“ | It's okay, Leafpool. I don't mind. I'm glad I came back to ThunderClan. I couldn't bear to... to leave without getting to know my mother. | „ |
~ Hollyleaf's last words |
Hollyleaf is a major character in the Warriors series, being a protagonist in The Power of Three and Hollyleaf's Story, and a supporting character in the latter half of Omen of the Stars. Along with Jayfeather and Lionblaze, she was born to Leafpool and Crowfeather, and adopted by Squirrelflight and Brambleclaw to cover up the secret of the forbidden relationship. She is distraught and envious to find out that her brothers gained special powers and are apart of a prophecy to save the Clans while she had been left out, and her mental wellbeing declines further when she finds out that she was born from a forbidden relationship. She eventually reveals this secret to all the Clans before running away and living in the tunnels below Clan territory, but returns to ThunderClan moons later to make amends with her family and aid in the battle against the Dark Forest.
Appearance[]
Hollyleaf is a slender she-cat with long legs and soft black fur. She has emerald green eyes and a bushy tail.
Biography[]
Leafpool's Wish[]
Before realizing that she's pregnant, Leafpool receives a message from StarClan that she'll soon meet three cats who will change her life forever. After she discovers she's expecting her and Crowfeather's kittens, she concludes that the unborn kits are the three the message had been referring to.
Much later, Leafpool and Squirrelflight sneak out of camp together when the former is about to give birth, sheltering under a tree far away from ThunderClan territory where, with the help of Yellowfang's spirit, three kits are born. Leafpool wishes to name the black she-kit "Crowkit" after Crowfeather, as they both have the same dark fur, but Squirrelflight advises against it as naming her that could give a hint that the WindClan warrior is the three's biological father. Instead, she's named Hollykit due to her fur being as black as the branches of a holly bush.
A while later, when the kits are able to make the journey, they and the two sisters make their way back to ThunderClan. When they arrive, Squirrelflight claims that she had birthed the kits and that Brambleclaw is their father, adding that her milk had dried up early. Daisy and Ferncloud agree to nurse them for her, and silently Leafpool wishes her kits a bright future, thinking about how she'll always be there to support and love them.
The Power of Three[]
The Sight[]
A few moons later, Hollykit, Jaykit, and Lionkit ask Brambleclaw if they can join the patrol he's organizing to search for fox dens. Their father tells them he wants them to guard the camp instead, which excites them at first—until they quickly realize that Brambleclaw is just trying to keep them busy. Determined to prove they can be helpful, the trio decides to look for the fox dens themselves, sneaking out of camp and heading toward the lake.
They are almost spotted by Stormfur and Brook, and hide in a bush to avoid detection. They then go to the Sky Oak where they successfully find a fox den, and Lionkit suggests that they raid it. However, the fox cubs are much bigger than the three kittens had expected, and the trio are almost killed, just barely escaping. As they flee though, Jaykit stumbles and falls into the hollow, but to the relief of his siblings he's rescued by a search party that brings them home. As Leafpool treats Jaykit's and Lionkit's injuries, Hollykit frets over her littermate's condition. Seeing the concern she shows for her brothers, Leafpool encourages the young she-kit to become a medicine cat in the future.
Later, after Lionkit gets a cut from some thorns, Hollykit goes to retrieve some herbs from the medicine den to tend to the wound with. She finds that Leafpool isn't there, and Jaykit shows her which herbs to use instead. When the ThunderClan medicine cat returns, she's impressed by Hollykit remembering the smell of the herbs from when Jaykit got treated. Wanting to make up for trying to raid a fox's den, Hollykit decides to start training to become a medicine cat once she's ready to be an apprentice.
As the RiverClan medicine cat Mothwing and her apprentice Willowpaw are about to leave after paying a visit to ThunderClan, Hollykit asks Willowpaw how to become a medicine cat apprentice. Afterwards, she then tells Leafpool that she wants to be her student, and the brown tabby she-cat replies that she'll ask Firestar about it. Her brothers are confused about Hollykit's desire to be a medicine cat when she could be a warrior, but the green-eyed she-kit sticks with her decision.
Upon reaching six moons old, Hollykit is assigned as a medicine cat apprentice under Leafpool, earning the name Hollypaw. Despite her initial enthusiasm though, she finds it hard to pay attention to and remember what she's being taught. She repeatedly fetches the wrong herbs and gets squeamish around treating injuries, making her doubt being qualified to be a medicine cat. Later, her mentor teaches her some battle moves, which she excels at. Over time, Hollypaw gains a deep respect for and dedication towards the warrior code, though her healing skills do not improve.
