Analyzing and defending Feathertail and Crowpaw’s relationship by Mountainstorm

Mountainstorm defends Feathertial and Crowfeather’s brief romance.

Hello kits, apprentices, warriors, elders, medicine cats!
Welcome back to another article of me trying to make the FeatherXCrow ship set sail again!
In this article, I will be analyzing and defending Feathertail and Crowfeather’s relationship- prove that it would have worked out- and why this is one of the best ships in the warriors books. So let’s begin!
Crowfeather first appeared in Ravenpaw’s path, as Crowkit. Ravenpaw and Barley found him trying to climb onto the Great rock, curious of what it would be like to be leader at a gathering. They took him home where his mother was relieved that he was safe. As an apprentice (about to be made a warrior), he was chosen by his father, Deadfoot, who was in StarClan, to represent WindClan on the journey to the sun-drown place.
Feathertail first appeared in Forest of secrets, as Featherkit, just kitted at sunning rocks. They took her to ThunderClan, then they are carried back to RiverClan to be raised there. When Tigerstar took over RiverClan, he wanted to kill Featherpaw, because she was half-clan. (ThunderClan and RiverClan) He would have too, if Firestar, Greystripe, and Ravenpaw had not rescued her and her brother, Stormpaw. She stayed in ThunderClan for a while, and fought in the battle against BloodClan, helping kill Bone with the other ThunderClan apprentices. Then she moved back to RiverClan, where she had a very hard time fitting back in. She finally started to make friends again, and accept that these cats had changed, when Oakheart chose her to represent RiverClan on the journey to the sun-drown place.
This is where Crowpaw and Feathertail meet. Feathertail is the one who convinces the difficult, angry apprentice to come along on their journey, when at first, Crowpaw didn’t want to come.
They are off! Feathertail helped calm Crowpaw many times when he was angry, and saw the good side of him when no one else did. She gave him a chance when one else did.
They soon became close friends, and slowly started to fall in love. My heart melted when Crowpaw did this to Feathertail:
“Steady.” Crowpaw came up and bent over Feathertail, rasping his tongue over her ear. “Just ignore the old fool. We’ll make a plan to get out of here ourselves.”
-Midnight, page 272
Crowpaw was already starting to return Feathertail’s kindness. Now, when it’s Feathertail’s turn to be upset, Crowpaw is gentle and supportive, willing to show his kind side to his companions just to calm Feathertail.
They soon reached the sun-drown place, then, after listening to Midnight the badger’s warning, and getting some herbs for Tawnypelt’s injured shoulder, they headed back to the forest. They went across the mountains this time, and soon arrived at the Tribe of endless hunting, but not before Crowpaw saved Feathertail’s life.
The Tribe of endless hunting kicked them out, but held Stormfur hostage, for they thought he was the silver cat who would save them from the mountain lion, Sharptooth.
While the journeying cats waited for night to fall so they could rescue Stormfur under the cover of darkness, Feathertail and Crowpaw had some alone time together. Feathertail started to teach Crowpaw to fish, and this was the moment that everyone knew: Crowpaw and Feathertail were truly in love! My heart melted once again, and I had a smile on my face for the rest of the week.
When they went back to rescue Stormfur, Crowpaw saved Feathertail again! They rescued Stormfur, and as they ran away, it is mentioned many times that Crowpaw and Feathertail were standing so close to each other they fur brushed.
But Stormfur wanted to return to the tribe and kill Sharptooth. So back they went, but their plan to stuff deathberries into a piece of prey for Sharptooth to eat failed, and Crowpaw was about to die, the fierce mountain lion about to kill him. And Feathertail could not let her love die. She could not. So Feathertail sacrificed herself for Crowpaw. She exchanged her life for his. She let breath leave her body and her spirit rise to the stars so Crowpaw’s would not. It was her love that saved him, and her love that made Jayfeather, Hollyleaf, and Lionblaze happen. It was her love that would never end for him.
When they got back to the forest, Crowpaw loyally says that without Feathertail, they would not be here, and later even wants to commit suicide to join his love in StarClan.
Crowpaw, soon after made a warrior, requested that his warrior name be Crowfeather, in honor of Feathertail. Tallstar agreed. This is so sad and wonderful at the same time, showing how unwilling Crowfeather was to let go of Feathertail.
In Crowfeather’s trial, Feathertail saves him again from freezing to death in the snow, and visits him in his dreams, giving him advice, and showing her deep love for him, even many moons after she had died.
Alright! Now let’s get to the defending part!
*Goes into FeatherXCrow defending mode*
Probably the main thing the people hate about this ship is that it was “just a crush”, “It wouldn’t have worked out” and “Feathertail was too old for Crowpaw”
Let’s start with this:
1. Feathertail was too old for Crowpaw.
