Star Tree

"Maybe there's still a spark of something special in this tree after all."

— Ivypool's thoughts about the Star Tree in Ivypool's Heart, page 212

Star Tree
General information
Usage	Communication with the ancestors
Discovered by	The wildcats
Book appearances
Books	Ivypool's Heart

The Star Tree is a hollow tree where the wildcats can go to communicate with their ancestors. It is similar to the Moonstone and the Moonpool used by the Clans.

Description

«There was a tree in the center of the clearing, and it looked as if it had been burned out from the inside. Some of the branches seemed dead, while others still held shriveled leaves that must have sprung the previous newleaf. Ivy covered the burned-out shell.»

—Ivypool's thoughts about arriving at the Star Tree ^{Ivypool's Heart, page 204}

The Star Tree is in a clearing in the middle of a forest, near the top of a series of small waterfalls. It is a huge, hollow tree that looks like it has been burned out on the inside, and is covered in ivy. Its bark is withered, and some branches on it are dead and blackened, while others have shriveled up leaves on them. At ground level is an ivy-covered entrance which appears to have been gouged out by large claws; it is too small for cats to fit through, however. A larger entrance, big enough for wildcats, is hidden by foliage, just below a thick branch high off the ground. The inside of the tree is much larger than it appears from the outside. It is almost completely dark inside, with the ivy blocking most of the light from the main entrance. The bark inside is scorched.

In the ancestors' hunting grounds, the tree appears differently. The bark inside of the tree is light and healthy, and sun shines down from the entrance. An additional entrance leads out of the bottom of the tree, like the mouth of a cave. The outside of the tree is green and alive, with no damage and no ivy growing on it.

At one point, the Star Tree was inhabited by a group of weasels, but they were driven out by a patrol of Clan cats.

Book mentions

Ivypool's Heart

"I only went to the tree myself, when I was just a kit, but the elders told us they would walk into the tree and somehow emerge into the hunting grounds of the ancestors. It never really made sense to me."

―Tumble Leap about the Star Tree ^{Ivypool's Heart, page 194}

In her vision, Whistlepaw sees a hollow tree which seems to have been burnt from the inside. She approaches it and then suddenly, she is standing in it. When she mentions this to Stalk Purr and Tumble Leap, Stalk Purr recognizes the place Whistlepaw is describing, explaining that the wildcat elders used it to speak with their ancestors. Stalk Purr does not recall the exact location, but with the information the Clan cats gather, they are able to locate it. Upon finding it, they are attacked by weasels, but manage to fight them off.

Together, Ivypool, Whistlepaw, Icewing, and Rootspring enter the tree through a gap in the trunk, landing on soft moss and leaves inside. They meditate together, and find themselves in a shared vision of the wildcats' version of StarClan, where they meet two unnamed wildcat ancestors. The wildcats greet the Clan cats enthusiastically, and introduce them to Galestar, a former StormClan leader, who explains Whistlepaw's vision and the story of the lost Clan.

Trivia

• The Star Tree is one of two places the wildcats can use to communicate with their ancestors, the other being a large, hollow log near the wildcats' camp.

See also

• The ancestors
• The wildcats