RiverClan’s Current Leadership Situation by Woodkit

Woodkit theorizes about RiverClan in the Broken Code.

*Contains spoilers from A Veil of Shadows*
We’ve all heard it said often enough… Mistystar is getting old. She was born before the Prophecies Begin and is the second oldest of the five leaders behind Leafstar. At some point, likely in the near future, RiverClan is going to be in need of a new leader. The question though, is who? Outside of Mistystar and the medicine cats, most of the newer books have focused on ShadowClan and SkyClan, with WindClan highlighted during the early stages of A Vision Of Shadows.
Now, if there are no cats who have been in the spotlight from RiverClan, who could possibly replace Mistystar? I feel that the authors won’t hold on to Reedwhisker for much longer, as his largest appearance likely came from Mistystar’s Omen. The last leader who hadn’t already made a big name for himself was Rowanstar, and we saw how that turned out. I think that RiverClan is going to show up more in the upcoming books, and it is likely isn’t going to happen unless some new faces fill the main leadership positions.
To find someone who can fill Reedwhisker’s position as deputy, I think that Mistystar should go along the same route Onestar used when he chose Harespring as deputy. Onestar’s decision was made largely to show that Dark Forest cats can be trusted. As for RiverClan, Mistystar has currently exiled two warriors alongside Mothwing: Icewing and Harelight. Knowing Mistystar’s character, there will be some point in The Broken Code in which she comes around and sees that she has made a mistake. Perhaps it will be after a battle in which we lose Reedwhisker, and Mistystar must choose a new deputy. Much like Onestar’s decision to name Harespring deputy, Mistystar should name one of the two cats she exiled as deputy, to show that the exiles can be trusted. It is also similar to how Bramblestar named Squirrelflight deputy to show that he trusted her.
Of these two cats, which one would be a better, more interesting deputy?
Personally, I think Icewing would make a good deputy as she is probably the most well known RiverClan warrior, and seems to have the most character development. Besides, getting another Harestar at the same time another Harestar lives just across the WindClan border might get a little strange. I also think that another female leader would be deputy, and even if Squirrelflight replaces Bramblestar, Hawkwing is likely to replace Leafstar. If Mistystar’s successor is a male, then there would be only one female leader remaining. I think that Icewing is also young enough to be a logical choice, yet also experienced enough to be capable of making the tough decisions that fall on a leader’s shoulders. I would also love for the 2021 Super Edition to feature a RiverClan cat. Icewing would make a great leader, and could very well help to give RiverClan more prominence in the next arc.