Squirrelflight (Warriors)

Squirrelstar - formerly known as Squirrelflight - is one of the main protagonists of Erin Hunter's Warriors book franchise. She is the current leader of ThunderClan, with Ivypool as her deputy. She is a daughter of the legendary Firestar and Sandstorm, as well as the sister of Leafpool, mate of Brambleclaw, mother of Alderheart, Sparkpelt, Juniperkit and Dandelionkit, and adoptive mother of Hollyleaf, Jayfeather and Lionblaze.
She serves as one of the main protagonists of The New Prophecy, a minor character in the super edition Firestar's Quest, a major protagonist in the Power of Three and Omen of the Stars, a supporting protagonist in A Vision of Shadows, the deuteragonist in The Broken Code and a novella Leafpool's Wish and the titular main protagonist of the super edition Squirrelflight's Hope.
== History==
Squirrelstar is born to Firestar and Sandstorm as Squirrelkit. She convinces Brambleclaw to let her come on the journey, to which he reluctantly agrees. The two ThunderClan cats set out on their journey with Feathertail and Stormfur of RiverClan, Crowpaw of WindClan, and Tawnypelt of ShadowClan.
Squirrelpaw is quick-thinking and brave, often coming up with good ideas. She earns every cat's respect with her courage, particularly Brambleclaw. Squirrelpaw's connection with Leafpaw is useful and she is able to recall important herbs to heal Tawnypelt's infected rat bite, as well as letting Leafpaw know she was safe.
After hearing Midnight's message, the six cats return home to their Clans. When they return, they are shocked to see how the forest had been destroyed and that their Clans starving. She and Brambleclaw, having fallen in love, help lead the Clans on the Great Journey to the lake territories. Firestar rewards her with her warrior name, Squirrelflight, for her courage and service to the Clans. While the Clans settle into their new territories, Brambleclaw becomes very close to Hawkfrost. Squirrelflight distrusts Hawkfrost and their relationship greatly, and after multiple arguments with Brambleclaw, they break up. She finds comfort in her friend, Ashfur, though she does not reciprocate the romantic feelings he has for her. When Brambleclaw saves her father, Firestar from a fox trap set by Hawkfrost, she grows to trust Brambleclaw again because of his loyalty, becoming mates shortly after.
Squirrelflight becomes the mother of Jaykit, Lionkit and Hollykit, and raises them affectionately along with her mate. She and her family journey to assist the Tribe in the the mountains, and Squirrelflight eventually mentors Foxleap as her first apprentice. Ashfur never forgave her for choosing Brambleclaw over him, and he confronts her in a fire and threatens to kill her kits as revenge, but Squirrelflight reveals that Jayfeather, Lionblaze and Hollyleaf are not her kits. They were originally born to Leafpool and Crowfeather, but she had raised them to hide her sister's secret. Despite Squirrelflight and Leafpool's wishes, Hollyleaf reveals the truth at a Gathering. Brambleclaw is furious that he was lied to, cutting ties with Squirrelflight.
Her second apprentice, Rosepetal, has become a warrior. Brambleclaw still has not forgiven Squirrelflight, and things remain tense and awkward between the two. Squirrelflight spends her time with her sister, who stepped down from her medicine cat duties, and trying to earn her adopted kits' forgiveness. She still cares for Lionblaze and Jayfeather, despite them wanting nothing to do with her. Squirrelflight is chosen to once again journey to the Tribe, and she comforts Jayfeather when he is accused of murdering Flametail. After the Great Battle, Brambleclaw becomes leader and appoints Squirrelflight to be his deputy as a display of forgiveness.
Squirrelflight and Bramblestar have a litter of kits, Alderkit, Sparkkit, Dandelionkit, and Juniperkit. Juniperkit and Dandelionkit die shortly after they're born, but Alderkit and Sparkkit grow up to be a medicine cat and warrior respectively. She is protective of her two surviving kits, but allows them to journey to find SkyClan. She participates in the battle to drive out Darktail and the Kin, and welcomes SkyClan to the lake.
