Heartwarming / Warrior Cats

When not incredibly depressing, Warrior Cats can really make you happy.

See Warrior Cats: Dawn of the Clans for heartwarming moments from the fifth series.

As a Moments subpage, all spoilers are unmarked as per policy. You Have Been Warned.

---

The Original Series

• Come on, the play fighting between Greypaw, Firepaw and Ravenpaw in Into The Wild was freaking cute!
• A. Dangerous. Path. WINS. In the Riverclan and Thunderclan battle, Graystripe calls to Fireheart. When Bluestar's children, Mistyfoot and Stonefur, are trying to kill her, Fireheart, even after being called a traitor by Bluestar, saves her life. Graystripe then warns Fireheart to look out as Graystripe's leader, Leopardstar is about to attack Fireheart. After being exiled and taken into Thunderclan, Fireheart asks, "So can Graystripe stay?".
  • Cloudtail telling Brightheart she is still beautiful to him.
  • Something often overlooked is the fact that when it's mentioned that Brightpaw should briefly move into the elders' den while she finishes recovering from her injuries, she forms a bond with Speckletail, offers to let the older she-cat "take care of her" like a kit. Given that Brightpaw is a traumatized apprentice who is recuperating after a vicious dog attack that resulted in the death of Swiftpaw and Speckletail is a mother mourning the loss of her very young son, most would say that this affiliation between the two she-cats is something very sweet and therapeutic for the both of them.
  • Mistyfoot and Stonefur forgiving their mother:
  Mistyfoot: (to Bluestar while she's dying) "We forgive you, Bluestar."
  Stonefur: "We forgive you."
• Yellowfang's speech to Cinderpelt about losing someone in Forest of Secrets.
  • Yellowfang's entire Intergenerational Friendship with Fireheart and Cinderpelt. Especially because she explicitly sees Fireheart as a surrogate son.
• Firestar's leadership ceremony. All nine of the lives deserve mentioned, but especially Silverstream, Brindleface, Swiftpaw, Yellowfang, Spottedleaf, and Bluestar.
• Firestar and his apprentice Bramblepaw have a rather sweet moment in 'The Darkest Hour' where Firestar watches the young cat playing in the snow, and for the first time sees him outside his father's shadow. This is after they have a brief heart-to-heart about their loyalties, and Firestar realizes they have more in common than he thought, having to fight twice as hard to prove themselves as Tigerstar's son and a former kittypet. They walk back to camp side by side, closer than ever. This is especially sweet to see given that Bramblepaw becomes his deputy, son-in-law, and eventual successor.
• The romance arc between Fireheart and Sandstorm, especially in 'A Dangerous Path.' Sandstorm started the series hostile to Fireheart, but eventually warms up to him when he saves her life and she begins to notice his courage and loyalty. For his part, Fireheart slowly falls in love with Sandstorm precisely BECAUSE she doesn't always agree with him - he loves her for her courage, independence, compassion, and firm convictions. After the mutual love confession in the fifth book, they remain Happily Married for the whole series until Firestar's death, and even then they reunite in StarClan eventually.

The New Prophecy

• Throughout Sunset, Leafpool has been looking for Cinderpelt in StarClan but can't find her. Then Yellowfang shows her Cinderkit opening her eyes and she realizes Cinderpelt is Cinderkit.
• Squirrelflight and Brambleclaw reconciling in Sunset. And then Leafpool's vision of them walking together, leaving a trail of stars...
• Crowfeather: You walk in my dreams, Leafpool.
• Ferncloud's relief at Dustpelt being okay in Sunset.

Power Of Three

• In The Sight when Graystripe comes back all of the clans start cheering him on.
  • At the daylight gathering, Firestar announces one apprentice gets special mention: Jaypaw.
• Half-Moon watching over Jayfeather from the afterlife in Long Shadows.
• Berrynose and Honeyfern's tender moment in Sunrise before the Mood Whiplash.
• Pretty much every time new kits are born (except for maybe Silverstream's and Yellowfang's).
• Naming ceremony at the end of Eclipse: "Cinderheart, you are a warrior at last".

