Nightcloud

Nightcloud is a supporting character in the Warriors book series. She is the ex-mate of Crowfeather, who became mates with her to try and repair his reputation after briefly becoming mates with the ThunderClan medicine cat Leafpool. The two had a loveless relationship despite her efforts, but regardless, had a son named Breezepelt together, who Nightcloud is very fond of, though Crowfeather is dismissive towards. After the battle against the Dark Forest, she's taken captive by twolegs, and rescued by Crowfeather. The two then agree that they shouldn't stay mates, but remain friends nonetheless.
== Appearance ==
Nightcloud is a thin, muscular she-cat with sleek black fur and amber eyes. In Winds of Change, she has yellow eyes, as well as a pale lavender nose, inner ears and eye shadow.
== Biography ==
=== The New Prophecy ===
==== Starlight ====
After the forest's destruction, Nightcloud arrives at the lake with the other four Clans. Soon after, WindClan's leader Tallstar dies, and Firestar, the leader of ThunderClan, announces that he's chosen to replace Mudclaw with Onewhisker as the next leader right before he died. This sparks a civil war within the Clan over if Mudclaw or Onewhisker should lead, with Nightcloud being one of several warriors to take the former's side.
During a battle started by Mudclaw, Nightcloud fights on his side against several of her Clanmates. When ThunderClan joins in the battle to help Onewhisker's side, Nightcloud starts fighting with Squirrelflight, and flees as Brambleclaw, the ThunderClan deputy, rushes over to help her opponent. After Mudclaw's death, his supporters retreat.
==== Twilight ====
At the next Gathering, as Onewhisker - now Onestar - announces his leadership, Nightcloud stares up at him with a neutral expression. Later, when badgers raid ThunderClan's camp, WindClan arrives to help, with Onestar and Nightcloud fighting off a badger that was attacking Ashfur.
=== Leafpool's Wish ===
After Crowfeather briefly runs away with the ThunderClan medicine cat Leafpool, he becomes mates with Nightcloud upon returning to the Clan in an attempt to clean up his image. Leafpool sees the two one a border patrol and remembers Nightcloud's hostility towards ThunderClan. The medicine cat asks Crowfeather if he's alright and asks who he's patrolling with, but he replies that it's no one important, twining their tails together. Realizing they're now mates, Leafpool thinks about how Nightcloud must now be the most important cat in Crowfeather's life, and wonders if he secretly still wants things to go back to the way they were with her.
=== The Power of Three ===
==== The Sight ====
Nightcloud and Crowfeather have a litter of three kits, though unfortunately only one survives. This kit, Breezepaw, is now a warrior apprentice. When a pack of dogs attacks camp, she and Owlwhisker are tasked with leading them away, with Brambleclaw, Spiderleg, Ashfur, Berrypaw and Lionpaw arriving to help them. After the dogs are driven away, she comes back to came and sees how Crowfeather treats Breezepaw as if the apprentice can't fulfill his duties, telling her mate that he should have more faith in their son. Upon Breezepaw implying that WindClan could've handled the dog problem without ThunderClan's aid, she tells him that Heatherpaw could've been hurt if their neighbors hadn't helped, looking at Lionpaw.
At the first and last Daylight-Gathering, Breezepaw and Lionpaw are buried in a collapsing badger den while hunting squirrels in a competition. Lionpaw's brother Jaypaw had a vision this would happen and rushes over to help them, with some of the other Clan cats seeing and following him. Nightcloud and Crowfeather reach the two, and Breezepaw's horrified mother helps Jaypaw dig him and Lionpaw out. Afterwards, she fears that her son might die, but Leafpool assures her that he won't. She's relived by this and grateful towards Jaypaw, but feels tense when Leafpool tells Crowfeather that she'd do anything to save his son. She then picks the young apprentice up by the scruff like a kitten and carries him to ThunderClan's medicine den, refusing to let her mate help her. She stays with him and Lionpaw until they recover, telling Jaypaw to go to the next Gathering, as she would be there to watch over them. Once the two apprentices recover, Breezepaw and his mother return home.
==== Dark River ====
Nightcloud goes on patrol with Owlwhisker, Tornear and Harepaw, during which the group spots Leafpool and her apprentice Jaypaw going to speak with Onestar. As the two ThunderClan cats talk to the patrol, Jaypaw senses a bit of envy in Leafpool's voice as she speaks to the black she-cat. Though they have their suspicions, the patrol then takes the two to go see Onestar, with Nightcloud taking up the rear of the group. As Crowfeather speaks with Leafpool, Jaypaw senses that Nightcloud is very angry and jealous, though doesn't know why.
