Just Who Is the Brambleposter? by Larkfeather

Larkfeather wonders who is Bramblestar’s imposter.

So recently, I have been thinking about who the Brambleposter (Bramblestar imposter) really is. I went back through Veil of Shadows, and wrote down a lot of what I thought was important to know about the Brambleposter. I organized it by chapter and page, while using quotes from the book. Then I’ll give my thoughts on what this says about the Brambleposter. I’m not giving any definitive answer on who it is, these are all just speculations.

Ch. 4

Pg.58
Brambleposter starts to show that he misses Squirrelflight.
As far as we’re concerned, the only cat that liked Squirrelflight besides Bramblestar was Ashfur.

Ch. 13

Pg.166
“… it’s because spirits can always recognize other spirits.” -Brambleposter
This could be an evil Dark Forest or even StarClan spirit. As we know, Ashfur was sent to StarClan, but he could still have evil intent. Darktail was never sent to the Dark Forest as far as we’re concerned. The Bramble admits to trying to kill Shadowsight in this scene as well.

“… but his eyes were dark blue…” -Shadowsight
Dark blue like Ashfur, Darktail, and Hawkfrost. All three of these cats had evil intentions. Darktail wanted to gain control of the Clans, but the Brambleposter doesn’t seem intent on doing that just yet. Hawkfrost wanted to gain control of his own Clan, but, he failed. Ashfur wanted to expose Leafpool and Squirrelflight, but as we found in Squirrelflight’s Hope, Ashfur went to StarClan.

Pg. 167
“I don’t want to give myself away by letting the clans know I can speak to the dead. … So I just ignore Bramblestar and do all his bitter muttering.” -Brambleposter
Perhaps the Brambleposter was pretending to miss Squirrelflight, displaying fake feelings. If this is the case, it’s less likely that the culprit is Ashfur.

Pg. 168
“That cat won’t ruin my plans again… …”
Either Brambleposter is referring to Bramblestar, or another cat. If they are referring to Bramblestar, then this is a cat he has thwarted in the past. Darktail doesn’t really make sense here, as his plan was ruined by multiple cats. Ashfur’s plans were ruined partly by Bramblestar, plus Squirrelflight did not love Ashfur, but instead Bramblestar.
Hawkfrost on the other hand, had all of his plans ruined by Bramblestar. Instead of killing Firestar like he was supposed to, Bramblestar freed him and killed Hawkfrost instead.

Pg. 169
“Then you should be in StarClan, or the Dark Forest.” -Shadowsight
“There are ways to move between those worlds, if one is clever enough.” Brambleposter
This is a cat that has been in StarClan or the Dark Forest. As far as I know, Darktail never went to the Dark Forest. Ashfur was admitted to StarClan, but maybe he with held some evil intent. Hawkfrost is the only cat here that was sent to the Dark Forest.

Ch. 15

Pg. 187/188
“– Warriors who will serve without question!” -Brambleposter
“Sometimes its right to question! How much more devastation would Darktail have caused if none of his followers had questioned him?” -Alderheart
If the Brambleposter is Darktail, it would make sense that he wants to be followed without question. It was his Kin questioning him that was part of his downfall in the first place. Ashfur wouldn’t seem like the type of cat that would expect to be followed blindly. And I don’t really know what to say about Hawkfrost… only that the last time his directions weren’t followed Bramblestar killed him.

Pg. 192/193
This is the scene where the rebel cats attacked the Brambleposter. He obviously knew how to fight and defend himself, he even killed three of the rebel cats.
It shouldn’t be hard for a cat to defend themselves, but this cat knows how to do it well. The Brambleposter escaped with almost no injuries, and fended off four trained warriors, killing three in the process. As we know, Ashfur and Hawkfrost were trained warriors, and Darktail a ruthless fighter.
“Whoever he is, he’s a formidable fighter.” -Bristlefrost

Pg.199/200
Brambleposter appoints Bristlefrost as the new Deputy. This shows that if in benefits him, he will disregard the code all together.
This is a lot like Darktail. He wanted his Kin to follow the rules he set, but would not follow them himself. Last times something didn’t go Hawkfrost’s way, it turned real bad for him. Either way, this says a lot about the Brambleposter – that he will do whatever it takes to get his way.
Molewhisker then speaks up about the Brambleposter’s decision. Brambleposter then tells him, “My word is the code.”

