Frostpaw

Frostpaw is one of the three main protagonists (alongside Nightheart and Sunbeam) of A Starless Clan arc in Erin Hunter's Warriors book franchise. 
She's the apprentice of the RiverClan medicine cat Mothwing, and is insecure about her role because of her struggle to communicate with StarClan. After the mysterious deaths of the leader Mistystar and her deputy Reedwhisker, Frostpaw is left with the duty of finding a new leader of RiverClan, all while trying to solve the mystery around the sudden deaths of not only the Clan's past leader, but anyone who's about to claim the leadership position - including her own mother.
==Appearance==
Frostpaw is a small, light gray she-cat with darker gray points as well as blue eyes. After being attacked by Splashtail, she has a scar across her neck.
==Biography==
===A Starless Clan===
====River====
Frostpaw, recently having been made a medicine cat apprentice, is eager for Mothwing to take her to the Moonpool to make her apprenticeship official. Before she leaves, her mother Curlfeather dotes over her, telling her that she's special by reminding her of when she foresaw her father Jayclaw's death before it happened. She then leaves for the Moonpool with her mentor, who introduces her to the other Clan's medicine cats when they arrive. She quickly befriends Whistlepaw, apprentice of the WindClan medicine cat Kestrelflight, and Mothwing names her an official medicine cat-in-training. Frostpaw notes her mentor's sharpness, thinking it must be because of the recent death of her former apprentice Willowshine, whom she spent many moons with.
At the next Gathering, Frostpaw is introduced to the rest of the Clans as RiverClan's newest medicine cat. The next day, Mothwing scolds her student for taking too long to eat, and as the two head for the medicine den they hear an argument break out between Mistystar and Brackenpelt over the former's agreement to the updated warrior code the night before. Mistystar calls a Clan meeting to discuss the issue, and more and more of her Clanmates begin to challenge her judgement. Mistystar tries to defend herself, getting increasingly adgitated as she does, but suddenly falls silent as she falls from atop the highrock. The two medicine cats rush to her side, but before they can do anything Mistystar loses her last life, dying permanently.
While the incident happened, the deputy Reedwhisker had gone out on a hunting patrol, and the rest of RiverClan decides to wait until he returns to take him to the Moonpool to get his nine lives and leader name. When the hunting patrol returns though, Reedwhisker is strangely absent, with the patrol assuming that he returned to camp without them or had gotten lost. Mothwing assigns some search parties to look for him before retreating into the medicine den. Frostpaw follows her in, seeing her mentor grief-stricken before the golden tabby asks her to try communicating with Mistystar's spirit for her, though the young gray she-cat is unsure if it will work. She hears Mistystar's voice telling her to move on, interpreting it as the former leader telling her Clan to carry on life without her, a message that comforts Mothwing, with Frostpaw being happy she found a way to lift her mentor's spirits.
Reedwhisker does not return even after Mistystar's vigil, and the Clan debates whether or not they should have a substitute until he's found. Mallownose and Duskfur suggest that the medicine cats should be the stand-in leaders, but Shimmerpelt questions this due to Frostpaw's inexperience. As the argument escalates, Frostpaw retreats to the medicine den where she finds a dock leaf that's been torn into the shape of a star. Wondering if StarClan is giving her a sign to be leader, she gives it to Mothwing for her thoughts. The Clan agrees that it's a sign for the medicine cats to lead until their deputy is found, and Mothwing relents, tasking Frostpaw with communicating with StarClan for her. Frostpaw is comforted by her mother when she worries about the pressure placed on her to help lead her Clan.
At the next half-moon meeting, both Mothwing and Frostpaw agree not to tell the others about what happened to their leader and deputy. Frostpaw intends to speak with StarClan about their approval of the revised warrior code, but instead the vague spirit of a spotted golden she-cat that introduces herself as the past RiverClan leader Leopardstar informs her that Reedwhisker is trapped in a shadowy place somewhere in her Clan's territory. When Mothwing is told of StarClan's message, she sends her apprentice to lead a search party to find the deputy, stating that only she knows where he is when Splashtail and Gorseclaw question her authority. They search near the twolegplace where Reedwhisker was last seen, finding him dead at the bottom of a ravine. Frostpaw notes that his neck is broken, his face is twisted into fury as if he'd been fighting something, and clawmarks too big to be from a cat are on his body, assuming that they came from a badger. The search part carries his body back to camp, where Culfeather comforts her daughter over finding such a haunting sight.
