Swiftpaw (TPB)

"I don't know when the end came for Swiftpaw. I only remember him fighting like all of LionClan. That's how I will always remember him."

— Brightheart about Swiftpaw in Secrets of the Clans, page 14

Swiftpaw (TPB)
The pixel artwork is fanart based on the canon description; undefined traits are left to the artist's interpretation.
Affiliations
Current:	StarClan
Past:	ThunderClan
Biographical information
Age:	Approx. 18 moons (1.5 years) at death
Cause of death:	Killed by dogs
Names
Name:	Swiftkit Swiftpaw Swiftpaw
Education
Mentor:	Longtail
Book appearances
Living	Secrets of the Clans, Yellowfang's Secret, Fire and Ice, Forest of Secrets, Tigerclaw's Fury, Rising Storm, A Dangerous Path
Living	Secrets of the Clans, Yellowfang's Secret, Fire and Ice, Forest of Secrets, Tigerclaw's Fury, Rising Storm, A Dangerous Path
Dead	The Darkest Hour, The Last Hope
Dead	The Darkest Hour, The Last Hope

Swiftpaw is a small black-and-white tom with pale amber eyes.

History

In the Super Edition Arc

Moth Flight's Vision

Although unnamed, Moth Flight sees him giving Firestar one of his nine lives.

Yellowfang's Secret

In the manga at the end of the book, Swiftpaw and Brightpaw are seen being told by Fireheart that they have to check the elders for ticks.

In the The Prophecies Begin Arc

Fire and Ice

Swiftkit is apprenticed to Longtail, and receives his new name, Swiftpaw. He is shown to be very nervous and shaky as he approaches his new mentor. To Fireheart's annoyance, Longtail treats Swiftpaw much better than he treated him when he first joined the Clan.

Swiftpaw is shown to have gradually adopted Longtail's personality when he jeers along with his mentor when Cloudkit is brought to ThunderClan.

Forest of Secrets

During a Gathering it is thought by Fireheart that Swiftpaw told some ShadowClan apprentices that ThunderClan was keeping Brokentail within their Clan, thus causing a war among WindClan, ShadowClan, and ThunderClan, because the other Clans were angry that ThunderClan would protect a cat who had done such evil things.

Rising Storm

When Fireheart struggles to organize patrols in his new position as deputy, he suggests that Longtail leads the sunhigh patrol, but Runningwind replies with exasperation that Longtail was out training with Swiftpaw. However, Whitestorm helps Fireheart sort out the patrols and suggests that when Longtail and Swiftpaw return they can go on the evening patrol with him instead.

He is seen briefly chatting with the other apprentices before Brindleface's kits are set to be apprenticed. After the forest fire that ravages ThunderClan's camp, he replaces Mousefur on guard duty, and helps out with the rebuilding of the camp.

A Dangerous Path

Swiftpaw goes out on patrol with Bluestar, Fireheart, Cloudpaw, and his mentor, Longtail. They find a RiverClan patrol, led by Leopardstar, invading Sunningrocks, and Fireheart orders him to go back to camp and bring reinforcements.

After the battle, Longtail blames Fireheart for his apprentice not being made into a warrior, because when he was sent back to camp to fetch more warriors, what he called an "apprentice task", he did not get a chance to participate in the fight very much. This lost Swiftpaw the opportunity to show off his battle skills in front of Bluestar.

He is ready to become a warrior, but Bluestar is thoroughly convinced that every cat in her Clan is a traitor, especially Tigerstar's old allies, Darkstripe and Longtail, with the exception of Fireheart. She refuses to let Swiftpaw become a warrior because of who his mentor is, even after persuasion from Fireheart. She agrees to make Cloudpaw a warrior, partly because of his disbelief in StarClan, even though Swiftpaw had trained for longer than him. Cloudpaw becomes a warrior, Cloudtail, leaving Swiftpaw, Thornpaw, and Brightpaw as apprentices.

