Should Crowpaw have died? by Breezefire

Breezefire ponders whether or not Crowpaw should have died in the New Prophecy. 

*SPOILER ALERT* If you have read The New Prophecy series, you are probably aware of Feathertail and Crowpaw’s relationship. It is clear that each one was willing to die for the other, showing a deep compassion that quite a few other mate couples seem to share. Feathertail was the savior cat from the prophecy, who would save the Tribe cats from destruction. She had always been a kind and caring cat, loving her companions on the journey (especially Crowpaw) dearly. It was her destiny to die in the mountains, saving those she loved from death, resulting in her own. But was it really Feathertail that should have died?
I think not! Of course, the prophecy promised a cat with grey fur, not black. But if it had been changed a bit, it would accommodate for Crowpaw.
Okay, first off, I think it would have been a more heartwarming moment if Crowpaw had given up his life for Feathertail. With Feathertail’s temperament, you sort of expected her deep love for those around her. But with prickly, rude Crowpaw, you never got that same feeling. But if he had died, it would show that he WASN’T just a brat with no respect they had to drag along. It would have shown that deep down, he really cared for his friends, specifically Feathertail. He wasn’t a sweetheart who was super lovey-dovey, but he really did care about his mate. If he saw Feathertail in danger, he would most willingly die on the spot for her. This would have broken Feathertail’s heart, but she was such a sweet cat, so she could always find love again.
Well, this would have ruined the rest of the New Prophecy and all of the other books as well. But….maybe……
There is a way around it. It is SUPER crazy, but it would work. I also know that if Crowpaw died then it would leave Windclan without a representative and BLAH BLAH BLAH. But if you consider the idea, it’s not that far fetched! It kind of makes sense, actually. They could have thought that Stormfur was the black cat because his fur was dark and wet when he fell down the waterfall. Crowpaw could have been brushed aside and ignored until his revealing moment at the end. It’s a crazy theory, but hey, why not?

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20 comments

Leave a Reply to Willowstep (Wistep) Cancel reply

  • That’s some food for thought, certainly. I would like to point out that first of all, Crowpaw isn’t black, though I believe he has been mistakenly described as such a couple times. He is, in actuality, smoky gray (which makes sense of his eye color as well). So there was always a possibility that Crowpaw, Feathertail, or Stormfur could have been the cat of the prophecy. One could argue that Stormfur would have made just as good a fulfiller of the prophecy, and one could also argue that the salvation need not have involved a death at all if the Hunters had not been inclined towards that. But the death of Feathertail was, in their mind, the one necessitated by the plot and the logistics of the group at the time.

    Personally, I would have felt that Crowpaw’s sacrifice would have been a lot more contrived. I’ve definitely seen the whole “gruff, kind of unlikable” character sacrificing himself for the one he loves (because again, the male doing so is also pretty stereotypical). The fact that the female in this situation gives her life and that she’s also the quiet, sweet character makes the sacrifice more meaningful and less expected to me. I would not have felt that level of surprise and anguish if any other character had died. So I stand behind the original decision. In some ways it didn’t really NEED to happen for the story to progress, and I definitely think the execution could have made more sense (I still don’t know exactly what killed her, the fall? a rock crushing her? Sharptooth biting her? It was unclear to me), but all in all I think they chose the right character. Even if they broke my heart by doing it T^T

    • If Holly, Jay, and Lion weren’t there the series would be different. There would probably be different cats but if not the Clans would’ve died without their powers. Either they wouldn’t be there at all, or they would’ve had different parents. That being said, there would have never been a problem with Ashfur and Hollyleaf wouldn’t have left, maybe she would have a power instead.

  • Very good points! I think the story could have been interesting either way and it would be cool to see an article about how the story could have changed with that turn in events

  • I love crazy! (frozen reference) I like this theory even if it can’t happen I quite like the idea keep up the good work!

  • It really would’ve been interesting if Crowpaw died, but first of all, the prophecy called for a silver cat, not a cat with grey fur. Second of all, if Crowpaw died, there would be no Crowfeather and Leafpool, and then there would be no Power of Three and all that drama. (Sorry, long run-on sentence.)

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