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=ThunderClan= ThunderClan is a fictional clan of feral cats shown in Erin Hunter's Warriors novel series. ThunderClan was first shown in the first Warriors novel, Into the Wild, and has been the focus of the series ever since. There are four other Clans, excluding StarClan, which is made up of spirit ancestors the Clans follow. The Clans were thought up of by Victoria Holmes to allow group disagreements. ThunderClan has undergone many hardships in its history, but it continues to thrive. The cats of ThunderClan are described as brave and respectful. Numerous cats and locations related to ThunderClan have been mentioned. ThunderClan and the other Clans have appeared in other types of media, such as online games and illustrations.

Concept and creation
HarperCollins had asked Victoria Holmes to write a story about wild cats. For the story, Holmes came up with the Clans. She wanted a "complex and well-structured" group, so the stories would be able to have political arguments to compliment the personal conflicts. She thought that a group of wild cats would work well with the themes in the books. She researched both feral cats and societies similar to the Clans such as native americans.

Universe
There are four Clans, excluding StarClan and an exiled Clan called SkyClan. Each Clan has a leader, given nine lives by StarClan. StarClan is a group made up of the Clans' spiritual ancestors and gives guidance and even prophecies to the Clans. The leader appoints a deputy who will later succeed him or her as leader. Every Clan has a medicine cat, who communicates with StarClan and heals injured or sick cats. Most of Clan is made up of warriors, the cats who fight in battles and patrol the borders, while following a code of laws. Warriors train apprentices to become new warriors. Old or impaired warriors become elders. The forest the cats live in is together with the world of humans. This allows interaction between the two species. Beyond the Clans' territories lies a mountain range, inhabited by the Tribe of Rushing Water. The Tribe was shown to be similar to the Clans, yet it follows a different set of ancestors, the Tribe of Endless Hunting. In a town near the Clans' old home lived a vicious group of cats called BloodClan, led by a cat called Scourge. Also living in the surrounding area are cats without owners or Clans and house cats.

Role in the books
According to Secrets of the Clans, ThunderClan was founded by a cat named Thunder. ThunderClan was introduced when the house cat Rusty joined the Clan. ThunderClan underwent several battles and alliances with other Clans during the first few books. In the third book, a traitor, Tigerclaw, was discovered and exiled. In Rising Storm, a fire ravaged ThunderClan's territory. By A Dangerous Path, Tigerclaw had become leader of another Clan and had set a pack of dogs on ThunderClan territory. The dogs killed a cat and injured another. In driving the dogs away, the leader of ThunderClan died. During the sixth book of the series, Fireheart, formerly Rusty, became the new leader of ThunderClan and was renamed as Firestar. Also during the timeline of the sixth book, ThunderClan and the other Clans were endangered by BloodClan. Banding together, the Clans drove away BloodClan.

In the next six books, ThunderClan was forced to leave its home because humans were making a new road. Together with the other Clans, they found a new home and established new territories. During their travel, they stayed with the Tribe of Rushing Water. In their new home, ThunderClan survived a badger attack, a sickness outbreak, and a temporary period of hostility between the Clans.

Clan character
Secrets of the Clans describes ThunderClan as respectful of other Clans but fierce in combat. ThunderClan's cats have broken the warrior code, the code of laws that the warrior cats must follow, to do what is right, as evidenced by when Fireheart disobeyed his leader's orders to try to bring peace between his Clan and another. The cats of ThunderClan eat forest creatures as they are very good at stalking prey.

Important characters
The authors have described numerous characters from ThunderClan; these are the major ones.

Firestar
Firestar is tomcat with green eyes and an orange-colored pelt. He was introduced in the stories as Rusty, a house cat. Rusty wandered into the nearby forest and was adopted into ThunderClan. He gained an apprentice name of Firepaw and trained as an apprentice. He became a warrior called Fireheart, and eventually his Clan's leader. The official Warriors website describes Firestar as "a natural leader". As Firestar was not born in the Clan, he had to prove his worth. Firestar moved out of the focus in the Warriors: The New Prophecy and Warriors: Power of Three series. A critic raised this demotion as one of her points in a negative review of Midnight. Firestar returned to the spotlight in a super edition book called Firestar's Quest, which told the story of how Firestar found and rebuilt an exiled Clan called SkyClan. He is very loyal to his friend Graystripe, even refusing to appoint a new deputy when Graystripe was captured by humans in Dawn. Firestar had kits, Squirrelflight and Leafpool, with his mate Sandstorm.

