Chapter Sixteen and Seventeen Big post to make up for the gap in updates.
I feel like I should discuss Ravenpaw's being nervous and avoiding talking about Tigerclaw, but at this point, I honestly don't care. It's so obvious that Tigerclaw did something bad, and the fact that
nobody but Firepaw and Graypaw are taking notice of the apprentice's total terror of his mentor is just so completely mind-numbing at this point that it's hardly worth talking about.
What
is mentionable, however, is Barley, who's actually my favorite outsider in the books, due to him actually making sense. I find it weird that Tigerclaw doesn't trust him, even though there's obviously a sense of familiarity between this loner and Bluestar, but given what happens next, it's understandable.
What happens next, you may ask?
Basically the first five dungeons in Skyrim.
Now, let me put forward that I love rats. Adore them. I'd own as many as I could if I didn't have cats (one of which has eaten my mice before, the old hag). I'm even in the midst of developing a story featuring them. Because of that, I often spend time reading about and researching on them (fun fact: they're red-green colorblind), and I am incredibly hard pressed to think of a situation where a swarm would just suddenly attack anything. If you corner one and give it no other option but to fight, then yes, I can see it, but these things are assaulting five of their main predators without reason!
"But, Arcaii," I hear you type, despite the fact that you're writing these words and not speaking them. "We've seen throughout the series that cats don't eat rats. Maybe they just got confident!"
Firstly, my hypothetical chum, you shouldn't take anything in canon as gospel. 'Sgot more contradictions in it than an SJW blog
(WHOOPS DID I JUST SAY THAT OUT LOUD). Secondly, that raises the whole question of why they don't eat rats. Rats and mice are equally capable of carrying the same illnesses, and a cat wouldn't refuse food if it was solid enough! Thirdly, even if the cats don't eat them, foxes, badgers and likely dogs do. Humans spend a lot of time trying to kill them. Any rat worth their salt would quickly recognize that if it's big and has sharp teeth,
keep away from that crap, bro.
Anyways, Barley comes to the rescue and helps drive off the rats, but oh crapola! Bluestar's dead!
Except she's not.
Okay, alright. Alright. Give me a second. I'm feeling the rage of a million Youtube commenters coursing throughout me.
You know, I totally forgot how gorram
stupid this series can get sometimes, and bizarrely, I even remembered one of the bigger dumb things and yet TOTALLY FORGOT THE SHEER LEVELS OF ABSOLUTE GARBAGE IT IS. I DON'T KNOW HOW, BUT I DID. AND I'M FEELING THE RAGE ALL OVER AGAIN.
OH MY GOD.
So let me just...let me go over this again, because last time I was too calm about it.
So, first of all, you basically get 9 continues when you become leader of a Clan. Okay. That's not a bad idea at all on the part of the ancestors, and couldn't totally doom a Clan if a tyrannical leader got blessed to near invincibility
(WHICH HAPPENS BTW). And it totally makes any sense whatsoever in a setting that is so far not overtly magical. And it definitely isn't a cop out on the part of the writers so that their favorite cats (who always end up as leaders) don't die as quickly as everyone else. Yep. Good. Great.
I hate everything.
UM, BLUESTAR. THE RATS
KILLED YOU. TIGERCLAW DIDN'T DO A DANG THING. AND GIVEN THAT YOU HAVE SHOWN THE ABILITY TO MAGICALLY COME BACK FROM THE DEAD, I DON'T THINK BEING EATEN ALIVE IS AN ACTUAL ISSUE FOR YOU. YOU CONTINUE TO DISAPPOINT.
Alright. Alright, I'm just...I'll just talk about the battle now. I'm sure no other stupid thing is gunna happen.
So the cats return to ThunderClan and ShadowClan engaged in battle. Wow, ShadowClan gave them no time whatsoever, eh? That's actually a pretty smart move on Brokenstar's part (though it probably would have been smarter if he hadn't warned them in the first place). And how convenient for the plot that our heroes just happened to be away when it started.
Blackfoot kills an elder who makes no appearance in either the allegiances or dialog-wise. I mean, seriously. She doesn't even show up when Firepaw's feeding the elders and is SITTING DOWN WITH THEM TO TALK. Why not just kill one of the elders who's spoken? That'd be more shocking and sensible.
Yellowfang gets a rad moment where she fights off Blackfoot and protects the kits she had been so sour towards before, which earns the approval of several of the queens (who were the ones most panicked about her). However, the moment is quickly ruined when we receive news that Lionheart is dying.
Of course, none of us are actually surprised by this, because Erin Hunter spoiled it for us two chapters ago.
Also...
THIS IS LITERALLY THE WORST TIME TO BE DOING THIS. OH MY GOD. NOT ONLY ARE YOU
OUT IN THE OPEN FOR ALL TO SEE, BUT SOMEONE HAS JUST DIED AND
YOU'RE STILL A MEDICINE CAT AND A LOT OLDER THAN HIM SPOTTEDLEAF HOLY CRAP YOU ARE SUCH A CREEPERUh, also, all fur is warm. That's kinda the point of fur, you idiot.And then we get this little gem.
Probably the exact same thing you always did, Bluestar. He didn't do anything as a deputy - in fact, you conferred more often with Tigerclaw than with him. And Lionheart never once visibly exercised his authority over the Clan, or did anything to earn his spot as deputy. I think it's appropriate to say that you will get along
just fine without him.
Tigerclaw becomes the new deputy, to nobody's surprise. I mean...come on. It's specifically said that every other cat is looking at him expectantly. Why wasn't he just chosen in the first place, except for the drama?
Ravenpaw, of course, seems quite terrified, and lets slip that Tigerclaw "took care" of Redtail. What?! Are you telling me that Mr. Obvious-Villain-Literally-From-Day-One did an obvious villain thing? Whoda thunk it?!
Up next: Chapter Eighteen.
