ThunderClan

ThunderClan is a group of cats that live in a part of the forest that is primarily deciduous woodland. Their founding leader, Thunderstar, got his name from how his mother, Storm, died in a storm of stone and dust, so by extension the name was thought to be given to the Clan.
==Description==
:ThunderClan is a mainly peaceful Clan, and respectful of the other Clans as well. In battle, ThunderClan is fierce, courageous, and loyal. They are known to often take loners and kittypets into their Clan to either swell their ranks or because the cat is in need of help or shelter, although this did not happen much until Firestar became leader of ThunderClan. For this, they are at times looked down upon by other Clans and thought of as weak. The Clan's main prey are mice, voles, squirrels, and the occasional rabbit, as well as birds such as starlings, magpies, wood pigeons, blackbirds, and thrushes. They have excellent stalking techniques, creeping across the forest floor. They have the sense to keep upwind of their prey in the thick bushes. ThunderClan cats are noted to be especially strong. They are the only Clan to bunch their hindquarters before leaping to catch their prey.
==Territory==
===In the forest territories===
:The ThunderClan forest territory is located in what Twolegs call the White Hart Woods. The territory also includes Twoleg places such as Windover Road and Chelford Forest. Landmarks in this territory include:
*Camp - It lies at the foot of a sandy ravine, protected by thornbushes. The camp is easy to defend and hard to attack. This is also where the Clan lives and mainly functions.
*Tallpines and Treecut Place - Pines near Twolegplace. Usually filled with Twoleg tree-eaters, the ground there rumbles and leaves deep gullies filled with muddy water.
*The Great Sycamore - One of the largest trees with strong and thick branches.
*The Owl Tree - A tree that serves home to a tawny owl. Apprentices dare each other to climb its trunk here.
*Sunningrocks - Rocks that absorb the sunshine and are a place of relaxation. Moons ago, it used to be an island belonging only to RiverClan, but when the river changed the current, ThunderClan wanted this territory, too.
*Snakerocks - Home to venomous adders. The caves beneath the rocks can also be homes to other dangerous creatures.
*The sandy hollow - A training hollow with soft sand so apprentices do not harm themselves.
*Twolegplace - The place where Twolegs live. This place is avoided at all costs, but useful catmint can be found here.
:The camp entrance is well hidden by brambles, which protect the camp from predators, but does not stop sunshine from coming in. A ravine leads through it. This ravine was once a river, but it is now dried up. The way into the camp is through the gorse tunnel. The nursery has thick bramble walls and is the most guarded part of the camp. Behind a tree stump, there is a clump of ferns where the apprentices sleep. Warriors sleep under a bush in another tunnel. Inside the camp, there is a fallen tree where the elders sleep, and the senior warriors sleep in the center of the camp. Across the clearing, a smooth tall rock resides. This is called the Highrock; the leader stands there to make important speeches. The leader's den is in a cave where the rock was carved out by an ancient stream. Lichen covers the entrance. The last notable feature in the camp is a fern tunnel that leads to a crack in a rock. This is the medicine den.
===In the lake territories===
:The lake territory for ThunderClan is called the Hare Hill Woods by Twolegs. Twoleg landmarks nearby include the Hareview Campsite, abandoned workman's house, Quarry Road, and the quarry. Landmarks here include:
<interactive-map name="The lake territories" category-id="1" hide-filters right caption="Notable landmarks in ThunderClan's territory" width="400px"/>
*Camp - The ThunderClan camp is well protected by the side of a cliff, and surrounded by a thorn barrier.
*Greenleaf Twolegplace - This part of land was given to ShadowClan until ThunderClan fought for it back.
*An abandoned Twoleg nest - Herbs and prey thrive here, though it is said to have an ominous aura inside.
*Ancient Oak- An ancient oak where many animals call home. Squirrels nest in the branches, and it also has an old rabbit burrow, indicating the presence of rabbits. This large oak tree is also used by ThunderClan apprentices to practice their climbing skills.
*Old Thunderpath - Marked with blue Twoleg markers, cats often stay away from this road.
*The clearing - A training hollow much like the old sandy hollow in the forest territory.
*Lake shore - ThunderClan has the northeastern portion of the lake.
:At the bottom of an old cliff, the lake camp is very well protected. The walls around the camp are smooth, indicating Twolegs cut this place moons ago. The cliffs also help keep out the wind. A thorn barrier guards the camp; any cat that wants to come in has to get past. A ledge peeks out from the cliff. That is the Highledge where the leader speaks. A cave near the top is the leader's den. The apprentices' den is also a cave in the rocks while the warriors' den is under a big thornbush. The medicine den is another cave, but hidden by bramble tendrils instead. Like the previous camp, the nursery is highly guarded, and under a big bramble thicket reinforced with thick roots woven together for protection. Lastly, the elders' den is in a hazel bush, and later rebuilt under the boughs of a beech tree and reinforced with honeysuckle.
==Eras==
===Thunderstar===
:Thunderstar's reign is the start of ThunderClan's era. His deputies were Lightning Tail and Owl Eyes, and his medicine cat was Cloud Spots.
:Thunder created his group initially to live in the forest but separate from his father, Clear Sky, as Clear Sky's rules for him were much too demanding. Several cats followed him, including his best friend, Lightning Tail. He proved himself to be a strong and worthy leader. When his foster father, Gray Wing, decided that "groups" were not an accurate term to describe each category of cats living in the forest, he instead replaced it with "Clans", and Silver Stripe renamed Thunder's group to ThunderClan.
:During Thunder's rule as leader, tensions heightened between ThunderClan and SkyClan, due to Clear Sky's unwillingness to negotiate peacefully with other Clans, leading to an all out battle against WindClan. Although Thunder was much aware of his father's reckless actions leading to hostilities between the Clans, he was unable to come to terms with Skystar.
:Moons later, Thunder received his nine lives and his new name, Thunderstar, signaling him as an official Clan leader. Lightning Tail was his deputy, and together, they led ThunderClan into prosperity. At one point, dogs invaded ThunderClan's camp, and Thunderstar fought them off, alongside Lightning Tail. However, they both fell victim to the dogs, with Thunderstar losing one life, and Lightning Tail his only. Thunderstar appointed Owl Eyes as his next deputy. Much respected for being the founder and the first leader of ThunderClan, Thunderstar is still remembered as a compassionate and courageous leader.
