Why I don’t want Ashfur to be the imposter by Icechill

Icechill shares why they don’t want Ashfur to be the antagonist of The Broken Code. Note: this article was written before Darkness Within came out.

*This is a revised version of my old article, ‘What is up with Bramblestar’, and I go more in depth clearly*

It is no doubt at this point in the Broken Code that Ashfur is the imposter (unless the Erins were deceiving us the entire time). There are multiple hints to why, and a lot of people have already stated them so I won’t go into detail (blue eyes, Shadowsight in soot, love for Squirrelflight, etc).

However, even though Ashfur was a great character during the Power of Three, I don’t think he would be as brilliant in the new series, The Broken Code. So far, I’ve loved the concept of mystery and deception in the series, but bringing back an old character who’s story line already finished is quite annoying for me.

In the Omen of Stars (correct me if I’m wrong), Jayfeather is angry that Ashfur is in Starclan, but Bluestar calmly tells him this:

“Perhaps [Ashfur] did a lot to bring it on himself, perhaps not. It is not StarClan’s place to judge him. If he found his way here, then he must deserve to be here. That is what we all have to believe. […] How can we say that Hollyleaf deserved to be in StarClan and Ashfur didn’t, or the other way around? Things are different here. Some cats forget parts of their life that they don’t want to remember.”
—Bluestar to Jayfeather about Ashfur, The Forgotten Warrior, pages 180-181

In a later book (I forgot), Ashfur is seen in Starclan, peacefully talking with Hollyleaf. Hollyleaf says that she ‘bear no ill feeling towards him’ and she thinks he has changed. Now if Ashfur is happily in Starclan, sharing tounges with his murderer, why would he suddenly go pyscho two series later to wreak havoc on Squirrelflight? Either we’ve all be duped this whole time and Ashfur ISN’T the impostor, or plot convenience.

Now, this is getting a *little* off topic, but who WOULD be the impostor if Ashfur wasn’t him?

Maybe it’s Sootfur! You know, when Shadowsight had that visison of SOOT falling on his FUR, it mean Sootfur! I was a little curious, so I did a little research, and apparently his mother, Willowpelt, died to a badger in Firestar’s Quest, when he was only an apprentice, orphaning him because his father, Whitestorm, died in the battle of Bloodclan. Sootfur himself died in the New Prophecy, mauled to death by, you guessed it, A BADGER.

This might be stretching it a LITTLE too far, but maybe Sootfur hated Midnight because she was a badger, and was incredibly angry when the Clans listened to her and befriended her in the Great Battle, so he impersonated Bramblestar? Sootfur didn’t have to have some personal beef with Bramblestar to posses him, he could have just done it because Bramblestar was leader.

There is just one whole in my Sootfur theory, which is he has amber eyes. BUT he looks like Ashfur a lot. Anyways, take anything I say with a grain of salt, because it’s just my opinion! 😀

– Icechill (also Jayfox)