When Ashfoot died in the Great Battle, Onestar was determined to choose a cat from among the former Dark Forest trainees to replace her as deputy, to prove to his Clan that the trainees had his complete trust. Harespring was well aware of why he was chosen, and of the doubtful whispers of his Clanmates, and he struggled between doing his duty to a leader who seemed to have little respect for him and following his own morals. He was willing to go against Onestar’s orders to give desperately needed medicine to ShadowClan. This action earned him the respect of many cats around the lake – but that tendency to value his own judgment over the counsel of others around him may prove more of a hinderance than a help when the time comes for him to make the decisions for his Clan.