While she's gathering tansy, a battle between ThunderClan and ShadowClan breaks out nearby. She stops what she's doing and rushes into the fight, helping Graystripe fend off Smokefoot. After the battle is won, Hollypaw forgets to check her Clanmates for injuries in her excitement, and Birchfall says that she fought like a warrior. She realizes that she prefers warrior duties much more, and due to Jaypaw struggling with his warrior training like she had with her medicine cat training, the two end up switching positions, with Hollypaw's new mentor being Brackenfur. Lionpaw notes the excitement and courage in her eyes while in battle that's not present while doing medicine cat duties, wondering why she wasn't just made a warrior apprentice in the first place.
During the first ever Daylight Gathering, she competes in a battle against the WindClan apprentice Heatherpaw, coming out victorious despite her opponent having more experience than her. Heatherpaw congratulates her on her success, and Firestar rewards her by letting her have the first pick from the fresh-kill pile.
Dark River[]
After hearing about RiverClan moving to the Gathering island due to trouble with their camp that they will not reveal, Hollypaw becomes worried about her friend Willowpaw. She asks Jaypaw to check on her at the next half moon meeting for her, since now that she's not a medicine cat apprentice anymore she can't do so herself. One night, Hollypaw has a dream where she finds herself in an unfamiliar place that's raining. She sees Willowpaw running away from her, and tries to catch up, calling her name and asking her what problem RiverClan is facing. However she isn't able to catch up no matter how fast she runs, and Willowpaw doesn't react to her voice at all. She suddenly wakes up, unnerved by the surreal dream.
She begins noticing Lionpaw's bad mood during the day, though when she tries to talk to him about it, he hisses that nothing's wrong. His sharp tone hurts her, and she reminisces on how the three of them used to share everything with each other. She tries asking Jaypaw about it, but he doesn't know what's wrong with their brother's temperament either. The next day, she goes on a patrol with her mentor as well as Cinderpaw and Cloudtail, where the group scents a fox. Cinderpaw is the first to state that it's an old scent of a female fox, which confuses Hollypaw as to how she could tell, seeing as the gray apprentice had never even seen a fox before.
That night, Hollypaw notices Lionpaw missing from the apprentice's den once more. She and Cinderpaw decide to go looking for him, tracking his scent to the border between ThunderClan and WindClan. The two of them see Lionpaw playing with Heatherpaw in the tunnels underneath ThunderClan and WindClan, and in a fit of anger at her brother's breaking of the warrior code, Hollypaw interrupts them and confronts him. Lionpaw gets defensive and the two start to argue, with the black she-cat threatening to tell Brambleclaw if he doesn't stop seeing Heatherpaw. The golden tom storms off back home, and Hollypaw worries that she's splintering their bond even more and if her littermate will ever forgive her.
When ex-kittypet Millie interrupts her warrior ceremony requesting to keep her name, Daisy and Brook back her up, and some of their Clanmates begin to support this decision as well. Hollypaw is made irate by this, arguing that if Millie is to live by the warrior code, she must accept a proper ThunderClan name. Despite the apprentice's disapproval, Millie is allowed to keep her current name anyways.
Later, she takes a hunting assessment along with Mousepaw and Cinderpaw. Mousepaw is determined to impress his mentor by catching a squirrel that's hiding in the Sky Oak, climbing up to get it as his peers watch anxiously. Their mentors Cloudtail, Spiderleg and Brackenfur all arrive to see Mousepaw stuck in the tree, and against Brackenfur's protests, Cinderpaw climbs up to get him. As she climbs however, the other cats watch in horror as she slips out of the tree and lands hard on the ground, breaking one of her hind legs from the impact. At Spiderleg's orders, Hollypaw rushes back to camp to find Leafpool and Jaypaw, leading them to where her injured friend is. Hollypaw notices that Leafpool seems especially upset about Cinderpaw's broken leg, realizing she was thinking of her former mentor Cinderpelt, who had one of her legs irreversibly damaged after getting it run over by a monster. She tells Jaypaw that she'd never seen the brown tabby she-cat look so upset before.
At the next Gathering, Hollypaw tries to ask Willowpaw about RiverClan's troubles, but the latter responds that she can't talk at the moment and leaves. Deciding to just find out what's been going on in RiverClan by herself, Hollypaw tries to go to their territory. During her attempt though, she's caught and brought back to their camp, being kept there as punishment for trespassing. While there, she witnesses some twoleg children invade the camp and make a mess of it while terrorizing the RiverClan cats. The next day, Squirrelflight arrives to bring Hollypaw home.
