unwillingly, and he realizes exactly how she killed Ashfur. Just as she enters the tunnels to leave the Clans, the tunnel entrance collapses. It is unknown to Lionblaze and Jayfeather if she was truly killed in the collapse.

Jayfeather and Lionblaze return back to the ThunderClan camp. To let Hollyleaf be remembered like the other passed warriors and to hide the fact that she had gone into the tunnels to get away from her Clanmates, Jayfeather and Lionblaze tell the Clan that Hollyleaf had accidentally ran into the tunnels while chasing a squirrel. They decide not to tell the Clan that she killed Ashfur, so she could be remembered as a brave and noble warrior, not a terrible murderer.

In the Omen of the Stars arc

The Fourth Apprentice

In the prologue, Bluestar, Yellowfang, Spottedleaf, Lionheart, and Feathertail discuss who the third cat of the prophecy is. Hollyleaf is mentioned in this discussion with the five cats. At one point, Lionheart claims that if they had meddled with the prophecy even more, then Hollyleaf would not have wandered into the tunnels, and would not now be lost. If Hollyleaf is alive, she is out of StarClan's reach.

When Jayfeather, Lionblaze, and Dovepaw are in the abandoned Twoleg nest garden, discussing the prophecy, Jayfeather and Lionblaze tell Dovepaw that Hollyleaf was not one of the Three, and that Dovepaw is.

After Jayfeather battles with Breezepelt and Brokenstar alongside Honeyfern, he sees the StarClan cats lined up together before him. However, he cannot see Hollyleaf in the row of StarClan cats. Jayfeather thinks that she may still be alive, or that she had gone to the Dark Forest.

When Cinderheart goes to the medicine den looking for herbs to make Poppyfrost happier, she bursts out about how much she misses Hollyleaf.

Fading Echoes

Hollyleaf is only briefly mentioned by Lionblaze, Jayfeather, and Cinderheart. She is also mentioned by Squirrelflight as she and Jayfeather travel to the ShadowClan camp. Squirrelflight tells Jayfeather that, as a kit, a leaf fell on Hollyleaf's head, and she wouldn't leave the nursery for three days, because she feared that the forest was falling. Also, Jayfeather tells Dovepaw about why Hollyleaf had left the Clan. Jayfeather says that not being one of the Three was the hardest thing to comprehend for her, in addition to finding out who her real parents were. He does not mention the part about Leafpool and Crowfeather to Dovepaw, instead saying it is not important right now.

After Jayfeather finds Tigerheart, and right after Tigerheart leaves, Jayfeather senses himself being watched and sniffs the air. Jayfeather notes that the scent is very familiar, and it is possible that the scent is Hollyleaf's.

Night Whispers

Lionblaze, on a patrol with Cinderheart, sees the collapsed tunnel where Hollyleaf supposedly died and is frightened at the sight of it. However, he continues to hide the incident from Cinderheart and the rest of the Clan.

Later, when Jayfeather is sorting through his herb storage, he finds a tuft of Hollyleaf's fur. This reminds him of when Hollyleaf was training as a medicine cat, and he puts it back. It is suspected that it might be the fur Leafpool hid when she figured out Hollyleaf killed Ashfur.

Sign of the Moon

When Icecloud falls into one of the tunnels, it is noted by her brothers that this is the same tunnel that Hollyleaf ran into when it collapsed. Lionblaze wants to go down to see for himself if Hollyleaf's body is there or not. He also wants to protect her secret of killing Ashfur. Jayfeather later asks Lionblaze if he can show him the tunnel, as he wants to investigate for himself. Unable to find her body, they find a tuft of her fur. Her brothers assume she is alive, but consider other possibilities that could have led to an alternative death. She is supposedly found helping Blossomfall and Ivypool.

