Echosong

Echosong is a recurring character in the Warriors series, serving as a supporting character in Firestar's Quest, SkyClan's Destiny, SkyClan and the Stranger, Ravenpaw's Farewell, Hawkwing's Journey and A Vision of Shadows. She was once a kittypet, who became modern SkyClan's first medicine cat when it was restored. She later mentored both Frecklewish and Fidgetflake, and had gotten several visions about finding the other four Clans at the lake after her Clan was driven out of their home in the gorge by Darktail.
== Appearance ==
Echosong is a small tabby she-cat with soft silver fur, green eyes, a fluffy tail, and small, dark gray paws. During Hawkwing's Journey, she gets a tear in one of her ears.
== Biography ==
=== Firestar's Quest ===
Echo is a kittypet living near a gorge the now disbanded SkyClan once lived in decades ago. When Firestar, the leader of ThunderClan, begins to rebuild SkyClan with his mate Sandstorm, he has a dream where the spirit of Skywatcher tells him a kittypet who has dreams of the Clan's ancestors will be their new medicine cat. While Firestar is visiting the twolegplace to ask if anyone's had dreams of starry cats, Echo approaches and says she thinks she's the one he's looking for. A fellow kittypet named Oscar calls her mad for wanting to join SkyClan, but she ignores him and follows Firestar back to the gorge.
At the gorge, Firestar introduces Echo to the other cats of SkyClan, installing her as their medicine cat, though she has little medical knowledge to actually carry out her new job. He then holds a ceremony in which he grants her the name Echosong, and Sandstorm begins to teach her about herbs and their uses. as well as a few basic battle moves. Sandstorm worries about how good she'll be as a medicine cat though, since she herself doesn't know much about herbs. When the newly-named medicine cat doesn't get any more dreams about SkyClan's ancestors, Firestar tells her to sleep on the Skyrock, as it's where the old Clan was closest with the spirits. When she wakes, she tells the orange tom about a dream where she was standing in the middle of a moor, sensing terrified cats nearby but not being able to see them. He concludes she must have been dreaming of the old SkyClan fleeing their original territory in the forest, which makes her quite upset and causes her to doubt being a medicine cat. The ThunderClan leader then assures her that her Clan's ancestors will speak to her again when they have something to say.
When Firestar leads SkyClan to a battle against a hostile hoard of rats, Echosong tells him she'll see him again, and he notes that she said it as if it was a prophecy. She later reports having a dream of dappled leaves, concluding it's a sign from the ancestors that Leafdapple will be the rebuilt SkyClan's first leader. She then takes Leafdapple to the Whispering Cave, where the brown she-cat receives nine lives from SkyClan's ancestors and earns the name Leafstar. During the ceremony, a she-cat named Fawnstep who had been SkyClan's medicine cat when their original territory was destroyed declares that Echosong is officially the new medicine cat. She tells the silver she-cat that she will teach her in her dreams how to fulfill her duties, and an eager Echosong happily accepts.
=== SkyClan's Destiny ===
Echosong asks Tinycloud for help with gathering herbs a few times, which annoys the warrior. Tinycloud asks Leafstar to let her go back to warrior duties, but quickly changes her tune when Echosong explains she needs a strong warrior to defend her from predators, happily accompanying her from then on. As SkyClan prepares for another battle against the rats, Leafstar asks Echosong if her deputy Sharpclaw is upset with her for taking leadership, and the silver tabby replies that she didn't take it, as she had a vision of dappled leaves as a sign the brown tabby should be leader. Leafstar asks if Sharpclaw knows this, and Echosong answers that she doesn't know, telling her to focus on the rats for now. When the leader suggests they start hunting and eating the rats, she says no, since the rats are SkyClan's oldest enemy.
At the next SkyClan Gathering at the Skyrock, Echosong and Sharpclaw argue about the former taking Frecklepaw as an apprentice, as she's good at handing medicine cat duties. Leafstar tells them they don't have to decide now, asking the medicine cat if she's had a sign from the ancestors approving of Frecklepaw. She admits she hasn't, and Sharpclaw doubts she ever will, causing her to leave the Gathering early, glaring at the deputy as she leaves.
