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Essay Only / Game Only

INTO THE WILD: AN INTRODUCTION

In my time writing shrine pages and other related work on my site, I’ve repeatedly circled back to the theme of animal-focused weird-girl subculture. Wolf girls, and their outsider art and animation, and the way the web has made a space for this work to be shared. Horse girls, and the games that catered to them, in an increasingly monetized web. Betwixt the two lies cat girls, and their text of choice: Warriors. If you remember anyone playing cats on the playground, chances are that they were making you use their naming system and pick a Clan (compared to “playing wolves”, which often isn’t very media specific)- in the same deviantArt furry-adjacent spaces that the wolfgirl dwelled, so did the stirrings of the Warriors fandom.. And, once again, I was one of them- just as I was a horse girl and a wolf girl. The time has come to complete this trinity.

Warriors is a childrens’ fantasy xenofiction series written by “Erin Hunter” (kind of. It’s more of a written-by-multiple-ghost-writers-and-plotted-by-a-faceless-committee-of-Harper-Collins-execs-collectively-known-as-Erin-Hunter situation.) It takes place in the New Forest in England (before the Clans move to a fictional lake-based territory) and focuses on a group of feral cats, their societies and how they function, and the challenges they must face- be they mundane, political, societal, romantic, supernatural, or all of them at once.

The reason I say that my analysis of cat girls lies betwixt my analyses of horse girlism and wolf girlism, as I have defined and explored them, is because both of the thematic cores of these shrines apply to Warriors fans. Warriors fans are fixated, often nostalgically, on a distinctly corporate entity. These books are written by committee; around 5 are released each year; they make truckloads of money and the writing is perceived as increasingly poor with each release- it’s sort of like the Pokémon of books, with regards to the schedule and quality. But Warriors is also a hub for the same self-expression and outsider art subculture as the wolf girls- it has one of the most creative fanbases I have ever seen, one that has turned a middle-grade book series into a mythology of their own creation. To enjoy Warriors fanwork is to see the idea of “fandom” taken to its extreme, to see just how much online subculture can inspire and accomplish.

I’ve considered myself a Warriors fan ever since I was around 7. I’ve been on-again-off-again keeping up with the books for years and years. It’s close to my heart. It’s poorly written. It’s genius. I think about it constantly. And I want to gush about why I’ve enjoyed this series for so long and what it means to me, and so many others! And untangle my complicated feelings on its contents, too. (Do keep in mind that I’ll be spoiling almost the entire series within this shrine.)

So, take my paw, and let me guide you through the forest, in this: the final part of my weird-girl trilogy...

A FOREST DIVIDED: A SYNOPSIS OF WARRIORS

Warriors is a long-running series, so to recount the plot of every book is nearly sisyphean. Thankfully, the books are split between the main series and the spinoffs, and the main series has clearly delineated six-book arcs. Spinoffs are often supplemental to information already provided in the main series and are usually character focused, with some recent exceptions. If a Super Edition or Novella is crucial to understand what’s going on, I’ll recount it, otherwise I will stick purely to the main series (and roughly in release order).

I aim to make this a “broad strokes” summary of events in the series, as well as provide my thoughts on each arc.

The Original Series: Fire Alone...

The Original Series (also titled “The Prophecies Begin”) follows Rusty, a young kittypet who is drawn to the woods, and chooses to leave his housefolk to join ThunderClan, one of four groups of feral cats in the woods. The Clans live by a very specific set of customs, and the “warrior code”, their personal guide to morality. Though the Clan doubts him, their leader Bluestar is certain that he will fulfill the prophecy that her medicine cat (a sort of healer/spiritual medium) Spottedleaf received: “Fire alone will save our Clan”, due to his fire-colored fur. He is named Firepaw and made an apprentice, and he befriends fellow apprentices Graypaw and Ravenpaw.

Ravenpaw is mentored by Tigerclaw, a powerful and respected warrior. However, Ravenpaw is the sole witness to Tigerclaw having murdered Bluestar’s second-in-command, the deputy Redtail, in hopes of being selected for the position in his stead, and leader after. While Firepaw (soon given the warrior name of Fireheart) and his friends help Ravenpaw escape from Tigerclaw’s retribution, solve mysteries, get drawn into forbidden romance, and engage in conflicts with enemy Clans, they must also find a way to foil Tigerclaw’s ambitions, because he won't stop at just one murder. And once he is deputy, he does exactly that- he attempts a coup, and to murder Bluestar.

Tigerclaw is exiled, but he finds the authority he so craves in the politically-unstable and leaderless ShadowClan, effortlessly taking the position of leadership. Back in ThunderClan, Bluestar is driven to paranoia, having been betrayed by a trusted Clanmate. Fireheart, the new deputy, now has to contend with an increasingly paranoid and battle-hungry leader, as well as the threat that Tigerstar faces- even leading dogs into ThunderClan territory in order to kill countless cats. While Bluestar had fallen from grace, in her last moments, she sacrifices herself to lead the dogs off a cliff, saving her Clan with her final breaths.

But Tigerstar is accumulating more power, merging ShadowClan and RiverClan into “TigerClan”, and viciously torturing and imprisoning any cat he deems unworthy, particularly “half-Clan” cats, born to cats of different Clans. When Tigerstar and Firestar- now the leader after Bluestar loses her last life- meet in battle, Tigerstar is accompanied by BloodClan, a gang of vicious alleycats from twolegplace, and they are lead by a small black cat named Scourge. However, when Scourge learns of Tigerstar’s failure to destroy ThunderClan with the dogs, he kills the ShadowClan leader in one strike- the true danger that the fire must burn away, for Firestar to defeat and finally fulfill the prophecy. Though he loses a life in the battle, he is able to turn the tide, as Scourge has only just the one- and Firestar battles with the strength of StarClan.

This is a very abridged set of events, of course, and it's hard to include everything. I didn't even mention Yellowfang, or Cloudtail, or Brightheart, or Cinderpelt, or Sandstorm, or any of the various characters that bring ThunderClan to life- the true, greatest appeal of this arc. I think part of what makes it hold up so well is the sense of community. Each cat has their own opinions, on the newcomer kittypet, on Tigerclaw, on StarClan and the various relationships forbidden by the code...

And speaking of StarClan, I barely even got into the main theme of this arc, which is faith, and whether the code is moral. Bluestar and Firestar both grapple with their faith in StarClan (Bluestar especially), and Firestar’s trust in StarClan (depicted here much differently than they will be later) is eventually what allows him to triumph. As for the code, throughout the arc we see examples of good cats who have broken the warrior code- Graystripe, Yellowfang, Bluestar... Even Firestar himself, disobeying Bluestar in order to avoid unnecessary battles. When we see Tigerstar cruelly torturing Graystripe’s half-Clan kits, he is acting as an instrument of the system of power that is the warrior code. That the Clans themselves are a deeply flawed society made better by the influence of an outsider adds a lot of nuance to what could otherwise be a fairly standard tale. (Put a pin in these concepts for later, as they will come up again.) If you want to see a pretty comprehensive look at the themes of spirituality in the first arc, I cannot reccomend this video by Gracie Fitzpeter enough.

On the whole, the Original Series is probably the best-aged Warriors arc. It's altogether a solid bit of children's literature, telling a complete story with a fascinating and compelling world to lose yourself in.

However, the peace brought to the forest may not last forever...

The New Prophecy: Walking New Skies

The New Prophecy is odd, in that it was originally ordered as a three-book sequel to the first arc and then made into a full, six-book arc at the last minute. And it shows! It is also unique in that it is focused on cats from all the Clans, not just ThunderClan, as they quest to find a new home. (We do only really get ThunderClan POV characters though.) However! Before we get into The New Prophecy, I’m going to take a detour to give a very brief summary of the first plot-important Super Edition, Firestar’s Quest. The events within are going to be very very important, much much later.

Firestar begins having dreams that tell him about the lost Clan, SkyClan- driven out by the other Clans after twolegs began developing on their territory. These dreams take him and Sandstorm on a journey to the gorge where the estranged Clan took up residence before being driven out by a colony of rats. Firestar finds various descendants of the original SkyClan and other various recruits among the local kittypers, loners and rogues. He shows them Clan customs and re-establishes the Clan, leading them into victory against the rat swarm. They continue to live in the gorge for some time.

Soon after his return, two daughters are born to Firestar: Squirrelkit and Leafkit.

The New Prophecy focuses on three point-of-view protagonists, including Firestar’s kittens: Leafpool, Squirrelflight, and Tigerstar’s son, Brambleclaw. But it also has a great extended cast, made up of cats of all Clans, including Crowfeather, Tawnypelt, Stormfur, Feathertail, Mothwing, and more. The plot begins with Brambleclaw, Crowpaw, Tawnypelt and Feathertail being urged by StarClan to go to the “sun-drown-place” (the ocean) to meet with Midnight, a mysterious, possibly immortal talking badger (with Squirrelpaw and Stormfur tagging along). It is there that Midnight tells them that the forest will be destroyed, and the Clans need to find a new home. Back in the old territories, Leafpool begins to witness this as it comes to pass, with human development encroaching on the forest. (On the way home the traveling cats go through the mountains for a bit of a filler detour that's mostly unimportant other than Feathertail’s death. Don't worry, I will be discussing my thoughts on the Tribe of Rushing Water and the way they're written later...)

Suffering through starvation and death, the Clans leave together once the journeying cats arrive home, and at the end of their travels, they find the lake territories, a seemingly perfect place to make their new home. But not all is well- WindClan engages in a civil war after Tallstar switches his deputy from Mudclaw to Onewhisker, at the very last moment before he dies; Leafpool falls for Crowfeather and attempts to run away with him; ThunderClan is left without a deputy after Graystripe is taken by twolegs, and Brambleclaw is drawn closer and closer to his devious half-brother Hawkfrost- eager to finish what Tigerstar started. After Brambleclaw is chosen as Firestar’s deputy, Hawkfrost lures the leader into a fox trap, and Brambleclaw has to make the choice between his kin and his Clan- and is forced to kill Hawkfrost to save Firestar. Fulfilling the “blood will spill blood” prophecy, he returns peace to the Clans in their new home, and proves that he won't follow the pawsteps of his father.

The New Prophecy is about unity, particularly unity between the separate Clans. It's also the first example of “Erin Hunter” not really having a plan for the back half of the arc- which will become a recurring problem. Despite the fact that the actual journey was resolved within three books, I’m actually in the minority of people who prefer the interpersonal and political drama of the second half of TNP.

Warriors has always been kind of “meh” at writing traveling and journeying and tying it into the emotional journey of the characters, to the degree that “traveling books” are dreaded and loathed by the fandom. Where we’re supposed to see a group of six, initially disparate cats come to love and care about each other, the books themselves never really sell it in the actual text itself. The emotional turmoil of Squirrelflight watching Brambleclaw get tempted further and further into villainy by Hawkfrost, and her fraught relationship to Ashfur, the thrilling conflicts between the Clans in their new home, Mothwing’s struggles with her medicine cat position, and Leafpool having to choose between love and loyalty (as forced and out of nowhere her romance with Crowfeather was) are all way more interesting to read on the page than seeing the cats get somewhere physically, but nowhere emotionally. In those first few books, I found Leafpool’s chapters back in ThunderClan to be way more interesting than the actual main plot!

I used to say TNP was my least favorite arc, but now I’m not so sure. There's honestly a lot to like about it; Squirrelfight, Mothwing, and Leafpool are all among my favorite characters in the series, and it's packed with iconic moments and fight scenes. I have fond memories of checking out each book from my local library as a kid and devouring them. I think my main issues I had when I reread were these: the rote traveling segments, the insensitive way the Tribe is written, and... Brambleclaw.

I like Brambleclaw in concept. The idea of having to reckon with being the son of the most evil cat in living memory is just oozing with potential, and his half-brother Hawkfrost is a really excellent foil- his and Mothwing’s outsider status due to being half-rogue mirroring the early kithood of Brambleclaw and Tawnypelt after Tigerclaw’s exile, and the way he latches onto friendship with Hawkfrost- the only other cat who understands what it's like to be seen as a ticking Tigerstar time bomb- is really fascinating to me! The problem is that Brambleclaw is a massive hypocrite with inconsistent opinions. He insists both that he shouldn't be considered evil based on his blood, and that he must remain loyal to Hawkfrost due to their blood relations. He disavows his father, but is relatively complacent with getting to visit him in his dreams of the Place of No Stars (a sort of “hell” to StarClan’s “heaven”) in order to learn from him.

