Just a small moment in RoF that really made me feel
Apr 11, 2018 14:42:20 GMT -5
𝓣𝓲𝓷𝓾𝓿𝓲𝓮𝓵, sunnyleaf, and 1 more like this
Post by Fernstep on Apr 11, 2018 14:42:20 GMT -5
It's right after Leafstar refuses to let Sleekwhisker and Yarrowleaf join SkyClan for the first time...
I really felt for them both here because of how terrible it was that their daughter Yarrowleaf might be forced to have her kits in the wild with no protection. Of their other four grown kits, one is dead and the other three are missing, so seeing Yarrowleaf return only for her to be so cruelly driven away must have been awful.
But what really got me about this was specifically how each of them behaves. By this point, everyone knows Scorchfur is the biggest jerk in ShadowClan. He was the lead instigator of the "silent majority" ShadowClan rebellion that led to Darktail taking over, he was openly challenging Rowanstar's leadership in the last book and attacking Tawnypelt, and even later in this book he's seen insulting RiverClan at a Gathering alongside Crowfeather. In fact, it was sort of my impression that earlier in this series it was his mate's influence that was keeping him from being even more brazen. Snowbird was always shown to be very loyal to ShadowClan; in The Last Hope she's angered at Redwillow's treachery and expresses that the Warrior Code is more important than her own life. In Shattered Sky she convinces Beenose and Berryheart to leave the Kin even though she herself can't due to her kits being too young, then, once they're older, she sneaks out with Violetpaw's help.
I'm pretty sure that in times past it would've been Scorchfur considering going with Sleekwhisker and Yarrowleaf just as a slap in the face to Leafstar, and it would've been Snowbird convincing him to calm down and stay loyal. But now it's Snowbird who almost just walks out of the camp, because she's been through so much grief that she just wants to be with the one kit who she knows is alright... and it's Scorchfur who stops her, because all the twists and turns that ShadowClan has been through have just broken him and snuffed out his fire. He's lost his will to fight. It broke my heart reading this, and I was actually pretty glad to see him being an asshole again later on.
I'm actually still holding out hope that Scorchfur becomes ShadowClan's new deputy. He would be a good choice to help Tigerstar keep the loyalty of the more traditionally rebellious elements of the Clan, seeing as Scorchfur is their de facto leader.
Violetshine half expected that some of the cats would leave. Snowbird took a hesitant step or two toward the tunnel, but Scorchfur shook his head, laying his tail comfortingly on her shoulder. Gradually, the tension subsided.
I really felt for them both here because of how terrible it was that their daughter Yarrowleaf might be forced to have her kits in the wild with no protection. Of their other four grown kits, one is dead and the other three are missing, so seeing Yarrowleaf return only for her to be so cruelly driven away must have been awful.
But what really got me about this was specifically how each of them behaves. By this point, everyone knows Scorchfur is the biggest jerk in ShadowClan. He was the lead instigator of the "silent majority" ShadowClan rebellion that led to Darktail taking over, he was openly challenging Rowanstar's leadership in the last book and attacking Tawnypelt, and even later in this book he's seen insulting RiverClan at a Gathering alongside Crowfeather. In fact, it was sort of my impression that earlier in this series it was his mate's influence that was keeping him from being even more brazen. Snowbird was always shown to be very loyal to ShadowClan; in The Last Hope she's angered at Redwillow's treachery and expresses that the Warrior Code is more important than her own life. In Shattered Sky she convinces Beenose and Berryheart to leave the Kin even though she herself can't due to her kits being too young, then, once they're older, she sneaks out with Violetpaw's help.
I'm pretty sure that in times past it would've been Scorchfur considering going with Sleekwhisker and Yarrowleaf just as a slap in the face to Leafstar, and it would've been Snowbird convincing him to calm down and stay loyal. But now it's Snowbird who almost just walks out of the camp, because she's been through so much grief that she just wants to be with the one kit who she knows is alright... and it's Scorchfur who stops her, because all the twists and turns that ShadowClan has been through have just broken him and snuffed out his fire. He's lost his will to fight. It broke my heart reading this, and I was actually pretty glad to see him being an asshole again later on.
I'm actually still holding out hope that Scorchfur becomes ShadowClan's new deputy. He would be a good choice to help Tigerstar keep the loyalty of the more traditionally rebellious elements of the Clan, seeing as Scorchfur is their de facto leader.
