Warrior Cats/Characters/River Clan
RiverClan is the third most important Clan in Warrior Cats, after ThunderClan and ShadowClan. Although they don't usually have much spotlight, they did get A Day in the Limelight during Crookedstar's Promise.
Main index can be found here.
The Original Series
Crookedstar
"I'm sorry I can't make you proud of me. But I haven't finished yet. I'll do everything I can to make you glad I'm your son. You'll never make me ashamed of who I am or what I look like."
The leader of RiverClan at the beginning of the series. He broke his jaw on the stepping stones between ThunderClan and RiverClan territory as a kit. This, combined with the fact that he sneaked off the the Moonstone and stayed in the barn near WindClan territory for a moon, delayed his apprenticeship by four moons. He trained in the Dark Forest with Mapleshade, making a promise to put his Clan above everything. However, thanks to this promise, Mapleshade caused the deaths of most of his family. He is regarded as one of the greatest leaders the Forest had ever seen.
- Abusive Parents: Has been on both sides of this trope.
- Ignored his daughter Silverkit after the death of his mate and other daughters, until his brother Oakheart called him out on it.
- His own mother was quite abusive.
- Adaptational Attractiveness: He lacks a crooked jaw on the cover of Crookedstar's Promise, though he had it in an early version of the cover.
- Berserk Button: Do not tell him he's like Rainflower.
- Meaningful Name: Originally named for the storm he was born in.
- Meaningful Rename
- The Promise: Promises as a kit that he'll always be loyal to RiverClan. He doesn't realize how much this promise will mess his life up.
- Significant Birth Date: Born during a storm in RiverClan territory.
- The Unfavorite
- Young and in Charge: He is a very young warrior when he becomes leader.
Leopardstar
Crookedstar's third deputy and becomes leader after he dies. She is a proud and haughty cat, and almost cost her Clan her freedom when she joins Tigerstar's TigerClan and their persecution of half-Clan cats. Died in Fading Echoes; from feline diabetes, according to Word of God.
- Action Girl: Like almost all the other she-cats
- The Dragon: Was this to Tigerstar in The Darkest Hour.
- Frame-Up: She tries to do this when she accuses ThunderClan and the other Clans of stealing fish in The Fourth Apprentice.
Silverstream
The daughter of Crookedstar, Silverstream saved Graystripe from drowning while Graystripe was hunting. After this, they fell in love and snuck away from their clans to meet. However, Silverstream dies delivering Graystripe's kits.
- Almost-Dead Guy
- Chekhov's Gunman: Helps Fireheart get in touch with cats who can give him information on Redtail's death.
- Death by Childbirth
- Faux Action Girl: She only ever fights once, and is easily defeated by Fireheart.
- Green Eyes: In the actual books, not her Cats of the Clans picture.
- Heroic BSOD: She doesn't actually have one, but she is the cause of a major one for Graystripe and Cinderpaw.
- I Want My Beloved to Be Happy
- Rescue Romance: With Graystripe
- Sacrificial Lamb
- Star-Crossed Lovers: With Graystripe
Oakheart
Brother of Crookedstar, and an extremely well-respected warrior. Often regarded as a paragon of warriorhood, even by cats of rival Clans. He is also the father of Bluestar's kits: Stonefur and Mistyfoot, and took them to RiverClan when Bluestar was forced to give them up. He is killed in the prologue of the first book, and the exact circumstances surrounding his death prove of vital importance in the first few books.
- Meaningful Name: Named after the oak tree that sheltered his mother when giving birth to him and his brother.
- Posthumous Character: Mainly shows up in flashbacks or mentioned by other cats who knew him. Is still a very important character to the story.
- Inverted in Bluestar's Prophecy and Crookedstar's Promise, where he has a major role and is very much alive.
- Shrouded in Myth: Apparently his skills as a warrior were so great that some cats thought he had never lost a battle his entire life.
- Significant Birth Date: Born during a storm in RiverClan territory.
- Slap Slap Kiss: Has shades of it with Bluefur in Bluestar's Prophecy.
- Star-Crossed Lovers: With Bluestar
Graypool
Sister of Willowbreeze and adoptive mother of Mistystar and Stonefur.
- Heroic Bastard
- Meaningful Name: Named for RiverClan: because she and her sister are half WindClan and half RiverClan, they were named Willowbreeze and Graypool to signify wind and water together.
The New Prophecy
Feathertail
Graystripe's daughter, she was among the four cats chosen to journey to Midnight and find a new home for the Clans. She forms a relationship with Crowpaw, and almost brings out a friendly side to him. Unfortunately, she does not survive the journey, and sacrifices herself to kill Sharptooth, a mountain lion preying on the Tribe of Rushing Water.
