Allegiances, Prologue, and Chapter OneSo the first thing to note is that Yellowfang is officially listed as the medicine cat of ThunderClan, and also specifically noted to be formerly of ShadowClan. One would think that isn't a necessary addition, since you could read the last book and see that for yourself, but whatever.
Yes, that's five underlines.
So firstly, apparently Fireheart and Graystripe are old enough to have their own apprentices at this point, and yet Sandpaw and Dustpaw, their seniors by
two moons, still aren't warriors yet. I don't know how this didn't occur to the Hunters. There's no viable reason for them to still be apprentices.
Secondly, I can't believe the editor forgot about bolding and capitalizing Runningwind's name. How do you possibly miss that?
Thirdly, get excited, because another one of the best characters who also got ruined by the story is going to be showing up soon!
WindClan actually gets a more fleshed out list of cats, and in RiverClan there's two cats with the prefix Silver-. That shouldn't be confusing at all.
Here the underlines represent all the unnecessary information. I don't think I have to really cover this any further.
We get to the prologue, where the survivors of the assault on WindClan are discussing where to go next. It amazes me that they've been chased away from every other place possible, considering how big of a group they have. Tallstar helpfully notes that it's been a moon since they were chased away. I'm surprised they didn't even consider going to the other Clans and asking for help, or even checking out their old territory after a while to see if it's safe. Clan pride or not, that's your home - you should be fighting tooth and nail to get it back.
The prologue ends with WindClan finding a temporary home and going into the tunnels, and the first chapter starts with Fireheart shivering due to the cold. The narration mentions that his fur is going to take a few moons before it grows thick enough to keep out the cold, which is preposterous. It should be getting thicker right now, if it's towards the end of greenleaf.
Also, this is the night of their vigil. So Graystripe and Fireheart don't have apprentices yet. Why lie to us, allegiances? If it's just for the sake of noting what happens after the first chapter, don't Sandpaw and Dustpaw become warriors later, too? Why are they still apprentices in the-
Oh, whatever. This is too minor to care about right now.
The first few paragraphs are basically recaps - I don't know about you, but I've never really liked extended recaps. A small reminder of some significant thing is just fine, but this is basically just reiterating stuff we already know. Yes, we're aware that Tigerclaw is evil. Yes, we know that Brokenstar got chased out (as evidenced by the allegiances). And yes, we get that you're a warrior now, Fireheart. You didn't need to explain this all to us again.
Really. Really with this schtick.
These guys fought for their lives and for your very young Clanmates yesterday, Sandpaw. You weren't present for the fight at all. And now they're higher in status than you are. You don't get to insult your betters so pettily.
And you, Erin Hunter.
Really? Did you seriously just make Sandpaw mock Fireheart again without taking into consideration the events of the previous book? How dense are you?
Fireheart even points out to Graystripe that Sandpaw and Dustpaw are older than them and should be warriors by now. I'd like to introduce you all to a favorite trope of mine: Lampshade Hanging. Basically, it refers to when a character in a story acknowledges a problem within the story but doesn't really do much about it. Here, Firepaw is lampshading that the two eldest apprentices should be warriors right now, but the narrative is doing nothing about it. It's sort of a tacit admission that the story has made an error, in the hopes that the audience will accept it more now that they know the author is aware of the issue.
Anyway, with the vigil over, Fireheart and Graystripe take a nap, and Fireheart has a dream that reminds us of the prophecy that shows up on the back of the book. I'm amazed that Fireheart still doesn't get that it explicitly refers to him, but whatever. The narrative says that Fireheart doesn't want Tigerclaw to know that he has "powers that usually StarClan gave only to a medicine cat" (referring to his dreams). Odd grammar aside, the implication that StarClan is speaking directly to Fireheart only intensifies the stupidity of him not understanding what the prophecy means. I mean, granted, StarClan doesn't have a fantastic track record of keeping things clear, but for crying out loud, it's not even difficult to decipher.
So, what, was your voice not lowered before? Imagine how quickly this arc would end if Tigerclaw had heard Graystripe say that crap out loud.
Graystripe actually does make two slightly valid points about the whole situation: the implication that Redtail killed Oakheart could really damage his honor, and that only Ravenpaw was freaked out by Tigerclaw. Makes sense at first, until you remember one important thing: Ravenpaw is alive.
All Fireheart would have to do is go to Bluestar and tell her the truth, bring Ravenpaw to her (or her to Ravenpaw) for confirmation, and then go to RiverClan and question the cats that were in the fight. RiverClan might be doubtful of ThunderClan, but Bluestar would only have to say that she wants the full account of the battle, in the name of preserving truth and honor. She could even toss in the promise of leaving the Sunningrocks completely to RiverClan for a certain amount of time if they give her the real story.
And, if by some odd coincidence, the cats in that battle have died due to unrelated circumstances, that could set Fireheart back a bit or not give enough evidence for Bluestar to fully convict Tigerclaw. Of course, knowing Hunter, Bluestar would just refuse to believe him even if there were five other accounts that all pointed the finger at Tigerclaw.
Longtail receives his own apprentice, and Fireheart bitterly notes that he's much kinder to Swiftpaw than he was to Fireheart when he first joined. Yeah, see, that's the thing, Fireheart - you were a stranger who had no prior training and no guarantee of being anything other than a waste of time and resources, which were incredibly low when you started. Longtail had every single right to be angry. In fact, I'm surprised that no one else was as vitriolic, other than a couple of punk apprentices. Clanborn cats get a pass because they were born into this tough lifestyle, and are accustomed to the idea of working, fighting and dying in the name of your Clan. Their loyalty is practically bred into them.
A loner may have the same idea of what will be expected of them, even if they aren't completely social, but a kittypet lives an easy life where everything is given to them without struggle. Until you joined ThunderClan, you had no reason to hunt for yourself, or climb trees, or fight other cats for territory, or die for your cause - all of which even the kits in a Clan see as normal. You were a gamble at best. Longtail was completely in the right to distrust you and fight you, even if he was a jerk about it.
Moving on, the next night arrives, and Fireheart and Graystripe are off to the Gathering. Tigerclaw is going with them, for some reason - shouldn't the deputy stay home with the Clan? Who's in charge while they're gone?
Well, who cares. Fireheart
finally gets Bluestar alone and tells her that Ravenpaw is alive. She acknowledges that while he was a ThunderClan cat, he might not have really been Clan material, and she's simply glad that he's alright. However, she does get pretty angry when Fireheart suggests that Tigerclaw killed Redtail, and that Redtail killed Oakheart. Of course, we as readers know that she's being stupid by not believing him, but her reaction is pretty realistic. Imagine that a favored family member of yours had been accused of murder. You'd be shocked and angry that it would even be suggested. It's even more insulting here, as the implication of Fireheart's story is that Bluestar not only made a bad call in trusting Tigerclaw as much as she does, but making him her deputy.
Bluestar does concede that Ravenpaw will likely be happier if he stays with Barley and if the Clan believes he's dead. She still enunciates her doubts that Tigerclaw killed her deputy, and even Fireheart begins to have trouble with the idea, which is also nicely realistic. The chapter ends with the group heading down for the Gathering, Firepaw still full of worries and thoughts.
Up next: Chapter Two.
by sweet tooth » Fri Jan 30, 2015 12:04 pm 