Tigerstar
Tigerstar was a large tabby tomcat with long claws. He was introduced in Into the Wild and became the main antagonist of the series. Described on the website as "Powerful and ambitious", Tigerstar did as much as he could to become leader of ThunderClan. He killed the ThunderClan deputy in hopes of becoming deputy, which he eventually became. Tigerstar, then called Tigerclaw, attempted to kill the ThunderClan leader so he would become leader, but this plan failed because of Fireheart's actions. He was exiled from ThunderClan. Tigerstar became leader of ShadowClan, leaving his two kits, Bramblekit (later to be known as Brambleclaw) and Tawnykit (later to be known as Tawnypelt) in ThunderClan. He tried to take over the entire forest with the help of BloodClan, but this plan backfired when Scourge ripped out all nine of his lives. During Moonrise, it was revealed that Tigerstar had kits with a rogue named Sasha. One of kits, Hawkfrost, shared Tigerstar's ambition. Tigerstar tempted Brambleclaw and Hawkfrost into becoming leaders; however, this plan failed. Tigerstar has also spoken with Jaypaw and Lionpaw, his grandchildren. Despite Tigerstar's actions, the authors have said that Tigerstar is not completely evil, just as Bluestar is not completely good.

Bluestar
Bluestar was the leader of ThunderClan when Rusty joined the Clan. Bluestar's name had been changed from Bluestone and Moonstar. She was displayed as a wise, kind leader early in the books, she was also shown to be ambitious in Forest of Secrets when it was revealed she had given up her kits to become deputy and then leader, a choice which has fascinated Holmes. At the third online chat, Holmes said she almost certain a special edition similar to Firestar's Quest would be written. This was confirmed at the fourth chat. After Tigerstar's betrayal, Bluestar began losing her trust in her Clan (excluding Fireheart) and StarClan. Bluestar's trust was returned at the climax of A Dangerous Path, when she killed herself defeating the pack of dogs. Bluestar continued to give guidance to Firestar and later Leafpool from StarClan.

Sandstorm
Sandstorm is a pale ginger she-cat with a feisty temper and sharp tongue. At first hostile to Firepaw when joined ThunderClan, she became warmer toward him and eventually fell in love with him. Sandstorm and Firestar had arguments, which were always solved. Their largest argument was in Firestar's Quest. Sandstorm had come with Firestar to rebuild SkyClan, but Sandstorm was feeling second best to Firestar's first love, Spottedleaf. Spottedleaf intervened and solved their fight. By Warriors: The New Prophecy, Firestar and Sandstorm had two kits, Squirrelflight and Leafpool.

Graystripe
Graystripe is cheerful and sturdy longhaired tomcat, who was first Clan cat to ever meet Rusty. Firepaw and Graystripe, then Graypaw, became loyal friends. This friendship was tested when Graystripe fell in love with a cat outside of his Clan. Despite their friendship being restored, Graystripe continued to see the she-cat, leading to her death bearing Graystripe's kits. Graystripe joined his dead mate's Clan out of grief. Graystripe rejoined ThunderClan during A Dangerous Path. Graystripe survived the battle against BloodClan and became ThunderClan's deputy under Firestar. He was captured by humans in Dawn, but Firestar refused to appoint a new deputy. Firestar finally accepted Graystripe would not come back and appointed a new deputy. Unknown to Firestar, Graystripe had escaped the humans keeping him and was journeying back with a kittypet named Millie. Graystripe and Millie finally returned to ThunderClan in The Sight; however, Firestar did not restore him as deputy.

Graystripe's adventures with Millie were documented in a spin-off manga trilogy. Holmes had said the following when announcing the manga trilogy:

"'I had a lot of fun coming up with the storylines because Graystripe has always been a fascinating character for me. In the first books he was in danger of becoming Firepaw's stooge, the butt of jokes and maybe not the brightest cat, but he showed a much more complex side to his character when he fell in love with Silverstream and then took his motherless kits to join RiverClan. Hopefully I've explored this other side in the upcoming manga books.'"

