Raid on WindClan

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"This attack was unjust. StarClan would never have let you win."

— Heatherstar to Pinestar as he retreats in Bluestar's Prophecy, page 133

Raid on WindClan
General information
Book:	Bluestar's Prophecy, Pinestar's Choice
Date:	Leaf-fall
Place:	WindClan's camp
Outcome:	WindClan's victory
Combatants
ThunderClan
WindClan
Leaders
Pinestar
Heatherstar
Strength
Dappletail Swiftbreeze Leopardpaw Moonflower Stonepelt Sparrowpelt Adderfang Stormtail Bluepaw Snowpaw Featherwhisker Sunfall Smallear Robinwing
Unnamed WindClan warriors Deadfoot Hawkheart
Death and losses
Moonflower
Chronology
Preceded by:	Journey to find Sparrow
Concurrent:	ShadowClan-WindClan conflict
Followed by:	Battle for Sunningrocks

The Raid on WindClan was a battle that took place in Bluestar's Prophecy when Goosefeather received an omen from StarClan indicating that ThunderClan would need to attack WindClan in order to survive. Pinestar leads the attack, being led by the assumption from another omen that ThunderClan needed to destroy WindClan's herb supply.

Description

Premise

ThunderClan patrols report scenting WindClan on their territory, concerning Pinestar due to leafbare being soon. However, the leader states without any hard evidence, he won't retaliate. ThunderClan's medicine cat, Goosefeather, receives an omen of a vole with flattened fur. He interprets it to mean WindClan will bring about ThunderClan's destruction. Despite being the medicine cat, Pinestar remains unsure if they should attack due to the risk of serious injury or illness so close to leaf-bare. However, with the urging of his senior warriors, the leader decides they will attack at dawn.

Overview

Upon concluding they will fight at dawn, Pinestar organizes cats to join the battle patrol. As ThunderClan prepare for the fight, Goosefeather announces that he has had another omen. The gray medicine cat states he had studied the vole further and found catmint on it, explaining it as StarClan's way of telling them to battle in WindClan's camp and destroy their herbs. While the notion outrages ThunderClan, Pinestar stands with his medicine cat and agrees that they will attack the medicine den.

The patrol leave ThunderClan camp and heads towards WindClan's moors. The battle soon starts, but as ThunderClan manage to slip into the medicine den, WindClan's medicine cat, Hawkheart, defends his herbs. As he attacks Moonflower, a ThunderClan warrior, Pinestar calls for a retreat just as Heatherstar condemns him for leading such a heartless attack.

Description

Omens of danger

"StarClan save us! It's a sign! Destruction for us all!"

―Goosefeather receiving the omen ^{Bluestar's Prophecy, pages 94-95}

Goosefeather received an omen indicating ThunderClan must attack WindClan's herb storage

As leaf-fall descends upon the Clans, a ThunderClan patrol finds evidence of WindClan hunting on their territory. While some warriors suggest the prey scent had drifted from the moors, others remain confident that it was the rival Clan and not a fox. Stonepelt, a ThunderClan warrior, explains that leaf-fall made WindClan nervous hunters due to their main prey source, rabbits, start to burrow before the cold. This has other warriors begin arguing over the notion of prey being stolen before Pinestar announces they would not retaliate until hard evidence can be found or if StarClan had spoken of it. The leader adds that he will make a statement about it at that night's Gathering, and orders for increased patrolling around the area.

Following the Gathering, ThunderClan returns home to their camp. Featherwhisker explains to those that didn't attend that Pinestar had addressed the issue to all the Clans, but, made clear eye contact with WindClan's leader, Heatherstar. However, not long after the patrol's return, Goosefeather shakes and cries out that he has had a sign from StarClan. He presents a vole from the fresh-kill pile with parted fur, explaining the way it's parted appears like a forest flattened by wind. He takes it to mean that ThunderClan will be destroyed by WindClan if they don't heed StarClan's warning. This causes some of the Clan's warriors to rally for a fight that instant, but Pinestar remains hesitant. However, despite the predicament of losing the faith of his warriors, he relents and announces they will fight at dawn.

Pinestar assigns Fuzzypelt, Windflight, Tawnyspots, and Patchpaw to remain at camp in case WindClan raids them. He has the other warriors, Leopardpaw, Bluepaw, and Snowpaw join the raiding party. The leader adds that they the two younger apprentices will help carry messages or tend to wounds, not fight. At dawn the following morning, the ThunderClan patrol prepare for the fight. Pinestar announces that Goosefeather has more news, allowing the medicine cat to explain he had found catmint on the vole's flank. He states that StarClan wants them to destroy WindClan's medicine stores, meaning the battle should happen in the rival Clan's camp. A few warriors, and Sunfall, voice their displeasure at such an act but Pinestar stands with his medicine cat and explains they will target the den and bring no harm to kits or elders there. With yowl, Pinestar leads his Clan to the moors.

The raid begins

«Bluepaw watched as the battle raged. Screeches and yowls ripped through the howling wind. Blood stained the ground and frothed in red pubbles, lathered by the rain. Fur, heavy with flesh, flew in clumps and snagged on the brambles.»

