Rootspring/History

This page contains the detailed history for Rootpaw.

History

Looking for a shorter overview? Find one here!

In The Broken Code

Lost Stars

Rootkit is a SkyClan kit, born to Violetshine and Tree alongside his sister, Needlekit. Leafstar calls a Clan meeting to make him and Needlekit apprentices, and Rootkit thinks that he wants to be the best warrior he can be. He is named Rootpaw, with Dewspring as his mentor. However, the young apprentice is sensitive about the strange behavior of his father, Tree, which the two apprentices Kitepaw and Turtlepaw pick up on after the ceremony, and tease him about.

Two days later, Rootpaw has battle training with Dewspring and the other apprentices. He struggles with a battle move that Needlepaw seems to get right away, causing him to become embarrassed yet again, though his sister comforts him. Turtlepaw offers advice, but Kitepaw suggests that Rootpaw is not cut out for warrior life like his strange father. Rootpaw threatens the reddish-brown tom, and Turtlepaw reminds them that they'll get in trouble for fighting, though it's not likely that Rootpaw would win. This causes Rootpaw to snap, and he lunges unsuccessfully at the tortoiseshell she-cat. The older apprentices continue to taunt him, but Rootpaw insists he'll become a strong warrior.

Kitepaw suggests that to prove himself, Rootpaw should help them collect herbs by the lake, though Needlepaw urges her brother not to listen to the tricky apprentices. Rootpaw agrees to come along, though Kitepaw and Turtlepaw continue to tease him, and after one taunt too many, Rootpaw attacks them. However, they dodge, and Rootpaw falls into the lake. He is rescued by a ThunderClan apprentice, Bristlepaw, and brought to the ThunderClan camp to recover.

Kept there for a few days, Rootpaw recovers and grows to admire Bristlepaw. She advises he stay away from Kitepaw and Turtlepaw, and focus on his training. Rootpaw thinks she's very smart, but she just brushes it off as knowing enough to keep away from those kinds of cats. A SkyClan patrol arrives soon after to take him home, and he hears his father, much to his chagrin. Rootpaw reflects on how he doesn't want to be like Tree, and how his father doesn't seem to even try to fit in. On the way back, he also mentally disagrees how Tree talks about the way of the warrior not being the only one, and who is really true to himself when his father lives under rules he doesn't really respect.

Waking up for a training session, his mentor explains that Turtlepaw and Kitepaw are being punished for their part in Rootpaw's almost drowning, and Rootpaw objects by saying it's his fault too. Dewspring says that they're older and should know better, and is he a bit disappointed in his apprentice for going along with them in the first place. Apologizing, he goes along with his mentor to train. When he runs into Kitepaw and Turtlepaw, the two apprentices blame him for being mouse-brain enough to fall into the lake. Rootpaw confides in Needlepaw, who believes he should ignore the others and work on being true to himself.

While reciting the warrior code, he and Dewspring overhear Fidgetflake and Leafstar discuss the medicine cats disconnection with StarClan. Rootpaw initially frets about it, but Dewspring silences him by reminding his apprentice they should trust in their leader and medicine cats. After, Rootpaw catches a plump crow, and sets off to camp. On the way, he sees Tree lay in the snow, pretending to be a bush to kill a vole. After seeing him do that, Rootpaw decides his father belongs with the Clans. The Clan feasts for the first time in moons, and even Turtlepaw and Kitepaw are impressed by Rootpaw's catch.

At the Gathering, Rootpaw boasts to Bristlepaw how he caught the crow, much latter's ire since she's been struggling to catch anything. After a successful battle training session, Rootpaw reflects how he wished he could show Bristlepaw, whom he had grown to admire. Noting how frustrated she seemed about the lack of prey, Rootpaw asks Leafstar and Hawkwing if he could catch something to bring to Bristlepaw as thanks during his recovery. They reluctantly agree, and Rootpaw catches a vole. He, Dewspring, and Sunnypelt travel to ThunderClan's camp, and Rootpaw gives her the prey. Bristlepaw awkwardly accepts it, and Rootpaw notices something off about Bramblestar. Meanwhile, Bristlepaw is furious about the scene Rootpaw made, and Stemleaf teases that the younger apprentice is in love with her.

He becomes embarrassed after bringing Bristlepaw the vole and frets about his Clanmates despising him for potentially wasting prey. While hunting alone, he runs into Shadowpaw going to the Moonpool. The two amicably chat, and Rootpaw relishes finding someone else who was also struggling to fit in. While traveling together briefly, Shadowpaw treats Rootpaw when the latter accidentally steps on a thorn, and Rootpaw reflects how Shadowpaw will become a great medicine cat.

Rootpaw, among with many other cats from SkyClan, ThunderClan, RiverClan, and WindClan, try to break the ice in the Moonpool which they believe was severing their connection with StarClan. Rootpaw runs into Bristlepaw, who is now Bristlefrost, and he forgives her for the way she acted. He helps push the rock onto the Moonpool, but the crack created only reveals more ice.

After Bramblestar is revived following Shadowpaw's unorthodox treatment, Tree calls a family meeting, concerned about Bramblestar's behavior akin to Darktail's. When his father suggests they should leave, Rootpaw argues against. Tree makes them promise to be careful. Afterward, while walking in the snow, Rootpaw bumps into what he assumed to be Bramblestar but was slightly transparent. Frightened, Rootpaw runs away in terror as the "Bramblestar thing" cries out for help.