===Stripestar===
:Stripestar was an ancient leader of ThunderClan, some time after Owlstar, the second leader of the Clan. He fell in love with the leader of WindClan at the time, Galestar, and they decided to merge their Clans into one larger Clan, StormClan, so that they could be together. While their own cats eventually came around to the idea, the other Clans did not, worried that a larger Clan would overpower them. Eventually, during a hard leaf-bare, the other Clans blamed StormClan for the scarcity of prey caused by Twolegs. Due to this, StormClan left the forest to find a new home, though due to troubles doing so, many of its cats eventually returned to the forest and reformed ThunderClan and WindClan, separate once again. After losing Galestar and their kits in a storm, Stripestar became the sole leader of StormClan, and spent the rest of his life believing he had outlived his mate and kits. After StormClan failed and all the cats died, their spirits were spread out in the world due to no one knowing about them, but eventually made it to StarClan after being remembered.
===Redstar===
:Redstar was an ancient leader of ThunderClan, some time after Thunderstar, and his deputy was Seedpelt. He was one of the leaders responsible for driving out Cloudstar and ancient SkyClan. Redstar accepted Birdflight and her young kits, Spottedkit and Gorsekit, at Kestrelwing's urging.
:After his death, Redstar came to the realization that what he and the other leaders did was wrong, and he learned from the mistakes of his past. To atone for this, Redstar took part in Leafdapple's leader ceremony, and gave her one of her nine lives. His life was that of wisdom, and Redstar wished the new leader of SkyClan well, not wanting the new Clan to have the same fate as its predecessor.
===Oakstar===
:Oakstar was the leader of ThunderClan before Doestar. His deputies were Beetail and Doefeather, and his medicine cats were Ravenwing and Cloudberry.
:Oakstar was a wise and honored leader. He fought in many battles for Sunningrocks, and guarded his borders vigilantly. He led his Clan during the time of Mapleshade's three murders. Oakstar's son, Birchface, drowned in a battle for Sunningrocks along with his apprentice, Flowerpaw. Oakstar believed Appledusk, a RiverClan cat and Mapleshade's former mate, to be responsible. When the Clan discovered that Mapleshade's kits were half-Clan, he made the decision to banish her and her kits from ThunderClan. Later, Mapleshade returned and indirectly killed his daughter, Frecklewish, by tricking her into getting bitten by a snake. During Pinepaw's apprenticeship, Oakstar praised his son often and cared for him deeply, along with his mate and Pinepaw's mother, Sweetbriar. He gave his son his warrior name, Pineheart. After the death of Beetail, Oakstar made Doefeather his deputy, and she became leader after him.
===Doestar===
:Doestar was the leader of ThunderClan before Pinestar. Her deputy was Pineheart, and her medicine cats were Cloudberry and Goosefeather. 
:Doestar was a smart and devoted leader. She led her Clan through the Great Hunger, and had faith in Goosekit's visions when everyone else thought he was crazy. Doestar had a long leadership, and lost her last life when she failed to recover from a sickness after the Great Hunger. Pineheart became leader after her.
===Pinestar===
:Pinestar was the leader of ThunderClan before Sunstar. His deputies were Mumblefoot and Sunfall, and his medicine cats were Goosefeather and Featherwhisker.
:Pinestar was a noble leader who liked to avoid combat. He had a mate, Leopardfoot, who gave him three kits; Mistkit, Nightkit, and Tigerkit. The two she-kits, Mistkit and Nightkit, died soon after birth, and only the tom, Tigerkit, survived. Pinestar grew wary of his son after Goosefeather gave him an unsettling prediction for the kit's future, and avoided both his kit and mate.
:As an apprentice, Pinestar was part of a battle patrol into Twolegplace, where he met a kittypet named Crystal. As leader, he met her son, Jake, and started going into Twolegplace more often to talk with him. He also met a kittypet named Shanty, whom he became good friends with. Soon, these visits into Twolegplace happened more and more often. On one occasion, Lionpaw discovered Pinestar in Twolegplace letting a Twoleg pet and feed him. Pinestar did not stop the visits, until one day when his friend Shanty was hit by a Twoleg monster and died. Pinestar was wracked with grief.
:This was the tipping point for Pinestar. He returned to his Clan and announced that he would be stepping down as leader to become a kittypet. The Clan was shocked and reviled, but Pinestar insisted that Sunfall would make a better leader than him. After this, an addition was added to the warrior code: "A warrior rejects the soft life of a kittypet."
===Sunstar===
:Sunstar led ThunderClan after Pinestar. His deputies were Tawnyspots, Adderfang, and Bluefur, and his medicine cats were Goosefeather and Featherwhisker.
:Following Pinestar's departure, ThunderClan was deeply shaken by the fact that their leader chose to leave their Clan and follow a life as a kittypet. To strengthen morale, Sunstar declared that he would make ThunderClan as powerful as the great Clans, a ThunderClan that would be remembered alongside TigerClan and LionClan. He announced that he would lead ThunderClan into an era where they were so respected and feared that no enemy would invade.
:In order to make sure that nothing like Pinestar's attraction to kittypet life happened again, Sunstar declared a new addition to the warrior code: "A warrior rejects the soft life of a kittypet." Sunstar's leadership saw a considerable rise in battles in order to make his Clan feared, especially with RiverClan over Sunningrocks. Sickness also spread through ThunderClan. The battles were noted to have cost him three of his lives, while sickness the other two. He also was known to make decisions that would spare his Clan, however, such as taking Sunningrocks through words rather than claws, and not appointing Thistleclaw as deputy. Moons later, Sunstar lost his life due to dogs and Bluefur became leader.
===Bluestar===
:Bluestar led ThunderClan after Sunstar. Her deputies were Redtail, Lionheart, Tigerclaw, and Fireheart. Her medicine cats were Featherwhisker, Spottedleaf, Yellowfang, and Cinderpelt.
