Kin and Leadership in the Modern Clans by Rosewing

Rosewing comments on the appearing trend of kin and leadership in the series. Minor spoilers for AVOS!

This article is merely an observation I’ve made in the Warriors books, and one I’m sure others have noticed as well. Lately, cats in the same family appear to be taking leadership within their Clans.

ThunderClan has been lead by Tigerstar I’s and Firestar’s family for quite a while now. First, we had Pinestar, whose son is Tigerstar I (as if you didn’t already know that). Though he never became leader of ThunderClan, Tigerstar I was Bluestar’s deputy for a short time. Firestar, as we all know, followed Bluestar. As of now, Bramblestar and Squirrelflight are leading ThunderClan, with the addition of Leafpool, Jayfeather, and Alderheart as the medicine cats.
It’s likely that this trend could continue, as most fans are sure either Lionblaze or Ivypool will become the next deputy in the future.

ShadowClan was led by Tigerstar I for a short while, and his son-in-law (Rowanstar) became leader following Blackstar’s death. Flametail was also a medicine cat before he died. In River of Fire, it was also mentioned that Tawnypelt was deputy (though it is implied that she is not anymore). Currently, the Clan is being led by Tigerstar II, and we do not know who the deputy is (as of the writing of this article).

RiverClan has been led by Oakheart’s family for quite a time now. His father, Shellheart, was deputy for quite a while. Then his brother, Crookedstar became leader, and he himself became deputy. Once Leopardstar came into leadership, she chose Oakheart’s son as her deputy. And when Stonefur died, his sister took his place. Right now, RiverClan is under the leadership of Mistystar and her son Reedwhisker.
Unlike in ThunderClan and ShadowClan, this bloodline in leadership may end soon, considering Reedwhisker has no descendants. Now, I do believe Kate said she liked the idea of him being Duskfur’s mate (thus fathering Podlight and Curlfeather), but that detail is not canon (yet).

WindClan has kind of been all over the place, but Crowfeather’s family has held power for a good amount of time. His father, Deadfoot was Tallstar’s first deputy, though he died before he could become leader. His mother, Ashfoot, was Onestar’s deputy, but also died before she could be leader. Crowfeather is currently holding the deputy position. Will he die before leadership like his parents? Does that mean Breezepelt, Brindlewing, Smokehaze, or even Heathertail could take his place? We don’t know yet.

SkyClan is the only Clan that hasn’t been following the bloodline trend, and that can easily be attributed to the fact that Modern SkyClan is still very new. Still, Leafstar’s current deputy is not Harrybrook, but instead someone unrelated to her. But who knows, maybe Hawkwing will make Violetshine his deputy one day (if he lives to become leader)?

But yes, this was more musing than anything else. Still, I hope you enjoyed and feel free to note your thoughts in the comments!