Grief and hope in Ivypool’s Heart
EXCLUSIVE from the Story Team
BY THE STORY TEAM
Grief plays a huge part in the Warriors series. Since it follows the lives of feral cats, it has its fair share of deaths—from illness, infection, accidents, and, yes, even the occasional murder. As in human life, some deaths are expected, coming after a long and fruitful journey on this earth, but others are more painful and shocking: kits dying with so much promise ahead of them, or lovers dying before they could enjoy significant time with their beloved. In Ivypool’s Heart, five cats embark upon a mission to pay a debt the Clans incurred generations before. And most of these cats have dealt or are dealing with some form of grief that surfaces during their journey.
Whistlepaw, the youngest member of the questing party, has the least direct experience with loss. But as a medicine cat apprentice, she has been close to death and had to grapple with the reality of losing a friend. In A Starless Clan, Whistlepaw found Frostpaw, her fellow medicine cat apprentice from RiverClan, near death on the moor one morning. Frostpaw’s throat had been slit, and she told Whistlepaw that she was in such danger that Whistlepaw could not tell the rest of WindClan anything that had happened. Whistlepaw had to make a quick decision, and she did, taking Frostpaw to the horseplace where Smoky and his kits could keep an eye on her. Whistlepaw treated Frostpaw as best she could, but was also honest with her friend that she believed Frostpaw’s injuries were beyond her ability to treat.
In the end, Smoky arranged for a human vet to treat Frostpaw when they stopped by the farm. Frostpaw woke up with a strange scar (she had been spayed), but she was alive, her wound stitched and treated with antibiotics. Whistlepaw had saved her life. And in Ivypool’s Heart, it was Whistlepaw’s unusual vision that prompted the Clans to send cats on a quest with an unclear mission. Whistlepaw understood that the Clans owed a great debt to someone, and that if they didn’t pay it, the river would run red with blood. While some cats doubted the vision, and many bemoaned the timing, coming, as it did, as Splashtail was becoming more erratic and dangerous—Whistlepaw’s serious manner and proven determination to save lives inspired all five leaders to send cats on the quest.
Dovewing, Tigerstar’s mate from ShadowClan and Ivypool’s sister, has recently experienced an overwhelming loss: she had lost her kit. Rowankit, one of the two cats in her recent litter, became sick with greencough at a time when ShadowClan had no access to catmint, the known cure. While a group of cats was sent to find catmint, and did eventually return with the herb, it was too late for Rowankit, who died in the care of ShadowClan’s medicine cats, Puddleshine and Rowankit’s older brother, Shadowsight.
Dovewing and Tigerstar have always been fiercely devoted to their kits, and losing Rowankit was difficult for both. Additionally, Dovewing has experienced another kind of grief: that of a former Clan member missing her Clan. As a young cat, Dovewing, a ThunderClan cat, fell in love with Tigerheart from ShadowClan, and when she became pregnant, she decided to leave ThunderClan and have her kits in a large Twoleg city. Tigerheart followed her, and eventually he and Dovewing brought their family back to the Clans. But a series of visions Tigerheart had culminated in him becoming ShadowClan’s new leader, and Dovewing made the decision to leave ThunderClan and join him in ShadowClan. Still, it was clearly difficult for her to leave her beloved family, including her sister, Ivypool. While she is devoted to Tigerstar and her new Clan, she still misses her kin and friends in ThunderClan and mourns the life she once had.
Icewing has had a long tenure in the Clans and experienced many losses. She also lost a son, Pricklekit, to greencough at a young age. Her daughter Petalfur was killed in a battle with Darktail’s Kin, who had taken over RiverClan. Her son Grasspelt drowned during the great flood in Bramblestar’s Storm. And her mate, Mintfur, died of illness between series. Along with Ivypool and other cats, Icewing traveled to the Dark Forest to train in advance of the Great Battle. There, she saw her son, Beetlewhisker, slain by Brokenstar. Cats who are killed in the Dark Forest go to neither StarClan’s Endless Hunting Grounds nor the Dark Forest; they simply cease to exist. And so Icewing has the unwanted distinction of being one of the few mothers in the Clans who have lost a kit with no hope of seeing him again.
Rootspring may be able to empathize. As a young cat in SkyClan, he fell in love with Bristlefrost, a ThunderClan warrior. The two grew closer and closer, but never crossed the line to become mates, because neither was willing to leave their Clan. Then things became very dire during Ashfur’s reign in the Dark Forest, and Rootspring decided he would leave SkyClan to be with Bristlefrost once the battle was over. He never got that chance, however. During the battle, Bristlefrost lunged at Ashfur, knocking them both off a cliff into dark water, where they both drowned.
In Ivypool’s Heart, we learned that Rootspring and Ivypool had been meeting regularly to memorialize Bristlefrost and deal with their grief. While Rootspring was Bristlefrost’s potential mate, Ivypool was her mother. She shared many of Rootspring’s feelings of guilt and anger, and she wondered why she didn’t do more to stop Bristlefrost from going to the Dark Forest, a place Ivypool knew well from her time training for the Great Battle. Recently named deputy by Squirrelstar, Ivypool was right where she’d always wanted to be in terms of leading her Clan and working beside a cat she admires. And yet she couldn’t enjoy her success, or even devote much time to her duties. Her heart, she felt, was still with Bristlefrost—wherever she may be.
How does a cat move on when the cat they’ve lost is simply… gone? The quest that faces Ivypool, Rootspring, Icewing, Dovewing and Whistlepaw will test their resilience, their survival instincts, and their understanding of the world. It may, also, give them the tools they need to understand their grief and move forward… if they will open themselves up to accept it.
