Considering the official reason Moonpaw is said to have received her name is because her face resembles a half moon specifically, I kind of don't like when designs incorporate other stages of the moon as symbolism.
On the other hand, the official art couldn't even keep this consistent and incorporated a crescent moon design in one of the official arts, so I can't be that mad. A lot of the fan designs are really clever, too.
However, what I cannot forgive is when people make one of her eyes blue. It completely delegitimizes her heterochromia being a sign that she's a chimera. Literally any other color but blue I am fine with, heck make one purple. I don't even care. I get even more mad if the person is someone who complains that Moonpaw isn't technically a chimera.
... Well "mad" is a strong word. I don't actually care that much, I just wanted to complain.
In the newest book many facts were revealed about Moonpaw, which as a Moonpaw fan I was very happy about. I was also pleased to see the voice being something similar to what I imagined them to be... as well as surprised by other parts!
It's revealed at the end of the book that Moonpaw has a dead sister who died stillborn. The voice confirms this is her. Some people doubt this, but given the tone of the scene I'm inclined to believe her.
This is odd for a few reasons. For one, it's been established that kits who die before they're ready to be born can still go to StarClan, so many theorized the voice was a sibling that she absorbed since Moonpaw as a chimera has two sets of DNA. For this to happen to a chimera like Moonpaw by chance feels odd, especially when her sister resembles her so much that Moonpaw thinks the vision of her sister she sees in a reflection of water is half of her own face. The voice also seems to take Moonpaw's form when she lures Sunkit away from camp.
On the other hand, I think having her be her stillborn sister still works. Chimera cats, as I understand them, form so early in development that the "absorbed twin" isn't even a fetus yet. It's an interesting red herring, and prevents any misinformed reader from getting the misconception that chimeras actually absorb their twin as opposed to little more than a clump of cells. It also makes a lot of sense that Moonpaw might look near identical to her sister. Many sisters who aren't identical twins are mistaken as such in real life! I could easily see Sunkit, in the dim light, thinking the voice is Moonpaw. (If the voice wasn't actually possessing Moonpaw's body anyway.)
Whether this was some kind of writing retcon or not I think it still works. That said, I've seen the theory that maybe the dead sibling wasn't the voice and that the voice is lying. I don't believe this idea as much but given it's still early on in this series it might be worth entertaining.
Anyway, what I want to know is WHY her dead sister did this and no other kitten so far. If it's so easy for a dead kit to stay with their parents, then why haven't more?
I think the problem might lie in the fact that we are calling it "the voice", "her sister." What if the problem is that the kit never got a name?
This might sound silly, but Bayshine mentions that he named Moonpaw because her face resembled the half moon the night she was born. This means they didn't pick out names beforehand, or weren't settled on any anyway. What if the dead kitten was waiting for a name that never came? What if after a few days she decided to stay permanently, and absorb the love and attention Moonkit was getting that she never did?
Otherwise it seems like the voice just had a natural inclination to stay, which feels a little less likely. You'd think a cat might come down from StarClan to collect the kitten eventually. So maybe StarClan decided to let the kit stay until she got her name, but then the name never came and subsequently the kit, and eventually it was too late. StarClan also seems to know about the problem with "the two-faced cat", so I wonder if it might be because they already know Moonpaw's sister has been a problem.
Beyond that... I'm not sure if this is biologically possible, but I wonder if the DNA Moonpaw absorbed was the monozygotic twin of the voice. Because if Moonpaw hadn't absorbed that DNA she would have had two siblings, given the voice survived. I wonder if sharing the exact same DNA has allowed the voice to cling to Moonpaw. And in that case, what if we still get the absorbed twin plot, and another different voice pops up?
I still expect this arc to throw a few more curve balls at us, but Moonpaw's sister being an antagonistic presence in the arc has me curious. I feel like it would be odd for the soul of a dead kitten to become evil and dangerous, so I wonder if there's something else going on...? Maybe she's being corrupted or influenced by the Dark Forest somehow, and will eventually take control of Moonpaw's body to cause mayhem. So many entertaining possibilities... either way, poor Moonpaw!!