The Forgotten Warrior

This book confirms that Hollyleaf, indeed, is alive and well. She had been living life after her escape from ThunderClan and the collapsing roof of the tunnel as a loner. She is first spotted saving Molepaw and Cherrypaw from foxes, but they couldn't identify her. Later, she helps Ivypool and Dovewing get out of the tunnels. At first, they don't trust her, and in the dark they cannot see who she is and what she looks like. But Hollyleaf tells them who she is, much to their surprise, and goes on to explain that she is the cat that helped Ivypool and Blossomfall out of the tunnels previously. When they come out of the tunnels, Hollyleaf tries to go back into hiding in the tunnels, but Lionblaze appears and escorts her back to the ThunderClan camp.

Back in camp, her Clanmates are surprised and happy to see her alive, and bombard her with questions. Leafpool is overjoyed to see her daughter alive, although Hollyleaf flinches away from her when she bounds over. When Squirrelflight expresses her joy to see Hollyleaf alive, the black she-cat stammers awkwardly.

The next morning, Hollyleaf goes into the forest with her brothers to talk. She thanks them for not revealing the truth about Ashfur's death. Jayfeather challenges her, angry that she allowed them to believe she was dead, and Hollyleaf explains that she thought that they and the Clan were better off without her.

At this point, she finds out that Dovewing is the third cat in the prophecy and seems impressed with the young cat's powers, while Jayfeather senses grief and envy from his sister, but not bitter jealousy that would indicate that Hollyleaf would be a threat to Dovewing. Jayfeather inwardly mourns the fact that Hollyleaf has no powers, knowing that she would have taken her place in the prophecy very seriously and may have made different choices in the past. He also wonders if Hollyleaf is the fourth cat in the prophecy.

One day later, while Brambleclaw is assigning patrols, he puts Hollyleaf on a hunting patrol, which causes unrest in the Clan. Cats demand to know where Hollyleaf has been and what she has been doing. Some cats wonder if she has been conspiring with Sol, and Thornclaw makes the connection with the timing of Hollyleaf's disappearance and Ashfur's death. Hollyleaf reveals that she was present for and caused Ashfur's death, but as she prepares to admit that she killed Ashfur, Brambleclaw interrupts and says that he was there at the event, although Hollyleaf could not see him. Brambleclaw continues to explain that Ashfur had leaped at Hollyleaf, but he slipped and fell into the stream, and Hollyleaf was only defending herself. Berrynose is one that wanted to exile Hollyleaf, causing the effect of Hollyleaf revealing that she was the one that saved Molepaw and Cherrypaw from the foxes.

After hearing her reasoning, the Clan accepts her, shocked that Ashfur would try to kill four cats and assuring Hollyleaf that she did the right thing. Firestar explains to Hollyleaf that she should have trusted her Clanmates to treat her fairly, and excuses her from patrols for the day

Hollyleaf teaches cats how to fight underground, so they will be prepared for WindClan's attack.

Hollyleaf is noted by Ivypool to have eyes like a hawk, because when ThunderClan gets in a border skirmish with ShadowClan, Redwillow convinces Dawnpelt to leave them alone since Ivypool is on the patrol. Hollyleaf inquires about their relationship and she wonders how the black she-cat could possibly know about the Dark Forest, but in all actuality, Hollyleaf thinks the two cats are involved in a romantic relationship and she feels bitter towards it, not only because of the Warrior Code, but also because she is Half-Clan and if she were to ever have kits, she wouldn't want them to share that pain and torture.

WindClan attacks, and as they walk through the tunnels, ThunderClan is prepared. A battle follows, but ThunderClan gets the upper paw, defeating WindClan. Hollyleaf fights Sol, who reveals that many seasons ago, he met another Clan in a gorge far away, and they didn't accept him as of their warriors. Hollyleaf easily defeats him but lets him go, saying they have to let the warrior code rule their hearts, and there would be no honor in killing him, though she does warn him that if he ever does threaten the Clans again, she will kill him. The book ends as Hollyleaf and Dovewing are leaving the tunnels.

