Defending Bluestar by Ebonypaw

Ebonypaw defends Bluestar throughout her life.

Bluestar had a really tough life. She had her mother, kit, and sister die in front of her, her father neglected her, and her two other kits had been given up to become Riverclan.

Bluestar was truly upset about her mother’s death. “Why won’t she get up?” Bluepaw wailed. Pinestar shook his head. “She’s dead, Bluepaw.” “She can’t be!” Bluepaw twisted back to her mother, pressing her paws to her flanks and shaking her.” -Bluestar’s Prophecy, page 134. She’s not a drama queen for crying over Moonflower. Snowfur just got over her death quicker than Bluestar did.

Snowfur’s death is not her fault. Bluestar just wanted Snowfur to take a break. She was upset about her death. “Bluefur stared at her paws. “I can’t lose Snowfur as well as Moonflower. Why did they both have to die?” -Bluestar’s Prophecy, page 356.

She’s also hated for giving up her kits. She had to though. If she didn’t, Thistleclaw would’ve led Thunderclan. Thistleclaw was evil. He trained in the Dark Forest and insulted Starclan. “StarClan? You mouse-brain! This isn’t StarClan! Those smug, toothless fools won’t teach you anything as useful as this.”-Crookedstar’s Promise, page 392. His answer to everything was a battle. “There was Thistleclaw. He was a fine warrior, strong and brave. But his answer to every problem was a fight. Should I have watched him be made deputy, and then leader, and let him force the Clan into unnecessary wars? “-Forest Of Secrets, page 233. She didn’t want to give them up, but she had to. “I love them so much. But I love my Clan, too. I could never wish they hadn’t been born, but why now? What if my Clan needs me more than they do?”-Spottedleaf’s Heart, chapter 10. Bluestar couldn’t have given her kits to another queen in Thunderclan either, because that would be suspicious. She had no choice. As for it being another cat, Goosefeather knew that the next leader had to be Bluestar, and no one else.

She had ambition, but it was to serve her Clan, not take over the Clans.
“Bluefur returned her steady gaze. “What about me? I have ambition,” she pointed out. “Only to serve your Clan. That is why I choose you. You have suffered much and lost much, and yet you still serve your Clanmates, putting their needs before yours, willing to sacrifice all for the sake of your Clan.” -Bluestar’s Prophecy, page 496.

One of the biggest reasons Bluestar is hated is because of her depression. “She’s… ill.” -A Dangerous Path, page 169. Bluestar had lost everyone she knew and loved. She had become depressed ever since Tigerstar betrayed her, and eventually lost it when Thunderclan camp caught on fire. “Spottedleaf told me that fire would save the Clan!” she [Bluestar] hissed. “But it has destroyed us.” -Rising Storm, page 286. The fire caused three cats to die, one of them being a medicine cat. She thought she was being lied too, and her depression made it worse. Vicky also said that Bluestar suffered forms of dementia. “Yes, Graypool, Goosefeather and most notably BLUESTAR all suffered from forms of dementia towards the end of their lives.” -Vicky Holmes, https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=10154155415662454&id=29566467453&comment_tracking={%22tn%22%3A%22O%22}

She didn’t believe dogs were in the territory because she thought dogs were always with their twolegs. “And I tell you dogs don’t wander alone! They come and go with their twolegs.” -A Dangerous Path, page 122. Accusing Windclan made no sense, but her knowledge of dogs and depression mixed together made her believe it was Windclan.

Bluestar felt betrayed when Firestar talked with Windclan. He was the clan deputy, and to have him to behind her back made her worse. Firestar did the right thing, but Bluestar didn’t see it that way. “I trusted you, Fireheart,” Bluestar, rasped. “You, out of all my warriors.” -A Dangerous Path, page 168. She also felt betrayed by Starclan. “If only I’d kept my kits!” she whispered. “Mistyfoot and Stonefur are noble cats. Far nobler than any of this ragtag bunch in Thunderclan. My children would have never betrayed me.” “Bluestar…” Fireheart tried to interrupt, but she ignored him. “I gave them up to become deputy, and now Starclan is punishing me. “Oh, Starclan are clever, Fireheart! They knew the cruelest way to break me. They made me leader and then let my cats betray me! What is it worth, now, to be leader of Thunderclan? Nothing! It’s all empty, all…” Her [Bluestar] paws worked furiously among the moss. Her eyes were glazed, staring at nothing, and her mouth gaped in a soundless wail.” -A Dangerous Path, page 168.

She’s also blamed for Swiftpaw’s death. I agree it’s partially her fault, but it’s also Brightheart’s fault for going with Swiftpaw (which encouraged him it was a good idea), and mostly Swiftpaw’s fault for deciding he should go. Thornclaw watched Cinderpelt and Brackenfur become full warriors and medicine cat and knew it was a bad idea. I get that Swiftpaw didn’t know there would be too many dogs, but he should’ve known something bad was going to happen. Wandering off without a warrior’s permission made him and Brightheart look foolish.

Naming Brightheart “Lostface” was mean, but we’ve had other cats name a cat after a disability of some sort. Yellowfang and Raggedstar don’t get hate for naming Brokenstar “Brokenkit” and “Brokentail.” No one hates Cedarstar for naming Foxpaw “Foxheart,” Featherstorm for naming her kit “Raggedkit” Hailstar for agreeing to change Stormkit’s name to “Crookedkit” and then later “Crookedjaw,” nor Pinestar for naming Whitepaw “White-eye.”

She made a heroic sacrifice at the end once she realized how much her Clan was in danger. This was the first time she actually saw the dogs terrorizing Thunderclan, and she took action in drowning the dogs.

“Fire will save the Clan…you never understood, did you? Not even when I gave you your apprentice name, Firepaw. And I doubted it myself, when fire raged through our camp. Yet I see the truth now. Fireheart, you are the fire who will save ThunderClan. You will be a great leader. One of the greatest the forest has ever known. You will have the warmth of fire to protect your Clan and the fierceness of fire to defend it. You will be Firestar, the light of ThunderClan.” -A Dangerous Path, page 311.