No. This is not true. I said it in previous articles, I will say it again. In the beginning of A shadow in RiverClan, Featherpaw is made a warrior. That is at the end of Green-leaf. Leaf-fall, and Leaf-bare pass, and the story ends at the beginning of New-leaf, when Oakheart visits Feathertail in a dream. Yes, there is a slight mistake here, since in the chapter books it says Feathertail got her dream at the end of Green-leaf, not the beginning of New-leaf. But it still doesn’t make Feathertail much older. Crowpaw says that he is about to be made a warrior, when they ask him to go on the journey to the sun-drown place with them. So, I think Feathertail is about one year or younger then Crowpaw. Brambleclaw was made a warrior about two moons before Squirrelflight was even born. Yet they are mates, and nobody judges them that they are “too old” for each other. Or Fernsong and Ivypool. Nobody hates them because they are too old for each other, even though the age difference between them is more than between Feathertail and Crowpaw.
Feathertail and Crowpaw are perfectly good for each other, they are not too “old” or anything like that.
2. This must look horrible, because Feathertail is so much taller and bigger than Crowpaw!
Feathertail can’t be much taller or bigger than Crowpaw. Most cats stop growing at 12 moons old (I looked it up!), and apprenticeship in warriors lasts about six moons. Adding the time while Crowfeather was a kit, (six moons) he was probably older than 12 moons due to his delayed warrior ceremony, when he fell in love with Feathertail. So Crowfeather probably stopped growing already, and reached his full height. And on the pictures he is with Leafpool, Crowfeather is taller and bigger than her, while on most pictures of him with Feathertail, Crowfeather is portrayed much smaller and shorter than her. Well, this isn’t true! Crowpaw was either as tall and big as Feathertail (because he might have not finished growing, though that’s very rare in cats) or he was taller and bigger, which is the most likely answer! Don’t hate this ship because the female is bigger than the male! Because, number one, they can still be happy together. Size and age don’t really matter. And number two, this isn’t true.
Moving on!
3. FeatherXCrow is just a crush!
No. This isn’t true either.
The Erins confirmed that Crowfeather loved Leafpool just as much as he loved Feathertail. So…LeafXCrow is a crush too. I don’t think people think this about Leafpool and Crowfeather. Or do they? Well, if they don’t, then FeatherXCrow isn’t a crush.
This is a part from Feathertail’s death scene:
Her eyes focused on Crowpaw, and Stormfur saw in them a lifetime of love for the difficult young apprentice, enough to sweep their Clans’ rivalry away forever. “Think I have nine lives, do you?” She whispered. “I saved you once…don’t make me save you again.”
“Feathertail…Feathertail, no!” Crowpaw could hardly get the words out. “Don’t leave me.”
“I won’t.” Now her whisper was scarcely audible. “I’ll always be with you. I promise.”
-Feathertail, to Crowpaw
Feathertail felt enough love for Crowpaw that it would sweep the Clan’s rivalries away forever? Doesn’t sound like a crush to me!
And if what Stormfur felt for Squirrelpaw was the crush, then what can you call Feathertail and Crowpaw’s love, which was much more intense?
4. But they barely knew each other!
Actually, Feathertail and Crowpaw spent more time together than Leafpool and Crowfeather. Think about it. The journey to the sun-drown place lasted about two moons, and the whole two moons Feathertail and Crowpaw barely left each other’s side. While Leafpool and Crowfeather met five times, then ran away for about two days. Then they did see each other at gatherings, but they didn’t go and speak to each other, or anything like that. They could just look at each other- nothing more. So Feathertail and Crowpaw’s relationship is much more developed, and they knew each other and their personalities a lot more than Leafpool and Crowfeather. They did know each other.
5. Crowpaw hadn’t developed his full personality yet! When Crowfeather was with Leafpool, he was so kind and sweet to her! That was his full personality!
Well, we didn’t see much alone time with Crowpaw and Feathertail, because Feathertail only had a few pages with her perspective. But they did go hunting lots of times, alone, just the two of them. We never knew what was happening. Was it really just hunting, or something more?
We saw Leafpool and Crowfeather alone together more then once, but not Crowpaw and Feathertail, so how can we know for sure that Crowpaw treated Feathertail differently then Leafpool? We can’t know for sure, so it would be better if we didn’t assume stuff.
And then it only took a few days for Crowfeather to develop his full personality? There isn’t much time difference between the time Feathertail and Crowpaw were together, and when Leafpool and Crowfeather were together. So one day Crowpaw is just a silly apprentice, and a few days later he is a serious and loving warrior? Personality needs time to develop. Much more than a few days or weeks. And let’s be honest, how much had Crowfeather’s personality changed? When he was an apprentice, he was snappy, bitter, angry, lost his temper quickly, but deep down, he was kind. When he was a warrior, I think his personality remained the same.

Alright! That’s it for now!
I know there will be a lot of disagreeing in the comments, so for the next three months I will be preparing myself to defend these two!
I had lots of fun writing this, thank you so much for reading!
Till the next gathering!