Nightstar (Warriors)

Nightstar is a major character in Erin Hunter's Warriors book series. 
He is a former leader of ShadowClan who as a warrior retired early due to asthma. After Brokenstar was driven away from ShadowClan, Nightpelt stepped up to take charge of the Clan. Though he didn't obtain nine lives from StarClan like all other leaders, he still tried to restore his Clan to its former glory before Tigerclaw took over following his death.
==Appearance==
Nightstar is a lean tom with a long tail and short, glossy black fur. He has many scars and bald spots as well as torn ears. His eyes are yellow with green sclera and he has long whiskers. In the graphic novels, his muzzle and inner ears are light gray, and he has light gray eyebags.
==Biography==
===Yellowfang's Secret===
Nightpaw and his brother Clawpaw are apprentices mentored by Foxheart and Crowtail respectively. They watch in horror as their half-brother Cloudpaw is rushed into the medicine den after sustaining a large gash on his underbelly. Later, while cleaning out the elder's den, Flintpaw bats a bass of moss over Nightpaw's head. The black tom complains that they'll never get their tasks finished if Flintpaw keeps goofing off, but the gray apprentice proceeds to yowl that he's a WindClan warrior and starts playfighting with him. As Yellowfang watches, she wonders if she should intervene, surprised that Nightpaw is holding his own despite his smaller size. Hollyflower then catches the apprentices and scolds them, after which they start cleaning up the mess they've made.
While out battle training, Foxheart and Flintpaw complain that Nightpaw is no fun to train with after he begins having a coughing fit. Overhearing this, Yellowfang orders Nightpaw to not continue training until he's been looked at. Foxheart snaps at the medicine cat, but as they walk back to camp Nightpaw's cough lessens, and when they get home Clawpaw wishes his brother to get well soon. Nightpaw asks to help Yellowfang with her moss, but she insists that he rest. He manages to convince her though, and when she notices him wheezing she check him over. She's unable to find any trace of illness, and her fellow medicine cat Sagewhisker is also unable to identify the problem. She assumes that the apprentice had accidentally swallowed a seed and advises that he drink lots of water. Foxheart soon finds out that her apprentice was carrying moss and snaps at Yellowfang for having him do medicine cat duties. Yellowfang snaps back that he's doing fine and had asked to help her, but Nightpaw shrugs and follows Foxheart.
A little while later, Nightpaw and Clawpaw become warriors, earning the names Nightpelt and Clawface. Yellowfang is worried about the young warrior however, as whenever he overexerts himself he has a coughing fit. Despite trying many remedies, his cough doesn't get any better, but he remains optimistic and friendly nonetheless. Yellowfang mentions that WindClan's medicine cat Hawkheart had dealt with a similar condition, and that cat had retired early due to struggling with their duties.
Upon reaching six moons old, the deputy Raggedstar's son Brokenpaw becomes an apprentice and is assigned Nightpelt as his mentor. Brokenpaw is unhappy about getting Nightpelt as a mentor, not wanting to be taught by someone he views as weak. After taking Brokenpaw on a tour of the territory, Yellowfang overhears Nightpelt arguing with his apprentice, as Brokenpaw wanted to learn some battle moves but Nightpelt insisted that a tour was enough for the day. His apprentice continues to disrespect him and defy his orders, and Nightpelt says that he'd never understand why the younger tom would listen to him anyways. Yellowfang goes to Cedarstar to discuss how she doesn't think Nightpelt and Brokenpaw are a good match, but the leader explains that he'd chosen them in hopes of Nightpelt sedating and guiding the apprentice's battle-hungry temperament.
Some time after Raggedstar becomes leader, Yellowfang tells him that she doesn't know if Nightpelt's cough will make it possible for him to continue with his warrior duties. Raggedstar's deputy Foxheart overhears this and taunts the medicine cat over her ability to cure her Clanmates, adding that ShadowClan needs all the warriors it can get. Raggedstar decides that it's up to Nightpelt himself whether or not he wants to retire early. As a battle against the rats at the carrionplace is being planned, Nightpelt tells Yellowfang that he won't be participating, as he's decided to retire. He's disappointed that he didn't get to become the best warrior he can be, but Yellowfang assures him that elders still have an important role in the Clan. After retiring, Nightpelt finds that his cough has eased now that he isn't constantly doing warrior duties. While on a walk out in the forest with Yellowfang, she playfully teases him after he bats at a butterfly.