Later, the three siblings hear about some WindClan kits named Swallowkit, Sedgekit and Thistlekit going missing, and with Lionpaw realizing they must be in the tunnels, the trio set out to find them. In the tunnels, they run into Heatherpaw and the short-tempered Breezepaw, who had also been looking for the kittens. The five apprentices eventually find the kits, and a spirit trapped in the tunnels named Fallen Leaves offers to lead them out. However, the spirit cat is unsuccessful at helping, and when it starts to rain and the tunnels flood, he panics and disappears. Just as the group thinks they're all going to drown, they discover a river leading out of the tunnels and follow it, escaping safely. Afterwards, Hollypaw concludes that now that she isn't a medicine cat apprentice, she can no longer be friends with Willowpaw.
Outcast[]
After she takes prey to the queens, Hollypaw asks her mother about being both a parent and a warrior, with Squirrelflight's attempt at reassuring her failing to make her less frustrated. She later finds Jaypaw sheltering from the rain, and he tells her that he's looking for another entrance into the tunnels after she voiced her concerns about them. He then informs her of his connection to the ancient cats, telling her their stories. Hollypaw is fascinated, and though she hesitates, she agrees to keep Jaypaw's secret safe.
During a patrol, Brook talks about her old home in the Tribe of Rushing Water and compliments Hollypaw, saying that she's a good hunter because of her strong back legs. Hearing about the Tribe, Hollypaw shares her brother's desire to go visit it. Later, she advises Cinderpaw to focus on being a good hunter before training her fighting skills. She watches a training session between the newly-named warriors Berrynose, Mousewhisker and Hazeltail. She's unsettled when she sees how ruthlessly Ashfur is training his apprentice Lionpaw. Soon after she tries to take part in the training session, but is distracted from thinking about Lionpaw's violent training. Brambleclaw reassures her that her brother will be fine, calling her his little thinker.
After getting permission to do so, Hollypaw, Jaypaw and Lionpaw all accompany their parents on a journey to the Tribe to help with some hostile rogues they've been dealing with. Hollypaw and Squirrelflight stop at WindClan to bring Crowfeather and his son Breezepaw along. She feels a bit of sympathy towards Breezepaw when seeing how hard he tries to earn his father's approval, but that sympathy is shaken off when she remembers how the WindClan apprentice nearly got some other apprentices killed once when leading them to fight a pack of dogs. She thinks about aiming to become the next leader of ThunderClan, worrying that she may be too ambitious, but later convinces herself that she isn't.
Along with Jaypaw, Lionpaw, Brambleclaw, Crowfeather, Breezepaw, Tawnypelt, Stormfur, Brook Where Small Fish Swim, Talon of Swooping Eagle and Night of No Stars, Hollypaw journeys to the mountains to visit the Tribe of Rushing Water. She and the other apprentices come across a loner named Purdy, and she silently agrees when Breezepaw complains about him. When Lionpaw and Breezepaw decide to go hunting in a nearby barn in spite of orders not to, she goes with them even though she doesn't think it's a good idea. She doesn't end up catching anything though, being too on edge with worry over being caught to properly focus. As she and Lionpaw are about to share a mouse that Breezepaw had caught, the three of them are attacked by dogs. Purdy saves them, showing them another way out of the barn when the dogs block the exit. As thanks for saving them, Hollypaw plucks ticks out of Purdy's fur for him. He tells her that he used to be a kittypet, but he's been living on his own ever since his owners died, with her commenting that his life is harder than the Clan elders'.
Once the travelling cats almost reach their destination, Hollypaw exclaims her amazement at the view, alerting the rogues the Tribe cats have been having trouble with and nearly starting a fight between them and her group. Once they reach the Tribe, she, Lionpaw and Breezepaw teach some to-be's (the Tribe cat equivalent of an apprentice) some battle moves. Though it's difficult, Hollypaw finds that she enjoys being a mentor, though her and Lionpaw admit that they doubt they can make the Tribe cats learn Clan customs.
Hollypaw is apart of a patrol that informs the rogues about the Tribe's boundaries, and is shocked to learn that said rogues don't follow a code of honor. She's pleased when the Tribe cats decide to fight the rogues off instead off fleeing. Before the Tribe and Clan cats go to drive off the rogues, Hollypaw, Lionpaw, Breezepaw and Pebble That Rolls Down Mountain scare off the queens and their kits so that they won't get hurt in the fight. The emerald-eyed she-cat fights hard against the rogues, and once they're successfully driven away, she's horrified to see Lionpaw covered in blood. She quickly calms when she finds out that it isn't his blood, but the blood of rogues, and helps clean his fur of it. Afterwards, Jaypaw brings his siblings somewhere private and tells them about the prophecy "There will be three, kin of your kin, who hold the power of the stars in their paws", thinking that it might be referring to the three of them, as Jaypaw can walk in dreams and Lionpaw has never gotten hurt in battle.
