The couple with the most wasted potential in Warriors
Jan 22, 2020 17:22:45 GMT -5
finland, Apricity, and 3 more like this
Post by Oceanmist97 on Jan 22, 2020 17:22:45 GMT -5
Hi all! I would like to take some time to speak about a pairing in the Warriors series that I personally have never seen discussed. They are not a ship that is considered canon by any means, but I find it very interesting that the two characters have meaningful connections with each other at two very different points in the series. I find that their connection is an odd one, considering that they seem to be so different at first glance, and yet these scenes of them together end up benefiting both of their character arcs immensely. It’s my personal belief that the fact that the canon does not explore them further is a huge missed opportunity for the two themselves and the characters around them.
The relationship I speak about is Bramblestar and Daisy
If anyone has seen this discussed before, please let me know! I would love to read anyone else’s take on the matter. This is all, of course, my interpretation of the series and its characters. I should also preface this by saying that I did not read any of the OOTS books after Night Whispers. I do plan to get caught up (but will probably skip the rest of OOTS honestly). I just recently read Bramblestar’s Storm, which is the first Warriors book I have read since Yellowfang’s Secret. It’s been a long break to say the least.
So I will focus on the elements of Bramblestar and Daisy’s relationship and eventual bond, as well as their own personal character arcs, which have led me to the conclusion that while there may have been nothing more between the two in the canon, maybe there could have been.
**Warning: This is very, very long. I’m sorry. Sometimes I just get an idea and I don’t know when to stop.**
Brambleclaw and Daisy meet in Twilight, when she is found with her young kits in ThunderClan territory. She chose to leave the Horseplace due to the fact that she feared her kits would be taken away from her by Twolegs, a fear proven true by Floss’s own litter. However, another reason she leaves the Horseplace is because of her relationship with Smoky; while loving, it is a polyamorous one and she doesn’t feel comfortable with it. Smoky also appears to love Floss more, and Daisy hopes that one day she may enter a new relationship with a cat who will love her unconditionally as well. Brambleclaw initially disagrees with Daisy staying in ThunderClan, arguing that she and her kits are not Clanborn. Of course, this is met with fury by Squirrelflight and Cloudtail, and Daisy hesitantly thinks about perhaps staying with the Clan.
Daisy’s kits adopt Clan names and begin to grow up within the group, but Daisy feels uncomfortable with the new environment. Cloudtail feels sympathy for her situation, and helps Daisy with her kits often and tries to make her feel welcome. As a result, Daisy begins to fall in love with Cloudtail, because he is perhaps the first cat to show such kindness to her, even if it is platonic. Brightheart is hurt by their relationship, but as we all know, Cloudtail never meant to make anyone upset. He was merely trying to help Daisy and her kits as best as he could, just as Brindleface once did for him.
At the end of Twilight, the badgers attack, which is a traumatic experience for Daisy and her kits. Daisy begins to seriously question if a life of hardship and probable early death is worth her kits’ freedom. The catalyst of her decision to abandon ThunderClan is when Berrykit has his tail maimed by a fox trap. He goes through serious pain and fear and is found by Brambleclaw and others, who notice ShadowClan warriors watching nearby without doing anything to help. (Seriously, how long were they watching?) Daisy decides that forest life is not the path for her and her kits, and she returns to the barn with her kits in tow.
At this point, Brambleclaw has bonded with Berrykit and he believes that he could be his apprentice when he comes of age. One can argue that his main reason for wanting them to return to ThunderClan is because of his ambition to be deputy, which is a fair point. But I’d like to think that they were bonded to some degree, based on the text. Brambleclaw and Cloudtail go to the Horseplace to find Daisy and they discuss her former life with her. Daisy’s kits, however, do not wish to be at the barn, as they have been assimilated into Clan life at this point.
