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The tunnels

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Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.
"The caves below the hills have been giving up secrets ever since the Clans arrived here. Nothing stays hidden down there—nothing."
— Jayfeather about the tunnels in Sign of the Moon, chapter 3

The tunnels, also known as the Cave,[8] is a network of underground passages that run underneath ThunderClan and WindClan in the lake territories,[7] connecting them. The Ancients used them to test softpaws to see if they were ready to become sharpclaws.[1] The tunnels are prone to flooding during heavy rainfall.[9][10]

Description[]

«Cold air blasted over [Jaypaw], making his whiskers tremble. But the breeze carried something else, whispers he felt rather than heard, flooding from deep inside the tunnel like the pulsing of blood in his veins. He padded into the tunnel, feeling the darkness swallow him up. This wasn't darkness he was used to. Blind in the forest, he could feel the warmth of the sun on his pelt, smell the fresh tangs that flavored the air, hear the wind that rustled the leaves. This darkness was suffocating, musty, and cold, pressing against his fur and filling his nose and mouth. Nothing but blackness, thick as fur, soft as water, drawing him in.»
—Jaypaw about the tunnels Dark River, page 292
The tunnels are a network of underground passages and caverns that run beneath ThunderClan and WindClan in the lake territories.[3] The passages vary in size: some are narrow with sharp turns while others are wider with gentle slopes.[11] They have rocky walls with dusty, smooth,[3] damp,[10] and hard stone floors,[12] and jagged earth and pointed stones above them.[13][14] The air is stale, dank,[15] damp, and musty.[16] The tunnels themselves are cold and dark, and cats must navigate the darkest portions with their whiskers and by listening to the faintest sounds.[14][17] The network of tunnels form a maze underground and are prone to collapsing.[9] Few prey could be found in the tunnels, including minnows in the dark river and rarely mice.[4][14] Rabbits used to be found in the tunnels until the stoats moved in.[18] On the WindClan side, the tunnels on the moor connect to a large cavern, its roof a mesh of interlacing tree roots. Several passages branch off from here.[19] WindClan claimed the tunnels for themselves up to the underground river.[20]
The tunnels in the forest and the moor connect to a large underground cavern with a river, also known as the Cave. The cavern has arching walls and light filters through a crack in the roof.[8] A wide river with black water[21] approximately two fox-lengths wide[16] splits the sandy[21] and silty[16] cavern in half,[21] and it disappears into a low, broad underground tunnel[3] that leads to the lake.[22] The river only floods during periods of heavy rainfall, though not in greenleaf.[10] Rock would sit upon a high ledge near the gap overlooking the cavern.[9] Numerous other tunnels branch from this cavern; a narrow tunnel near the river's edge leads to ThunderClan while a wider tunnel leads to WindClan,[3] though both of these collapsed during a flood.[22] Fallen Leaves and Hollyleaf called this cavern the river-cave.[23]
Fallen Leaves and Hollyleaf stayed in a tunnel near a cavern roughly six fox-lengths wide with a tiny hole in the roof. Hollyleaf rested on a nest of thin feathers.[4] They frequently patrolled the two main tunnel exits that did not lead back to ThunderClan, which they called the moor-tunnel and the woods-tunnel.[17]

Tunnel entrances[]