Echosong starts asking Frecklepaw for help with her medicine cat duties, which annoys the apprentice's mentor Ebonyclaw. She gets into an argument with Ebonyclaw when Frecklepaw misses a training session while helping gather herbs. When her apprentice tells her that she wishes Echosong was her mentor, the black she-cat gets even more angry, with Leafstar scolding her. Leafstar then visits the medicine den, where the green-eyed she-cat apologizes for arguing with her Clanmate, to which the leader says she shouldn't task apprentices with something without asking their mentors first. She replies that she thinks Ebonyclaw is too hard on Frecklepaw, and the leader reminds her that the apprentice is training to be a warrior. The medicine cat retorts that Frecklepaw is there to be a member of SkyClan, and Leafstar leaves, not wanting to argue with her.
Later, Leafstar confides in Echosong that she wants to be mates with Billystorm, but she advises against it, since she's so busy with leadership, insisting that she must live her destiny alone. After a twoleg child falls into the gorge and injures her leg, Echosong tries tending to the wound with comfrey, but this doesn't help. She and Clovertail then stay with the child to comfort her, later going on a patrol to find the child's parents. After using the child's stuff to lure her parents into the camp to rescue her, Leafstar wonders if she did the right thing. Echosong assures her she did, but looks worried that twolegs might start invading the camp. Later still, Echosong receives Frecklepaw as an apprentice, and after finishing her training, she is granted the name Frecklewish.
=== SkyClan and the Stranger ===
==== The Rescue ====
When Leafstar is pregnant with her and Billystorm's kits, Echosong fusses over her leader's condition, scolding her for climbing trees and going hunting while being so close to giving birth. Later, she helps deliver Leafstar's kits when she goes into labor.
==== Beyond the Code ====
While Leafstar tells her how happy she is that the former kittypet Sol decided to join SkyClan, Echosong remarks that they still know so little about the newcomer. The leader points out that she doesn't know much about the medicine cat's life before joining SkyClan either, to which she explains that there isn't much to know. Leafstar then tells her that she'll have to trust Sol, because that's what being a Clanmate is about. Later, when Ebonyclaw's leg is injured, she rushes to her side, telling Leafstar after tending to her wounds that the black she-cat will have to stay in camp overnight while she recovers. Ebonyclaw is hesitant though, not wanting her owners to worry for her, but Leafstar assures her that she can go back to them as soon as Echosong is sure her leg is healed enough.
While speaking to Echosong and Clovertail, Leafstar tells them how difficult it is to lead and watch over her kits at the same time, making the medicine cat wonder if any of the other Clans' leaders have done the same. As the leader argues with Sharpclaw about whether or not she should go on patrol or stay in camp to look after her kits, Echosong invites her to go gather herbs together. While they're out, she tells Leafstar that Sharpclaw is only looking out for her and her kits, and when the leader says Firestar didn't prepare her for juggling both leading a Clan and taking care of kits, the silver tabby replies that he wouldn't know since he's a tom.
==== After the Flood ====
While the Clan clears the camp of debris in the aftermath of a flood, Sparrowpelt slips and falls while trying to move a tree, and Echosong takes him into the medicine den to be checked on. Afterwards, she tells Leafstar that his shoulder was dislocated, but it was easy to pop back into place. She then reports that SkyClan's ancestors haven't told her anything about the flood, concluding it was just a random misfortune that reminded the Clan how vulnerable they are.
After finding out that Billystorm was considering taking the kits to live with him as kittypets in the twolegplace, believing SkyClan is no longer safe because of the flood, Leafstar banishes her mate from the Clan. She later asks the Clan if anyone has seen him, and Echosong responds that he seems to be obeying her orders to leave. She then wonders if Billystorm was right about SkyClan's gorge not being a safe place to raise kits. Later, as the two hunt birds in the branches of a tree, Echosong asks Leafstar if she remembers when Patchfoot had falling in the stream and got a worm up his nose, to which the leader laughs that she does.
When Leafstar's kits go missing, she immediately assumes Billystorm had taken them to live in the twolegplace with him. Echosong asks if she really thinks he would do that, and she responds that she never would have before the flood, but now she can't be so sure. Later, when Billystorm is proven innocent, he helps look for the kits with Leafstar and Echosong, but none of them find the litter. After it's revealed that Sol had kidnaped the kits, intending to pretend he found them so he'll be made a warrior, Leafstar angrily chides him for endangering them. She the banishes him from SkyClan, during which Echosong watches with a satisfied grin.