Given this theory relies on Moonpaw's sister never having a name, I'm thinking Moonpaw's sister might be reformed after she finally receives a name. There's a trope in ghost stories about a ghost having "unfinished business" and haunting people or places until it's finally resolved. Maybe Moonpaw's sister's unfinished business is as simple as getting a name. Kinda cheesy, but it could make for a bittersweet ending? I don't know.
Thanks for reading if you made it this far! If you have any theories of your own I'm eager to hear them.
Following the release of the first three The Elder's Quest chapters, most fans seem to agree the voice inside Moonpaw's head is Moonpaw's sibling. I think this makes a lot of sense, and is what I'll be building this theory upon.
Side note: in this post, I will be calling Moonpaw's voice "Inner Moonpaw." While it's unclear at this point if the voice would want a different name or not, the only reason Moonpaw is called Moonpaw is because of the appearance she gained after absorbing her sibling in the womb, as explained here:
Therefore, it is completely possible the voice inside her would also want to be called Moonpaw, and is what I'll be defaulting to.
Anyway, onto the actual theory...
This blurb has caused a lot of discussion: Why would Inner Moonpaw become sinister? In the first chapter with Moonpaw, while they annoy Moonpaw, they are mostly benign and even helpful at points. This makes me think they aren't out to get Moonpaw, at least not yet.
I've seen people say Inner Moonpaw grows resentment towards Moonpaw. Whether this is because Moonpaw is in control of the body or because Moonpaw has been somewhat dismissive and rude to the voice is unclear, but I find both ideas intriguing. Regardless, I want to offer a new idea.
I think Inner Moonpaw is actually receiving visions, and I'm going to hazard a guess that they aren't being sent from StarClan. I'm not saying that means they're from the Dark Forest... or that the ones sending visions are evil... just that the visions might seem more "sinister" for this reason, and that it's affecting Inner Moonpaw.
This would also mean Inner Moonpaw would most likely be forced to become a Medicine Cat if she wasn't absorbed by Moonpaw. With this in mind, it's not too outlandish to surmise that this will mean Moonpaw will be forced into the medicine-cat den this arc for a period of time, similar to what happened to Rootspring in The Broken Code. But similar to Rootspring I think Moonpaw won't become a Medicine Cat, and it will be because Inner Moonpaw is the one receiving visions. I also think this arc is trying to distance Medicine Cats more from the divination role with the way Leafstar was sent a direct message from StarClan instead of her medicine cats, so I'm sure that'll be relevant to Moonpaw leaving the medicine-cat den, too.
Personally I believe a combination of receiving these visions and feeling resentment or frustration towards Moonpaw could lead Inner Moonpaw to become more sinister. I think this could lead to some very interesting character development with both Moonpaws if handled correctly.
On the whole I'm very curious to see how Inner Moonpaw will be handled this arc. Considering the title is called Changing Skies, I think it has two meanings: that the Clans will change territories (change skies), and something regarding Moonpaw. The moon is a celestial object, so I wonder if Moonpaw's own sky will change. But what could that mean? Could it be related to the voice inside her head, the twin she absorbed? What if Inner Moonpaw eventually takes over the body, and becomes Outer Moonpaw? Or will Inner Moonpaw "change skies" and enter a new body...? So many questions!
Anyway, thanks for listening. 🌗 The Moonpaws are occupying my thoughts lately and I am so excited to learn more.
Today I'm going to share a few of the reasons why I think Froststar will be leader. I firmly believe the books have been building up to this and that any other choice will feel random and unsatisfying as a conclusion to the arc.
However, I believe the fact that there has been so much debate is intentional on the authors' part. They are deliberately being coy about it so as to not give the surprise away. I think this is part of why Froststar is being dismissed, because you'd think they would treat her a bit differently if she was the choice to become leader. But I believe such arguments are not substantial enough to firmly deconfirm her as future leader.
In the first book, River, Frostpaw outright balks at being leader. She doesn't want to be and the responsibility it entails scares her. This represents how she was never destined for a greater role in the Clan: she just had the greatness thrust upon her, like Spider-man. This is called out directly in the Thunder prologue:
But Frostpaw is destined for great things now. Fate has been rewritten, however much heartbreak it cost, and the fate of RiverClan now rests in her paws.
