Tangleburr

"These cats that are sick and starving, they are my kin, my friends. I may have left the territory, but I can't forget them."

— Tangleburr to Tigerclaw in Tigerclaw's Fury, chapter 3

Tangleburr
The pixel artwork is fanart based on the canon description; undefined traits are left to the artist's interpretation.
Affiliations
Last known:	ShadowClan
Past:	Rogue
Names
Kit:	Tanglekit
Apprentice:	Tanglepaw
Warrior:	Tangleburr
Rogue:	Tangleburr
Kin
Mother:	Lizardstripe
Father:	Mudclaw
Brothers:	Runningnose, Deerfoot
Foster brother:	Brokenstar
Education
Mentor:	Wolfstep
Book appearances
Living	Yellowfang's Secret, Onestar's Confession, Tigerclaw's Fury, Blackfoot's Reckoning
Living	Yellowfang's Secret, Onestar's Confession, Tigerclaw's Fury, Blackfoot's Reckoning

Tangleburr is a gray-and-brown she-cat.

Tangleburr was a ShadowClan warrior under Raggedstar's, Brokenstar's, and Tigerstar's leaderships in the forest territories. She was born as Tanglekit to Lizardstripe and Mudclaw of ShadowClan, as well as her two brothers, Deerkit and Runningkit. Tanglekit and her brothers found entertainment in teasing their foster sibling Brokenkit about his mother being unknown. Tanglekit was later apprenticed to Wolfstep, taking the name of Tanglepaw. Tanglepaw later earned the warrior name of Tangleburr. Later on, when Brokenstar and his rogues were driven out of ShadowClan's territory, Tangleburr was one of those rogues. She was discovered by Tigerclaw, along with the other former ShadowClan cats. Tangleburr was later accepted back into ShadowClan with Tigerclaw and some other rogues.

History

In the Super Editions

Yellowfang's Secret

Tanglekit, along with her brothers, Deerkit and Runningkit, are born to Lizardstripe, a ShadowClan queen, and Mudclaw. Their foster-brother is Brokenkit, whose mother, Yellowfang, does not want the Clan to know Brokenkit's true mother.

When Yellowfang spots Lizardstripe, without her kits sharing tongues with Nettlespot and Ashheart, she peeks into the nursery to find Tanglekit, Runningkit and Deerkit surrounding Brokenkit. They are taunting Brokenkit for not knowing who his real mother is, and Deerkit says because he smells funny, he's not allowed to play with them. Tanglekit agrees, adding in that he is a kittypet like his father, Raggedpelt. Brokenkit retaliates, saying he's not a kittypet and he lashes out a paw, making Tanglekit jump backwards. She joins in with her brothers when they call Brokenkit badger-stinky. When Yellowfang tells the kits to stop taunting Brokenkit, Runningkit looks ashamed, but Tanglekit and Deerkit continue to look defiant as Yellowfang pulls Brokenkit out of the nursery.

A few moons later, Tanglekit is apprenticed to Wolfstep, and she becomes Tanglepaw. She has chosen to become a warrior like her denmates Deerpaw and Brokenpaw, whereas her brother, Runningpaw, has chosen to take the path of the medicine cat, becoming Yellowfang's apprentice.

Tanglepaw is mentioned by ShadowClan's leader, Cedarstar at the Gathering. He reports the other Clans that ShadowClan has four new apprentices; Tanglepaw, Deerpaw and Brokenpaw, and Runningpaw has become the new medicine cat apprentice. The Clans, especially ShadowClan, yowl their approval.

A little while later, Tanglepaw comes hopping into Yellowfang's den after training one day with a bad leg. When Yellowfang, horrified, asked what happened, Tanglepaw, unfazed, replies, telling her that she was practicing a battle move with Brokenpaw. Yellowfang says that they are supposed to practice with their claws sheathed and their teeth away, and Tanglepaw tells her what Brokenpaw had said; they'd learn better if there was a real threat of getting hurt. Tanglepaw says that next time the apprentices practice, she will be the best fighter, and Yellowfang leaves Tanglepaw to lick the wound clean while she gets some marigold to put on it. When she rubs the marigold on Tanglepaw's leg, Yellowfang tells the apprentice that she should keep it dry and rested for at least a day, not to fight with claws out in practice again, no matter what Brokenpaw says, because she does not collect herbs to treat apprentices who don't listen to instructions. However, Yellowfang's warning seemed to go through one of Tanglepaw's ears and out the other, for Tanglepaw says she is returning to the training area because she wants to watch Brokenpaw beat Deerpaw.

When Raggedstar is announcing who he has picked as deputy, Tanglepaw, Deerpaw, Runningpaw and Brokenpaw are sitting, waiting for him to to tell the Clan. Deerpaw shows he is impressed that Brokenpaw's father is the Clan leader, and when Brokenpaw replies that Raggedstar probably wants him to be a warrior so his son can be the deputy, Tanglepaw crushingly retorts that she doesn't think so, and Brokenpaw bristles angrily.