:Known for being a wise and calm leader, Bluestar saw her Clan through dark and troubled times. Just like her previous leader, Sunningrocks proved to be a challenge to take, costing lives from both sides, including her deputy, Redtail.
:Bluestar took in Rusty, a kittypet who she believed was the cat in the prophecy that Spottedleaf received: Fire alone will save our Clan. Several cats were hesitant on whether to accept Rusty as a Clan cat due to his birth, but when he proved his worth by attacking Longtail, Bluestar accepted him in the Clan and gave him his name, Firepaw. Despite this, he still continued to be the center of taunts and insults. Firepaw eventually proved himself to be a true ThunderClan warrior, earning the name Fireheart.
:When on patrol, Firepaw found an old she-cat, who attacked him. He later found out that this was Yellowfang, the former medicine cat of ShadowClan, who was driven out. She was taken to ThunderClan's camp and kept as a prisoner. When Brokenstar, the new leader of ShadowClan, demanded territory from RiverClan and drove out WindClan, he looked to ThunderClan for territory as well. However, Bluestar denied it, leaving ThunderClan the only Clan to stand alone against Brokenstar and his deadly reign. In retaliation, ShadowClan attacked ThunderClan's camp while Bluestar was visiting the Moonstone, killing Lionheart and forcing Bluestar to appoint yet another deputy, Tigerclaw.
:ShadowClan continued its swarm of attacks, sending a warrior, Clawface, to kidnap kits. He took Frostfur's kits and killed Spottedleaf as well, leaving ThunderClan with no medicine cat. Firepaw and Graypaw planned with Yellowfang, who was originally suspected to be the killer of Spottedleaf, to attack ShadowClan's camp and steal the kits back. The plan was a success, driving Brokenstar and his followers out.
:Although Brokenstar was driven from ShadowClan's territory and was no longer a threat to ThunderClan, another danger loomed. Tigerclaw, Bluestar's deputy after Lionheart was killed, was suspected of being a traitor. Ravenpaw had seen him kill Redtail at Sunningrocks, despite Tigerclaw saying that Oakheart had killed Redtail and that it was Tigerclaw himself had killed Oakheart in revenge. Tigerclaw had suspected that Ravenpaw knew this, and had planned to have him killed, so Fireheart took Ravenpaw away to Barley's barn. In order to get to the bottom of the story, Fireheart investigated, and found the holes in Tigerclaw's story—two RiverClan cats told him that Oakheart was killed by a rockfall, not another warrior.
:With Brokenstar gone, Bluestar ordered Fireheart and Graystripe to retrieve WindClan, still driven out by Brokenstar. Fireheart and Graystripe obeyed, embarking on a journey to find the missing Clan. They succeeded, and brought back the missing Clan, all while reporting that they had driven out Brokenstar. This greatly improved ThunderClan's relationship with WindClan, who were grateful for Fireheart bringing them back and driving out Brokenstar.
:Meanwhile, Tigerclaw began to notice that Fireheart was aware of his treachery, and his movements got more severe. He attempted to kill Bluestar by luring her out onto the Thunderpath, but Fireheart's apprentice, Cinderpaw, fell into Tigerclaw's trap instead, resulting in her leg being permanently twisted. After this, Tigerclaw attempted to drown Fireheart in order to keep him quiet. When that failed, he conspired with Brokentail, who had been blinded and taken prisoner after attempting to attack ThunderClan, planning for an ambush on the camp with several of his rogue followers.
:The fact that Brokentail was taken prisoner by ThunderClan was met with outroar from ShadowClan and WindClan, who were both still in disarray after the damage Brokenstar has caused to them. In order to get revenge, the two Clan leaders, Tallstar and Nightstar, led joint patrols to attack ThunderClan's camp, but they were driven off and forced to retreat.
:The day of the attack came, and Tigerclaw led several rogues into camp, but gave the impression that they were following him and he was attacking them. During the midst of the battle, Brokentail also fought, despite his lack of eyesight, attempting to kill his guard. Tigerclaw sprinted away from the fighting and headed into Bluestar's den, intent on killing her. Before he could deal the killing blow, however, Fireheart rescued Bluestar and Tigerclaw's treachery was revealed. Tigerclaw was then exiled, and Fireheart was appointed deputy in his place.
:Alongside Tigerclaw's treachery, Graystripe's mate, Silverstream, died on ThunderClan territory while giving birth to her kits, Stormkit and Featherkit. Originally, ThunderClan was intent on keeping them, despite RiverClan's threats of battle over them, but Graystripe did not want to risk war, instead bringing them to RiverClan himself and joining the Clan.
:The treachery of her seemingly-loyal deputy shook Bluestar to the core, and she began to deteriorate mentally and physically. This left Fireheart to take care of the leadership duties, alongside training his apprentice, Cloudpaw, his sister's kit and originally a kittypet. At first, he struggled, but eventually eased into the task, all while attempting to shield Bluestar's downfall from the rest of the Clan.
:Tigerclaw, exiled from ThunderClan, returned to the forest as Tigerstar, the new leader of ShadowClan. However, despite his new position, he displayed no obvious aggression towards ThunderClan, leaving Fireheart uneasy. Bluestar, however, was furious at his return, and declared this as StarClan waging war on her Clan. RiverClan's new leader, Leopardstar, attempted to take Sunningrocks back from ThunderClan, but thanks to a warning from Graystripe, ThunderClan was able to overpower them. Furious at her warrior's betrayal, Leopardstar exiled Graystripe, and Graystripe was allowed to rejoin ThunderClan.
:In the meantime, Tigerstar's threats, although not obvious, were still there. It was revealed that he had been leading a pack of dogs to ThunderClan's camp, in hopes that they would wipe out his former Clan. Fireheart and the others found out about this plan before the dogs could attack, and they made a plan to divert the dogs. During the plan being put in action, Tigerstar appeared and pinned Fireheart down. The lead dog almost killed Fireheart, but Bluestar came to his rescue. The dog grasped her leg and hauled her over the edge of the gorge. Mistyfoot and Stonefur, Bluestar's kits, were able to rescue Bluestar from the water. Fireheart met up with them, and Bluestar was able to reconcile with the kits she had sent away from ThunderClan. Fireheart realized that she had given her last life for ThunderClan, and she died on the border between RiverClan and ThunderClan.
