| "You trained me to be a loyal RiverClan warrior. It's all I ever wanted to be." |
| — Whiteclaw to Leopardfur at her nine lives ceremony in Leopardstar's Honor, page 422 |
Whiteclaw is a muscular dark brown tom[9] with snowy-white paws[10] and amber eyes.[11]
Whiteclaw was a RiverClan warrior under Crookedstar's leadership in the forest territories. Whitekit was born as an only kit in Sunfish and Beetlenose's second litter. He formed a close relationship with Leopardfur, who acted as an adoptive mother to Whitepaw after the death of Sunfish. Whitepaw was initially apprenticed to Whitefang, but after the warrior's death, was reassigned to Leopardfur, and the two maintained a close bond even after Whitepaw received his warrior name of Whiteclaw. Frogleap also assisted with his mentorship, teaching Leopardfur how to navigate both a mentorship and maternal bond with her apprentice. While confronting ThunderClan and WindClan on RiverClan's territory near the gorge, Whiteclaw fell over the edge while fighting Graystripe, who tried to save him. Leopardfur took his loss extremely hard, but Whiteclaw appeared in StarClan to give his adoptive mother one of her nine lives.
History[]
In The Prophecies Begin arc[]
Fire and Ice[]
- Whiteclaw participates in a border fight that arises when RiverClan catches a patrol consisting of ThunderClan, who are being escorted home by WindClan cats, heading through RiverClan territory; the fight occurs threateningly close to the gorge's edge. When Graystripe and Whiteclaw are fighting along the edge, Whiteclaw slips over the side, grabbing onto the ledge. Graystripe tries to help him by trying to grab his paw, but he cannot get a good grip and Whiteclaw falls to his death. Leopardfur, the RiverClan deputy, sees and is quite distraught at his death. Leopardfur accuses Graystripe of killing Whiteclaw, though he tried to help. She threatens that the fight has gone beyond a border skirmish and tells the ThunderClan cats that her Clan will seek vengeance.
- His death had been prophesied by WindClan's medicine cat, Barkface, earlier. StarClan had given him a sign through red clouds at Barley's barn, which he interpreted as "This day shall bring an unnecessary death". When Leopardfur saw what had happened, she called the battle to an end, and said that Whiteclaw's death would be avenged, with hostility deeply embedded in her tone.
Rising Storm[]
- At a Gathering, it is noted that ever since ThunderClan and RiverClan fought at the gorge, and Whiteclaw fell to his death, Fireheart feels Leopardfur's unforgiving hostility is as sharp as thorns. After getting information about Graystripe's status as a RiverClan warrior, Fireheart informs Mousefur that Graystripe was not Leopardfur's favorite RiverClan cat, not since Whiteclaw's death in the gorge.
A Dangerous Path[]
- Fireheart speaks with Graystripe after he has joined RiverClan, asking whether he will be the mentor of one of his kits. Graystripe replies that, because this is Leopardstar's decision, he probably will not be allowed. He believes that she will never forgive him for Whiteclaw's death.
In the Super Editions[]
Leopardstar's Honor[]
- "There is truth in what you say. But Whiteclaw's death has shown me what happens when a warrior reacts with instinct and not reason. [...] I may never be as tolerant as Crookedstar, but I never want to feel this way again. I never want to have to ask myself again if I'm the reason one of my Clanmates died."
- ―Leopardfur to Mudfur about Whiteclaw's death Leopardstar's Honor, page 270
- Whitepaw attends his mentor's vigil while his mother rests in the medicine den, and the next morning, Crookedstar names Leopardfur as Whitepaw's replacement mentor. A quarter-moon later, infection has set into Sunfish's wounds, and she grows weaker. She asks Leopardfur to care for Whitepaw as a mother in her absence. When Whitepaw asks Leopardfur if his mother is okay, she lies that she is, and Whitepaw eagerly replies that she seemed to be better. The next morning, Whitepaw wakes Leopardfur up in her nest with the grave news that Sunfish is dead, and Leopardfur curls around Whitepaw as he grieves. Whitepaw is distracted following his mother's death, much to Leopardfur's frustration. She indulges his attempt to play in hopes it will get it out of his system, but Whitepaw is still distracted and forgets hunting concepts. When Whitepaw catches a minnow instead of following Leopardfur and accidentally disturbs the patch of water she was hunting in, Leopardfur snaps at him to wait by the shore so she can hunt something decent for the Clan instead of his minnow. When she returns with a trout a moment later, and Whitepaw apologizes, sorrowfully wondering if she'll stop being his mentor. Leopardfur insists she'll never stop being there for him and encourages him to spend some time with his kin, Vixenleap, Grasswhisker, and Silverstream.