Omen Of The Stars

• In The Fourth Apprentice, when Honeyfern tells Jayfeather that she wants Berrynose and Poppyfrost to be happy together.
• Tigerheart and Dovepaw in general.
• In Night Whispers, Tigerheart stopping Ivypaw from destroying Flametail.
• Jayfeather and Briarlight's entire relationship. They look after and help each other, emotionally and physically. Whenever one is feeling depressed, the other drags them out of it. They even occasionally cuddle together. It's just very supportive and very sweet to read.
  • Some lines in particular?
  Jayfeather: (after Millie implies he should let Briarlight die) I won't give up on Briarlight.

  Jayfeather: The Clan brings you fresh-kill because they think you deserve it, and because looking after their Clanmates is what makes them warriors. They are proud to help you.

  Briarlight: I heard what happened at the Gathering. I'm really sorry. Surely no cat will believe what Dawnpelt said?
  Jayfeather: (bitterly) I don't know. Strange things are happening in all the Clans, why wouldn't one medicine cat murder another?
  Briarlight: Because that would never happen. Especially not you.
• In Sign of the Moon, Dovepaw completely fails the first part of her hunting assessment. Then, during the second part, Icecloud falls into a hole and Dovepaw dives in to pull her out. Back at the camp, when Spiderleg and Lionblaze are reporting on Dovepaw's assessment, Spiderleg completely tears Dovepaw apart. Just when it looks like Dovepaw won't get to be a warrior, Spiderleg finishes his report by telling Firestar that no matter how horribly Dovepaw did at hunting, she showed true courage and selflessness by diving into the hole to save Icecloud, and that Firestar would be a fool not to make her a warrior.
• That last line in Sign of the Moon, "I will wait for you forever, Jay's Wing!"
• In The Forgotten Warrior, Cinderheart's memory montage as she remembers her old life as Cinderpelt.
• Firestar telling Sandstorm how much he loves her in The Last Hope before he enters his final battle.
• In The Last Hope, Bluestar's eulogy for Firestar.
  Bluestar: "I gave him a life for nobility, though he was born with more nobility than any warrior I ever knew.
• From the ending of The Last Hope:
  Brambleclaw: "Will you be my deputy, Squirrelflight?"
• Before the final battle in The Last Hope, Lionblaze, Hollyleaf, Jayfeather, and Brambleclaw forgive Leafpool and Squirrelflight, then apologize for how they'd been treating them since Sunrise. This is followed by Brambleclaw telling Lionblaze, Jayfeather, and Hollyleaf how proud he was to be their father.
• During the final battle in The Last Hope, Hollyleaf sacrificing herself to save Ivypool. In the end, instead of seeking glory, she gave everything for a friend. Then she tells Leafpool that she's okay with dying, as she came to understand her mother.
• In The Last Hope, Crowfeather reconciles with Lionblaze and Leafpool. D'awww.
• Halfway through The Last Hope, the Three have given up, the Dark Forest is rising, and the Clans are awaiting the end of all things. Then Jayfeather gets his hope restored by Mothwing, when she shows him that there really is a way to save the Clans.
• The ending of The Last Hope.

There will be three cats, kin of your kin, with the power of the stars in their paws. They will find a fourth, and the battle between light and dark will be won. A new leader will rise from the shadows of his death, and the Clans will survive beyond the memories of his memories. That is how it has always been, and how it always will be.

A Vision Of Shadows

• Alderheart's relationship with Twigpaw (and to a lesser extent, Violetpaw) as a whole.
• The scene where Twigpaw meets Hawkwing is heartwarming enough to bring a smile to anyone's face.
• Dovewing and Tigerheart's relationship throughout the entirety of Tigerstar's Shadow. They get impatient with one another, they argue, they teeter on the brink of a breakup, and they pressure each other to make difficult decisions, but they both have enough self-awareness to eventually realize how harmful this is. They end up apologizing for their fumbles, come out stronger than they started, and in the end, reach a mutually happy decision to live together in Shadowclan.
• Fernsong offering to watch over any potential kittens he and Ivypool have so that she wouldn't have to give up her warrior duties. This is perhaps the first instance of a tom offering to help rear kittens equally in the series- while it's normal for a father to be present in the life of his kits, actively taking a queen's place in the nursery so that she can return to hunting and patrolling is unheard of. It goes to humanize and endear Fernsong to the reader.
• Alderheart reconciling with Needletail after her death, with her telling him that she made it to StarClan and gently teasing him. After everything she's been through, she finally gets a happy ending.

