Thornclaw

Thornclaw is a supporting protagonist in Erin Hunter’s Warriors book series.
He is a warrior from ThunderClan who is renowned for having a sharp tongue and pride in his blood, and for distrusting strangers and questioning authority. He is one of the most recognizable characters from ThunderClan, being alive ever since the first arc, where he begins his apprenticeship, up until the eighth, where he has become an elder after serving his Clan for a long time as a senior warrior.
== History ==
Thornclaw is born to Frostfur and Lionheart alongside his brother Brackenfur and his sisters Cinderpelt and Brightheart. He is apprenticed to Mousefur as Thornpaw and later earns his warrior name Thornclaw. Shortly after that, he fights in the battle against BloodClan. Following the Clans’ victory, he is given Sootpaw as his first apprentice, after the latter’s former mentor Longtail was blinded by a rabbit.
After Sootfur becomes a warrior, Thornclaw earns Shrewpaw as his second apprentice. However, he is hit and killed by a car while chasing a pheasant for the Clan during a period of starvation. Following the destruction of the forest, Thornclaw accomplishes the Great Journey alongside his clanmates and settles with ThunderClan around the lake. During Mudclaw’s rebellion, he sides with Onewhisker like Firestar and most of his clanmates in the battle for leadership over WindClan. He later defends the ThunderClan camp against the badgers.
Thornclaw later becomes a mentor to his niece Poppypaw, his brother Brackenfur’s daughter. He reacts warily to Millie’s will to keep her kittypet name as a ThunderClan warrior. He finishes Poppypaw’s training, and the latter becomes a warrior under the name Poppyfrost. Soon after, he is one of the first ThunderClan cats to become sick during the greencough outbreak that takes away one of Firestar’s lives, though he eventually recovers. Following Ashfur’s murder, Thornclaw is among the first cats convinced that WindClan are the culprit, and he insists on attacking them in retaliation, though Firestar quickly turns him down.
Thornclaw earns his fourth and last apprentice, Briarpaw, and is saddened when her spine is crushed by a falling tree, leaving her paralyzed. He often goes to check on her in the medicine den and he cheers up when she is given her warrior name, Briarlight, despite her injuries. During the battle for the border against ShadowClan, he leads a patrol with Brackenfur to successfully outflank the enemy. It is later revealed that he is among the ThunderClan warriors who train in the Dark Forest at night. Still, he decides to fight on the Clans’ side and leads a patrol to the ShadowClan camp, being the only ThunderClan trainee (along with Ivypool) who jumps into battle without hesitating.
After the victory of the Clans over the Dark Forest, he is resented by his clanmates for his training in the Place of No Stars. However, after taking a new oath of loyalty to ThunderClan, he is forgiven. When the lake overflows, he is the one to warn Bramblestar about the danger, prompting the latter to evacuate the camp. Thornclaw later becomes mates with Blossomfall, who was also trained in the Dark Forest. She gives him a litter of four kits: Stemkit, Plumkit, Shellkit, and Eaglekit. He takes part in the battle to drive the Kin out of the lake territories and comes back alive. He disagrees to SkyClan settling around the lake, refusing to let go of some territory to make room for them. He also sees Tree’s role as a mediator with suspicion.
His siblings Brackenfur and Brightheart eventually retire to the elders’ den, leaving him as the oldest warrior in ThunderClan. He strongly disagrees with the false Bramblestar’s new harsh rules against the codebreakers and reassures Bristlefrost about StarClan’s disappearance. Thornclaw is disillusioned when Bramblestar’s impostor is revealed to be his former friend and clanmate Ashfur. Displeased by the way ThunderClan is ruled under Squirrelflight, and especially resentful for the nepotism in the Clan (Squirrelflight being Firestar’s daughter and Bramblestar’s mate, and having named her nephew Lionblaze as her deputy), Thornclaw publicly challenges Squirrelflight’s and Lionblaze’s leadership, blaming them for not standing up to the impostor’s decisions sooner, resulting in dysfunctionalities within ThunderClan. He then decides to wander away from ThunderClan for a while. He follows Graystripe, Flipclaw, Flywhisker and Snaptooth on a journey of self-reflection but abruptly leaves them, wanting to ponder on his own. Yet he goes back to ThunderClan only after a quarter-moon.
Feeling his age, Thornclaw eventually becomes an elder, though he still takes part in Clan discussions as a former senior warrior. He debates on the changes to the warrior code with his clanmates and on Bramblestar's decision to step down from his position as ThunderClan’s leader.
== Appearance ==
Thornclaw is a golden-brown tabby tom with pale blue eyes. He has thin fur and a lighter belly than the rest of his body.
== Personality ==
Thornclaw starts off as an earnest and obedient apprentice, who only grows frustrated when Cloudtail is made a warrior before him, despite having started his training roughly at the same time. He is devastated when his sister Brightpaw is maimed and his denmate Swiftpaw is killed by the dog pack.
As a warrior, Thornclaw acquires more confidence in himself and is often seen arguing with Firestar over his decision making. He resembles Dustpelt in the way he disapproves of the presence of strangers within ThunderClan, and he is especially wary of cats from outside the Clans. Thornclaw is somewhat aggressive and blunt, and he never hesitates to speak his mind even if it may hurt others. He is also kind of a warmonger, as he is often willing to fight other Clans in the name of ThunderClan’s honor. For example, he is among the first to want to attack WindClan to get revenge for Ashfur’s murder.
Despite his hot-blooded nature and tendency to snap at others, Thornclaw is patient with his apprentices. Overall, he is a loyal and useful warrior who follows orders even when he disagrees with them. He is brave enough to jump into the deadliest battles for the sake of his Clan and he respects his clanmates and his leader, even though he likes to question their actions and decisions.
== Trivia ==
* Thornclaw is the first character whose warrior name was given by Firestar as ThunderClan’s new leader.
* His description often varies between books, and his appearance is sometimes confused with that of his brother Brackenfur.
* He is much older than his mate Blossomfall, being already a senior warrior at the time she was born.
== External Links ==
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