After Raggedstar is killed and Brokenstar becomes the new leader of ShadowClan, he orders the elders to leave camp and live on their own, stating that they're a waste of resources. Disgusted with what his former apprentice has become, Nightpelt looks Brokenstar in the eye and tells him that they'll leave. Yellowfang follows after him and tells him that their banishment is wrong, to which he responds that even though he feels it's wrong too, it must be StarClan's will, as they had done nothing to stop the new leader. The medicine cat then finds a place for the elders to nest in and starts digging, Nightpelt breaking out into another coughing fit when he tries to help her. She tells him to go hunt for the older elders instead, and he takes great pride in taking care of them and keeping their spirits high despite such a dark time. He also expresses worry over the battle with WindClan that Raggedstar supposedly died in, wondering why Brokenstar would send cats into a battle that would only result in death and concluding that it wasn't the will of StarClan.
===Exile from ShadowClan===
Upon being exiled by Brokenstar, Nightpelt, Archeye, Poolcloud, Hollyflower and Crowtail all leave camp, stating they would be better off not taking prey from the battle-worn warriors. Nightpelt is angered by how his former apprentice is training kits under six moons old and focusing on fighting WindClan. He promises to take care of his older elders as best he can, and they assure him that he's a valuable part of their group when his persistent cough makes him feel like a burden. Featherstorm joins their group a little while later, and Nightpelt comforts her over the death of her son Mosspaw, who was an underage apprentice killed during training.
Nightpelt then meets up with Runningnose and asks if he can reason with the leader to stop making kits into apprentices too early, but the medicine cats says that Brokenstar won't listen to anyone. Leafbare soon comes and more and more cats begin joining the elders in exile. Poolcloud is attacked by a fox while out hunting and Nightpelt is unable to fetch Yellowfang to save her in time, blaming himself for her death. He's surprised when the elders wish for him to lead them, and he wonders if this is what a Clan is supposed to be.
When newleaf begins, he runs into Littlepaw and Volepaw while hunting. The two are on their way to their warrior assessment, which is to fight a horde of rats in the carrionplace. He accompanies them out of worry since they're so young, failing to get Brokenstar to reconsider. During the assessment, the two apprentices are swarmed by rats and overwhelmed, with Volepaw being badly wounded. Nightpelt and Clawface step in to save them, and when Brokenstar refuses to let Volepaw's infected injuries be treated, Clawface and Runningnose sneak the apprentice to the elder's camp. Volepaw recovers and Nightpelt helps him rebuild his confidence by teaching him hunting techniques. He and Volepaw later encounter Brightflower mourning the deaths of her children Mintkit and Marigoldkit, who Brokenstar claims were murdered by Yellowfang. 
After ShadowClan drives WindClan from their territory, Nightpelt is horrified at what his Clan has turned into and resolves that he must stop Brokenstar. Some of the elders are hesitant to fight their own Clanmates, but after Nightpelt sees his brother kidnap Cinderkit, Brackenkit, Brightkit and Thornkit from ThunderClan, he rallies Ashfur and Dawncloud to help drive out the leader. The elders team up with a ThunderClan patrol, two apprentices and Yellowfang to attack the camp and steal back the kits. During the battle, Brokenstar reveals that he was not only behind the deaths of Mintkit and Marigoldkit that he'd framed Yellowfang for, but that he also killed his own father to usurp him as leader. Almost all of ShadowClan turns against him at this, and along with his most loyal followers he's chased out of the Clan.
Nightpelt is in charge of rebuilding the camp, and with Brokenstar and his deputy Blackfoot gone his Clanmates elect him to be the new leader. Though he's hesitant since he wasn't the deputy, he eventually agrees and Runningnose escorts him to the Moonstone to get nine lives from StarClan. When he visits StarClan however, Raggedstar appears to him and informs him that because Brokenstar is still alive and is thus still considered ShadowClan's leader, he can't get nine lives himself. Nightpelt is in disbelief at this, but Runningnose insists that he still needs to lead regardless. Nightpelt then concludes that it doesn't matter that he didn't get nine lives, as he'll still lead his Clan until one day Brokenstar is dead and its true leader appears, renaming himself Nightstar.