The Broken Code

• Violetshine and Tree have had kittens, both of them (Rootpaw and Needlepaw) named after important people in their lives- Root was Tree's father who helped him after the Sisters kicked him out, and Needletail was Violetshine's first family.
• Bristlepaw's crush on Stemleaf. Even though she inevitably gets rejected, she's still close with him after being a warrior and even becomes friendly with his mate, Spotfur. It's nice to see a love triangle in Warriors end amicably, and even after Stemleaf's death, Spotfur and Bristlefrost remain close and supportive of each other throughout everything.
  • Contrasting this is Rootpaw's infatuation with Bristlefrost herself. After she saves his life, he goes out of his way to talk to her and meet with her more often than strictly necessary, and tries to do whatever he can to make her happy. She ends up falling for him too.
• Shadowsight's close relationship with his mother, and Rootpaw's relationship with his father. Dovewing is a comfortable presence in his life when it seems like everything's going wrong; meanwhile, Rootpaw is initially embarrassed of his father, but learns to appreciate and respect Tree's unique abilities, and goes to him for guidance when he doesn't know what to do.
• In The Silent Thaw, it's revealed that Sparkpelt veered off a patrol to search for Lionblaze, who had not returned from his quarter-moon exile after it was up. Although this got Sparkpelt reprimanded and punished by "Bramblestar", it's very sweet to see that Sparkpelt cares about her cousin.
  • When Lionblaze does return, he's warmly welcomed by the Clan. In fact, when Jayfeather realizes he's returned, he immediately runs up to him, nuzzling him, purring loudly, and fussing over him, demanding to know if he's eaten well and wants to take him back into the medicine den to make sure he's healthy. Jayfeather may be a grouchy, abrasive jackass, but he loves his brother.
• A background one, but when Harestar exiles Crowfeather for being a codebreaker, Nightcloud and Breezepelt immediately protest the decision. It's nice to see that the development from Crowfeather's Trial has stuck and that family really has healed.
• Bristlefrost and Rootspring exploring their new relationship in Darkness Within. Unlike every other example of Star-Crossed Lovers in this franchise, they take the time to maturely discuss their romance and their future. When Rootspring admits he's not sure he can leave his Clan for her and needs time to think it over, she tells him to take all the time he needs; he later tells her the same. And when they both ultimately decide neither is willing to leave their Clan, they both accept that. After so many Star-Crossed Lovers who rush into things or waffle back and forth, it's as refreshing to see as it is sweet.
  • This scene near the climax is particularly touching. For context, they're racing to stop Squirrelflight before she helps Ashfur escape, which would destroy her standing in the Clan—and ThunderClan might never recover. If that happened, Bristlefrost wouldn't have anything to go back to, and might very well leave to be with Rootspring. He could just stand by and let it happen, but instead:
    "Why do you care so much about ThunderClan?" She searched Rootspring’s gaze. "You're a SkyClan warrior."
    "I care about you." His eyes glittered with starlight. "And I care about Squirrelflight. She's lost too much already. She musn't lose her Clan."
    Bristlefrost's throat tightened. Rootspring was the kindest, bravest cat she knew. Her heart felt like it would break. "If we save ThunderClan," she breathed, "I will stay with them."
    He didn’t flinch. "I know."
• Though it triples as a Tear Jerker and Nightmare Fuel due to to the current situation, Bramblestar managing to resist Ashfur's control because of his love for Squirrelflight is a pretty powerful moment (just hearing her voice briefly snaps him out of it). Also, his determination to save her from Ashfur's obsessive clutches. Its especially Heartwarming after Crowfeather pointed out earlier how troubled Bramblestar's relationship with Squirrelflight has been over the years, partly because of the questionable things Squirrelflight has done to Bramblestar.
• Rootspring managing to escape the energy-sapping black water by focusing on his love for Bristlefrost.
• Snowtuft's desire to redeem himself, admitting he knows he wasn't the best of cats in his life but genuinely wants to make ammends and help defeat Ashfur. He gives a small speech to Rootspring and Bramblestar about his desire for redemption, moving both of them and revealing that even Dark Forest cats can change.
• Bristlefrost's determination to save Rootspring from the Dark Forest.
• Bramblestar and Squirrelflight returning to the living world and lovingly nuzzling each other.
• Silverhawk's reasoning for joining the heroes in defeating Ashfur. He realizes he hasn't been the best of cats, but wants to try and make things right the best he can. Moreover, he swears his loyalty on the name of his dead mate...who resides in StarClan, where Silverhawk will never see her.