It makes him a frustrating character to read about since the narrative says he's one thing, while all his actions tell otherwise. It just leaves me wishing that the one to dig the stake out of the fox trap and sink it into Hawkfrost’s throat was Mothwing instead- the sister who he manipulated; whose faith he crushed; the one he hurt most.

While The New Prophecy has always been a mixed bag to me, I think it's overall a solid sequel with a fun Watership Down-esque plot and some fun drama. However, some conflicts were buried, but never quite quelled... And when three kittens arrive, mothered by Squirrelflight, Firestar can't help but remember the prophecy he received from the old SkyClan cat, Skywatcher...

There will be three, kin of your kin, who hold the power of the stars in their paws.

The Power of Three: Where Things Fall Apart

The Power of Three is probably one of the more nostalgic arcs, for a lot of Warriors fans. This is when the fanbase began to really blow up, where the animation subculture and a lot of fan traditions began- and the arc and this early era of fandom were entwined, and the “angsty teen” characterization of the protagonists are a huge part of this.

TPOT is... oddly paced. It was set up around a scene that one of the authors saw in a dream, and not planned beyond that. Why the Three exist, what their powers are, and what the story was building up to- that was all written as it went on. The unplanned nature of the latter half of TNP applies doubly here- this entire arc is, essentially, improv.

It follows three triplets: Jayfeather, Lionblaze, and Hollyleaf, who quickly discover they are part of the “kin of your kin” prophecy and are thus born with unique powers- abilities more powerful than StarClan. Jayfeather, a blind medicine cat with a thorny personality, has the ability of ultimate sight: he can see into the minds of other cats, and into the past. Lionblaze, a proud and impulsive warrior, has the ability of invincibility in battle. And Hollyleaf, an ambitious warrior with a dedication to the warrior code...? Well, she's not sure yet. But she's part of the prophecy. Surely she'll discover her own power with time.

The three siblings tackle many conflicts together and apart, contending with ghosts, conflicts with other Clans, Tigerstar walking in Lionblaze’s dreams, Jayfeather’s alternate life in the past that directs the history of the Clans, the warnings of the mysterious loner Sol, and Lionblaze’s relationship to the WindClan cat Heathertail. But everything comes to a head- to the scene that inspired the whole arc. The camp is suddenly engulfed in a wildfire. While Squirrelflight and her three kits attempt to escape together, their way out is blocked by... Ashfur?

He reveals that ever since Squirrelflight left him in favor of Brambleclaw, he’s harbored an immense resentment of Squirrelflight, and a wish to destroy everything she loves- starting with her three kits. Squirrelflight, however, saves them the only way she knows how, by revealing the secret that could destroy her: they're not actually her kits. Ashfur lets them go, promising to reveal the secret in order to destroy Squirrelflight’s reputation.

In actuality, Jayfeather, Lionblaze and Hollyleaf were born to Leafpool and Crowfeather, and Squirrelflight raised them to protect Leafpool from receiving scrutiny for breaking the warrior code. And with this secret about to be revealed, all of them are on edge. Hollyleaf takes it the worst, with her lineage being against the warrior code she’s determined her morality through her whole life. The way she understood the world around her is called into question all at once.

And then Ashfur is found dead before a Gathering, causing ThunderClan to go into a panic, trying to find out who the killer is. But Leafpool knows- based on the fur caught in his claws- she knows that Hollyleaf killed him, but keeps it a secret. Hollyleaf’s mental state continues to spiral while the Clan looks for evidence. Unable to bear the lie, she reveals her true parentage at a Gathering, and attempts to goad Leafpool into poisoning herself, but is unsuccessful. She runs off into the tunnels, and the entrance caves in behind her, leaving her almost certainly dead.

The two brothers are left in shock: the prophecy is broken, as the third cat is gone, and may have never been part of the prophecy at all. Their lives as they knew them are lies; and the cats of the Place of No Stars are stirring...

Despite the fact that Power of Three is an utter mess, with no clear ending, and a middle that's mostly filler, I have a lot of sentimental feelings about it. The fire scene where Ashfur confronts Squirrelflight is extremely iconic, to the point where I can forgive the arc having no point besides bringing us to this scene (to the point that Hollyleaf was axed from the prophecy because the authors couldn't think of a power!), a scene that appeared in a dream. I’ve mentioned before that my favorite Warriors stories tend to be character driven rather than plot-driven, and since Power of Three’s plot is faint and crumbly, the characters get to shine in its stead. I like Jayfeather’s prickly personality a lot, and I’m one of the minority who thought his interactions with the ancient cats were really cool and mysterious. Hollyleaf is an amazing character; it's rare in Warriors to see a protagonist driven by ambition- she's very proactive as a result. Her gradual decline as the secrets of the arc are revealed make Sunrise one of my favorite Warriors books. And Lionblaze, while definitely the least interesting of the three, is still a pretty engaging and flawed character, and a rare example of a character who experiences violent intrusive thoughts. Not to mention how “real” the communities in the Clans feel. There's a lot of good stuff here if you're in the mood for a messy family drama. It's even the arc that makes me most interested in the lake territories- making them feel really ancient and mysterious.

I also quite like how there's a seeming emphasis on the moral ambiguity of the three- the prophecy doesn't specify what they will do with these powers, after all. Hollyleaf is a murderer, Lionblaze is tempted by the Dark Forest far more than Brambleclaw ever was, and Jayfeather fixates on the past and the dead, and uses his power to spy on others. TPOT feels so much more mysterious than anything that came after it. In some alternate world, there's a version of this arc that ends with the Three becoming the villains of the next!

But we didn't get that. TPOT is an arc that sets up countless questions; the next is meant to be the answer, to untangle the unplanned mess into something more coherent. But will they stick the landing?

You’ll have to tune into the next arc to find out, of course. Because there truly are three: Whitewing, distant kin of Firestar, has had two kittens. One of them will be the true third cat, with a power all her own... As the darkness within the Clans comes to a head.

Omen of the Stars: A Grand Finale

Omen of the Stars felt like it was almost set up to fail. It had to make a satisfying conclusion to a plot that had no direction, which is a big ask. Not to mention the way the fandom reacted to the new protagonist in the prophecy (in part because of fandom misogyny). For a long while, Omen of the Stars was regarded as the worst arc, and the worst Warriors ever got. And, I agree that it kind of drops the ball with regards to the themes of moral ambiguity in The Power of Three in favor of a simple good vs. evil conflict, I still have a lot of affection for this arc- I used to listen to the audiobooks narrated by Veronica Taylor to get myself to sleep. And if you take the arc on its own, seperate from the expectations set up by TPOT... It's actually pretty decent!

While still following Lionblaze and Jayfeather from the previous arc, we also have two new POV characters: the sisters Dovepaw and Ivypaw, one of which will be the one to inherit the Power of Three. Of course, it's immediately obvious who- as peace will come on dove’s gentle wing.

Dovewing was born with the ability to hear and see things far away- often miles and miles away, including in other camps. She's spent her whole young life assuming it was normal- this was just what other cats experience on a sensory level. While other cats think she's just telling tall tales, Jayfeather and Lionblaze take notice, and welcome her into The Three. Of course, this means a lot of responsibility is being put on a very young apprentice very suddenly- and a lot of attention is put on Dovepaw for reasons Ivypaw isn’t privy to. While Dovepaw is caught up in her responsibilities and double life as one of the Three, Ivypaw sinks further and further into jealousy... And then she has a dream. She dreams of a field of flowers, where a mysterious ghostly cat tells her everything she wants to hear, and teaches her battle moves. And that cat’s name?

Hawkfrost.

He slowly inducts her into the Place of No Stars as a trainee, where all the evil cats of ages past are amassing an army under the pretense of “teaching them to protect their Clans”. Ivypool initially enjoys her time there, feeling she finally got to be special. However, her training is getting more and more dangerous, and her mentors are compelling her to meddle in the affairs of the living Clans... Eventually, she chooses to become a spy, once the truth of the prophecy has been revealed to her- risking her life every night to learn when the Dark Forest will attack.

In the face of this new threat, as well as the death of the medicine cat Flametail for which Jayfeather is blamed, the Clans grow more and more isolated and hostile to each other. Jayfeather takes another trip through time and learns that the Three are reincarnations of ancient cats, and receives another prophecy: “Three must become four.” They must find a “fourth cat” for the prophecy to be completed, and the Dark Forest to be defeated. This happens about the same time that Hollyleaf emerges from the tunnels, alive- and repentant. Could she be the fourth cat? Could Ivypool? The original trio’s half brother Breezepelt, who is genuinely loyal to the Dark Forest?

Well, put your speculation on the brakes, because none of those actual answers come to pass. Surprise! Firestar is relevant again. He’s the fourth cat, it’s not very mysterious nor does it cause any interesting conflicts. The Dark Forest ready their attack, and the Clans fight- many lives are lost, including Hollyleaf’s (for real this time), as she makes amends with Squirrelflight and Leafpool. But in the final confrontation, it’s Firestar against the vengeful spirit of Tigerstar- the battle they never got to have. And they fight like hell. Fire saves the Clans once more, but Firestar is fatally wounded during the fight, losing the last of his nine lives- going out in a blaze of glory as lightning strikes the tree behind him. The Dark Forest is defeated, and the Clans will survive, as it was written long ago.

Omen of the Stars is definitely a fun action romp, and Dovewing is a really fun character, what with her connections in other Clans and nosy personality. The Dark Forest segments with Ivypool are super interesting and fun to read, and The Last Hope is a truly epic final battle for what feels like the “final chapter” of Warriors. (Of course, the series goes on afterwards.)

The biggest issue is, really, the Three themselves. The answers of why they have powers is underwhelming, as Jay’s Wing/Lion’s Roar/Dove’s Wing aren’t particularly interesting characters, nor do they do much in the plot. The powers barely come into play in the final battle besides (obviously) Lionblaze’s, as well as Dovewing being able to hear into the Dark Forest before the battle starts. The conflict of the “fourth cat” is especially laughable, because Firestar would have fought for his Clan regardless of if they found out he was the fourth- the prophecy changes nothing. The story works better if you ignore the mystery of the Three entirely and just focus on the interpersonal drama! And so many of the side characters, like Briarlight, Tigerheart, Blossomfall, Breezepelt and more really shine in this arc. But because TPOT essentially relies on you being intrigued by its central mysteries, it leaves OOTS feeling like a bit of a failure in how it never did anything with that intrigue.

But in the end, this arc really feels like the end of an era, and a truly epic one at that- the perfect send-off to Firestar. In part, this is because Vicky Holmes, the original “director” of the series, took a step back from the main series after this arcs’ conclusion, feeling as though she had told all the stories in this world that she needed to. That “faceless team of writers” I mentioned before took over her directorial role from here.

After peace was brought by the dove’s wing, change came on the wind... But first, we must go back to the very beginning.

Dawn of the Clans: A New Era

Dawn of The Clans is the only arc that takes place outside of the “modern era” that the other parts of the main series are set in. After the “grand finale” that was Omen of the Stars, they opted for a sort of soft reboot, retelling the beginnings of the Clans as we know them.

It starts in the mountains, with the ancient cats that Jayfeather/Jay’s Wing once guided. The cold environment and overcrowded group makes for difficult survival, and frequent starvation. Stoneteller, the leader of the mountain cats, receives a sign, and urges part of the group to leave and find a new home. Part of the group stays, and part of it leaves to follow the “Sun Trail”- including the two brothers Clear Sky and Gray Wing, our protagonists. They make the journey quickly, and find the forest territories. However, Clear Sky and some other cats split off from the main group, creating two factions, the moor cats and the forest cats- with the rogue Wind joining the moor cats, lead by Tall Shadow. Clear Sky’s ambitious and paranoid leadership over the forest cats, and his deteriorating relationship with his brother, form the backbone of the arc.