- Mudfur sharply scolds Leopardfur that she should train her apprentice instead of listening to Clan gossip, remarking he can eat once he's earned it. Leopardfur wonders if Mudfur is scolding Leopardfur's attempts to train her apprentice, and ushers Whitepaw to the water meadow to hunt frogs. Whitepaw grumbles about catching frogs and is disinterested when Leopardfur attempts to prompt him about the scent of the water. Frogleap arrives, having overheard their disagreement, and prompts Whitepaw that the importance of scenting water is to notice the difference between stagnant and running water, as frogs prefer still water. Frogleap guides Whitepaw to catching a frog, and as the apprentice eagerly catches another one, Frogleap explains to Leopardfur that her relationship with Whitepaw was originally maternal; he's having a difficult time treating her like a mentor instead of a mother figure. Leopardfur takes Frogleap's advice and is pleased that she and Whitepaw are finally in sync. Frogleap assists with Whitepaw's training, and a half-moon later, Leopardfur has Frogleap sneak attack Whitepaw. Whitepaw passes, and Leopardfur and Frogleap believe he is ready for his warrior assessment.
- Whitepaw and Leopardfur wait in camp while a RiverClan patrol confronts ThunderClan at Sunningrocks, and Leopardfur has her apprentice fetch clean bedding for the elders. When a pike attacks Blackclaw and Skyheart, Leopardfur rushes to help them and she and Whitepaw help distract the fish for it to release Blackclaw's hind leg. When another pike appears to attack the smaller one, Whitepaw flings Leopardfur from the river and thrusts water out from her lungs. The four cats return to camp, and Leopardfur commends Whitepaw's bravery to Crookedstar. After Oakheart's vigil, Crookedstar names Whitepaw a warrior for his bravery—Whiteclaw. Leopardfur is also named deputy, and Whiteclaw loudly purrs for his former mentor.
- Whiteclaw joins Stonefur, Blackclaw and the latter two's apprentices, Shadepaw and Heavypaw, to the gorge to practice white-water fishing. It is noted that Whiteclaw is very skilled at that task, sometimes bringing enough salmon to feed half the Clan. Later, Whiteclaw bursts into camp with news that Nightstar, the new ShadowClan leader, wishes to speak with Crookedstar. When they are done talking, Crookedstar has Whiteclaw escort Nightstar to the border. After Bluestar calls for WindClan's return to their former territory, Leopardfur still wishes for her Clan to hunt there in their absence. She orders Blackclaw, Heavypaw, Sedgecreek, Frogleap, Beetlenose, and Whiteclaw to go with her to hunt, and Whiteclaw is enthusiastic to hunt. They come across Wetfoot leading a ShadowClan patrol with news of WindClan stragglers on their former land. The joint patrols confront Stagleap, Sorrelshine, and Pigeonflight for hunting there, and chase them away. After Frogleap expresses his disappointment in Leopardfur for bullying the WindClan cats, Whiteclaw comforts Leopardfur that someday every cat will see that she is right.
