Sorrelstar

Med. cat to leader

Sorrelpelt was a WindClan medicine cat who served under Graystar's leadership, living during Fishpaw's Time. When her leader, Graystar, and deputy, Darkfang, suddenly died on the same day from greencough, she consulted StarClan. After StarClan told her they could not give Darkfang nine lives, she requested herself be made leader. She became Sorrelstar and trained Reedkit as a medicine cat apprentice eventually named Reedseed. She made Nimbleleap her deputy, but later exiled her from the clan for having a ThunderClan mate and made Birdspirit her deputy instead. She went to war with Branchstar and ThunderClan after they refused to follow the rules she'd made for the clans to worship StarClan. She ended up taking one of Branchstar's lives before stopping the war.

# Appearance

Brown tortoiseshell she-cat with one blue, one green eye.

# History

Sorrelpelt knew from a young age that she wanted nothing more than to be a medicine cat and serve her clan. She loved interpreting signs from StarClan, the sweet smell of herbs, and the joy of helping sick and injured cats get better. Meetings at the half-moon were always the greatest, and she loved the other medicine cats at the time; Poolfire, Brindlefin, Fishberry, and Mothstorm. Sharing knowledge and ideas was always both helpful and a blast. And then, of course, sharing tongues with StarClan was amazing! She adored the starry grounds her ancestors walked on.

But her wonderful world came crashing down as a terrible bout of greencough spread throughout camp, infecting not only the very old leader, Graystar, but the deputy, Darkfang, too. Many suspected Graystar would not live, but Sorrelpelt would do her best to save him. She was like a father to her, as he was to every cat. He was a kind, fair and understanding leader any cat could admire. But the harsh leafbare chill made supplies short and dry, and of course Graystar insisted the catmint go to the kits and apprentices first. As leafbare began to fade away and the sun shone bright down on WindClan camp, Sorrelpelt had found a new, freshly grown batch of catmint and rushed to give them to Graystar as his condition worsened, only to arrive to him peacefully dead in his moss bed. The clan mourned him, and as night came, Darkfang was firm to insist he head to the Moonpool and receive his nine lives as quickly as possible. His condition, too, had gotten worse, as much as he tried to act strong and brave. Sorrelpelt was against this- he needed rest first, he could barely walk. But, Darkfang made the smart point that if he had nine lives he could die once and still have eight more lives to go. Sorrelpelt agreed, and at midnight they set off.

The trip was slow and cautious, despite Darkfang wanting to get there as fast as possible. Sorrelpelt didn’t want him to push himself, and insisted on many breaks, even if the Moonpool wasn’t that far from WindClan territory. When they finally reached the Moonpool, the unthinkable happened, as Darkfang collapsed and coughed his last breaths. Sorrelpelt was quick to try and pull him towards the Moonpool in hopes StarClan could revive him, just like they did Tigerstar the Second of ShadowClan in the tales! But, no such thing happened, and Darkfang remained as one-lifed and lifeless as ever. Shocked, and terrified what this could mean for her clan, she lapped up the water of the Moonpool to ask her ancestors what was happening. There, in StarClan, Graystar greeted her, while new spirit Darkfang was chatting with his deceased family nearby. Sorrelpelt desperately asked why they didn’t revive Darkfang and give him eight lives, like they had done for cats in the past, to which Graystar and other StarClan cats replied that StarClan no longer had that power. They had grown weaker since the eras of Firestar, the Great Battle, and the great mediator Tree’s spiritual powers. Sorrelpelt inquired why, and they responded that less cats seeked StarClan out for help these days. The less cats that needed them, the less powerful they were. The less cats that believed in them, that had faith in them, that trusted them, that thought of their ancestors and starry kin- the faster cats would fade, and the less StarClan could interfere with the living world. They were stuck to the basics of giving nine lives, covering the moon with clouds when upset, and giving prophecies, which even now had become scarce.

Sorrelpelt wondered if there was a way to restore StarClan’s powers, and the only way that seemed possible was restoring the clans’ faith and trust in their ancestors. But how could she do that? When StarClan had failed to save their leader and deputy, and left them helpless, defenseless, cats would be angered by their ancestors, when it wasn’t their fault. So, she made a decision. To become leader, and enforce the Warrior Code, and restore StarClan to their glory days. She received her nine lives, became Sorrelstar, and headed home with a dead Darkfang on her back. WindClan, of course, was shocked, as their medicine cat appeared with the corpse of their deputy, just as morning struck. She explained to them what had happened, and told them that from now on they should remember to praise StarClan for every piece of prey they hunt, for every peaceful sleep they have, and every patch of sunshine they bathe in. That they would resurrect the old traditions, such as having apprentices visit the Moonpool. And, of course, they needed a new deputy and medicine cat, least Sorrelstar become like a Tribe’s Healer. So, Sorrelstar appointed young, but not inexperienced, and eager to please, Nimbleleap, afraid to appoint an older cat in case greencough caught them just like Graystar and Darkfang. As for a medicine cat, Sorrelstar began training obedient Reedkit, one of two healthy kits, when she became only just five moons.