The Last Hope

Lionblaze believes she is the fourth cat in the prophecy, yet she denies it, saying there is nothing special about her. He tries to prove she is the fourth cat by testing her, for instance, how well she can climb and run. However, she still says that she isn't destined to be the fourth. He believes that her strong loyalty to the Warrior Code and her good hunting and fighting skills show she is the fourth, but she says any well-trained warrior would be able to do those things as well.

When Ivypool is attacked by Hawkfrost, Snowtuft, and Thistleclaw, Hollyleaf jumps between Hawkfrost and Ivypool and drives off Hawkfrost. When Ivypool manages to fight off the other Dark Forest cats she notices that Hollyleaf's neck had been sliced open. Ivypool carries Hollyleaf home, along with the help of Tigerheart. When in camp, Hollyleaf tells a distraught Leafpool that she is glad she came back to ThunderClan, that Leafpool was a good mother, and that she is glad she got to know her. Ivypool then screeches that Jayfeather has to save Hollyleaf, and explains how Hollyleaf had saved her. Hollyleaf dies shortly after this from her fatal wound. Jayfeather then tells Leafpool that there was nothing he could have done to save Hollyleaf.

Later in the battle, Breezepelt attacks Lionblaze and angrily tells Lionblaze that he hates him and his littermates. Breezepelt glances triumphantly at Hollyleaf's body and says it's Lionblaze's turn to die as well.

When the Ancient cats enter the camp, Fallen Leaves is seen mourning over Hollyleaf's body. When reassured by Broken Shadow, he replies that he promised Hollyleaf that he would see her again, and he gets back to fighting after Broken Shadow says to honor her death by helping.

After the battle, Hollyleaf's spirit is seen rising from her body and following the others that perished during the battle, leaving with StarClan.

In the A Vision of Shadows arc

The Apprentice's Quest

In the bonus scene, Squirrelflight is expecting kits, and she wonders if she was ever a good mother to Hollyleaf, Jayfeather, and Lionblaze, when they did not forgive her for lying for so long. Later, she confides to Bramblestar that she did her best with Hollyleaf and her siblings, but they hated her for lying.

Darkest Night

Hollyleaf appears in StarClan when the medicine cats go to the Moonpool during the half-moon. Leafpool's eyes are brimming with emotion at seeing her. Alderheart remembers how the older cats had talked about her sometimes and how when Lionblaze and Jayfeather talked about her there was always a strange tension in their words. Leafpool asks if she is happy in StarClan, and Hollyleaf replies that she is at peace.

River of Fire

Hollyleaf is mentioned when her brother, Jayfeather, tells Alderheart that when Leafpool's secret came out, it ruined the lives of himself and his littermates.

In The Broken Code arc

Lost Stars

Hollyleaf appears in the bonus scene when Jayfeather tries to speak to Leafpool at the Moonpool. She tells him she is happy to see him and he replies. However, he waits in vain for Leafpool and asks Hollyleaf if his mother would not like to see him. Hollyleaf assures him that Leafpool would like to see him, but that the shock would be too great for Jayfeather and that he should speak to his sister first. Hollyleaf tells him that she too had problems accepting Leafpool and her decision, but now that she is to StarClan, the two had a chance to speak and she begins to understand her mother. She goes on to say that they now have the chance to be mother and daughter in StarClan, and that Leafpool is a good mother. When Leafpool appears and talks to Jayfeather, she touches Hollyleaf's cheek first, and then her son's. After Leafpool tells Jayfeather that she loves him, she and Hollyleaf disappear into a glittering mist.

Darkness Within

At a Gathering, numerous cats inform others that they heard that Ashfur had tried to murder Hollyleaf, and that was how he died. Crowfeather asks Lionblaze and Jayfeather that Ashfur threatened to kill the two toms and their littermate, and they confirm this.

A Light in the Mist

While Ashfur inwardly taunts StarClan for being stupid enough to believe he had changed since his death, he notes that even his own murderer, Hollyleaf, had wrongly held this belief.