  • Near an old fox den on stop of a steep slope with brambles underneath in ThunderClan territory.[3] The entrance is an old rabbit burrow.[16]
  • Near the border stream hidden by brambles. The entrance is an old fox den.[13] ThunderClan seals this tunnel during the battle with thorns,[24] though Lionblaze manages to squeeze through to fetch catmint.[25]
  • Above the abandoned Twoleg nest about halfway up the ridge. The area used to be flat and grassy before the entrance collapsed. It is lined with thorns. This tunnel entrance collapses after Hollyleaf disappears.[26][27]
  • Another tunnel by the abandoned Twoleg nest.[28]
  • A narrow tunnel not much wider than a rabbit hole above the ThunderClan camp.[29] It is covered with brambles[30] and hidden behind an outcropping of stones.[10] ThunderClan sought shelter in this opening during the Great Storm.[31]
  • An abandoned fox den in the far reaches of ThunderClan's territory.[32] The mouth of the tunnel is between some rocks with a stream that trickles down to a small pool. Ferns surround the small clearing.[33]
  • The woods-tunnel above ThunderClan's territory.[32] A clearing with moss-covered rocks. Beneath the largest boulder is a tunnel entrance. A smaller entrance is nearly behind a clump of ferns. Lionblaze finds Sol here.[34]
  • A shallow dip of tumbled rocks and fern on the hillside in ThunderClan's territory.[30]
  • Another tunnel by the lake.[28]
  • Between rocks over the top of the moor not far from WindClan's camp.[3]
  • Down a slope in a tumble of lichen-covered rocks near a spring on WindClan's territory. Catmint grows here.[35][25]
  • Numerous tunnel entrances in a hillside next to the forest on the WindClan side of the border stream. The stoats lived in these tunnels.[36]

Significance[]

"You know you are not allowed to return to this cave? You must find a tunnel that leads straight back to the moor."
―Rock to Fallen Leaves Dark River, page 4
The tunnels were used by the Ancients as a rite of passage, marking the journey from a softpaw to a sharpclaw, though only when the leader deems them ready.[37] If a softpaw came out alive, their test would be successfully completed, and they became a sharpclaw. If they did not, they were assumed to be dead. The successful and non-successful journeys through the tunnels were marked on a stick by an ancient cat named Rock.[1] Softpaws usually take a day to emerge from the tunnels, though the others may wait for over a moon before deeming a cat to be lost.[38] New sharpclaws are forbidden from speaking about what happens in the tunnels, especially with softpaws.[37]

Location history[]

«The older warriors acted like they had created ThunderClan territory because they had brought the Clans to the lake, but Lionpaw knew that they hadn't explored every paw step of it yet. The fact that he knew about the cave proved that there were still places left to find. It would be the young cats who would do that, who would make this land their own.»
—Lionpaw's thoughts about the tunnels Dark River, page 117
Fallen Leaves

Fallen Leaves was a softpaw who drowned in the tunnels during his trial to become a sharpclaw, and his ghost remained in the tunnels for many, many seasons

Seasons ago, the tunnels were carved by running water.[10] During the time of the Ancients, young cats were sent into the tunnels as part of a ritual from kithood to adulthood, similar to a warrior assessment.[9] Jay's Wing spent two nights in the tunnels, and the ancient cats decided that Fallen Leaves was lost after a moon.[38] Jay's Wing was the last ancient cat to undergo the challenge before the Ancients left the tunnels for the mountains, leaving behind their ancient practice.[39]
When the Clans settled at the lake territories, Heatherpaw was the first to discover the tunnel system while hunting. After exploring, she discovered that some of the tunnels led to ThunderClan's territory, and she invited her friend Lionpaw to meet her in the tunnels as their secret meet-up spot.[3] They pretended to be DarkClan,[15] and they continued to meet in secret for over a half-moon until Lionpaw decided they need to stop meeting.[40] Gorsetail's three kits—Sedgekit, Thistlekit, and Swallowkit—went missing in the tunnels. With a battle between RiverClan and WindClan looming, Lionpaw led his siblings into the tunnels, suspecting the three WindClan kits ventured down there after nearly following Heatherpaw. Together with Breezepaw and Heatherpaw,[16] the five apprentices found the missing kits with Fallen Leaves guiding Jaypaw. However, the tunnels flood from the rainfall and the entrances were blocked with rubble and boulders. They escaped by swimming through the underground river into the lake,[22] lying to WindClan and ThunderClan that they kits were just inside the ThunderClan border sheltering from the rain.[41]
Lionpaw believed that the tunnels were inaccessible after the storm,[42][43] until Hollypaw discovered another entrance near the WindClan border.[13] The tunnels remained a secret from both Clans until Sedgekit boasted her Clanmates about the tunnels.[44] WindClan used them to attack ThunderClan in the middle of the night, taking advantage of the sprawling tunnel entrances to strike at various locations simultaneously.[24] Lionpaw confronted Heatherpaw about revealing their secret about the tunnels to her Clanmates, but she claimed it was Sedgekit.[44]
Jaypaw dreamt himself into underground cavern with Fallen Leaves, but as he left the cavern to find out more about the ancient cats,[45] he emerged into the past as Jay's Wing, who completed his rite of passage as a new sharpclaw.[38] Jaypaw convinced them to venture to the mountains with Twolegs encroaching, and Rock guided him back to the present through the tunnels.[39] Meanwhile, Jaypaw learned of catmint near a tunnel entrance in WindClan territory,[35] but Lionblaze refused to gather it out of fear of his dreams of killing Heatherpaw coming true.[46] Eventually, Lionblaze relented, and he ventured through the tunnel entrance near the WindClan border to gather catmint from WindClan. Heathertail spotted him using the tunnels and was enraged, but Heathertail, though reluctant, still allowed Lionblaze to escape.[25]
Hollyleaf