Spottedleaf
Spottedleaf was a tortoiseshell she-cat and the former medicine cat of ThunderClan. She was only seen alive in Into the Wild, because a ShadowClan cat killed her to steal kits during a raiding party. During Spottedleaf's short time alive, she had become Firestar's love interest. Despite her death, Spottedleaf continued to guide Firestar, and later Firestar's descendants Leafpool, Squirrelflight, and Jaypaw. Firestar's Quest revealed Spottedleaf and Tigerstar were distantly related through SkyClan blood.

Ravenpaw
Ravenpaw is a sleek black tomcat first seen in Into the Wild. He is Holmes' favorite character and the one she identifies the most with. He was introduced as a skittish apprentice, especially around his mentor Tigerclaw. He witnessed Tigerclaw kill the former ThunderClan deputy, and would have been killed by Tigerclaw had he not been taken to a barn where a friendly loner lived. Before leaving his Clan, he made friends with Firepaw and Graypaw. After leaving his Clan behind, he became more confident and bold. Holmes has described Ravenpaw as a thinker, not liking crowds, but loves barns. The authors have given him a more minor role than in the first book, though he continues to make short appearances. The February 2008 AuthorTracker email revealed that Ravenpaw would star in a manga trilogy about him.

Brambleclaw
Brambleclaw is the son of Tigerstar and his mate, Goldenflower. His sister is Tawnypelt. He was introduced by the authors in Forest of Secrets, but didn't become a major character until Midnight. Cherith Baldry, one of the writers in the Erin Hunter team, talked about making Brambleclaw during an interview.

"'When I was writing Forest of Secrets, I got a kitten which looked exactly like the description of Tigerstar, except he was so tiny! So I thought he might be the son of Tigerstar. But a lot of how the character developed was worked out by Vicky.'" Kate Cary stated that her house cat Miu-Miu reminds her of Brambleclaw. Holmes has said Brambleclaw is one of her favorite characters because he is not straightforwardly "good". Brambleclaw was mistrusted by Firestar because of his father, but in the end proved his loyalty. In Midnight, Brambleclaw was given a message by Bluestar to journey with cats from the other Clans to discover what would soon threaten their forest. Brambleclaw led the Clans with the other cats he had journeyed with to a new home. By that time, Brambleclaw and Squirrelflight had begun to fall in love. Brambleclaw and his half-brother Hawkfrost began following Tigerstar in trying to become leader, causing Squirrelflight to argue with him. During Sunset, Brambleclaw became the deputy of ThunderClan. At the climax of the book, Brambleclaw had to choose between loyalty to his Clan or his ambition to become deputy when Firestar got caught in a fox trap. Despite Hawkfrost's urgings, Brambleclaw freed Firestar and killed Hawkfrost. By The Sight, Brambleclaw and Squirrelflight had three kits, Jaypaw, Hollypaw, and Lionpaw.

Squirrelflight
Squirrelflight is the feisty daughter of Firestar. Nosy as an apprentice, she joined Brambleclaw on the journey to learn what would soon threaten the forest. Over time, she and Brambleclaw fell in love. However, the two fell apart when Brambleclaw became obsessed with becoming deputy. Squirrelflight worried that Brambleclaw was following Tigerstar's path. Squirrelflight also began loving Ashfur. The two re-established their bond during Sunset, much to the anger of Ashfur. Squirrelflight and her sister Leafpool share a mental connection, through which feeling and thoughts can pass. Squirrelflight and Brambleclaw had three kits, Jaypaw, Hollypaw, and Lionpaw.

Leafpool
Leafpool is a light brown tabby she-cat and the current medicine cat of ThunderClan. The sister of Squirrelflight, she chose to train as a medicine cat instead of a warrior. She became a friend of Mothwing, Hawkfrost's sister and the medicine cat apprentice of RiverClan. Leafpool hid Mothwing's secret of not believing in StarClan. Before the Clans moved to their new home, she was captured by humans along with other cats; she was set free during Dawn. In Starlight, she discovered the Moonpool, where StarClan could live in the Clans' new home. By Twilight, she had fallen into a forbidden love with WindClan cat Crowfeather. She ran away with Crowfeather, only to return to her Clan and abandon her love. Leafpool took Jaypaw as an apprentice during The Sight. Leafpool featured as one of the main characters in a play called After Sunset: We Need To Talk, in which Leafpool tried talking with Crowfeather.