During the first book, Clear Sky’s mate Storm is killed in a demolished building. Two of her three newborn kittens die; Clear Sky rejects the third. Gray Wing takes the kitten in and names him Thunder- our third protagonist. While he initially remains with the moor cats, after a narrow escape from a fire, Clear Sky decides to come back into Thunder’s life- leading to Thunder leaving for the forest cats, yearning for the acceptance of his father. However, over time, he realizes how harmful Clear Sky really is, and has his doubts when Clear Sky becomes even more of a murderous tyrant, and eventually, he finally leaves, and returns to the moor.

After Thunder’s departure, Clear Sky is infuriated, and a battle begins to brew at Fourtrees. It is furious, and bloody, and for the first time ever, the cats of StarClan speak to the ragtag groups of rogues, warning them to unite and find peace, or die.

After this, the cats begin to split into their own groups: Wind Runner takes over the moor, and Tall Shadow has her own group, as does the park cat River Ripple, and Thunder- the groups that will eventually become the modern Clans. The back half of the arc deals with sickness, threats from rogues and other more generic plots, giving the sense that the first three books were more meticulously planned- and ends with Gray Wing’s death as the Clans shape into what they eventually became. There is some spinoff material (most importantly Moth Flight’s Vision, which shows how medicine cats came to be and I’d argue is a necessary part of the arc, even if I have a lot of issues with it) that expands on this era of the Clans, but I can't help but wish this stuff was included in the main arc over the more lukewarm rogue drama. We see how the groups formed, but not how the warrior code, the naming system or their other interesting bits of worldbuilding came to be.

I have a lot of mixed feelings on Dawn of the Clans as a whole. I find Thunder and Gray Wing kind of forgettable, and while I find Clear Sky to be a very interesting and fun “love to hate” character, the way the narrative goes out of its way to justify his actions is extremely bothersome. And as far as female characters, this arc is by far the most unbalanced, with three dead female love interests in the first two books alone. (Not to mention the treatment of characters like the kittypet Bumble, who is coded as a domestic abuse victim and is turned away by the Clans and later killed on Clear Sky’s territory.)

I like the setting of this arc, and a lot of the characters- Star Flower, Clear Sky, Fern Leaf and Tall Shadow are all super interesting! But a lot of this arc and its treatment of women leaves a bad taste in my mouth. It doesn't make the creation of the Clans enticing or fun- they come across as cruel as the rogues whose territory they're settling on. The subtext of this arc can feel very bitter, but the compelling central conflict between two brothers may be worth the tradeoff for some readers.

I’ve seen opinions shift on this arc a lot over time. When it came out, I saw nothing but glowing praise from the people who read it- a lot of people dropped the series after OOTS finished, so DOTC was kind of an unknown arc to a huge chunk of the fandom- this got it declared as underrated. And to a degree, it is. I barely ever see animations or AMVs of some of the most exciting scenes from the founding of the Clans, which is a real shame. But the current critical reappraisal was sorely needed, I think, and it's important to look at the things you enjoy from all angles.

But not to worry- we’ll depart from this unfamiliar time very soon. Because a new generation is being born in the wake of the victory against the Dark Forest. And an old wrong must be righted...

A Vision of Shadows: The New Team’s True Debut

A Vision of Shadows takes us back to the current day, and into the paws of Bramblestar and Squirrelflight’s new son, Alderheart- an anxious young medicine cat of ThunderClan. And I remember there being this huge explosion of fanworks as these books began to came out! And who can blame them? The new cast- the rebellious Needletail, anxious Alderheart, the villainous Darktail and Sleekwhisker, the sisters Twigbranch and Violetshine... All of these cats have so much potential as characters, and the concepts at play are fresh and exciting, causing a new resurgence of old fans coming back to familiar territory. Because this arc begins with a prophecy- and a journey to reunite SkyClan with the other Clans.

Alderheart starts out as an anxious warrior apprentice, unable to adequately hunt or fight. Because of this- essentially “failing” out of being a warrior- as well as his dreams of StarClan, Bramblestar allows him to become the medicine cat apprentice to Leafpool and Jayfeather. And StarClan has a message: “Embrace what you find in the shadows, for only they can clear the sky.” Alderpaw, and his sister Sparkpaw, as well as the ShadowClan cat Needlepaw go on a journey to SkyClan’s gorge (which you may remember from my brief synopsis of Firestar’s Quest!) to find SkyClan and bring them home. However, when they arrive... SkyClan is long gone. Instead, they find a mysterious group of rogues led by a cat named Darktail. Alderpaw has now failed out of being both a warrior, and his quest from StarClan.

On the disappointed trip back, Alderpaw and Needletail find two kittens hidden in a tunnel. Thinking that this must be “what they find in the shadows”, Alderpaw and Needletail name them Twigkit and Violetkit respectively, and bring them back to the Clans (not knowing they were actually the kittens of a SkyClan cat!). ShadowClan and ThunderClan both insist that the kittens belong to them, since they were found by a ThunderClan and a ShadowClan cat- and in the end, the two sisters are split apart. And someone may have followed them home.

When Darktail begins his plot to take over ShadowClan, Needlepaw and the other apprentices are quick to fall for his words, dissatisfied with the “soft” leadership of Rowanstar, successor to the battle-hungry Blackstar. With little effort, Darktail and his group- the Kin- take up leadership in ShadowClan and RiverClan and begin running them into the ground. While Twigpaw is growing up in the nurturing environment of ThunderClan, Violetpaw is coming of age in a place filled with horror and violence- and Needletail (who named herself after Darktail) is beginning to realize just what she had sworn her loyalty to. Twigpaw, however, is curious about her mother, and runs away to go searching for her.

Alderheart, Needletail and Violetpaw plot to get the prisoners out of RiverClan by putting poppy seeds- which induce sleep- into the prey of Darktail and the Kin. However, Violetpaw is caught, and as punishment, Darktail decides to drown Needletail- as killing Violetpaw would be merciful in comparison to killing her adoptive sister. Darktail gives her the choice to prove her loyalty by killing Violetpaw and escape her execution; Needletail uses the opportunity to pretend-attack Violetpaw and then urge her to run away. The warrior dies fighting, sacrificing her life to ensure Violetpaw escapes the Kin. Meanwhile, Twigpaw’s journey has led her to find SkyClan, who have been on the run since Darktail drove them out of the gorge.

In the midst of the chaos, a battle has begun, and ThunderClan calls to WindClan for aid. in the midst of the fight, Darktail reveals that he is Onestar’s estranged son that he abandoned out of shame for loving a kittypet. The two cats fight, and both end up plunging into the lake- Onestar making up for his greatest regret in his last moments.

Of course, with SkyClan returned to the Clans, new conflicts begin to arise. Should the lake territories be reshuffled? Should SkyClan even return at all? Not everyone is welcome to these new outsiders, after all, as knowledge of SkyClan was kept secret throughout Firestar’s reign. ShadowClan is left in a horribly unstable state, and Tigerheart- Dovewing’s mate, who she left ThunderClan to be with- is left to pick up the pieces, becoming the second Tigerstar. Twigpaw and Violetpaw decide to join SkyClan, unsure where they truly belong, and begin an arc of self-discovery that ends with Violetshine in SkyClan and Twigbranch in ThunderClan. Additionally, the souls of the cats killed by Darktail are trapped beside the lake, and StarClan warns the Clans to look for a six-toed cat named Tree who can help the ghosts move on- as well as that bad things will happen if SkyClan cannot settle by the lake. But some cats aren't so welcoming, like the ShadowClan deputy Juniperclaw, who attempts to poison the Clan to drive them from the lake.

The arc concludes with a dangerous storm, summoned by StarClan in their disapproval. Dovewing’s son Shadowkit, having had visions of drowning since he was little, throws himself into the floodwater, and Violetshine attempting to save him. In order to atone, Juniperclaw sacrifices himself to save the two from drowning, fulfilling the prophecies Shadowkit received that his drowning would reunite the Clans- and SkyClan finally finds its place beside the lake.

Unfortunately, the arc loses its momentum after Darktail is killed in the third book, Shattered Sky. The conflicts in the second half feel like filler most of the time, and I actually initially dropped the arc after Darkest Night and came back to it later. While feelings on AVOS seem to be mixed nowadays, it's easy to forget how thrilling these books were- and still are- as they were coming out. It seemed to singlehandedly revive the fandom from a little slump it was in, ushering in a new era of analysis, comedy videos, AMVs and MAPs, fan songs, and more by revitalizing interest in the series, and the fandom has been extremely big and active ever since- the scale of fanwork seems even bigger than the initial Warrior Cats “golden age”. And I think I overall have positive feelings about this arc despite the lacklustre second half and some of the characters losing steam over time. The fraught relationship between Violetshine and Needletail is one of the highlights of Warrior Cats for me!

All is well; the Clans are reunited. But the next leaf-bare, something odd begins to happen...

StarClan has gone silent. And the Clans will have to face the greatest threat to their very existence that has ever been known.

The Broken Code: Old Ghosts Walk Again

Okay, I’m going to admit to my bias here: The Broken Code is my favorite arc. It's not the best written (That would be the original series, in my opinion.) nor is it 100% thematically coherent. But it's the Warrior Cats equivalent of a campy Hammer Horror flick, and the characters are so much fun- some of my favorites in the series. It was so much fun to keep up with the books as they were coming out, theorizing about the mysteries as the stakes grew higher and higher and eagerly expecting the next installment. If this summary ends up longer than the others due to my bias, uh... My apologies.

When StarClan goes silent, it is during a long leafbare- a time of peace, sure, but one of hardship, too. The Moonpool had frozen completely over, leaving the Clans unsure if StarClan’s guidance will return with the coming spring thaw.

During this uncertain time, three apprentices are coming of age- one of which being Rootpaw, son of Violetshine and Tree, made a social outcast due to his lineage, being part “Sister” through Tree- a nomadic, all-female group of cats who can communicate with ghosts and raise their kittens communally (like a real life cat colony, apart from the ghosts). His father’s “weirdness” and odd place in SkyClan, being neither a warrior nor a medicine cat, leaves Rootpaw resentful of Tree, and the bullying the other apprentices inflict on him because of his rogue lineage. He insists that he’s nothing like Tree- of course, he’s not entirely correct.

Early on, after nearly drowning in the lake after falling through the ice, Rootpaw is rescued by Bristlepaw of ThunderClan in a passing patrol, the daughter of Ivypool and Fernsong. Bristlepaw is an extremely talented and gifted apprentice, and she thinks she has her whole life figured out: upon becoming a warrior, she will ask her close friend Stemleaf to be her mate, and she bets everything on that future. It’s not that simple, though, as Stemleaf just isn’t interested. He’s in love with another warrior named Spotfur- and Bristlefrost’s life, her vision of the future, is shaken. She will find a new love, of course, but when given the choice between her future and the fate of the Clans, what will she choose?

Across the ShadowClan border lives Shadowpaw, the medicine cat apprentice, and son of Dovewing and Tigerstar (the second)- Bristlefrost’s kin. Despite being tormented by disturbing visions and seizures all his life, he’s sick of being babied by his parents because of it, and eager to prove himself. He’s warrior-age, after all, an adult- though still saddled with an apprentice name due to his longer medicine cat training. He becomes fast friends with Rootspring due to their shared “weirdness”. His chance to prove himself comes quickly, as the voice of a StarClan cat urges him to the Moonpool every night to deliver strange prophecies- making him the one mouthpiece of StarClan during their great silence. And the visions he receives are ominous: There is a darkness in the Clans that must be driven out. The codebreakers must be punished. And that Bramblestar of ThunderClan will fall very ill, and only Shadowpaw can save his life...

The spirit instructs him that to save Bramblestar he must bury him in the snow on the moors to freeze out the fever. Initially, it kills the leader, and everyone holds bated breath as they wait to see if he can reach StarClan to gain his next life, as nothing they’ve done has returned StarClan to them- and Shadowpaw worries he’s committed a murder with his incompetency. And they wait, and wait...