Eclipse[]
Hollypaw worries over the prophecy, fretting about her destiny and wondering what her power could be, wanting to use it to help protect the warrior code. She's irritated at Lionpaw's lack of concern towards the prophecy. Along with the other Clan cats - excluding Stormfur and Brook, who decide to rejoin the Tribe - she returns home. Soon after, she goes with Brambleclaw, Sandstorm and Brackenfur to confront WindClan about them stealing prey from ThunderClan territory. They meet three WindClan warriors by the names of Harespring, Ashfoot and Owlwhisker. Harespring attacks Brambleclaw, but the large brown tabby easily pins him down, and Ashfoot begs him to stop and leave their territory, which reluctantly he does. When Hollypaw tells Lionpaw of the incident, he rips some moss apart, and she notes that it's now far too messy for the kittens it was intended for.
Later, Hollypaw finds another entrance to the underground tunnels, but doesn't tell Lionpaw out of concern that he may use it to start meeting up with Heatherpaw again. Much later, she sees a cat in the distance that she mistakes as a lion due to their fluffy tail tip and "mane" of fur around their neck. Soon after, the mystery cat is brought into camp by a patrol, having insisted that they bring him there. The cat introduces himself as Sol, and tells the ThunderClan cats that their belief in StarClan is foolish, to Hollypaw's shock and anger. He then claims that soon the sun will disappear, and it will be proof that StarClan doesn't control the sky, so they shouldn't control the Clans.
When WindClan and RiverClan both attack ThunderClan at once, she helps guide Mousewhisker after he pokes his eye with a thorn in the dark. She goes to get ShadowClan for help when the camp guard Ivytail tries to stop her, though she's able to convince the ShadowClan leader Blackstar to help. As the battle rages on, all the cats suddenly watch in terror as - just as Sol had predicted - the sun "disappears" during a solar eclipse. The Clan cats retreat in fear, shaken up about the sight.
Later, Hollypaw and her brothers track down Sol to ask him how he knew about the solar eclipse, and offer him to go back to ThunderClan with them. On the way back however, a ShadowClan patrol stops them and takes them to their camp. Once they're allowed to leave, Sol decides to stay in ShadowClan. Once they get back, Hollypaw, Lionpaw, and Cinderpaw are all ordered to go hunting. Jaypaw becomes annoyed with his sister when she won't stop eerily murmuring "the warrior code" under her breath. Eventually, Hollypaw, Lionpaw and Cinderpaw are all made into warriors, earning the names Hollyleaf, Lionblaze and Cinderheart.
Long Shadows[]
Hollyleaf and her brothers go to spy on ShadowClan when they find out that Sol has become the de-facto leader and convinced the Clan to stop believing in StarClan as well as the warrior code. Afterwards, she brings Tawnypelt's children Flamepaw, Dawnpaw and Tigerpaw to ThunderClan to teach them about StarClan. Later, with the help of the three ShadowClan apprentices, she and her littermates fake a sign from StarClan to get ShadowClan to start believing in them again. The sign then becomes real when the spirits of Raggedstar and Runningnose help them. ShadowClan's faith in their ancestors is restored, and soon after Sol is exiled for manipulating and misleading them.
Shortly after Jayfeather completes his medicine cat training and earns his full name, a thunderstorm starts and a bolt of lightning sets fire to ThunderClan's camp. Most of the cats escape, but Squirrelflight is separated from the three. She tries to push a tree down for them to use as a bridge to cross the gap with, but isn't able to until Ashfur appears and seemingly helps her by pushing the tree down alongside her. However, Ashfur then hops onto the tree, blocking the trio's path, and declares that he's going to make Squirrelflight watch her children burn to death in revenge for her choosing Brambleclaw over him, revealing that he was also apart of Hawkfrost's ploy to kill her father Firestar in the climax of the previous arc.
Squirrelflight tries to reason with him, but none of it works, so as a last resort she lies that killing the three won't affect her, revealing that she was not their biological mother. Thinking of how much it would hurt her to have her secret revealed in front of all the Clans and have her Clanmates hate her for lying to them, Ashfur backs down with the promise that he's going to share what he's just been told. With Ashfur gone, the three are able to escape the fire, and Hollyleaf demands to know if Squirrelflight was telling the truth about not being their birth mother. The orange she-cat sorrowfully admits that it's true, and apologizes to the trio, who immediately lash out at her for lying to them their whole lives before storming off.
Once the three learn of Ashfur's plan to announce their secret to all the Clans at the next Gathering after he specifically asks Firestar to go, Jayfeather and Lionblaze try to reason with him, to no avail. Hollyleaf however sees the futility in trying to talk him out of it, telling him that it's his business if he wants to destroy his own Clan. The night of the Gathering, both Ashfur and Squirrelflight are missing. Hollyleaf thinks about how she wouldn't care if Squirrelflight never returned, and tries to avoid thinking about Ashfur at all. Squirrelflight eventually returns covered in mud, saying that she fell in the stream. Firestar grows impatient with waiting for Ashfur to return and the Gathering attendees decide to leave without him, only to find his lifeless body floating in the stream on the way there.