Accompanied by Splashtail, Frostpaw visits the Moonpool to seek guidance from StarClan on who the new leader should be, anxious about the responsibility and disappointed when none of StarClan answers her. As she prepares to head home however, she notices a small, white curled feather lying in the grass, interpreting it as a sign that StarClan has chosen her own mother Curlfeather to be the next leader. When she tells Mothwing about it back at camp, the golden she-cat is apprehensive, remembering the time her brother Hawkfrost had planted a false sign of a moth wing to get her to become a medicine cat. That night, Frostpaw has a dream where she sees the Moonpool surrounded by curled feathers, and when she tells her mentor she insists that she's right about Curlfeather being leader, and Mothwing relents. She then announces to her Clanmates StarClan's choice in Curlfeather to lead the Clan, a choice that they're happy with.
Frostpaw escorts her mother to the Moonpool for her leadership ceremony, with the two of them comforting each other over their self-doubts. Right after passing through ThunderClan's territory though, the two are suddenly attacked by three vicious dogs. The run back into the forest, with Curlfeather helping her daughter climb a tree to safety before the dogs catch her. In her final moments, Frostpaw's mother yowls to her to not trust anyone before the dogs kill her in front of the horrified young she-cat. Frostpaw escapes by hopping from tree to tree, rushing back to camp to tell everyone what had happened. The rest of RiverClan is terrified, and Frostpaw's siblings Graypaw and Mistpaw comfort her as the three grieve their mother together. After a patrol retrieves Curlfeather's body, Frostpaw is shocked at Mallownose's suggestion to return to the Moonpool and asks StarClan who should lead now, but Mothwing says that they should instead turn to the other Clans for help as Duskfur comforts the now orphaned apprentice.
===Sky ===
Several days pass since Curlfeather's death, and despite Mothwing's and Splashtail's attempts to cheer her up, Frostpaw is still shaken and sorrowful about the traumatizing event. Mothwing insists that she return to the Moonpool to find out StarClan's next choice for leader, but the young gray she-cat is scared of returning to the place where her mother was killed. Later, a ShadowClan patrol comes by to ask if they could borrow some catmint for Rowankit's whitecough. Frostpaw is uncertain how to explain to them that they don't have any catmint left until Mothwing does so for her, telling them to leave immediately. That night, the medicine cats all have an emergency meeting to discuss the shortage of catmint, where they agree to send a patrol to find catmint beyond the lake territories. After the others leave, Frostpaw attempts to communicate to StarClan again, where she's greeted by the spirit of Curlfeather who encourages her to choose RiverClan's new leader herself, adding to look beyond obvious choices.
Frostpaw is nervous about her choice in the next leader, but Mothwing and Splashtail both assure her that they have full confidence in her judgement. After some contemplation, she selects Owlnose to be leader. Relieved that she no longer has that burden weighing down on her, she goes to the herb storage to clear it out. Soon after though, Brackenpelt and Podlight are brought into the medicine den by Owlnose, Sneezecloud and Splashtail after they were injured falling into the river upon the riverbank's collapse. After tending to their wounds, Frostpaw starts to dwell on her selection of Owlnose as leader, wondering if she made the right choice. Duskfur inquires as to why she chose an uncertain cat like Owlnose to lead the Clan, but Frostpaw defends her pick by saying that he'll find his footing soon enough. She later escorts Owlnose to the Moonpool for the leadership ceremony, shocked when StarClan doesn't appear to either of them. When they tell the Clan that Starclan had not given Owlnose his nine lives or leader name, Splashtail suggests that they're just waiting for him to be a leader for a while before they do. The unofficial leader decides to make Splashtail his deputy, and Frostpaw defends his choice when the rest of RiverClan questions it.
The ShadowClan leader Tigerstar calls for an emergency meeting about the catmint shortage, where the other Clan leaders repeatedly call into question Owlnose's and Splashtail's authority. When the RiverClan leader admits that StarClan didn't give him nine lives, the SkyClan leader Leafstar decides to send her medicine cat Fidgetflake to help him. Frostpaw quickly grows irritated of Fidgetflake's critiques of RiverClan's herb stocks and questions about what happened to Mistystar and Reedwhisker. Frostpaw tells him that ever since the deaths of their former leader and deputy, she and Mothwing have had little time to gather herbs. She then is reassured by Splashtail, wondering if she was developing feelings for him. Fidgetflake discovers a supply of catmint in the herb storage which Mothwing and Frostpaw had both forgotten about due to being preoccupied with their Clan's leader dilemma, and the SkyClan medicine cat asks them how they could have forgotten after they claimed that Mistystar and Reedwhisker died of greencough.