===The Prophecies Begin===
====Into the Wild====
After Frostfur's kits are stolen, Firepaw and Graypaw to to ShadowClan to find them, where they encounter Yellowfang. She explains that Clawface had been the one to take them, and as the two apprentices convince a ThunderClan patrol to help them steal the kits back, she goes to find the elders and get their assistance. When the elders arrive, Nightpelt explains to the ThunderClan cats all of Brokenstar's crimes, and together the two groups form a plan to rescue the kittens and get rid of the tyrannical leader. The elders escort Yellowfang into camp, claiming they'd seen her trespassing, and after Brokenstar is lured out the ThunderClan cats rush in and a battle begins. After the kits are saved and Brokenstar is driven out, the leader of the ThunderClan patrol Whitestorm approaches Nightpelt and thanks him and his fellow elders for their help. Nightpelt thanks the patrol for their help in turn, and the two groups promise to have peace between their Clans for the next moon while ShadowClan recovers.
====Fire and Ice====
At the first Gathering since Brokenstar's exile, Nightpelt hops onto the Great Rock with the other Clan leaders. Bluestar and Crookedstar ask if he's ShadowClan's new leader, and he confirms that he is, but hasn't yet visited the Moonstone to receive his nine lives or leader name from StarClan and will do so tomorrow night. He and Crookedstar then get into an argument over whether or not ShadowClan is still allowed to hunt at the river, with Crookedstar stating that the agreement was made under Brokenstar's rule and out of threat of an attack, and Nightpelt retorting that ShadowClan still needs to hunt there, as they're still low on prey and recovering from the former leader's reign.
The two then agree that ShadowClan will no longer hunt at the river, and instead the two Clans can hunt in the absent WindClan's moorlands. Bluestar protests this, stating that WindClan needs to return home, and while both leaders seemingly agree to this, they hunt in the moorlands in secret anyways. Once WindClan is brought home, RiverClan and ShadowClan team up to drive them out again. ThunderClan comes to WindClan's aid, and during the battle Fireheart notes that Nightpelt is a formidable fighter despite his age. Eventually both attacking Clans are defeated, and cease trying to drive WindClan out.
====Forest of Secrets====
At the next Gathering, Nightpelt - now Nightstar - hisses when WindClan's leader Tallstar reports that his Clan is doing well despite the recent battle, still upset that his Clan may no longer hunt in the moor. Fireheart frets that he may break the full-moon truce, but Bluestar intervenes before conflict can start. A month later, when the stream ThunderClan usually crosses to get to Fourtrees floods, they decide to get to the Gathering by crossing through ShadowClan. They're caught, but Nightstar has them escorted to the Gathering anyways, acting aggressive toward the neighboring Clan and saying that he'd like to have them attending.
During the Gathering itself, Nightstar reveals that ThunderClan is sheltering Brokenstar and refusing to kill him. He and Tallstar demand that the prisoner be driven out or killed, but Bluestar is adamant that they'll let him live and he's now ThunderClan's business, only angering the two leaders even more. Nightstar doesn't allow ThunderClan to cross through ShadowClan on the way back from Fourtrees, so Crookedstar allows them to pass through RiverClan instead. Later, ShadowClan now teams up with WindClan to raid ThunderClan camp and kill Brokenstar themselves. Nightstar breaks through the gorse barrier, but Fireheart fights him off before he can get to the prisoner. Eventually the two Clans are driven out of the camp, failing to reach their target.
====Rising Storm====
A deadly disease ravages through ShadowClan, with Nightstar being one of its victims. Runningnose tries desperately to cure him, to the point where all of the medicine cat's attention is on him and he doesn't have time to tend to the rest of his Clan. When ShadowClan begins worrying about their leader's heath, Runningnose somberly tells them that Nightstar might not survive, but reassures them that StarClan has sent a message that their Clan will soon recover ang grow strong enough to rule the whole forest.
