Pouncepaw

> "Then why don't you play? Or are you just a scaredy mouse? Perhaps you should have gone to live in WindClan instead, burrow yourself under all that grass."
>
> Pouncekit to Tigerkit in Tigerstar's Rage, page 30

**Pouncepaw** is a light brown tabby tom with blue eyes.

**Pouncepaw** was a ShadowClan apprentice under Pebblestar's leadership. **Pouncekit** was born to Sparrowheart and an unnamed she-cat alongside Tigerkit, Mosskit, and his unnamed sister. After unrelentlessly bullying Tigerkit, he and Mosskit attacked him in a dark corner of the camp. Afterwards, **Pouncepaw** was apprenticed to Apricotsong, and later killed by Tigerpaw before he could earn his warrior name.

## History

### **Tigerstar's Rage**

> "I shouldn't have let them go! I sent them out on a hunting mission, oh, I'm so sorry! It's all my fault!"
>
> *Apricotsong blaming herself after Pouncepaw and Mosspaw's deaths in Tigerstar's Rage, page 137*

Pouncekit is suckling with his two littermates. He is named Pouncekit by his unnamed mother, and Featherstar recognizes him through his brown pelt.

Later, Tigerkit and Sparrowheart watch as he and Mosskit play. When Tigerkit is told not to waste his food, he argues that Pouncekit and Mosskit always play with theirs, and his father remarks that they have always been trouble-makers. When Tigerkit is heading back to the nursery, he sees Pouncekit and Mosskit glaring at him from across the clearing, and remembers them taunting him from another time.

Whilst waiting for Honeykit and Birdkit to open their eyes, Tigerkit wonders if each of his Clanmates had come to visit he, Pouncekit and Mosskit like they have done for the sisters, even if they had no mother to congratulate. When he leads the kits out of the nursery, he sees Pouncekit and Mosskit watching from beside Sparrowheart, and later, they argue with him in the elders den, taunting and teasing. When Tigerkit leaves to find a pebble, they attack him in the darkest corner of the camp even though he manages to escape to the medicine cat den.

Some moons later, Pouncekit, Mosskit and Tigerkit are apprenticed, and he and Mosspaw ask their mentors, Swiftbreeze and Apricotsong, if they could train together, purposely excluding Tigerpaw when they ask about him. When Tigerpaw is talking to Sparrowheart, their father is disappointed to find that Pouncepaw and Mosspaw have already left.
Later, Tigerpaw walks inside of camp and is praised for his catch, he notices Pouncepaw and Mosspaw watching, but lifts his head higher and decides to ignore them in defiance.
When he is later allowed to go to his first Gathering, they watch enviously from across the clearing.

When Tigerpaw is training in the Dark Forest, he promises that Pouncepaw and Mosspaw don't deserve to live, and that he will rid of any cats who torment and abuse. He imagines their blood on his paws, images of him killing them, and feels gleeful about it. They glare at him at a meeting, and Tigerpaw sticks to his promise, describes that he can only see red hot anger.

Pouncepaw and Mosspaw are sent on a mission to hunt alone whilst their mentors wait in camp, and they are oblivious to Tigerpaw, who is stalking them whilst they head to the ThunderClan border. Mosspaw splits away from Pouncepaw, who is then attacked by his younger littermate, and is killed almost instantly, since he had been too shocked to react or make a noise.

Afterwards, after Tigerstar's leadership ceremony, he wonders where Pouncepaw is, whilst Mosspaw then apologizes for the the harsh treatment that the two brothers had given toward him.

## Relationships

### Mosspaw

He and Mosspaw formed a tight bond, often seen together, and convincing their mentors to let them train together.

### Tigerstar

He tormented and teased Tigerstar alongside Mosspaw, driving him to madness in the end, often seen glaring at him enviously whilst he was alive.

## Kin

### Members

**Father:**

Sparrowheart: Living (As of Book 1)
**Mother:**

Unnamed she-cat: Status unknown
**Sister:**

Unnamed she-cat: Status uknown
**Brothers:**

Tigerstar: Living (As of Book 1)
Mosspaw: Deceased, verified StarClan member
**Nieces:**

Willowpaw: Living (as of Book 1)
Cherrypaw: Living (As of Book 1)
Specklekit: Living (As of Book 1)
Hollykit: Living (As of Book 1)
**Nephews:**

Thornpaw: Living (As of Book 1)
Goldenkit: Living (As of Book 1)
Dustkit: Living (As of Book 1)

## Trivia

### Interesting facts

* He has ThunderClan blood through Hollywhisker.
* He was offered a chance to confront Tigerstar during his ceremony, but he refused to.

### Author statements

* The author has said that Pouncepaw and Mosspaw's warrior names would have been Pouncestep and Mosspelt.