Ch. 16

Pg. 206
“… but to realize that whoever is controlling his body is so vicious, and has been plotting this for so long?” -Puddleshine
“And planning to control all of us, …” -Tigerstar
This sound eerily familiar to Darktails original plan. We know that he has always loathed the Clans, Onestar being his father, too! When Darktail was alive, he wanted to take over the Clans. While it doesn’t seem like the Brambleposter is trying to control all of them at the moment, he could just be taking smaller steps, learning from his past mistakes. Ashfur never really had a reason to take over the Clans. Really, he was just being extremely jealous. Hawkfrost wanted to take over RiverClan, and probably every other Clan after that. And while he was alive, we know that Hawkfrost was plotting to control the territories.

Ch. 17

Pg. 212
“Whoever is inside him now is lazy, … he wants the glory of leading the Clan, but he doesn’t want to do the work. And he clearly wants to disrupt the peace between the five Clans.” -Squirrelflight
Darktail was lazy, and wanted glory but no work. And his main goal was to disrupt the Clans. Ashfur at least was willing to put in the work to get what he wanted, but he never really wanted to disrupt the peace, only expose Leafpool and Squirrelflight. Hawkfrost was mostly told what to do by the first Tigerstar, while he took all glory.

Pg. 213
“Then what about Darktail? … He clearly wanted to disrupt the peace when he was alive.” -Mothwing
“The time I spent with the false Bramblestar doesn’t fit with what I remember of Darktail. … Darktail was hungry for power – but he seemed to have strict control of his Kin, too. Half the time, this Bramblestar was almost indifferent to the rest of ThunderClan.” -Squirrelflight
This right here destroys all my accusations toward Darktail. I don’t really have much of an answer for these quotes, as I can’t remember a cat like this.

Ch. 18

Pg. 221
“My former mate and deputy, Squirrelflight… is dead.” -Brambleposter
‘Bristlefrost realized he was still grieving.’
Is the Brambleposter pretending to grieve for her, or is he truly sad? We know Ashfur loved Squirrelflight, but we also know the Brambleposter is doing Bramblestar’s complaining. Hawkfrost never had any feelings toward Squirrelflight either.

Ch. 19

Pg. 240
“He remembered what the false Bramblestar had said about the connections between worlds… if a cat was clever enough to find them.” -Shadowsight
This could tell us that the Brambleposter is from a different area entirely. The first thing that comes to mind is the old SkyClan territory at the gorge. The second place is of the old Clan territories, and the last the group of cats living in the mountains. The only villain I can remember from one of these that had blue eyes is Scourge.

Pg. 242
“…Shadowsight could see the surface of the Moonpool… …then the mound he was clinging to must be a barrier.”
This was more than likely the work of the Brambleposter. This means that’s the Brambleposter has to have been in the Dark Forest or StarClan, which Darktail nor Scourge went to. So if it is either of them, that means they have found a way to get into one of these places. If it was Ashfur, then he found a way to get from StarClan to the Dark Forest and back.

Ch. 21

Pg. 268
“… but I only heard distorted voices, and saw only the haziest figures, no more than a blur. Our warrior ancestors were still there, but it was like they were fading into nothing.” -Harestar
This is the scene right after Harestar lost a life, and all of the Clan cats realize that the Brambleposter was lying to them about StarClan as well. Harestar was unable to truly speak to the StarClan cats because of the barrier around the Moonpool.

