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| “ | I loved Bristlefrost. I was going to join ThunderClan to be with her. But I never got a chance to tell her that. She'd died thinking that I'd chosen my Clan over her, and I will never see her again or have a chance to let her know she was more important to me than even my own Clan. I don't need your pity. I just want things to change. If I hadn't spent so long trying to choose between my Clan and Bristlefrost, we could have spent what little time we had left together. Instead we spent it torturing ourselves over where our true loyalties lay. My loyalty would have always been with her, and if it meant moving to her Clan, then my loyalty would have been with her Clan, because what was important to her was important to me. | „ |
| ~ Rootspring talking about his plans to join ThunderClan before Bristlefrost's death |
Rootspring is one of three main characters in Warriors: The Broken Code alongside Bristlefrost and Shadowsight. When Bramblestar's body is possessed by Ashfur, the spirit of the real Bramblestar seeks the young SkyClan tom out for help, as he has the special ability to communicate with the undead. Rootspring also falls in love with Bristlefrost and plans to move to her Clan so they can be together, but she tragically dies before that can happen.
Appearance[]
Rootspring is a broad headed and shouldered tom with fluffy, bright yellow fur. He has light blue eyes and a torn ear. He is noted to look like a smaller version of his father Tree.
Biography[]
Squirrelflight's Hope[]
Rootkit and Needlekit are born to Violetshine and Tree, which is announced by Leafstar at a Gathering. Later, while visiting SkyClan, Squirrelflight is introduced to them by their father, and the kittens are exited to learn that she's from ThunderClan just like their aunt Twigbranch.
The Broken Code[]
Lost Stars[]
Rootkit is insecure about being judged due to his father's odd behavior. When preparing for their apprentice ceremonies, Rootkit thinks about how he wants to be the best warrior he can be. He and Needlekit are renamed Rootpaw and Needlepaw, and are assigned to Dewspring and Reedclaw respectively. Two older apprentices - Kitepaw and Turtlepaw - pick up on his insecurities and start making fun of him after the ceremony.
Two days later, Rootpaw is battle training with the other apprentices. He's embarrassed when he messes up a move that Needlepaw gets on the first try, and his sister comforts him about it. Turtlepaw tries offering advise, but Kitepaw states that the yellow tom isn't cut out for being a warrior just like his father. Rootpaw snaps at Kitepaw, and Turtlepaw reminds the two that they'll get in trouble for fighting, though doubts the younger tom would win anyways. Rootpaw launches himself at Turtlepaw but misses, causing the two to tease him even more. Rootpaw insists that he'll be a strong warrior one day, and Kitepaw says that he should prove it by helping collect herbs by the frozen lake. Despite his sister's warning, he agrees to go help, being taunted the whole way there. After one taunt too many however, he lunges for the two as they dodge, causing him to crash through the frozen lake's ice.
Bristlepaw, an apprentice of ThunderClan, witnesses this and dives in to save Rootpaw, dragging him out and bringing him to her Clan's medicine den to recover for a few days. While staying there, he grows to admire Bristlepaw. She tells him not to listen to his bullies and focus on his training, brushing it off as knowing to keep away from those kinds of cats when Rootpaw compliments her on her advise.
Soon a SkyClan patrol comes to take the young tom back home, and he's embarrassed when he hears Tree's voice among them. On the walk back to camp, Rootpaw thinks about how his dad doesn't seem to even try fitting in with the rest of the Clan, and how much he doesn't want to be like him. When Tree starts talking about the life of a warrior, Rootpaw silently argues back that he's not being true to himself and is living under rules he doesn't respect.
A little while later, Rootpaw wakes up for a training session and hears that Kitepaw and Turtlepaw are being punished for their behavior towards him and indirectly causing him to almost drown. The blue-eyed apprentice says that it was partially his own fault too, but Dewspring tells him that Kitepaw and Turtlepaw are older and should know better, adding in that he's disappointed in his student for going along with it in the first place. Rootpaw apologizes and goes out to train with his mentor, eventually running in to Turtlepaw and Kitepaw. The two blame him for their punishment, calling him mouse-brained for falling through the ice. He later confides in Needlepaw about it, and she tells him to ignore them and work on being his truest self.
As they recite the warrior code, Rootpaw and his mentor overhear Leafstar and Fidgetflake discussing how the Moonpool has frozen over and cut off connection from StarClan. When the apprentice worries over what he's heard, Dewspring tells him to trust their leader and medicine cat. While out hunting, he catches a plump crow, and as he returns to camp with it, he sees Tree doing some hunting of his own. His father catches a vole by lying very still next to it, pretending to be a bush. After seeing this, Rootpaw changes his mind about his father and decides that he does belong in SkyClan. After bringing home the crow, his Clanmates feast for the first time in moons, with even Kitepaw and Turtlepaw being impressed by the prey he's caught.
During a Gathering, Rootpaw meets up with Bristlepaw again, causing her ire while bragging about the crow he caught as she's been struggling with hunting. Later, Rootpaw thinks about how he wishes Bristlepaw could have seen his successful battle training. Remembering her frustrations about hunting, he asks Leafstar and Hawkwing if he can go visit ThunderClan to give her some fresh-kill as thanks for saving him. The leader and deputy agree reluctantly, and after catching a vole, he's escorted to ThunderClan's camp by Dewspring and Sunnypelt. There he gives her the vole, which she awkwardly accepts, and notices that the Clan's leader Bramblestar is acting odd.