And then a miracle occurs. Bramblestar comes to life once more! Seemingly, all is well... But his leadership will soon begin to change- and his mate and deputy Squirrelflight seems to be at the center of it all.

Elsewhere in the forest, Rootpaw is shocked to see a ghost- Bramblestar, seperated from his body and pleading for help. This means two things- that Rootpaw is a weirdo like Tree- and that something has gone horribly, horribly wrong with his miraculous resurrection from the dead...

In ThunderClan, Bramblestar has become a tyrant, eager to carry out the warning Shadowpaw- now Shadowsight, honored with a name after his miraculous cure- received: he begins driving out and punishing the codebreakers in ThunderClan- including his own daughter, Sparkpelt. And it becomes increasingly clear to Shadowsight that he’s done something very, very wrong. There is an imposter- a spirit in Bramblestar’s body. Meanwhile, Rootpaw works with Bramblestar’s ghost- and his new, detested power- to prove that the living Bramblestar isn’t the real one. Bristlefrost, living under his reign, becomes fixated on appeasing him, and StarClan, making her hated by her Clanmates. Additionally. Spotfur and Stemleaf have begun organizing a rebel group made up of cats of various Clans.

Seeing the threat to his power, the imposter traps Bramblestar’s spirit, and attempts to murder Shadowsight in order to silence him, leaving him for dead down a small gorge. After seeing her leader return covered in the blood of another cat, this shakes Bristlefrost from her loyalty, and she joins with the rebels. Meanwhile, the imposter becomes more and more suspicious of her loyalty, making her a temporary deputy to keep a close eye on her.

It’s with this state of half-death that Shadowsight can wander the spirit world, allowing him to glean more information about the imposter, and travel to the Place of No Stars to rescue the trapped Bramblestar. Though Shadowsight lingers near death, Rootspring is the one to save him, guided by another ghost- further learning to accept his ghostly powers. Around this time, Rootspring and Bristlefrost confess their love to each other, though they both agree to not make it official, due to their half-Clan status.

The rebels lead an attack on the false Bramblestar, one where Bristlefrost isn’t sure which side to fight for. This battle takes the life of many cats, including Stemleaf- though ShadowClan is able to take the imposter captive- and begin discussing what to do with him. Do they kill the imposter and risk killing Bramblestar with him? Do they leave him alive and risk further harm to the living? Further complicating matters, Bramblestar’s spirit has gone missing after having been freed- and it’s become increasingly clear to Squirrelflight who this imposter is: it’s Ashfur, and he confirms as much when asked- back to complete his revenge cut short.

The rebels decide that before a decision is made, they must seek out the Sisters to locate Bramblestar’s spirit, and Rootspring and Bristlefrost, as well as the grieving Spotfur, are selected for the party that will make the journey. Rootspring and Bristlefrost are thankful for their time away from the Clans, to truly be together without a border between them, and as they go on their journey, Bristlefrost helps Spotfur overcome her grief, and promises to help raise her and Stemleaf’s kittens once everything is all over. Neither Rootspring nor Bristlefrost feel like they can leave their Clans for each other, but they allow themselves to hope that once Ashfur is defeated, things will change. On this journey, Rootspring truly connects with and accepts his status as a partial Sister, finally coming to terms with the part of his blood he once hated and was socially ostracized for. The cats return to the Clans with the Sisters in order to perform the ghost-summoning ritual.

During the journey, Shadowsight has remained back in ShadowClan, effectively demoted to the prisoner’s caretaker due to his role in Ashfur’s resurrection. All the while, Ashfur whispers poison in his ear, being the only one willing to say that he is special, that he is capable- and warning him that if the body is killed, he’ll only be remembered as the cat that murdered Bramblestar. He has spent the whole fourth book convincing Shadowsight to let him escape by breaking down his self esteem through conditional praise. As the Clans watch the ghost-summoning ritual- wherein every spirit is trapped, and yowling with terror- with bated breath, Shadowsight reluctantly allows Ashfur to escape the empty camp in order to save Bramblestar’s body- making him even more of a pariah than before. Of course, once Ashfur escapes, he uses the opportunity to drag Squirrelflight to the Moonpool, somehow taking her far away, into the Place of No Stars.

Shadowsight, Bristlefrost and Rootspring all head into the Dark Forest through their dreams in order to rescue Bramblestar and Squirrelflight from hell- now ruled over by Ashfur, using the controlled spirits of cats as his personal army. Among those uncontrolled are the actual residents of the Dark Forest, including the meek and cowardly Snowtuft, concerned by the damage that Ashfur’s mental state is inflicting on his “home” through his influence- including dark, soul-sucking water spreading throughout the whole Dark Forest that can destroy a cat’s body and spirit. Snowtuft allies with the heroes on their rescue mission, and Shadowsight risks his life to attack Ashfur directly, giving the leader and deputy the chance to escape- Bramblestar is finally reunited with his body in the land of the living.

However, the battle is far from over, and Ashfur must be defeated before the afterlives are destroyed, leaving the Clans without their ancestors forever. Our heroes, in a group of cats called the Lights in the Mist, begin the final attack on Ashfur and his forces, led by Bristlefrost and joined by various Dark Forest cats and freed StarClan spirits once the barrier between the two is located. Though the battle comes with many losses- including Snowtuft, and Graystripe, fighting alongside Firestar till the end- the final moment comes when Ashfur, within Shadowsight’s dreamscape, is attempting one last time to manipulate Shadowsight to his side, one which the medicine cat refuses- all while dragging his unresponsive body closer and closer to a cliff overlooking the dark waters of despair. Bristlefrost realizes he is in danger, and realizes that she has a final choice to make- to dive into the water, taking Ashfur with her, or to remain in safety, to wait for the future she’s been dreaming of. To give that future up for the sake of everyone elses’, or to cling to it selfishly.

In the end, she makes her choice. She plunges Ashfur into the water, drowning his flame once and for all. And in that cold, dark sea where all you feel is despair, she dreams. She dreams of the life she and Rootspring could have had, of all the little things she promised herself would happen. In that ocean, in her final death, as her spirit fades from being, she feels only warmth. Only love. In her final moments, she’d found her purpose- more purpose than being Stemleaf’s mate, or Rootspring’s, or being the loyal deputy or hard-working warrior. She had saved the Clans.

In the wake of the battle, StarClan is freed, and able to communicate with the Clans once more. Their first message is very clear: the warrior code must be changed. And it is clear that after the destruction caused by Ashfur, the Clans will be picking up the pieces for a long time- Rootspring most of all, who had hoped for so long to join her as her mate. Because her spirit was destroyed, he won’t even get to reunite with her in StarClan after his death. But he finds some solace in the powers he once hated, using the Sister ability to speak with the earth- through this, he finds one single, glimmering memory, the last trace of Bristlefrost’s consciousness, and he sees all the dreams that she had of him- one final bit of closure, a final gift.

Old ghosts are finally put to rest.

Like I said, this arc is my absolute favorite. The plot is bonkers, the character dynamics really hit on all my favorite tropes, and it’s the most horror-influenced Warriors has ever been. So many of the concepts at play- possession, an evil StarClan cat against noble-hearted Dark Forest warriors, and an actually engaging forbidden romance plot- are Warriors turned up to 11. This arc reminds me why I love this series so much. The pacing never lets up, the mysteries and action ramping up with each book. When A Light in the Mist came out, I called it “the grand finale of Warriors”- and in some ways, I feel it deserves the crown a little bit more than The Last Hope! Bristlefrost’s death- the gutsy move to kill off a main character- still makes me tear up a little; I find Rootspring to be an endearing and interesting character with regards to his relation to his Sister abilities; and Shadowsight is my favorite Warriors character. It’s cathartic seeing him find the strength to stand up to Ashfur’s manipulation, and fascinating seeing the hard decisions he is forced to make. The stakes feel the most “real” of any arc that’s come out since the second, and it’s just overall a fun, campy mystery romp. The fact that the series finally puts some real criticism towards the warrior code is just the icing on the cake!!

Of course, with the changes to the code, not all are happy. Some warriors believe strongly in tradition, and will do anything to keep it alive. A reckoning is coming- especially once Mistystar of RiverClan suddenly dies- without a successor. The fate of her Clan is put in the paws of one young medicine cat...

As of writing this, A Starless Clan’s final installment is yet to be released. So, I don't think I want to do a summary until the arc has said its final piece. I like the concepts at play- Sunbeam having to deal with the conflicted feelings around a conservative mother, Nightheart finding an identity for himself, and Frostpaw being saddled with the responsibility of finding a leader for a leaderless Clan while being unable to trust any cat after her mother’s suspicious death. The characters can feel like a bit of a retread of the previous arc at times, and it struggles with making Nightheart and Sunbeam’s chapters feel relevant to the main RiverClan plot, and I want to see more about Curlfeather and think that Berryheart is a more interesting contender for main villain than Splashtail, but overall I’m really enjoying the arc, and I’m eagerly awaiting the last installment.

As you can see, Warriors is an insanely long-running series- over 20 years have passed since Into the Wild came out! However, I think just summarizing the plots doesn't really convey why so many people love Warriors so much- because the plot writing is shaky at best. Summarizing each arc doesn't convey the feeling of familiarity you experience when you crack open a new book and you see which cats you know have earned new names, and how they’ve grown. Summarizing each arc doesn't convey the main appeal, for this fandom and many others:

The characters.

CATS OF THE CLANS: MY FAVORITE CHARACTERS

I consider fandom to be usually pretty character-centric, and this is compounded by the large cast of Warrior Cats and the appeal of seeing each Clanmate grow and change over time. Almost everyone has one character they really fixate on; people having “favorite background cats” is even a running joke in the fandom.

Because of this, I’ve decided to enshrine my current top 10 here (starting with my absolute favorite and going down from there.) There’s no way for me to tell the stories of each individual character in the series, but I can show you a handful of them, their individual stories, their thoughts and feelings and arcs. Hopefully that should get my point across.

But first, I’ll list off some honorable mentions that didn’t quite make it into the top ten: Leafpool, Snowtuft, Ivypool, Curlfeather, Briarlight, Needletail, and Rootspring.

Shadowsight

“I don't want to hurt any of you. Even I don't know if my visions are real. I wish I did.”

Shadowsight is the mysterious and anxious medicine cat of ShadowClan, and received visions as an apprentice that led him to kill Bramblestar, allowing Ashfur to take over his body. He has a “special connection” with Ashfur, as though their souls are tied, which allows Ashfur to further manipulate him for his own ends. Shadowsight dislikes being babied and treated as immature, and is frequently self-conscious, and tends to blame himself for the tragedies that occur, having sort of a martyr complex- certainly compounded by the visions he had as a kit, compelling him to attempt to drown himself to “unite the Clans”- likely visions from Ashfur as well. He cares strongly for his family and often confides in his parents, and initially refused to share the signs about codebreakers in order to protect his mother. Due to being born outside the Clans, as well as his outcast status, he tends to be open-minded about outsiders. He enjoys sorting herbs, as they make him feel calmer, and he dreamed of becoming a medicine cat ever since he was a kit- however, he has no inherent connection to StarClan, and his connection to Ashfur was an anomaly that allowed him to “see into the shadows”. He hates Ashfur, but often found solace as much as distress in his time caring for him as prisoner, as the evil cat was the only one who told him he really was special and worth respecting after having been demoted from being a full medicine cat. He firmly believes that he must atone for bringing Ashfur back among the living, which is where he finds his determination to face his tormentor- he’s so driven to do this that he even ingests deathberries to gain access into the spirit realm. Though he fears being eternally marked by his time with Ashfur, he finds acceptance among his fellow medicine cats and friends. By other cats, he’s regarded as a little weird, but respected as one of the Lights in the Mist who was instrumental in defeating Ashfur. He’s my favorite because I relate a lot to his experiences with Ashfur and because of the interesting role he takes in The Broken Code’s plot, as well as the novelty of having a main character who causes everything that sets the plot in motion and seeks to atone afterward.

Bluestar

“Cats can learn to follow the warrior code, but they cannot always learn to have the compassion and courage that comes from faith.”