In Squirrelflight's Hope, hoping to settle border disputes between the Clans, Squirrelflight and Leafstar travel outside Clan borders to find a suitable home for SkyClan. They discover the Sisters, a strange yet friendly group of she-cats, who plan to leave their territory once Moonlight's kits were weaned. Squirrelflight's strong desire to have another litter and her sense of justice for the Sisters drives a wedge between her and Bramblestar, who is trying to stabilize the fragile peace. She and Bramblestar find a brief serenity while nurturing for Sparkpelt's two kits after Larksong and Flickerkit pass away. When the other Clans decide to forcefully drive out the Sisters, Squirrelflight and Leafpool have a terrible dream forewarning them about Moonlight's kits. They help Moonlight deliver her kits, but the outnumbered Sisters fiercely defend their camp from the Clan warriors. While saving Moonlight's kits during a cave in, Squirrelflight and Leafpool are fatally injured and walk in StarClan. Determined to return to Bramblestar and Sparkpelt, Squirrelflight chooses to return to ThunderClan. She wakes up from her coma. She and Bramblestar reconcile, and the Clan mourns for Leafpool.
Squirrelflight takes over Bramblestar's duties as he falls ill, and when he dies, she is overcome with grief, refusing to take up leadership. When he is revived, she is overjoyed, returning to her position as deputy. She later becomes suspicious of the way her mate is acting towards the codebreakers. When Rootpaw and Bristlefrost tell her that Bramblestar is a ghost and ThunderClan's leader is an impostor, she tries to inform the other Clans, but her plot is discovered by the impostor, who exiles her. Squirrelflight goes to ShadowClan and informs Tigerstar, who allows her to stay in ShadowClan until the impostor is dealt with. She helps lead the exiled cats, and is heavily adamant about keeping the impostor alive until Bramblestar can be restored to his body. She also fakes her death to make the impostor stop looking for her. During the battle with ShadowClan, she leads the rebels into battle, and upon seeing her, the impostor is subdued and defeated by Tigerstar.
Squirrelflight then becomes ThunderClan's acting leader, choosing Lionblaze as her deputy. At a Gathering, after contemplating the impostor's actions and personality, she realizes his true identity. She tells her clan that she believes that he is Ashfur. In "Darkness Within" Ashfur kidnapped Squirrelflight through the Moonpool and sent her to The Place of No Stars.
==Physical Appearance==
Squirrelstar is a dark ginger cat with forest green eyes, glossy fur, one white forepaw, a torn ear tip and a long, bushy, squirrel-like tail. She has a scar.
== Personality and traits==
Squirrelstar is a complex cat. She is passionate, resilient, brave, clever, helpful, independent, feisty, scrappy, selfless, compassionate and expressive. When she was younger, she was very talkative, obnoxious, impulsive and enthusiastic.
Although she has matured significantly, Squirrelstar can still be impulsive and stressful at times. She can also be stubborn; once she decides to do something, she does it, and will not be dissuaded even by those closest to her. Despite this, she is also quite smart and wise. She is very supportive towards Leafpool and loyal to her Clan. Squirrelstar is merciful and respectful towards the Sisters, despite having not known them for long. She is compassionate and merciful towards any kitten, regardless of where they are from.
Squirrelstar has a fiery spirit and has been compared to fire.
==Relationships==
===Leafpool===
Squirrelstar and her sister Leafpool share a very close relationship, despite being polar opposites in both appearance and personality. They have the ability to understand each other. Leafpool thinks that Squirrelstar is an amazing sister.
When Leafpool has a forbidden litter of kits, Squirrelflight, after much convincing, agrees to pretend to be their real mother, so as to save Leafpool from losing her position in the Clan and her kits from being punished for their mother's mistakes. When the truth is finally revealed, the two sisters support each other, and Squirrelflight tries to explain why she had to help Leafpool. 
Squirrelflight and Leafpool keep each other company during the next two years, while the most of the Clan shuns and distrusts them. After finally being forgiven, the two sisters spend many moons as deputy and  medicine cat of ThunderClan, and Leafpool supports Squirrelflight during the conflict with the Sisters. However, Leafpool and Squirrelflight end up buried in a rockslide, and go to StarClan. There, they are reunited with Hollyleaf and Firestar and Sandstorm, and Leafpool is happy. However, Squirrelflight wants to get back to her Clan. Squirrelflight survives in the end, and her spirit returns to her body, but Leafpool dies, and Squirrelflight mourns for her sister.