Jaypaw
Jaypaw is the blind gray tabby tom kit of Squirrelflight and Brambleclaw. Jaypaw often feels that he has to prove himself because of his blindness. Cary has said that Jaypaw is her favorite character to write. He and his two siblings are the subject of a prophecy, but only Jaypaw knows about it. Jaypaw first trained as a warrior, but later unwillingly changed to be a medicine cat. Tigerstar and Hawkfrost have tempted Jaypaw once in a dream. Jaypaw has a special ability - he can see in his dreams. Originally, he would have only seen in black-and-white, but the authors changed it to be full color. During Dark River, Jaypaw began learning about cats that had lived in the Clans' territory before them through a stick. One of the ancient cats, named Fallen Leaves, helped Jaypaw during the climax of the book. Also during Dark River, Jaypaw discovered that Cinderpaw, an apprentice, is the reincarnation of the former medicine cat Cinderpelt.

Lionpaw
Lionpaw is Jaypaw's brother and is training to be a warrior. Strong and brave, Lionpaw is a golden tabby tom. Lionpaw made friends with Heatherpaw of WindClan during Dark River, but this friendship ended with the book. He also has met with Tigerstar and Hawkfrost. Tigerstar has helped Lionpaw in his training.

Hollypaw
Hollypaw is a black she-cat. She first trained as a medicine cat, but found she was better suited to be a warrior. During her short period as a medicine cat, she made friends with Willowpaw of RiverClan. In Dark River, when RiverClan was in danger but refused to reveal why, Hollypaw went to find out by herself, despite her strong belief in following the warrior code. Hollypaw tried to convince Firestar during the period of increased tension that fighting was not the best option.

Locations
Locations in ThunderClan's forest have been mentioned and described. A map appears at the beginning of every book to show places relevant to the Clan. ThunderClan has lived on two territories, but they are similar in that both are wooded areas. Secrets of the Clans detailed some of the locations mentioned in the books. Some of locations discussed from ThunderClan's first territory are the camp, Sunningrocks, Owl-Tree, and Snakerocks. Only four locations were mentioned from the second ThunderClan territory. The four are the new ThunderClan camp, nearby walking paths, an abandoned house, and a large oak tree called the Ancient Oak.

The authors have occasionally mentioned these locations. On an AuthorTracker email about Firestar's Quest, Erin Hunter said she had missed the old territories. Some of the games and quizzes featured on the website mention ThunderClan places.

Appearances in other media
ThunderClan has appeared in other formats besides the books. A field guide book to the Warriors universe, called Secrets of the Clans, has black-and-white sketches of ThunderClan locations and characters. Cats of the Clans illustrates the cats in color. The illustrator is Wayne Mcloughlin. Another media ThunderClan has appeared in is manga. HarperCollins and TokyoPop had formed an agreement, and the first part of that agreement was the joint publishing of Warriors manga volumes. The manga has depicted several characters, as well as the old ThunderClan territory. ThunderClan and the other Clans appear prominently on the official Warriors website, in games, the series background pages, and even a video. ThunderClan cats also appear in a play written by Erin Hunter that appeared in Seattle, Washington.

Publication history
The three-part Graystripe manga was announced as the first part of a partnership between TokyoPop and HarperCollins. Erin Hunter and Dan Jolley would write the stories and James Barry would illustrate it. After the release of The Lost Warrior and Warrior's Refuge, focus turned to the third manga volume. On the Warriors website, an excerpt was released, but later removed. Warrior’s Return was released as a paperback on April 22, 2008, the same day Outcast was released, a novel in the Warriors: Power of Three series. To promote these two stories, Erin Hunter went on tour in the US. She visited several bookstores across the states. Warrior’s Return was also published in the UK and Canada.

Setting
The cats from the Warriors series live seperated as four Clans. They believe in a set of spiritual ancestors called StarClan. Humans, called "Twolegs" by the cats, are seen as a threat. Graystripe, the focal point of the manga trilogy, is a cat from ThunderClan. During the events of Dawn, he is captured by humans. The Graystripe trilogy has followed him as he tries to find his Clan. He has a traveling partner, Millie, a former house cat who joined him.