Moonlight

"Squirrelflight and Leafpool were friends to us. If Squirrelflight has lost her mate, then we must help her find him again. We owe her that much. She stood up for us when no other cat could."

— Moonlight convincing the Sisters to help the Clans in Darkness Within, page 196

Moonlight
The pixel artwork is fanart based on the canon description; undefined traits are left to the artist's interpretation.
Affiliations
Current:	Ghost residence
Past:	The Sisters
Biographical information
Cause of death:	Injuries sustained from battle
Names
Queen:	Moonlight
Leader:	Moonlight
Rogue:	Moonlight
Sister:	Moonlight
Ghost:	Moonlight
Kin
Former mates:	Unnamed toms, Root, Jack
Daughters:	Sunrise, Ice, Squirrel, Moon, Unnamed she-kits
Sons:	Tree, Leaf, Unnamed toms
Leader position
Preceded by:	Cloud
Succeeded by:	Snow
Book appearances
Living	Tree's Roots, Squirrelflight's Hope
Living	Tree's Roots, Squirrelflight's Hope
Dead	Squirrelflight's Hope, Darkness Within, The Place of No Stars
Dead	Squirrelflight's Hope, Darkness Within, The Place of No Stars

Moonlight is a huge gray she-cat.

Moonlight was the former leader of the Sisters. She took several mates, and in one litter with a loner named Root, Moonlight had three kits, Earth, Sunrise, and Ice; however, due to the Sisters' custom, she made Earth leave the Sisters, making him resent Moonlight for it. Many moons later, Moonlight was carrying Jack's kits, and refused to let the Sisters move when the Clans were wanting to drive them out for territory. She briefly reunited with Earth, now known as Tree, but he condemned her for abandoning him, and she befriended Squirrelflight when the ThunderClan deputy defended the Sisters' ways against the Clans. During the battle to drive out the Sisters, Moonlight went into labor and had three kits, Leaf, Squirrel, and Moon, named after Leafpool, Squrrelflight, and herself, but she later died of her injuries sustained in the battle. She became a ghost, but never forgot how Squirrelflight and Leafpool helped the Sisters, and convinced the group to assist Clan cats when they needed help looking for Bramblestar's ghost.

History

Looking for a longer overview? Find one here!

A Vision of Shadows

"One day my mother brought a mouse back to the den. It was injured, but not dead. She told me how to kill it. So I killed it, and when I did, she said, "You're grown now". The next morning, when I woke, she was gone. My sister was too."

―Tree about his mother leaving him ^{Thunder and Shadow, bonus scene, page 17}

Moonlight is mentioned numerous times by her son, Tree. He claims that his mother had given him an injured mouse to kill, stating afterward that he was grown up. Tree claims that upon waking up the following morning, he discovered that his mother and sister were gone, having abandoned him, and Tree did not know where they had gone. When asked his name, Tree tells Needlepaw that if his mother gave him one, he forgot.

The Broken Code

"Do we need their respect? Aren't you curious about what's going on? If something is stopping spirits from wandering the forest, shouldn't we find out what it is?"

―Moonlight to the Sisters about the Clans ^{Darkness Within, page 196}

Moonlight appears as a ghost to the Sisters and her grandson, Rootspring, when his patrol asks for help to find a lost Clanmate, Bramblestar's ghost. She meets Tree's son, Rootspring, and the yellow tom thought he would never meet his father's mother. The Sisters, at first, are not wanting to help the Clans due to past experiences, but Moonlight tells them that Squirrelflight and Leafpool helped them in the past, where Squirrelflight was the only cat to stand up for them. Moonlight adds that the Clans have rules, but the Sisters should not listen to them as they will only be there for a little while. She says they must help if something is stopping spirits from wandering the forest. Snow, the current leader of the Sisters, is convinced to help the Clans afterwards.

Super Editions

This section summarizes Moonlight's significant Super Editions appearances. If you're looking for a full list, find one here!

"Then reason with me. Don't quote words given to you by someone else. You're my son. I hope I taught you to have a mind of your own."

―Moonlight to Tree ^{Squirrelflight's Hope, page 291}

In Squirrelflight's Hope, Moonlight is the heavily pregnant leader of the Sisters and shows distrust of the Clans. After the Sisters take Squirrelflight and Leafstar captive, she briefly reunites with Tree, but her son angrily condemns her for abandoning him as a kit. Moonlight is unapologetic to Tree and refuses to move her group until her kits are born. All attempts at a peaceful resolution fail due to the Clans' unwillingness to work together, Tree's bias towards his mother, and Moonlight's stubbornness.

Eventually, tensions between the Clans grow to a point where they are willing to force out the Sisters, but Moonlight, long overdue for her kits, goes into labor, giving birth to two she-cats and a tom. However, as soon as they are born, she leaves her kits and goes to fight in the battle instigated by the Clans, but later dies from her injuries. Her kits are named Leaf, Squirrel, and Moon, the latter who is named after her.

