Stonefur

Stonefur is a reoccurring supporting character in the Warriors series. He and his siblings Mistystar and Mosskit were born from a forbidden relationship between Bluestar of ThunderClan and Oakheart of RiverClan. He and Mistystar are taken to RiverClan as kits, and years later Stonefur becomes Leopardstar's first deputy. When Tigerstar takes over RiverClan however, the two siblings and their apprentices are taken prisoner for their half-Clan origins, and Stonefur is later executed. 
== Appearance ==
Stonefur is a sturdy tom with long legs, broad shoulders and a pink nose. He has thick, pale blueish-gray fur and light blue eyes, and his ears are scarred and shredded.
== Biography ==
=== Bluestar's Prophecy ===
Bluefur gives birth to her and Oakheart's kittens, naming them Stonekit, Mistykit and Mosskit after things that remind her of the river. To not risk ThunderClan finding out that the kits were fathered by a RiverClan cat, Bluefur's friend Thrushpelt claims that the litter is his. However, knowing that she must become Sunstar's next deputy to prevent Thistleclaw from rising to power, Bluefur accepts that she must give up her kits, and Oakheart agrees to take them into RiverClan. 
Bluefur and her kits sneak out one snowy night, with her telling them that they're playing a game called "Secret Escape". Stonekit is excited at first and shows his mother that he's learned a hunting crouch, but as the travel through the snow progresses all three kits become cold and tired, asking when they can go home. Soon Mosskit dies of hypothermia, and the other three are forced to carry on without them. Stonekit asks why they're doing this, and his mother tells him that Oakheart is their father, which shocks him and Mistykit. Stonekit retorts that he though Thrushpelt was their father and Mistykit asks how they can be from both ThunderClan and RiverClan, but Bluefur doesn't give an answer. Soon they reach the RiverClan border where Oakheart is waiting, and he takes the two kittens to his camp.
=== The Prophecies Begin ===
==== Forest of Secrets ====
In the prologue, Oakheart arrives in camp with Stonekit and Mistykit, taking them into the nursery where he asks a queen named Graypool to take care of them. She asks where he found the two kits, and he claims that they were abandoned. She doubts this, but agrees to raise the kittens anyways, and Oakheart places them next to her. She bends down to lick one and catches the lingering scent of ThunderClan, wondering if Oakheart had actually stolen the two.
=== Crookedstar's Promise ===
Graypool raises Mistykit and Stonekit, and the Clan believes they were the abandoned kits of a loner or rogue. Mapleshade then tells Oakheart's brother Crookedjaw that the reddish-brown tom is the two kits' father, and when he confronts Oakheart over this, he confirms that the kits were born of him and Bluefur. Crookedjaw is shocked, and Oakheart worries what he'll do to them, but he replies that he won't do anything, and the kits will be safe in RiverClan.
=== The Prophecies Begin (cont.) ===
==== Into the Wild ====
Stonefur and Mistyfoot are now warriors, and during a battle with ThunderClan at Sunningrocks, Stonefur is pinned down by the opposing Clan's deputy Redtail. Oakheart throws Redtail off, stating that no ThunderClan cat is to harm Stonefur.
==== Fire and Ice ====
When RiverClan and ShadowClan team up to drive out WindClan, Stonefur is one of the warriors who participates in the raid. ThunderClan comes to help WindClan, and Stonefur gets into a fight with Fireheart. The ThunderClan warrior throws him off, and just when he's about to retaliate, another ThunderClan warrior named Whitestorm attacks him from behind. Eventually both attackers are driven off, and WindClan is safe.
==== A Dangerous Path ====
After Crookedstar's death, Leopardstar becomes the new leader of RiverClan and appoints Stonefur as her first deputy. During another battle at Sunningrocks against ThunderClan, Stonefur and Mistyfoot corner Bluestar, who refuses to fight back against them. They wonder why she won't attack, and Fireheart reveals that she's their birth mother who had to give them up. Bluestar then tries to talk to her children, but they spit that she's no mother of theirs, leaving her heartbroken. Later, Stonefur and Mistyfoot become the mentors of Stormpaw and Featherpaw respectively, who like them, are half-Clan kits, born to Graystripe and Silverstream.
Later, after Bluestar falls into the gorge while saving her Clan from the dog pack, Fireheart dives in to try and save her, but both begin to sink. Mistyfoot and Stonefur then dive in and rescue them, bringing the two to shore. Bluestar is dying however, and in her last moments she begs her kits to forgive her for giving them up. The forgive her and accept her as their mother, licking her fur gently as she dies.
==== The Darkest Hour ====
Stonefur and Mistyfoot follow Fireheart back to ThunderClan camp, wanting to hold vigil for their mother. Bluestar's body is placed in the leader's den where her kits share tongues with her for the first and last time. Soon the ThunderClan cats find them there and are alarmed, but Fireheart reveals that the two are Bluestar's kids and just want to sit vigil for their mother. Soon after, the two return to RiverClan.