Hollyleaf lived in the tunnels during her self-imposed exile

After Hollyleaf revealed the truth about their birth at the Gathering, Lionblaze and Jayfeather chased her to the tunnels, where Hollyleaf fled inside and the rock collapsed. The brothers believed that Hollyleaf perished in the rockfall.[26] However, Fallen Leaves found Hollyleaf and nursed her injuries.[4] Hollyleaf remained in the tunnels with Fallen Leaves for many moons, and she watched her Clanmates from afar.[29]
During Dovepaw's warrior assessment, Icecloud fell into the tunnels when the ground collapsed.[47] Jayfeather and Lionblaze later ventured into the tunnel and discover a tuft of black fur, suspecting that Hollyleaf might still be alive.[48] Blossomfall and Ivypool later explored through this tunnel entrance until getting lost,[49] and Fallen Leaves and later Hollyleaf guided them out.[33][32] Suspecting his sister to be alive, Lionblaze scouted the tunnel entrances above ThunderClan's camp only to find Sol.[34] Meanwhile, Sol began conspiring with some of WindClan's warriors to attack ThunderClan in the tunnels, doing the same with some of ThunderClan's warriors in his quest for revenge.[50][30][51] Ivypool and Dovewing overheard Sol speaking with WindClan in the tunnels, and Hollyleaf led them out to safety.[30] When Sol disappeared, Hollyleaf assisted ThunderClan to fight in the tunnels, recommending to block the farthest tunnels from ThunderClan's camp with stones.[52] She led training sessions in the tunnels to demonstrate how to properly navigate and fight in the tunnels: keep blows short and tight, do not rear up to avoid banging your head, take advantage of the darkness, and use the walls to spring over your opponents if you are cornered.[10]
Sol eventually led an attack in the tunnels, though only with the small number of WindClan warriors he convinced, excluding Onestar and Ashfoot. Dovewing warned Firestar, and Hollyleaf ordered three patrols to the tunnels: one above the camp, one by the lake, and another by the abandoned Twoleg nest. WindClan floundered with the other blocked tunnel entrances and ThunderClan's experience fighting in the tunnels. WindClan fled the tunnels, and Hollyleaf threatened Sol to never return.[28] In their dreams, Jayfeather, Lionblaze, and Dovewing entered the tunnels to speak with Rock.[53]
Rock (Healer)

Rock's spirit used to reside down in the tunnels, where he kept a record of those who survived the tunnel trials

