Redtail

Redtail is a dark tortoiseshell tom with a bushy dark ginger tail and amber eyes.
Redtail was a ThunderClan deputy under Bluestar's leadership in the forest territories. He was born as Redkit to Swiftbreeze and Adderfang alongside his sisters, Willowkit and Spottedkit. As an apprentice, Redpaw was mentored by Halftail and felt loyalty to Tigerclaw when the tom saved him from a hawk. However, after becoming a warrior, Redtail realized Tigerclaw's true intentions and stopped having any loyalty towards him. He mentored Mousefur and Dustpelt and later became Bluestar's first deputy. Thereafter, over a battle at Sunningrocks, Tigerclaw murdered Redtail in hopes of becoming deputy. Redtail ascended to StarClan and thanked Fireheart for revealing the truth over his death, giving him one of his nine lives. He took part in the battle against the Dark Forest, and, later, he ventured into the Dark Forest to help defeat Ashfur.
==History==
===The Prophecies Begin===
:Redtail is the deputy of ThunderClan, and his apprentice is Dustpaw. During a RiverClan attack at Sunningrocks, Redtail's patrol is overwhelmed, and knowing they cannot win, he orders a retreat. A second battle takes place some time later, where Redtail is killed by Tigerclaw. Tigerclaw tells ThunderClan that Redtail had died at the paws of Oakheart, RiverClan's deputy, before he was also killed. However, Tigerclaw's apprentice, Ravenpaw, witnesses Tigerclaw murder Redtail and reveals the truth to Firepaw and Graypaw. Fireheart shares his concerns about the dark tabby tom with Bluestar, and although the leader initially does not believe him, Fireheart brings the truth about Tigerclaw's treachery to light after the latter's attempts to kill Bluestar. Redtail appears in StarClan, giving Firestar his second life, the life of justice, and thanks Fireheart for revealing Tigerclaw's treachery and giving him peace. 
===Omen of the Stars===
:Redtail partakes in the Great Battle and helps the Clans fight back the Dark Forest, reuniting with his friends from when he was alive. As he witnesses Firestar's death, Jayfeather tells ThunderClan of Firestar's lives, one of which being him, and afterwards, Redtail helps bring Firestar to StarClan.
===The Broken Code===
:
===Super Editions===
:In Bluestar's Prophecy, Redkit is born to Adderfang and Swiftbreeze's second litter along with his sisters, Willowkit and Spottedkit. He is apprenticed to Sparrowpelt and trains along with Willowpaw to become a warrior, while their other sister, Spottedpaw, becomes a medicine cat apprentice. He later becomes Bluestar's deputy when she becomes leader.
===Novellas===
:In Redtail's Debt, Tigerclaw saves Redpaw from being killed by a hawk, and as the latter frantically thanks his Clanmate, Tigerclaw insists that Redpaw owes him his life in return. Now a warrior, Redtail and Tigerclaw discover Sorrelpaw, a WindClan apprentice, accidentally trespassing on ThunderClan territory. Tigerclaw manipulates the incident to Sunstar, who agrees to launch an attack on WindClan's camp. Redtail struggles between staying loyal to Tigerclaw and speaking out against the injustice. He finds his courage during the raid when Bluefur is gravely injured, and Redtail calls a retreat. He and Tigerclaw begin a bitter rivalry, which heightens when Redtail becomes Bluestar's deputy. During a patrol to Sunningrocks, RiverClan attacks, and Redtail accidentally kills the RiverClan deputy, Oakheart. However, once the battle subsides, Tigerclaw murders Redtail in order for him to become deputy. Sunstar takes him to StarClan where the former ThunderClan leader tells him that fire will save the Clan, referring to the newcomer, Firepaw.
==Detailed description==
:Redtail is a small, dark, dappled tortoiseshell tom with amber eyes. He has a distinctive, bushy dark ginger tail as red as fox fur, and feathered ears.
==Character pixels==
===Main images===
===Alternate image===
==Official art==
==Killed victims==
*Sunfish (Indirectly caused)
==Ceremonies==
===Lives granted===
==Personality==
:
==Relationships==
===Tigerstar===
:As an apprentice, Redtail admired Tigerclaw for his apparent Clan loyalty and of course, his strength, as many young cats did. After an incident with a hawk, Tigerclaw makes Redtail, then Redpaw, believe he is in debt for his life to the tabby. Over countless moons, Redtail sticks close to the tom, but, after an incident at the Fourtrees border, begins to question Tigerclaw's own nature and if he'd become loyal like the tabby wanted him to be. Redtail continues to learn that Tigerclaw has other intentions and the tabby also becomes a lot blunter towards him as time passes. Eventually, Tigerclaw confronts him and calls him a coward, but, Redtail doesn't feel any loss at the conflict and is finally glad he can be the loyal cat he is to ThunderClan instead.