In the Super Editions

Crowfeather's Trial

Hollyleaf is thought of by Crowfeather, when he sees his sons, Lionblaze and Breezepelt, in a tense argument at a Gathering. While Crowfeather thinks to himself that he never considered Hollyleaf and her brothers, Lionblaze and Jayfeather, his kits due to him not raising them, he hated to see conflict between his living children, knowing it was wrong.

During a dream that Crowfeather has, he remembers the night of the Great Battle with the Place of No Stars. His dream takes an unexpected turn, with his visions of the battle turning into what could have happened. During this dream, Crowfeather is temporarily blinded by Breezepelt, crouching near Hollyleaf's body as pain rushes through his body. As the darkness clears, Crowfeather can make out the dark brown tabby pelt of the Dark Forest cat who had taken Hollyleaf's life, Hawkfrost. While Crowfeather realizes that this is a dream and he cannot avenge Hollyleaf, he lunges at Hawkfrost, rage filling his body and his mind. He later recalls this scene, wondering if he would lose another of his children, seeing Breezepelt's injuries from fighting the stoats.

Leafpool and Crowfeather discuss their children, saying that Hollyleaf was the one out of their three kits that could not accept that she was half-Clan. Crowfeather sadly thinks that Hollyleaf is dead now, before he even got the chance to know her. As if Leafpool can read Crowfeather's mind, she mews that Hollyleaf died a noble death, protecting her Clanmates. She continues and says that Crowfeather should be proud of Hollyleaf, and be proud of all of his children, even after everything that has happened.

Later, Ashfoot admits to Crowfeather that she sent the vision of Hollyleaf and Hawkfrost to show Crowfeather that he loves all of his kits, indicating both his WindClan and ThunderClan families. Crowfeather tries to use this knowledge to get closer to Breezepelt, in spite of the young tom’s jealousy of his half-siblings.

During a conversation between Bramblestar and Onestar, Bramblestar remarks that ThunderClan has experience with underground fighting. Crowfeather slides his claws out, remembering the battle in which WindClan had been defeated in the tunnels. He learned soon after that Hollyleaf had taught her underground abilities to her Clanmates in ThunderClan.

Crowfeather thinks of Hollyleaf often, and wonders what life would have been like had he and Leafpool found a place to live and raised Hollyleaf, Jayfeather, and Lionblaze on their own. While he knows that Leafpool eventually would have followed her calling as a medicine cat, it does not stop him from wondering how different his life could be.

Hollyleaf is mentioned by Jayfeather when Crowfeather tries to reach out to Jayfeather in hopes of getting an herb that would heal Breezepelt. Jayfeather is very angry with Crowfeather and has not forgiven him or Breezepelt for their actions in the past. He says that Breezepelt was glad that Hollyleaf was killed and that none of them should have ever been born. Jayfeather initially refuses to give any burdock root to Crowfeather, but later changes his mind when he says that he is a medicine cat and will not let any cat die if he can help it.

Bramblestar's Storm

Hollyleaf is one of the deceased cats marked on the Stick of the Fallen, and is often recalled by her Clanmates and Bramblestar with somber thoughts. Dewpaw recites her name as he names the cats that are marked on the Stick, noting that she had returned to ThunderClan after a brief absence and helped defeat the Dark Forest. Bramblestar notes that both he and Squirrelflight miss the she-cat, thinking of her as their daughter and that if she were still alive, their family would still be whole. He misses her a lot, recalling the time she had spent in the tunnels hidden away from ThunderClan. Hollyleaf, along with the other cats that had perished in the Great Battle, appear before the Clans to remind them that there are other ways to honor the fallen. When Hollypaw is named an apprentice, Bramblestar notes that she is named after her aunt, Hollyleaf.

Squirrelflight's Hope

When ThunderClan seeks advice from StarClan whether or not to treat Sunrise's injuries, Jayfeather tells Squirrelflight that Hollyleaf told him, "clouds from the mountains will make it difficult to tell friend from enemy. But if the Clans stay united, the way forward will be clear." Bramblestar interprets Hollyleaf's message that they shouldn't treat Sunrise, but Squirrelflight and Leafpool object.