- After Leopardfur visits Crookedstar in the medicine cat den, Whiteclaw asks if Crookedstar is okay. Leopardfur reveals that their leader is really ill, and she expresses her worries about Crookedstar and the disagreement with her father, Mudfur. Whiteclaw comforts her, and Leopardfur insists everything will work out, then prompts him for his worries. Whiteclaw reveals that he has a crush on Silverstream and worries he'll make a fool of himself if he tries to tell her. Leopardfur encourages him to confess his feelings since she will admire his confidence and honesty. Leopardfur helps set them up by having Whiteclaw and Silverstream go on a hunting patrol together, but Crookedstar wakes up from his illness and asks for Silverstream instead. Instead, Whiteclaw goes hunting with Leopardfur, Voleclaw, Reedtail, Piketooth, and Sedgecreek near the gorge. Whiteclaw teases Sedgecreek that he'll catch her if she falls over the edge, and Leopardfur remarks she won't let any of them fall.
- The patrol detects WindClan and ThunderClan scents and locate Fireheart, Graystripe, Deadfoot, and Onewhisker trespassing on RiverClan territory. Whiteclaw darts ahead to attack Fireheart despite Leopardfur's protests. Leopardfur does her best to actively prevent her Clanmates from toppling over the gorge edge, and a ThunderClan patrol arrives with reinforcements. Whiteclaw fights Graystripe as Leopardfur struggles with Tigerclaw; she freezes when she hears a terrified shriek. She notices Graystripe crouched over the edge and rushes to his side to see Whiteclaw's head disappear in the white water. Leopardfur is numb with grief when she returns to camp, and has to tell Beetlenose what happened to his son. Mudfur lets her rest in his den, and Leopardfur has a nightmare of Sunfish accusing her of killing Whiteclaw. Frogleap comforts Leopardfur, insisting it wasn't her fault. Leopardfur is determined that Graystripe killed Whiteclaw, despite Silverstream's protests that she heard he was trying to save him, and she is furious with her when Leopardfur finds out that Silverstream is seeing Graystripe romantically. Leopardfur also blames herself since she taught him that no cat should trespass on RiverClan land. When Graystripe joins RiverClan after Silverstream's death to join his kits, Leopardfur accuses him of killing Whiteclaw, but Graystripe insists it was an accident. Later, Whiteclaw gives Leopardfur a life for empathy at her leadership ceremony.
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  Warrior Version  StarClan Version |
Official art[]
|
Please do not edit this gallery  Whiteclaw's icon on the Warriors family tree |
Ceremonies[]
| Whitepaw's apprentice ceremony | ||||||
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| Whitepaw's new mentor ceremony | ||||||||
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| Whiteclaw's warrior ceremony | ||||||
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Lives granted[]
The following is a list of gifts Whiteclaw has granted during nine lives ceremonies:
| Lives granted | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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Kin[]
Members[]
Father:
- Beetlenose:[3] Deceased, verified StarClan member
Mother:
Adopted mother:
- Leopardstar:[12] Deceased, verified StarClan member
Sisters:
- Vixenleap:[13] Deceased, verified StarClan member
- Grasswhisker:[13] Deceased, verified StarClan member
Adopted sister:
- Silverstream:[11] Deceased, verified StarClan member
See more
Grandfathers:
Grandmothers:
Great-aunt:
- Fallowtail:[18] Deceased, verified StarClan member
Great-uncle:
- Marshcloud:[19] Deceased, verified StarClan member
Uncles:
Aunt:
First cousins:
Trees[]
Genetic[]
| Unknown | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hailstar ♂ | Echomist ♀ | Lakeshine ♀ | Cedarpelt ♂ | Marshcloud ♂ | Fallowtail ♀ | See more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Voleclaw ♂ | Petaldust ♀ | Beetlenose ♂ | Sunfish ♀ | Frogleap ♂ | Mosspelt ♀ | Emberdawn ♀ | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Whiteclaw ♂ | Grasswhisker ♀ | Vixenleap ♀ | Robinkit ♂ | Dawnflower ♀ | Woodkit ♂ | Willowshine ♀ | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Pebblefoot ♂ | Minnowtail ♀ | Tumblekit ♀ | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
= Tom
= She-cat
= Gender unknown
Adoptive[]
| Leopardstar ♀ | Sunfish ♀ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Whiteclaw ♂ | Vixenleap ♀ | Grasswhisker ♀ | Silverstream ♀ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
= Tom
= She-cat
= Gender unknown
Appearances[]
- Leopardstar's Honor †
- Fire and Ice † (First appearance)
- Rising Storm (Mentioned only)
- A Dangerous Path (Mentioned only)
- Secrets of the Clans (Mentioned only; retconned)
Trivia[]
Interesting facts[]
Continuity[]
The following information is from sources considered non-canon, retconned, or from adapted material.