When the Gathering came, and Sorrelstar was in place of Graystar, the other clans were confused, and she explained the situation. She told them they all needed to respect the Warrior Code (with a side-eye towards Daisysky, who had switched between RiverClan and ThunderClan along with his half-clan kits), and pray to StarClan more often. Some warriors didn’t like being told what to do, some scoffed at the idea that they didn’t already praise StarClan enough, and others agreed that they needed to do more. Echostar of ShadowClan agreed hesitantly, Tanglestar of SkyClan claimed his warriors were already doing so, Berrystar of RiverClan said they would never not have faith in StarClan, and Branchstar of ThunderClan meowed that any of his clan was welcome to respect the Warrior Code and StarClan more if they wanted. As the clans started to leave, Sorrelstar confronted Branchstar on his odd choice of words. Did ThunderClan not respect the Code and StarClan? What was she saying- ThunderClan practically encouraged half-clan relationships! They lazed about all day in their “golden age of peace!” Branchstar told her that some of his cats might not believe in StarClan, but he respected their decision to, and that those who did are free to praise StarClan more. Sorrelstar insisted he needed to at least try and make his warriors more loyal to the Warrior Code. He told her that his warriors were loyal to their clan, and that they respected the other clans, and that’s what mattered. Sorrelstar reminds him of WindClan and ThunderClan’s alliance before they part.

All seems to be going relatively well, even if she had to push both ThunderClan and RiverClan a little harder to respect the Code and StarClan. But, when the ThunderClan deputy, Elmclaw, appears at WindClan camp and asks to join WindClan to be with his mate, Nimbleleap, all hell breaks loss. Sorrelstar is shocked that what she viewed as her loyal deputy would do this- and that Branchstar would willingly let his deputy leave to join another clan! She kicks them out of WindClan- no, ALL of the clans, and rushes over to ThunderClan. She tells Branchstar that he must not let Elmclaw and Nimbleleap back into his clan, and when he asks her why he shouldn’t, when they’d done nothing wrong, she nearly loses her cool, before she collects herself, and tells him he wouldn’t want a war on his hands. Branchstar is shocked the once kind-hearted medicine cat he had been friends with as just a warrior had become the cold, bossy leader in front of him. Still, he accepts Sorrelstar’s terms. She then has some of her warriors go to the other clans and warn them of the code-breakers that had been banished from the clan territories. Sorrelstar appointed Birdspirit, an older, more stern warrior, as her new deputy. Next Gathering, Sorrelstar is further shocked as Branchstar has appointed Cedarsun, son of Daisysky and therefore a half RiverClan-half ThunderClan cat, as the new deputy. She confronts him about his, and he bristles and responds that Cedarsun has been nothing but a loyal warrior, and that his blood means nothing compared to his loyalty! And what right does Sorrelstar have to act like she’s leader of his clan? Sorrelstar threatens war again, to try and get him to do what she wants, but he calmly responds for her to try it, and that she’ll be surprised that his clan isn’t as soft and untrained as she thinks it is.

Sorrelstar never actually thought she would go through with fighting Branchstar and ThunderClan. She just wanted them to listen to her. Leaders ruled with power, and might, not with the sweetness and kindness of a medicine cat, and she had made herself more powerful through fear. So, not willing to back down and seem like the weak one, she launched an attack on ThunderClan camp. To her clan’s surprise, they were ready. They fought with everything they had, and WindClan was not used to fighting in the forest too, so they were forced to retreat. But, the next battles became more and more even as Sorrelstar abused the old tradition of WindClan’s tunnellers to have them tunnel into ThunderClan territory. They tried involving the other clans, but ShadowClan and RiverClan had just finished fighting each other and came to an alliance between Echostar and the new RiverClan leader, Pebblestar. SkyClan, as well, did not want to get involved. One battle, Sorrelstar tore at Branchstar’s belly, and watched him collapse. It was not like the great wound of Tigerstar the First, all nine lives gone at once, but it was a painful, deep one. She watched it take one of his lives, and when he remained on the floor, the signs of another life being lossed occurring, her medicine cat instincts screamed at her to help him.

But she did not. She gathered her warriors and they yowled in victory while ThunderClan’s medicine cat, Fishberry, tended to Branchstar, and sent a hate-filled glare Sorrelstar’s way, as if questioning how she had become the monster before him. Sorrelstar pretended not to notice. She thought this was it, victory. Surely, after having killed ThunderClan’s leader, twice, technically, this meant her demands went through? But, no, ThunderClan did not back down or give up their more “relaxed” ways. So, she attacked again, but she didn’t know what to do. Take all of Branchstar’s lives? …Could… Could she? Would she? If she had to… If there was no other choice, then she would do it, to restore StarClan to their glory. But that battle did not go how she expected, as Branchstar came at her with rage and power that he hadn’t had before. He realized how far she would go for this, and he wasn’t going to let her do it. That day, he was the one who got off a nasty bite on her throat, nearly, even if by accident, identical to the infamous killing bite. She thought she would lose her first life then, and see just what it was like for Branchstar when he lost his. But… no. When she opened her eyes again, Branchstar was patching her up and stopping the blood flow. Confused, startled, and slightly terrified, she asked him why he was doing this. He responded that he didn’t want to kill any cat if it was preventable. Yes, in war, death was inevitable, but if there was even a chance he could save one cat, even a cat with nine lives, he would do it. Sorrelstar was shocked, and then questioned why he didn’t become a medicine cat, as that was how medicine cats thought. He then, humorously, remarks that perhaps he should, seeing as she had gone from medicine cat to leader. He explains that being a medicine cat had never interested him. He didn’t need to be a medicine cat to have morals. But apparently, she did, because when she became leader… she lost all hers.

After that battle, Sorrelstar was left to rethink a lot of things. She called off the war with ThunderClan and realized how many wounds her warriors had. She dedicated her time to helping Reedseed treat their clanmates, and apologized to both her clan and StarClan. This wasn’t what she wanted. Yes, she still wanted the clans to adore StarClan as much as she… but there were other ways that would shed less blood to do that. And even if it took some time to find them, she would. Because she had a first rule for her new morals: If there was even a chance she could save one cat, even a cat with nine lives, she would do it.

# Fun Facts

* One of my personal favorite designs/references.