but, like Hazeltail, my love for him didn't begin in reading the canon

but in digging into it to construct a fuller character for my own story.

When we think about Thornclaw, we're going to have to deal with a series of clashing traits.

He's dutiful but critical of leadership.

He's a caring, skilled mentor

but has such acute distrust for anything outside the ordinary that he will speak out against those in need.

He doesn't show any personal ambition, yet he has a vested interest in the way the clan is run.

And depending on where you look,

he may have trained in the Dark Forest despite hating outsiders and any potential breaks in the Warrior Code.

This problematic divide in his personality truly originates from the fact that he was never given the focus of a story,

and was used for whatever the story needed a background character to be.

He was born in the first arc, a time where kits, and even most apprentices, weren't used as real characters.

Thornclaw and his siblings weren't even talked about by name until their apprentice ceremonies.

These apprentices were not defined characters at all.

They were only even mentioned doing patrols or normal apprentice duties, and there was no personality given to them.

They take the standard “kind but not extravagant” characterization.

The apprentices are there to fill out the clan, not to have lives of their own.

The exception is, of course, Cloudpaw,

who, as a former kittypet and Fireheart's nephew and apprentice, was always given personality and the spotlight.

But even putting him aside, the other apprentices in Thornclaw's generation got big character beats after a while

that helped them define their characteristics.

Cinderpaw hurt her leg and became a medicine cat.

Brackenpaw was left without a mentor when Graystripe cared more about running off to Silverstream than training him.

Swiftpaw was killed and Brightpaw was permanently injured in a dog fight that was, partially, their own fault.

Thornpaw though never has a character-defining moment.

He's become a staple background character still alive and being used in the latest material,

but in all that time, he was never given deep focus in the story.

But because he wasn't as defined,

wherever the authors needed a background character to use for a scene or two, they turned to Thornclaw.

No one behind the books sat down and decided on a story for him, and how he felt about the events of his life.

But with all the elements thrust onto him, maybe there's a character worth getting invested in anyway.

Although it wasn't given as much attention,

Thornpaw choosing not to go with Swiftpaw and Brightpaw to fight the dogs was likely a defining moment for him as well.

His change wasn't an instantaneous or dramatic one,

but in this situation, choosing to do what he was supposed to do

instead of taking a risk to become successful left him as the only one in the group without serious injuries.

Imagining him as a real, living being, one would expect him to take some amount of a lesson from the event.

First that risky behavior, going against what is asked of you, can end quite poorly.

But also potentially, that if you feel someone you care about might be making a mistake,

you had better speak up and make them understand, or you might lose them.

The second element to his character was his experiences as a mentor.

He had four apprentices, all within a fairly short time frame:

Sootfur (after Longtail was injured), Shrewpaw, Poppyfrost, and Briarlight, until her injury.

Plenty of capable warriors never get one apprentice,

so the fact that he had four must, in-universe, imply that he was good at his job.

Now, most of what we see in these relationships amounts to Thornclaw taking them on patrols or training, regular duties.

But we do see a brief glimpse of his skill when he helps Briarpaw.

When she is excitable and eager, Thornclaw grounds her,

reminding her she isn't yet experienced enough to train another cat,

and helping her to think about exactly what she has to work on in the future.

He keeps her humble and focused while encouraging her to become the best warrior she can be.

He also shows the care he has for his apprentices at Shrewpaw's death.

Thornclaw comes back with his body and is devastated.

Even in that state though, he wanted to stand up to Firestar and make sure Shrewpaw was remembered with honor.

He was chasing prey that would have fed half the clan: doing his duty.

He wouldn't have his apprentice being thought of as reckless.

His pension for duty and his mentoring prowess would, for many other characters,

cement them as a stock “good warrior” character like Stormfur or Stemleaf.

But Thornclaw also formed a friend group with Spiderleg and Ashfur,

both of whom were at times blunt, outspoken,

and often subtly or overtly cruel to those outside the clan, or those who didn't follow clan tradition.