When Leafpool and Squirrelflight are in StarClan, they meet Hollyleaf. Squirrelflight also notices Ashfur and looks at Hollyleaf, who blinks calmly at the gray tom. The ginger she-cat remarks to Hollyleaf that it's strange he didn't end up in the Dark Forest, and the black she-cat says that the blue-eyed tom apologized. Hollyleaf and her littermates are mentioned when it is decided if Leafpool and Squirrelflight get to stay in StarClan.

Graystripe's Vow

During his wander, Graystripe decides to go to the mountains and recalls how Hollyleaf and her siblings adventured there as apprentices, and follows the path they took.

In the Novellas

Leafpool's Wish

Leafpool, once she discovers she is expecting kits, becomes very worried about their fate. However, she is still determined to remain a medicine cat, even though she is breaking the code of the medicine cats by having Crowfeather's kits. She travels away from the Clan with Squirrelflight to deliver the kits in secret.

When she gives birth, Hollyleaf is born first, and wails as she takes her first breath. Soon after, her brothers are born. A few days later, Leafpool and Squirrelflight decide to name the kits. When Squirrelflight suggests the name Hollykit for her since her fur is as dark as holly bark, Leafpool hesitates, but then agrees to it.

After five days, Hollykit and her brother Lionkit have opened their eyes; Hollykit's are green and Lionkit's are amber. Leafpool feels a rush of affection for her kits and thinks of Hollykit as gentle and thoughtful. When Jaykit falls in a hole by accident, Hollykit calls him a mouse-brain. When Leafpool worries that Jaykit might be blind and tests her theory by asking him to fetch a leaf, Hollykit offers to get the leaf instead, but her mother tells her that Jaykit can manage.

Soon, they head back to ThunderClan. Leafpool tells Squirrelflight that she must act as the kits' mother now. Squirrelflight agrees and lets Leafpool rub some of her milk scent on her. Hollykit noses Squirrelflight's belly and wonders why there is milk scent on her but no milk. Squirrelflight tells her that her milk has dried up, but that Daisy will have milk for them once they return to the Clan. Hollykit pouts, saying that she wants her mother's milk.

Hollyleaf's Story

In the first chapter, she has a flashback; she is crouching during a fire caused by lightning in a storm, beside her littermates, Lionblaze and Jayfeather, in shock and terror. Her adopted mother, Squirrelflight, is defending her and her littermates from Ashfur, who is threatening the three littermates, as he holds a grudge against Squirrelflight for taking Brambleclaw as a mate instead of himself. He wants to take away something that means a lot to her in revenge and decides to take it out on her kits so that she will feel the same pain he did. In order to protect them, Squirrelflight reveals a secret that shocks Hollyleaf and the rest of her littermates: Lionblaze, and Jayfeather, and Hollyleaf are not her kits. However, she doesn't reveal who the real mother and father are.

Hollyleaf then runs into the tunnels, and when she enters them, they collapse on top of her. Although she doesn't die, she winds up injured and scared. She cries for help, but nobody hears her. She then thinks about how her littermates and Leafpool know that she killed Ashfur and that they probably think that she was killed in the rockfall. She contemplates that it is probably the best for all of them. Hollyleaf attempts to escape from the tunnels, but can't figure out which way to go, and realizes that she's lost. She then passes out due to exhaustion and pain from her leg injuries.

Hollyleaf wakes up to find that someone is tending to her wounds, although she doesn't know who it is. She tries standing up but collapses from the pain in her leg. Hollyleaf's rescuer reveals himself to be Fallen Leaves.

Eventually, Hollyleaf's leg does get better, and she's able to walk on all four legs again. Fallen Leaves takes this as a sign that Hollyleaf is going to leave him and the tunnels, and asks if he is to show her the way out. Much to his delight, Hollyleaf says she wants to explore his home, not leave. The two cats explore the cave, although when he catches prey for Hollyleaf, Fallen Leaves never takes any for himself. She wonders to herself why, but doesn't ask.