Feeling embarrassed by how awkwardly his visit went, Rootpaw is nervous that his Clanmates will be angry at him for wasting prey. While out hunting on his own, he runs in to ShadowClan's medicine cat apprentice, Shadowpaw. While they talk, the yellow tom feels a sense of relief in finding someone who struggles to fit is just as he does. As they walk together, Rootpaw steps on a thorn and Shadowpaw gently plucks it out, with the former reflecting on how good of a medicine cat the latter will become.
Along with several other cats from all the Clans, Rootpaw tries to break the ice sealing off the Moonpool, believing that doing so will restore the connection to StarClan. He meets up with Bristlepaw again, who is now a warrior by the name of Bristlefrost, and forgives her when she apologizes for how she acted when he gave her the vole. He then helps push a rock on to the ice, but when a chunk of it breaks away it's revealed that the Moonpool has been frozen solid.
After Shadowpaw suggests burying Bramblestar in snow to cure his condition, the leader seemingly revives, but is now acting even stranger. Tree calls a family meeting, wary of how similar "Bramblestar's" behavior is to Darktail's and suggests that SkyClan should leave the lake to avoid another massacre. Rootpaw argues against this idea, and his father has him and Needlepaw promise him to be careful. After the meeting, Rootpaw sees Bramblestar while walking around in the snow, quickly realizing that the brown tabby is transparent. Rootpaw runs away in fear as Bramblestar calls out for his help.
The Silent Thaw[]
Rootpaw runs from the spirit of Bramblestar, refusing to believe what he'd seen. When he arrives for training, Dewspring scolds him for being late. He asks if he can join the patrol going near ThunderClan, wanting to see if they're grieving the death of Bramblestar. However, the ThunderClan cats reveal that their leader is alive and well, causing Rootpaw to think that he was just imagining Bramblestar's ghost. He sees the ghost staring at him again while eating with his sister though, and realizes that he's the only one that can see him.
At the Gathering, Rootpaw is accused of thinking of Bristlefrost by Needlepaw whenever he sees the ghost, who thinks he's staring off at nothing, and he lies that he's just worried about his warrior assessment. Bristlefrost comes up to talk to him, but leaves early on. Rootpaw sees the ghost again, and he figures out that the current "Bramblestar" is a fake. The sprit tries to confront him, but he runs off and falls off the fallen tree while trying to cross. Bramblestar's spirit tries to save him, but is unable to interact with the living world. Rootpaw drags himself out of the water himself, and his parents fret over him afterwards.
A few days pass, and Rootpaw is helping Fidgetflake gather herbs as his mentor had sprained his paw and couldn't train him. When asking about spirits, the medicine cat tells him to always listen to their StarClan ancestors. They run in to Tree, who encourages his son to try "thinking bush" to hunt. He finds that his father can't see the ghost either, and finally decides to try talking to Bramblestar's spirit. Bramblestar tells him to tell Squirrelflight that he's been possessed, and begrudgingly the young tom agrees to do so.
Believing that he's always distracted by his infatuation with Bristlefrost, Leafstar and Dewspring scold Rootpaw. He finally decides to tell his dad about the ghost he's been seeing, causing Tree to panic and figure that Bramblestar's body is being inhabited by someone else and warning his son not to tell anyone else. The real Bramblestar then urges Rootpaw to sneak in to ThunderClan camp to give Squirrelflight his message, guiding him through the territory until the yellow tom is caught by a patrol. When the possessed leader asks him what he's doing, he lies that he saw The Sisters nearby and wanted to see Bristlefrost. He then tells Bristlefrost about Bramblestar's ghost and the message he has for Squirrelflight, but when the deputy is told of this message she brushes it off as nonsense.
For sneaking into another Clan, Rootpaw is punished by having to clean every nest in camp. Later, Leafstar calls a Clan meeting where Frecklewish announces that Shadowsight had received a vision from StarClan about those who broke the warrior code needing to be punished. Bramblestar's imposter begins ranting about punishing codebreakers at an emergency Gathering, to which the real Bramblestar insists that Rootpaw do something. Squirrelflight then confronts Rootpaw about the message passed on to her earlier, and with the ghost telling him what to say, he's able to convince her that he's telling the truth.
Afterwards, two ThunderClan warriors named Spotfur and Stemleaf tell him to come to a secret meeting later to discuss what to do about the faux leader. At the meeting, Rootpaw finds Frecklewish and Tree there as well, and the gathered cats begin talking about Shadowsight's vision and StarClan supposed wish for codebreakers to face punishment. Tree lies that he'd seen Bramblestar's ghost as well and that the current leader of ThunderClan is someone possessing his body. Bristlefrost then shows up and agrees to try and convince Squirrelflight to help them overthrow the imposter.
At the Gathering, Rootpaw and Frecklewish try speaking with Shadowsight, but he brushes the two of them off. When Rootpaw tries to reveal the secret of the ThunderClan leader and that the message from StarClan is fake, the imposter accuses him of breaking the warrior code for seeing ghosts. His father backs him up by claiming that he and several others can see spirits as well, and the false leader forces him to go into exile for three days, threatening to do the same to his mate and kits if he doesn't comply. Tree tries to leave the Clans and take his family with him, but his son convinces him to stay.