As she and Fidgetflake escort Owlnose back to the Moonpool to try and get him his nine lives again, the SkyClan tom explains that the problem the first time may have been because of Frostpaw's hazy connection to their ancestors, troubling the young apprentice with the idea. As they pass by the place where she had seen the dogs kill Curlfeather, she wonders why her mentor hadn't informed the WindClan leader Harestar about said dogs, especially since his warriors have reported finding the bones of prey nearby as of late. Hearing the speculations that the dogs had been lured makes Frostpaw realize that all of RiverClan's deaths recently have been from cats who already were or were about to become leader, wondering if someone had caused them all and why. Right as the three reach the Moonstone, Owlnose abruptly says that he doesn't want to be leader and just wants to be a normal warrior, stepping down from his position. 
She repeatedly tries and fails to speak with StarClan, wondering if she ever truly had a connection to them at all. Mothwing assures her that she does, and that it will just take a bit of time to get right. When they arrive back at camp, Tigerstar has shown up with a large battle patrol and demands that Owlnose let him lead RiverClan until they get an official leader. Despite Frostpaw's best efforts to stop the confrontation from escalating into a fight, it does so anyways. Soon RiverClan decides to surrender, letting Tigerstar lead them for the time being.
=== Shadow ===
As Frostpaw helps treat the cats injured in the previous battle, she feels like she should tell the Clan that she can't speak to StarClan, but Mothwing prevents her. Tigerstar then leaves, putting his deputy Cloverfoot and the RiverClan warrior Icewing in charge of the Clan, the latter asking Frostpaw to discuss something later. A few days later, despite her best efforts to avoid Icewing, the white warrior catches Frostpaw while she's speaking with Mistpaw and Graypaw outside of camp, with the medicine cat apprentice lying that she has to bring some herbs back to camp to avoid a conversation. Frostpaw later asks Shadowsight what it's like to receive messages that aren't from StarClan, being comforted a bit when he tells her that he can still treat his Clanmates and believe in StarClan even if he can't speak to them.
Finally deciding to let Icewing talk to her, she tells the warrior that she can't speak to StarClan, and Icewing confronts Mothwing for keeping this a secret. Icewing then tells Tigerstar this the next morning, and the brown tabby tom believes Frostpaw should train to be a warrior instead while RiverClan waits for someone else to have a real vision from their ancestors. Her Clanmates are outraged when learning of her secret, but Frostpaw herself is relived she no longer has to keep it. Tigerstar makes her into a warrior apprentice the next day, and though many of the Clan protest this decision, she states that the choice was hers and reiterates that she cant speak to StarClan. Harelight is then assigned as her mentor by Tigerstar, though some doubt this choice, as Harelight was briefly a ShadowClan cat and would thus hold some loyalty to Tigerstar. Harelight is encouraging to his new apprentice, and defends her choice when Duskfur and Splashtail remark that she'd be better off returning to medicine cat duties. 
After her fist battle training session, Frostpaw is surprised to learn that Graypaw and Mistpaw are disappointed that she abandoned the path of a medicine cat after Curlfeather claimed it was her destiny. After another training session, Frostpaw tells Splashtail what she's learned thus far, abruptly revealing her crush on him when she says she hopes they can be mates one day now that she's not a medicine cat. Splashtail hesitates before replying he likes her too, but has always thought of her as a medicine cat. She then asks if they can be together when she becomes a full warrior, and though he's dismissive of the idea, she's happy that he didn't outright say no.
As she continues training to be a warrior and fantasizing about getting together with Splashtail, he compliments her on her medical skills as she treats his injured paw. Mistpaw and Graypaw compliment her healing abilities as well, but she snaps that she's a warrior apprentice now, and the three apologize. She fishes with Splashtail afterwards, hoping to get closer to him, but the brown tom is distant and remarks that he still views her as a medicine cat. She fishes again later, this time with Harelight, where she suddenly has a vision where sees herself as another cat, who kills Reedwhisker and throws his body down into the ravine he was later found in. She then hears Reedwhisker's spirit warning her of a darkness within RiverClan. She figures out that he was killed by a fellow RiverClan cat, as he did not fight back agaisnt them. Horrified, she wonders if it was a real vision from StarClan, but changes her mind when she's about to tell Mothwing about it.
