Why did Dovewing Choose Tigerheart Over Bumblestripe? – Analyzing a Recent Ship by Sky

Sky takes a look at Dovewing’s romantic choices. Spoilers for AVOS and Tigerheart’s Shadow!

It’s Sky, with another article!!!! Today, I’ll be analyzing DoveXBumble and why it didn’t work out, and then seeing why Dovewing decided, for the last time, to become mates with Tigerheart/star. I’ll be referring to Tigerstar II as Tigerheart because we haven’t seen him as a full leader in the actual main series yet.

WHY DOVEWING BROKE UP WITH BUMBLESTRIPE

1 – Dovewing felt like he didn’t care about her.

Often, when I defend DoveXTiger, I use this scene. It’s a B&N exclusive, and it shows Bumblestripe trying to force Dovewing to have kits. He doesn’t care about her personal feelings, brushes past her words, and, in the end, comes out trying to guilt-trip her and not listening to a single word she said. If you were her, you’d probably feel pretty bad. I believe that this was one of the last straws for Dovewing.

2 – Dovewing didn’t want to be mates with him in the first place

Have you noticed Ivypool and Bumblestripe pressing Dovewing to be Bumblestripe’s mate? Bumblestripe guilt-trips her a lot and always tries to get mate-y with her. Ivypool, obviously, disapproves of Dovewing’s relationship with Tigerheart, and she’s always trying to tell Dovewing that Bumblestripe is a better tom and all that jazz.

In addition, the majority of the Clan was pushing Dovewing as well – from gossipy, bubbly she-cats such as Blossomfall, Rosepetal, and Cherryfall to curious warriors like… the majority of ThunderClan.

With all this pressure from the prophecy, and then losing her powers, and feeling betrayed by Tigerheart more than once, Dovewing buckled under every cat and became mates with Bumblestripe.

From the very beginning, their relationship was rocky, showing that Dovewing didn’t really want to be with Bumblestripe. Take a scene from Bramblestar’s Storm, for instance, where Bumblestripe tried, YET AGAIN, to convince Dovewing to have kits, and Dovewing got flustered and basically just ran off. Later on, we see her fighting side-by-side with Tigerheart.

3 – The two of them didn’t have the same goals in becoming mates

For Dovewing, she did a better version of Crowfeather – she became mates with Bumblestripe to avoid her sister’s suspicions. Okay, maybe comparing her to Crowfeather is a bit extreme, but I think you get what I mean. Dovewing also just wanted to have someone there for her, no matter what and whenever. She wanted someone understanding and perspective.

Bumblestripe, on the other paw, wanted a mate like Dovewing, but he also really wanted kits. Everywhere, in near every DoveXBumble scene in the books, Bumblestripe was all, “Hey, Dovewing, let’s have kits,” or, “Dovewing, I think it’s time we had kits.” Dovewing wasn’t ready for that, and she said so, but her words didn’t go through Bumblestripe, because he truly did love Dovewing’s personality, and he wanted her to have his goals in mateship.

WHY DOVEWING BECAME MATES WITH TIGERHEART/STAR

1 – Their personalities matched

While Bumblestripe might be down-to-earth and a nice cat you think Dovewing would be with, there’s another side of Dovewing – brave, loyal, and playful. Being with Tigerheart nurtured and brought out that rarely-seen side, while Bumblestripe dragged her down and made her uncomfortable.

Tigerheart and Dovewing are both free-spirited, curious cats who both have serious duties and responsibilities that they’re not fully sure of how to deal with. They both have two sides, and they bring out the better side when they are together. I’m sure that some of Dovewing and Tigerheart’s most treasured memories are of running together during their secret meetings, feeling free and not pressured to be any other cat.

2 – Experience

Dovewing and Bumblestripe’s relationship wasn’t exactly nurtured and blossomed. In fact, it was painfully one-way.

However, Dovewing and Tigerheart went on the journey to unblock the beaver damn together, and as the only apprentices, they formed a special bond. (Just imagine trying to awkwardly get playful with someone twice as old as you. :P) Both of them were confused as to why the had to give up cross-Clan friendships, and that resulted in their meetings.

I’ll admit – these two have had a rocky journey of love. With… what, two “betrayals,” about two break-ups, and so much regret and stress, it’s amazing they even pulled through. But they did, and that’s what made this couple such a nice read. I mean… we didn’t exactly get that rollercoaster with SorrelXBracken, did we? Granted, I still love that ship. 😉

At any rate, their breakups and uncertainty have only made them stronger at the end of the day, and I think some of you were screaming your heads off for them to end up together.

CONCLUSION BECAUSE I NEED A BREAK BETWEEN TWO PARTS

Overall, we can tell easily why Dovewing moved on from Bumblestripe and onto Tigerheart/star. If you look at it from another’s perspective instead of your own, it always helps you understand the character’s choices a bit(unless you put yourself in Berrynose’s shoes :P). So instead of thinking, “IZA SHIPS BUMBLEXDOVE,” imagine being Dovewing – with two toms crushing on you, one of which you’re married to because of pressure and is always pushing you to have kids while brushing your opinions off, and the other one that lets you be you. Honestly, if you try to be Dovewing, it’s not a hard choice.

This is why Dovewing changed her mates, and I’m glad that she’s finally settled down and happy, even after her move to another Clan.

~Sky