Later, Rootpaw and Tree visit ShadowClan to try and convince them that Bramblestar has been possessed, but their leader Tigerstar throws them out soon after. Shadowsight goes after them and says to them that his visions didn't come from StarClan like he'd thought. The two tell the medicine cat what had happened to the real Bramblestar, with Tree explaining to his son how to summon the spirit, the apprentice being shocked by his power. Shadowsight takes them back to camp, where they find Squirrelflight to be taking shelter after she'd been exiled for standing up to the possessed leader. Rootpaw uses his newfound summoning powers to make Bramblestar's spirit appears before the whole of ShadowClan, convincing them of his story. The ghost then helps him persuade Tigerstar into helping get rid of the imposter.
Rootpaw is for once ok with being similar to his father as long as no one else knew of his power. The two SkyClan cats then accompany Shadowsight and Puddleshine to the Moonpool to warn the other Clans' medicine cats. On the way however, Rootpaw picks up the scent of mint, which doesn't grow near the Moonpool. He, Tree and Puddleshine then hear an injured cat calling for help nearby and rush towards them, leaving Shadowsight behind where he's attacked
Veil of Shadows[]
At the Moonpool, Rootpaw, Tree and the other Clans' medicine cats are waiting on Puddleshine and Shadowsight, as the former had went back to fetch the latter. Puddleshine arrives alone, surprised not to see Shadowsight with the others, and Rootpaw wonders if something had happened to the gray tom. The group decides to go investigate, starting with searching where Shadowsight was last seen. They find squished catmint, but the medicine cat is nowhere to be seen. Deciding that they can't wait any longer, the yellow tom summons Bramblestar, but the brown tabby is hazy and disappears quickly. As the remaining medicine cats are torn on whether or not to believe Rootpaw, he worries over what has happened to Shadowsight.
Two days later, Rootpaw and Needlepaw are ready to become warriors, but the former's ceremony is put on hold due to the ghost distracting him. His sister's ceremony is still held anyways, and she earns the name Needleclaw. Then, the possessed leader of ThunderClan visits and requests to speak with Leafstar just as Rootpaw, Frecklewish and Fidgetflake are about to reveal the truth about him to her. The imposter then organizes an emergency Gathering for that night and presses Leafstar to punish those who've broken the code. After he leaves, Leafstar announces a Clan meeting to talk over the faux leader's proposition, to which Frecklewish reveals that the real Bramblestar has been possessed. The rest of the Clan is shocked, and Rootpaw backs this up by revealing that he was the first to see Bramblestar, trying but failing to summon his spirit.
Leafstar is wary to make such a bold statement against ThunderClan, and instead asks Rootpaw if he wants to become a medicine cat because of his powers. Rootpaw agrees, wanting to help his Clan, and starts training under Frecklewish and Fidetflake. He soon comes to find that he isn't very good at being a medicine cat however, as he struggles to memorize herbs and panics at the sight of blood while trying to treat Rabbitleap's minor wound. Later, Puddleshine arrives to talk to Rootpaw, and as he escorts him to ShadowClan's camp, reveals his fear that Shadowsight may be dead. When they get to camp, the apprentice sees that all the exiled cats have been sheltering there, much to Tigerstar's annoyance. The refugees agree to move to SkyClan's old camp, and Squirrelflight asks Rootpaw to summon Bramblestar for her to ask him a few questions. He somberly admits that he can't summon the spirit anymore though, wondering where he went. When they reach the old camp, the yellow tom tells the rebels what's been happening with Bramblestar.
A little while later, Rootpaw's father talks to him about bein unable to summon ghosts anymore and the two decide to perform a ritual to summon him. The ritual fails though, and after Rootpaw apologizes, Frecklewish suggests that they do it at the Moonpool. While doing so, Rootpaw thinks he sees something glimmering in the Moonpool, but it quickly vanishes, and Tree suggests that Bramblestar may be fading away without a body.
At his leader's suggestion, Rootpaw decides to stop his medicine cat training and go back to being a warrior apprentice. In a last-minute training session with Dewspring before his warrior assessment, he impresses his mentor by ambushing him from the trees. The spirit of Spiresight then appears to him and leads him to a ravine in ThunderClan where he finds Shadowsight badly injured but still alive. He runs to get help, running into his mentor who scolds him for being late to his own warrior ceremony. Rootpaw explains what happened and leads Dewspring to Shadowsight's body, and the two of them carry the unconscious gray tom to SkyClan's camp. There, he challenges Leafstar's apathy about "Bramblestar's" tyranny before he and Needleclaw head off to ShadowClan to tell Tigerstar and Dovewing that their son is alive. At the next meeting of the rebels, Rootpaw explains how he'd found Shadowsight and speculates that the medicine cat was attacked. For his bravery, Leafstar finally makes him a warrior, giving him the name Rootspring.
Later, he goes to check up on Shadowsight, who's still laying unconscious in the medicine den. Suddenly, Shadowsight wakes up and says that the imposter has done something with Bramblestar's ghost, asking Rootspring to try summoning him again to prove it. Once again, Bramblestar fails to appear, proving the gray tom's claim. After leaving Shadowsight to get some rest, he then catches Kitescratch, Turtlecrawl, Pidgeonfoot and Gravelnose eavesdropping. They ask him to help with their investigation to find proof about the imposter, but he declines.