The next morning, Fallen Leaves and Hollyleaf check around the tunnels. While Hollyleaf is on her own, she runs into a fox cub being chased by a dog and its Twoleg owner. The cub stays in the tunnels overnight, unsettling Hollyleaf. As a result, she decides to go looking for it. When she finds it, she realizes that it's frightened and startled. She wraps her tail around the cub as it sleeps, and once it wakes up in the morning, she leads it outside and watches it leave with its mother.

As the days pass, Hollyleaf looks around for the fox cub, and Fallen Leaves teases her, asking if she really wants it to come back. Hollyleaf says no, and that it belongs with its family, to which Fallen Leaves asks if that's what Hollyleaf wants. The two get into an argument. Fallen Leaves tells Hollyleaf she doesn't have to stay with him, and she storms off. As she leaves the tunnels, she runs into the fox she helped, although it doesn't recognize her, and it starts attacking her. To get away she climbs up a tree. Hollyleaf goes back to Fallen Leaves, although once she gets back, she sleeps for two whole days, once again being taken care of by Fallen Leaves.

Once she wakes up, the two start talking, and Hollyleaf asks Fallen Leaves to tell her more about his own family. He tells Hollyleaf about his mother, Broken Shadow, and how she was protective of him. Fallen Leaves doesn't speak much more about his family and never tells her that he's dead and that his family is too, and instead tries to get Hollyleaf to speak about hers. She does, and Fallen Leaves suggests that she go and see ThunderClan, to check up on them. Although reluctant, she does and finds out that things have changed. Fallen Leaves thinks that she's still important to her Clan, though Hollyleaf disagrees, thinking they are better off without her. Hollyleaf visits once more, although not for a while. When she does, she overhears that Jayfeather is low on yarrow to help Cherrykit, who is sick. Hollyleaf fetches some yarrow and leaves it outside of the camp. Fallen Leaves gets worried that she'll leave to go back to her Clan because she keeps on visiting them.

Later on, she comes to find out from Fallen Leaves that two ThunderClan cats, Ivypool and Blossomfall, have found their way into the tunnels. She takes Fallen Leaves' suggestion, and leads them out, although the cats she helped have no idea who she really is. Later on, she does the same thing again, this time, saving Cherrypaw and Molepaw, Poppyfrost's two kits. Despite the fact she was risking getting discovered, she knew it was right. She had saved two apprentices from a fox. When she decides she has to go back, Fallen Leaves supports her choice, but is very upset about it and doesn't want her to leave.

About a moon later, Sol and a group of WindClan cats are found in the tunnels discussing how they will attack ThunderClan. Hollyleaf then notices two more cats, of ThunderClan heritage. These are Ivypool and Dovewing, and they followed the WindClan cats into the tunnels. She helps Ivypool and Dovewing get out of the tunnels and WindClan hears that they are there, but never finds them and never found out who they were. Although she originally did not want to show herself to any cat, she does, and tells Dovewing and Ivypool who she really is, in order to gain their trust.

Dovewing's Silence

Ivypool is shown to be extremely grateful that Hollyleaf gave up her life for her. She says that if it hadn't been for Hollyleaf, she would have been killed by Hawkfrost during the battle with the Dark Forest cats. Dovewing says that Hollyleaf will never regret what she did. Daisy agrees and meows that Hollyleaf died as a true warrior.

Dovewing and Ivypool, along with Poppyfrost and Cloudtail, help carry Hollyleaf out of camp when it is time for burial. During the funeral ceremony, Ivypool feels very sorrowful and thinks that perhaps she should be the one who is dead instead of Hollyleaf. Dovewing hisses that Hollyleaf knew what she was doing, and reminds her sister that she died as a true warrior.

In the Field Guides

Cats of the Clans

The narrator of this guide, Rock, says that Firestar has waited a long time for the birth of Hollypaw and her siblings.