=== Ravenpaw's Farewell ===
When two loners named Ravenpaw and Barley bring the latter's niece and nephew Bella and Riley to SkyClan, Leafstar rejects them from joining. They later return, and are threatened by Plumwillow and Bouncefire, but Echosong tells them to stop, as the four mean no harm. She then introduces herself and explains that Leafstar had told her about them, after which Ravenpaw requests to talk to the leader again. She studies him before leading the four into camp, then tells them that the leader's den only has room for one cat, asking Ravenpaw to go in while the others wait, telling them that Hawkpaw will take care of them. She thanks Hawkpaw when he agrees and tells him to inform her if Ebonyclaw wants him to do something else, explaining to Ravenpaw that Ebonyclaw is a daylight warrior - a kittypet who lives in the Clan during the day and returns to their owners at night - and Hawkpaw is her apprentice. The loner comments that Hawkpaw seems very committed to his duties, and Echosong agrees, adding that he has to be kept away from Pebblepaw since the two have an intense rivalry.
After Leafstar accepts Ravenpaw's offer to help SkyClan with some troublesome kittypets, Echosong takes him to the Skyrock, telling him that it's where the Clan meets every moon, and where she communicates with their ancestors. She adds that she loves going up there because it's peaceful and she can see the whole camp. While on top of the Skyrock, Ravenpaw falls asleep and is visited by StarClan in his dreams, and when he wakes up, the medicine cat is sitting right beside him. As they climb down from the Skyrock, she tells the loner that Leafstar adjusted the borders like he suggested to keep the kittypets away.
After SkyClan fights against the kittypets to scare them away from their territory, Ravenpaw falls terribly ill, so Barley takes him to the medicine den. Ravenpaw says he'd rather be in the forest though, so Echosong complies. As they lead him to the trees, Barley tells her she should be helping him, but she somberly replies that it's too late now, and all they can do is fulfill his wish to be in the forest in his final moments. After Ravenpaw's death, she holds vigil with him alongside Barley, Bella, Riley, and the rest of the Clan.
=== Hawkwing's Journey ===
After the apprentices get trapped in a burning building, Echosong tries to save Duskpaw, but unfortunately fails. She then tends Hawkpaw, Pebblepaw, Cloudpaw and Ebonyclaw, who were burned and inhaled quiet a bit of smoke. A few moons later, She announces during a Clan meeting that she's revived a new prophecy from SkyClan's founder Skystar in the Whispering Cave: "The fire has burned out, but to dispel the darkness you must find the spark that remains." She concludes that it means Firestar has died, and they must travel to the other Clans' home at a far away lake to find his descendants. The Clan debates if the prophecy means something else, and if they should go ask Barley where to find the lake.
Later, when finding an injured rogue named Darktail, Hawkwing asks Echosong for some herbs to treat him with, so she gives him some coltsfoot for the rogue's breathing. Soon after Darktail visits SkyClan's camp and tells them about the other four Clans, to which Echosong asks him how he knows so much. He exclaims that he knew the Clans in their old forest territory before they moved, describing how each one had a special ability such as RiverClan's swimming ability or WindClan's speed, and that each one had a medicine cat like her. The silver tabby eyes Darktail suspiciously before telling Hawkwing to fetch Leafstar.
After Darktail gives SkyClan directions to the lake, Leafstar sends a group to go follow these directions. While they're gone, a group of racoons attacks the camp, injuring Echosong. Frecklewish takes care of her while she recovers, during which she has a vision of a fire burning out and then sparking back to life. She tells Frecklewish this, insisting they must find "the spark that remains" before it burns out. When the patrol comes back, they report that Darktail's directions had led to an area filled with badgers, which had killed Billystorm. Hawkwing accuses Darktail of purposefully leading them to the wrong place, to which Leafstar punishes him for his outburst by making him take care of Echosong. While he tends to her, she notices Hawkwing is upset and asks what's wrong. He tells her his annoyance with Darktail still being in the Clan after indirectly getting Billystorm killed, stating he doesn't belong. She replies that everyone makes mistakes, believing Darktail is there for a reason. When asked what that reason is, she admits she doesn't know, but is certain there is one.