===Firestar===
:Firestar was the ThunderClan leader after Bluestar. His deputies were Whitestorm, Graystripe, and Brambleclaw. His medicine cats were Cinderpelt, Leafpool, and Jayfeather.
:Known for his compassionate rule, he was often the target of criticism due to his willingness to take in cats who were not completely Clanborn, and his tendency to help other Clans. This often found him in trouble, due to anger from other Clans and jealousy as well. His accepting of non-Clan cats also found unease in his own Clan as well.
:When Fireheart received his lives at the Moonstone, he was given a prophecy by his former leader: Four will become two. Lion and tiger will meet in battle, and blood will rule the forest. Eventually, he found out that Tigerstar had combined both ShadowClan and RiverClan into TigerClan, and was using his leadership powers to wipe out half-Clan cats, alongside attempting to take divine rule.
:In order to combat Tigerstar, Firestar created LionClan, combining WindClan and ThunderClan. Firestar led LionClan to a meeting place where TigerClan was, and Tigerstar introduced BloodClan. Scourge, the leader of BloodClan, killed Tigerstar, and told the forest cats that he would take over their land. Not allowing this to happen, Firestar combined all the four Clans together into LionClan and defeated Scourge, despite losing a life in the battle.
:After the battle with BloodClan, Firestar received a dream that he would be the one to rebuild SkyClan, a Clan exiled long ago due to having no home in the forest. Leaving his Clan in the paws of his deputy, Graystripe, he took Sandstorm with him to rebuild the long lost Clan. Finally, when his mission was complete, the SkyClan cats and their ancestors, held Firestar in high regard due to his efforts. Skywatcher gave Firestar another prophecy, one known since the ancient times: There will be three, kin of your kin, who will hold the power of the stars in their paws.
:A ThunderClan cat, Brambleclaw, was chosen for the prophecy: Darkness, air, water and sky will come together and shake the forest to its roots. Nothing will be as it is now, nor as it has been before. Brambleclaw was the son of Tigerstar and also his spitting image, targeting him with mistrust from all Clans. He attempted to prove his worth by going on the journey to the sun-drown-place, where he was told to meet with Midnight. Squirrelpaw, Firestar's daughter, followed him on the journey, alongside cats from other Clans. The only cat who knew about this is Leafpaw, Firestar's other daughter and a medicine cat apprentice.
:While Squirrelpaw and Brambleclaw were missing, the forest was being ravaged by Twolegs. Food was scarce, and leaf-bare set in. Several ThunderClan cats died, either from starvation or from Twolegs themselves. They began to lose hope that any peace would come, until Squirrelpaw and Brambleclaw returned, much to the Clan's surprise. They told the Clan that they must leave to find a new home, but most of the cats chose to ignore their warning. Firestar believed them, and attempted to persuade each Clan. WindClan listened easily, due to them bearing the worst of the devastation, but both ShadowClan and RiverClan refused to listen, thinking that this was another of ThunderClan's interferences.
:When Twolegs kidnapped Clan cats, one of them being Leafpaw, Graystripe decided to lead a patrol to take them back. When they found the Twolegs, Graystripe and the others began to free them from the cages they were in, but the Twolegs took Graystripe as well. When he heard of this, Firestar refused to name a new deputy, believing that Graystripe was still alive.
:Twolegs destroyed ShadowClan's camp and lessened the river water in RiverClan, leading to starvation for both Clans. Finally, all the Clans admitted how desperate the situation was, and made plans to leave the forest. Firestar decided that they should not lead as separate Clans, but all together. This created an alliance between all Clans.
:The Clans arrived at their new home by the lake, and they split up into four Clans again. Firestar helped his own Clan prosper in their new territory, and it was during this time that he started to take in cats from outside his Clan: Daisy and her kits, Stormfur, and Brook. This caused unease in the Clan, adding to the fact that Graystripe still had not arrived and ThunderClan was technically without a deputy. To smooth things over, Firestar was finally persuaded to appoint a new deputy—Brambleclaw. After finding out that Brambleclaw was the new deputy of ThunderClan, Hawkfrost tried to kill Firestar to let Brambleclaw take over, but Brambleclaw instead saved his leader.
:Three kits were born to Squirrelflight and Brambleclaw that Firestar believed were the cats in the "kin of your kin" prophecy—Jaykit, Hollykit, and Lionkit. He believed that the Three had come, and could only hope for the best.
:During the second year since ThunderClan came to the lake, tensions between WindClan rose to a boiling point, mainly due to their new leader, Onestar, who was chosen in place of Mudclaw. Although Onestar was originally chosen because Tallstar believed that he would keep his friendship with ThunderClan, Onestar instead broke it, wanting to prove his Clan as strong as any other. At first, tensions were palpable because they believed WindClan would invade their camp due to territory mishaps, but the battle was stopped by Lionpaw, Hollypaw, and Jaypaw. However, the next battle was real—WindClan teamed up with RiverClan to invade ThunderClan through the tunnels. ThunderClan allied with ShadowClan and attempted to fend off their invaders, but the battle was only stopped by an eclipse.
:Now adults, Hollyleaf, Lionblaze, and Jayfeather found out that their parents were not Brambleclaw and Squirrelflight, due to a confession from Squirrelflight when Ashfur attempted to kill her kits out of revenge for not wanting to be his mate. Ashfur threatened to reveal the truth of their parentage, and days later, his dead body was found in a stream. WindClan was presumed to be the killer of Ashfur, but other cats believed it was Sol, the loner who had predicted the eclipse. Firestar sent a patrol out to find Sol, but when they brought him back, he escaped the camp thanks to Lionblaze. Eventually, they gave up on searching for Ashfur's killer.
:The Three found out their true parentage, and Hollyleaf, distraught, revealed it at the Gathering. She announced that their true parents were not Squirrelflight and Brambleclaw, instead being Crowfeather and Leafpool. After this, Hollyleaf tried to run away, but instead was crushed by one of the tunnels falling in from where she was trying to escape. Presumed dead, Lionblaze and Jayfeather realized that she was not one of the Three after all.