A Starless Clan

• Sunbeam and Blazefire's budding relationship, though this becomes a Tear Jerker later on when they break up.
• Sorrelstripe comforting Flamepaw and telling him she believes in him, showing him more support than his birth mother, Sparkpelt, does.
• Bramblestar kindly understanding Flamepaw's desire to have a name that reflects who he is, and compromising by giving him the name, Nightheart.
• After Frostpaw awakes and goes to listen to her Clanmates following the sudden death of Curlfeather, Mallownose suggests Frostpaw go back to the Moonpool to elect another leader for RiverClan. Frostpaw instantly declines, still horrified after seeing her mother die in front of her. Mallownose begins to argue, but Duskfur, Frostpaw's grandmother, immediately comes to her defense and tells Mallownose to back off and give Frostpaw some space. Duskfur may be argumentative, but she loves her grandchildren.
• Bramblestar's obvious love for Nightheart. Nightheart feels the Clan hates him and doesn't respect him, but he's told that Bramblestar, even in his poor mental health, consistently praises his grandson and believes he's a good warrior.
• Frostpaw's relationship with Owlnose is minor, but still very nice to see. Owlnose is uncertain about his sudden ascencion to leadership, but Frostpaw supports her uncle regardless and believes he's a good cat and qualified for the job.
• At the end of Sky where Tigerstar comes to RiverClan to install himself as their supervising leader, everyone in the Clan stands in unison and tells him to back off and go home. Heck even Duskfur, one of the more argumentative and stubborn cats of the Clan, was completely willing to fight to the death if it meant fighting off Tigerstar and ShadowClan. This is a massive step up from the previous book and the earlier chapters of Sky where all they did was argue. But here? They're banding together to protect their independence and their home.
• Nightheart and Frostpaw's relationship in Thunder. After barely surviving an attempt on her life, Frostpaw is terrified and paranoid. When she asks Nightheart to accompany her on a mission from StarClan, he is reluctant, considering he has just managed to mend his relationship with his family and his mate has just joined his Clan - but he realizes that Frostpaw is scared and vulnerable and still in danger and he can't leave her alone. As they travel together and Nightheart does his best to keep her safe, Frostpaw begins to open herself up, learns how to trust others again and slowly cope with her trauma. Eventually they start bonding together around the pressures that were put on them. When they arrive at the park, Frostpaw manages to find some happiness in her life and be able to put her guard down. When she later learns about how she was manipulated by her loved ones for her whole life and begins blaming herself, Nightheart drives the point home about how none of this was her fault and didn't deserve any of awful things she had to experience.