==== Outcast ====
As Crowfeather and Breezepaw prepare to visit the Tribe of Rushing Water in the mountains alongside a large group of cats from the other three Clans, Nightcloud gives them a formal goodbye. She presses up against her mate lovingly, but he just licks her ear apathetically in response, staring into the distance, which disappoints her.
==== Eclipse ====
Nightcloud joins in on an attack against ThunderClan, helping fight a patrol lead by Firestar. As Poppyfrost and Lionpaw converse, she attacks the former viciously. She and all the other Clans retreat soon after when a solar eclipse blots out the sun.
==== Sunrise ====
During a Gathering, the ThunderClan warrior Hollyleaf interrupts the leaders and announces that Squirrelflight and Brambleclaw were not her and her brothers' birth parents like they had claimed. She then reveals that she, Jayfeather and Lionblaze were actually born to Leafpool and Crowfeather, which shocks all the attendees. Crowfeather tries to deny this, claiming that Breezepelt is his only child, but his son and mate hiss at him. As Crowfeather denounces his relationship with Leafpool, Nightcloud's fur bristles, and she appears to want to attack the medicine cat in rage.
=== Omen of the Stars ===
==== Fading Echoes ====
Nightcloud is highly suspicious of two ThunderClan apprentices named Dovepaw and Ivypaw when they sneak into WindClan's camp in the middle of the night to check on Sedgewhisker, who had been attacked by a dog earlier. She accuses them of bringing a battle patrol that disguised their scent, but one of her Clanmates asks rhetorically if she really thinks ThunderClan cats are that smart. She shoots a glare at her Clanmate before slinking away while growling.
==== Night Whispers ====
While out hunting with his parents near the ThunderClan border, Breezepelt catches a thrush, but Lionblaze snatches it. The two get into a fight when Lionblaze refuses to give it back, all while Crowfeather watches silently. Leafpool, Cinderheart and Dovepaw then show up, and the medicine cat yells at Crowfeather for just standing by and watching two of his sons fight. Nightcloud angrily replies that Breezepelt is his only son. Breezepelt then claws at Leafpool, to which Crowfeather drags him off of her, enraging his mother further. As he speaks to the medicine cat, Crowfeather is yanked away by his mate, causing him to hiss at her. Breezepelt then comes between the two, defending the black she-cat. The three then reluctantly agree to let Lionblaze keep the thrush, though as they walk away, Nightcloud swears to the ThunderClan cats that they'll shred them next time.
At the next Gathering, RiverClan's leader Mistystar announces that hunting has been difficult for her Clan ever since the lake had frozen over. Nightcloud growls in response that it'd be a change for RiverClan to go through a famine just like every other Clan during leafbare.
==== The Forgotten Warrior ====
When Hollyleaf returns to ThunderClan after living in the underground tunnels for several moons, Nightcloud and Crowfeather stare at her at the Gathering, with the former scowling and asking if Hollyleaf thinks she's welcome.
==== The Last Hope ====
While Nightcloud, Owlwhisker, Gorsetail and Crouchpaw are hunting, they come across a worn-out Jayfeather, who had just visited RiverClan. He lies that he had fallen into a thorn bush, but the patrol is hostile towards him, blaming him for the death of ShadowClan's medicine cat Flametail. Gorsetail is less aggressive though, and says that Jayfeather needs their help. Owlwhisker decides that they should bring him to the border, and when Gorsetail asks if he can walk that far in the state he's in, Nightcloud replies that she'll just have to drag him if he can't. Once they get to the border, Owlwhisker and Gorsetail tell Nightcloud and Crouchpaw to keep hunting while they bring Jayfeather to ThunderClan camp.
Later, during the battle against the Dark Forest, Breezepelt - who had been training in the Dark Forest unbeknownst to either of his parents in hopes of getting revenge on his father - attacks and nearly kills his half-brother Lionblaze. Crowfeather stops him, telling Breezepelt he won't let him hurt a hair on Lionblaze, to which his so cries out that he always knew he hated him. Crowfeather replies that he never hated him, but that's just what he wanted to believe, and Nightcloud encouraged him. The younger warrior retorts that it isn't his mother's fault before fleeing the battle.
