Thornclaw

Thornclaw is a golden-brown tabby tom with pale blue eyes.
Thornclaw is a ThunderClan elder who has served under Bramblestar's and Squirrelstar's leaderships in the lake territories, and previously served as a warrior under Firestar, Bramblestar, the impostor, Squirrelflight, Lionblaze, and Graystripe in the forest and lake territories. He was born to Lionheart and Frostfur alongside Cinderpelt, Brackenfur, and Brightheart. He and his siblings were captured by ShadowClan, but were later rescued by a ThunderClan patrol and ShadowClan's elders. He was apprenticed to Mousefur as Thornpaw. After becoming a warrior, Thornclaw mentored Sootfur, Shrewpaw, Poppyfrost, and Briarlight. As a senior warrior, Thornclaw was recruited by the Place of No Stars; however, he fought for the Clans during the Great Battle and was forgiven by his Clanmates. He became mates with Blossomfall, his fellow Dark Forest trainee, becoming the father of Eaglekit, Plumkit, Shellkit, and Stemkit. Noted to be bossy with eyes on ThunderClan's leadership, Thornclaw sided with the impostor during his crackdown on the codebreakers. Following the impostor's defeat, Thornclaw grew frustrated with ThunderClan's leadership, and briefly decided to leave the Clan to wander, unsure if he wanted to remain in ThunderClan, but eventually returned after a quarter-moon. He later retired to the elders' den. 
==History==
===The Prophecies Begin===
:He and his littermates are abducted by Clawface of ShadowClan, but rescued by ShadowClan elders and a ThunderClan patrol. He later goes into apprenticeship, his mentor being Mousefur. During this time, he grows frustrated that Cloudpaw gets to become a warrior before him, despite him being older. However, he disagrees with Swiftpaw's plan to try and find out what was taking ThunderClan's prey, and is devastated when Brightpaw is maimed and Swiftpaw is killed by dogs. He and Cloudtail try to console his sister as often as possible. When Firestar becomes leader, Thornpaw is the very first cat he makes a warrior. Thornclaw later participates in the battle against BloodClan. 
===The New Prophecy===
:Thornclaw's apprentice, Shrewpaw, is killed on the Thunderpath trying to catch a pheasant for his starving Clan during the destruction of the forest. Thornclaw makes the Great Journey with the rest of his Clan, leaving his mother, Frostfur, behind with many other elders. He voices his displeasure with ShadowClan trying to move borders and takes part in a battle as one of Onewhisker's loyalists during Mudclaw's rebellion. His sister, Cinderpelt, is killed when badgers attack, protecting Brackenfur's mate as she kitted.
===Power of Three===
:Now mentoring his niece, Poppypaw, Thornclaw objects to Millie keeping her kittypet name. He falls sick to greencough during the epidemic that ravages ThunderClan, but recovers. When Ashfur is killed, Thornclaw says that there is a need to stir up trouble because a ThunderClan warrior is dead and tries to make plans to attack WindClan for revenge, but is shut down almost immediately by Firestar.
===Omen of the Stars===
:He becomes the mentor to Briarpaw, who unfortunately gets her spine crushed by a falling tree. Thornclaw often visits her in the medicine cats' den and is happy when she gains a warrior name, Briarlight. He later takes part in the battle of the ShadowClan border, leading ThunderClan with Brackenfur to outflank ShadowClan and reclaim ThunderClan's old strip of clearing. Lionblaze discovers him to be training in the Place of No Stars, but despite this, Thornclaw fights for the Clans during the Great Battle, leading a battle patrol to assist ShadowClan.
===A Vision of Shadows===
:Thornclaw has become mates with Blossomfall, who bears his kits, Stemkit, Plumkit, Shellkit, and Eaglekit. He participates in the fight to drive out the Kin and disagrees with SkyClan staying at the lake and Tree's role as mediator. His kits later become apprentices.