Expanded Universe

• Crookedstar's speech to Mapleshade in Crookedstar's Promise. Also a Crowning Moment Of Awesome and a Tear Jerker.
  Mapleshade: "Your punishment is complete now, Crookedstar. You have lost everything."
  Crookedstar: "No, Mapleshade. You're wrong. I still have a clan that I love and am proud to lead. And now... ...now everything precious to me is here, in StarClan. My family is waiting here for me, when my ninth life has passed. It's you who have lost. You have no power over me anymore."
  Mapleshade: "I have destroyed you!"
  Crookedstar: "No, Mapleshade. I still have the cats that I loved. You have nothing and no one."
• Crookedstar assured Silverkit that he wasn't really fighting with Oakheart.
  Crookedstar: "It's okay, nobody's hurt. Don't be frightened. We're not really fighting. We're training, that's all. Everything's fine."
  Silverkit: "You're really just training? Do you promise?"
  Crookedstar: "I promise. I'm your father, Silverkit, and that means I will always keep my promises."
• Oakheart's line to Bluefur in Bluestar's Prophecy, after he admitted to her that he couldn't stop thinking about her and she told him that he didn't even really know her: "I want to know you. Everything about you—your favorite fresh-kill, your earliest memory, what you dream of..."
• The scene from Bluestar's Prophecy where Thrushpelt tells Bluefur that he'll pretend to be the father of her kits if it makes things easier for her. The very fact of her pregnancy confirms that she's not in love with him. But he'll do whatever he can to make her happy, even if it's not with him.
• Crookedstar discovering that he's going to be a father.
  Crookedstar: I have to tell Oakheart. I have to tell everyone! *runs off but stops and faces Willowbreeze* It's okay, isn't it? If I tell everyone?
  Willowbreeze: *nods*
  Crookedstar: *runs into camp* Willowbreeze is expecting kits!!
• Thistleclaw seeing his newborn son for the first time and telling Snowfur that he's proud of her. It's especially touching because, well, this is Thistleclaw we're talking about.
  For the first time ever, Bluefur felt almost fond of her sister's mate.
• Mistyfoot being reunited with her kits at the end of her leader ceremony.
  "Perchkit! My baby!"
• When Brokenstar was a kit, he was helping Yellowfang (the former not knowing she's his mom) with some medicine supplies. And when he gets some leaves on top of him, he squeals "I'm a tree! I'm a tree!" This shows that indeed, every villain in the series starts out as a cute little kit.
  • Unfortunately, it's also a Tearjerker because he'll eventually lose this personality and become more cruel.
• Everything about the ending of Tallstar's Revenge. Especially, "I give you this life for forgiveness. No death need ever be avenged. Forgiveness brings peace far more surely than vengeance." and Tallstar learning about Jake's son.
• This exchange in Tallstar's Revenge.
  Jake: "Will you go home now?"
  Talltail: "I don't know if I have a home."
  Jake: "Of course you do! You have WindClan!"
  Talltail: "I left WindClan."
  Jake: "They'd let you back."
  Talltail: "I thought I'd keep travelling for a while. Would you like that?"
  Jake: "I think you should go home."
  Talltail: "Home? I have no home. I don't even know who I am anymore."
  Jake: (Rests his muzzle on Talltail's head.) "I know who you are. You're my best friend, and you always will be.
• Shrewclaw giving Tallstar one of his nine lives.
  Shrewclaw: "I know we were never friends, Wormcat."
  Talltail: "I'll be Wormstar now."
  Shrewclaw: "But loyalty isn't rooted in friendship. It's much stronger than that. It comes from being born and raised under the same sky, from walking the same path as our ancestors, and from sharing the warrior code. With this life I commit you to upholding the warrior code, whatever challenges you might face. This is the wisdom of our ancestors, all our traditions distilled. Trust the code to lead you along the right path."
  Stars swirled through Talltail's mind as the life pulsed through him. He and Shrewclaw were one. Not friends. But they would fight side by side in any battle.
• The origin of Deadfoot's name in Tallstar's Revenge. It comes off as an Unfortunate Name in the first arc, but seeing him so unbelievably happy about it? That's perfect.
• Talltail's selfless act helping RiverClan paying off in the end of Tallstar's Revenge when he saves Hopkit.
• Bramblestar's Storm fully averts the Forgotten Fallen Friend trope; every Clan has their own special way of honoring the dead, which they continue to uphold as long as six moons later, and Bramblestar himself often thinks about his deceased adoptive daughter, Hollyleaf. It's touching in a tear-inducing kind of way.