Swiftpaw now grows frustrated which compels him to prove himself to Bluestar. Swiftpaw convinces the apprentices that if they do something really brave, Bluestar will have to make them warriors. He plans to attack Snakerocks and drive out whatever was killing their prey and living there. Only Brightpaw goes with him to the Snakerocks. They are then met by a pack of vicious dogs, much larger than they had expected. Swiftpaw is killed in the attack and Brightpaw is viciously scarred. Brightpaw clings to one of the dogs as it joins its pack mates in dragging Swiftpaw out of the tree. He is pulled to the ground, where Swiftpaw is brutally killed by the dogs. His body, along with Brightpaw, is later found and brought back to camp by Fireheart and his patrol.

The Darkest Hour

During Firestar's leadership ceremony, Swiftpaw appears as a member of StarClan to give Firestar a life. Firestar apologizes to Swiftpaw for not trying harder to convince Bluestar to make him a warrior, but Swiftpaw isn't angry anymore and is more forgiving. He gives Firestar his sixth life, with the gift of mentoring, so he can pass on his knowledge and skills to all the young cats of ThunderClan. When Firestar is given the life, he feels a pang of sheer terror, pain, and a flash of red. He thinks that was what Swiftpaw experienced at the end of his life.

At his former denmate, Thornpaw's, warrior ceremony, Firestar mentions Swiftpaw and how he died in honor fighting the dog pack. His former mentor Longtail is seen sitting among the ThunderClan cats with pride and grief on his face at the honorable mention of his apprentice.

In the Power of Three Arc

Outcast

Swiftpaw is mentioned when Whitetail says that Breezepaw had gone out with other apprentices to fight dogs without orders and no warriors for backup. This reminds Lionpaw of the story of how Swiftpaw was killed when he and Brightheart were attacked by the dog pack back in the old forest.

In the Omen of the Stars Arc

The Last Hope

Swiftpaw is seen briefly at Firestar's death along with the rest of the cats that gave him his nine lives. Jayfeather notes that he gave Firestar the life of mentoring, to which Brambleclaw comments that Firestar was the best mentor he could have hoped for. Swiftpaw says sorry for being very rude to him when he first came to the Clan.

In the Field Guide Arc

Secrets of the Clans

Brightheart tells the story of when she and Swiftpaw tried to take on the dog pack by themselves. Brightheart says that he was killed at Snakerocks when she and Swiftpaw were trying to prove themselves so that they could become warriors. They were trying to find out who or what was stealing ThunderClan's prey at Snakerocks.

Brightpaw tried to stop Swiftpaw, scenting danger, but he didn't listen, and got them into a fight with a dog four times their size. Six more dogs emerged, and Swiftpaw died fighting, while Brightpaw lost an eye and an ear, but recovered from her severe injuries under Cinderpelt's care. As the story ends, Brightpaw says she will always remember him "fighting like all of LionClan," despite the fact they were impossibly outnumbered.

He is also briefly mentioned in the elders section, when Goldenflower talks about Rosetail protecting her in the nursery during the attack from ShadowClan when she was still nursing Swiftpaw.

In the Novellas

Tigerclaw's Fury

Tigerclaw's Fury does not formally appear in The Blazing Star , but is listed in the allegiances.

Trivia

Interesting Facts

• On her Facebook page, Vicky does believe that Patchpelt may be Swiftpaw's father.

Mistakes

• On the HarperCollins Warriors website, Swiftpaw is listed as the kit of Willowpelt and Patchpelt and is also called a she-cat, when in fact he is the kit of Goldenflower and Patchpelt.
• He was shown as a solid-colored cat in the manga in Yellowfang's Secret.

Character Pixels

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

Kin

Members

Mother:

Goldenflower: Deceased, verified StarClan member

Father:

Patchpelt: Deceased, verified StarClan member

Brother:

Unnamed kit: Status unknown

Half-Brothers:

Bramblestar: Status unknown

Greystripe: Living (As of Shattered Sky)

Longtail: Deceased, Verified Starclan member

Half-Sister:

Tawnypelt: Living (As of Wind)

See more

Tree

Template:Speckletail tree

Quotes

"Swiftpaw said we should do something so brave that Bluestar would have to make us warriors too. None of us knew what had been eating the prey around Snakerocks, but Swiftpaw figured if we went out there, we'd find a trail to follow. It made sense, you know?"

―Brightheart about Swiftpaw ^{Secrets of the Clans}