Pg. 271
“You’re… you’re alive?” -Brambleposter
Tigerstar had just attacked Brambleposter, and Squirrelflight stepped in to stop Tigerstar’s killing blow. Either the Brambleposter was faking his surprise, or he truly is sorry for what happened and happy that she is back. I don’t believe that Darktail was capable of love. Ashfur loved Squirrelflight, and would do anything to have her back. But I don’t think that Ashfur has the ability to do what the Brambleposter is doing now. And Hawkfrost wouldn’t let a crush get in the way of his plan.

Ch. 22

Pg. 275
“I came back… for you.” -Brambleposter
It was this line that probably led many to believe that Ashfur is the Brambleposter. But, as I have stated before, I don’t really think Ashfur is capable of doing everything the Brambleposter is now. So then… this leads me to believe that that even now, the Brambleposter is still doing Bramblestar’s muttering

“I’m starting to think theres something familiar about this fake Bramblestar… But I can’t quite put my paw on what it is, or who it might actually be.” -Squirrelflight
At this part in the book, Im sure many people were screaming Ashfur. Squirrelflight does say that something about him is familiar. But she also knew Hawkfrost a little bit, and she may be thinking of him as well.
Pg. 276
‘So many warriors dead or injured because of that evil thing inside Bramblestar.’ -Shadowsight
Was Ashfur evil, or jealous? Darktail was evil, but as Squirrelflight stated on page 213, the Brambleposter doesn’t act like him. Also, it doesn’t make sense that the authors would bring Darktail back as the main villain right after we just got done with him in the previous arc. Hawkfrost was most definitely evil, plotting to kill a leader and take over a Clan.

Ch. 23

Pg. 289
“I know who has taken over Bramblestar’s body!” … “And if I’m right, it’s even worse than we thought.”
And this is where it leaves us. Heres what we know about the Brambleposter so far:
He has blue eyes
Evil intentions
Supposedly came back for Squirrelflight
They had to have at least been to the Dark Forest, how else would they have trapped the Moonpool?
They can see spirits (technically though, it’s a spirit.)
He obviously wants control of the Clans
This is a villain from past books!!!
As I said before, it wouldn’t’ make sense for Darktail to be the Brambleposter. Bringing him back so soon would be a little boring. Ashfur checks off at least three points from the list above. And, as I have said a couple of times, Ashfur was more jealous than evil. Plus, he was admitted to StarClan, as he never actually succeeded in his evil deeds. This doesn’t mean though, that he doesn’t withhold some evil intentions. Also, the Brambleposter is doing much worse things than Ashfur could possibly even dream of.
Hawkfrost checks off almost all of the points on the list. He was a villain from past books who had his plans ruined by Bramblestar. When he was alive, he wanted to control RiverClan, which was his evil intent. Plus, he had the first Tigerstar working behind him. Hawkfrost went to the Dark Forest, too.
I also said that its a possibility that the villain isn’t even from the lake territories, but instead maybe the SkyClan gorge, the mountain cats, or the very first territories. I’m thinking of Scourge, one of the very first villains. He had blue eyes and definitely wanted to control all the Clans. What doesn’t add up is why he would miss Squirrelflight.
Since Scourge did not believe in the Dark Forest or StarClan, that means he didn’t go to either of those places. So, that leads me to believe he is a ghost or spirit, much like Spiresight. The Brambleposter even tells us that “… spirits can always recognize other spirits.” and that “there are ways to move between those worlds, if one is clever enough.” If Scourge never went to the Dark Forest, he never participated in the Great Battle, which means he probably hasn’t died a second time. So this leads me to believe that Scourge is a possible suspect, even though he probably didn’t know Squirrelflight.

So, after all this, I have taken Darktail, Ashfur, Hawkfrost, and Scourge as my top suspects. Ashfur is the one most likely to be the Brambleposter, with Darktail being the least likely. I am not saying that one of these cats is for sure the Brambleposter. I have just gathered evidence to support my theories. As I am aware, none of these cats could be the Brambleposter at all. Thank you for reading, and let me know what you think!

Larkfeather