Rock says that Hollypaw is a thinker, politician, sensitive, cunning, and aware of all the consequences that might come from a single action. He says for her, the warrior code is the root and reward of every choice a Clan cat has to make, and she would tread on the hardest paths to defend it.

Rock ends with a final piece of advice for Mosskit, Blossomkit, and Adderkit;

"Three young cats, with starlight in their eyes and the whisper of an ancient wind in their fur. Just remember this: power is neither good nor bad, but its user makes it so."

Battles of the Clans

Hollyleaf is mentioned by Heathertail to be one of three cats in the Clans who know about the underground tunnels besides WindClan; the other two being Lionblaze and Jayfeather.

The Ultimate Guide

It is mentioned on Sandstorm's page that when the truth came out about Lionblaze, Hollyleaf, and Jayfeather, Sandstorm stood by her kits. It is mentioned on Leafpool’s page that Leafpool fell in love with Crowfeather and bore his kits. Since she was a medicine cat and cannot have kits, she gave up her kits to Squirrelflight, who convinced even her mate that they are hers. When her secret was discovered by Hollyleaf who blurted it out at a Gathering, Leafpool was forced to give up her role as a medicine cat and to add to her agony, her kits hated her to lying. Leafpool never judged and was always proud.

She is mentioned twice on Squirrelflight's page. Squirrelflight was incapable of doing anything but what she believed was right, even taking Leafpool's kits and making her Clanmates believe they were her own. Squirrelflight watched Brambleclaw raise the kits and when the truth came out of their real mother, Brambleclaw couldn’t forgive Squirrelflight for lying to him. She appears on Brambleclaw's page. Brambleclaw's greatest challenge was becoming a father to Hollyleaf and her siblings. He relished the challenge as he watched the kits grow into strong, loyal ThunderClan cats. His heart broke when he learned he was not the real father.

It is mentioned on Ashfur's page that Ashfur's bitterness to Squirrelflight led to Ashfur threatening to kill Squirrelflight's kits, which made her reveal who their true mother is. Ashfur now has a powerful weapon to use against Squirrelflight, to reveal she lied about Jayfeather, Hollyleaf and Lionblaze. It is a too great risk for Hollyleaf who tracked Ashfur and fatally wounded him.

Hollyleaf has her own page.

Sensitive and cunning, Hollyleaf was the thinker out of she and her brothers, Lionblaze and Jayfeather. She often thought ahead, weighing the options that come with a choice, both good and bad. The warrior code meant everything to Hollyleaf, and for her, it lay at the core of each and every decision, and she would choose to go the hardest paths if it meant she could uphold the warrior code and protect her Clan. Even before hearing of the prophecy, Hollyleaf was determined to serve her Clan the best that she could, and this was made evident when she chose to train under Leafpool, ThunderClan's sole medicine cat. Although she trained well, Leafpool could soon tell that her apprentice's heart lay elsewhere, and she allowed Hollyleaf to begin training as a warrior apprentice, and she trained harder than any other apprentice, including her brother.

Upon hearing of the prophecy, and how she and her brothers could be even more powerful than StarClan, Hollyleaf tread down a path that would help her find out what her destiny was. She recalled the skills of her brothers, Jayfeather with his sight in dreams and the ability to walk the grounds of StarClan whenever he please, and the fighting abilities of Lionblaze, never having been beaten. Soon, Hollyleaf found her strength in her loyalty and faith in the warrior code, and she would defend it until her last breath.

When Squirrelflight confessed to Ashfur that Hollyleaf, Lionblaze, and Jayfeather were not her kits, Hollyleaf was devastated. She had no idea what would happen next, and she was terrified that Ashfur would reveal their secret to her Clanmates and that she would be driven from her Clan, to live her life alone. Hollyleaf knew that she had to make sure that Ashfur kept the secret, and although she didn't mean to kill him, that's what ultimately happened. When she struck him, he accidentally slipped and fell into the stream - this is when Hollyleaf knew that he was beyond trying to save. Already being punished by her conscious, Hollyleaf saw no need to tell Firestar about the confrontation. The warrior code states that no cat can kill another, and Hollyleaf knew her fear would eventually unveil the truth.