Sunrise[]
While examining Ashfur's body to look for clues as to who killed him, Leafpool finds bits of black fur with Hollyleaf's scent in his claws. Realizing the true culprit, she picks the fur out and hides it, fearful of what could happen if her Clanmates found out the truth.
Believing that Sol was responsible for Ashfur's death, Firestar sends Hollyleaf on a patrol to find him at the sun-drown place. Once the patrol confronts Sol, Hollyleaf is briefly mesmerized by his amber eyes, but then loses interest. After the rogue confirms that he had nothing to do with Ashfur's death, the patrol returns home.
Later, Hollyleaf barges into the medicine den and demands that Leafpool tells her everything she knows, referring to her birth parents. Misunderstanding her question in thinking that she's talking about Ashfur's murder, Leafpool reveals that she knows Hollyleaf was the one to kill him after finding tufts of black fur with her scent stuck in his claws. At first the black-furred warrior tries to deny this, but overcome with guilt she reluctantly confesses that she was the one behind her Clanmate's death. As she explains that she killed him because she couldn't let him spill the secret of her parentage, Leafpool somberly tells her that she's the one who birthed her and her brothers. In absolute horror from the revelation that her existence is because of the breaking of the warrior code she had devoted herself to, which forbid any medicine cats from having children, Hollyleaf is overwhelmed by sudden hatred of her birth mother and swears that she'll find out who the father is before running off.
Soon after, she discovers that the cat who Leafpool had kits with was Crowfeather of WindClan. In hysteria over being not only the child of a medicine cat, but the child of a half-Clan relationship, she climbs up the leader's tree at the next Gathering and yowls out to the crowd the scandal of her parentage. She screeches about her hatred for both her biological mother Leafpool and adoptive mother Squirrelflight, and is shocked by the gathered cats' disapproval for her announcement, believing she had done the right thing. After the Gathering, Hollyleaf waits for Leafpool in the medicine den. When the medicine cat arrives, Hollyleaf tries to force her to eat deathberries, saying it's the only way she can redeem herself now and threatening that she'll kill her herself if she doesn't. Leafpool coldly replies that letting her live after making her lose everything is a far worse punishment than killing her, and with this Hollyleaf backs off.
Unable to handle being born from codebreaking, Hollyleaf decides to leave the Clans altogether. Jayfeather notices her running for the tunnels, and he and Lionblaze try to stop her, as that part of the tunnels is collapsing. She doesn't listen to their pleas, admitting to them that she had killed Ashfur. Jayfeather looks into her mind and witnesses her ambushing Ashfur near the river and biting into his throat, in disbelief that his own sister would do such a thing. Hollyleaf then runs into the tunnel just as the entrance collapses, and her brothers, assuming she was crushed to death, mourn heavily for her.
Hollyleaf's Story[]
Hollyleaf runs into the tunnels as the entrance collapses, surviving but suffering many injuries from the falling debris. She tries calling for help, but no one is around to hear her. She then thinks about how her family now knows she had murdered Ashfur, and likely think she was killed in the tunnel's collapse, concluding that them thinking she's dead is probably what's best for everyone. She then tries to find a way out of the tunnels, quickly realizing that she's lost before the pain and exhaustion cause her to pass out.
Hollyleaf awakes to find her wounds being treated by an orange and white tom she doesn't recognize. She tries to stand, but the pain in her leg causes her to fall back down. The tom helping her introduces himself as Fallen Leaves, and is an inhabitant of the tunnels. Once the black she-cat's legs are healed and she can walk again, Fallen Leaves asks her if she's going to leave him behind in the tunnels, relieved when she replies that she has no intention of leaving yet and wants to explore the underground passages. As the orange-patched tom shows her around, he catches a mouse for her. He doesn't take any for himself though, confusing Hollyleaf, who is unaware that he's the spirit of a cat who died in the tunnels long ago.
The day after, the two check around the tunnels, where Hollyleaf sees a lost fox cub run inside to escape the dog and its twoleg that were chasing it. Hollyleaf is unsettled when the fox decides to take shelter in the tunnels overnight, deciding to go look for it to make sure it isn't hurting anyone. When she finds it, she sees how scared it is and comforts it by wrapping her tail around it as it sleeps. The next morning, she leads it outside to its mother and watches as the two walk away.