Thornclaw adopts this demeanor too, willing to stand up against the leaders to speak his mind,

although always in clan discussions rather than where other clans might see them.

Of course, Thornclaw's friends share another common trait.

They both died long before Thornclaw.

Ashfur was murdered at the end of Long Shadows and Spiderleg died before A Vision of Shadows could begin.

Thornclaw was born before either of his friends, but he has lived seasons longer.

Having finished training all his apprentices, and without his friends, what was Thornclaw doing for all of recent history?

Well, he was now the only character left to exhibit the volatile, controversial behavior

that characterised his friends when they were alive.

But he is still ultimately standing up when he believes something is wrong,

and by the present, he is doing it entirely for his own sake rather than following in his friends' footsteps.

Knowing that one of his old friends was a bad cat in ways he didn't know at the time,

he speaks up at the gathering in the most recent book to explain the threat Ashfur poses.

But there is one more, important perspective to his personality.

If we view him not as a warrior, a mentor, or a friend, but as a mate, or a father, what would we find?

Well, putting aside the strangeness of the pair,

Thornclaw is a caring, devoted mate to Blossomfall, excited about the kits they have.

That is until Darkness Within or Graystripe's Vow...

where he considers leaving her, with nothing but the promise of a goodbye.

And supposedly, this pair came together because they both trained in the Dark Forest.

Though, there is the slight concern that Thornclaw was never shown in the Dark Forest.

Ivypool never saw him there and he wasn't called to fight on their side in The Last Hope.

But beginning with Dovewing's Silence and Bramblestar's Storm, after the Dark Forest battle was already done,

he was grouped with the ex-Dark Forest trainees, so the truth of the matter is at this point up to the reader to decide.

I personally don't believe he trained there, since, even putting aside the fact that he wasn't seen there,

the Dark Forest's goal was bringing together cats from different clans and ignoring the Warrior code,

two things Thornclaw generally and canonically stands staunchly against.

The one constant to him from his conception to the present is patrols,

something not unique to any warrior, so here we enter the realm of fan interpretation.

Of course Moonkitti popularized this idea but it is a fairly accepted part of the fanon now that Thornclaw is “the patrol guy.”

He does in fact go on a lot of patrols,

which makes sense since he is, by all accounts, a background character, and a prominent senior warrior for much of his time.

But the idea that patrols are all he does morphed into the idea that he is a workaholic,

or extremely vigilant if you mix in his disdain for outsiders.

If patrols are all you have to work with for a character, you can branch out into many different personalities.

So what did I choose?

Well, my personal dive into Thornclaw's character began when I decided that Brackenfur shouldn't mentor Hollyleaf.

The calm, quiet, often boring Brackenfur

trying to train the headstrong, clever, ambitious Hollypaw didn't seem to fit,

especially since I wanted Hollyleaf to be able to form a deep bond with her mentor.

So who else could fit?

Dustpelt was more of a father figure.

Brightheart was too well-rounded and insightful to let her graduate with her issues intact.

But Thornclaw…?

He *was* a good mentor, and he had a drive and duty that Hollypaw could both look up to and mirror as she grew.

His controversial opinions would help her directly confront the code's stance on outsiders,

and he could pass on to her the workaholic nature I decided to accept in from fanon.

Their biggest difference, in my world, is ambition.

But that contrast makes all the difference in how they lead their lives, for the better, and for the worse.

Thornclaw is a surprisingly complex character

thanks to the multitude of traits and moments thrown at him at the authors' convenience.

He's not an outright antagonist, but he's far from being a hero...and that makes him perfect for me.

I hope you can find some joy in his story too.

And, if you like, decide for yourself what his fragmented characterization means,

and use him in a story of your own!

Thornclaw has a lot of potential to give.

Thank you for watching, and always remember

to do your best and speak your mind.

*Music*