At the rebel's next meeting, Rootspring is surprised to find Berrynose attending, as he was the imposter's deputy after Squirrelflight's banishment. Squirrelflight explains that Berrynose had recently been exiled after the cream tom failed to defend him during an attempted assassination. She adds that Bristlefrost had come to the imposter's aid during the attempt on his life, and as such has replaced Berrynose as deputy. Hearing this, the rebels begin to doubt whether or not Bristlefrost is truly on their side, and Rootspring sadly begins wondering if he can trust her as well. He then sees the spirit of the recently killed Stemleaf hanging around his mate Spotfur and realizes that his ability to see ghosts never left him, making him wonder even more what had happened to Bramblestar.
Later, Rootspring goes to confront Bristlefrost about why she defended the imposter during the assassination attempt, and she says that she was keeping a promise she made to Squirrelflight to make sure Bramblestar's body wouldn't be killed, otherwise the brown tabby tom would never come back from the dead. He apologize for doubting her, revealing that he still has feeling for her, and to his surprise she in turn reveals that she reciprocates those feelings. Though they doubt that they can be together, they agree that they could be if things change.
Soon after, a massive battle breaks out with ThunderClan, RiverClan and WindClan fighting on the imposter's side, and ShadowClan, SkyClan and the rebels fighting against him. During the fight, Harestar loses a life and panics when he revives, yowling to the fighting cats that StarClan has told him that the current "Bramblestar" really is an imposter. This causes the Clans who were once the imposter's allies to immediately turn on him, and after losing a fight with Tigerstar, the false leader is taken prisoner.
At the next Gathering, Rootspring sees the ghosts of all those who'd died recently and grimly figures out that something is preventing them from moving on to StarClan. Shadowsight then tells Rootspring of how Bramblestar's spirit had been kidnapped and held hostage in the Dark Forest until the gray tom had rescued him, but Rootspring says that he still hasn't seen the tabby tom for a while. While the leaders speak, the blue-eyed warrior is shocked when Mistystar exiles Icewing and Harelight for fighting against RiverClan in the earlier battle. He then listens in anticipation as Squirrelflight - who is standing in as ThunderClan's leader until Bramblestar returns - announces that she knows the identity of the imposter.
Darkness Within[]
Squirrelflight reveals that the cat possessing the ThunderClan leader is Ashfur, who is her ex-mate that dedicated himself to making her suffer after she chose Brambleclaw over him when he was alive. She then manages to get Ashfur to expose his identity, and while he's being held prisoner in ShadowClan's camp, all five Clans attend a mass vigil to mourn the cats who'd died because of him. During said vigil, Rootspring is surprised and enraged to know that so much pain was caused just because Ashfur had been rejected years ago, and wonders where the spirits of his victims are now, as he hasn't seen them recently.
The next morning, Bristlefrost talks to him about her Clanmate Spotfur's grief after Ashfur had killed her mate Stemleaf, while also admitting that she feels guilty for getting over her past crush on Stemleaf so easily. She asks him if he's moved on from his crush on her, and he responds that he hasn't, though knows they still can't be together. Before Squirrelflight gathers up the Clan to leave, Rootspring comforts Bristlefrost regarding her fears about ThunderClan's future. As the SkyClan cats head home as well, the yellow warrior thanks Tree for pretending to be the one to summon Bramblestar as to not reveal his son's powers, and Tree replies that it's just what any father would do. The two then encounter the terrified spirit of a kittypet she-cat named Cheddar, who tells them that she's seen the ghosts of Clan cats fading in and out.
When they get home, the father and son tell Leafstar of their fears that the spirits of the deceased may be in trouble and unable to move on to StarClan. She agrees to organize a meeting between the leaders to go over the matter, and at the meeting the five of them argue whether or not Bramblestar is gone, as his ghost hasn't been seen in a month. Harestar and Tigerstar say they should just kill Bramblestar's body while Ashfur is still possessing it to be rid of him for good, but Squirrelflight objects to this, hanging on to the hope that her mate can still be saved. Since they're more acquainted with wandering spirits, Tree suggests going to The Sisters for help. Rootspring, Needleclaw, Spotfur and Bristlefrost are then sent to look for The Sisters, with the leaders agreeing to hold Ashfur prisoner until they return.
Rootspring is exited to be going with Bristlefrost, though worries whether or not he'll be strong enough to maintain their friendship. Before they go, Tree advises them to find a kittypet named Pancakes who knows of The Sisters. As he leads the patrol, the blue-eyed tom is amazed by the sights lying beyond Clan territory. Wanting to avoid drawing his sister's suspicion, he makes sure to keep his distance from Bristlefrost, walking beside and hunting with Needleclaw instead. Bristlefrost is concerned that they may not be able to convince The Sisters to help them, but Rootspring reasons she and Needleclaw will be able to sway them.
While stopping to rest for the night, Rootspring offers to keep watch while the others sleep. Bristlefrost decides to join him, making Needleclaw suspicious. As she explains how Graystripe, Flipclaw, Flywhisker and Snaptooth all went on a journey together outside the Clans, he comforts her by brushing his fur up against hers. The two share a quiet night together, both struggling to suppress their infatuation for one another.