===The Broken Code===
:His littermates, Brackenfur and Brightheart, have now retired to the elders' den and Thornclaw is now ThunderClan's eldest warrior. His kits are now warriors with the names Stemleaf, Plumstone, Shellfur, and Eaglewing. He is stunned with several of Bramblestar's new rules to the warrior code and disagrees with the punishing of the codebreakers. He reassures Bristlefrost that StarClan will return sooner or later when the latter is worried, reciting his time in the Dark Forest. However, Thornclaw's faith in ThunderClan is shaken after the impostor is defeated and revealed to be Ashfur. Squirrelflight becomes ThunderClan's acting leader, and Thornclaw displays his displeasure for the nepotism in ThunderClan's leadership, citing how Squirrelflight and her temporary deputy Lionblaze are kin of Firestar and Bramblestar. He challenges Lionblaze as ThunderClan's deputy and questions if ThunderClan's troubles would even exist if they had challenged Ashfur sooner. He, Graystripe, Flipclaw, Flywhisker, and Snaptooth decide to leave ThunderClan on a wander to reflect about being a Clan cat. Squirrelflight allows them, but only giving them a moon to decide if they wish to remain ThunderClan warriors. However, Thornclaw returned to ThunderClan after a quarter-moon.
===A Starless Clan===
:Thornclaw is now an elder, though still participates in Clan discussions as a senior warrior. He debates on the changes to the warrior code with his Clanmates, recalling the days of Brokenstar and Nightstar in the old forest, and Bramblestar's decision to step down. He recalls his time training in the Dark Forest.
===Super Editions===
:In Firestar's Quest, after Longtail's eyes are injured, Firestar believes Thornclaw should take over Sootpaw's training after seeing how well the two work together on a dawn patrol. He brings it up with Longtail, who agrees and he believes Thornclaw will be a fine mentor.
:In Graystripe's Vow, following the impostor's defeat, Thornclaw adamantly challenges ThunderClan's leadership under Squirrelflight and Lionblaze and cites continual nepotism in the leadership lineage. Thornclaw believes if they had challenged the impostor earlier, then the Clan wouldn't be dysfunctional. He decides to go on a wander along with Graystripe, Snaptooth, Flipclaw, and Flywhisker and abruptly leaves the group to go on his own to reflect if he wants to stay in ThunderClan.
===Novellas===
:In Dovewing's Silence, Thornclaw and the other Dark Forest trainees are resented by the other Clans, though they fought for them during the battle. He, along with the other trainees, take a new oath of loyalty to their Clan, and are forgiven.
==Character pixels==
===Main images===
===Alternate images===
==Official art==
==Ceremonies==
==Family==
:Thornclaw's parents are Lionheart and Frostfur and his littermates are Cinderpelt, Brackenfur, and Brightheart. His mate is Blossomfall, and Stemleaf, Eaglewing, Plumstone, and Shellfur are their children. For more of Thornclaw's family, click here!
==Appearances==
==Trivia==
===Interesting facts===
*He is the very first cat Firestar made a warrior.
*In the reprinted version of The Last Hope, Mousewhisker replaces Thornclaw on a patrol with Blossomfall, Lionblaze, and Cinderheart, where Lionblaze wonders if Mousewhisker and Blossomfall will soon become mates.Revealed in the reprint of The Last Hope, chapter 4
*James Barry confirmed Thornclaw's appearance in Winds of Change.
===Author statements===
*Vicky has commented about the possibility of Lionheart fathering Frostfur's kits,Revealed on Vicky's Facebook and at least once that Lionheart never fathered kits.Revealed on Vicky's Facebook 
**However, Lionheart indeed being Frostfur's mate and the father of her kits was first revealed on the Warriors website family tree, and later in Blackfoot's Reckoning.
*Vicky doesn't think that he and Brackenfur are identical twins.Revealed on Vicky's Facebook
===Mistakes===
*He has mistakenly been called dark, a dark tabby, ginger, depicted as a solid-colored cat, and called light brown.
*He is shown speaking to Blackstar at the end of Fading Echoes; however, in Night Whispers, Brambleclaw is speaking instead. This is fixed in the reprinted version.Revealed in the reprinted version of Fading Echoes, page 295
*Despite not earning his warrior name until The Darkest Hour, Thornclaw is shown as a warrior in Tigerclaw's Fury, which is set before then.
*Despite Thornclaw being listed as an elder in River, he is not shown with the other elders or having a nest with them and is acting and referred to as a warrior throughout the book. This was changed in Shadow when Thornclaw is specifically called an elder.
*In the audiobook for Squirrelflight's Hope, he is mistakenly referred to as "Thornclan" by the narrator. This error is not present in the text.
===Continuity===
*In The Clans Decide, Thornclaw is one of the cats who votes for the individual leaders to rule their own Clans.
==Quotes==
==External links==
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==Notes and references==
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Category:Toms
Category:ThunderClan cats
Category:Warriors
Category:Senior warriors
Category:LionClan (modern) cats
Category:Mentors
Category:Place of No Stars visitors
Category:Place of No Stars trainees
Category:Elders