:The Third cat is found, and that was Dovepaw. Jealous of the attention her sister was receiving, Ivypaw eventually turned to the Dark Forest and trained in their ways, hoping to gain as much attention as her sister did. The Dark Forest started to rise an army, taking in several ThunderClan recruits as well. Lionblaze and Jayfeather found this out, and realized that the Dark Forest planned to wage war on the living Clan cats and StarClan as well.
:After visiting the mountains, Jayfeather was told that the Three would turn into four. They tried to search for the fourth cat, but had no idea where to turn. Jayfeather thought it was Mothwing, Lionblaze thought it was Hollyleaf, and Dovewing thought it was Ivypool. Eventually, Bluestar told them that it was Firestar who was the fourth cat. The Three turned to Firestar to help them in their darkest hour.
:The Dark Forest invaded the Clans, and a great battle ensued. Waves and waves of furious spirits attacked each Clan, and the Clans, StarClan, and the Ancients fought back. When the last Dark Forest cats retreated, Firestar declared the battle over. However, Tigerstar, Firestar's old enemy, refuted this statement. The battle that had been starting ever since Firestar step foot in the forest began, with the two rivals acknowledging their history and attacking. Firestar killed Tigerstar, putting an end to him permanently. Due to his wounds from previous battles, Firestar succumbed to death, but he was not forgotten from Clan history, and his sacrifices are forever remembered.
===Bramblestar===
:Bramblestar was the leader of ThunderClan after Firestar. His deputy was Squirrelflight, and his medicine cats were Leafpool, Jayfeather, and Alderheart.
:When he took up the leadership mantle from Firestar in the aftermath of the Great Battle, Bramblestar initially struggled as a leader and tried to be like his predecessor, but eventually realized he was his own cat and to not live in Firestar's shadow. However, he still kept some of Firestar's ideals and compassion, such as allowing Minty, Jessy, and Frankie to shelter in ThunderClan when they had no home, and welcomed Frankie into the ranks of ThunderClan when he wished to join. He also made the sixteenth addition to the warrior code, pushing for the Clans to stick together during a time of great danger.
:During his leadership, Bramblestar gave shelter to the ShadowClan refugees fleeing from the Kin, and helped to lead the effort to kill Darktail and drive out the rogues. He also voiced support for having SkyClan stay by the lake, but got distracted with new problems facing the Clans, such as Tigerstar's rise to power, and ShadowClan's new deputy, Juniperclaw, poisoning SkyClan in an attempt to drive the newcomers out. A few moons later, Bramblestar and his mate Squirrelflight came at odds when she continually went behind his back to help the Sisters, stressing him out as he tried to keep relations peaceful with the other Clans, most of who viewed the Sisters as a threat. However, they mended their relationship after Squirrelflight nearly died in a rockslide.
:After brief moons of peace, Bramblestar suddenly fell extremely sick and died, but was revived unexpectedly with the help of Shadowpaw, a ShadowClan medicine cat apprentice. However, Ashfur possessed his body and masqueraded as the leader, turning Bramblestar's image to one of ruthlessness and even attempting to drive out some of Bramblestar's most loyal Clanmates, some of whom were his own family. Ashfur fully intended to punish the codebreakers within the Clans as punishment for how Ashfur believed he was wronged while he was alive, leaving the real Bramblestar stranded as a ghost. In desperation, he sought help from Tree, but ran into his son Rootpaw instead, and made the young apprentice fearful of him. However, Rootpaw opened up to Tree about Bramblestar's ghost, and soon, several cats between the Clans, and later the entirety of ShadowClan, became aware of Bramblestar's situation and aimed to out his impostor and restore Bramblestar as leader of ThunderClan.
===The Broken Code fiasco===
====Ashfur====
:Ashfur was the leader of ThunderClan after possessing and feigning the identity of Brambleclaw. His deputies were Squirrelflight, Berrynose, and Bristlefrost. His medicine cats were Jayfeather, Alderheart, and Flipclaw. 
:Ashfur became the leader of ThunderClan after possessing Bramblestar's body, having manipulated Shadowsight into using an unusual method to "cure" Bramblestar's sudden illness that Ashfur inflicted upon him. Upon taking control of Bramblestar's body, he had many cats convinced that he was Bramblestar, but he made no attempt to try and mimic Bramblestar's personality and appeared to only use ThunderClan for his own personal gains. Prior to possessing Bramblestar's corpse, he named seven cats as codebreakers and cited they must be punished, an act he followed through with when he became leader. Although he claimed to follow the warrior code, he had broken it and twisted it multiple times. After being imprisoned, Ashfur later escaped and kidnapped his successor Squirrelflight, dragging her into the Place of No Stars with him. 
:After beginning his tyrannical rule of ThunderClan, many cats began to realize how odd he acted. Along with his new rule that the leader and deputy eat before anyone else, stopping the care of the elders, and his constant bullying towards the other Clan leaders made several cats across the Clans form a secret meeting to discuss the sudden change in his demeanor. In ThunderClan, he manipulated Bristlefrost into being his "eyes and ears" in the Clan, reporting to him when a cat broke the code in the slightest. When Spotfur and Lionblaze accidentally crossed the WindClan border, he punished them by making no cat speak to Spotfur for a quarter moon and temporarily banished Lionblaze to live as a rogue for the same duration. When he discovered that Sparkpelt veered off her patrol to look for Lionblaze, he attempted to have her killed by dogs, but his plan failed and she survived. Ashfur, as Bramblestar, continued to push for the punishing of the codebreakers, making Lionblaze, Jayfeather, and Twigbranch swear an oath of loyalty to him and the threat of exile if they broke the code again. He tried to get the other leaders to do the same, and was able to get Dovewing and Tree into temporary exile.