The next day, the group meets Pancakes' kids Bacon and Eggs, who tell them to look for a former member of The Sisters named Leaf who'd recently passed by. Already having caught on to Rootspring's feeling for Bristlefrost, Needleclaw then passive-aggressively recommends that her brother find a new "friend" within his own Clan. Rootspring argues back that the warrior code may be changing soon as the group comes across a large twolegplace. While navigating the area, they're cornered by a dog before getting rescued by a tom introducing himself as Leaf. As the son of Moonlight and thus the half-brother of Tree, Leaf is pleased to meet is kin and tells the group that Spotfur is pregnant. Upon explaining that they need to find The Sisters, Leaf shows Rootspring how to communicate with the Earth in order to find them; a power that all toms descended for The Sisters have access to. Leaf the locates The Sisters across the river and leads the group to them, and when Rootspring expresses his surprise that he'd help them despite the Clan's history with The Sisters, Leaf explains that he and his littermates were nursed by a she-cat from the Clans, so he can not judge them for the actions of another.
After being shown The Sisters' direction, Rootspring can't help but wonder what his life would have been like if he was raised among them rather than in SkyClan. Upon telling Bristlefrost this, she tells him that she's happy in ThunderClan, but he doubts this and says that things in ThunderClan might not get better. Later, while out hunting, Rootspring and Needleclaw hear Spotfur being carried away by a hawk. The three manage to save her, though to their shock the spotted gray warrior briefly tries clinging on to the hawk. Afterwards, a member of The Sisters named Sunrise appears and warns the warriors not to stay too close to her group's camp. Relieved to finally meet The Sisters, the Clan cats explain to their leader Snow what's been happening in the Clans as of late. Snow is hesitant to leave to help though, as Sunrise is close to giving birth. While The Sisters debate on whether or not they should assist, Moon cuts in and reminds everyone of how a SkyClan she-cat had nursed her and her littermates, with Rootspring realizing that the one she's referring to is his mother Violetshine. He's disappointed that Moon doesn't recognize him or Needleclaw, and is then shocked to see the spirit of Moonlight appear and encourage The Sisters to help. Upon finding out that Spotfur is pregnant, The Sisters perform a welcoming ceremony for her to-be-born kits, with the rest of the Clan cats joining in.
While eating together, Bristlefrost rests her tail on Rootspring's, but quickly whisks it away when Sunrise gives the two a fond and knowing look. Sunrise comments on how happy she is to see her half-nephew finding happiness, but the two are embarrassed by this and tell her that they're just close friends. Upon Spotfur pointing out that both Dovewing and Finleap left their birth Clans to be with someone they love, the two wonder if they could do that for each other, but conclude that they can't leave their Clans behind.
When they arrive back at the lake with The Sisters in tow, Needleclaw once again presses her littermate to forget about Bristlefrost, since the gray she-cat will always be more loyal to ThunderClan than to him. He's about to argue, but is interrupted by Moon getting caught in a trap and Sunrise urging him to listen to the Earth to find out where it's buried. He closes his eyes and focuses on the sound of the earth and grass as Sunrise presses his paws to the ground, sensing a small mound of dirt a few moments later. He digs at the mound to discover the base of the trap, and with Bristlefrost's help rescues Moon. Rootspring is proud of himself for harnessing his power, wondering what else he may be able to do.
Back at SkyClan's camp, Snow asks for Rootspring's help in summoning the missing spirits to show the Clan leaders. After The Sisters perform a ritual, the area is filled with spirits with black voids for eyes screaming in agony. Recognizing Stemleaf and Spiresight, Rootspring asks them what to do, but both are in too much pain to reply. Tree and The Sisters are all horrified by the sight and call for the ghosts to vanish before any can attack, during which Rootspring spots Ashfur watching the scene in sadistic pleasure. When asked if he saw Bramblestar among the spirits, the blue-eyed warrior says he didn't but that Ashfur was there. Tigerstar speculates that Ashfur is able to move freely without needing to possess Bramblestar's body, and Sunrise tells the leaders to leave the area, as it's now polluted with bad energy. The leaders refuse, and The Sisters decide to stay in SkyClan until everything's been dealt with. After this, Bristlefrost comforts Rootspring over the horrific experience.
The next day, Sunrise teaches Rootspring how to properly summon ghosts while thanking him for his help yesterday. She says that he must reach out to the spirit with a physical token of them, such as a tuft of fur. She also instructs him to harness his power of bonding with the Earth by lying down and opening his heart so that the power may flow through him. Rootspring begins to feel self-conscious that his Clanmates may think he's weird for his ability. When The Sisters are about to go make a temporary camp in SkyClan territory, Sunrise tells him not to let go of Bristlefrost, causing him to reiterate his love for the gray she-cat to her. She in turn reiterates that the feeling is mutual, and Rootspring believes that their love can make each other stronger. He then asks if one of them would be willing to leave their Clan to be together, but Bristlefrost says that she can't bring herself to abandon ThunderClan when it needs her now more than ever. Rootspring promises to think about his choice, but after reflecting on his life with his Clanmates and learning of how amazed by his powers Beekit and Beetlekit are, he realizes that SkyClan is his home.