Bluestar was the measured and ambitious leader of ThunderClan, and as a young cat she received a prophecy that she would burn through the forest like fire, but be quenched by water. Perhaps this foreshadowed her eventual death, but it may have also been referring to her brief relationship with a tom from RiverClan, Oakheart, who would change the course of her life forever. Her early life was fraught with hardship: her absentee father, and the deaths of her mother and sister- as well as political clashes with Thistleclaw, a battle-hungry cat, who is a popular choice for the next deputy, and will surely lead ThunderClan into bloody war. She is forced to make a decision, giving up her kits by taking them to RiverClan so that she can qualify for the role, and is chosen as deputy by Sunstar. As leader, she is cool-headed, and open-minded enough to allow the kittypet Rusty into her Clan during a time of great hardship for ThunderClan. However, she is changed after witnessing Tigerclaw’s betrayal, becoming paranoid and angry at how she has been betrayed by her Clan, and her destiny. However, she finds clarity in her final hour, saving Fireheart from the dogs and losing her own life in the process. However, she was able to finally reunite with her kits in her last moments, Mistyfoot and Stonefur, and she died at peace. She’s one of my favorites because she’s such an iconic first-arc character, with a pretty concise and well-written arc that is a huge part of the themes of the original series. She’s just very interesting, and I have fond memories of checking out Bluestar’s Prophecy from the library as a kid. It’s just neat seeing the mentor character go through an arc of their own.

Mapleshade

“I will never forget this. You have betrayed me and my kits. You will live to regret this day forever, ThunderClan, and that is a promise.”

Mapleshade was once a ThunderClan warrior, and became the mastermind behind the Place of No Star’s army. Though once a normal cat, she was exiled from ThunderClan for having kits with the RiverClan cat Appledusk. Her kits, who she loved very much, drowned while she was attempting to bring them to RiverClan, and Appledusk harshly rejected her in order to prove his loyalty to RiverClan after the relationship came to light. Enraged and driven mad by grief, believing she had to kill to allow her kits to reach StarClan after she hallucinates their spirits, she begins her plot of revenge by killing three cats: Ravenwing, the medicine cat who shared the sign that revealed the kits were half-Clan; Frecklewish, who witnessed the drowning and didn’t interfere; and Appledusk, for betraying her heart. Though Mapleshade is mortally wounded, she achieves her revenge, and awakens in the Dark Forest- determined to use her afterlife to inflict her pain upon others. I think I like her so much because of how tragic of a character she is; it’s easy to see reflections of her in Bluestar and Leafpool and other cats in half-Clan relationships, and the hard decisions they had to make for their kittens. But things just went horribly wrong for Mapleshade, and several deaths could have been avoided if she and her kittens hadn’t been subjected to such a harsh punishment, simply for who she chose to love. She is, in many ways, a victim of the warrior code as much as she is a villain.

Hollyleaf

“I'm sorry...I was only trying to do what was best. I couldn't let Ashfur live! For all our sakes!”

Hollyleaf was an ambitious and clever ThunderClan warrior who initially believed herself to be part of the Power of Three prophecy, and a devoted follower of the warrior code as her moral guide. Eager to become an important figure within her Clan, she initially tried to become a medicine cat apprentice, but found her place as a warrior. Her world is shattered after she learns she is half-Clan, and the daughter of a medicine cat at that, so her dedication to the warrior code is tested. Additionally, she breaks the code by murdering Ashfur in a panic in order to protect her siblings from the truth coming out, being forced to make a decision against the code just like her mother- but, being unable to bear the lies, reveals the truth at a Gathering instead before exiling herself into the tunnels beneath the lake territories. There, she is cared for by the mysterious ghost Fallen Leaves, and eventually begins to heal, and rejoins with ThunderClan in the great battle against the Dark Forest. She sacrifices her life to save Ivypool, a cat much like herself- a forgotten sibling to the prophecy- and makes peace with her mother Leafpool in her last moments. Hollyleaf is an interesting character to me because her love of the warrior code is the opposite of my own ideology, and seeing hers get tested by the reality of the Clans is a very engaging story to read. I find her friendships with Fallen Leaves and Cinderheart to be very sweet, and her personality- ambitious and proactive- is rare among Warriors protagonists.

Ashfur

“Upset? I'm not upset. You have no idea how much pain I'm in. It's like being cut open every day, bleeding onto the stones.”

Ashfur was a vindictive and possessive ThunderClan warrior, and briefly courted Squirrelflight while she was on bad terms with Brambleclaw. However, that relationship was short lived- but Ashfur never forgot. He wanted Squirrelflight to be his, and he resented her, biding his time for his ultimate revenge, even assisting in Hawkfrost’s attempt to kill her father Firestar. He finds it when lightning strikes the camp, and blocks the escape route, intending to force Squirrelflight to watch as Lionblaze, Jayfeather and Hollyleaf burn. However, she reveals that the kits aren’t really hers, and he retreats, content to ruin her reputation instead for lying to the whole Clan. However, Hollyleaf murders him before he can, leaving his body in the river. Death gave him no clarity, and he continued to lie in wait for a time to exact his revenge upon the living: sealing off his fellow StarClan cats, manipulating Shadowsight and possessing Bramblestar’s corpse, and controlling ThunderClan- and Squirrelflight- as if they were his playthings. His influence stretches so far that he even nearly destroys StarClan and the Dark Forest, as his cold despair manifests as the dark, soul-sucking water stretching throughout the Place of No Stars. However, he is defeated by the Lights in the Mist, particularly Bristlefrost, once a loyal follower of his, who gives her life to take him down with her- and his spirit fades away. What must he have been seeing in his final moments? If Bristlefrost had visions of love, what did he see? A chilling question to be sure. I think what makes him such a favorite of mine is that he’s one of the few villains who has goals and desires beyond pure ambition and power. He’s over the top, but his core philosophy- one of total entitlement to a woman he desires- is one that is far too real, making him a villain that is as terrifying as he is entertaining.

Bristlefrost

“You have to trust me. I only tried to help Bramblestar before I knew what he was.”

Bristlefrost was a determined and talented warrior of ThunderClan who became a warrior around the time that Ashfur took over Bramblestar’s body. Due to wanting to appease her leader, she became immensely loyal and subservient to him, and dedicated to the warrior code. However, after learning of the imposter’s evil, she joined Spotfur’s rebel group, and used her high standing in ThunderClan as temporary deputy to spy on him- much like how her mother spied on the Dark Forest. Bristlefrost is an effective leader, able to unite with Dark Forest cats to fight against a greater evil, and she's altogether competent and values what is best for the Clans- choosing to give her life to save everyone, over a future with Rootspring. She sacrificed much, including her place in StarClan, as her spirit had faded away. However, she died at peace, and would most certainly insist that the sacrifice was worth it. Who could she have become in another life? Rootspring’s mate? A respected hero? The leader of ThunderClan? We may never know, because of all she gave up in order to vanquish Ashfur. She makes my favorites list just because of how interesting it is to see her grow into a strong and mature warrior, and her emotional turmoil over her split loyalties- the code vs. what is right, her love vs. her Clan, and her future vs. the future of the Clans. And her sacrifice is one of the most effective scenes in recent Warriors history because of those choices she is forced to make!

Mothwing

“You have your beliefs. I have mine. ... I am skilled at healing and caring for my Clanmates, and that has been enough to serve my Clan.”

Mothwing is a thoughtful and clever RiverClan medicine cat, and the daughter of Tigerstar and a loner named Sasha- left with her brother Hawkfrost to learn a warrior’s life in RiverClan- though still under Tigerstar’s shadow. She was eager to become a medicine cat, and everything seemed to slot into place when she seemingly was approved by StarClan via the sign of a moth’s wing. However, the sign was intentionally planted by Hawkfrost, eager to gain more influence in the Clan through his sister, and by getting her to spread false omens by blackmailing her. This shattered her faith in StarClan, and to this day has continued to be a skeptic towards their intentions. Though she does not commune with StarClan, she is a competent and respected medicine cat. She often provides an alternative viewpoint to the traditions of the Clans, and she always does what she believes is right. She has a close friendship with Leafpool, who cares for her and assists her in training her apprentice Willowshine. She's one of my favorites just because of how unique her viewpoints and experiences are compared to other cats in the Clans.

Squirrelstar

“If you really want to hurt me, you'll have to find a better way than that. They are not my kits.”

Squirrelstar is the determined and energetic current leader of ThunderClan, and one of the cats that went on the quest to visit Midnight. Perhaps it is her early friendships with cats outside of her Clan that caused her to develop her moral integrity: she is the sort of cat who will always do what’s right, no matter what the code says. She decided to raise Leafpool’s kits in order to protect them from scrutiny, and she often went behind Bramblestar’s back in order to do the right thing. While she can be stubborn and brash, she’s one of the most kind and heroic characters in the series, willing to give anything to protect those she loves. Her leadership is well deserved! She just needs a bit of a break from the men in her life... She’s one of my favorites because I admire her strength of character a lot, and since she’s been in the series for so long it’s a lot of fun to keep up with her life as the books come out. She’s come a long way from the young apprentice that followed Brambleclaw on his journey, and I’m glad to follow every pawstep.

Frostpaw

“Do you call this normal? A Clan without a leader or a deputy? Whose next leader was killed before she could get the blessing of StarClan? There's no normal. Not anymore. There's nothing to get back to. Why even try?”

Frostpaw is the most recent character on this list, and she is/was the medicine cat apprentice of RiverClan. After Willowshine’s death, this inexperienced cat was the only one who could receive visions from StarClan, due to Mothwing’s lack of a connection to their ancestors. This becomes a problem after the sudden deaths of their leader and deputy, leaving Frostpaw the only one who can choose who will lead. Initially nominating Curlfeather, her mother, her trust is shaken when Curlfeather dies, attacked by dogs, yowling “Trust no cat!” in her last moments. What unfolds is a tale of conspiracy, with Splashtail making gambits for power by working with Curlfeather to get rid of Reedwhisker- and then betraying her, with Frostpaw being only another pawn in this political game. After an attempt on her life by Splashtail, Frostpaw is led by the spirit of Riverstar to journey to the Park, the original home of what would become RiverClan, to learn how to understand her trauma- and what she must do to save her Clan, which is now led by Splashtail. Frostpaw is a somewhat similar character to Shadowsight, but her place within a more grounded political drama gives her a unique twist. I strongly believe that she is destined to become the leader- finding the strength to choose within. I’m eager to see how her story develops, as well as her friendships with Nightheart and Whistlepaw.

Sasha

“Tigerstar's death hurts me. It feels as if a part of me just died with him. And yet ... I'm relieved, too.”

Sasha is a bit of an odd choice- she's a loner who briefly appears in The New Prophecy, but has a whole graphic novel miniseries about her life. It's called “Tigerstar and Sasha” but Tigerstar himself only appears in the first book. The focus is much more on Sasha, her life, and her eventual decision to leave her kits with RiverClan. And these graphic novels were actually my first experience with Warriors- reading about the dangerous and powerful Tigerstar introducing this normal, relatable cat to his territory gave the Clans a sort of ominous, wild appeal to my young mind. I didn't go in knowing Tigerstar was the villain, or that ShadowClan was the “villain Clan”, so it was a tantalizing first taste of something wider and unknown. As for Sasha herself, I like that she has “cat problems” in a series full of cats that act like “furry humans”. Her elderly housefolk pass away at the beginning of the series, and seeing her bond to her owners be treated with some degree of seriousness- as well as Tigerstar trying to pull her away from sentimental kittypet stuff, and how their relationship eventually deteriorates because of this- makes for a compelling conflict that gives her feelings the weight they deserve. I love the second installment, where she gets to be a ship’s cat, and bonds with the ship capitan- wanting to be there for him as much as she yearns for the forest. It's just such a unique setting and conflict for a Warriors book! Learning that Tigerstar died while she was away blew my mind as a kid, and the death of her kitten Tadpole was one of my first brushes with onscreen fictional death. It blew my mind and showed me this world I wanted to know so much more about. Sasha was the first Warriors character I really fell in love with, and I continue to enjoy her story- janky as the art might be- because of how much she reads as a survivor of emotional abuse, adding another dimension to the story of her reckoning with Tigerstar’s dubious legacy in the wake of his death- though I’m unsure if this reading was intentional. Either way, she's always going to have a place of honor on my top ten list because of how she introduced me to this wild, wild forest.

