The Broken Code

Lore & Background

Ashfur was a ThunderClan warrior who never forgave Squirrelflight for choosing Brambleclaw; after his death he used his time in StarClan to plan a takeover of the living Clans. While he wears Bramblestar's body, the leader's own spirit is cast out and trapped in the Dark Forest. The ShadowClan medicine cat Shadowsight, who has no connection to StarClan, is first manipulated by Ashfur and then helps bring him down. Rootspring, like his father Tree, can see and speak with spirits, and he falls in love with Bristlefrost.

Ashfur gathers a force of spirit cats under his control, and in the last book, A Light in the Mist, the Clans fight them; the old warrior Graystripe dies fighting cats of the Dark Forest. Bristlefrost kills Ashfur at the cost of her own life, in a way that destroys her spirit too. Bramblestar returns to his body, the link to StarClan is restored, and the Clans change their laws so that such a tragedy cannot happen again.

Reader's Guide

Books in order: Lost Stars (2019), The Silent Thaw (2019), Veil of Shadows (2020), Darkness Within (2020), The Place of No Stars (2021), A Light in the Mist (2021). Protagonists: Bristlefrost, Shadowsight, Rootspring. Antagonist: the spirit of Ashfur. Arc before: A Vision of Shadows. Arc after: A Starless Clan, which deals with the unrest caused by the changes to the warrior code.