Tiger

"The story is never the same twice, and parts grow uncertain, or they become suddenly clear in the telling." This article contains information mainly from the 2007 field guide, Secrets of the Clans. While based on canonical information, the book has been repeatedly retconned as the series progressed, and thus its credibility is questioned.

"TigerClan is one of the great cat Clans that used to roam the forest. TigerClan is cats of the night, big as horses, with jet-black stripes."

— Graypaw about tigers in Into the Wild, 145

Tiger
Friendly
Current:	Friendly
Creature type
Species:	Panthera tigris
Book appearances
Living:	Secrets of the Clans

Tigers are large striped cats present in Clan mythology.

Description

Notice: The following content describes tigers from the perspective of the Warriors books. Thus, only some or none of this content may be factual information. For more accurate descriptions of tigers, please refer to external sources.

In Clan mythology, tigers are one of the ancestors of the Clans. They are large cats with flame-colored pelts and black stripes. Originally, tigers resembled lions with similar golden pelts. Only after they were banished to the shadows for one moon did they develop jet-black stripes. They are also noted to be as large as horses and are skillful night hunters and fierce fighters.

Relations to cats

"There is a trace of all the great cats in every cat today. We would not be night hunters without our TigerClan ancestors, and our love of the sun's warmth comes from LionClan."

―Lionheart teaching some apprentices about LionClan ^{Into the Wild, page 145}

Tigers are present in Clan mythology as TigerClan, one of the ancient great Clans and ancestors of the Clan cats. They are known for their black stripes, and have passed down the ability to hunt at night to the Clan cats. TigerClan is also the name adopted by Tigerstar when he united ShadowClan and RiverClan to attempt to overtake the forest, though his choice of using the name of the great Clan for himself was met with opposition.

TigerClan is also used in Clan terminology to demonstrate strength or ferocity. Some cats are also named after tigers, such as Tigerstar, originally Tigerclaw, in hopes his fierce name would help him survive, and his grandson Tigerstar, formerly Tigerheart. Both toms are brown tabbies, though Tigerheart is noted to have tiger-like stripes.

History

In The Prophecies Begin arc

Into the Wild

At a Gathering, Graypaw educates Firepaw and some other apprentices about the great Clans, including TigerClan, though Lionheart provides more depth about how TigerClan gave their ancestors skills needed to hunt at night.

Forest of Secrets

When Fireheart goes to talk to Cloudkit about damp bedding, he finds the kit in the elders' den listening to Halftail telling him a story about TigerClan. The elder explains that the leader of TigerClan stalked the fox for a night and a day, and did something on the second night, but he cuts himself off when he sees Fireheart. Cloudkit's eyes are wide with wonder as he images the mighty black-striped cats of TigerClan. After Fireheart lectures the kit on bedding, Cloudkit tells Halftail to go on, and asks what TigerClan's leader did next.

Later, when Tigerclaw is exiled from ThunderClan, and Bluestar asks if he has anything to say in his defense, the tabby tom says that he would have brought back the days of TigerClan, and made ThunderClan great.

The Darkest Hour

When Tigerstar combines both RiverClan and ShadowClan together, he names the new Clan TigerClan, much to Tallstar's outrage. He yowls that Tigerstar cannot use the name TigerClan, as it belonged to their great ancestors.

Firestar goes to the WindClan camp to help Tallstar and his warriors defeat TigerClan, who had attacked them. Firestar asks Tallstar to combine their Clan to defeat Tigerstar, and Tallstar tells Firestar that their Clans will join together like a lion to defeat the tiger that prowls through the forest.

In the Super Editions

Bluestar's Prophecy

Leopardfoot names the weakest of her son and the runt of her litter Tigerkit, hoping that the name will give him the strength to survive. When Bluefur is told about this, she is surprised that Leopardfoot had chosen such a fierce name.

In the Field Guides

Secrets of the Clans

TigerClan is one of the great Clans that used to live in the forest. TigerClan and and LionClan both have gold coats, but TigerClan is jealous of LionClan's manes and LeopardClan's speed. Their jealousy causes them to be bitter and hunt at night and keep to the shadows during the daytime. One TigerClan warrior, Thorntooth, is said to be particularly jealous, and steals other Clans' kits and fresh-kill. Shadestar, TigerClan's leader, is aware of this, but does nothing to stop him because she too is terribly envious.

One day, Thorntooth sneaks back to camp with a small lion cub which turns out to be Petalkit, Goldenstar's only daughter. Shadestar is enraged, snarling that LionClan will slaughter them all if they must to rescue the kit, but Thorntooth growls that they can fight. Shadestar asks why they would let TigerClan warriors die for nothing. That night, Shadestar calls a Gathering and returns Petalkit to Goldenstar. Goldenstar and Swiftstar demand to Shadestar that Thorntooth stops stealing, and Thorntooth protests that TigerClan has nothing special, as they are only plain orange cats with no great skill. He wishes to have something to distinct them apart like LeopardClan and LionClan have. Goldenstar snarls to Shadestar that her Clan must be punished, and says that for the next moon, TigerClan shall not be seen in daylight, and their pelts will not see sun. Goldenstar forbids them from speaking to other Clans.

For a moon, TigerClan walk only by night, and stay away from the other Clans, and at the next Gathering, the other Clans are surprised at their pelts. After walking in the shadows for so long, the TigerClan cats' coats are sliced through with black stripes, causing Thorntooth to be pleased that now TigerClan is also marked out like the other Clans. From then on, all TigerClan cats are born with stripes.

Gallery

A tiger in Secrets of the Clans

A tiger, lion, and a leopard in The Prophecies Begin, volume 1

See also

• TigerClan (mythological)
• TigerClan (modern)
• Tigerstar (TPB)
• Tigerstar (AVoS)
• Tiger Tail

External links

• Tiger