Littlecloud and Whitethroat are found in ThunderClan territory and explain their Clan's situation, begging for help. Yellowfang sends the two away however, recognizing the deadly ailment and not wanting it to spread. Eventually Nightstar dies from his sickness, and his deputy Cinderfur is claimed by it as well. At the next Gathering, Runningnose lies that the illness was so great that it took away all nine of Nightstar's lives, when in truth the leader never had more than one to begin with. To Fireheart's horror, it's then revealed that ShadowClan's new leader is ThunderClan's former deputy Tigerclaw - now Tigerstar.
=== Tigerclaw's Fury===
During the events of Rising Storm, after being banished from ThunderClan for his attempted coup, Tigerclaw and his band of rouges see ShadowClan's rampant sickness and offer to hunt for them to gain their trust. Flintfang doesn't know what Nightstar would say, but Dawncloud states that the leader would say that pride doesn't stock the fresh-kill pile. The next day, Tigerclaw and his rouges hunt for the Clan and deliver it to Dawncloud, who says that she'll let Nightstar know and that there will be no gruges held, and Tigerclaw tells her to make sure she informs him of who helped. Back at camp, Nightstar comments that what Tigerclaw did was brave, but Deerfoot doubts his and his rouges' trustworthiness. Nightstar retorts that he and the rouges likely saved ShadowClan from starvation, telling Deerfoot to be grateful.
Once Tigerclaw finds out about Cinderfur's death, he asks Nightstar who he's chosen to replace him as deputy. Nightstar jumps as if he'd been dozing off, and Runningnose explains that he's been to sick to name a replacement, leaning against him to support his weight. Nightstar then stands upright and offers for Tigerclaw to get something from the fresh-kill pile, and when Tigerclaw refuses and says that the prey is for ShadowClan, the leader purrs that he's so kind and wishes for StarClan to light his path.
The day after, while ShadowClan begins to recover, Nightstar's condition only worsens. He's unable to join his Clanmate's feast due to this, and he dies the next day. Tigerclaw wishes that he's now in StarClan, and Runningnose says that wherever he is now, he hopes that he's at peace. Before his body is dragged out into the camp's center form the leader's den, Runningnose tells the Clan that they must continue on with their lives even as their leader is mourned. As the Clan feasts they try staying quiet out of respect for Nightstar, but struggle to contain their excitement at their thriving Clan. Tigerclaw says that every bite of prey they have is in memory of Nightstar, and that he and his rouges are honored to get to grieve the loss of a noble leader alongside the Clan. In Tigerclaw's head, Mapleshade's voice mocks that Nightstar was as weak as a newborn kitten and that everyone in ShadowClan knew it.
Runningnose invites Tigerclaw and his rouges to join ShadowClan and gives two of the rouges named Mowgli and Snag the warrior names Nightwhisper and Jaggedtooth, saying that it's what Nightstar would have wanted. During Nightstar's vigil, Tigerclaw wonders how the black tom ever though he could become leader after Brokenstar's banishment. The Clan presses up against the deceased leader's cold body, with Tigerclaw thinking about how with Nightstar gone and no deputy to succeed him, ShadowClan now belongs to him. 
===Blackfoot's Reckoning===
After Tigerstar's death, Blackfoot goes to the Moonstone to receive StarClan's gift of nine lives. During the ceremony, Nightstar approaches him to give him his eighth life. Blackfoot reminisces on his time as a rouge hunting for the deathly ill ShadowClan. He feels shame as he looks back on the memory, and Nightstar tells him that while he was fooled by Tigerclaw into helping him worm his way into leadership, what mattered is that he'd cared for his Clan in their time of need. Nightstar then gives him a life of loyalty.
==Quotes==
==Trivia==
*While being covered in bald spots and scars in life, Nightstar's fur is described as sleek and healthy in StarClan.
*Nightstar is the first leader to be outright denied nine lives from StarClan, with Owlnose of RiverClan being the second. Both also gave themselves a leader name and lied to the other Clans that they received nine lives regardless, though Owlnose/"Owlstar" only did so temporarily.
*The Ultimate Guide states that his greatest moment of courage was when he was willing to lie to his Clanmates about getting nine lives from StarClan.
==External links==
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