Sorrelpaw compares two journeys made in the series, Brambleclaw’s and Alderpaw’s. Spoilers for AVOS!
Right. Hello again! I am Sorzi the one and only, also known as Sorrelpaw [Sorrelstream] aka Sorzi.
You should see me around the blog quite a lot. Or maybe not. Time zones, you know, such a bother. So this article is about the difference between two warriors journeys. One is the Brambleclaw-find-Midnight journey, and the other is the Alderpaw-find-SkyClan journey.
Usually, I prefer not to make articles about newly published books or series, but I expect most people to have read the first AvoS book: The Apprentice’s Quest. If you haven’t, you have been warned against spoilers. In this article, I will be using the names the characters possessed at the time of their journeys. So Bramblestar will be Brambleclaw, Needletail will be Needlepaw, Squirrelflight will be Squirrelpaw etc. So. This is a compare and contrast article, an analytical article as we learned in English Class.
Anyway.
Starting off with similarities, we immediately notice that both journeys were triggered by a dream/vision. While Brambleclaw’s journey was triggered by a vision of Bluestar, Alderpaw’s was triggered by a vision of SkyClan. That is one similarity. However, since we’re on the topic of visions, there is a difference in the visions that triggered each journey.
Whilst Alderpaw’s vision was for him and him alone and the others were just tagging along, Brambleclaw, Tawnypelt, Feathertail and Crowpaw each had their own vision that caused them to come together. Squirrelpaw and Stormfur were exceptions.
While we’re talking about Squirrelpaw, we might as well mention another similarity. Both journeys had a pesky, mischievous apprentice tagging on without being invited. Squirrelpaw for the Midnight journey, and Needlepaw for the SkyClan journey. Is this a common characteristic of Warriors journeys? No, it isn’t.
But all the same, the two apprentices in the two different journeys were all she-cats, and the main leader of the groups had a kind of crush on them by the end of the journey. Mhm. Where do you think BrambleXSquirrel and NeedleXAlder came from…?!
AND yet another similarity between Needlepaw and Squirrelpaw was that both were unwelcome at first. But one difference is that Alderpaw and Needlepaw ended up finishing their journey alone, while Brambleclaw and the others stuck together, except for Feathertail after she died.
And of course there’s the destination. The destinations were completely different, one journey ended after they found a badger, while another ended when they found a cat. The badger was called Midnight, and the cat was called Mistfeather. Both offered information for the cats.
Oh, yes, both were delightful journeys indeed despite their similarities and countless differences. I have only listed a tiny bit of the similarities and differences, a little few of many, because I would like to share my own opinion about these two journeys in this article too.
So not completely am analytical article. Haha very not funny. But it isn’t a purr-suasive article either (did you catch my pun?!?!) 😉 Aaanyhow.
So out of the two, my favorite was probably the Brambleclaw one. By the time it came to Alderpaw’s quest, I’d read waaay too much about journeys, missions, quests and such. First, Leafpool looking for the Moonpool. After that, the journey to the Tribe sometime during Power of Three. After THAT, the mission to find Sol and in the process getting Purdy to join the Clan. And then, the water-rescue patrol that included Dovepaw and Lionblaze. And I probably missed a ton. You get what I mean?
And the Brambleclaw journey seemed more like a real quest, a real journey, into the unknown. As the first Clan cats to find the Tribe and the sun-drown place and Midnight, Brambleclaw, Tawnypelt, Crowpaw and the others seemed more mystical, more legendary than the cats who went with Alderpaw to find SkyClan, which Firestar and Sandstorm had already done before.
I’ll admit, the Alderpaw journey was pretty cool, but eh, nope. It’s like a ton of stress on apprentices making quests and doing warrior stuff. Leafpaw found the Moonpool. Dovepaw underwent the process of defeating the beavers. Ivypaw spying on the Dark Forest warriors. And now, Alderpaw going on his quest. What’s happening? Are the Warriors, like, not important right now? Are Warriors and full medicine cats so precious that a few cannot be spared to make a journey?
But that’s just my opinion 🙂
My friend, Sizzlepaw, thinks that Alderpaw’s quest was the greatest thing he ever read about. We’re always getting into arguments about whether Brambleclaw’s journey was better than Alderpaw’s, and I’m expecting to get into another one when Sizzlepaw sees this, but whatever.
Anyway I’m pretty much finished with this article!
Yup, that’s the end.
If you have questions, I’ll gladly answer them, and I welcome all comments as usual.
Bye 🙂
~Sorzi
Interesting article Sorzi! I don’t really have an opinion on either though I agree that there are too many journeys and sometimes to me I find them boring. Hopefully TAQ would be good 😛 (yes I’m reading this article cause I’m a rebel)
Good, I’m not the only one who finds journeys boring.
Never
Great article! I personally like Brambleclaw’s journey better, but that’s just my opinion.
First comment!
Anyway, I totally agree with you. Though Alderpaw’s quest was interesting, I liked Brambleclaw’s better, since it was pretty much the first in many different traveling adventures (not including Firestar’s Quest). Great article! 🙂
Never mind, not first comment
I took first comment, sorry 😛
I definitely agree with everything in this article! Except I do like the Alderheart journey
Interesting article! Good job! 😀
Yay published <3
Yeah I prefer Brambleclaw’s journey as well
Great article! The journeys did share similar features, and it’s easy to see that in this way. I guess the reason apprentices do much of the quests and stuff is to add danger to the books, because it seems more exciting when an apprentice does warrior work. But the patrol that went to find Sol was all warriors, so it doesn’t happen all the time.
Great article sorzi! 😀 😀 I honestly prefer the new prophecy journey hthough, it was longer and more interesting
Great article! However, I favor Brambleclaw’s.
I agree. It was intresting finding out abiut new places in blrambleclaw’s one. Now they go to places they already know and its boring. Quests now are like: walk, sleep, walk, sleep, ooh we are here, lets go home after 2 seconds, walk, sleep, walk, dog, sleep, walk, ooh we are home now
Wow, Sorzi! I always enjoy your articles! It is true about apprentices doing quests. I wish they would change it up a little.
Journeys are usually boring, but that’s just my opinion