At the Gathering, Tigerstar announces that Frostpaw is now a warrior apprentice, and when WindClan's deputy Crowfeather questions this, she stands up for herself. A few days later, she wonders who in the Clan killed their deputy, and while out in a hunting party she hears the ShadowClan warrior Scorchfur yowling in pain. When they get to camp, they find that Scorchfur had eaten a mouse with a thorn in it, and Duskfur and Brackenpelt stop Mothwing from treating him. Frostpaw helps him instead, and Icewing and Cloverfoot speculate that someone had purposely put the thorn into the fresh-kill pile. Frostpaw then tells Splashtail about her vision, and he's shocked, wondering about the validity of what she saw and asking her to get another medicine cat to confirm or deny whether or not it was a real vision. She decides to go ask Whistlepaw, but on her way to WindClan that night, she's viciously attacked by another cat and left severely wounded.
=== Thunder ===
As the five founders of the Clans watch a dying Frostpaw from StarClan, Thunderstar laments that she was never meant to be a medicine cat. Riverstar replies that things have changed, and RiverClan needs a powerful messenger if they are to survive. Shadowstar protests that there must be some other way, but the silver tom states that he believes in her, as she's the strongest cat he's seen in generations. Windstar questions if the apprentice is strong enough for what lies ahead, to which Riverstar retorts that he'll decide what happens to his Clan, assuring that Frostpaw will survive and save RiverClan.
In the living world, Frostpaw is struggling to stay conscious, when Whistlepaw finds her and asks who wounded her so badly. Frostpaw tells her she didn't get a good look at her attacker, and as Whistlepaw tends to her wounds, she begs her not to tell anyone she's alive, fearing that if her assailent knew, they'd come back to finish the job. The WindClan apprentice is hesitant, but agrees to help her fake her death. She then brings the injured she-cat to the barn near the lake to have the twolegs there help her. At the barn, her wounds reopen, so a loner living there named Smoky alerts the twolegs, who inject her with a substance that makes her pass out. Once she reawakens, she finds that her wounds have been stitched up. Smoky explains that the twolegs had done that to keep the gash in her throat from reopening, and when she questions the stitching on her flank from getting spayed, the loner tells her it's nothing to worry about, and just something that happens to several of the she-cats the twolegs treat.
She later has a dream of Riverstar urging her to become stronger to aid her Clan. She then goes to the Moonpool, where Riverstar, Mistystar, Reedwhisker and Moth Flight greet her. The founder promises that they'll help her with RiverClan's struggles, but she must first travel in the direction of the rising sun, and trust the cat who will accompany her. She wakes up to see the ThunderClan warrior Nightheart nearby, waiting for his Clan's new leader Squirrelflight to finish her ceremony at the Moonpool. She realizes he must be the cat who StarClan said will accompany him, but is wary of the black tom, afraid that he might have been the one to kill Reedwhisker and attack her. She decides she has to trust him though, and convinces him to go with her on her quest.
As Frostpaw and Nightheart head out on their journey, Riverstar tells the former to follow a thunderpath with three stripes. The two then get attacked by otters, after which she tends to the ThunderClan warrior's injuries. The two then start bonding as they travel, and when they pass through the Twolegplace, Riverstar tells the apprentice to look for a salmon-colored tree. Afterwards, they come across a wide river, which Nightheart suggests getting past by crossing through the branches overhead. Frostpaw is hesitant though, since the last time she climbed a tree was when her mother died, and the black tom comforts her.
Soon the two reach a large group of cats near the Clans' old territory, and Frostpaw is confident that they're what Riverstar wanted her to find. The two introduce themselves to the group the next morning, who in turn introduce themselves as the Cats of the Park. They learn from the park cats that Riverstar had originated from their group decades ago, and they've been passing stories about him down for generations. The Park Cats then teach Frostpaw how to glimpse into the past by meditating and accepting the truths she hides from. She and Nightheart also learn about the Park Cats' culture, learning to relax and befriending four cats named Rook, Bee, Waffle and Wasp.