- In Secrets of the Clans, Whiteclaw is revealed to have been mentored by Leopardstar.[23]
- In Su Susann's "Missing Kits" on Vicky's Facebook, Whiteclaw was described as a dark brown tom with one white paw and orange eyes. His parents were Loudbelly and Dawnbright,[24] and his younger siblings were Voletooth, Stonestream, and Splashpaw, a white she-cat with ginger tabby patches, blue eyes, and a distinctive patch that made the right side of her face white and the left side ginger.[25] Whitepaw was apprenticed to Leopardfur. He and Leopardfur never became mates, but she greatly mourned his death because she was proud of him.[24]
Quotes[]
- Whitefang: "You're staying here."
- Whitepaw: "But I need to know where the border is. You didn't show me that part when you showed me our territory."
- Leopardstar's Honor, pages 85-86
- Whitepaw: "I'm sorry. I know you're mad. Are we going to stop being my mentor?"
- Leopardfur: "Of course I won't give up on you. I'll be your mentor until you don't need me anymore. I'm not going anywhere."
- Leopardstar's Honor, pages 113-114
- "Be gentle with him. Take his lead and guide him with love. Be patient with him, like Sunfish would."
- ―Frogleap to Leopardfur about Whitepaw's training Leopardstar's Honor, page 121
- Whiteclaw: "But I feel so awkward around [Silverstream]. It's like she's suddenly from another Clan and I don't know what to say to her."
- Leopardfur: "Just tell her how you feel. What's the worst that could happen?"
- Leopardstar's Honor, pages 243-244
External links[]
- Stand Together or Fall Divided on the Warriors official website (backup link) (Indirect mention only)
- Reading the Omens on the Warriors official website (backup link) (Indirect mention only)
- The Forest Map: RiverClan on the Warriors official website (backup link) (Mentioned only)
- Guess that cat - cats and bird on the Warriors official website (backup link) (Indirect mention only)
- Firestar and Graystripe: a friendship for the ages on the Warriors official website (backup link) (Indirect mention only)
Fan content[]
- Our favorite Whiteclaw artwork on the Warriors official website (backup link)
- Winners of the May 2022 fan challenge + new challenge announcement on the Warriors official website (backup link)
Notes and references[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Revealed in Leopardstar's Honor, page 422
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Revealed in Fire and Ice, page 88
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Revealed in Leopardstar's Honor, page 77
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Revealed in Fire and Ice, page 87
- ↑ Revealed in Leopardstar's Honor, page 81
- ↑ Revealed in Leopardstar's Honor, page 82
- ↑ Revealed in Leopardstar's Honor, page 99
- ↑ Revealed in Leopardstar's Honor, chapter 5
- ↑ Revealed in Leopardstar's Honor, page 123
- ↑ Revealed in Leopardstar's Honor, page 138
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Revealed in Leopardstar's Honor, page 114
- ↑ Revealed in Leopardstar's Honor, pages 104-105
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Revealed in Crookedstar's Promise, page 486
- ↑ Revealed in Crookedstar's Promise, page 1
- ↑ Revealed in Crookedstar's Promise, page 209
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 Revealed in Crookedstar's Promise, allegiances
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 Revealed in Crookedstar's Promise, page 222
- ↑ Revealed in Crookedstar's Promise, page 138
- ↑ Revealed on Kate's Facebook (screenshot)
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 20.2 Revealed in Leopardstar's Honor, page 320
- ↑ Revealed on Vicky's Facebook (screenshot)
- ↑ Revealed in Leopardstar's Honor, chapter 4
- ↑ Revealed in Secrets of the Clans, page 53
- ↑ 24.0 24.1 Revealed on Vicky's Facebook
- ↑ Revealed on Vicky's Facebook