—Bluepaw ^{Bluestar's Prophecy, page 127}

Bluepaw participated in her first battle

They cross the moors with relative ease. Pinestar addresses the patrol, telling Featherwhisker and Swiftbreeze, and the young apprentices to stay hidden. If help is needed, a runner would be sent for them. With that, the fight soon begins with a screech. As the fight continues, echoed by horrible screeches and yowls, Robinwing appears with news that Leopardpaw had been wounded. Swiftbreeze and Bluepaw enter WindClan's camp and see the battle for themselves. Around them, blood is splattered in the dirt as their Clanmates fight viciously against the enemy cats on their home turf. The young apprentice notices her father and Dappletail fighting bravely before Swiftbreeze orders her to follow. The two cats find the injured Leopardpaw, who Swiftbreeze goes to carry immediately. However, the apprentice says she can walk, but when trying to, collapses due to her shakiness. Swiftbreeze grabs her again as they move to the edge of the clearing. There, a tom heckles ThunderClan for bringing kits, causing Bluepaw to retort she isn't.

The gray-flecked tom challenges her, but before he can attack Heatherstar calls him away, naming him as Hawkheart, to instead tend to the wounded. Swiftbreeze calls Bluepaw away to help. The apprentices asks about Hawkheart, letting Swiftbreeze explain that he was a warrior before becoming a medicine cat. The two get Leopardpaw to safety, allowing Featherwhisker to tend to her wound. Bluepaw watches the battle in the clearing and panics when she doesn't see her mother, Moonflower.

Retreat

«This was not supposed to happen! Goosefeather said we could destroy WindClan's supply of herbs to weaken them, but that no blood would be shed. How did I ever imagine that WindClan would allow us to attack their medicine stores?»

—Pinestar ^{Pinestar's Choice, chapter 6}

A WindClan cat announces that the ThunderClan cats had entered the medicine den. Two enemy warriors while Hawkheart approaches the side of camp. From the den Stonepelt and Moonflower emerge, with the latter being caught by the WindClan medicine cat. Hawkheart attacks the she-cat without much hesitation. Dazed, Moonflower is thrown across the clearing by the former warrior as Bluepaw looks on. Just before he goes after her again, Pinestar's yowl rises above the cries of battle for a retreat. As ThunderClan retreat, Heatherstar tells the ThunderClan leader that the attack had been a wrongful act, claiming StarClan would never have allowed them victory. She orders them to take their wounded and leave, which the patrol do.

Aftermath

«I am so, so sorry.»

—Pinestar's thoughts ^{Pinestar's Choice, chapter 6}

Moonflower was the only casualty during the fight, leaving behind her two young daughters

As ThunderClan regroup, Bluepaw rushes to her mother's side but finds her unresponsive. Pinestar softly tells her that her mother is dead, which the apprentice denies, citing the warrior code. Hawkheart explains that she'd been killed for destroying the medicine supply. However, Bluepaw remains desperate to defend her mother's actions, saying Goosefeather had said it was StarClan's wishes. The rival medicine cat leaves, questioning how ThunderClan could trust Goosefeather. The patrol departs, passing the Fourtrees border and returning to ThunderClan camp. There, Swiftbreeze rashly confronts Goosefeather, blaming him for Moonflower's death. Adderfang and Tawnyspots drag her away from the medicine cat as Pinestar announces the loss to ThunderClan. From here, ThunderClan cats slowly begin to doubt Goosefeather's interpretations of messages from StarClan.

At a subsequent Gathering, Heatherstar brings up the the raid and the recovery they were making from the harsh and unneeded attack. Sunfall defends ThunderClan, but the WindClan leader reiterates her point to only include kits and elders recovering after watching their kin be harshly attacked.

Characters

Pinestar

Coming Soon

Goosefeather

Coming Soon

Hawkheart

"You risked so much on the word of Goosefeather?"

―Hawkheart about Goosefeather's omen ^{Bluestar's Prophecy, page 135}

Hawkheart, the WindClan medicine cat, protected his herbs from ThunderClan, which resulted in Moonflower's death

Hawkheart is the medicine cat of WindClan, having once been a warrior before changing his path. He aids his warrior Clanmates in defending the camp before Heatherstar calls him back to his duties as the medicine cat. When the alarm is called for ThunderClan cats entering his den, he accompanies two WindClan warriors in chasing the intruders out. He confronts Moonflower as she exits and mortally wounds her in doing so. After Pinestar calls for a retreat, he remains near the regrouping ThunderClan cats. When Bluepaw attempts to defend her mother's actions by StarClan and Goosefeather's will, Hawkheart retorts rudely about trusting the old medicine cat.

Quotes

Goosefeather: "StarClan has spoken."

Pinestar: "When?"

^{Bluestar's Prophecy, page 98}

Goosefeather: "How'd it go?"

Pinestar: "I don't know if she managed to destroy their supplies before she died."

^{Bluestar's Prophecy, pages 137-138}

See also

• Bluestar's Prophecy
• Pinestar's Choice