Two weeks later, Frostpaw learns via meditation that Splashtail had been the one to kill Reedwhisker and attack her, which breaks her heart and horrifies her. Nightheart and the Park Cats comfort her, assuring her that it wasn't her fault for Splashtail using her. That night, before she and the black tom leave, she meditates one last time, and Riverstar warns her to be prepared for what she's about to see. She gets a vision to before Reedwhisker's body was found, with Splashtail conversing with someone about their plan going awry. She realizes with dread that this other cat is Curlfeather, who had been in on the plan and used her daughter from the start, lying that she was destined to be a medicine cat. The apprentice desperately tries to deny this, but is forced to accept it, and the fact that her mother now resides in the Dark Forest. Riverstar then reminds her of how her mother had died while protecting her, making her wonder if she still loved her despite using her. She then resolves to get home as soon as possible and stop whatever Splashtail is planning next.
Joined by Waffle and Wasp, Frostpaw and Nightheart head back to the Clans, and return on the night of a Gathering. The four spy on the Clans through some bushes, and to their horror, find that Splashtail has been named RiverClan's new leader while they were gone. Frostpaw panics, wondering how they're going to save RiverClan now, but Nightheart assures her that whatever happens next, she will be able to save her Clan, and he will be there to help her.
=== Wind ===
Frostpaw reveals to the Clans that she’s alive at the Gathering, and tries to point out Splashtail for his crimes. The other leaders, however, still find Frostpaw’s claims outlandish due to her past fake vision. Splashtail lies that he was pretending to be on Curlfeather’s side in the plot, and suggests that Frostpaw should be exiled because of her ‘confusion’. Squirrelstar refuses to take her in, buy Tigerstar does. 
A while later, she spies on RiverClan, and sees Splashtail intensively training his warriors. Mothwing sees her, and tells Frostpaw that Splashtail seems in no hurry to go to the Moonpool. Despite not being any Clan's official medicine cat, Puddleshine and Shadowsight allow Frostpaw to attend the half-moon meeting. Podlight, Mothwing's new apprentice, and Frostpaw argue about the legitimacy of their conflicting visions. She receives a dream of a shadow draining away the river, though the other medicine cats are skeptical of her vision's meaning. Later, she and Puddleshine sneak to the Moonpool to witness Splashtail's nine lives ceremony, but to their horror, Splashtail and Podlight merely mock the sanctity of StarClan's powers. Riverstar appears, though Splashtail and Podlight cannot see him, further proving that they are liars. Frostpaw and Puddleshine inform Tigerstar about what they saw, who later tells Squirrelstar.
At the Gathering, Podlight claims that Splashtail is now Splashstar, though Frostpaw yowls that he is lying, though Leafstar and Harestar recognize him as a legitimate leader. After the Gathering, Icewing and Duskfur inform Frostpaw that they believe her and are currently working to convince more RiverClan cats to their side. She receives a dream from Reedwhisker of danger coming to WindClan's nursery during a storm. Sunbeam, Lionblaze, and Twigbranch spot Frostpaw sheltering beneath a boulder during the storm on her way to WindClan. However, Kestrelflight and Harestar are less inclined to believe her warning. Nightheart, Sunbeam, and Frostpaw return to WindClan, though lightning strikes a tree and it falls into WindClan's camp just as they arrive. Along with WindClan's warriors, Frostpaw and her friends clear a path to rescue Leafkit from underneath the fallen tree. Harestar, Featherpelt, and Oatclaw thank Frostpaw for her warning.
When Frostpaw learns that Splashtail is intending to kill Duskfur, Icewing, and Mothwing, she, Sunbeam, and Nightheart sneak into RiverClan's camp. They witness Splashtail kill Harelight when the new deputy questions his leader. He appoints Berryheart as his new deputy. Frostpaw realizes they must find Duskfur, Icewing, and Mothwing, and she vows to fight to save her Clan.
==Gallery==
File:FrostpawRiver.webp|Frostpaw on the cover of River
File:FrostpawFactSheet.webp|Frostpaw's fact sheet on the official website
File:FrostpawFamilyTree.webp|Frostpaw's icon on the family tree
==Trivia==
*Frostpaw is the first main series POV character to be a RiverClan cat.
*She is author Kate Cary's favorite of the Starless Clan trio, stating that her soul is "the color of a chilly leaf-bare dawn."
*She was mistakenly described as a white and brown cat (much like Sunbeam) in physical releases of River. This has since been fixed in digital releases.
*Strangely, her eyes are depicted as green on the cover of Shadow.
*She is the first apprentice and - along with Mothwing - the first medicine cat to become a leader, even if her position was only temporary.
*Her favorite food is seemingly salmon.
==External Links==
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