BEYOND THE CODE: AN ANALYSIS OF WARRIORS

Warriors is not perfect literature. Nor is it even particularly good. To make my point that Warriors is reclaimed by its fanbase, I must first analyze the text itself- and its shortcomings.

Warriors is a weird series to do an analysis of, because it feels so mass produced. It is often thematically incoherent, and fails to say anything on most occasions. However, If I had to pinpoint one single theme that the series explores time and again, it's the idea of morality, and tradition vs. what's right- though with a mixed execution and varying degrees of intentionality. Take for example the original series: Fireheart initially feels betrayed by Graystripe breaking the code to court Silverstream, a cat from RiverClan, but eventually learns that his mentor figures Bluestar and Yellowfang broke the code as well, gaining sympathy- and he becomes a codebreaker when he goes behind Bluestar’s back to avoid battles and avoid ThunderClan’s destruction- after all, the leader’s word is law. Tigerstar’s horrors famously include the torture and murder of half-Clan cats- he is an arbiter of the warrior code. However, despite this, the first arc’s main thesis statement is that your faith in StarClan must not waver, and that you must always return to them. The honorable following of the warrior code is what separates the Clan cats from ordinary rogues. But is the code, is StarClan, really so infallible? The thesis I intend to outline here is that Warriors sort of... tripped into having regressive ideology as a result of its haphazard theming.

As the Warriors series continues, we see more and more of what exactly StarClan is and does. We see them lie to Squirrelflight in Leafpool’s Wish; we see them allowing an attempted murderer among their ranks while turning away cats guilty of much less extreme crimes than Ashfur; we see them foolishly attempt to split the Clans apart so only the strongest can survive in Omen of the Stars. StarClan don’t even know what the prophecies they deliver really mean, only passing them along. And as for the code, it has caused tragedy after tragedy for those who have been forced to break it- Mapleshade’s kits, Silverstream, Mosskit, Stonefur and more are among the lives lost due to unjust punishments of codebreakers, and Leafpool becomes a pariah and has her status as a medicine cat revoked once the truth comes out- about kittens she didn’t even raise- not to mention how when Leafpool and Squirrelflight are near death, StarClan nearly rejects them because of what happened with the Three- despite it being something StarClan encouraged them to do. The way the code is enforced, both by the living and by StarClan, has ruined lives. However, the books repeatedly insist that StarClan’s will must be followed and that disrespecting their authority makes you no better than rogues- see the plot point where Sol convinces Blackstar to stop following StarClan, and they immediately stop feeding the kits and elders in ShadowClan. The Three convincing Blackstar to become “moral and god-fearing” through a StarClan sign is the resolution of this plotline.

Many of the rules the code compels the Clans to follow are flawed in their conception. For example, the warrior code insists upon keeping the Clans split apart from each other. But in almost every time of crisis, the Clans must unite, or die out. The New Prophecy is a good example of this: the Clans are saved by a group of cats from all Clans having united together, but these cats are still forced to split their friend group at the end of the journey, torn apart by the code’s insistence on Clan loyalty above all. If anything, the territorialism of the Clans is a new development, as the early settlers in Dawn of the Clans view Clear Sky’s violent protection of his borders as strange and antagonistic. The code has rules like “An honorable warrior does not need to kill other cats to win their battles, unless they are outside the warrior code or if it is necessary for self-defense,” which is an interesting caveat, to be sure. Slaughtering kittypets and loners minding their business is a-okay, then...? Or, take this rule: “Boundaries must be checked and marked daily. Challenge all trespassing cats.” Why? What if you want to meet your peers with hospitality, and have enough prey to share? Why are the Clans- who all live by the same codes and traditions, and have the same goals- living separately when they could unite into one large, stronger group, and avoid unnecessary battles over petty territory scraps? Ironically, the one cat we see who tries to unite the Clans is Tigerstar, who was eager to use his authority to punish the half-Clan cats. But from my viewpoint, having allies across the border can only be beneficial in avoiding bloodshed.

Another questionable rule is “After the death, retirement, promotion, or exile of the deputy, the new deputy must be chosen before moonhigh.” On the surface this seems to give the benefit of reducing the leader’s indecision, but the rule is also conducive to rushed decision-making. For example, if Bluestar had more time to think it out after Lionheart’s death, perhaps she would have chosen the reliable Whitestorm as deputy rather than Tigerclaw and avoided his rise to power. “A warrior rejects the soft life of a kittypet”? What, just because you say so? If my Clan is starving and we can only get food by venturing into twolegplace, are we supposed to refuse out of pride? How does this benefit our society? And of course, “The word of the Clan leader is the warrior code.” This law is so poorly thought out that it was removed when the warrior code was revised! However, those revisions are so minimal, so bureaucratic, that it feels like very little has actually changed meaningfully. The code was reordered, not rewritten- the same code that has caused far more tragedies than it has prevented. For example, half-Clan cats are still forced to choose between abandoning their family or their love, as they must leave their original Clan to have their relationship recognized. Frequently, these rules continue to be followed merely because of tradition- but tradition alone does not make something right, helpful, or good.

Additionally, the rule against medicine cats having kits is just ridiculous, if only because of its reasoning. Medicine cats cannot have mates or kits because kittens will distract from their duty, or force them to choose between their kin and their Clanmates. However, the Clans are a communal society. There is no doubt that a medicine cat with kittens could find a cat to care for the kits while they focus on their work. In fact, that’s exactly what Leafpool did, and she even mentored one of her kits, without this ever being an issue. The creation of this rule, as shown in Moth Flight’s Vision, is ridiculous, as Moth Flight was already a rather distractible cat- it says nothing about the medicine cat position, but rather Moth Flight herself, that she struggled to balance her role as one of the first medicine cats with her role as a mother. And yet, this rule is applied to every medicine cat. It’s to the point where I think “nun logic” would be more sensible here (i.e. “we have to dedicate ourselves to StarClan, not worldly things”) just from the perspective of a reader. While I like Moth Flight as a character, I find her book- and this rule- to be incredibly frustrating. There are just too many holes in the logic.

I will admit that some of the rules in the code are fair, good and moral. For example, “Elders, queens, sick or injured cats, and kits must be fed before apprentices and warriors. Unless they have permission, apprentices may not eat until they have hunted to feed the elders”, “A kit must be at least six moons old to become an apprentice”, and “No warrior can neglect a kit in pain or danger, even if the kit is from a different Clan.” are all unambiguously good rules. However, many of the other rules merely restrict and control the members of the Clans, to the degree that fns often discuss if the Clans are a cult.

If I were to revise the code, incorporating parts of the revised code, the original, and my own additions, it would be something like this:

1. Protect all the cats of all the Clans with your life. The safety of one is the safety of all.

2. An honorable warrior does not kill unless absolutely necessary to survive.

3. Elders, queens, sick or injured cats, and kits must be fed before apprentices and warriors. Unless they have permission, warriors and apprentices should not eat until they have hunted to feed the elders.

4. A Gathering of all five Clans is held at the full moon during a truce that lasts for the night.

5. No warrior can neglect a kit in pain or danger, even if the kit is from a different Clan.

6. A kit must be at least six moons old to become an apprentice.

7. The deputy will become Clan leader when the leader dies, retires, or is exiled. After the death, retirement, promotion, or exile of the deputy, the new deputy must be chosen before a quarter moon has passed. A cat cannot be made deputy without having mentored at least one apprentice, or proven themself through some other notable feat.

8. If a Clan member believes that their leader is no longer leading with honor and integrity, they can challenge them, and demote them from power. A majority of the Clan must agree to these objections.

9. A warrior or medicine cat may switch their allegiance from one Clan to another at any time. The cat wishing to change Clans must perform a task of their intended Clan’s choosing, overseen by the leader. If they succeed they will be allowed in.

10. Prey is killed only to be eaten.

11. Relationships between Clans strengthen both. Allegiances should be encouraged.

12. A medicine cat may have kits, but must have another cat agree to be a secondary caretaker.

13. Newly appointed warriors will keep a silent vigil for one night after receiving their warrior name.

14. Crossing borders must always be tolerated if necessary to reach a Gathering, to have council with another Clan’s leader, to visit loved ones, or to reach a holy site like the Moonpool.

15. The greatest victory is a battle avoided.

It is easy to assume these conflicts are an intentional moral nuance within the text of Warriors, but time and again, the prose waxes poetic about how moral, just, and important the code is (and it’s hardly a series with unreliable narrators- the protagonists’ views are supposed to be read as somewhat objective). For example, let’s take the final words of Dovewing’s Silence, a book meant as the epilogue to The Last Hope- the “grand finale” of Warriors’ first era:

“Dovewing hung back for a moment, staring into the pool. She felt a surge of hope welling up inside her. The Great Battle has been won. We will survive the greencough. She turned to head after her Clanmates. Suddenly her paws felt lighter. And the warrior code will last forever!” (Dovewing’s Silence)

It's a horribly depressing statement in context, especially given how Dovewing is part of a half-Clan relationship, and is targeted by the code itself- and indicative of the typical attitude the books take towards what the warrior code means; it is hardly an outlier. In fact, I would consider the ideology of Warriors somewhat subconsciously conservative, even if the authors don't necessarily intend it. In Warriors, the status quo is king, and the characters fight to protect the sanctity of the Clans rather than fight to change it. Often they are fighting against Clan cats or encroaching outsiders who seek to corrupt or change the status quo- Tigerclaw, tactically uniting with another Clan; Scourge, who was traumatized by the battlehungry nature of the Clans; Sol, Curlfeather and Splashtail, questioning StarClan; Darktail, a rogue who challenged ShadowClan’s authority, and more. Apart from some vague sentiments from Bristlefrost and Rootspring, the protagonists never seek to change the Clans or the code, even if they are personally victimized by it. They accept the status quo of the Clans even as it devours them.

The warrior code is the thematic center of Warriors, and it is what makes it such a dissonant series- the books say one thing, and show another.

In addition to the code itself being unjust, the way the Clans use it against other groups of cats- and are treated as superior by the narrative- also helps to undermine this theme of tradition and change. Frequently rogues and loners are considered evil, violent, or lesser, for following a different way of life. And despite how the first arc centers around a kittypet proving that blood isn’t everything, the protagonists frequently reject or show disdain for “soft kittypets” and their lifestyle, even when they are helpful or even vital to their survival. Time and again, the Clan cats are presented as the most correct- their religion, their code, their morals. Despite how broken their code is, the Clan way of life is considered a moral paragon. Recall how Scourge’s greatest weakness is that he does not believe in StarClan- that he did not receive his nine lives. However, StarClan is a belief system exclusive to the Clans, a very small society of cats. Additionally, in A Starless Clan, the villain Splashtail is proved to be of illegitimate leadership due to his disdain for StarClan and lack of nine lives- and is motivated by his “godlessness”. This implies that only StarClan’s ordained vision of Clan leadership is legitimate, is worthy, despite the numerous other groups of cats, and their own religions, that are depicted in the series.

Let’s finally discuss the Tribe of Rushing Water- they are an isolated, indigenous-coded group of mountain-cats who are introduced by holding the journeying cats captive so they can be saved by a prophecized “silver cat”. Frequently, the Tribe calls upon the Clan cats to save them from minor dangers, like a falling tree or a rival group of cats, or even things they should logically be able to choose for themselves, like a new leader, whenever an arc needs a quick filler book. Expect the Clanborn protagonists to wax poetic about how strange and backwards their customs are. Their Tribe names (examples include “Brook Where Small Fish Swim” and “Rain That Passes Quickly”) are frequently ridiculed in-universe, including by Rock (supposed to be omniscient and wise- and from the group of cats that would become the Tribe!) in supplemental material. The Tribe is to be understood as more “primitive” than the Clans, and the Clans are depicted as being uniquely more capable, and necessary to their survival. It’s very easy to see how this falls into racist stereotyping and reinforces myths that led to colonial violence.