:Meanwhile, Rootpaw, a young SkyClan apprentice, was the only cat able to see the ghost of Bramblestar, and was able to convince Tree to try and help Bramblestar, where Tree announced at the secret meeting between the Clans that Bramblestar was a ghost, and his body possessed. Squirrelflight became aware of this after being told by Rootpaw and intended to tell the other leaders, but this failed when Ashfur discovered her plot and exiled her. Squirrelflight instead went to ShadowClan and informed Tigerstar. While dubious at first, Tree and Rootpaw were able to make the ghost appear in the ShadowClan camp. Convinced, Tigerstar agreed to stop the false Bramblestar and allowed Squirrelflight to stay in ShadowClan. However, Ashfur was unaware of this and continued to tighten his grip on ThunderClan, adding and twisting additions to the code. After several of ThunderClan's members grew tired of his actions and critiqued him, he continually exiled and punished them, growing more paranoid and ruthless. He exiled Lionblaze, Jayfeather, and Twigbranch due to their listing on his codebreaker list, and later exiled Alderheart and Finleap after they grew tired of Ashfur's tyranny, whereas Flipclaw, whom he forced to train under Alderheart, became his sole medicine cat. 
:A failed attack on his life made him exile Berrynose and appoint Bristlefrost as his new deputy. After Sparkpelt brought up Flipclaw's lack of medicinal knowledge to him, Ashfur exiled her for disloyalty. Graystripe, ThunderClan's oldest member, exposed him as a fraud and called him a weak leader for demanding blind obedience. Ashfur exiled both him and Sparkpelt, but Blossomfall, Cinderheart, Thriftear, Bumblestripe, and Finchpaw left with Graystripe and Sparkpelt. He later decided that ShadowClan needed to be driven out after Tigerstar continually refused his decrees to punish codebreakers. Ashfur instigated a battle, with the support of WindClan and RiverClan, but SkyClan sided with ShadowClan to stop the false leader. During the battle, the cats realized that "Bramblestar" was lying to them and was a fake of the true Bramblestar after Harestar went to StarClan. Ashfur was defeated by Tigerstar and imprisoned within ShadowClan, where Squirrelflight succeeded him as leader.
====Squirrelflight====
:Squirrelflight was the acting leader of ThunderClan after Ashfur was exposed as an impostor and deposed of. In the aftermath of the battle for ShadowClan, Squirrelflight once again took up the mantle of leadership for her Clan, albeit asserting that it was only temporary until the real Bramblestar can be restored to his body. Her deputy was Lionblaze, and her medicine cats were Jayfeather and Alderheart. 
:In the aftermath of a battle, the false Bramblestar was exposed and deposed by the Clans, where Squirrelflight was encouraged by the other Clan leaders to become leader. Squirrelflight agreed, but only until Bramblestar could be brought back to his real body. She then demoted the current deputy, Bristlefrost, and appointed Lionblaze instead, citing that the she-cat was too young to remain deputy. She welcomed the several cats who had been exiled by Ashfur back into ThunderClan, and revealed at an emergency Gathering that she had realized the identity of the cat possessing Bramblestar's corpse. After getting the impostor to reveal his identity as Ashfur, Squirrelflight struggled to lead a Clan divided on her leadership. Although Squirrelflight wished to keep Ashfur alive in Bramblestar's body so her mate had a method of coming back, many members of ThunderClan wished to kill Ashfur so he could pay for his crimes and to avoid Ashfur causing more issues for the Clans. Squirrelflight was also accused of prioritizing Bramblestar over the Clan, which Squirrelflight later admitted to. After the Clan leaders voted to kill Ashfur in Bramblestar's body, a desperate Squirrelflight attempted to free Ashfur, but was convinced to acknowledge that Bramblestar was not coming back, and she needed to keep ThunderClan united like he would have wanted. A heartbroken Squirrelflight went to the Moonpool to grieve, but Ashfur, having escaped his prison, attacked and kidnapped her, dragging her into the Place of No Stars.
====Lionblaze====
:Lionblaze served as the acting leader of ThunderClan after Squirrelflight was kidnapped by Ashfur. He had not appointed a deputy, and his medicine cats were Jayfeather and Alderheart. 
:After Squirrelflight was kidnapped, Lionblaze wished for Shadowsight, the cat who had let Ashfur escape and subsequently caused Squirrelflight to be taken, to see justice. He criticized Tigerstar's attempt to sneak Shadowsight away to avoid punishment. Lionblaze became focused on dealing with the threat of Ashfur, as well as letting his anger for Shadowsight begin to cloud his judgement. Upon learning that Ashfur had taken his mother into the Dark Forest, Lionblaze's grief turned to anger once more, which led to several cats questioning if Lionblaze's temper, impulsive desicions, and personal ties to the situation made him the leader they needed, which Lionblaze was hurt by. However, upon the return of Graystripe to ThunderClan, Lionblaze acknowledged that he was not the leader they needed, due to his clouded judgement and personal ties, and abdicated to the old gray tom. Graystripe accepted, but kept Lionblaze as his temporary deputy.
====Graystripe====
:Graystripe was the acting leader of ThunderClan, having taken up the position after Lionblaze abdicated it to him. His deputy was Lionblaze and his medicine cats were Jayfeather and Alderheart. 
:Following his return from his wander, Graystripe returned to ThunderClan but found it in the middle of an argument on who should be leader. An angry Graystripe immediately took charge of the situation, ordering the fresh-kill pile restocked and organizing patrols. After being told of what had transpired during his time away, Bristlefrost suggested that Graystripe become their acting leader, an idea that both Lionblaze and Jayfeather agreed would be best, and Lionblaze stepped down, though he remained Graystripe's deputy. Despite his age, Graystripe was patient in understanding what happened during his time away, and worked with the other Clan leaders to rescue Squirrelflight and to figure out what was occurring in the Place of No Stars when Shadowsight and Rootspring had ventured in there. Graystripe later abdicated the leadership back to Bramblestar following his return from the Dark Forest.