=== Crowfeather's Trial ===
Nightcloud gains her first apprentice in Hootpaw. Meanwhile, as Crowfeather looks back on how Breezepelt turned out, he deflects that Nightcloud had a part in influencing him, but recognizes that she has a right to be so protective, given that he was the only survivor of their litter. Later, she, Crowfeather, Harespring and their apprentices all go hunting, during which there is tension between her and the dark gray tom. When Harespring and Crowfeather fail to catch a rabbit, Nightcloud chases after it, and catches it with Crowfeather's help. Both he and Harespring compliment her on the catch, though she only acknowledges the latter's praise, frustrating the former. Soon after, Hootpaw says he saw a ghost in the underground tunnels, to which his mentor tells him to stop being mouse-brained.
Later still, Crowfeather feels jealous when seeing Nightcloud and Breezepelt spending so much time together, angrily thinking that he'll never be included. After Hootpaw finds a strange white creature in the tunnels, the Clan holds a meeting to discuss what to do about it, during which Breezepelt volunteers to go check it out, and his mother decides to go with him. Onestar then selects a few other cats to go as well, with Crowfeather being one of them, which annoys his mate and son.
The day after, the patrol investigates the tunnels, with Crowfeather harshly protesting Breezepelt's idea of searching together rather than splitting up. Nightcloud asks the dark gray tom why he has to be so harsh towards their son, and the two start an argument about how he's been treating him, with her pointing out how their Clanmates have been ostracizing him ever since he fought for the Dark Forest, even after he's changed his ways. Nightcloud says that they were always at odds because he never loved her, and regrets not being able to bond the three of them together as a family, telling the dark gray tom to love their son like a father and give him the chance to prove his loyalty to WindClan.
As the patrol goes further into the tunnels, Nightcloud and Breezepelt split from the group to search on their own. Soon after, the patrol find that the white creatures Hootpaw had seen are hostile stoats, who attack the cats. As they fight, Breezepelt comes back yowling with more stoats giving chase. Once the stoats are fought off, the patrol realizes that Nightcloud is gone.
Breezepelt and Crowfeather search for Nightcloud, though are unsuccessful, with both worrying for her safety. That night, the dark gray tom has a dream of his mother, Ashfoot, leading him into the tunnels and showing him Nightcloud's wounded body. He wakes up horrified, and goes back to the tunnels during the night to look for her alone, though is once again unsuccessful. Instead, he finds some dried blood and a fox's scent nearby in ThunderClan territory, and assumes that foxes had killed and eaten her. Somberly accepting her supposed death, he goes back to camp to tell everyone what happened, regretting how his last conversation with her was a fight, and how he didn't truly appreciate her.
The night after, Onestar has the Clan hold vigil for Nightcloud, believing her to be dead, while also reassigning Hootpaw to Gorsetail. As Nightcloud's Clanmates say kind words about her, Weaselfur suggests that Breezepelt had been responsible for her death. Several members of the Clan, Breezepelt included, refute this, and an argument starts. After the argument settles, Crowfeather says that they'll all miss her, and her son will always love her.
At the next Gathering, Onestar informs the other Clans of Nightcloud's death, who are shocked and forlorn. Weaselfur then blames Breezepelt for it, which horrifies the other Clans, with some believing his claim. This upsets the young warrior, who retorts that his mother was the only one who loved him unconditionally, and he could never bring himself to hurt her, swearing to kill every last stoat in the tunnels to avenge her.
Later, when Crowfeather asks Kestrelflight if he's seen Nightcloud's spirit in StarClan, and is relived when the medicine cat replies that the spirit of Barkface hadn't seen her anywhere there, realizing she may still be alive. Upon telling Breezepelt, he responds with resolve that they must go find her. Soon after, Onestar banishes Crowfeather for speaking to ThunderClan behind his back about the stoats. A loner named Yew tells him that he'd seen an injured black she-cat with WindClan's scent half a moon ago, and says that her wounds were too bad for him to heal with his herbs, so he sent her to the twolegplace to get help from the twolegs. 
Crowfeather then sneaks into WindClan to tell Breezepelt what happened, and the two set out to find her alongside Heathertail, Gorsetail, Hootpaw and Featherpaw. At the twolegplace, a kittypet tells the search party that Nightcloud had showed up at the twoleg house next door, and that he thought it was strange how she kept talking about WindClan and StarClan. At the neighboring house, the group sees their Clanmate sleeping through the backyard window, wearing a cone on her head and curled up with a fluffy white kittypet tom, which makes Crowfeather feel jealous.
When she wakes up, she's excited to see her Clanmates have come for her, but the white kittypet, named Pickle, tells her that she shouldn't go with them because it took them so long to find her, adding that there's snow outside. She tells Pickle gently that she has to go home, and invites him to come along, though he refuses, saying he has to guard his owners. When she tries to leave though, Pickle tries to stop by calling his owners over, to which they pick up the black she-cat. Enraged, Breezepelt lunges at the twolegs, causing them to drop Nightcloud, and the WindClan cats flee.