Daisy tells them that the way of life that the warriors live is scary and confusing, and that she does not feel like she can belong. Brambleclaw also realizes at this point that she is in love with Cloudtail, and he pities her situation. Daisy does make the decision to return to ThunderClan for her kits’ sakes, as they wish to be warriors. Daisy does speak with Brightheart about her affection for Cloudtail, but she makes it clear that she will not pursue him in any way and that Cloudtail loves Brightheart unconditionally. The important thing to note is that Smoky does tell Daisy that she is always welcome back once her kits are of age, something that Daisy may consider in the future.
Now call this a stretch, but Brambleclaw and Daisy are both going through somewhat similar situations. Both of them feel as though they have something to prove as Clan cats; Brambleclaw wishes to move up in ThunderClan’s ranks despite his heritage, while Daisy wishes to assimilate with a group of wild cats that she has almost nothing in common with. Brambleclaw may not be a kittypet, but he knows what it is like to be judged for your birth. His father has left a shadow over him his entire life, and his actions are often seen in a different light; this is similar to Firestar’s situation in TPB as well.
In addition to this, Brambleclaw is also searching for a meaningful connection with his kin. He has positive relationships with Tawnypelt and Goldenflower, but Tawnypelt is a Clan away and doesn’t appear to always face the same issues in ShadowClan as Brambleclaw does in ThunderClan. Perhaps this just boils down to their differences in personality; Tawnypelt doesn’t feel that she has anything to prove at this point in the narrative, while Brambleclaw is the polar opposite. Tawnypelt has zero issues rejecting Tigerstar in the Dark Forest, while Brambleclaw falls to the bait easily. He seeks out Hawkfrost, as he believes he can share his worries and his passion with a brother who seems to have a lot in common with him. Daisy is also searching for kin, in a sense. She wants to have a relationship with her kits, which would not be possible if Twolegs took them away from her. But she also wants to find a mate with whom she can have a meaningful relationship with, one who will have the same values and shared affection. Yes, maybe you can compare a lot of the cats in Warriors this way, but Brambleclaw and Daisy seem to share these scenes together for a reason.
After TNP, Brambleclaw and Daisy do not interact much. Brambleclaw mentors Berrypaw, and one can decide for themselves whether or not he did a good job. Outcast comes along and Daisy has given birth to a new litter of kits, with their father being Spiderleg. This came as a surprise to readers due to the fact that Spiderleg and Daisy do not really share any scenes together prior to the birth of their kits. It is later said by one of the authors that their relationship was essentially a “one night stand”. And boy does it feel like one.
Spiderleg does not visit his kits much at all, and seems to show no interest in being a father. One can argue that he is actually worse than Smoky in this regard. Daisy eventually snaps and tells Spiderleg that his kits will grow up without knowing who their father is. Other characters chide Spiderleg for the same reason, and he eventually gives in and begins to show his kits some attention. Toadstep and Rosepetal never seem to hold any grudge against their father (unlike Breezepelt) so perhaps he had become a better father figure to them offscreen. In either case, Spiderleg and Daisy are not really seen together anymore in the books.
Meanwhile, Brambleclaw and Squirrelflight raise their “kits” into fine cats. Brambleclaw has been said to be a great father by many characters in the canon, including by the three. He’s selfless as well, even after the big secret is revealed; he is willing to lie for Hollyleaf’s sake about Ashfur’s murder in order for her to be accepted back into ThunderClan. He never stopped caring for his adopted children, and I honestly wish that had been explored a bit more in OOTS.
Anyway, now we are on Bramblestar’s Storm.
Bramblestar has made Squirrelflight his deputy, but they are not mates once more quite yet. It’s made very apparent that the two of them still have strong feelings for each other (again, something that should have been shown more in OOTS, at least on Bramblestar’s end). However, a feisty kittypet named Jessy begins to show Bramblestar affection, and he returns it for a short while before realizing that his heart still belongs to Squirrelflight. That’s the romance subplot, and it’s not very compelling at all.
What IS compelling though, at least to me, is that Bramblestar and Daisy are once more paired together when they decide to visit the Horseplace once more. During Bramblestar’s Storm, Daisy once more begins to feel useless around the camp, as there are no kits in the nursery currently to help care for. What’s interesting about Daisy’s decision to visit the Horseplace is that
1.) She never had any interest in returning back after Sunset, despite the offer being made by Smoky.