===Bramblestar===
:Bramblestar returned to ThunderClan and resumed his role as leader, although he was visibly scarred from his ordeal, and was dealing with the trauma of what happened. At a Gathering, he formally gave the cats who entered the Dark Forest a title: Lights in the Mist. However, Bramblestar struggled to adapt back to his role as Clan leader, often finding himself getting lost in his memories and nightmares about his time with Ashfur. His Clanmates often tiptoed around him as well, recalling the impostor's brutal reign and the effects that being separated from his body had on him. Bramblestar grew fearful of making firm decisions, casting doubt on his leadership. During this time, he developed a bond with Flamepaw, a young ThunderClan cat whom also struggled to find his place in the Clan. During this time, he had many talks with Flamepaw, and eventually bestowed upon him his warrior name, Flameheart, in memory of Firestar. While many would consider this an honor, Flameheart stood up to Bramblestar and wanted to pick his own name. Bramblestar, not wanting to completely change his mind, came to a middle ground with Flameheart, and offered him the name Nightheart instead. While this initially was not a welcome change by any of ThunderClan, they soon came to respect Nightheart's choice as he found his own pawsteps as a cat. Bramblestar and Nightheart bonded over their shared desire to get out of Firestar's shadow.
:As the time went on, Bramblestar appeared more and more aloof and disinterested in his role as leader. Due to his poor decisions and declining mental health, Squirrelflight had to constantly go behind his back to ensure the safety of ThunderClan and the cats he was supposed to protect. He disagreed with Tigerstar's occupation of RiverClan, but was too scared to do anything. He confided in Nightheart that he was experiencing nightmares about his time in the Dark Forest, and Nightheart was the cat who encouraged him to step down and pass the mantle over to Squirrelflight, who would be a strong replacement and would put ThunderClan first while Bramblestar recovers.
:Bramblestar's choice was not a welcome one at first, but ThunderClan soon warmed up to the idea of Bramblestar retiring to the elders' den. Tawnypelt, Bramblestar's sister, was fully supportive of Bramblestar's choice to step down and only wished that she had understood sooner the pain that her brother was going through. Bramblestar, accompanied by Squirrelflight, Alderheart, and Nightheart, made his way to the Moonpool, and Brambleclaw now had one life and retired to the elders' den, finally getting the peace he deserved.
===Squirrelstar===
:After Bramblestar's faith in his leadership abilities was shaken by his time in the Place of No Stars, he decided to step down as ThunderClan's leader. ThunderClan, while initially shocked at Bramblestar's choice, have come to support Squirrelflight, and her leadership of ThunderClan. Squirrelflight's first action as leader was to appoint a deputy, and she picked Ivypool, a cat who also knows what it is like to spend time in the Place of No Stars and would firmly support Squirrelflight and put ThunderClan first. Squirrelflight tasked Ivypool with Sunbeam's three trials to join ThunderClan, and while Squirrelflight, Bramblestar, Alderheart, and Nightheart are away, Sunbeam began her trials to become a full member of ThunderClan.
:Squirrelflight returned, with her nine lives and her new name, and she was welcomed with joyous mews as Squirrelstar, leader of ThunderClan. While some cats were worried this would bring them one step closer to a battle with ShadowClan, Squirrelstar was not as quick to jump to battle as a cat would think. Squirrelstar assured Sunbeam that Nightheart, who had not returned to ThunderClan with them, was fine and that StarClan would watch over him. Squirrelstar called a special Gathering to celebrate her rise to leadership, and while Tawnypelt initially was worried, her tune changed when she sees how tired her brother was, and all of the Clans supported Squirrelstar's rise to leadership.
:Squirrelstar is a calm leader, not willing to jump head-first into the problems with RiverClan and Tigerstar, and wanted to wait it out to see if things can be resolved peacefully. She also welcomed Sunbeam to ThunderClan officially, having seen the former ShadowClan she-cat pass all of her trials. She is supportive and welcoming, and was proud when Sunbeam said that ThunderClan was where she belonged. When Sunbeam alerted Squirrelstar to Berryheart's plans for Tigerstar and ShadowClan, the leader took her warrior seriously and promised to keep an eye on things. She doubted Podlight's claims that he received visions from StarClan that allowed him to pick a new leader for RiverClan.
==History of ranks==
Temporary positions are hidden; please toggle to enable them.
Leaders (toggle temporary)	Leaders (toggle temporary) 	Leaders (toggle temporary) 	Leaders (toggle temporary)
Name 	Gained rank in... 	Left rank in... 	Deputies...
Thunderstar 	Path of Stars 	Before "The Beginning of the Warrior Code"	Lightning Tail, Owlstar
Owlstar 	Before "The Beginning of the Warrior Code"	Before "The Beginning of the Warrior Code"	Unknown
Whitestar 	Before "The Beginning of the Warrior Code"	Before "The Vanishing Moon" 	Vinetail
Owlstar 	Before "Second in Command" 	Before "The Vanishing Moon" 	Unknown
Finchstar 	Before "The Vanishing Moon" 	Before "Poppycloud's Rule" 	Daisyheart
Lionstar 	Before "Poppycloud's Rule" 	Before "Darkstar's Law" 	Greeneyes
Vinestar 	Before "Darkstar's Law" 	Before "The Leader Who Sought Peace" 	Unknown
Morningstar 	Before "The Leader Who Sought Peace" 	Before "The Victorious Clan" 	Leafstorm
Redstar 	Before "The Victorious Clan" 	Before Mapleshade's Vengeance 	Seedpelt
Oakstar 	Before Mapleshade's Vengeance 	Pinestar's Choice 	Beetail, Doefeather
Doestar 	Pinestar's Choice 	Goosefeather's Curse 	Pineheart
Pinestar 	Goosefeather's Curse 	Bluestar's Prophecy 	Mumblefoot, Sunfall
Sunstar 	Bluestar's Prophecy 	Bluestar's Prophecy 	Tawnyspots, Adderfang , Bluefur
Bluestar 	Bluestar's Prophecy 	A Dangerous Path 	Redtail, Lionheart, Tigerclaw, Fireheart
Firestar 	The Darkest Hour 	The Last Hope 	Whitestorm, Graystripe, Brambleclaw
Graystripe 	Firestar's Quest 	Firestar's Quest 	None
Bramblestar 	The Last Hope 	Lost Stars 	Squirrelflight
Squirrelflight 	Lost Stars 	Lost Stars 	None
Ashfur 	Lost Stars 	Veil of Shadows 	Squirrelflight, Berrynose, Bristlefrost
Squirrelflight 	Veil of Shadows 	Darkness Within 	Lionblaze
Lionblaze 	Darkness Within 	The Place of No Stars 	None
Graystripe 	The Place of No Stars 	A Light in the Mist 	Lionblaze
Bramblestar 	A Light in the Mist 	Thunder 	Squirrelflight
Squirrelstar 	Thunder 	- 	Ivypool, Cinderheart
:Stripestar's succession is unknown.