Once they're out of the twolegplace, Breezepelt and Heathertail help get the cone off of Nightcloud's head, after which she explains how she has ran out the wrong tunnel exit while escaping the stoats, and had been attacked by foxes before finding Yew. The loner told her to go to the twolegplace, and when she got there, Pickle's owners found her and took her to the vet, where her injuries were healed. She then reveals a large, still-healing wound that she was gives stitches for at the vet, which her Clanmates find strange-looking.
Once the group returns to WindClan camp, Onestar if furious with them for leaving, as stoats had attacked while they were gone. He lambasts them for breaking the code and making him worry, but warmly welcomes Nightcloud back regardless, saying he's glad that she's safe. The leader then tells her to rest while the camp is cleaned up in the aftermath of the attack, but she refuses, saying that all she's been doing as a kittypet was sleeping and eating. She then offers to help Kestrelflight treat injured warriors, which Onestar allows.
Meanwhile, though he's happy that she's alive and well, Crowfeather doesn't know what to say to Nightcloud, and she gets frustrated from him not talking to her. After getting bitten by a stoat, Crowfeather is taken to ThunderClan for treatment, where Leafpool advises him to tell Nightcloud and Breezepelt how much he really cares for and appreciates them. When the black she-cat visits, there's an air of awkwardness between her and Leafpool at first, so the medicine cat gives her and the dark gray tom some time to talkin in private. Nightcloud admits to Crowfeather that she initially didn't want to go back to WindClan when the twolegs took her in, as she loved the affection Pickle and his owners gave her. Feeling terrible for how he treated her, the dark gray tom apologizes for being a bad mate and father, asking if they should get back together again. She says no, as they don't love each other, and possibly never had. Crowfeather then compliments her on her skill and loyalty, and she replies that he isn't so bad himself. The two then agree to just be friends, and that even though they're no longer mates, they can both try their best to get along for their son's sake.
Onestar announces Nightcloud's return at the next Gathering, and the cats of the other Clans happily chant her name. During the battle with the stoats, she and Crowfeather fight side-by-side, with the latter thinking about how well she fights, and that she'll always protect WindClan, with the two being very proud of their son for the strong and valiant warrior he's become. After the stoats are driven out once and for all, Breezepelt is found to be badly wounded, and Nightcloud doesn't leave his side the entire time he's in the medicine den, helping to take care of him, with Heathertail and Crowfeather staying close as well. They're overjoyed when Kestrelflight confirms he'll be ok, with his parents being fondly amused by his and Heathertail's love. The young warrior's wound gets infected soon after however, causing Nightcloud and Crowfeather to fear he may die, with the former telling the latter to go to Jayfeather for help. Jayfeather lends his estranged father some burdock roots, and when he gets back to camp with it, he sees the black she-cat sitting by their son's side, admiring her fierce motherly love and being happy that they had kits together.
Breezepelt's parents are relived once he recovers, and the two progressively begin forming a strong friendship, finding that they quite enjoy each other's company. They are both proud of Breezepelt, and look forward to a bright future, especially after their son and Heathertail have a litter of kits: Smokekit and Brindlekit.
=== Bramblestar's Storm ===
After Amberpaw of ThunderClan falls into a stream, Nightcloud angrily claws at the apprentice's Clanmate Rosepetal when she jumps out at her and Leaftail, accusing her of trespassing into WindClan and demanding she go back to her Clan's side of the border. Brambleclaw - now Bramblestar - agrees with the black she-cat, and tells Rosepetal to go back to the other side.
Later, after a ThunderClan patrol catches a large white bird that a WindClan patrol had been hunting, Nightcloud yowls in frustration. She demands that the other patrol gives the bird over, unsheathing her claws to reveal white feathers as evidence that she and her group had been hunting it first. Hootpaw adds that they need it more since WindClan is having a shortage of rabbits, to which she tells him to be quiet.
=== A Vision of Shadows ===
==== Thunder and Shadow ====
Hootwhisker is now a warrior, and Nightcloud is now the mentor of Brindlepaw, one of her granddaughters. Later, Leafpool and her nephew Alderpaw come to WindClan to ask their medicine cat Kestrelflight to lend some lungwort, as it's the only thing that can cure the wave of yellowcough plaguing ShadowClan. Nightcloud looks nervously at an entrance to a den when the two explain why they're there, to which Alderpaw wonders if it's Onestar's den.
