Flailfoot

"We get used to working in the dark. And the challenge of building tunnels safely makes it interesting. But it always feels good to come up to the surface. We're not worms, you know."

— Flailfoot to Tallpaw about tunneling in Tallstar's Revenge, page 212

Flailfoot
The pixel artwork is fanart based on the canon description; undefined traits are left to the artist's interpretation.
Affiliations
Last known:	WindClan
Names
Apprentice:	Unknown
Tunneler:	Unknown
Warrior:	Unknown
Elder:	Flailfoot
Book appearances
Living	Tallstar's Revenge, Redtail's Debt
Living	Tallstar's Revenge, Redtail's Debt

Flailfoot is a black tom with yellow eyes.

History

In the Super Editions

Tallstar's Revenge

"I just hope Stagleap remembers to bring fresh wool back from patrol or we'll be sleeping on bare heather tonight."

―Flailfoot hoping Stagleap would retrieve wool ^{Tallstar's Revenge, page 460}

Flailfoot is a WindClan elder. When Lilywhisker limps after Whiteberry, it is noted that Lilywhisker was younger than Whiteberry, Flamepelt, and Flailfoot. Lilywhisker then comments that his sense of smell was wearing out, and Whiteberry replies that hers would wear out as well after a few moons sharing a den with Flailfoot. He comments that he had fox-breath, and Lilywhisker replies that it was not that bad.

As Tallkit reaches for a stone, Flailfoot pads out the elders den, and his pelt moves like a shadow against the frosty gorse. He comments that Tallkit was a bit young to be moving rocks, and Sandgorse claims that it was never too early to start learning tunneling skills. Flailfoot recalls that he did not move his first stone until he was an apprentice.

Heatherstar then calls for a Clan meeting, and Flailfoot suggests to Tallkit that he should try starting with a smaller stone. As Sandgorse stops beside Woollytail and Hickorynose, Flailfoot jumps stiffly beside them. With his tail high, he nods to Reedfeather, and he dips his head back. When Lilywhisker asks if they have started, Flailfoot replies that they did not. As Whiteberry presses close to Lilywhisker while dragging her leg, Flailfoot follows, and rasps that this was the ceremony he was looking forward to.

When Brackenwing is wounded in her gut, Flailfoot and Lilywhisker watch Hawkheart aid her, trembling from the elders' den entrance, and Flailfoot whispers that it appeared bad. Afterwards, Stagleap helps Whiteberry, Flailfoot, and Flamepelt hook back the thorns stems that dangle across the elders' den entrance, as Lilywhisker gives them directions.

As Tallpaw heads for the camp entrance, Flailfoot rasps behind him to wait. Tallpaw mutters for him not to try and stop him, and Flailfoot replies that he wasn't, falling in beside him. He asks him if it was his first time out since the accident, and Tallpaw replies if he meant he hadn't went out since Sandgorse's death. Flailfoot follows, and adds that Tallpaw could put it that way, and Tallpaw replies that in that was his first time. Flailfoot then pads alongside Tallpaw, and remarks that he had missed the moor, in which Tallpaw replies that he guessed. They weave on in silence, and Tallpaw then glances at Flailfoot. The latter's whiskers twitch, and urges Tallpaw to run, as he could tell he longed to.

As Tallpaw runs on the moor, he notices that Flailfoot was a speck from afar, pelt a smudge in the grass, and he whirls around in a circle, racing down to meet him. Flailfoot asks if he felt better, which Tallpaw responds in the positive. Flailfoot heads upslope, and Tallpaw paces beside him, and he comments that the sun felt hotter on the moor. Flailfoot purrs that there was no better feeling than the sun on one's pelt, and Tallpaw stares at him, asking if he liked it. Flailfoot continues to walk, and responds that he did, as the sky, the wind, and the wide-open moor were all in the blood of every WindClan cat, including tunnelers.