Deputies (toggle temporary)	Deputies (toggle temporary) 	Deputies (toggle temporary)
Name 	Gained rank in... 	Left rank in...
Lightning Tail 	Path of Stars 	Thunderstar's Echo
Owl Eyes 	Thunderstar's Echo 	Before "The Beginning of the Warrior Code"
Vinetail 	Before "The Beginning of the Warrior Code"	Before "The Vanishing Moon"
Daisyheart 	Before "The Vanishing Moon" 	Before "Poppycloud's Rule"
Greeneyes 	Before "Poppycloud's Rule" 	Before "The Leader Who Sought Peace"
Leafstorm 	Before "The Leader Who Sought Peace" 	"The Leader Who Sought Peace"
Seedpelt 	Before "The Victorious Clan" 	Before Mapleshade's Vengeance
Beetail 	Before Mapleshade's Vengeance 	Before Pinestar's Choice
Doefeather 	Before Pinestar's Choice 	Pinestar's Choice
Pineheart 	Pinestar's Choice 	Pinestar's Choice
Mumblefoot 	Pinestar's Choice 	Before Bluestar's Prophecy
Sunfall 	Before Bluestar's Prophecy 	Bluestar's Prophecy
Tawnyspots 	Bluestar's Prophecy 	Bluestar's Prophecy
Adderfang 	Bluestar's Prophecy 	Bluestar's Prophecy
Bluefur 	Bluestar's Prophecy 	Bluestar's Prophecy
Redtail 	Bluestar's Prophecy 	Into the Wild
Lionheart 	Into the Wild 	Into the Wild
Tigerclaw 	Into the Wild 	Forest of Secrets
Fireheart 	Forest of Secrets 	A Dangerous Path
Whitestorm 	The Darkest Hour 	The Darkest Hour
Graystripe 	The Darkest Hour 	Sunset
Brambleclaw 	Sunset 	The Last Hope
Graystripe 	Outcast 	Eclipse
Graystripe 	Sunrise 	Sunrise
Squirrelflight 	The Last Hope 	The Silent Thaw
Berrynose 	The Silent Thaw 	Veil of Shadows
Bristlefrost 	Veil of Shadows 	Veil of Shadows
Lionblaze 	Veil of Shadows 	Darkness Within
Lionblaze 	The Place of No Stars 	A Light in the Mist
Squirrelflight 	A Light in the Mist 	Thunder
Ivypool 	Thunder 	-
Cinderheart 	Ivypool's Heart 	-
:
Medicine cats (toggle temporary)	Medicine cats (toggle temporary) 	Medicine cats (toggle temporary) 	Medicine cats (toggle temporary)
Name 	Gained rank in... 	Left rank in... 	Apprentice(s)...
Cloud Spots 	Moth Flight's Vision 	Before "The Medicine Cats Decide" 	Shivering Rose
Prickleface 	Before "The Medicine Cats Decide" 	Before "The Leader Who Sought Peace"	Unknown
Pearnose 	Before "The Leader Who Sought Peace"	Before "The Victorious Clan" 	Fallowpaw, Goosefeather
Kestrelwing 	Before "The Victorious Clan" 	Before Mapleshade's Vengeance 	Unknown
Oatspeckle 	Before Mapleshade's Vengeance 	Before Mapleshade's Vengeance 	Ravenwing
Ravenwing 	Before Mapleshade's Vengeance 	Mapleshade's Vengeance 	None
Cloudberry 	Before Pinestar's Choice 	Goosefeather's Curse 	Goosefeather
Goosefeather 	Goosefeather's Curse 	Bluestar's Prophecy 	Featherwhisker
Featherwhisker 	Bluestar's Prophecy 	Bluestar's Prophecy 	Spottedleaf
Spottedleaf 	Bluestar's Prophecy 	Into the Wild 	None
Yellowfang 	Into the Wild 	Rising Storm 	Runningnose, Cinderpelt, Puddleshine
Cinderpelt 	Rising Storm 	Twilight 	Leafpool
Leafpool 	Twilight 	Squirrelflight's Hope 	Willowshine , Hollyleaf, Jayfeather, Alderheart, Puddleshine
Brightheart 	Leafpool's Wish 	Leafpool's Wish 	None
Jayfeather 	Sunrise 	Veil of Shadows 	Alderheart
Alderheart 	Thunder and Shadow 	Veil of Shadows 	Flipclaw
Flipclaw 	Veil of Shadows 	Veil of Shadows 	None
Jayfeather 	Veil of Shadows 	- 	-
Alderheart 	Veil of Shadows 	- 	-
==Known members==
===Active members===
The following cats are current members of ThunderClan as of The Elders' Quest.
===StarClan residents===
===Dark Forest residents===
:Ashfur 
:Darkstripe 
:Frecklewish
:Mapleshade 
:Thistleclaw
:Tigerstar 
===Former residents===
===Unknown location===
==Gallery==
===Official art===
==Trivia==
===Interesting facts===
*ThunderClan was named by Silver Stripe.
===Author statements===
*ThunderClan was originally planned to be named StarClan. Vicky soon realized that this was a much better name for their warrior ancestors, and thus the name was changed to ThunderClan, and StarClan was given to their deceased ancestors.Revealed on Vicky's Facebook 
*Vicky's favorite Clan is ThunderClan.Revealed on her Facebook 
==Quotes==
==See also==
*List of ThunderClan cats
*List of other Clans
==External links==
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==Notes and references==
cs:Hromový klande:DonnerClanes:Clan del Truenofi:Myrskyklaanifr:Clan du Tonnerreit:Il Clan del Tuononl:DonderClanlt:Perkūno klano katėspl:Klan Piorunapt-br:Clã do Trovãoru:Грозовое племяsv:Åskklanenuk:Громовий Кланko:천둥족
Category:Clans and groups