The Silent Thaw

Rootpaw runs away from Bramblestar's ghost, refusing to believe what he saw. Dewspring scolds him for being late for training, and Rootpaw asks to join the border patrol to see if ThunderClan was grieving for Bramblestar, suspecting he'd died. The ThunderClan cats reveal Bramblestar is still alive and well, and Rootpaw realizes he didn't see a ghost at all. However, while sharing prey with Needlepaw, Rootpaw spot Bramblestar's ghost watching him and only he can see it.

At a Gathering, Needlepaw accuses him of frequently staring off into space as Rootpaw eyes the ghost. His sister suspects that he's thinking of Bristlefrost again, but Rootpaw lies that he's worried about his warrior assessment. Bristlefrost comes up to speak to him, but she slips off early on. Bramblestar's ghost appears at the Gathering, and Rootpaw realizes Bramblestar's body is holding an imposter. The ghost confronts Rootpaw, and he runs off and accidentally falls off the tree-bridge. Bramblestar's ghost attempts to save him, but he cannot touch anything. Rootpaw crawls out of the shallow water, and his parents fret over him.

A few days later, Rootpaw helps Fidgetflake gather herbs since Dewspring sprained his paw. He asks the medicine cat about ghosts, and Fidgetflake encourages him to always listen to StarClan spirits. They run into Tree and his father attempts to teach Rootpaw how to "think bush" to hunt. Rootpaw realizes that Tree cannot see the ghost and Rootpaw finally speaks to the apparition. Bramblestar convinces him to send a message to Squirrelflight, and Rootpaw begrudgingly agrees.

Dewspring and Leafstar believe Rootpaw is constantly distracted because of his obvious crush on Bristlefrost and scold him. Rootpaw finally explains to his father that he can see Bramblestar's ghost and he panics. Tree figures someone else is inhabiting Bramblestar's body and warns his son from telling anyone else. Bramblestar's ghost presses Rootpaw to sneak into ThunderClan's camp, and Tree wishes him well. The apparition guides Rootpaw through foreign territory until he is captured by a patrol. Rootpaw lies to Bramblestar's imposter that he saw the Sisters nearby and wanted to speak with Bristlefrost. Rootpaw tells Bristlefrost about the ghost and to pass a message to Squirrelflight. She later tells Squirrelflight, who falsely brushes it off as nonsense.

Rootpaw's punishment is to clean every nest in the camp, and Leafstar calls a Clan meeting. Frecklewish explains that Shadowsight had received a vision about codebreakers and they must be punished for breaking the warrior code. At an emergency Gathering, Bramblestar's imposter starts aggressively snapping about punishing the codebreakers, and Bramblestar's ghost pressures Rootpaw to act. Squirrelflight confronts Rootpaw about his message, and, through Bramblestar's ghost telling him what to say, convinces her of the truth. Spotfur and Stemleaf encourage Rootpaw to come to a secret meeting with others who have concerns about Bramblestar.

Rootpaw goes to the meeting and runs into Tree and Frecklewish also attending. They discuss StarClan's wishes for the codebreakers and Shadowsight's vision. Tree lies to the cats that he's seen Bramblestar's ghost and reveals the other is an imposter. Bristlefrost arrives and agrees to convince Squirrelflight to join their cause to overthrow Bramblestar's imposter. At the Gathering, Rootpaw and Frecklewish attempt to speak with Shadowsight before the meeting began, but he brushes them away. When Rootpaw tries to stand up for StarClan, Bramblestar's imposter accuses him of being a codebreaker for seeing dead cats. Tree snaps back that he can see ghosts too, as have several other cats. Due to Tree speaking up against Bramblestar's imposter, he orders Tree into three days of exile and threatens his family if he refuses to atone. Tree attempts to take his family and leave the Clans, but Rootpaw convinces him to say.

Rootpaw and Tree visit ShadowClan's camp to inform them about Bramblestar's imposter, but Tigerstar promptly throws them out. Shadowsight follows after them, and he reveals his visions didn't come from a StarClan cat as he suspected. Tree and Rootpaw explain that Bramblestar is inhabited by an imposter, and Tree quickly explains Rootpaw how to make Bramblestar's ghost appear, posing as Tree doing all the work. Rootpaw is shocked by his power, and Shadowsight takes them back to camp. They discover Squirrelflight there seeking sanctuary after Bramblestar's imposter exiled her. Rootpaw makes Bramblestar's ghost appear for ShadowClan making them believe their story.

Bramblestar's ghost helps Rootpaw convince Tigerstar that ShadowClan must help get rid of Bramblestar's imposter. For once, Rootpaw is fine being similar to Tree as long as no cat knew about his powers. He and his father accompany Puddleshine and Shadowsight to the Moonpool to warn the other medicine cats. Rootpaw detects mint, which doesn't grow in ThunderClan, and they hear an injured cat and rush ahead to help. Shadowsight is left behind and is attacked.

In the Super Editions

Squirrelflight's Hope

During a meeting of the leaders and deputies, Leafstar insists her Clan is growing since Violetshine had recently given birth. While speaking with Squirrelflight, Tree reports that his kits are doing well and Violetshine can't wait for Twigbranch to see them. Tree greets his kits when they arrive in camp, and they ask their father if he can play with them. Rootkit is excited to learn that Squirrelflight is from ThunderClan like their kin, Twigbranch.

Violetshine nurses Moonlight's kits, Leaf, Squirrel, and Moon. Rootkit plays with them as they drag the bedding Violetshine is attempting to remove. Tree later remarks to Squirrelflight that he'll always be there for his children.