[image description: Cinderpelt walks through grass and looks back over her shoulder]

Unfortunate Events/Accidents in Warriors Part 1 by Daydust

Daydust discusses some injuries in the series.

Art by Wayne McLoughlin (Warriors Illustrator)

Unfortunate accidents/events happen a lot. Whether it has to do with a natural disaster, or a cat being injured, they happen. Here’s my examination and personal opinion on many accidents/events and the story behind them. I will separate this into different parts 🙂

Part 1: Injuries
Injuries are very common in warrior cats. They can leave the cat paralysed, unable to be a warrior, or even dead. Let’s have a look at injured cats.
1: Cinderpelt
Famous injury with a great story!
A basic explanation: Cinderpelt is caught in a trap set by Tigerclaw/star and severely injured, resulting in her having to give up her warrior life and become a medicine cat. Yeah, we get that. We can have a closer look, though.
Tigerclaw wants to be leader, and in doing so has to become deputy and then leader. We know what happens next: He kills Redtail, Lionheart dies and he becomes deputy, and he makes plans to kill Bluestar. He doesn’t pull out one of these plans until the second book, when Fireheart gets his apprentice: lively little Cinderpaw. She wants to do everything for her Clan and could risk her life for it. Tigerclaw pulls out his first trap. He lies about there being ShadowClan scent on crowfood next to the Thunderpath. Cinderpaw pleads to go and check out the food, but Fireheart refuses. Cinderpaw sneaks out to find the Thunderpath. She rushes straight onto the Thunderpath, possibly with a shove from Tigerclaw. She gets hit by a monster and breaks her leg, a severe injury in Warrior Cats. She’s treated and gets better, but can’t be a warrior anymore.
It’s a little unbelievable, as how would a monster be coming along at that exact moment, and how would Tigerclaw know? If it was more realistic, Cinderpaw would have had a few seconds to scramble away and see Tigerclaw doing nothing.
Overall opinion: Unrealistic in a time and placement sense, but believable enough because cars hit cats all the time and Cinderpaw was a gullible apprentice, easily tricked into believing the ShadowClan crowfood lie.

2: Brightheart
Oh no! Trouble in the forest! Somebody has to save the day. But it’s dangerous.
Yeah, Brightheart. The cat who got a famed injury in A Dangerous Path. So we all know what happens: Dogs are attacking ThunderClan, and Cloudtail has just become a warrior. Swiftpaw is jealous, and decides to fight the dogs to become a warrior. Only Brightpaw comes along with him, but they don’t know what they’re in for. We have no idea what happens next, but we do know that a brutal battle goes on while the other cats walk cluelessly through the forest.
Brightheart ends up alive but severely injured. She is able to become a warrior with one eye and ear, though. It’s not too believable. Wouldn’t the other cats have heard their yowls? Pack dogs are generally smart, they probably would have checked to see if Brightheart was dead. If they did what the dogs would have done based on the book, the bodies would be in the dog’s bellies by the time the cats reached Snakerocks.
Overall opinion: Not very believable, check above for what I think ^^

3: Berrykit/nose
Fox traps are a problem! You should know that by now.
So Berrykit goes to find the fox traps. But him being a clumsy kit, he gets caught in it. He is severely injured and stays in what I believe to be a coma for several days.
His tail ends up becoming a deadweight, resulting in it being chewed off. He definitely suffered, but his tail only stopped him from climbing trees! He’s still a sufficient warrior and his tail has little chance of brushing against something while he hunts!
Overall opinion: Very believable, big chance that he could have been provoking another trap with a stick when one closed around his tail.

4: Jagged Peak
Ah, the best of the ancient cats in the forest! Clear Sky is a total jerk.
Jagged Peak moves to the forest with Clear Sky, but the forest has its dangers. Jagged Peak falls from a tree and breaks his leg!
Yeah. Cinderpelt stuff. But it’s even worse-Clear Sky kicks Jagged Peak out of his group. Jagged Peak has been prevented from becoming a hunter and fighter because he’s permanently injured, but finds his own ways to help.
Overall opinion: Very believable! Falling from a tree is easy, breaking your leg by falling from the tree and you’re a cat is very possible, and being kicked out of a territory by Clear Sky is completely believable because Clear Sky is a jerk.

5: Crookedkit/star
*sigh* What is wrong with Rainflower
So Crookedstar! Overall the best leader in RiverClan who broke his jaw as a kit, but learned to get along with it.
Sneaking out of the camp was a stupid idea, yes, but he was a kit. Goosefeather needs to learn the ages of cats. Goosefeather chases Stormkit and Oakkit away from Sunningrocks and makes them run across the stepping-stones. It would be OK if kits weren’t so clumsy and small, they could have leaped across easy-peasy! But they’re kits, and Stormkit slips and breaks his jaw before being “saved” by Mapleshade, and he learns to live with his injury.
Overall opinion: Very believable. Kits are small and clumsy, mostly unable to leap lengths of a tail-length! Plus, he was scared and misjudged the distance.

6: Strikestone
Don’t provoke the Sisters!
We don’t know too much about Strikestone’s injury, only that his patrol provoked the Sisters and they shredded his ear, making him unable to hear in that ear.
Overall opinion: Believable. Yeah, it’s easy to provoke the sisters, and they’re big strong cats, able to shred another cat’s ear.

That’s all for now! Daydust out.
Tell me if I left anything out, too!

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