Battle against the stoats

The battle against the stoats was a series of battles in Crowfeather's Trial that eventually resulted in WindClan and ThunderClan working together to defeat a hoard of stoats living in the tunnels.
==Summary==
===Premise===
:Following the Great Battle, tensions remain high in WindClan among the former Dark Forest trainees—those who originally fought on the side of the Dark Forest during the Great Battle: Harespring, Whiskernose, Furzepelt, Larkwing, and Breezepelt. Despite swearing an oath of loyalty, some of WindClan distrusts the former Dark Forest trainees, particularly Breezepelt who fought against the Clans in the battle. In addition, a pack of stoats moved into the tunnels underneath WindClan's territory. WindClan notices a strange scent and scarcity of prey near the tunnel entrances by the ThunderClan border. ThunderClan also notices the same with the tunnel entrances on their territory. 
===Overview===
:A moon after the Great Battle, a pack of stoats move into the tunnels underneath WindClan and ThunderClan's territory. A WindClan patrol decides to scout one of the tunnel entrances and they realize they are stoats. Meanwhile, Kestrelflight, WindClan's medicine cat, receives a dream from StarClan about dark rushing water in the tunnels overwhelming a strong wind. WindClan sends another patrol to explore the tunnels and they are quickly overwhelmed by the stoats, resulting in Nightcloud's suspected death. WindClan attempts to handle the stoat problem on their own without accepting ThunderClan's offer for help, even going as far as to force the stoats to attack ThunderClan instead. However, Onestar finally relents, and the two Clans work together to maim the stoats and chase them from the tunnels.
==Description==
===Snow-white ghosts===
:While searching the tunnel entrances in a hollow near the ThunderClan border, Hootpaw discovers a small, pure white animal in one of the tunnel entrances, describing it as a ghost cat. Though the apprentice's claims are met with skepticism. The following day, Kestrelflight brings news from the Moonpool: a vision from Barkface depicting the wind failing to keep dark rushing water from the tunnels at bay. The medicine cat suspects it might mean a difficult battle for WindClan ahead. Hootpaw reveals the ghosts he saw in the tunnels, and while the Clan debates on what he saw, Onestar decides to send Harespring, Crowfeather, Breezepelt, Nightcloud, Furzepelt, and Heathertail to investigate. The six cats split up, and Heathertail and Crowfeather discover stockpiles of rotting prey and are attacked by the mysterious creatures as they flee the tunnels. Crowfeather realizes they are stoats with snowy-white fur. The patrol quickly retreats as they are overwhelmed by the sheer number of stoats, though Nightcloud is missing. At camp, Breezepelt reports how he was separated by Nightcloud in the tunnels when they were ambushed by the stoats. At the following dawn, Crowfeather leads a rescue mission to find Nightcloud, though they fail to find Nightcloud near any of the tunnel entrances on WindClan territory and Onestar refuses for ThunderClan to get involved. Crowfeather finds evidence suggesting Nightcloud's death in ThunderClan's territory by a fox, and the Clan holds a vigil for her, though some of Breezepelt's Clanmates suspect he was involved in her death. 
:Onestar orders his warriors to avoid the stoats' territory until they've healed from their wounds. At the Gathering, Bramblestar chastises Onestar for not informing ThunderClan about Kestrelflight's vision or the stoats, though Onestar insists ThunderClan knew about the stoats problem when they discovered Crowfeather and Breezepelt in their tunnels. Bramblestar's suggestion of the two Clans working together is shot down when Lionblaze refuses to work with Breezepelt, who attempted to kill him during the Great Battle. After the Gathering, Onestar sends Breezepelt, Heathertail, and Weaselfur to scout on the stoats while the creatures hunt at night. However, Breezepelt attacks the stoats viciously though he is gravely injured. WindClan then prepares for war against the stoats.