As the days pass, Hollyleaf looks to see if the fox cub came back, and Fallen Leaves teases her by asking if she wants it to return. She denies this, stating that the fox belongs with its family, and the tom asks if she wants to go back to her own. An argument starts between them, and Fallen Leaves says that she doesn't have to stay, causing her to storm off. As she exits the tunnels, she encounters the fox she had helped before. However, it no longer recognizes her and attacks, with her managing to escape it by climbing up a tree, feeling hurt that the fox doesn't remember her. Seeing the fox she once cared for now attacking her, she realizes how Leafpool must have felt when she tried to make her eat deathberries and feels even more guilty for her actions. She returns underground, sleeping for two whole days while Fallen Leaves takes care of her.
After she wakes up, the two start talking about their families. Fallen Leaves tells her that his mother's name is Broken Shadow, and that she was very protective of him. He doesn't tell her much else, and neglects to mention that he and his family are all Ancient cats that passed on many years ago. Instead, he inquires about Hollyleaf's family, and she tells him about what happened before she started living in the tunnels. He suggests that she go check up on ThunderClan, and reluctantly she agrees to do so. Making sure that no one finds her, she observes how her Clan has changed and feels like she no longer has a place there anymore. Fallen leaves tries to reassure her that she's still important to her Clanmates, but she retorts that they're better off without her.
A while later, she checks up on ThunderClan again, overhearing that Jayfeather is running low on yarrow to help the sick Cherrykit, so she fetches some and leaves it outside the camp for him. Due to her visits, Fallen Leaves grows worried that she'll abandon him to go back to Clan life. After two ThunderClan warriors named Ivypool and Blossomfall get lost in the underground, Hollyleaf takes her ghostly friend's advice and leads them out, making sure not to reveal her identity to either of them. Later, she saves the two apprentices Cherrypaw and Molepaw from a fox, again not revealing herself to them. Despite knowing that she risked having her identity found out, she knows she did the right thing in helping them.
Eventually Hollyleaf decides to finally return to the world above, and while Fallen Leaves supports her choice, he's upset that she'll be leaving. A moon later, Sol and a group of WindClan warriors are discovered in the tunnels, planning an attack against ThunderClan. Hollyleaf then discovers that Ivypool has returned, this time with her sister Dovewing. Despite not wanting to, she reveals herself to the two gray she-cats to earn their trust so that she may guide them back home.
Omen of the Stars[]
Sign of the Moon[]
After Icecloud fall into the tunnels, Lionblaze and Jayfeather investigate to see if they can retrieve Hollyleaf's body. They don't find a body, but instead find a tuft of her fur, and wonder if she could still be alive. Later, while unnamed, Hollyleaf helps guide Ivypool and Blossomfall out of the tunnels when the two get lost.
The Forgotten Warrior[]
When Molepaw and Cherrypaw are being attacked by foxes, Hollyleaf comes to their rescue, though the two apprentices were unable to make out who she is. Later, When Dovewing and Ivypool get lost in the tunnels, she appears to help them. The two don't trust her at first due to not being able to see her in the dark, and are shocked when she introduces herself. She then tells Ivypool that she was the one to help her and Blossomfall in the past and the three of them exit the tunnels together. Not yet ready to confront her Clan, Hollyleaf tries to go back into the tunnels, but Lionblaze sees her and brings her back to camp.
When she enters the camp for the first time in moons, her Clanmates are overjoyed to see her again and begin flooding her with questions. Leafpool bounds over to greet her, ecstatic to see her alive, but Hollyleaf flinches away from her, and she stumbles over her words when Squirrelflight expresses her happiness. The next morning, Hollyleaf leads her brothers out into the forest to talk in private. She thanks them for not telling anyone that she killed Ashfur, and Jayfeather conveys his anger at her for making them believe she was dead. At this, Hollyleaf explains that she didn't come back because she thought her Clanmates would be better off without her.
Soon after, she finds out that Dovewing is the third cat in the prophecy and is impressed with her power of enhanced sight and hearing. Jayfeather senses a bit of envy and grief coming from her, but no bitter jealousy that would make her a threat to Dovewing. He silently mourns the fact that his sister was not apart of the prophecy, knowing she would have taken the responsibility very seriously and might not have made the choices she did in the past.
The next day, Brambleclaw puts Hollyleaf on a hunting patrol, causing unrest among the Clan. Hollyleaf's Clanmates demand to know where she had been the whole time, with some wondering if she had been working with Sol. Thornclaw connects the timing between her disappearance and Ashfur's death, and the green-eyed warrior admits that she had caused his death. Just as she's about to admit to murdering him though, Brambleclaw interrupts and lies that he had witnessed the whole thing, and that Hollyleaf had only been defending herself, with Ashfur leaping at her and slipping, hitting his head on a rock and drowning. When Berrynose suggests exiling her anyways, she tells her Clanmates that she was the one to save Cherrypaw and Molepaw from the foxes. After hearing her reasoning for confronting Ashfur, her Clanmates are shocked that the deceased tom would try to kill four cats like that, accepting Hollyleaf and assuring her that she did the right thing in stopping him. Firestar tells his granddaughter that she should have had more faith in her Clanmates to treat her fairly, excusing her from patrols for the day.