Some time later, Tanglepaw is given her warrior name, as has Deerpaw, and they are now named Tangleburr and Deerfoot. She is seen after the attack of the Carrionplace rats; she has a nasty bite in her shoulder that Runningpaw calls Yellowfang over to look at. Yellowfang tells Tangleburr and Runningpaw it will most likely get infected, as that is always a risk with rat bites. Yellowfang tells Tangleburr to go wait in the medicine den and she will bring her some Burdock root. Tangleburr tells Yellowfang she will, and she limps off the the den.

Tangleburr later leads a patrol out of the camp with fellow ShadowClan warrior Stumpytail. Rowanberry, Blackfoot, Deerfoot, and Brokentail are with them. After Stumpytail tells Yellowfang and Nightpelt of Brokentail's idea - that some of the cats will act as dogs while the other cats attack them, Tangleburr, being one of the cats in the dog group, says they'll be too fast for the dog-hunters, so they may as well stay in the trees and freeze. When they return, Yellowfang is shocked to see the states of Blackfoot, who is bleeding on his shoulder, Deerfoot, who is limping and Tangleburr, who has a large patch of fur missing on her side.

When her brother is scolded by Brokentail for fighting that was supposedly feeble, Tangleburr snickers, but Brokentail says that Tangleburr wasn't much better herself.

After Raggedstar's body is carried away from the camp by the elders, Yellowfang hears angry voices, belonging to Scorchwind, Blackfoot, Tangleburr and Cinderfur. Blackfoot says WindClan will probably attack at any moment, because they'll think that they are weak because they have no leader. When he asks what they should do, Tangleburr says that's for Brokentail to decide. Her tail tip is twitching and she is obviously trying to control her anger as she says that he will not be able to do anything before Brokentail get's his nine lives and leader name.

She and Flintfang come out of the warriors den to sit beside Blackfoot when Brokenstar tells the elders to leave the camp. Tangleburr is seen after this, sitting with Clawface, telling him to watch what he says; he shouldn't go looking for trouble, because Brokenstar hears everything. She is seen speaking about Yellowfang. She says that Yellowfang hasn't been herself lately, and when she went to her about a sore belly, she practically bit her ear off.

In the Novellas

Tigerclaw's Fury

Tangleburr was one of the cats who helped Tigerclaw and Brokenstar in a battle against ThunderClan, and is now a rogue.

When Tigerclaw encounters the group of rogues after the battle, she and Stumpytail stand up to brush their tails against Tigerclaw, pretending to be pleased to see him despite being terrified of him. Tigerclaw is given a mouse by Clawface and orders Tangleburr and Snag to hunt. As soon as the rogue cats reach the forest, they find the bushes from the Twolegplace. Clawface described them as being almost impossible to get through, and ShadowClan used them as a defense against the wild part of the woods. Blackfoot mumbles that he got through once when he was an apprentice. Tangleburr twitches her ears and says that he was lucky to make it back, because they didn't know what could have happened to him on the other side. Snag says it is just more trees, and questions what she was imagining was over there. Tangleburr flicks her tail and huffs that as a loyal ShadowClan warrior, it wasn't her business to know what was on the other side.

After the cats crawl their way through the bushes, they explore their new territory excitedly. Tangleburr and Stumpytail already have ivy in their mouths by the time Tigerclaw reaches the far side of the fallen tree, and Tangleburr whispers that the vines will be great for nests. Three sunrises later, Tigerclaw scans the trees, wondering where Blackfoot and Tangleburr are, as they should have been back from hunting a while ago. Tigerclaw ends up going to look for Tangleburr and Blackfoot and it isn't long before he spots them. When they creep in earshot, Tigerclaw suddenly asks them whether they had forgotten about battle training. Although Blackfoot tells him that they were on the way, he can tell they are lying.

Tangleburr promised that they had not crossed the border, and that they just wanted to see how they were. When Tigerclaw asks who 'they' were. Blackfoot says that they had done nothing wrong, and they had found out that ShadowClan is affected by a deadly sickness. Tangleburr points out that the sickness had come from the rats at Carrionplace and that Runningnose is doing everything he can, but there are just too many infected cats. Tigerclaw asks why they thought this was their problem, as ShadowClan no longer wanted anything to do with them because of their ties with Brokenstar. Blackfoot's eyes flash and he states that Brokenstar was their leader, so he followed him like a warrior should. Tangleburr nods, and continues that these sick and starving cats are her friends and family, and while she has left them, she can't forget about them.