It sucks because conceptually, I like the idea of a group of cats living isolated in the mountains and becoming hardy hunters of eagles, with their own set of ranks and positions. But the execution is so bafflingly offensive, and their relegation to filler books makes their presence hard to enjoy in any capacity. In theory, in TNP the Tribe and the Clan cats learning to work together is supposed to support the main theme of unity and understanding. However, the execution leaves a bad taste in my mouth. It feels like the authors were the ones lacking understanding, in this case.

Let’s look at another group of cats, the Sisters. The Sisters follow a structure that resembles a realistic cat colony, with female cats living together and raising kittens with the support of the group, and with tom-cats leaving when they’re mature. They briefly stay near Clan territory during a dispute over territory, leading to the Clans brutally trying to drive them out- even when their members are expecting kits, and even being denied healthcare by Bramblestar and other ThunderClan cats, simply for being rogues, and not Clanborn. Though Squirrelflight defends them, and they are presented as sympathetic victims and frequent helpers of the Clans, the main characters frequently judge the all-female group for not having mates, for having their own lifestyle (and one natural for real-life cats at that), and for just not operating like how a Clan would. It gets to the point that they can read like some kind of strawman “has feminism gone too far” metaphor, when otherwise I think they’re very fresh and interesting as a group and enjoy reading about them. Once again, the Clans assert their superiority, even when characters are meant to be sympathetic to the group in question!

It is not a mistake to describe the Clans as “colonial”, even if they are technically descended from the Tribe. Dawn of the Clans describes the cats as “early settlers” who find a place to call home, and either assimilate or battle against the “brutal rogues” already living there. Among the three villains of that arc- Clear Sky, One Eye, and Slash- only one receives a redemption (Clear Sky, a settler) and the other two are killed (One Eye and Slash, the rogues who already were living there.) Additionally, there is a subplot in The New Prophecy wherein the Clan cats attempt to drive out the predators living on their new territory, thus starting a war with the badger population that was already living there. It’s easy to write this example off as an unintentional implication, but it becomes a little more questionable when you remember one of the main characters in this arc is a badger who speaks in broken English. Why are the cats- invasive animals- presented as in the right for driving away natural predators and taking inhabited land? (Though really, remembering that domestic cats are invasive in the wild can really put a damper on any attempt at man vs. nature conflicts in any series like this!)

The biases of the authors show in other aspects as well, including the treatment of female characters- often having narratives centered on motherhood, get “fridged”, or are simply not given the same nuance as the male characters. It is so frustrating because I love so many of the she-cats. When they aren't falling into sexist writing, they are amazing, strong, complicated, funny, terrifying- they can be anything. But the biases of the real world eventually catch up to this supposedly equal society. This can be observed in the treatment of disabled characters (especially Snowkit, whose death I always found extremely meanspirited), the censorship of gay couples by the publishers, and more. And that’s not even getting into how I feel about StarClan, and the odd perspective the series seems to have on morality and redemption- becoming increasingly Christian, thematically.

Warriors is a world that depicts itself as one wherein its cats are honorable, ones who uplift and care for the weak, ones who fight for what is right. But Warriors, as a series, feels terribly dissonant. The world seems to fray the second you look too closely at its tapestry; the foundations crumble.

I think what it comes down to is that this idea- that the Clans are a deeply flawed and militaristic society that imposes its will upon others by force, and controls its members’ behaviours and thoughts through unjust religious laws- was not written with intentionality. I think the authors genuinely wanted to make an appealing world with interesting worldbuilding. However, over time, the cracks inevitably show to the reader, and it makes for an interesting case-study in how an unchanging status quo can be a perfect symbol of structural violence, as well as how real-world biases can creep into works about nonhuman subjects, even if it is wholly unintentional.

I don’t mean to write this as a “takedown” of Warriors, since I am a fan and I actively keep up with the series to this day, but an analysis of its main themes- unity, faith, and tradition- and any analysis of these ideas is inextricably linked to the series’ shortcomings. Through understanding the more pernicious standards and rules of the Clans, we come to understand and relate to the struggle of our protagonists, struggling to live in an unchanging world- one that feels all too real in our own twoleg society.

Part of what lends to this sense of struggle and despair is now often the idea of “fun” is neglected in the series; the Clans are not a fun setting. Concepts like sharing tongues and playing are abandoned; events like the Daylight Gathering competition and the game prey-stone are usually set-dressing to lead up to an action scene, and never revisited. Playing is often the realm of kits. We are left with characters who endlessly patrol and hunt, who never experience joy in the society they live in. Moments like Briarlight taking the kits on badger-rides to show her newfound strength, and Frostpaw playing like a kit after her innocence was shattered by her near-death are vanishingly few as the series goes on. It is as though the Clans choke the life out of those that serve them.

This push and pull, of trying to exist in a society determined to shove you into the status quo, is achingly depressing- and infinitely applicable. It is easy to construct a reparative, death-of-the-author reading that reads the flaws of the Clans as intentional, and this reading elevates the text beyond the sum of its parts.

This is why I call Warriors “reclaimed” by its fanbase.

WARRIOR’S REFUGE: THE FANDOM AND RECLAIMED TEXT

Fandom is transformative by nature. I would even argue that my writing about the characters and stories in this very shrine is itself transformative; I take the ideas behind the stories and make them my own, I recontextualize, I synthesize. The act of a reading is in its own way, transformative, too, as each reader brings their own ideas, context and knowledge to the text.

But fandom is a home for transformative art, as well. And the Warriors fandom is no exception! A little art community of people who have nostalgia for the books, are currently enjoying them, or both. Some people even participate in the fandom without having even read the books! And they’ve created fanart, fan songs, fanfiction, and fan animation on a massive scale, far more massive than any other fandom. It is to the point that for many people, participating in the fanwork is more appealing than the actual books themselves.

The AMV and animation scene wasn’t super popular until the late 2000s, about 5 years into the books’ run. And one of the earliest and most pivotal examples, known as one of the first Warriors AMVs, is a little video by the name of “WOTF Scourge AMV - Bones Shatter” by Allikatnya, retelling the battle against Scourge. The style is amateurish, drawn in MS Paint and put over real-life photo backgrounds, but the animation is fairly smooth, and the action? The action feels just as thrilling today. It’s no wonder that the idea of bringing these scenes to life, and setting them to emo music, set so many fans’ inspiration alight. Bones Shatter was one of the first of its kind, and still one of the best to ever do it. Allikatnya went on to make several Warriors AMVs- My Immortal (Graystripe), Pet (Brambleclaw and Hawkfrost), several excellent Multi-Animator Projects, and one of my favorites, Gravity of Love (Bluestar)- one of the few AMVs we know for certain that one of the “Erin Hunters” has seen, if I recall. And that’s just scratching the surface. Allikatnya’s contributions to the fandom cannot be understated, as one of the first ever Warriors animators- and the beginning of a booming animation scene.

Out of all the classic AMVs, though, my favorite at the time wasn’t on Youtube, but rather on Scratch, a kids’ coding website, and it was uploaded around 2010. Scourge is Numb AMV by -Skystar-/AriesAlpineSavi retells the events of The Rise of Scourge, and it was so impressive to me, seeing a fellow user of this rudimentary coding site make a miniature movie of sorts just using the resources available- the shitty little bitmap sprite editor, the preset drag-n-drop coding blocks... All being used to bring this story to life. It’s not the best out there, the animation is a bit wonky at times, but it was my introduction to the medium of AMVs and I knew immediately that I wanted to make something that captivating. I idolized this AMV as a kid! It earns a mention just for that.

Around the same time as Bones Shatter, we saw one of the first attempts to adapt the series into film- the fan-series SSS Warrior Cats, retelling the early chapters of Into the Wild before the series lost steam. Just about everything is on-point (well, apart from the audio quality, jeez!)- the music, the art style, the animation, the character design... It’s just so iconic, and I often see a lot of current-day designs for Bluestar, Longtail, Spottedleaf, Tigerclaw and more that are very clearly inspired by the original SSS Warrior Cats designs. The events stick close to the book, but with some interesting changes- for example, in this version of the story, each Clan cat is born with a special ability, with Whitestorm able to influence the wind and Longtail having an extremely agile tail- making fights and certain scenes incredibly more dynamic by introducing fresh mechanics into the battles, and challenges Firepaw faces.

I have fond memories of SSS Warrior Cats- I would stay up late to sneak onto my computer and watch the episodes, since I wasn’t allowed any headphones and hated my parents to hear what I was doing (I was pretty young at the time)- and it captured my imagination like nothing else, and was one of my first tastes of anime-adjacent works. It still influences the way I imagine the settings of the books looking. And I suspect many others had their imagination captured as well- SSS Warrior Cats was one of the first projects of its scale, and an accessible introduction to the series, its characters, and concepts that anyone could find online.

In the years since SSS Warrior Cats came out, there have been many other attempts to adapt Warriors into film- some custom-made Littlest Pet Shop adaptations by pinkbunnygirl43, the comedic “Warrior Cats Animated” by Bok Bok Choy, fan-dubs, and more. Last but not least is the impressively-made 3D animated Into the Wild by Little Dragon Studios- and this is the most tragic, as unfortunately, we live in a world where something like SSS Warrior Cats could not be made today. Harper Collins has made the official stance that any adaptation like these going forward will be subject to takedowns, and Little Dragon Studios were told directly to cease work on their adaptation. I find this terribly unfair, and against the transformative spirit that the fandom was founded on. Everyone has worked very hard on their respective remakes, and the fact that these may not survive anymore is incredibly tragic to me. While we are apparently getting an official animated series (we’ll see, the idea of a Warriors movie has been in development hell for YEARS), I doubt it will be anything as true to the warriors’ spirit as what the fans have worked so hard to create.

The early fandom also happened to have a love of roleplay and original characters, one that continues on to this day. It is here we arrive at another pillar of my childhood, Warrior Cats: Untold Tales, a little RPG Maker game that allows you to create your own cat-character and live in the Clans. You could become a kittypet, found your own Clan, have a mate and kits and just explore- anything to your heart’s content. I suspect part of why I know the forest territories so well is due to having memorized the layout of Untold Tales’ map. This was arguably as influential to me as the books themselves, and the origin of my first ever OC, Moonspirit. I would enjoy her adventures in the singleplayer Untold Tales, and then eagerly roleplay with my friends on Scratch, a brief time before I could be discouraged by ideas of “cringe culture” and “Mary Sues”, and I could just have fun. I'd sometimes even roleplay Warriors on unrelated games, like Wolfquest.

Not all roleplay spaces were so welcoming, though, and the Warriors fandom had a reputation for an emphasis on “realism”, discouraging younger players, requiring “literate roleplay”, and other such concepts. If I had ventured outside of Scratch and roleplaying with other kids my age, I likely would have received a rude awakening due to my silly OC who was secretly a robot and part of like ten prophecies. (Be nice, I was like 10!) And despite the fandom’s current day reputation for being overwhelmingly LGBT and generally inclusive, the early fandom tended to be a little weird about gay characters, and often outright homophobic to those unfortunate roleplayers who sought to RP with one.

Cue the perfect satire: Starkit’s Prophecy, the iconic bad fanfiction, and the “My Immortal” of Warrior Cats. I feel like a lot of what I have to say about Starkit is better-said by this video by Riddle, who was a part of this specific era of the Warriors roleplay scene, but the TL;DR is that Stargleam is the perfect troll protagonist- unrealistic purple fur, magical rainbow eyes, loved by all the major male characters, and chosen by StarClan. In other words, a Mary Sue. Most crucially, though, she was Christian, and her mission involved bringing the 10 Commandments (and the 11th, “No BENG GAY!f”) to the Clans- thus, turning the vitriol and hate of the roleplaying scenes against them and showing how ridiculous it is- out of the mouth of a character created to be loathed. The story eventually turns on its head, with the “author” discovering slash fanfiction and having a gay awakening- with Stargleam finding love with her friend Jazzsong as well. The fanfiction ends with Stargleam defeating Tigerstar and Hollyleaf (with a cry of “ACCEPT JESUS MOTHERFUCKERS!”) and dying in Jazzsong’s arms due to her wounds, fulfilling the titular prophecy. Her face then appears in the sun, watching over the lesbian couple Redfur and Lakepool- who she once hated and learned to accept.