A moon after the Great Battle, a pack of stoats moved into the tunnels, resulting in scarce prey for WindClan.[36][19] Kestrelflight also had a dream of dark water in the tunnels overcoming a strong wind.[54] Harespring, Crowfeather, Breezepelt, Nightcloud, Heathertail, and Furzepelt searched the tunnels and discovered stockpiles of crow-food, only to be viciously attacked the stoats.[19] With Nightcloud missing, Crowfeather led a patrol to find her in the tunnels,[20] though he found evidence suggesting that a fox killed her while searching the ThunderClan tunnels.[55] WindClan prepared for war against the stoats, though Onestar refused to ask ThunderClan for help.[5] Harespring, Heathertail, and Weaselfur dove into the tunnels to lure the stoats outside for their Clanmates to ambush them, though the four apprentices arrive to help.[56] The WindClan warriors were quickly overwhelmed by the stoats, resulting in their retreat.[57] Onestar instead planned on blocking the tunnel entrances with stones and brush to drive the stoats towards ThunderClan,[58] though the work was extensive and took more than one day,[59] and Onestar ordered his warriors to stop at nightfall. Enraged, the stoats attacked WindClan in the night.[60] Now working together, ThunderClan and WindClan agree to seal off the tunnel entrances with the exception of one in WindClan in hopes of funneling the stoats to one aboveground location.[61] Crowfeather and Breezepelt lured the stoats outside, where the combined ThunderClan and WindClan patrol overwhelmed the stoats and forced them to retreat.[62] The stoats eventually left the tunnels, leaving them empty.[18]
Six moons following the Great Battle,[63] ThunderClan evacuated to the tunnels when their camp was flooded during the Great Storm. ThunderClan settled in the tunnel above the flooded camp where the tunnel widened enough for them to create nests. The lower tunnels were flooded, so Bramblestar scored his claws on the stone to make sure the water level wasn't rising.[11] After a mudslide nearly collapses the entrance, Dustpelt and Brackenfur weaved individual sections with branches and nests made of moss and bracken. [64] ThunderClan eventually left the tunnels after living there for nearly a moon and a half.[65] Seasons later, Onestar and Crowfeather searched the tunnels after Smokekit vanished from camp, suspecting that the stoats might have returned, though Onestar knew it was Darktail.[18]

Known deaths[]

This is a list of deaths, ordered chronologically, that took place at the tunnels.

Book mentions[]


Gallery[]

Quotes[]

Heatherpaw: "Breezepaw sent me to catch mice between the rocks just over the top of the moor, not far from camp. I chased one down into a crack and realized that the crack opened into a tunnel. When I went inside I found that there were tunnels leading everywhere."
Lionpaw: "Weren't you frightened of getting lost?"
Heatherpaw: "I explored slowly at first, making sure I got to know each route really well before trying another. And then I found one that led to a cave. It's amazing. There's a hole in the roof where the light comes in. Then I found a way into your territory! Isn't it wonderful?"
Lionpaw: "A tunnel from our territory to yours! That's fantastic! If there was an attack or a fire, ThunderClan could use it to escape—"
Heatherpaw: "No! We mustn't tell anyone else. Don't you see? This can be our place!"
Lionpaw: "Our place?"
Heatherpaw: "We can meet here without anyone ever finding us! Even Hollypaw won't guess where you're going."
—Heatherpaw showing Lionpaw the tunnels Dark River, page 76


"I don't know. I only knew that they had gone. Sharpclaws stopped coming into the tunnels, and the only sound from the moor was the wind. I have been on my own here for so long, I have lost count of the moons. You and your friends were the first cats I had seen down here since . . . since I came in."
―Fallen Leaves to Jaypaw Long Shadows, page 185


Fish Leap: "I don't know why Furled Bracken is making us wait to go into the tunnels. We're all ready to become sharpclaws. I want to get on with my challenge."
Dove's Wing: "Furled Bracken will let us go when he thinks we're ready."
Fish Leap: "Well, come on. Tell us."
Jaypaw: "I can't. You know sharpclaws can't talk about what happens in the tunnels."
Fish Leap: "You think you're better than us now you're a sharpclaw."
Half Moon: "He does not!"
Dove's Wing: "Leave him alone. He's still tired; he needs to rest some more. We'll all find out about the tunnels soon enough. I'm just glad Jay's Wing got out safely."
Half Moon: "Not like Fallen Leaves."
—Jaypaw and the softpaws about the tunnels Long Shadows, page 198