• After the storm, there's a scene where Bramblestar, Squirrelflight, Lionblaze, and Jayfeather investigate their flooded camp. When they get there, Lionblaze and Jayfeather briefly stop working to wrestle and play again like kits while Bramblestar and Squirrelflight watch in amusement. It's a very cute scene, sort of like a family outing.
• Minty returning to her Twolegs. Sure, it's a little sad to see her go, but the way she jumps into their arms and meows excitedly about her time in the forest is reminiscent of a little kid telling their parents about the big adventure they had.
• The manga chapter of Bramblestar's Storm is this incarnate. It starts with an apprentice ceremony for Lionblaze and Cinderheart's kits, who were all named after the warriors who fell in the Dark Forest battle, then continues to Squirrelflight getting sick and feeling depressed because of her "uselessness", and Bramblestar telling her to take the day off or offering to cuddle with her to make her feel better. After a few days pass, Squirrelflight goes on a walk to clear her head. Bramblestar follows, and while they're speaking Yellowfang appears to them and apologizes to Squirrelflight for lying, which lets Squirrelflight realize that she's not dying...she's having kits. The last page is of her telling Bramblestar and twining their tails together happily.
• Crowfeather's Trial is full of these, honestly.
  • For anyone who was disappointed by Crowfeather's return to his old jerk self in the Power of Three and Omen of the Stars arcs, this book is a treat. Watching him learn to let go of his anger, acknowledge his misdeeds as a cat, and strive to be a better person, is really uplifting.
  • So is seeing him fix his relationships with both his family—Jayfeather and Lionblaze don't want him as a dad, but he got the chance to apologize, and the latter isn't even angry at him. However, he and Nightcloud become friends again, and he gets the chance to be a real father to Breezepelt—there are a lot of moments where he awkwardly tries, and seeing him grow more accustomed to the role and Breezepelt's shock, then acceptance...it's just nice to see that dysfunctional family finally sort themselves out.
  • Ashfoot helping Crowfeather in his dreams. There's even a Feathertail cameo, where she saves his life again by fetching help.
  • We get to see Breezepelt and Heathertail as a couple, and they're pretty cute. Heathertail constantly stands up for him and supports him emotionally, and Breezepelt worries about her well-being and is amazed she wants to be with him.
  • Ditto for Breezepelt and Nightcloud. The book makes it abundantly clear that he really does love his mother, and she him.
  • The moment when Breezepelt saves Lionblaze's life, and the latter asks him why. Breezepelt admits he was wrong to fight with the Dark Forest, that his loyalty should be with the Clans, and his half-brother is still a Clan cat. Lionblaze is quiet a moment, then says he's glad they fought on the same side, and they exchange "awkward, jerky nods". It's neither an eloquent apology nor an eloquent forgiveness, but that makes it all the nicer to see that they both managed to move on.
  • The book ends with Crowfeather, happier than he's ever been after mending his relationships with his family members, having a beautiful dream about playing with Heathertail and Breezepelt's kits while the new parents and Nightcloud watch proudly, as Ashfoot watches over them all from StarClan.
• Squirrelflight's Hope has Squirrelflight defying her leader and mate in order to do what she knows is right. At one point she's put into a coma after a rockslide, and is given a chance to go to StarClan to spend the rest of her afterlife with her parents, three of her kits, and her sister. Squirrelflight refuses. Why? Because her daughter, Sparkpelt, is still alive and needs her. Also because, whatever has happened between her and her mate, they still love each other.
• In A Thief in ThunderClan, Brightheart decides to move into the nursery. There's a moment where Brightheart leans against Cloudtail and their tails are entwined, Cloudtail reassures her that he's still right across the clearing, and Brightheart replies with a smile: "I know. I know. But I can't feel your heartbeat from across the clearing."
  • There's also a handful of scene featuring Brightheart comforting Rainpaw, Sorrelpaw, and Sootpaw after Willowpelt is slain by a badger, and Rainpaw becoming attached to her especially. One could see it as his affection for her easing the sting of not being granted an apprentice, all the while she's expecting kits of her own.
• In Goosefeather's Curse, when Whitekit and Specklekit lose their mother during the Great Hunger, Rainfur nurses them in addition to her own three kits, Tawnykit, Thrushkit, and Dapplekit. All of them survive, and when the forest is rich in prey again, Rainfur gets the first choice of every piece of fresh-kill. She definitely deserves it.

---