Ashfur, also called the impostor, the false Bramblestar, and the dark warrior, is a muscular pale gray tom with darker flecks and dark blue eyes. He has short, thick fur, and a torn ear. Ashfur was a ThunderClan warrior under Firestar's and briefly Graystripe's leaderships in forest and the lake territories. He was born as Ashkit to Brindleface and Whitestorm alongside his littermates, Fernkit, Elderkit, and Tulipkit. He and his sister were the only surviving kits from their litter and were soon joined by their foster brother, Cloudkit, when Brindleface offered to nurse him. As an apprentice, Ashpaw was mentored by Dustpelt, and he grieved for his mother when she was slain by Tigerstar. After earning his warrior name, Ashfur developed feelings for Squirrelflight, who briefly shared his feelings but discovered that her true place was with Brambleclaw. Heartbroken, Ashfur fueled his grief into anger for moons. He later mentored Birchfall and Lionblaze, the latter being Brambleclaw and Squirrelflight's son. During a fire, Ashfur cornered Squirrelflight and threatened to kill her kits. However, Squirrelflight revealed they are not her kits, and Ashfur plotted to reveal the truth at the Gathering. However, Hollyleaf murdered him before he was able to bring to light the events surrounding Hollyleaf, Jayfeather, and Lionblaze's parentage. Ashfur later joined StarClan, and when Jayfeather asked why Ashfur was there, Yellowfang claimed that Ashfur's only fault was to love too much. As an unnamed StarClan spirit, Ashfur came to Shadowpaw, after having severed connection with StarClan, telling him of codebreakers within the Clans. He later possessed the body of the ThunderClan leader, Bramblestar, having been able to force out the leader's spirit when he lost a life during an unusual attempt to cure him from an illness that Ashfur inflicted upon him. During the interval, Ashfur possessed Bramblestar's corpse, and as "Bramblestar", he enforced a tyrannical rule of ThunderClan and punished the codebreakers, until he was deposed in a battle he instigated between the five Clans. After being imprisoned in ShadowClan, Squirrelflight was able to force him to reveal his true identity. He remained a prisoner of the Clans until his escape, where he kidnapped Squirrelflight and dragged both him and her into the Moonpool, bringing her to the Place of No Stars. Ashfur, now in control of the Dark Forest, kept Squirrelflight captive and made the spirits of the recently deceased prisoners under his control, intending to take over the afterlives and the living world. However, Squirrelflight managed to escape with Bramblestar. Enraged, Ashfur set his sights on destroying the living Clans as well as StarClan and the Dark Forest, forcing the living and the dead to form an alliance to stop Ashfur's fury. Ashfur, leading his controlled ghosts and Dark Forest spirits still loyal to him, against the Lights in the Mist and the other deceased spirits, managing to briefly gain the upper hand, but Ashfur was then forced into the eerie waters of the Dark Forest by Bristlefrost, and Ashfur subsequently drowned alongside his killer. Although Ashfur was gone, his actions had a lasting effect on the living and the dead, leading to a reformation of the warrior code and questioning the guidance of StarClan.