===The first attack===
:WindClan spends the next few days training for battle, with Crowfeather overseeing Featherpaw, Hootpaw, Slightpaw, and Oatpaw. With the scouts' information, Onestar and Harespring devise a plan: Harespring, Heathertail, and Weaselfur would enter the tunnels to drive the stoats out where the rest of the Clan would be waiting with fresh-kill to lure them outside. However, as the three warriors lure the stoats out of the tunnels, the four apprentices arrive, wishing to help in the battle. Before Crowfeather can stop them, the four apprentices are quickly surrounded by the emerging stoats. While the apprentices fight bravely, the stoats are swift, wily, and easily overcome the WindClan cats with their sheer number. Crowfeather and Breezepelt carry Featherpaw back to camp when she is greatly injured by the stoats, and Crowfeather blames himself for encouraging her to be assertive. Meanwhile, their Clanmates are forced to retreat from the battle when the stoats overwhelm them. Pondering Kestrelflight's vision, Crowfeather speculates that they will need ThunderClan's help to defeat the stoats, but Onestar sharply shots that idea down.
===Arguing with Onestar===
:Urged by his dreams from Feathertail and Ashfoot, Crowfeather decides the optimal solution is to ask ThunderClan for help through Leafpool, his former mate. Instead, their ornery son Jayfeather arrives but he promises to pass along the message to Bramblestar. However, Onestar is very displeased with Crowfeather requesting help on WindClan's behalf and asking for ThunderClan to intervene. Bramblestar, Jayfeather, and Lionblaze arrive in WindClan's camp the following dawn to offer their help to WindClan since the stoats affect both Clans, though Onestar instead repeatedly insults Bramblestar. Onestar instead devises a plan to block up the WindClan tunnel entrances so the stoats will attack ThunderClan instead. Crowfeather insists it's a mouse-brained plan and rebukes Onestar for sharply declining ThunderClan's offer to help. Onestar instead temporary exiles Crowfeather for a quarter-moon so he can refocus on being a loyal WindClan cat. When Crowfeather returns, he convinces Onestar to allow ThunderClan to help. Crowfeather volunteers with Breezepelt to lure the stoats from the tunnels.
===Asking ThunderClan for help===
:While Crowfeather is away, the Clan begins to board up the tunnel entrances with stones and brush, though the work is too extensive to finish in one day. Harespring wishes to finish blocking the tunnels, but Onestar orders them to stop at nightfall. However, while Crowfeather, Gorsetail, Hootpaw, Breezepelt, and Heathertail are away rescuing Nightcloud from the Twolegplace, the stoats attack WindClan's camp, destroying their dens and injuring nearly every cat. Onestar, plagued by his fears of Darktail, originally thought Darktail was attacking the camp. The stoat attack also results in Onestar losing one of his nine lives. While Kestrelflight struggles to treat the wounded, Crowfeather convinces Onestar to ask RiverClan and ThunderClan for more herbs. While Bramblestar is displeased that Onestar's foolhardy plan resulted in failure, he allows Leafpool to go to WindClan to help Kestrelflight.
:WindClan's continued problem with the stoats is brought up at the next Gathering and Onestar finally accepts Bramblestar's offer to help. The two Clans meet at their border the following day to brainstorm a plan: the two Clans will block up all the tunnel entrances, leaving one on WindClan's side. Breezepelt and Crowfeather will enter the tunnels to lure the stoats out; Breezepelt volunteers to prove himself free from his past with the Dark Forest. The other former Dark Forest trainees offer to help as well.
===The final battle===
:WindClan and ThunderClan work together to seal up the tunnel entrances excluding the one where Hootpaw first saw the stoats over a moon ago. At sunset, Crowfeather and Breezepelt enter the tunnels, aggravating them to chase the two WindClan warriors out of the tunnel. They lead the stoats to the WindClan and ThunderClan patrols waiting outside the entrance and a battle quickly ensues. Despite the joint patrol, the cats are still outnumbered by the wily stoats. However, the former Dark Forest trainees fight the fiercest to defend their Clanmates. Breezepelt also saves Lionblaze's life by killing two stoats that had swarmed his ThunderClan half-brother. After numerous stoats are slain, the remaining stoats flee into the tunnels, and Onestar declares this a victory for the Clans. Lionblaze thanks Breezepelt for saving his life and the two half-brothers reconcile.