Soon after, Darktail betrays SkyClan and leads a groups of rogues to attack them. Th SkyClan cats flee, getting separated in the process, with Echosong ending up with Hawkwing, Pebblepaw, Fidgetkit and Curlykit. They search for the two kits' littermate Snipkit, and encounter a raccoon that injures the medicine cat. The two kits tend to her wounds with cobwebs as she watches over them while Hawkwing and Pebblepaw hunt. Curlykit insists they keep looking for Snipkit, but the silver tabby insists they eat first, as they can't look for the kitten if they're weak, and they must stick together.
The next day, the group goes into the twolegplace to search for their Clanmates, with Echosong doubting that Snipkit is still alive. As she leads them through the twolegplace, Hawkwing asks how she can navigate so well, to which she replies she used to live there as a kittypet. Soon they reunite with most of their Clan, but Snipkit is still missing. With Frecklewish gone as well, Echosong takes Fidgetkit on as an apprentice, renaming him Fidgetpaw. Her new apprentice worries that they won't be able to communicate with their ancestors anymore, but she assures him that they will follow SkyClan wherever they go. After Hawkwing's pregnant mate Pebbleshine get trapped in a monster that drives far away, the medicine cat and leader comfort him and encourage him to move on, assuring him that Pebbleshine will find them. Echosong then tells Hawkwing that the Clan needs him, reminding him of how much he's aided them.
Soon the Clan settles near a lake, but Echosong frantically insists it's not the right lake. Her Clan protests that they've walked enough, with a pregnant Plumwillow adding that her kits will come any day now. Hawkwing backs the medicine cat up, saying they should keep looking for the Clans, and can't ignore their ancestors when they've come so far already. Leafstar decides to stay anyways, since Plumwillow is so close to giving birth, dismissing Echosong's retorts. She and Leafstar later argue about this, with the leader writing off her strong feeling that they should keep looking as just a hunch. The leader insists they must rest and wait for sign from their ancestors on what to do next, but she still presses that they're at the wrong lake.
Soon after, she helps Plumwillow give birth to Finkit, Reedkit and Dewkit. After the Clan is attacked by dogs, Leafstar calls a meeting to decide if they should leave or not, where Echosong announces that she's going to go look for the other Clans, assigning Fidgetpaw to take care of SkyClan while she's gone. She takes Harrybrook and Bellaleaf with her, and states that they'll leave the next morning. The next day, before she and the two warriors leave, she tells her leader that she'll send a messenger once they find the other Clans. She then tells Hawkwing that he's come far, but still has a long way to go, advising him to remember who he is, though he doesn't know what she means by this.
After failing to find the Clans, Echosong, Harrybrook and Bellaleaf return to find that Fidgetpaw is gone, and Firefern, Rileypool, Blossomheart, Macgyver and Finkit are severely ill. As she tends to them, Hawkwing asks if borage will help with their fevers, and she answers that it will. She then informs him that they've been using comfrey, not borage, assuring him that using the wrong herb wasn't actively harming them, but they need to find the right herb. After finding some borage, she forces it down the sick cats' throats, and when Bellaleaf asks if they'll recover, she replies that their lives are in the paws of their ancestors, so the only thing they can do is take care of them to the best of their abilities and hope they'll be ok. After Bellaleaf leaves, she expresses worry to Hawkwing that Rileypool and Firefern won't make it, but still has hope for Finkit.
Soon after, Firefern and Rileypool die of their ailment, and as the Clan hold vigil for them, Echosong speaks the same words that have been spoken at vigils for generations, hoping the two warriors will find shelter and good hunting in the afterlife. She then tells the Clan that they must have hope even after everything that's happened, and while Plumwillow and Sagenose worry that their ancestors have abandoned them, she remains firm in her belief.
SkyClan resumes their search for the other Clans, during which Echosong receives another prophecy from Skystar: "Embrace what you find in the shadows, for only they can clear the sky." The founder then shows her a maple leaf, remarking that SkyClan is scattered like leaves on the wind, but to take a closer look at the leaf. After reporting this to Leafstar, the leader exclaims that maple leaves have five points, just like there are five Clans, becoming certain that they're on the right path. Hawkwing asks if they'll ever find the other Clans, to which she insists they have to. She then reveals that she's also had a vision of a young gray she-cat who looks just like him nodding at a maple leaf. She then tells him that the long journey has made him a strong, mature cat. 