"There's nothing to be scared of. The dark can't hurt you, just because you can't see. And you have other senses, remember? I'll walk with you. I've lived for moons down here, and nothing bad has happened to me."
―Hollyleaf comforting Thornclaw in the tunnels The Forgotten Warrior, page 256


Thornclaw: "What keeps the roof up? And what made the tunnels in the first place?"
Hollyleaf: "Water. There's a river, and when it floods the tunnels fill."
Thornclaw: "Will they fill now?"
Hollyleaf: "Not a chance. There has to be really heavy rain for a long time before that happens. Run your paw along the stone, and you can feel ridges like ripples in a windblown lake. That's from when the tunnels were first worn away by water."
Toadstep: "I thought we were down here to learn about fighting?"
Hollyleaf: "You are. But you wouldn't be able to fight a beetle in these narrow tunnels. When it comes to a battle, we'll have to confront our enemies in larger spaces. The tunnels are useful to flee or pursue, but not for combat. If you try, you're more likely to hit the walls than your opponent."
Toadstep: "Sorry I asked."
—Hollyleaf about the tunnels The Forgotten Warrior, chapter 21


"If you get lost down here, it's vital not to panic. There's always something that will tell you the right way. Pay attention to the direction of the airflow. And if the air feels damp and heavy, that means the tunnel will go deeper."
―Hollyleaf to Toadstep The Forgotten Warrior, chapter 21


"We've tried going down the tunnels to fight the stoats, and it was a disaster. The stoats know the tunnels better than we do, and there are too many places for them to hide. There are more of them, and they're smaller than us, so they fight better in tight corners. Somehow we have to get them out into the open."
―Onestar about the stoats Crowfeather's Trial, chapter 29


«The damp underpaw owed nothing to the recent rain and everything to the absence of sunlight and fresh air down here. Bramblestar had always been uneasy in the tunnels, but this time something was different. Before he had always felt as if he was being watched, as if there was something just out of hearing or sight in the shadows. But now the passages felt silent and empty. Somehow this made them even bleaker and more unwelcoming, especially as the light faded behind the warriors until they walked in complete darkness.»
—Bramblestar's thoughts about the tunnels Bramblestar's Storm, chapter 9


«When WindClan had first moved into the territory, the tunnels had been home to rabbits, but when the stoats invaded, they had either been killed or scared off. Even when the stoats were driven out, the rabbits had not returned, and now the tunnels were empty. When Onestar entered, with Crowfeather hard on his paws, there were no scents to pick up except for the sandy soil and the moorland vegetation drifting in from outside.»
—Onestar about the tunnels Onestar's Confession, chapter 22

Trivia[]

  • Hollyleaf leads Ivypool and Blossomfall to a tunnel entrance within ThunderClan territory,[32] though in Sign of the Moon, this entrance is beyond ThunderClan's borders.[33]
  • Hollyleaf tells Dovewing and Ivypool that she's been eavesdropping on Sol plotting with WindClan in the tunnels for the past half-moon,[30] but in Hollyleaf's Story, Hollyleaf discovers Sol's plot the same night she meets Dovewing and Ivypool.[51]
End of spoiler warning

See also[]

