Romance in bloom: is there a difference between young love and seasoned love?
BY THE STORY TEAM
In the wake of Valentine’s Day, our thoughts can’t help but turn to love in the world of Warriors. The Story Team thought it would be interesting to use Changing Skies to explore how different potential romantic relationships can develop depending on where the cats are in their lives.
Representing the possibility of young love are Moonpaw and Goldenpaw. As Moonpaw struggled with her deceased sister haunting her every paw step, Goldenpaw proved himself to be a loyal and understanding friend, even when it put him in harm’s way. When Moonpaw is at her lowest, Goldenpaw stands by her, even when others keep their distance. Although we cannot say what’s in store for these two, it’s clear that they care about each other and that, if love does bloom, they are young enough to believe that romance is a good enough reason to toss all other concerns aside. Those of us on the story team think they complement each other well as friends, and they each have such kind souls. But we also know that neither of them quite realizes what they will be getting themselves into if they attempt to take it further.
In comparison, we wanted to show what love looks like between older, more mature cats who have loved and lost before. Tawnypelt, Tigerstar’s capable and determined mother, served as the perfect example. Not only has Tawnypelt been a member of several Clans for one reason or another before finally settling in ShadowClan, but she had also had a longtime mate in Rowanclaw, with whom she had three kits—Dawnkit, Tigerkit, and Flamekit. Unfortunately, she lost Flametail when he fell through the ice and drowned in the lake. Later, Rowanclaw, who had briefly led ShadowClan, sacrificed his own life to save those of Yarrowleaf’s kits, Flaxkit and Hopkit. After Rowanclaw’s death, and after she lost many Clanmates and kin in the battle against Darktail, who murdered Dawnpelt, Tawnypelt never even considered taking another mate . . . until a certain WindClan warrior made her reconsider.
Crowfeather had a turbulent and somewhat scandalous romantic past of his own. As an apprentice, he fell for Feathertail, who died tragically, protecting the Clan from Sharptooth. Later, against all the rules, he had a clandestine relationship with Leafpool who, as a medicine cat, was forbidden to mate with anyone. Nonetheless, they had three kits together—Lionblaze, Jayfeather, and Hollyleaf—who Squirrelflight and Bramblestar raised them as their own. Once Leafpool ended their involvement for good, he soon became mates with Nightcloud, and they had a son, Breezepelt. Although he and Nightcloud stayed together for some time, their relationship wasn’t a happy one, and they eventually parted ways. After all the ups and downs he’d experienced in his love life, it’s no wonder that Crowfeather never sought out another mate again.
But as Tawnypelt and Crowfeather find themselves working side by side to investigate the Twoleg activity that shut down the Moonpool and to find out if a new one can be established, feelings they thought were long dead are beginning to reemerge. They see each other as equals, veteran warriors who remember the old days before the Clans settled at the lake. They got to know each other very well when they went on a quest to the sun-drown place together in The New Prophecy to find Midnight. They are each formidable warriors who have hard-earned wisdom to share. The fact is, they enjoy each other’s company, and when they’re together, the chemistry is palpable.
While Tawnypelt may feel that the heady type of young love that Moonpaw and Goldenpaw may be prone to is behind her, we hoped to have her grandson Birchfeather’s relationship with Ridgeglow serve as a bit of inspiration. Although Birchfeather was a ShadowClan warrior, and Ridgeglow was part of SkyClan, they fell in love and vowed to be together. The changes to the warrior code that meant cats could switch Clans in order to join a mate provided them the perfect opportunity. Birchfeather ended up making the difficult decision to leave his Clan to become part of Ridgeglow’s. It’s not even as if that is the only example of such a thing among her kin. Her own son, Tigerstar fell for Dovewing and, because they were of different Clans, they met in secret until her pregnancy forced them to make a decision about their future together. Tawnypelt may see herself as too set in her ways to make a move that drastic, but perhaps she will see her sons and grandson’s decisions as a touch of bravery that she could use herself when it comes to her own love life.
Unlike a younger couple in the first blush of love might, Tawnypelt and Crowfeather are under no delusions that love conquers all. The fact that they are from different Clans—each of them fiercely loyal to their own—stands in their way as do their fears of opening themselves up to the same hurt that they’ve each experienced in their past. They, more than most, know how disappointing love can be. Cats grow apart; cats die unexpectedly; duty to one’s Clan takes precedence over the desires in one’s heart. Love stories don’t always have happy endings. But perhaps their sober, pragmatic views on love and companionship will be what allows them to overcome those obstacles. And considering how harsh Clan life can be, and how short unless you’re a leader blessed with nine lives, doesn’t it make sense to seize the day while they still can? Truthfully, the story team thinks they each deserve a bit of happiness after all they’ve been through, no matter how difficult it might be to achieve. It remains to be seen if they’ll admit their feelings for each other and pull it off, or if the lessons from their past will prevent them from taking any unnecessary leaps into a romantic future, but we can’t help rooting for them.