=== A Vision of Shadows ===
==== The Apprentice's Quest ====
The ThunderClan medicine cat apprentice Alderpaw has a vision of SkyClan before they were driven out, where he sees them holding a warrior ceremony. Echosong then looks at him, her eyes flashing green before the vision ends. While telling his grandmother Sandstorm about this vision, she excitedly explains that the brown tabby she-cat is Leafstar, the dark ginger tom is Sharpclaw, and the silver tabby she-cat is Echosong.
==== Thunder and Shadow ====
Echosong is hunting in a sunny forest, but then realizes she's dreaming when she remembers that she had fallen asleep while it was raining. She then notices that it feels more real than a simple dream, concluding that she's about to have a vision. She reflects on how long it's been since she's had a vision, worrying if SkyClan's ancestors were beginning to forget them just as the other four Clans had. Skystar then approaches, and Echosong asks who he is, not recognizing him but feeling as if she's seen him before. Skystar murmurs the prophecy "Embrace what you find in the shadows, for only they can clear the sky", which baffles the medicine cat. She asks what they shadows are and what clearing the sky means, frustrated when the founder doesn't reply. She then asks what the fire burning out means, begging Skystar to tell her and wishing he would just say what he meant.
She then wonders if he's trying to tell her what happened to her missing Clanmates, following his gaze as he looks up to the canopy of leaves above. She sees leaves fluttering to the ground, and notices they are maple leaves, not oak ones like she'd assumed. Skystar tells her that the Clan is scattered like leaves in the wind, grabbing a large one as it falls and telling her to take a close look at it. She leans forward excitedly, wondering what the leaves could mean, but struggles to understand as they fade away. She wails in protests as her vision blurs, begging Skystar to tell her more. She abruptly wakes in her makeshift den, disappointed. As cold water drips through the juniper branches and onto her pelt, she closers her eyes and tries to recall every detail of the vision. As her heart pounds, she wonders what Skystar was trying to tell her, determined to understand, as it may lead her home.
==== Shattered Sky ====
In another vision, Alderpaw - now Alderheart - sees Echosong with a large infected gash, some of her Clanmates surrounding her. He recognizes her, but can't remember her name, and notes that she's thin, her breathing is shallow, her eyes are glossy and her pelt is dull. One of her Clanmates asks if there's anything they can do, but she replies that she doesn't know where any of the right herbs would be found, accepting that she's dying. Another of her Clanmates licks her head as she closes her eyes, and she lifts her head, shakily saying she wishes she could have protected them, and helped get to the new home their ancestors wanted them to find. She calls Frecklewish's name, with Alderheart realizing she's hallucinating, with her Clanmates telling her that her former apprentice isn't there, and is most likely dead. Echosong gasps and sits up, looking to the horizon and whispering that "they" are coming. Standing up on shaky legs, she tells her Clanmates to follow the blood trail, collapsing to the ground and closing her eyes. Her breathing soon stops, and her Clanmates call out her name with grief.
After a battle against Darktail and his rogues, now known as The Kin, Alderheart has another vision of SkyClan, but doesn't see Echosong with them, realizing solemnly that she must have died in the last vision. Later, the ThunderClan apprentice Twigpaw finds SkyClan and brings them to the lake, with the Clan figuring out that she is the young gray she-cat from the vision, and one of Hawkwing's and Pebbleshine's two long-lost daughters. After The Kin is defeated and SkyClan settles at the lake, Echosong joins StarClan with the rest of SkyClan's ancestors.
==== Darkest Night ====
During a medicine cat meeting, Echosong is one of several StarClan cats to join Firestar as he speaks to the medicine cats, telling him that he's happy SkyClan has finally reunited with the other Clans at the lake. He then dips his head respectfully to Echosong, signaling her to speak, to which she tells the medicine cats that while SkyClan is now where it belongs, the five Clans still have challenges ahead to face. She then gravely delivers the prophecy "The dark sky must not herald a storm."
== Trivia ==
* Echosong has author Victoria Holmes' favorite name.
* She is mistakenly said to have white patches of fur in chapter 25 of SkyClan's Destiny.
== External links ==
Echosong on the Warriors Wiki
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