Novellas

This section summarizes Moonlight's significant Novellas appearances. If you're looking for a full list, find one here!

In Tree's Roots, Moonlight leads the Sisters in the ceremonies to send toms away and the mourning ceremony for Haze. She asserts to her son, Earth, that toms must be sent away and refuses to let him to stay, insisting that he is ready. At night, Earth is sent away, and much later, Earth meets his father Root, who reveals that Moonlight abandoned him without giving him a chance to know his kits.

Detailed description

Moonlight is a huge, long-furred, thickly-pelted well-muscled, and broad-shouldered gray she-cat with wide paws, and a bushy tail.

Character pixels

Main images

The pixel artwork is fanart based on the canon description; undefined traits are left to the artist's interpretation. Rogue Version Leader Version Queen Version Sister Version Ghost Residence Version

Alternate images

The pixel artwork is fanart based on the canon description; undefined traits are left to the artist's interpretation. Loner Version

Personality and traits

«Moonlight had seemed reasonable to her. She could be peaceful and kind. But there was also a stubborn streak running through her fur. Persuading her to leave the mountain territory might be like asking a badger to leave its set.»

—Squirrelflight thinking about Moonlight ^{Squirrelflight's Hope, page 282}

To many cats, Moonlight is regarded as peaceful, loyal and kind. She dislikes violence, preferring to avoid it whenever possible. Moonlight is willing to help others, and is grateful to those who assist her in return. Moonlight remains fiercely devoted to the Sisters and their customs during her life. At the same time, others strongly feel that Moonlight's stubbornness and dedication to traditions can influence her decisions. When her interpretation of an event differs from another cat's, she's likely to not admit she is wrong. Her actions and lack of empathy in some situations cause others emotional pain, though she may not intend to inflict it.

Sometimes, Moonlight disregards the consequences her actions might have. While she does care for her children and fellow Sisters, Leafstar and Tree feel that she cares more for her beliefs and principles than her kin. In her son's eyes, her abandonment of him as a kit haunts him. Her surprise at his anger confirms for him that she did not consider how he felt about being left to fend for himself at so young, expecting him to have accepted it. Much later, Moonlight's pride results in her willingly putting her new kits in danger by choosing to stay in her camp when threatened by the Clans, despite being outnumbered.

Despite her dislike for violence, Moonlight is willing to be aggressive and forceful if she deems it necessary. She hates other cats trying to order her around and force her to do things she does not want to do. However, she also is a forceful leader who is willing to make others carry out duties if she deems it beneficial to herself or the greater good of the Sisters. Her fierce adherence to the idealism within the Sisters traditions instills a belief in her that her daughters are inherently better than her sons. Moonlight firmly believes that toms are born with an everlasting duty to wander and protect the land, and should leave their mothers at an early age as a result. When she forces a reluctant Tree to leave her group at a young age, even though he didn't want to depart, he was not ready to fend for himself, showing her adherence to the rule. At one point, she also holds Leafstar and Squirrelflight captive against their will. Moonlight carries a fairly disdainful opinion of Clan cats, regarding them as arrogant and violent warmongers who divide out land like prey and seek conflict for conflict's sake. She also dislikes all cats who have fixed homes, regarding them as fools.

Relationships

The Sisters

"My life is with the Sisters."

―Moonlight showing how she values the Sisters above all else ^{Squirrelflight's Hope, page 84}

Moonlight is fiercely loyal to the Sisters and their lifestyle. She cares about them more than anything else, as she chose to leave her many mates to continue her life as a Sister, and even put their traditions before the well-being of her own son, Tree.

Root

"I was mated to one of the Sisters. I was with her for a while, and I thought they were great, strong and fierce. My mate was expecting my kits. But then Moonlight and the others moved on without me. She said that toms don't travel with them and that they don't stay in one place, so she'd have to leave me behind. She left me without a second thought."

―Root talking about his brief relationship with Moonlight and her leaving him ^{Tree's Roots, page 153}

Root is one of Moonlight's many former mates. At some point, Root briefly joined the Sisters and mated with Moonlight. He liked the Sisters, as he regarded them as good cats and fell genuinely in love with Moonlight. However, Moonlight did not fully return Root's feelings and, after becoming pregnant with his kits, left him without remorse to continue her life with the Sisters. This desertion changed Root's opinion of Moonlight and the Sisters, causing him to dislike them greatly. His hatred of them intensifies when he learns that they cast out his son Earth despite him being barely out of kithood along with the fact that Earth's age and inexperience nearly got him killed by a pack of dogs.

Tree

"Do you think like a Clan cat too? Dividing land out like prey to be given to others. Have you forgotten that as a tom, you are a protector of the land? You should wander it, not own it!"