2.) When Daisy first left the Horseplace in Sunset, it was in the hopes of finding a better life. When she returns in Bramblestar’s Storm, she wonders if perhaps this would be the better life for her now.
You can hardly blame her, I think. She wasn’t able to find the love she had hoped for in ThunderClan; if anything, she was just given more pain. Whether she still had feelings for Smoky or not is debatable. She also wished to reconnect with Floss, who was a dear friend to her and possibly her littermate. She has done a lot for ThunderClan, raising the future warriors. She thought that perhaps her time is done, and now it is time to come home.
Sadly, Floss has passed away during the time that Daisy is away. And what is worse, now there is a new she-cat in the barn, whom Smoky seems to be very fond of. He even calls her “Floss’s replacement”. Daisy snaps once more, and this one I believe is the real heartbreak. Smoky always seemed to be true to Floss and Daisy believed he loved Floss sincerely. But Smoky doesn’t seem to really have any deep attachments to others. This is not a dig against him; it’s just who he is. It’s just not who Daisy thought he was.
Bramblestar and Squirrelflight’s failed relationship in OOTS is a result of the web of lies spun by Squirrelflight and Leafpool. It’s understandable why he is wary of being Squirrelflight’s mate again. His breakup with Squirrelflight is of course much different than Daisy’s doomed romances. But the fact that they are both struggling with their love life is something that they have in common during Bramblestar’s Storm. Daisy decides to return to ThunderClan, and presumably she believes that it is her true home.
Now, what I believe would have made the romance subplot in Bramblestar’s Storm a much better narrative is if the character of Jessy is scrapped entirely. I don’t know how others might feel, but her presence didn’t seem to threaten BrambleXSquirrel at all. The narrative tries to make it seem like it does, but in the end, Jessy is an expendable character whose only purpose is to threaten the preestablished relationship. They call this a “satellite love interest” on TV Tropes. It just doesn’t feel like it has any weight at all if we have that sinking feeling that this character will only matter in this book alone. It lacks weight and depth and meaning.
But what if Daisy replaced Jessy’s role? What is Bramblestar and Daisy end up growing closer, once they sort of figure out the similarities between themselves? Daisy found Cloudtail attractive due to the fact that he showed great parenting skills and was kind to her. Bramblestar is said to be a great parent and he shows Daisy kindness past Twilight. The two actually show great potential to be a really good pair together.
I’m going to say now though; I don’t actually want Bramblestar and Daisy to end up together. Bramblestar and Squirrelflight was my favorite relationship in Warriors prior to Sunrise, so I was happy to see them back together. I just think that Daisy could have had this role in the narrative, and the book might have been better off for it. It makes much more sense than Bramblestar falling for a random kittypet. Daisy is someone he knows well at this point. They both have reasons for liking the other. But it’s never used or utilized. If Bramblestar had been spending more time with Daisy instead of Jessy in his super edition, I would have felt a real threat to BrambleXSquirrel. It would have had narrative weight rather than what we got with Jessy. This isn’t hating on Jessy either, because I personally feel like I cannot have an opinion on her one way or the other. She doesn’t feel real like the other characters do.
Daisy, unfortunately, would possibly have to go through the pain once more of having to let go of a cat that she had the potential to love, just as she did with Cloudtail and Brightheart. For that reason, I’m glad that they didn’t go the route I am suggesting. But at the same time, she is a very different character now than she was in Sunset. She has found her purpose in the Clan, even if it means that she does not have her own mate. It’s a fulfilling end to her arc and I am looking forward to seeing more of her in Daisy’s Kin.
If anything else, I just wish that Bramblestar and Daisy could have been close friends if not anything more. It just seems like one of those relationships that could have been great due to the juxtaposition of the characters. But if there had to be a love triangle within Bramblestar’s Storm, I wish it had been with Daisy instead. But I suppose Jessy is the safe route, given that we have no prior attachments to her character.