The intertextuality, early commentary on the fandom’s attitudes, and absolutely hilarious plot have made Starkit’s Prophecy one of my favorite Warriors fanworks of all time. There's just something so fascinating about “badfics” and their relationship with fandom as a medium.

Warrior Cats roleplaying scenes are still quite common now- in fact, there's a whole subset of the fandom that was introduced to the series by an official Roblox roleplaying game! I’ve played it once- it has a robust character creator, the ability to pick between different Clans or to live outside of them, and a large map of the forest to roleplay with other players in. While I never got super into it, since my inclinations towards multiplayer and roleplaying games have faded over time, I believe that Ultimate Edition fulfills a similar role for today’s young and hungry Warriors fans and their RP subculture that Untold Tales did for me long ago, though now in an official capacity. However, it seems there are in-game purchases, “passes” to unlock more character customization, save slots, and more. These are purchased with “Robux”, which are purchased with real money- the shadow of virtual worlds still lingers, making it a dubious successor to a spot filled by free fangames.

However, the kin of Untold Tales still walks these forests; the creator Falconstar is still actively involved in gamedev. His current series, Cattails, is itself transformative- it takes the formula of Untold Tales and expands it, inside an original- albeit similar- universe. Three cat colonies live in a verdant forest, and the player, an abandoned housecat, joins a colony of their choosing after being found by Coco (a returning Untold Tales NPC). The player then is given a mission to revive the Forest Guardian by collecting offerings- items, prey, herbs, and more- that they can tackle at their leisure, as well as ruins that serve as dungeons. But in addition to the main story, the player can also foster relationships with other cats, building friendships, and even romantic relationships with marriageable cats, which may lead to kittens. While very different from Warriors, the setting and main gameplay loop of Cattails is a perfect expansion of the foundation Untold Tales set. There's also a more recent sequel, Wildwood Story, that further expands the custom colony mechanics by making it the main gameplay focus, and it features boss fights and an expanded story, allows you to romance every NPC, and has new features like marriage between NPCs, a museum, tactics, den furniture, terrain customization and more. I’ve avidly enjoyed Cattails, and I’ve been playing a lot of Wildwood Story lately, and something that always strikes me is how much more fun the world of Cattails is compared to that of Warriors. The cats have hobbies, they decorate their dens, they talk about art, food and favorite hunting spots, they gossip about each other, and go to seasonal festivals every month to play games. Patrolling your territory is rather a leisurely, exploratory stroll. Cattails is what Warriors could be- Cattails is the Warriors I always imagined, the world I craved as I lost myself in the books- and a perfect case for why fan games are an important part of fan culture, and should be fiercely protected like other transformative works, from takedowns and C&D’s. Because Cattails, a game I love dearly, would not have existed without a fangame.

It's easy to fall into the nostalgia trap- with many people associating Warriors with the late 2000s- but Warriors fanwork is not a “thing of the past”. The animation scene is even more active than it was in the “golden age”, but I feel like these days the art of the AMV has given way to MAPs as the culturally-dominant artform. MAPs involve the MAP host recruiting several artists to make small segments of a larger animated project. Supposedly this is easier to pull off than a full AMV by one person, but coordinating tens of people to make one project in a timely manner just sounds to me like... well, herding cats. That so many MAPs get completed is nothing short of impressive, and speaks to how dedicated and numerous Warrior Cats fans are.

One such example is “The Five Giants”, hosted by WhiskerMoon, a ten-minute epic celebrating the fifteenth anniversary of Warriors and showcasing many iconic scenes from the series, with each segment of the song focusing on one of the five Clans. It makes me cry with how loving of a tribute it is. Almost every notable character is touched on, and has a little scene all their own. It is the perfect way to showcase what the Warriors fandom has accomplished. It leaves off, tantalizingly, at the introduction of Alderheart and Sparkpelt- the entire fandom waiting to exhale as the new generation is finally introduced with A Vision of Shadows. It's both the perfect tribute to the series and an encapsulation of a moment in time.

Another of my favorites is “Roxanne”, an Ashfur-focused map hosted by GinjaNinjaOwO, wherein Ashfur recounts his story in the forests of StarClan- with his cruel, possessive attitude on full display. We also see some of Brambleclaw’s perspective of the love triangle, with the lyric “just don't deceive me” perfectly recontextualized by Squirrelflight’s lie about the kittens. The two are positioned as twin influences in her life, and the song comes to a head with Squirrelflight’s difficult decision to share the truth in order to save them. It's an effective character piece for both Ashfur and Brambleclaw- and even Squirrelflight, in a way characterized by her silence, with the two toms narrating her story in her stead- with all the resentment, possessiveness, and bias that implies. I frequently rewatch this one- an effective drama, brought to life by numerous talented animators.

Speaking of character pieces, you don't often see them get made for Needletail, despite her having been a relatively popular character when AVOS was coming out. Perhaps it's because of how the arc fizzled out, but I’m not really certain. What I am certain about, however, is that “Unravel”, hosted by Holly/colacatinthehat is one of those rare examples, and is one of the finest Warrior Cats MAPs created. You’ll also notice it is called a “two week MAP”, which is a good segue to talk about another trend within the animation space, which is time limits. Once you receive your part, you're supposed to complete it within the allotted time. Two weeks is a generous amount for a shorter part, and from what I hear, these limits are “soft”. Regardless, Unravel is a beautiful depiction of Needletail, her conflicted relationship to Violetshine especially- all leading up to her climactic death scene, beautifully animated in a limited cyan and red color pallet. I’ve long believed that Warriors animation lives and dies on its melodrama- if it is not melodramatic enough, it doesn't really hit right for me. Unravel is perfect in this regard, Needletail’s anguish on full display, set to a rock cover of an anime opening. Warriors animations are at their best when they run on pure emotion.

Which brings us back to the emo music of the early days of the fandom, and an interesting tribute MAP that harkens back to that era- a key part in getting me to unlearn what cringe culture taught me, too. I am talking, of course, of “Mama, We All Go To Hell” hosted by Draikinator (who, yes, I am aware is an unsavory character- but MAPs are about the art, not the host.) The MAP retells the stories of Power of Three and Omen of the Stars with Leafpool’s maternal anguish given center stage- and every design is closely inspired by the “sparklecat” and emo eras of the fandom, synthesizing into an over-the-top, melodramatic subcultural bliss. I found this MAP in a particularly difficult period in my late adolescence and would repeatedly watch it, finally able to let go of the “cringe impulse” and craving more than anything to create something that openly emotional and melodramatic- pure expression. It is interesting in the way the fanwork is both of the books and of the fandom itself, harkening back to its history and early artwork. It is in this way more in tribute to Warriors’ community than it is to the books it is adapting.

Warriors MAPs have almost become a fandom of their own, with some creators even making massive spinoff AUs and stories connected by various MAPs. Additionally, it seems like the workload for each MAP is getting higher with time, time limits getting shorter and shorter, sometimes even only 24 hours. I’ve never participated in a MAP myself, so I can't speak from experience, but I hope all the artists involved in these sorts of projects feel like their free labor was worth it- because from an outside perspective, some parts of the MAP scene seem almost... industrialized. The modern Warriors fandom has changed a lot from its early days. Artists grow and develop their style; the fandom expands to massive proportions. At the same time, the official Warriors brand is expanding into our fandom as well, through the Roblox game, through the merch store, and through the official website’s increasing reliance on (sourced, but often rehosted without explicit permission sought out- this has actually happened to me twice!!) fanart to decorate their pages. For better or for worse, Warriors the brand and Warriors the fandom are entangling.

The last fanwork I want to highlight sheds light on all sorts of these ideas: old vs. new, the artistic potential of transformative work, and the mini-mythology and retellings of the fandom. It is an AMV that represents everything I love about Warriors.

First, I must introduce you to Swiftpaw. He briefly appears in the first arc, and along with Brightpaw is denied a warrior name by the spiraling Bluestar. Eager to prove himself, he and Brightpaw go to confront the dogs lured into their territory by Tigerstar. Brightpaw survives, albeit scarred; Swiftpaw, however, dies offstage. And that's all he is, a background character who falls to his own hubris. A plot device to establish the danger the dogs- and Tigerstar- pose.

Swiftpaw is one of the most popular subjects of animated Warriors content, despite him having very limited screentime in the actual contents of the books. He is, in a way, more “our” character through the many interpretations and retellings of his death, than he is a character in Warriors.

In 2011, the creator NekoVocalNote uploaded a Swiftpaw AMV, “In The End,” to youtube. It's obviously a little amateurish, the editing is slower paced than it should be and it's clear the artist had some reservations about drawing dogs, as they barely show up onscreen. But the heart was there, and I love it in the way I love all art by young hobbyists.

But 9 years later, something very interesting happened. NekoVocalNote remade the AMV, and created possibly the best Warriors AMV ever. Everything is on point- the pacing, the expressions, the subtlest twitch of the lineart- from the first shot of Swiftpaw in the darkness to his relieved smile and collapse as he notices Brightpaw is still breathing. It is nothing short of incredible, emotional, and it speaks to the way the fandom has encouraged artists to put their hobby-work out there, and to grow and change.

I will paste part of the description of the remake video here, as it supports my point:

“I've been feeling nostalgic lately and I revisited a lot of old warriors content that used to inspire me a lot years ago(creators like ssswarriors, bluekyokitty, allikatnya, duckfeatherz, ryulovestsute, and more). It made me realize that I can't really speak for the merit of the books(because I don't remember). It was the fan works that made a lasting impression, all my favorite characters/moments came from seeing the animations everyone created(case in point, Swiftpaw). It's crazy to see how the community as grown since then and it's still pretty inspiring, so as a short side project I tried remaking a really old AMV(slide show presentation) I made like 9 years ago. Here's to you warrior cats animators, stay awesome.” (NekoVocalNote)

And it’s true. We retell the same stories a thousand times, passing them on with our own visions and embellishments. The way I envision Ashfur’s fire scene, Hawkfrost’s snare, the battle with the dogs, Feathertail’s sacrifice, Snowfur’s death, Mapleshade’s murder spree, Hollyleaf running into the tunnels, Bristlefrost throwing herself into the water... Each person who reads these stories interprets and transforms them in their own unique ways. Doubtless, they’re visions all our own, our own mini-mythology that means something different to each of us. We all have a part in shaping what Warriors is, how it is remembered and shaped, just as much as the books do. We can ascribe our own meaning.

I love that Warriors has inspired so many amateur artists to create and put their passionate work out there, an explosion of outsider art that rewrites the very stories we take inspiration from.

We have reclaimed the text.

THE HEART OF A WARRIOR: CONCLUSION

As you can probably tell, Warriors means a lot to me. It’s my longest-running interest and keeping up with the books and the fandom brings me a great deal of joy.

I always wonder what that family friend who gifted me one of the Tigerstar and Sasha books at a pool party knew what sort of effect it would have on me. It was my first exposure to a “mature” story, since I was a little below the middle-grade target audience. It was my first exposure to themes of ambition, loss, and the struggle against the dominant status quo. Looking up Warriors games and projects on Scratch was my first real introduction to fanwork, too, and for better or for worse, Warriors has shaped who I am today. When I am upset, or hurting, I can escape into the wild and forget about it for a little bit. And that’s both because of the books, and the vibrant community that gives their lifeless bodies vitality- that brings these books to life; that makes them more than the meagre sum of their parts.

I have lived in the Clans my whole life; lived among my Clanmates and participated in the great legend. I have left my pawprints on the path to Mothermouth; I have taken the stars for myself. I am a warrior.

This is effectively the synthesis of what I was saying about the importance of young “cringe” art spaces in The Wolf Den, and about nostalgia and creativity in monetized spaces in Clovenglade. I want to give you the tools to create and to take what inspires you, to steal it away and make it your own!

Because Warriors does not belong to Erin Hunter, or Harper Collins. Warriors does not belong to shareholders or companies. Warriors belongs to everyone who's ever set a paw in its world.

Warriors belongs to you.