This doesn't directly imply anything about her becoming leader, of course, but it does tell us that the Frostpaw we started out with has changed! And I disagree with the notion that this implies she has to be a medicine cat. Medicine cats are messengers, yes, but I think the fact Riverstar uses such a vague term like "messenger" in the first place is curious. I also don't see why she can't temporarily be RiverClan's messenger and later become something more. Sure, RiverClan needs Frostpaw to be their messenger now, but he's not implying Frostpaw has to be that messenger forever.
I also think it's generous to imply the StarClan cats know who the leader should be yet. It's very well possible they don't, and that they just know the cat who will choose the leader and some qualities such a leader should have. StarClan works in mysterious ways after all and time and time again they've been shown to know about as much as the Clan cats.
But the biggest issue for a lot of people is that RiverClan would be left without a medicine cat that has a connection to StarClan, and I sympathize with this a lot. My issue however is that, if Frostpaw magically gained powers, then why can't they find another cat? I know it's a lazy answer but I don't see why this issue can't be worked around. I also don't see why we can't explore other options like Frostpaw still maintaining a medicine cat's role as leader. It's unconventional of course but Froststar in itself is unconventional.
There's also the fact that RiverClan didn't have a cat like Willowshine for a while. It's far from ideal circumstances but the Clan still managed without a medicine cat with a connection to StarClan for a period of time.
But these aren't the only reasons I think Frostpaw will become leader. I think there have been great hints throughout the last two books, Thunder and Wind.
For one, Frostpaw goes to the Park Cats and learns the ideal qualities to look for in a leader--as well as who shouldn't be leader, the cat she learns killed Reedwhisker. Frostpaw's ideal qualities in a leader are awfully specific too, almost like they're things only Frostpaw could really enforce. Unless a cat happens to start showing these qualities in Star, Frostpaw is realistically the only one who can change the Clan the way she wants to change it. Like it or not, Frostpaw will be taking on a leadership role if she wants any of this to actually happen.
This is practically Frostpaw's political manifesto. Unbeknownst to her, however, she is literally describing the perfect leader for RiverClan to be herself.
I also think the fact that Frostpaw is the first cat in RiverClan to openly reject Splashtail is key to her both gaining support and also coming into her role as leader. Frostpaw...isn't the best choice for leader yet, simply put. But she is getting there. She is rallying support for her cause to defeat Splashtail, an important quality in a leader. She fully intends on taking him down and restoring RiverClan to its former glory--no, even better. She has a crystal clear vision for what she wants RiverClan's future to be and I don't think any other cat in the Clan so much as comes close to the leadership qualities Frostpaw is displaying now. Once she defeats Splashtail I envision that she will finally complete her arc and become the leader RiverClan needs.
I also want to point out this random dream from Bee, which I think is great Froststar foreshadowing:
Here is my interpretation: the frozen river symbolizes a RiverClan lead by Froststar. I believe the ice being thick is meant to show the strength of RiverClan under Froststar's leadership. The river being frozen so thoroughly also represents a safe bridge to outsiders. The sting of the ice represents how RiverClan still maintains the ferocity appropriate of a Warrior clan, and that it will defend its borders when needed. However, they do not react with hostility to all outsiders. They are curious, perhaps even interested in the knowledge the outsider may impart on them, like how Frostpaw learned a new way of life from the Park Cats.
This is all just speculation of course but I think this line is intentional foreshadowing on the writer's parts and I don't think it's safe to completely dismiss it yet.
We also cannot ignore scenes like Riverstar literally choosing Frostpaw over Splashtail at the Moonpool.
Obviously this scene is meant to show Frostpaw has StarClan on her side, but this scene also shows clear symbolism foreshadowing a Froststar leadership, if you choose to read it as such. While you can just as easily interpret it as Frostpaw being the true medicine cat instead of Podlight, you can't help wondering if that could imply she's meant to be leader instead of Splashtail, too.
---
To conclude, I do think there's still a chance Froststar might not be leader, but I can't say any evidence to the contrary has been sufficient enough to change my mind or have me leaning towards any other potential options. I do think it's possible Frostpaw can inspire the change she wants in RiverClan as a medicine cat, but given the lack of other suitable options for leader it's difficult to imagine. Again, I wouldn't be shocked if one of the other characters starts displaying leadership qualities in the final book, Star, but I simply don't think it would hold the same narrative satisfaction of Frostpaw becoming leader.