At another emergency Gathering, Tigerstar has Rootspring testify to seeing Ashfur watching the agonized spirits during the summoning. The leaders all agree that killing Ashfur is the best course of action to the horror of Squirrelflight and Rootspring, the latter remembering Bramblestar's spirit begging him for help to get back to his body. He and Bristlefrost see Squirrelflight running to ShadowClan's camp to get to Bramblestar's body before the others can and decide to follow her. On the way, Rootspring accepts Bristlefrost's decision to stay in ThunderClan. The two of them try to reason with Squirrelflight, and reluctantly the ginger deputy agrees to let Bramblestar go and allow the other leaders to kill his body. They then see her heading towards the Moonpool and once again Rootspring follows her, witnessing Ashfur ambush her from within the Moonpool. He tries to intervene, but Ashfur subdues him, and as he struggles to not fall unconscious he sees Squirrelflight getting dragged down into the depths of the Moonpool. He searches frantically for any sign of her, but to his horror realizes that Ashfur has brought her to the Dark Forest.
The Place of No Stars[]
Rootspring fearfully scrambles back from the Moonpool and towards SkyClan, running into a patrol lead by Hawkwing on the way. He tells them what's happened, and Hawkwing tells him to go find Leafstar. When the yellow tom returns home, Leafstar is about to head to ShadowClan when he runs into her. She and Tree believe his account, but their Clanmates are skeptical. When they get to ShadowClan, they find Tigerstar and Lionblaze in a heated argument that's interrupted when Rootspring announces that Ashfur has escaped and kidnapped Squirrelflight. The leaders debate the issue before agreeing to go to the Moonpool with the medicine cats to look for clues. As she heads to the Moonpool, Leafstar instructs Rootspring to fetch Frecklewish and Fidgetflake.
When arriving at the Moonpool, Rootspring tries using his powers to look for Squirrelflight, but is unable to find her. The medicine cats are still unable to communicate with StarClan, and Mistystar's, Mothwing's and Willowshine's idea of swimming in the pool to reach the Dark Forest prove fruitless. Remembering how Dark Forest trainees used to enter the Place of No Stars in their dreams, the group deduces that's the only reliable way to enter. Despite Shadowsight's offer to do so, most of the group is still wary of him due to him accidentally helping Ashfur escape, so they decide to send Willowshine instead. The RiverClan medicine cat falls asleep and is able to access the Dark Forest, but as soon as she enters Ashfur kills her. In the waking world, Rootspring sees her spirit rising from her body and calls out to her, alerting the others to the fact that the gray she-cat isn't breathing. As the medicine cats frantically try to resuscitate her, Rootspring witnesses someone reach out of the Moonpool and drag her spirit in.
Upon realizing that it's too late to save Willowshine from death, the other medicine cats somberly mourn her, with her former mentor Mothwing taking it the hardest. Rootspring then says that he saw her getting pulled into the Moonpool, concluding that she must've been killed in the Dark Forest. Shadowsight once again volunteers himself to go instead, insisting that he's the only one who can, but Rootspring says that they'll need to find a safer option instead.
Later, Rootspring has a nightmare of Shadowsight falling into darkness, making him scared for his friend's safety. Graystripe - who is ThunderClan's new stand-in leader - then shows up in SkyClan camp alongside Bristlefrost, Jayfeather and Lionblaze, wanting to speak with Rootspring about what he saw at the Moonpool. After telling them, he and the ThunderClan cats then go there to investigate some more, finding Mothwing and Shadowsight already there with the latter asleep. Mothwing explains that the gray tom is accessing the Dark Forest through his dreams, and Tigerstar and Leafstar talk about what to do from there.
As the group rests, Willowshine's ghost suddenly rises from the Moonpool and drags Rootspring under. Bristlefrost tries saving him, but nearly drowns before getting pulled out of the water by Mothwing. As the yellow warrior awakes in the Place of No Stars, Willowshine apologizes for startling him, explaining that she needs his help to save the Clans. She then leads him through the Dark Forest, the two spotting Mapleshade and Silverhawk nearby. The two Dark Forest residents don't notice they're being watched, and instead complain about how Ashfur's schemes have caused their home to start flooding with dark water. To his disfavor, Willowshine has Rootspring follow Mapleshade, following her into a cavern that he nearly gets stuck in during a cave-in, but luckily manages to escape. He then finds Willowshine sitting next to a lake of dark water, who shows him an island guarded by Darkstripe where Ashfur has been keeping his hostages. Among those hostages, Rootspring recognizes the spirits of Bramblestar, Stemleaf, Sandynose and Rosepetal, but doesn't know how to save them.
Squirrelflight then shows up, having escaped Ashfur thanks to Shadowsight distracting him. Hoping that Ashfur can't find it, the three of them then search for Bramblestar's body. Squirrelflight says that Bramblestar had managed to escape as well, but that they'd lost track of each other while fleeing, she then leads the two to a clearing where Ashfur had brought her and left the tabby tom's body, only to find said body missing. Before they can do anything though, three brainwashed spirits (including Stemleaf's) ambush them, and the three run as they pursue. The ghosts are able to mimic Bramblestar's voice to lead their targets into a trap. They're taken prisoner and held captive on the island with the other hostages, but Rootspring manages to sneak past Darkstripe while Squirrelflight distracts the brainwashed ghosts. Stemleaf and Sandynose notice and give chase however, and as Rootspring runs from them he falls into the dark water. He nearly drowns as the dark water pulls him down, but his hope and determination to get back to Bristlefrost allows him to escape.