When hearing of WindClan's plan of attack, Hollyleaf teaches the rest of the Clan how to fight in the tunnels. Ivypool notes that she has eyes like a hawk, as she sees Redwillow tell Dawnpelt to leave a patrol Ivypool is on alone. The black she-cat asks Ivypool about her relation towards Redwillow, and the white-and gray warrior worries that she knows about the two of them training in the Dark Forest. In actuality, Hollyleaf had mistaken them for being in love, and feels bitter about it not only because of the warrior code but also because she wouldn't want any half-Clan kits they have to go through the same things she had.
As WindClan attacks though the tunnels, ThunderClan is able to fight them off thanks to Hollyleaf's training. Hollyleaf herself fights off Sol, who had brought a group of rouges to attack the Clans in revenge. He reveals to her that he had once been apart of a Clan that lives in a gorge far away (referring to SkyClan), but they did not accept him as a warrior. Hollyleaf defeats him but spares his life, saying that she lets the warrior code rule her heart, and that there is no honor in killing him. She threatens that if he does return again however, she won't spare his life again. Afterwards, she and Dovewing exit the tunnels once more.
The Last Hope[]
Knowing of a fourth prophesized cat, Lionblaze is convinced that it's his sister. Hollyleaf denies this, saying that there's nothing special about her, and Lionblaze tries to prove it by testing her skills as a warrior. Hollyleaf is still adamant that being the fourth isn't in her destiny, and when her brother points out that her hunting and fighting skills as well as her dedication to the warrior code if proof, she responds that those are traits of any good warrior.
When the battle against the Dark Forest commences, Ivypool is cornered by Hawkfrost, Thistleclaw and Snowtuft. Hollyleaf defends her, fighting off Hawkfrost but sustaining a fatal neck wound in the process. After fighting off Snowtuft and Thistleclaw, Ivypool carries her back to ThunderClan camp with the help of Tigerheart, where in her final moments she tells Leafpool that she was glad to come back to ThunderClan, and that she's a good mother that she couldn't leave without getting to know. Ivypool begs Jayfeather to save her, saying that Hollyleaf was the one to save her, but the emerald-eyed warrior dies soon after. Somberly, Jayfeather tells Leafpool that there was nothing he could do.
Shortly after, Breezepelt glances at his half-sister's dead body and triumphantly says that she deserves to be dead, telling Lionblaze that he'll be next before Crowfeather intervenes. When Fallen Leaves arrives to the battle, he mourns his deceased friend, telling his mother Broken Shadow that she wasn't meant to die here, and he had promised to see her again. Broken Shadow replies that he can honor her death by helping in the fight against the Dark Forest.
After the Great Battle is won, Hollyleaf's spirit rises from her body and, along with all the others who died in the fight, ascends to StarClan as her friends and family mourn her loss.
Squirrelflight's Hope[]
When a member of the Sisters named Sunrise is badly wounded and brought to ThunderClan camp for treatment, Bramblestar sends Alderheart and Jayfeather to the Moonpool to ask for StarClan's permission to heal her. Hollyleaf appears while the two visit StarClan from the Moonpool, giving her brothers the cryptic message of "Clouds from the mountains will make it difficult to tell friend from enemy. But if the Clans stay united, the way forward will be clear." Jayfeather relays this message to Squirrelflight, who in turn relays it to Bramblestar, who misinterprets it as saying they shouldn't help Sunrise.
Later, Squirrelflight and Leafpool are crushed by falling rocks and teetering between life and death. They wake up in StarClan, where Hollyleaf greets the two of them warmly. After her mothers notice Ashfur is in StarClan and point out how odd it is that he isn't in the Dark Forest for his crimes, Hollyleaf tells them that he apologized to her and the two worked out their animosity together.
The Broken Code[]
Lost Stars[]
In a Barnes and Noble exclusive bonus scene, Jayfeather visits the Moonpool at his fellow medicine cats' insistence when they notice his grief for Leafpool's death. When visiting StarClan, he's greeted by Hollyleaf, who says it's good to see him again. He returns the sentiment, before noticing Leafpool isn't with her and asking if their mother couldn't be bothered to show up, bitterly remarking that she must have better things to do. His siter replies that that isn't true, as Leafpool wants to see him very much, but sent her to talk to him first since he still has baggage with her, so seeing her again might be a shock. Jayfeather retorts that he can handle the shock, though he's glad he gets to talk to his sister again.