Also, just...come on. She's literally front and center on the cover of Star. The foreshadowing for Froststar is off the charts right now. Don't sleep on my girl just yet!
I've been rereading warrior cats and I finished TNP a bit ago but I wanted to slap this down here before my twitter feed loses the thread forever
I don't ever see this get brought up in conversations about Brambleclaw but... Brambleclaw did not trust Hawkfrost for the first half of TNP. He only starts defending him in Starlight and it's only when Squirrelflight says she doesn't trust him.
In fact it's almost an immediate switch that happens within a few pages.
((Photo Caption: ...yet Brambleclaw struggled to feel any kinship or loyalty to the RiverClan warrior. He was too quick to order other cats around, too openly hungry for power in his Clan, and he made Brambleclaw ask himself questions about their shares inheritance that he would have preferred to ignore. Such as, where did Hawkfrost's ambition come from? Did he share Tigerstar's hunger for power at any cost? And if he had inherited this from their father, what did that mean for Brambleclaw?))
This scene is when the patrol is coming back from exploring around the lake. Brambleclaw then goes on to describe the territories to all the Clans and afterwards Hawkfrost approaches him and Brambleclaw is expecting confrontation. Again, because he doesn't trust Hawkfrost.
((Photo Caption: He winced as Hawkfrost came over to meet him and braced himself for a hostile comment, perhaps a challenge about where the new boundaries should be.
To his surprise, there was a friendly gleam in the RiverClan warrior's blue eyes.
"Thanks for finding the new territories, Brambleclaw," he meowed. "I'm almost sorry we'll be going our seperate ways now. I'd have liked to hunt with you."
Brambleclaw blinked. Warriors of different Clans could not hunt together - but that wasn't the real reason Hawkfrost's suggestion startled him. Did the RiverClan warrior feel something like kinship with him?))
Squirrelflight then comes in to break up the conversation and it's here we see a very sudden switch.
((Photo Caption: "Why are you talking to him?" Squirrelflight demanded crossly when Hawkfrost was out of earshot. "You know he can't be trusted."
"I don't know anything of the kind," Brambleclaw retorted.
Squirrelflight snorted. "Yeah, right. That cat has too much ambition for his own good."
Brambleclaw felt his neck fur start to rise. "Really?"
"He wishes Mistyfoot had never come back, so that he could still be deputy. I've heard him arguing with her more than once."))
Despite Brambleclaw having these exact same thoughts just moments ago, he feels defensive and hostile when Squirrelflight voices them. He later goes on to claim that he has a kinship with Hawkfrost despite saying the exact opposite moments before.
((Photo Caption: Brambleclaw narrowed his eyes. "So you don't have anything against Hawkfrost except for what Leafpaw feels about him? Because she's your sister, right? Well, Hawkfrost is my brother."
"Are you telling me you feel loyal to him because of that?" Squirrelflight exclaimed. "But you hardly know him!"
"Neither do you. But you think you know him well enough to say he can't be trusted." Brambleclaw unsheathed his claws and let them sink into the fallen leaves. "Or are you accusing him because of who his father was?"
Squirrelflight's green eyes stretched wide. "If that's what you think, then you don't know me at all!" she hissed.))
Brambleclaw says that he is uncomfortable with Hawkfrost's blatant aggression and ambition and is insecure over the possibility that Hawkfrost inherited those traits from their shared father, Tigerstar. So when Squirrelflight voices her own distrust and he turns to defend Hawkfrost it feels a lot less like Brambleclaw truly and honestly believes Hawkfrost is a good guy and lot more like him believing that if Hawkfrost is a bad guy, it might mean Brambleclaw is also a bad guy. He would rather defend Hawkfrost's honor than confront his insecurities that he and Hawkfrost have inherited "evil" from their father.
He would rather lose his relationship with Squirrelflight than confront his own insecurities. Insecurities that have manifested into Hawkfrost. And now Brambleclaw is putting his self-worth in whether or not Hawkfrost is evil rather than recognizing they are seperate cats with seperate moral codes just as he and Tigerstar are seperate cats with seperate moral codes.