When he gets to the lake's shore, he realizes that Willowshine had been brainwashed as well all along, and Ashfur was using her to earn his trust and trick him. He then sees Ashfur dragging Bramblestar's body onto the island before meeting another resident of the Dark Forest named Snowtuft, who tells him of Shadowsight attacking Ashfur before returning to the living world. Rootspring doesn't trust the white tom at first, but decides to team up with him when Snowtuft explains that he'd helped Shadowsight a short time ago and want to stop Ashfur from destroying his home. Soon after Bramblestar arrives, and after Rootspring convinces him that Snowtuft is an ally the three begin forming a plan to save Squirrelflight.
Snowtuft lures Ashfur away from the island by claiming that he's found Bramblestar and will lead him to him. While the white tom is creating a diversion, Rootspring and Bramblestar invade the island. While battling the brainwashed spirits, Bramblestar returns to his body and Rootspring throws Darkstripe into the lake of dark water. Squirrelflight then guides the two toms away from the island, only for the three of them to be met with Ashfur waiting for them on the shore. Rootspring attacks him to allow the leader and deputy a chance to escape. Snowtuft helps him, and in the ensuing chaos Ashfur and his army lose track of the two.
Snowtuft then leads Rootspring, Bramblestar and Squirrelflight back to the waking world, but just as he's about to escape the yellow tom is captured. When the two ThunderClan cats emerge from the Moonpool, the others notice Rootspring's missing, and with Snow's help Bristlefrost and Shadowsight go back into the Dark Forest to save him. When they arrive, they see Rootspring and Snowtuft locked in battle while being surrounded by Ashfur and his brainwashed ghosts, cheering on the white warrior to kill the SkyClan cat.
A Light in the Mist[]
Rootspring's is defending himself against Snowtuft's attacks, noting that the white tom doesn't actually want to hurt him and wondering if he can bring himself to kill him. When seeing that the two fighting toms have no intent of killing each other, Ashfur orders his brainwashed cats to finish them off. Before that can happen though, Bristlefrost rushes in to save the SkyClan tom, and he gains a newfound strength fighting alongside her. Snowtuft then fights Ashfur himself, holding him off long enough for Rootsrping, Bristleforst ans Shadowsight to flee to safety. The spirits of Spiresight and he recently un-brainwashed Stemleaf join them as they search for the entrance to StarClan. While searching, Rootspring notices the dark water rising and warns his peers to avoid it. Willowshine, who'd also escaped Ashfur's mind control for the time being, then shows up to bring the group to the border between StarClan and the Dark Forest, which they find to be blocked off with a large, thick wall of brambles. When Bristlefrost tells Stemleaf that Spotfur is expecting their kits however, his hope loosens the brambles, and the group realizes that hope is its weakness. Together, they loosen the wall enough for the StarClan she-cat Leafpool to speak to them through a tiny gap. She tells them that Ashfur has blocked off all entrances to StarClan, which is causing it to fade away; and since the Dark Forest is connected to StarClan, it too is fading. Knowing they'll need more cats if they want to defeat Ashfur and his undead army, Rootspring and Bristlefrost set off to divert him while Shadowsight returns to the waking world to gather recruits.
Rootspring and Bristlefrost split up, and as the blue-eyed tom runs, he begins to hear a voice in his head calling out to him. He ignores it however, and soon spots Ashfur and a few of his pawns. The light gray tom orders his cats to search for any of his foes, and while hiding Rootspring notices that strong emotions can break through the mind control when he sees Conefoot briefly return to his old self to yell at Houndleap. He then learns that the dark water is rising rapidly, and has already submerged the island. The voice from before stops him from falling into a stream, and he's caught and taken prisoner by Mapleshade. Ashfur then reveals to Rootspring his plans of destroying bot StarClan and the Dark Forest before returning to the living world to take over the Clans and force Squirrelflight to be his mate again. The voice in the yellow warrior's head tells him what to say to scare Ashfur before the gray tom gets Darkstripe to kill him.
Darkstripe freaks out a bit when noticing Rootspring's eyes changing from blue to green and prepares to attack. At this, the voice reveals themself to be the past ThunderClan leader Firestar and asks Rootspring to let him possess his body to fight Darkstripe for him. Rootspring agrees as the spirit of the orange tom takes over and begins chastising Darkstripe for what he did to Rootspring, confusing the black tabby. When Darkstripe figures out that it's actually his old enemy Firestar speaking to him, he taunts him for being born a kittypet before the possessed tom kills him, causing him to fade away forever.
Afterwards, Firestar exits Rootspring's body, and the blue-eyed tom meets a Dark Forest spirit named Silverhawk, who regrets his crimes in life and offers to help defeat Ashfur to redeem himself. He regroups with Bristlefrost soon after, who's recruited the Dark Forest cats Sparrrowfeather and Maggottail as well as Needletail of StarClan. To the delight of both Bristlefrost and Needletail, Rootspring explains that Firestar is with him and had helped take care of Darkstripe. The group return to the StarClan border to see that its barrier has loosened even more, and Firestar tells Rootspring that he must leave for a moment, assuring the young warrior that he's strong without him. Then, through the gap in the brambles emerges Firestar's spirit as well as Feathertail, Larksong, Onestar, Redtail and Silverstream. The orange tom thanks Rootspring for trusting him and comments on his affection for Bristlefrost.
