The elders don’t often get a chance to shine in a world where the younger warriors usually take center stage. But they are a treasure trove of useful information, and their memories of past events are the closest thing the cats have to history books. It was through Tawnypelt’s conversation with Fallowfern, for example, that she got the idea to visit the gorge to see if what remains of the Whispering Cave could be of any help. It also served as a reminder that before the Moonpool, the cats had other means of connecting with StarClan. Surely, they could find another. And it is her conversation with Brambleclaw shortly before his death that gives her an important clue as to where the new Moonpool might be.

Meanwhile, Tawnypelt’s interactions with her son, Tigerstar, illustrate a point of friction between the generations. While Tawnypelt is older and has wisdom to offer, Tigerstar has become her leader and is in a position of power over her. He is therefore less inclined to follow her suggestions when it comes to the Moonpool search, and Tawnypelt is less inclined to see things his way to due to the breadth of her past experiences and because as his mother, she doesn’t always see her son as an authority figure. And just as we saw with Leafstar near the end of her time as leader, Tawnypelt’s younger Clanmates begin to doubt some of her suggestions are as valid as they might have seemed if she was in her prime.

At the same time, we introduced Starlingpaw, who has been eager to prove himself to his Clanmates. Though he felt somewhat responsible for the tragic death of his father, Kitescratch, he now believes that he can be a major part SkyClan’s future. Although his youth has been an asset in that he has big dreams and a strong ambition to be of service to his Clan, it also works against him. He doesn’t always have the patience to learn more about situations before diving headfirst into them. That’s why he suspected so many different cats, including Fidgetflake and Crowfeather, of being the one the prophecy spoke of regarding the cat with a paw in both worlds. He ends up making reckless accusations that cause immense strife within the Clan.  

Finally, there is Moonpaw, whose youth was plagued by the existence of her late sister’s spirit. In Moonpaw we get to see a young cat mature before our very eyes as she faces her problem. If not for kindhearted fellow apprentices like Goldenpaw and Shinepaw listening to her without judgment and recognizing that she needed the help of more experienced cats, Moonpaw might have never admitted what she was going through to Jayfeather and Squirrelstar. She might have continued to struggle to maintain an outward image of normalcy while her sister haunted her every paw step. Her decision to confess to to Brambleclaw, an elder who, honestly, had seen stranger things, freed her from a largely self-imposed nightmare. From then on, she was challenged to try to deal with her problems instead of ignoring them. So it may have seemed like youthful impetuousness when she chose to leave the Clans without telling anyone, but we felt that decision showed her growing bravery and her willingness to protect her Clanmates, even at her own expense. We’re excited to see her come of age during her journey, alongside Goldenpaw. Their budding romance, and her coming to terms with her sister’s spirit, will be important to her character development. Both may prove pivotal to the Clans she has left behind.

Ultimately, we wanted to get across that we don’t think any one generation of warriors or age is more important than another. In fact, they need each other in ways that will soon be revealed. We don’t want to give too much away, but let’s just say that each of our point of view cats will be essential to the Clans finding their way back to Star Clan and to one another.