When a patrol of Shadowclan cats come along, they are spotted by Boulder, who calls out to Blackfoot and Tangleburr's names. Tangleburr informs him that they live there now, gesturing to the fallen oak, and that Stumpytail, Clawface, and Tigerclaw are with them. While Fernshade tells them of ShadowClan's difficult situation, Deerfoot growls that none of these cats were to be trusted, glaring at Blackfoot, Tangleburr, and Tigerclaw. Tangleburr rests her nose against Fernshade's flank, sadly saying that they all look so tired. She offers to hunt for them, but Tigerclaw and Deerfoot both snap at the same time. Deerfoot says they don't need rogue help, and Tigerclaw states that they owe these cats nothing. He orders the two to follow him, and after a brief silence, they do. Fernshade calls out to them, saying for StarClan to light their path, and Tangleburr whispers that she hopes StarClan lights theirs as well.

Tangleburr and Blackfoot are glad when Tigerclaw returns from talking to a ShadowClan patrol, after he has told them that the rogue group would hunt for them. She ends up catching a pair of frogs, and defends herself by saying ShadowClan cats like them when Tigerclaw curls his lip. Once they have caught enough to make a decent contribution, the cats go back to battle training. Tigerclaw describes Tangleburr as having strong neck muscles, giving her a vicious bite. He also encourages her to sharpen her teeth using the stump of an old apple tree.

Tigerclaw decides instead that the rogue cats will bring their prey to the ShadowClan camp, and upon arriving, Rowanberry emerges from a den. She says she didn't expect the rogue cats to bring the prey into the camp themselves. Tangleburr drops her frogs on the pile and walks over to her former Clanmate, telling her that they needed to see how their old Clan was, and begs her not to send them away.

Back in the wild woods, while Tigerclaw and Blackfoot are discussing whether or not to find Mowgli, Tangleburr approaches them. She informs Tigerclaw that the cats are ready for training whenever he is. She adds that she saw a ShadowClan patrol, and they wanted to know if the cats would hunt with them inside ShadowClan territory the next day. Tigerclaw agrees, but says that they will still hunt for themselves in order to show ShadowClan that they can survive without them. Tangleburr nods and tells him that she told Wetfoot they would meet him on the border before sunhigh. Tigerclaw flicks the tip of his tail, and Tangleburr understands that she had promised them help too easily, looking down at her paws.

The rogue cats go as promised, and Wetfoot's eyes shine with relief. He says he thought that they wouldn't come, and Tangleburr carefully says that they will help him, if they can while quickly looking sideways at Tigerclaw. She cuts in over Oakpaw when he says they usually lead their own patrols, telling Tigerclaw whatever he thought was best.

Later on, Runningnose has put Tigerclaw in charge of patrols, but he instead puts Tangleburr, Stumpytail, and Clawface in charge of hunting patrols. The day before the Gathering, the ShadowClan cats are panicked because they have neither a deputy nor a leader. Tangleburr quietly urges them to be patient, saying that there is still time for StarClan to answer their prayers.

Blackfoot's Reckoning

Blackpaw recalls how Lizardstripe lets her kits bully Brokenkit. Later, Blackfoot believes Tanglepaw and the other apprentices to be Brokenpaw's friends since they all look up to him now. After the battle on ThunderClan's camp that led to Tigerclaw's exile, Tangleburr grumbles about RiverClan showing up to help ThunderClan. She questions if Tigerclaw is still alive, but to their surprise, he arrives wounded. The cats decide to go to ShadowClan to help them during the sickness, and she excitedly greets Rowanberry.

Character pixels

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

Kin

Members

Father:

Mudclaw: Living (As of Redtail's Debt)

Mother:

Lizardstripe: Living (As of Redtail's Debt)

Brothers:

Runningnose: Deceased, verified StarClan member

Deerfoot: Living (As of Tigerclaw's Fury)

Foster brother:

Brokenstar: Deceased, no residence

Trees

Genetic

Mudclaw ♂

Lizardstripe ♀

Deerfoot ♂

Runningnose ♂

Tangleburr ♀

    = Tom

    = She-cat

    = Gender unknown

Foster

Lizardstripe ♀

Deerfoot ♂

Runningnose ♂

Tangleburr ♀

Brokenstar ♂

    = Tom

    = She-cat

    = Gender unknown

Appearances

• Yellowfang's Secret (First appearance)
• Onestar's Confession (Allegiance only)
• Tigerclaw's Fury
• Blackfoot's Reckoning (Flashback only)

Trivia

Continuity

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

• On Vicky's Facebook, Tangleburr has bright blue eyes. She also resides in the Dark Forest.

Quotes

Deerkit: "We don't want to play with you. You smell funny."

Tanglekit: "Yeah. Every cat says you're a kittypet, like your father."

^{Yellowfang's Secret, page 341}

"Well, Raggedstar is Clan leader. He has the right to tell any cat what to do, even his deputy."

―Tangleburr to Deerfoot ^{Yellowfang's Secret, page 435}

"You look so tired. Would you like us to hunt for you?"

―Tangleburr sadly commenting how tired Fernshade and the other cats look ^{Tigerclaw's Fury, chapter 3}

External links

• Clan or Kin? on the Warriors official website (backup link) (Indirect mention only)
• Exclusive! Onestar's Confession: Excerpt on the Warriors official website (backup link) (Allegiance only)