―Moonlight to Tree about the roles of toms ^{Squirrelflight's Hope, page 292}

Moonlight has a strained relationship with her son Tree. When Tree was a kit called Earth, Moonlight barely spent any time with him, as she was too busy leading the Sisters. Although she was warm and comforting at times, she was usually rather cold and dismissive of Earth's opinions and feelings, particularly his outrage at her refusal to sing for his dead friend Stream and his fear of leaving her group at such a young age. Earth, on the other paw, loved his mother and believed the things she taught him, but also resented her for neglecting him and later not loving him as much as she loved his sisters. When Earth reached his sixth moon, Moonlight cast him out without a second thought. Tree deeply resents Moonlight for this and when they reunite many moons later, angrily condemns her for abandoning him as soon as he could hunt and for letting the stars decide his fate. Moonlight is surprised by Tree's anger and nonchalantly defends her actions, showing herself to be unapologetic and unremorseful about hurting her son's feelings.

Tree initially refused to attempt to convince Moonlight and the Sisters to leave, wanting nothing to do with them, but later reluctantly agreed for the sake of peace. When Tree arrived in the Sisters' camp, Moonlight initially ignored him because he was a tom and was amused when Squirrelflight revealed he had been chosen to speak for the Clans. When she finally acknowledged him, she greeted him warmly by his birth name, only for Tree to coldly tell her his new name. As Tree attempted to reason with her, the two quickly got into a heated argument, with Moonlight accusing Tree of threatening her and of "forgetting his duty" as a tom to wander and protect the land, while Tree accused Moonlight of caring more for her beliefs than her own kits. Ultimately, Tree's attempt to reason with Moonlight fails and mother and son part on bad terms.

Squirrelstar

Squirrelflight: "Aren't you frightened you might have sons who'll have to leave you?"

Moonlight: "We can't hold on to those we love forever."

^{Squirrelflight's Hope, chapter 5}

Moonlight is initially hostile towards Squirrelflight when she and Leafstar trespass on the Sisters' territory. She even decides to keep them prisoner in order to prevent them from bringing their Clanmates to the territory, despite their promise not to do so until the Sisters leave. However, Moonlight and Squirrelflight quickly warm up to each other, sympathizing over their different lifestyles and becoming somewhat friends. However, despite their mutual respect, Moonlight repeatedly and stubbornly rejects Squirrelflight's advice to leave her territory in order to avoid a battle with the Clans, even though it puts her kits in danger. After Squirrelflight and Leafpool save her kits from a cave-in, Moonlight, now a ghost, asks Snow to thank Squirrelflight for her efforts. Many moons later, Moonlight convinces her Sisters to help Squirrelflight find her mate, Bramblestar's lost ghost, so as to repay the debt she owes the ginger she-cat.

Family

Main article: Moonlight/Family

Moonlight had several mates and litters of kits throughout her life. With Root, she had Tree, Ice, and Sunrise, and she had Leaf, Moon, and Squirrel with Jack. For more of Moonlight's family, click here!

Appearances

• Tree's Roots
• Thunder and Shadow (First appearance; mentioned only)
• Darkest Night (Indirect mention only)
• The Raging Storm (Indirect mention only)
• Squirrelflight's Hope †
• The Silent Thaw (Mentioned only)
• Darkness Within
• The Place of No Stars
• Ivypool's Heart (Mentioned only)

Trivia

Interesting facts

• Her daughter, Moon, is named after her.

Mistakes

• Moonlight is mistakenly said to be in a group of loners.

Quotes

Needlepaw: "Didn't your mother name you? You said you named yourself, but your mother must have given you a name when you were born."

Tree: "If she did, I forgot it."

^{Thunder and Shadow, Bonus scene, page 16}

"A spirit so young needs guiding. He won't understand what he's lost and who waits for him beyond death. We must help him find a place in the hearts of the living and the dead so that he can know both."

―Moonlight about Flickerkit ^{Squirrelflight's Hope, chapter 18}

"Is the land really worth that much to the Clans? Would they harm kits to get their paws on it?"

―Moonlight to Tree and Squirrelflight ^{Squirrelflight's Hope, chapter 20}

Squirrelflight: "I'm sorry to hear about Moonlight."

Snow: "She died defending her kits. It was an honorable way to die. Besides, we still see her."

^{Squirrelflight's Hope, chapter 29}

"I don't want to. [Moonlight] abandoned me in life. Why should I have to put up with her in death?"

―Tree refusing to see Moonlight's ghost ^{Squirrelflight's Hope, chapter 29}

Rootspring: "One of their ancestors is here."

Needleclaw: "Here? Now?"

^{Darkness Within, pages 195-196}

External links

• Beyond Our Borders on the Warriors official website (backup link) (Indirect mention only)
• Winds of Change on the Warriors official website (backup link) (Indirect mention only)

Fan content

• Our Favorite Moonlight Artwork on the Warriors official website (backup link)
• The Sisters Artwork on the Warriors official website (backup link)
• Winners of the favorite nonClan group fan challenge on the Warriors official website (backup link)
• Favorite nonClan groups CreatorClan winners on the Warriors official website (backup link)