Although the Warriors series explores the fictional lives of feral cats in the wild in a way that is rooted in fantasy, there are elements of their world that are all too similar to ours. They have complex social structures and spiritual beliefs, they fall in and out of love, and sadly, they deal with death.

StarClan gifts the Clan leaders with nine lives, but most cats live a single lifetime. Some are cut tragically short by illness, injuries suffered in battle, accidents, natural disasters, or even murder. No matter what the cause is of a Clan cat’s death, their Clanmates grieve deeply.

The story team recognized that cats could not hold formal funerals as Twolegs would. Still, just as elephants gather to mourn their dead, we believed the Clan cats would honor their fallen warriors in a similar fashion. Since so much of StarClan’s existence depends on living cats keeping their memories alive, we thought the cats would hold vigils where Clanmates share memories throughout the night about the cat who has passed away. While this usually takes place with the warriors in a circle around the deceased cat, who is buried the next morning, the vigil is held even when there is no body to recover.

Of course, death isn’t the end for warriors. Most go on to join StarClan, where they spend their days in peace and prosperity, hunting plentiful prey and guiding their living Clanmates through dreams, visions, and more direct communication with the medicine cats via the Moonpool.

But not every cat gets to join StarClan. Some are relegated to the barren landscape known as the Dark Forest. There, if a spirit is killed, it is gone for good. Such was Bristlefrost’s fate after joining the mission to defeat Ashfur. Her untimely death was all the more heartbreaking for Rootspring and her Clanmates since they knew they would never see her again, not even in the spiritual realm. The same fate is possible for StarClan cats as well. Spottedleaf, who joined StarClan after being killed by Clawface, was killed again in the living world by Mapleshade during the Great Battle. Her spirit faded away, gone forever.

Why would the team choose to deliver such shattering ends to cats who are so beloved? And for that matter, how do we decide who will live or die in any arc?

Many of the deaths are simply a matter of it being that cat’s time, like Goosefeather and Goldenflower, who both died of old age. Although the warrior life is often filled with harsh conditions and brutal battles, we do want to make it clear that many cats enjoy nice, long lives and are around to share their stories with new generations of kits.

Other cats, however, who frequently find themselves at the center of battles or embarking on dangerous quests are more likely to meet untimely ends. It made sense, for example, that Stemleaf, who helped lead the rebellion against Ashfur, would be among the first cats to jump into the fray—and sadly, one of the first to lose his life. We also knew that his death would create an interesting dynamic between his love, Spotfur, and Bristlefrost, who had once hoped to be his mate. Firestar, arguably the greatest warrior to ever live, was destined to die in an equally epic way. The Great Battle seemed like an appropriate exit for a legendary leader like him.

It is undeniable, though, that sometimes a cat’s death is a gut punch to the Clans, to the reader, and to the story team. Often, these deaths serve as important catalysts for other characters or for the Clans at large. But because the cat in question is so kind or brave or unsuspecting, or because their future seemed so bright, their sudden loss hurts all the more. Feathertail fits into this category. From the beginning, one’s heart went out to the silver tabby she-cat whose mother died during the birthing process. But we saw her grow into a strong and vital member of RiverClan. As an apprentice, she helped fight against BloodClan, and later as a warrior, she fulfilled her destiny to save the Tribe from Sharptooth by impaling him with a stalactite. Tragically, the risky move resulted in her death at the same time. Besides her kin, Feathertail’s loss was perhaps felt most keenly by Crowpaw, who took on the name Crowfeather in her honor.

But at least Feathertail went on to live again in both StarClan and the Tribe of Endless Hunting, influencing events in the living world, and she even fought in a major battle later on against the Dark Forest. Bristlefrost, unfortunately, will never have that chance. Though having her die while killing Ashfur was a painful decision to make, we felt that her death in this manner suited her heroic character in that she would willingly lay down her life to save the Clans and the cat she loved. It also prompted one major change to the warrior code: Potential mates will no longer be kept apart by the boundaries that divide the Clans. Only a loss as devastating as hers could have convinced the leaders to consider officially changing a rule that has been in place for many moons—even though it has been violated in the past, like when Tigerstar and Dovewing became mates, for example.

We spend a great deal of time deciding the fate of each cat in the arcs and what events lead to that conclusion, and we don’t take any death lightly. Even though we orchestrate the plot points, when cats leave the story, whether to join StarClan or to never be seen again, we mourn the loss right along with their Clanmates and the readers.