Who is the Dark Forest leader? by Jaypaw

Jaypaw wonders who could be the leader of the Dark Forest.

Hello! Jaypaw here, and I’ll be discussing who I think the DF leader is.

Theory One:
If I’m being honest here, I think it’s Mapleshade, and not just because I like her. At first, it was a tie between Tigerstar and Mapleshade for me. But then I read Omen of the Stars where Ivypool is hanging around the Dark Forest. I can’t quote exactly, but a few times the books mentioned how a lot of the other Dark Forest cats seemed terrified of Mapleshade, including Tigerstar. Plus, at one point, when the Dark Forest senior warriros had a meeting, Mapleshade sat up the highest, which might mean she’s of a higher status than the others. Tigerstar told her what to do a few times, and she listened, but I still think she is the leader.

Theory Two:
Maybe it could be Tigerstar. He seems the most vicious and ruthless out of all the Dark Forest cats. He is willing to kill if a cat even LOOKS at him the wrong way. Hawkfrost obeys without question, and Brokenstar seems to almost worship him. So does Darkstripe, but that isn’t really new.

Theory Three:
Mapleshade might be the leader of the Dark Forest, but she’s old, right? Like, she’s literally fading away, she’s almost transparent. So possibly, Mapleshade IS the current leader, and the reason she sometimes obeys Tigerstar is to have him gain authority. And for the same reason, the others are terrified of him. Maybe Tigerstar is…. well, a deputy of sorts. Once Mapleshade fades away completely, he might take over.

Theory Four:
Maybe Tigerstar and Mapleshade are joint leaders. They rule together, and occasionally obey one another. They seem to be the strongest Dark Forest cats, so they probably joined together in a truce of some sort, and used their cleverness, strength and intimidation to rule the cats through fear. Probably the only reason they two are still alive are a) they are the strongest cats in the Dark Forest, b) they have a truce, and c) the other would probably kill any cat who laid a claw on one of them. (Plus, they’re all probably too sacred to try anyway).

There’s my four theories on whether its Mapleshade or Tigerstar who rules the Dark Forest! Hope you enjoyed!