==Aftermath==
:Following the battle, numerous warriors are injured but Breezepelt collapses after a deep belly wound, which later gets infected, and Jayfeather provides burdock root to treat his infection. The day after the battle, a WindClan-ThunderClan patrol examines the tunnels and discovers the stoats have abandoned them. It takes a half moon for WindClan to finish up sealing off the tunnel entrances and clearing them from crow-food left behind by the stoats. Onestar also decides to incorporate the tunnels into their patrols to ensure no other animal decides to settle in them. Crowfeather also learns to reconcile with his sons, as Ashfoot had encouraged him. At the following Gathering, Onestar thanks Bramblestar for his Clan's help during the fight and especially thanks the former Dark Forest trainees. However, Onestar privately confides with Crowfeather and Harespring that he fears trouble is coming to WindClan soon. Still unsure that Kestrelflight's prophecy was about the stoats, Onestar decides to return to the old forest to check on his son Darktail and former mate Smoke.
==Characters==
===Crowfeather===
:Crowfeather is a WindClan warrior. Following the Great Battle, Crowfeather's personal relationships were in disarray and struggled to forgive his son Breezepelt for his role in the Dark Forest. Onestar encourages Crowfeather to work out his issues. Crowfeather is the first to recognize the white creatures are stoats. He is determined to find Nightcloud, even sneaking into ThunderClan's territory to follow her trail. Crowfeather also defends Breezepelt from his Clanmates' accusations that he killed her. Crowfeather is also visited by his mother Ashfoot in his dreams, who encourages her son to open his heart. When WindClan trains to attack the stoats, Crowfeather accidentally encourages the apprentices to participate in the fight, resulting in Featherpaw getting injured. Knowing WindClan needs help, Crowfeather asks Bramblestar and his warriors for assistance, though Onestar later exiles Crowfeather for his continued behavior.
===Onestar===
:Onestar is WindClan's leader. Following the Great Battle, Onestar named Harespring his new deputy to demonstrate his forgiveness towards the former Dark Forest trainees, though Onestar still insisted that Harespring still needed to earn his trust in private. While determined to get rid of the stoats, Onestar refused to allow ThunderClan to help, to prevent any reliance on the other Clan due to his strained relationship with their former leader Firestar. Onestar defended Breezepelt when others accused him of killing his mother, insisting his Clanmates should follow his lead and forgive the former Dark Forest trainees. Onestar dismisses Bramblestar's offer of help, and even insulted Bramblestar when Crowfeather asked him to approach Onestar for help. As a result, Onestar temporarily exiled Crowfeather for disobedience. Onestar instead planned for his warriors to block up WindClan's tunnel entrances in hopes the stoats would terrorize ThunderClan instead. Instead, the stoats attacked WindClan's camp in the middle of the night, and Onestar lost a life trying to protect Whitetail. Crowfeather eventually convinced Onestar to allow ThunderClan to help, albeit begrudgingly. Following their victory over the stoats, Onestar suspected if there was still trouble coming from Darktail. 
===Breezepelt===
:Breezepelt's Clanmates resent him for his part in the Dark Forest battle. While searching the tunnels, Breezepelt and Nightcloud are separated when they are attacked by the fierce stoats. Crouchfoot, Larkwing, Breezepelt, Heahtertail, and Crowfeather search the tunnels for Nightcloud, though Crowfeather and Breezepelt continue to search in ThunderClan's territory. After Crowfeather finds evidence suggesting that Nightcloud died, Breezepelt becomes determined to kill the stoats out of revenge. Some of Breezepelt's Clanmates accuse him of killing his own mother, though Crowfeather and Heathertail defend him. Breezepelt, Weaselfur, and Heathertail scout the tunnels, though Breezepelt gets injured. However, his ferocity in battle earns Weaselfur's respect. Breezepelt goes with Crowfeather to rescue Nightcloud from the Twolegplace. Breezepelt volunteers to lure the stoats out of the tunnels. Breezepelt saves his half-brother Lionblaze during the battle, and his ferocity helps the Clans defeat the stoats.
==Quotes==
==Trivia==
===Mistakes===
*Onestar lists off the former Dark Forest trainees for their bravery in the final battle against the stoats, including Whiskernose the elder, despite Onestar earlier dismissing his wish to fight in the battle. Onestar also doesn't list Furzepelt, despite being a former Dark Forest trainee and participating in the fight.
==See also==
*Crowfeather's Trial
**Crowfeather's Trial/Cliffnotes
*Onestar's Confession
**Onestar's Confession/Cliffnotes
==Notes and references==
pl:Bitwa przeciwko gronostajom
Category:Battles
Category:Events
Category:Crowfeather's Trial
Category:Onestar's Confession