- Blue Eyes
- The Chosen One: One of the four chosen journeying cats. She's also the silver cat that is prophesied to kill Sharptooth.
- Closer to Earth: Than anyone else on the team.
- Generation Xerox
- Heroic Bastard
- Heroic Sacrifice
Hawkfrost
Son of Tigerstar by Sasha, and Brambleclaw's half-brother. Hawkfrost is very similar to Tigerstar in his manner and personality, but hides his true motivations due to the Clans' lingering hatred of Tigerstar. In many ways, he serves as Brambleclaw's Evil Counterpart.
- Blue Eyes
- Deader Than Dead
- The Dragon: Serves as Tigerstar's dragon in The New Prophecy and Power of Three, but is replaced by Brokenstar in Omen of the Stars.
- Dragon-in-Chief: During The New Prophecy he was more dangerous than Tigerstar due to Tigerstar being dead, but afterwards he goes back to being lower ranked than Tigerstar.
- Evil Mentor: To Ivypool and as one of two evil mentors to Lionblaze.
- In the Blood
- Most Definitely Not a Villain
- My Death Is Just the Beginning: Like father, like son.
Mothwing
"They're just dead warriors! Do you think that when they die, they get clever and brave? Don't you realize that some of them may be as foolish and wrong-headed as they were when they were alive?"
Tigerstar's daughter by Sasha, and therefore Hawkfrost's sister and Brambleclaw's half-sister. She does not share her brother's motivations, and genuinely wants to help her Clan by serving as their medicine cat. However, she does not believe in StarClan, a fact she keeps secret from everyone except Leafpool, knowing how important belief in StarClan is to the Clans. This essentially makes her the equivalent of an atheist priest.
- Flat Earth Atheist: Her justification for not believing in StarClan is that Clan cats are able to create prophecies for the future that always come true in their subconscious. That's arguably more ridiculous than what she's trying to discredit. And she's supposed to be the spiritual leader of her Clan...
- Only Sane Cat: She's literally the only medicine cat who realizes that dividing the Clans is a bad idea.
- Nay Theist: Turns from Flat Earth Atheist into more of this by the fourth series - she accepts that StarClan probably does exist, but doesn't really "believe" or try to communicate with them.
- Skeptic No Longer: Word of God said that after seeing a bunch of cats she knew to be dead fighting right before her eyes, she probably stopped doubting StarClan.
Era of the Three (Power of Three/Omen of the Stars)
Hollowflight
A young cat who trains with the Dark Forest because he is bullied in his Clan.
Expanded Universe
Beetlenose
A kit of the RiverClan leader Hailstar, Beetlenose grew up with Crookedstar and Oakheart, and was therefore one of their close friends, even if he annoyed them at times.
- Expy: Of Berrynose
- Small Name, Big Ego
Rainflower
Crookedstar's mother. She neglects and ignores him after his disfigurement.
- Abusive Parents
- I Have No Son
- Never Speak Ill of the Dead
- No Sense of Humor: Appears to have this at a Gathering when Crookedstar and Oakheart make friendly jokes about the queens. She scolds them instead of laughing along.
- Parental Favoritism: Makes sure Oakheart gets special treatment, much to both Crookedstar and Oakheart's dismay. She doesn't even give Crookedstar one of his nine lives.
Shellheart
Crookedstar's father. He was the deputy of RiverClan until after Rainflower dies.
- Nice Guy
- Papa Cat: When Rainflower says cruel things like deciding to change Stormkit's name to Crookedkit (and showing no sympathy towards his injury), Shellheart is quick to defend him. He even breaks up with her before Stormkit says to stop fighting because of him. His dad replies by saying that it was Rainflower's own fault, not his. Before Crookedstar called out Rainflower for her neglect, Shellheart was always the one to defend him.
Willowbreeze
Crookedstar's mate from Crookedstar's Promise. She is half-Clan, descended from RiverClan and WindClan. As such, she is somewhat of an outcast in RiverClan, but Crookedstar understands her.
- Doomed by Canon: Vicky even went so far as to say she was doomed before Crookedstar's Promise was released.
- Heroic Bastard
- Incurable Cough of Death
- Meaningful Name: The breeze suffix refers to her WindClan roots.
Brambleberry
RiverClan's medicine cat during most of Crookedstar's life.
- Parental Substitute: Serves as a foster mother to Crookedstar when Rainflower more or less disowned him.
- Cool Old Lady: Is a full medicine cat during Crookedstar's birth, and lives well on through the majority of his nine lives.