When she and her siblings found out about Leafpool and Crowfeather being their parents, the truth became too much for Hollyleaf to handle, and she snapped- revealing the truth of her parentage at a Gathering, shaming her mother forever. Driven by the events of the Gathering, Hollyleaf fled. She made her way into the tunnels, a place where she would come to call home for many moons. While there, she gained the friendship of the mysterious cat, Fallen Leaves. Her unending concern for her Clanmates, however, soon sent her back to ThunderClan, where she spent her last days searching for forgiveness, which she didn't know had already been given, and she fought to the death to save her Clanmates from the Dark Forest.

It is mentioned on Jayfeather’s page that Jayfeather shared his littermates’ courage and curiosity. It is also mentioned on Dovewing’s page that Dovewing was the third cat of the prophecy in place of Hollyleaf. Also during Bramblestar’s nine lives ceremony, Brambleclaw notes that he would still give his life in a moment to protect Hollyleaf and her siblings. It is also mentioned on Blackstar’s page that Lionblaze, Hollyleaf, and Jaypaw schemed with Tigerpaw and Dawnpaw to create a false message from StarClan.

It is mentioned on Flametail’s page that he and his siblings were intrigued to see Hollyleaf and her siblings. She is mentioned twice on Crowfeather’s page. Crowfeather was horrified to learn that Hollyleaf and her siblings are his kits, and refused to acknowledge them as his own. Later, alone with Leafpool, Crowfeather admitted he regretted nothing, the closest he will ever go to accepting his ThunderClan kits as his own.

She is mentioned on Nightcloud and Breezepelt’s page. When Breezepelt learned that Jayfeather, Lionblaze and Hollyleaf are Crowfeather’s kits, his horror is not hard to imagine. It is mentioned on Heathertail’s page that when three WindClan kits went missing, Heatherpaw and Lionpaw guessed they went into the tunnels and went to search with Jaypaw and Hollypaw. Torrential rain flooded underground, washing the cats out into the lake and narrowly escaping with their lives.

It is mentioned on Hawkfrost’s page that before he could strike the final blow to kill Ivypool, Hollyleaf intercepted it and Hawkfrost killed her instead. It is mentioned on Sol’s page that in the middle of the battle between ThunderClan and WindClan stirred up by Sol, Hollyleaf took on Sol and defeating him, threatening to kill him if he dared to show his face to the Clans again. It is mentioned on Rock’s page that Jaypaw and Hollypaw joined the others to search for WindClan’s three missing kits.

She lastly appears on Fallen Leaves’ page. Hollyleaf escaped into the tunnels where Fallen Leaves is after revealing the truth about her parents. She fled into the darkness and wandered, lost and hungry until Fallen Leaves found her and brought her food and water. He treated her injured leg and showed her how to survive underground. For several joyous moons, Fallen Leaves was happy but Hollyleaf grew restless, and Fallen Leaves knew her heart lay with her Clanmates. He encouraged her to be true to herself, and his heart broke when she left. When the Dark Forest cats came, Fallen Leaves fought alongside Hollyleaf and was there when she was struck down by Hawkfrost. He realized that they would both walk different paths from each other forever now.

In the Short stories and plays

After Sunset: The Right Choice?

Leafpool briefly worries about what will happen once Hollyleaf and her siblings are born, but she pushes the thought away.

Beyond the Code: Brightspirit's Mercy

Hollyleaf appears alongside her siblings when Jaypaw is asked by Brightspirit, Shiningheart, and Braveheart to give their prey to the other Clans. At first, she is reluctant to help the rival Clans, but she becomes convinced by the StarClan cats and Jaypaw because giving the prey to the others could stop a battle, and they would be in debt to ThunderClan. Lionblaze still scoffs at the idea, but eventually helps them catch prey because he wants to stick together with his littermates.