Thinking about how when it comes to Squirrelflight, a lot of people who hate her fundamentally misunderstand her character.
"She's always right about things and never does anything wrong, she's just so perfect." Did we read the same books? Her character is defined by her letting her heart lead instead of her head, and she makes mistakes and doesn't think about the consequences of her actions in the name of love. Love is a driving force for her and she'll move mountains for the ones she loves, even if that mountain was better left alone. She's a deeply flawed character and the narrative does not let her get away scott free. She has been kicked down in the mud in the narrative for her actions, to the point she was considered being sent to hell for -checks notes- protecting her sister from the stringent code her ancestors created.
"She pressured Bramblestar into having kits when he was clearly disinterested." Incorrect! She asks him if he would consider having kits again, and he is disinterested so Squirrelflight doesn't ask again. She drops the topic. It is later in the book Bramblestar holds that over her head when she mentions kits, this time not in reference to herself.
She is headstrong, stubborn, bratty, heart-driven, quick to meet a challenge, compassionate, deeply emotional, and makes mistakes in the name of love.
I want her to make mistakes, I want her to challenge the story with her own moral quandaries and personal ideals. I want her to start a war with Tigerheart because she believes it's the right thing to do. I want her to struggle with being a leader and not making the perfect decisions. It's what makes her an interesting character.
"I hope the mistakes I've made, I've made out of love."
Hello all! Today I'd like to discuss the character of Squirrelflight in the hope that I can help spread my interpretation of the character. I hope you'll continue to the end, and if my post changes your mind about her in any way, I would be so happy.
This will largely be focused around her choices surrounding the kits she chose to raise at Leafpool's request. Spoilers from Squirrelflight's Hope and other books that released prior will appear here.
In this post, I want to argue against the idea that Squirrelflight only took the kits because she thought she was barren, and argue that what she did was the best choice considering the circumstances. I believe this interpretation not only makes for a stronger, more cohesive narrative across all of these books, but also makes logical sense.
Let's start with the events surrounding Leafpool's pregnancy and the sisters' decision to raise the kits in ThunderClan under the lie that they were Squirrelflight and Brambleclaw's biological children.
This decision had many factors surrounding it. The first being that Leafpool couldn't go forth with her plan to raise kits outside the clans with Crowfeather after Cinderpelt died and leave ThunderClan without a medicine cat. On top of this, the novella Leafpool's Wish reveals that Leafpool was told by her warrior ancestors that she had to have her sister raise the kits in ThunderClan, leaving her with little other option but to lie that they weren't hers.
Many people criticize this decision from Leafpool, for multiple reasons. For one, she could've stepped down as a medicine cat and raised them herself. For another, she could've pretended that they were random kits she found instead of ones related to her and Firestar. And while I see what they mean, it just wouldn't work out.
The whole reason she decided to come back was to be the Clan's medicine cat, and there is no way she would be allowed to continue being a medicine cat after it's revealed she not only had kits, but that she had them with a warrior from a rival clan. That's two codes broken for the price of one. On top of this, StarClan told her to do it. Her kits are special, part of a prophecy about being Firestar's kin. It simply wouldn't work if she just pretended they were some random kits. Keep in mind that this lie was never intended to come to light, and since two of her kits were blessed with magic powers, her secret would've been discovered in no time. StarClan must have known this, hence why they told her to tell that lie specifically.
But we're not really talking about Leafpool, are we? We're talking about Squirrelflight. Squirrelflight herself has faced criticism for going along with this decision, chiefly surrounding her keeping it a secret from Brambleclaw. While people acknowledge that StarClan directly told her to lie to everyone that the kits were Brambleclaw's, some still think she should have told him. Especially since Brambleclaw, when the kits' parentage is revealed, says he would have gone along with her lie.
And to address that, we need to take a look at Squirrelflight's arc in the novella Leafpool's Wish.
Despite the fact that there is a perfectly serviceable Moonkittii video summarizing the book, many people misconstrue the events of it and say things happened that really didn't. The most egregious of these mistakes is thinking that Squirrelflight only took the kits after Yellowfang told her she was barren, as well as largely ignoring a lot of her agency in her decision to take them.