Hollyleaf then says she has baggage with Leafpool too, as the three of them had felt betrayed by her lie, but they've had the chance to work out their differences in StarClan, and she feels she understands her mother now. She adds that they can finally be the mother and daughter they never had the chance to be in life, and Leafpool is actually a very good mother. Jayfeather replies that she could've been their mother in life, but gave them away to protect herself, to which Leafpool shows up to explain herself and assure her son that she loves him.
Quotes[]
“ | I want to be able to help the Clan. If I were a medicine cat I could heal my Clanmates when they were sick and I could share dreams with StarClan. As a warrior I could feed the Clan and defend it - I would die to protect the Clan if I had to - but as a warrior I would be limited to fighting with tooth and claw. As a medicine cat I could fight with all the knowledge and power of StarClan. What better way could there be to serve ThunderClan? | „ |
~ Hollykit telling Leafpool she wants to be a medicine cat |
“ | Coward! I'm not afraid of the truth! Leafpool is our mother, and Crowfeather - yes, Crowfeather of WindClan - is our father. These cats were so ashamed of us that they gave us away and lied to every single one of you to hide the fact that they had broken the warrior code. It'll all her fault. How can the Clans survive when there are cowards and liars at the very heart of them? | „ |
~ Hollyleaf revealing Leafpool's secret at the Gathering |
“ | Leafpool: Hollyleaf. It's alright. I forgive you. Hollyleaf: What! You forgive me? You're the one who needs forgiveness! You abandoned you kits! You let us grow up in a web of lies, and now the warrior code might be broken forever because of your stupid, selfish actions. Leafpool: Do you think you need to tell me that? I can only tell you how much I love you. I'm so sorry for what I did. Hollyleaf: And you expect me to forgive you? Well, I don't. I never will. See those deathberries? You're going to eat them- or I'll make you! Leafpool: What? Hollyleaf: Eat them! you deserve to die. I've killed once. And i can do it again. Leafpool: Hollyleaf, I have lost my kits, the one cat I loved, and my calling as a medicine cat. Which do you think would be easier for me, to die or to go on living? |
„ |
~ Hollyleaf trying to make Leafpool repent for breaking the code |
“ | I'm sorry... I was only trying to do what was best. I couldn't let Ashfur live! For all our sakes! You understand that, don't you? | „ |
~ Hollyleaf revealing that she killed Ashfur |
“ | Hollyleaf: I am not part of the prophecy! I killed a cat, remember? And not because I was being brave or noble. I killed Ashfur because I was angry that our birth had broken the warrior code! Ashfur died because I was so angry I stopped caring about what is right! Lionblaze: It wasn't your fault! Leafpool and Squirrelflight started it. You should blame them! Hollyleaf: No, they made a mistake. They were just trying to make it better. No one should have died because Leafpool's heart led her along the wrong path. Doesn't every cat do that sometime in their life? Lionblaze: I- I guess. But in the end real warriors do the right thing, don't they? Hollyleaf: Yes. Which is why I'm doing everything I can to make it up to my Clan. |
„ |
~ Hollyleaf defending Leafpool and Squirrelflight |
“ | Jayfeather: Does this mean Leafpool couldn't be bothered? Everyone is on my pelt to talk to my dead mother, but apparently she has better things to do. Hollyleaf: No, no, that's not true. Leafpool wants to speak with you very much. But she knows that you still have sore feelings toward her, and seeing her again might be a shock. So she sent me to talk to you first. Jayfeather: I can manage the shock just fine, thanks, but I'm glad you're here. Hollyleaf: I have issues with Leafpool too. We all felt like we'd been abandoned, and we were hurt by the way she deceived us. But since she joined StarClan, we've finally had the chance to really talk about what happened, and now I feel like I understand her. Now that we're both in StarClan, we can be mother and daughter at last, the way we never could when we were alive. It turns out Leafpool is a wonderful mother. She just never had the chance to be one until now. |
„ |
~ Hollyleaf assuring Jayfeather that Leafpool wants to talk to him |
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Originally, Hollyleaf was meant to be part of the "kin of your kin" prophecy like her brothers, but the writers couldn't think of a power for her, and eventually she was replaced by Dovewing. This change was also made because author Victoria Holmes found that having her realize that she's less "special" than the rest of her litter was a rich storyline.
- Her niece Hollytuft is named after her.
- After the confrontation with Ashfur in Long Shadows, she has grown a fear of thunderstorms.
- Hollyleaf was present at Bramblestar's leadership ceremony, but didn't have a life to give him.
- Her warrior name is in reference to Leafpool, and Squirrelflight had been the one to suggest it.
External Links[]
- Hollyleaf on the Warriors Wiki
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