===Brambleclaw===
Squirrelstar's relationship with her mate Brambleclaw has gone through many ups and downs. When they were young, they were at odds and would often argue, occasionally almost to the point of violence. However, during the journey to the sun-drown place, Squirrelpaw and Brambleclaw grow closer and become friends. Eventually, their friendship turns into love and they are thinking of becoming mates. However, when Brambleclaw befriends his half-brother Hawkfrost, their relationship becomes strained due to Squirrelflight's distrust for the power-hungry tom. After multiple arguments, they break up and Squirrelflight spends time with Ashfur instead. However, Squirrelflight eventually realizes that, for all his faults, Brambleclaw is the right cat for her because he matches her fiery personality. They reconcile and become mates.
When asked to pretend to be the mother of Leafpool's forbidden kits, Squirrelflight initially refuses because she would be betraying Brambleclaw's trust. However, she is eventually convinced that it is the only option to protect Leafpool and her kits, and reluctantly agrees to deceive the entire Clan, including Brambleclaw, for the rest of her life.
For seasons, Squirrelflight and Brambleclaw raise these kits together and love them dearly. When Squirrelflight is gravely injured in a battle with WindClan, Brambleclaw proves his love and loyalty to her by staying by her side. However, when Squirrelflight's deception about Jayfeather, Lionblaze and Hollyleaf's parentage is finally revealed, Brambleclaw feels deeply betrayed and breaks up with Squirrelflight, much to her distraught.
For at least two years, Squirrelflight and Brambleclaw barely speak to each other, although the latter occasionally shuts the former down when she speaks out in public, much to her shock and sadness. Despite standing by her decision to lie to everyone, Squirrelflight still loves Brambleclaw and deeply regrets the pain she has caused him. At least once, when going on a journey, she asks him a question, wanting him to answer in a way that proves he still cares for her, and is disappointed when he responds indifferently.
After learning of the prophecy, Squirrelflight and Brambleclaw finally make amends, and the latter makes the former his deputy. They eventually becomes mates again and have kits of their own.
However, their relationship later becomes strained yet again when Squirrelflight longs for more kits and seems to favor the Sisters over her own Clan, causing many arguments between them. After Squirrelflight returns from StarClan, the two reconcile. They mourn for each other if one of the pair is ever hurt.
===Ashfur===
Enemies. Many moons ago after moving to the lake territories, the two developed a friendship. However, Ashfur wanted to spend an increasing amount of time with Squirrelflight, usually being the first to approach her. Ashfur became overprotective of Squirrelflight. When Ashfur’s romantic feelings became clear, Squirrelflight briefly questioned her own feelings, but wanted to remain friends. Although Squirrelflight explained this as kindly as she could, Ashfur wouldn't accept her answer. Ashfur became very bitter when he found out that she and Bramblestar were mates. Squirrelflight wasn't sure if she could ever forgive Ashfur for how he had tried to harm her sister and her sisters' kits. Squirrelflight noticed his obsession with her. He had forced Squirrelflight into the Place of No Stars so that they would be stuck together for as long as he wanted, against her will.
==Quotes==
==Gallery==
File:DawnReprint.webp|Squirrelpaw on the reprinted cover of Dawn
File:DarknessWithinCover.webp|Squirrelflight on the cover of Darkness Within
File:SquirrelkitRavenpawsPath.webp|Squirrelkit in Ravenpaw's Path
File:SquirrelflightCodeOfTheClans.webp|Squirrelflight in Code of the Clans
File:SquirrelflightTheUltimateGuide.webp|Squirrelflight in The Ultimate Guide
File:SquirrelflightFactSheet.webp|Squirrelflight's fact sheet on the official website
File:SquirrelflightFamilyTree.webp|Squirrelflight's icon on the family tree
==Trivia==
*Moonlight's daughter Squirrel is named after her.
*Squirrelkit was named for her bushy tail, and initially her father wanted her warrior name to be Squirreltail because of this.
*Fittingly, her favorite type of fresh-kill is young squirrels.
*Squirrelstar is one of author Kate Cary's least favorite characters, saying she wanted anyone but her to become deputy. When asked what she would change about the series, she replied that Squirrelstar and Brambleclaw wouldn't get together, as she finds their relationship dull.
==External Links==
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