Erin Hunter - Forest of Secrets

LEADER

BLUESTAR blue-gray she-cat, tinged with silver around her muzzle.

DEPUTY

TIGERCLAW big dark brown tabby tom with unusually long front claws.

MEDICINE CAT

YELLOWFANG old dark gray she-cat with a broad, flattened face, formerly of ShadowClan.

APPRENTICE, CINDERPELT dark gray she-cat

WARRIORS (toms and she-cats without kits)

WHITESTORM big white tom.

APPRENTICE, BRIGHTPAW

DARKSTRIPE sleek black-and-gray tabby tom.

LONGTAIL pale tabby tom with dark black stripes.

APPRENTICE, SWIFTPAW

RUNNINGWIND swift tabby tom.

WILLOWPELT very pale gray she-cat with unusual blue eyes.

MOUSEFUR small dusky brown she-cat.

APPRENTICE, THORNPAW

FIREHEART handsome ginger tom.

APPRENTICE, CLOUDPAW

GRAYSTRIPE long-haired solid gray tom.

APPRENTICE, BRACKENPAW

DUSTPELT dark brown tabby tom.

SANDSTORM pale ginger she-cat.

APPRENTICES (more than six moons old, in training to become warriors)

SWIFTPAW black-and-white tom.

BRACKENPAW golden brown tabby tom.

CLOUDPAW long-haired white tom.

BRIGHTPAW she-cat, white with ginger splotches.

THORNPAW golden brown tabby tom.

QUEENS (she-cats expecting or nursing kits)

FROSTFUR beautiful white coat and blue eyes.

BRINDLEFACE pretty tabby.

GOLDENFLOWER pale ginger coat.

SPECKLETAIL pale tabby, and the oldest nursery queen.

ELDERS (former warriors and queens, now retired)

HALFTAIL big dark brown tabby tom with part of his tail missing.

SMALLEAR gray tom with very small ears; the oldest tom in ThunderClan.

PATCHPELT small black-and-white tom.

ONE-EYE pale gray she-cat; the oldest cat in ThunderClan; virtually blind and deaf.

DAPPLETAIL once-pretty tortoiseshell she-cat with a lovely dappled coat.

BROKENTAIL long-haired dark brown tabby; blind; formerly ShadowClan leader.

LEADER

NIGHTSTAR old black tom.

DEPUTY

CINDERFUR thin gray tom.

MEDICINE CAT

RUNNINGNOSE small gray-and-white tom.

WARRIORS

STUMPYTAIL brown tabby tom.

APPRENTICE, BROWNPAW

WETFOOT gray tabby tom.

APPRENTICE, OAKPAW

LITTLECLOUD very small tabby tom.

QUEENS

DAWNCLOUD small tabby.

DARKFLOWER black she-cat.

TALLPOPPY long-legged light brown tabby she-cat.

LEADER

TALLSTAR black-and-white tom with a very long tail.

DEPUTY

DEADFOOT black tom with a twisted paw.

MEDICINE CAT

BARKFACE short-tailed brown tom.

WARRIORS

MUDCLAW mottled dark brown tom.

APPRENTICE, WEBPAW

TORNEAR tabby tom.

APPRENTICE, RUNNINGPAW

ONEWHISKER young brown tabby tom.

APPRENTICE, WHITEPAW

QUEENS

ASHFOOT gray she-cat.

MORNINGFLOWER tortoiseshell she-cat.

LEADER

CROOKEDSTAR huge light-colored tabby with a twisted jaw.

DEPUTY

LEOPARDFUR unusually spotted golden tabby she-cat.

MEDICINE CAT

MUDFUR long-haired light brown tom.

WARRIORS

BLACKCLAW smoky black tom.

APPRENTICE, HEAVYPAW

STONEFUR gray tom with battle-scarred ears.

APPRENTICE, SHADEPAW

LOUDBELLY dark brown tom.

APPRENTICE, SILVERPAW

SILVERSTREAM pretty silver tabby.

QUEENS

MISTYFOOT dark gray she-cat.

ELDERS

GRAYPOOL thin gray she-cat with patchy fur and a scarred muzzle.

BARLEY black-and-white tom who lives on a farm close to the forest.

BLACKFOOT large white tom with huge jet-black paws, formerly ShadowClan deputy.

BOULDER silver tabby tom, formerly of ShadowClan.

PRINCESS light brown tabby with a distinctive white chest and pawsa kittypet.

RAVENPAW sleek black cat with a white-tipped tail who lives on the farm with Barley.

SMUDGE plump, friendly black-and-white kitten who lives in a house at the edge of the forest.

Cold gripped the forest, fields, and moorland like an icy claw. Snow covered everything, glittering faintly under a new moon. Nothing broke the silence in the forest except for the occasional soft rush of snow sliding from the branches of trees and the faint rasping of dried reeds when the wind swept through them. Even the murmur of the river was stilled by the ice that stretched from bank to bank.

There was a flicker of movement at the edge of the river. A large tomcat, his bracken-colored fur fluffed up against the cold, emerged from the reeds. He shook snow impatiently from his paws as he sank into the soft drifts with every step.

In front of him, two tiny kits struggled forward with faint mews of distress. They floundered in the powdery snow, the fur on their legs and belly matted into icy clumps, but every time they tried to stop, the tomcat nudged them on.

The three cats trudged along the river until it widened out, and they drew level with a small island not far from the bank. Thick beds of reeds surrounded it, their dry stems poking up through the ice. Stunted, leafless willow trees concealed the center of the island behind snow-covered boughs.

Almost there, the bracken-colored tom meowed encouragingly. Follow me.

He slid down the bank into a narrow frozen pathway through the reeds and leaped onto the dry, crisp earth of the island. The bigger of the two kits scrambled after him, but the smaller one collapsed on the ice and crouched there, mewing pitifully. After a moments pause the tomcat jumped down beside it and tried to nudge it to its paws, but it was too exhausted to move. The tomcat gave its ears a lick, roughly comforting the helpless scrap, and then picked it up by the scruff of the neck and carried it onto the island.

Beyond the willow trees was a stretch of open ground broken by bushes. Snow covered the earth here, crisscrossed by the pawmarks of many cats. The clearing seemed deserted, but bright eyes gleamed from shelter, watching the tomcat as he led the way to the largest clump of bushes and through the outer wall of tangled branches.