:After Redtail becomes ThunderClan's deputy, he constantly deals with Tigerclaw attempting to undermine his position. Eventually, this leads to one final conflict for Sunningrocks where Tigerclaw takes his chance and kills Redtail in cold blood. As coherent as he can be, Redtail questions why the tabby would kill him and Tigerclaw bluntly tells him because he was in the way of his own quest for power.
===Bluestar===
:Redtail was Bluestar's first deputy, and served under her for countless moons. The two often shared similar opinions when it came to what was right for ThunderClan and when a fight was deemed necessary. However, she wasn't above seeking advice outside of his own sometimes, despite agreeing with him. Following his death, Bluestar sits with his body through the night to sit vigil for him. Many of ThunderClan's elders note that his death would come as hard blow due to his long status as her deputy. 
:In his death, as Fireheart begins to uncover the truth of his murder, Bluestar defends Redtail's honor against some unknowingly wrong accusations that are made against him. Fireheart notes that the memory of Redtail's death seemed to cause her pain when she defends him.
===Halftail===
:Halftail, as Sparrowpelt, was Redtail's mentor. He shows much concern for his apprentice following a hawk attack, ensuring that he is alright after the incident. Even going to the trouble of picking him up to move him from harm's way, despite Redpaw's protests. Upon completing his training, Sparrowpelt watches his former apprentice with pride and Redtail is glad that he had made the tom proud.
===Dustpelt===
:Dustpaw was Redtail's apprentice. He was an eager apprentice for the deputy, wishing he could accompany Redtail and his patrol to Sunningrocks to fight for their Clan. However, Dustpaw would obediently listen to his mentor, despite the upset it would cause him at the time. Redtail tried to make it up to him with a promise to hunt when he returned from the rocks. Sadly, Redtail was killed before he could fulfill his promise to his apprentice, and the thought lingers in his head as he succumbs to his injuries. 
:The young apprentice was distraught when Redtail's body was returned to camp and was one of the close few who sat vigil for him. When it is revealed that Tigerclaw murdered Redtail, Dustpelt is one of the few that the older tabby asks to follow him into exile. Dustpelt tells the tom that as much as he looked up to him, Redtail had been his mentor and that was who he owed more to instead.
===Firestar===
:Redtail never formally met Firestar while he was alive, however, was present at the tom's leadership ceremony and gifted him the life of justice. He thanked the ginger tom for bringing Tigerstar's treachery to light and revealing the truth of his death.
==Family==
:Redtail's parents are Swiftbreeze and Adderfang. His littermates are Willowpelt and Spottedleaf, and Leopardfoot and Patchpelt are his older siblings. For more of Redtail's family, click here!
==Appearances==
==Trivia==
===Interesting facts===
*He has SkyClan blood, because he and his sisters, Spottedleaf and Willowpelt, are SkyClan descendants.
===Mistakes===
*He has been mistakenly described as russet and red.
*In The Last Hope, it is said that he gave Firestar a life of courage, when he really gave him a life of justice, and Lionheart gave him courage.
*There is a major inconsistency in Redtail's Debt, where Redtail physically kills Oakheart, whereas in Forest of Secrets, Oakheart is said to have died from a rockfall.
*In Redtail's Debt, he is hinted to be a young apprentice when at the time, he is about twelve moons old.According to Bluestar's Prophecy, Redtail is born in leaf-fall (as revealed on pages 334 + 362), and he is mentioned to be an apprentice in the leaf-fall the year after (as revealed on page 403). Redtail's Debt reveals it takes place in that particular leaf-fall, (as revealed in chapter 1, as well as events such as Whitestorm and Tigerclaw revealing to be new warriors syncing up to Bluestar's Prophecy events), so he is twelve moons old at that period.
**This could be due to him not becoming an apprentice until later on rather than the traditional six moons, but this is not touched upon.
===Continuity===
*Vicky has previously stated that Redtail and Brindleface are Sandstorm's parents.Revealed on Vicky's Facebook However, this is not shown on the Warriors website family tree, or indicated in any of the books, including Redtail's Debt. In addition, Brindleface and Redtail were originally shown as mates on the Warrior Cats website family tree, but it was later removed.
*Spottedleaf and Redtail are siblings in Bluestar's Prophecy. However, Spottedleaf is explicitly described as young, and Redtail as a veteran in The Prophecies Begin.
==Quotes==
==External links==
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==Notes and references==
cs:Rudochda:Rødhalede:Rotschweifes:Cola Rojafi:Punahäntäfr:Plume Rousseit:CodaRossako:레드테일lv:Sarkanastenl:Roodstaartno:Rødhalepl:Rudy Ogonpt-br:Rabo Vermelhoro:Coadă Roșieru:Ярохвостsv:Rödsvansuk:Рудохвіст
Category:Toms
Category:ThunderClan cats
Category:Deputies
Category:StarClan cats
Category:Warriors
Category:Mentors
Category:Deceased characters
Category:Place of No Stars visitors
Category:Main characters
Category:Point of view characters