When RiverClan and ShadowClan merge into TigerClan, Stonefur, Mistyfoot, Featherpaw and Stormpaw are taken prisoner for being half-Clan. The four are kept in an old badger den and starved, until one day ShadowClan's leader Tigerstar calls the deputy and apprentices out during a Clan meeting. Tigerstar chastizes Leopardstar for choosing a half-Clan cat as her deputy, and commands Stonefur to prove his loyalty by killing Featherpaw and Stormpaw. He refuses and says that he only takes orders from Leopardstar, but she somberly says that there is no room in TigerClan for divided loyalties, telling him to do as Tigerstar says. Stonefur still refuses though, so Tigerstar orders Darkstripe to kill him in front of everyone. Despite being weak and half-starved though, Stonefur holds his own against Darkstripe, fueled by his determination to not let Stormpaw or Featherpaw get hurt. Tigerstar soon grows tired of waiting for Darkstripe to kill the deputy and sends his own deputy Blackfoot to finish the job. Darkstripe holds Stonefur down while Blackfoot slashes his throat open, quickly killing him. The other prisoners are sent back into the den and the meeting is disbaned, after which Leopardstar regretfully nuzzels Stonefur's body. Firestar, Graystripe and Ravenpaw then free the other three prisoners, letting Mistyfoot share tongues with her dead brother before leaving.
Later, before the battle with BloodClan, Firestar visits StarClan to seek guidance, where he sees the spirits of Stonefur and the WindClan apprentice Gorsepaw.
=== Blackfoot's Reckoning ===
After Tigerstar's death, Blackfoot succeeds him as leader and goes to the Moonstone to get his nine lives from StarClan. He sees Stonefur present at his leadership ceremony, now looking sleek and healthy as opposed to the half-starved cat he was in his final moments. Stonefur visibly looks uncomfortable and doesn't want to be there, and Blackfoot doesn't blame him, deeply regretting killing him. After reminiscing on his death an how they were once deputies together, Blackfoot admits he'd rather have Stonefur as a Clanmate than Darkstripe, saying that he'd a brave and loyal cat despite not being fully born of RiverClan. The black-and-white tom wants desperately to beg him for forgiveness, but stays silent, figuring that anything he could say would feel empty after mercilessly killing the blue-gray tom.
After Bluestar finishes giving Blackfoot his sixth life, Stonefur takes her place to give him his seventh. Stonefur asks if he wants the life he has to offer, and wearily Blackfoot says he does. The two then touch noses, and Stonefur announces that the life his gives is one of integrity, telling him that he needs to use his judgement to lead ShadowClan into a better future. Once the life is given, Stonefur jerks his head back and walks away without a second glance, disappearing into the crowd of StarClan cats, and Blackfoot realizes that the life he's been given isn't a favor, but a curse.
=== Mistystar's Omen ===
Upon Leopardstar's death, Stonefur speaks to Mistyfoot from the shadows during her vigil. She's startled, and he asks if she though he'd miss the night his sister becomes leader, saying he's been watching over her all this time and is proud of her. Mistyfoot says dejectedly that he should be in her place, but he shakes his head and tells her that becoming leader wasn't his destiny. As he begins to disappear, he wishes her well and tells her she'll need to be brave for what lies ahead, assuring her that he'll always be by her side and they'll meet again soon. Mistyfoot tells him to wait, as she doesn't understand what he means, but he soon vanishes. Mistyfoot then wakes up the medicine cat Mothwing and tells her that they need to get to the Moonpool as soon as possible.
At Mistyfoot's leadership ceremony, Stonefur appears to her again to giver her second life; a life of equality. he tells her to use it for fighting against injustice and treat all cats with equal fairness. As she receives the life, she notes that it isn't as painful as the one Graypool had given her moments before, but is instead a wave of strength that builds within her.
Later, after Mistystar's son Reedwhisker is severely wounded by a dog, Stonefur appears beside her, and she worries if he's there to take his nephew to StarClan. Instead, he tells her that Reedwhisker is teetering on life and death, and will need all the help he can get if he is to survive. She begs him to help the medicine cat Willowshine, but he tells her that RiverClan has another medicine cat to help her, referring to Mothwing, who Mistystar demoted upon learning she doesn't believe in StarClan. Mistystar brings Mothwing's lack of faith up, and Stonefur asks if StarClan had taught her how to give birth, wondering if she trusted her instincts. Mistystar admits that her instincts were how she knew how to give birth, not StarClan. Stonefur then begins fading away, whispering that she should trust Mothwing to act on her own instincts as well. He later sends his siter a sign of a moth struggling to fly, but soon getting airborne and flying away, to further encourage her to trust Mothwing.
== Quotes ==
== Trivia ==
* Stonefur was named after Bluestar's first mentor, Stonepelt.
* Graystripe mistakenly calls Stonefur and Mistystar his kits instead of Stormfur and Feathertail on page 452 of Bramblestar's Storm.
* Pouncetail says he misses Stonefur, even though he wasn't born for several moons after his death.
== External links ==
Stonefur on the Warriors Wiki
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