Juniperclaw, another Dark Forest cat, then appears and offers to help as well, but the StarClan cats scold him for attempting to poison SkyClan when he was alive, an act which got him sent to the Place of No Stars. Rootspring comes to Juniperclaw's defense, stating that the Dark Forest cats should get the chance to save their home, standing up for Silverhawk as well when the gray-and-white tom confesses his own crimes. Soon after, Shadowsight returns with several cats from the living world: Graystripe, Mistystar, Crowfeather and Violetshine. Happy to see her son alive, Violetshine introduces Rootspring to Needletail, who she was a close friend of.
The large patrol of cats then set of to find Ashfur and his forces, coming across an expanse of dark water. Bristlefrost has everyone push over a large tree to use as a bridge, and Rootspring worries for her when she's the first to cross it. When they all get to the other side, they find Ashfur sitting alone in a clearing before many of his forces suddenly come rushing out of the bushes and a battle begins. While fighting an unnamed ginger she-cat, Rootspring sends her toppling into the water, which quickly consumes her, unnerving the yellow tom. He then sees Darktail about to kill Needletail and comes to her rescue. The black-and-white rouge then tries to kill him, but he's saved in turn by Needletail and Violetshine, who kill Darktail and make him fade away forever. Then, Bristlefrost and Rootspring start fighting alongside her, the latter taking note of how well they synergize. He decides that he's willing to give up SkyClan and move to ThunderClan to be with her, and intends to do just that once they defeat Ashfur and escape the Dark Forest.
Suddenly, the two of them notice that Ashfur has caught Shadowsight and is dragging him towards a cliff, about to throw him into the sea of dark water below. Knowing what she has to do, Bristlefrost gives one last longing glace at Rootspring before charging at Ashfur, Rootspring's cries for her doing nothing as she tackles him off the cliff and the both of them sink into the depths of the dark water. Rootspring runs after her and nearly dives in to save her, but his mother holds him back and tells him that there's nothing they could do now. With Ashfur gone, the dark water recedes, but Bristlefrost does not resurface. He then attempts to summon Bristlefrost's spirit, but is unsuccessful. With the connection to StarClan restored, Rootspring asks Firestar if Bristlefrost resides there now, but the orange tom sadly replies that she's not, and the blue-eyed warrior is overcome with grief when he realizes that her spirit has faded and she's gone forever. When returning to the living world, he breaks the news to Ivypool and Fernsong as to what happened to their daughter and apologizes to them.
Back at SkyClan, Rootspring tries busying himself by joining patrols as often as possible while Needleclaw stays by his side. At the next Gathering two weeks later, the Clan welcome Bramblestar back, and the brown tabby tom honors all those who fought against Ashfur by giving the the title "Lights in the Mist". As the Clans discuss updating the warrior code, Rootspring speaks up about changing the code forbidding cats from different Clans from being together, explaining how he and Bristlefrost could have spent what time she had left together instead of worrying over their loyalty to their Clans. Crowfeather backs this up, suggesting a way for cats to change Clans when they wish to.
Later, Rootspring attends a mass vigil held for all those who'd died because of Ashfur. Spotfur asks him to summon Stemleaf's spirit for her, and Ivypool and Fernsong ask him to summon their daughter. He explains to Spotfur that he can only summon wandering spirits, and that Stemleaf now resides in StarClan. But despite knowing it won't work, he tries to summon Bristlefrost anyways. Instead of being met with nothing like he'd expected though, Rootspring sees visions of the two of them as mates living in ThunderClan and starting a family together; the same visions Bristlefrost herself received in her final moments. Though he's still riddled with grief for Bristlefrost, this makes him realizes that she'll never truly be gone as long as her loved ones keep her memory alive, and his pain begins to ease.
A Starless Clan[]
River[]
Flamepaw sees Rootspring greeting Ivypool warmly at a Gathering, reflecting on how he went with Shadowsight and Bristlefrost into the Dark Forest to stop Ashfur. When discussing the revised warrior code, Rootspring speaks out in favor of it to prevent any more pain regarding cross-Clan relationships like he and Bristlefrost had gone through.
Sky[]
When the Clans are hit with a shortage of catmint, the leaders all agree to send a small group to go look for some more outside the lake territories. Rootspring and Fidgetflake are picked from SkyClan, Nightheart and Alderheart from ThunderClan, and Lightleap and Sunbeam from ShadowClan. As the six meet up in SkyClan's territory the next morning, Fidgetflake says that there was lots of catmint in a place SkyClan had passed by on the way from the gorge to the lake.
The group passes by a carnival on the way, and despite Sunbeam and Nightheart being enticed by the scents of the fair food, Rootspring insists that they keep moving. Once they reach their destination, the cats gather enough catmint for all five Clans and begin the journey home, though once they arrive they find out that they were too late, as Tigerstar's and Dovewing's son Rowankit had died of greencough while they were gone.
Trivia[]
- Rootspring's warrior name was decided by fans via poll on the official website, with the other three options being Rootwing, Rootfall and Rootspirit.
- He's likely named after his grandfather Root.
- Rootspring is both Cherith Bauldry's and Kate Cary's favorite out of the Broken Code protagonists.
External links[]
Rootspring on the Warriors Wiki
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