Shredtail

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

"You're not here for praise. Leave that to your precious Clanmates. You're here to fight. If you survive, count yourself lucky."

— Shredtail to Minnowtail in The Forgotten Warrior, page 74

Shredtail is a ragged,^[6] scrawny,^[7] dark brown tabby tom with criss-cross scars running across his pelt.^[2]

History

Shredtail is seen when Crookedjaw is looking for Mapleshade in the Dark Forest. Crookedjaw overhears Shredtail and Thistleclaw fighting viciously, the dark tabby snarling at Thistleclaw to do the move again and to do it better. He attacks Thistleclaw when he fails at the move. As he hits the ground, he starts battering his apprentice's head with a flurry of swipes, causing blood to spray from the torn fur. Shredtail attacks Thistleclaw when he struggles free and attacks back. He ducks away and says that it was better. Crookedjaw thinks that his training sessions with Mapleshade were brutal, but they were never as vicious as that.

Shredtail agrees with Thistleclaw when he says his time is coming, and snarls at Thistleclaw if he was sure Sunstar wouldn't soften and choose Bluefur instead. He warns him when he sneers that she would be grieving Snowfur, saying that grief can bring strength. Shredtail asks if he was grieving her too, to which Thistleclaw spits that Bluefur should have died instead.

He asks about Thistleclaw's son, Whitekit, and Thistleclaw hisses that he is like his mother, with no fire in his belly or hunger for battle. Thistleclaw then asks why they were talking and demands to train again.

In the Omen of the Stars arc

Fading Echoes

Shredtail is seen in the Dark Forest when Jayfeather and Spottedleaf visit. He is in a brutal training session with Hawkfrost and several other Dark Forest cats. Hawkfrost calls him forward along with Snowtuft, and orders him to slice open his belly. As Jayfeather and Spottedleaf leave, they hear Snowtuft's agonized yowls as Shredtail carries out his orders.

Night Whispers

Shredtail is introduced to Ivypaw by Hawkfrost. Ivypaw notices that he has scars criss-crossed along his pelt from older wounds.

He is chosen by Thistleclaw to stand on the large black-and-white rock during training. He tells Shredtail he must try to attack the others with a blow to their heads. Once they begin, Sparrowfeather hits him hard in the face and he starts to bleed. He becomes frantic when the cats start hitting him from every side and he tries to hit them all with aimed blows. Ivypaw then hits him with both of her paws and he staggers. Shredtail turns to face her and swipes a forepaw at her eyes, and Ivypaw is shocked to realize he could have blinded her. Sparrowfeather then yanks Shredtail off the rock by his hind legs and he fights to cling on. Thistleclaw is angered by this, saying that she cheated and punishes Sparrowfeather, then tells her to take Shredtail's place. She hauls herself onto the rock and they start once again.

The Forgotten Warrior

He is seen supervising Ivypool, Breezepelt, Hollowpaw, and Minnowtail, along with his former apprentice, Antpelt.

The group is racing up a tree in the Dark Forest. He orders everyone to jump into a pile of leaves, except for Minnowtail, as she had won. He praises Minnowtail, glaring at the others. He then announces that they will do battle training. When Minnowtail asked if she did well afterwards, he growls that they weren't there for praise, telling them they were there to fight.

The Last Hope

Shredtail is first seen when he pins Ratscar to a tree. Ratscar pleads with him, begging him to let him go. Shredtail says that he's a traitor and will die like a traitor. Lionblaze comes over and tells Shredtail to let Ratscar go. During the attack on ShadowClan's camp, he summons Redwillow over to him. After Redwillow is killed by Blackstar, Shredtail complains that Blackstar killed a loyal warrior to the Place of No Stars; Blackstar merely retorts that he's killed a traitor and was ready to kill another. Shredtail asks if he can really kill him, before Shredtail and Lionblaze engage in battle but Lionblaze emerges victorious, and Shredtail fades to nothing, like most of the Dark Forest warriors.

Trivia

Mistakes

He is mistakenly referred to as one of ShadowClan's deceased cats in Bramblestar's Storm.^[8]

Character pixels

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Quotes

"Faster! Do you want to die at the paws of a common warrior?"

—Shredtail snarling at Thistleclaw ^{Crookedstar's Promise, page 326}

"Grief can bring strength."

—Shredtail to Thistleclaw about Bluefur ^{Crookedstar's Promise, page 327}

"These cats have always lived outside the code. They were rogues within their Clans. They are rogues now. That's why they're here. They never deserved to be called warriors."

—Spottedleaf to Jayfeather ^{Fading Echoes, page 230}

"Shall I let my Clanmates finish you off?"

—Shredtail to Lionblaze ^{The Last Hope, page 282}

"It's a shame your badger friend won't fight for you."