Tallpaw responds that he thought tunnelers preferred to be underground, and Flailfoot replies that they got used to working in the dark, and the challenge of building tunnels safely made it interesting. He adds that it felt good to come up to the surface, winking at Tallpaw, and reminding him that they weren't worms. Tallpaw mentions that he liked the open, and Sandgorse never understood, and Flailfoot murmurs that he thought he did, in his own way. Tallpaw responds that he didn't, as he disappointed him by not desiring to be a tunneler. Flailfoot replies that every tunneler dreamed of passing their skins to their kits, to work side by side with them.

Tallpaw reminds him that Mistmouse did not wish her kits to become tunnelers, and Flailfoot stops, looking directly at Tallpaw, informing him that Sandgorse wanted him to be happy. Tallpaw remembers that he had a way of showing it, and Flailfoot rasps that he didn't know he was to die, and if there was more time, he would have come to accept that Tallpaw's dream was not the same as his, and time to forgive and forget. Flailfoot adds that Sandgorse loved him, whatever their differences, and begins to head downhill, telling Tallpaw not to forget it. Tallpaw then looks up at the sky, and wonders if Flailfoot was right.

Tallpaw receives no response, and quickly catches up with Flailfoot, asking what his father was like while he was in the tunnels. Flailfoot informs Tallpaw that he was a great planner, as he could pick out a route overground, and dig it identically underground, and he knew the tunnels better than any other tunneler, but he despised worms. Tallpaw questions him, and Flailfoot confirms that Sandgorse hated worms, as every time they hit worm soil, he sent in his tunnelmate in first. The two then near the hollow, and Tallpaw glances at Flailfoot, noticing that his eyes were half closed, and that he was enjoying the last moments of sun on his pelt before they head into the shadows. Tallpaw wonders if tunnelers loved the open moor as much as their Clanmates.

When Dawnstripe informs Tallpaw that he was to start training again, Flailfoot flicks his tail along Tallpaw's flank, and congratulates him. Plumclaw and Woollytail then look up from the bracken patch, and Plumclaw calls that they were wondering where he had went. After the visitors leave, Flailfoot comments that the elders' den was quiet without Mole's snoring. When Talltail's siblings ask him for a badger ride, Lilywhisker jokingly states that Talltail was bringing them some prey, and Flykit protests that Talltail was not.

Talltail jokingly responds that he would, and he was to feed them to Flailfoot and Lilywhisker, as they loved the taste of kit. After Flykit is removed off of Talltail's back, the kits swarm over Flailfoot. When the elders discuss about the future apprentices, Flailfoot pushes his way out of the den, struggling with a trailing piece of sheepswool, and comments that he hoped Stagleap remembered to bring fresh wool back from a patrol, or they would be sleeping on bare heather.

Talltail offers to fetch some, trotting toward them, and hooks the wool lump from Flailfoot's paw, and tosses it away. As Talltail tries to remove a flea, Flailfoot asks about the fuss in the medicine den, craning his neck to see across the clearing. As Talltail and Barkface are about to depart to travel to RiverClan, Flailfoot agrees with Talltail that they should not let boundaries get in their way.

Character pixels

The pixel artwork is fanart based on the canon description; undefined traits are left to the artist's interpretation. Apprentice Version Warrior Version Tunneler Version Elder Version

Appearances

• Tallstar's Revenge (First appearance)
• Redtail's Debt (Allegiance only)

Trivia

Mistakes

• He has been mistakenly called "the Flailfoot", and a she-cat, all within two pages.

Continuity

The following information is from sources considered non-canon or retconned.

• On Vicky's Facebook, Flailfoot resides in StarClan.

Quotes

Lilywhisker: "Your sense of smell must be worn out."

Whiteberry: "Yours will wear out too after a few more moons sharing a den with Flailfoot. He's got fox-breath."

^{Tallstar's Revenge, page 13}

Flailfoot: "There's no better feeling than the sun on your pelt."

Tallpaw: "You like it?"

^{Tallstar's Revenge, pages 211-212}