When Yellowfang lied to her and told her she was barren, Squirrelflight was very upset. But while she told her sister that she loved her and would do her best to help her as much as she could, she still steadfastly refused to take the kits and lie to Brambleclaw and the rest of ThunderClan in the process. She only changed her mind after the kits were born, when Feathertail visited the two sisters and urged Squirrelflight to reconsider. Squirrelflight, having then realized how much she had grown to care for the kits, agreed to take them so that they could live the best lives they possibly could in ThunderClan.
Squirrelflight not only struggled with the decision, but also refused to change her mind until they were already far away from the clan. This is understandable, considering how dishonorable and painful lying to ones kin and clanmates can be. Keep in mind that she was even doing this for her sister, the cat she was closest to, and yet she still had trouble going along with it.
Taking all of this into consideration, why would she have risked the chance that Brambleclaw rejects them? Better yet, why are we taking Brambleclaw at his word that he would have still accepted the kittens if he was told the truth? Keep in mind that after the lie is revealed, Leafpool steps down as a medicine cat out of shame. Brambleclaw's position as deputy is incredibly important to him, with his ambition for power being his main character motivation throughout The New Prophecy. Lying to ones clan is incredibly dishonorable, and after the truth came out, Brambleclaw would either step down out of shame or feel pressured to by his fellow warriors.
But let's not make him sound entirely self-centered, either. Lying is not always an easy choice. Making Brambleclaw keep the lie makes him complicit. There's kindness in not involving him, in making him an innocent party. Brambleclaw already has to put up with a lot for being the mirror image of his father, but for it to be found out that he played a part in such a serious lie? It could be proving everyone who doubts him in the clan right. Not only this, but the kits would feel betrayed by both of their parents if the truth ever came out. I can't imagine that any of these thoughts hadn't occured to Squirrelflight, a cat who already felt uncomfortable lying herself.
Ultimately, while I could neither feasibly blame Brambleclaw if he did reject the kits nor say for certain that he would, I don't see why it's so unbelievable to expect him not to, especially when Squirrelflight herself grappled with the decision. The sisters both needed 100% from him, nothing less. And Leafpool didn't get 100% from Squirrelflight until weeks after the initial proposal.
I believe Brambleclaw is only able to so confidently say he would keep Squirrelflight's lie because he has already come to love the kits as his own, similar to how Squirrelflight only agreed to take them after she came to love the kits as a mother. To take him at his word is an entirely unfair criticism of Squirrelflight's decision. Anyone can say they would have done something, but actually doing it is another matter entirely.
Anyway, acknowledging that Squirrelflight had agency in the plot of Leafpool's Wish also makes Squirrelflight's Hope make a bit more sense than it normally does. While StarClan taking zero responsibility for the lie about the kits' parentage is insulting, Squirrelflight still made a choice--her own choice--to go through with it. And I like this about her. I like that she tried to help her sister and give the kits the best life they could. They not only got to grow up knowing who their kin was, but they grew up with two loving parents as proud warriors of ThunderClan, all while not having to face the prejudice of being half-clan kits or kits of a medicine cat. The aftermath when everyone found out was undeniably terrible, but I love how you can see the decision had actual merits. That it was understandable. That it was human.
Squirrelflight to me is such a selfless character, it saddens me to see people scorn her when she was just trying to help her sister. It also sucks to see the narrative of the books treat her so poorly, and for Brambleclaw to ignore her attempts to mend things between them for so long, a decision he later regrets after he comes to understand why she did what she did. It sucks to see this treated as an "everyone was bad" issue when it's more like everyone was right, in some way, but that some handled the fallout worse than others. That there was more heartache than there needed to be, and that the sisters are not the source of the problem, but a result of the systemic problems that surround the clans and the Warrior Code as a whole.
Thank you for reading! This post was mostly born of a desire to scream into a voiceless, unfeeling void about how much I love Squirrelflight and how much I want other people to love her, too, but if You (hypothetical reader) got anything useful out of it, then I'd love to hear your feedback! Let me know if you want to hear me yell about any other warriors characters. Or don't, I might just do it anyway. ฅ^•ω•^ฅ Toodle-oo!