==== Darkest Night ====
At a Gathering, Nightcloud is one of several cat to object when Rowanstar disbands ShadowClan and has his cats move into SkyClan. She yowls that SkyClan must not replace ShadowClan, with Leafpool adding that the two becoming one is not what StarClan intended by leading SkyClan to the lake.
==== River of Fire ====
Nightcloud, Gorsetail and Brindlepaw help ThunderClan evacuate RiverClan when a fire starts in their camp, making a bridge to cross by knocking over a log. After RiverClan gets to safety, their leader Mistystar speaks with Nightcloud and Bramblestar about what should be done next. Nightcloud offers for the Clan to shelter in WindClan for the time being, as their new leader Harestar would be willing to help them out, but they decide to stay in ThunderClan instead. Later, her apprentice becomes a warrior, earning the name Brindlewing.
==== The Raging Storm ====
After SkyClan leaves due to ShadowClan's new leader Tigerstar antagonizing them, The ThunderClan warrior Twigbranch forms a search party including Nightcloud to go bring them back. Nightcloud leads the patrol, saying that a flooded river they come across is too dangerous to cross, and they'll have to find another way past it. The group then rests in a dry cave when a storm starts, gratefully saying that they'll all be cozy when Twigbranch brings in bracken to use as bedding. The black she-cat then asks the younger warrior if she thinks they'll find SkyClan tomorrow, and Twigbranch says she hopes they will. Nightcloud then shares a shrew with Gorsetail and Flypaw. Soon after, the group succeeds in finding SkyClan, and convince them to come back to the lake. Later, Nightcloud watches in horror as the SkyClan warrior Violetshine is swept away in a river, and helps form a cat chain to rescue her.
=== Squirrelflight's Hope ===
When a patrol lead by Squirrelflight catch Breezepelt trespassing on ThunderClan territory, Nightcloud, Sedgewhisker and Hootwhisker come to his defense, shooting a hostile glare towards the ThunderClan warriors. Nightcloud remarks that the other group doesn't look hungry enough to be stealing prey from the moorlands, and asks Squirrelflight if she should be discussing this with Bramblestar first, which angers the ThunderClan deputy. Squirrelflight later briefly spots her in WindClan's camp while visiting.
=== The Broken Code ===
==== Lost Stars ====
Nightcloud appears briefly at a Gathering as the ShadowClan medicine cat apprentice Shadowpaw announces that he's had a vision from the recently inaccessible StarClan, asking him what the voice in his vision said, to which he reveals that it told him codebreakers must face severe punishment.
==== Veil of Shadows ====
When Squirrelflight's ex-mate Ashfur possesses Bramblestar, he convinces Harestar to exile Crowfeather for his codebreaking many years ago. Nightcloud and Breezepelt speak out against this, but fail to convince him to reconsider as the deputy is banished from the Clan. Later, in a battle between the five Clans as well as all the exiled cats, Lionblaze takes one of Harestar's lives. Nightcloud lets out a howl of grief at this, and the cats of WindClan plead with StarClan to revive their leader, fearing that their ancestors' recent silence means he may be permanently dead. After Harestar revives though, he announces that StarClan has told him Bramblestar is possessed, after which all of the cats fighting on his side - Nightcloud included - all turn against him.
=== A Starless Clan ===
==== River ====
On their way to speak with Harestar, Squirrelflight, Sparkpelt and Flamepaw encounter Nightcloud, Oatclaw and Sedgewhisker at the border. Flamepaw, who dislikes his name due to it not reflecting his solid black coat, admires Nightcloud's name. The black she-cat denies the three's request to go to WindClan's camp to talk to their leader, and tells Oatclaw to go bring him to the border instead. She then starts chatting with Squirrelflight until Oatclaw returns, bringing Crowfeather instead of Harestar.
== Trivia ==
* The Ultimate Guide states that Nightcloud never truly loved Crowfeather, but tried her best to out of fear that she may never have kits.
* Author Kate Cary has said that she likes the idea of Nightcloud and Breezepelt running away from WindClan to become rouges, and Crowfeather setting out to find them.
* Her previous names, Nightkit and Nightpaw, were never stated in the books themselves, but rather revealed on the official website.
* She is mistakenly called "Nightpelt" on page 14 of Bramblestar's Storm.
* In Su Susanne's "Missing Kits" series, Nightcloud is said to be the daughter of Crowfur and Larksplash, and the sister of Gorsetail, Webfoot and Whitetail, though this is most likely no longer canon.
== External links ==
Nightcloud on the Warriors Wiki
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