Notes and references[]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Revealed in Dark River, pages 1-5
  2. ↑ Revealed in Fading Echoes, chapter 3
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 Revealed in Dark River, chapter 5
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Revealed in Hollyleaf's Story, chapter 2
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Revealed in Crowfeather's Trial, chapter 11
  6. ↑ Revealed in Dark River, page 1
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Revealed in Dark River, page 75
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Revealed in Dark River, page 2
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 Revealed in Dark River, chapter 14
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 10.5 Revealed in The Forgotten Warrior, chapter 21
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Revealed in Blackfoot's Reckoning, chapter 9
  12. ↑ Revealed in Bramblestar's Storm, chapter 13
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 Revealed in Eclipse, chapter 7
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 Revealed in Hollyleaf's Story, chapter 3
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 Revealed in Dark River, chapter 8
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 16.4 Revealed in Dark River, chapter 18
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 Revealed in Hollyleaf's Story, chapter 4
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 Revealed in Onestar's Confession, chapter 22
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 Revealed in Crowfeather's Trial, chapter 3
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 Revealed in Crowfeather's Trial, chapter 5
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 21.2 Revealed in Dark River, page 3
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 22.2 Revealed in Dark River, chapter 19
  23. ↑ Revealed in Hollyleaf's Story, chapter 5
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 Revealed in Eclipse, chapter 12
  25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 25.2 Revealed in Long Shadows, chapter 20
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 Revealed in Sunrise, chapter 28
  27. ↑ Revealed in Night Whispers, chapter 3
  28. ↑ 28.0 28.1 28.2 Revealed in The Forgotten Warrior, chapter 25
  29. ↑ 29.0 29.1 Revealed in Hollyleaf's Story, chapter 8
  30. ↑ 30.0 30.1 30.2 30.3 30.4 Revealed in The Forgotten Warrior, chapter 13
  31. ↑ Revealed in Bramblestar's Storm, chapter 9
  32. ↑ 32.0 32.1 32.2 32.3 Revealed in Hollyleaf's Story, chapter 9
  33. ↑ 33.0 33.1 33.2 Revealed in Sign of the Moon, chapter 18
  34. ↑ 34.0 34.1 Revealed in The Forgotten Warrior, chapter 7
  35. ↑ 35.0 35.1 Revealed in Long Shadows, chapter 12
  36. ↑ 36.0 36.1 Revealed in Crowfeather's Trial, chapter 1
  37. ↑ 37.0 37.1 Revealed in Long Shadows, chapter 16
  38. ↑ 38.0 38.1 38.2 Revealed in Long Shadows, chapter 15
  39. ↑ 39.0 39.1 Revealed in Long Shadows, chapter 18
  40. ↑ Revealed in Dark River, chapter 15
  41. ↑ Revealed in Dark River, chapter 20
  42. ↑ Revealed in Dark River, chapter 21
  43. ↑ Revealed in Outcast, chapter 2
  44. ↑ 44.0 44.1 Revealed in Eclipse, chapter 15
  45. ↑ Revealed in Long Shadows, chapter 14
  46. ↑ Revealed in Long Shadows, chapter 13
  47. ↑ Revealed in Sign of the Moon, chapter 2
  48. ↑ Revealed in Sign of the Moon, chapter 3
  49. ↑ Revealed in Sign of the Moon, chapter 16
  50. ↑ Revealed in The Forgotten Warrior, chapter 12
  51. ↑ 51.0 51.1 Revealed in Hollyleaf's Story, chapter 10
  52. ↑ Revealed in The Forgotten Warrior, chapter 20
  53. ↑ Revealed in The Last Hope, chapter 11
  54. ↑ Revealed in Crowfeather's Trial, chapter 2
  55. ↑ Revealed in Crowfeather's Trial, chapter 8
  56. ↑ Revealed in Crowfeather's Trial, chapter 14
  57. ↑ Revealed in Crowfeather's Trial, chapter 15
  58. ↑ Revealed in Crowfeather's Trial, chapter 18
  59. ↑ Revealed in Crowfeather's Trial, chapter 21
  60. ↑ Revealed in Crowfeather's Trial, chapter 25
  61. ↑ Revealed in Crowfeather's Trial, chapter 29
  62. ↑ Revealed in Crowfeather's Trial, chapter 30
  63. ↑ Revealed in Bramblestar's Storm, chapter 1
  64. ↑ Revealed in Bramblestar's Storm, chapter 20
  65. ↑ Revealed in Bramblestar's Storm, chapter 32
  66. ↑ Revealed in Dark River, page 221


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