Clan Leaders and the Constant Waste of Nine Lives by Cherryflight

Cherryflight discusses how nine lives are wasted by leaders.

WARNING, SERIOUS SPOILERS!  

Heyyyyy it’s Cherryflight! This is my first article, and I’m so excited to share my opinions on warriors with you! Anyways, in this article, I’ll basically be explaining my confusion over why leaders die faster than warriors. I’ve thought about this a lot in the past but never actually put words to it, but the truth is, I don’t get it.  

Think about it! Warriors are CONSTANTLY throwing themselves into battle, relentlessly fighting to protect their clan. Yes, sometimes leaders fight too, but it would have to be an important battle.  

Another thing, Clan leaders have NINE LIVES while warriors only have one, but somehow certain leaders lose their nine lives faster?! Clan leaders are trained the same way as the other clan cats, and are normally very strong, smart, brave, etc. Still, though, they often make choices that put them in danger which causes them to lose a life.  

You could argue that the leader might be older, but that doesn’t change the fact that they have nine lives. You could also argue that sometimes leaders lose all nine lives at once, but I’m not going to go into that right now just because that is a WHOLE other topic.

Honestly though, there are plenty of cats that died before other warriors. Such as Bluestar and Mousefur, Blackstar and Ratscar, Onestar and Crowfeather. But I decided to select the one that I had the most to say about.  

Here it is………… 

Firestar died before Graystripe. I know this is an obvious choice, but it proves my point. Firestar and Graystripe were around the same age, and they trained together as apprentices.  

They both went through a lot! Firestar had to get rid of the dogs, fight BloodClan, endure the destruction of the forest, then the great journey, he lost several lives over several different things, including when he was caught in the fox trap by Hawkfrost. Even after that, Firestar still fought in the battle between StarClan and the Dark Forest losing his final life. Graystripe had a lot to endure too though, he fought in battles of his own, (mental and physical.) He had to watch Silverstream die and then deal with the after-effects. He was captured by Twolegs while saving Leafpool and several other cats. SOMEHOW, he managed to survive and return to the NEW ThunderClan territory only to find Brambleclaw (Bramblestar) in his place and for good reason. HOW DID THIS GUY NOT DIE UNTIL WAY LATER?! He was sure an amazing cat.  

Now, a scene from The Sight (pg162):  

-Firestar flicked his tail. “Where did they take you?” Graystripe didn’t answer. He was staring at Firestar. “So, you didn’t wait for me.” Pain flashed in Firestar’s eyes. “I couldn’t.” Graystripe dipped his head. “You could not risk the Clan by keeping them in the forest.” Firestar leaned forward. “If it had been only my life at stake”—he glanced around the Clans, then lowered his voice— “I would have waited.” 

(This scene didn’t have much to do with my points, but I love it so much I couldn’t resist putting it in, it definitely does explain the ongoing friendship and trust between these two cats.) 

Anyhow, Graystripe was captured by TWOLEGS and somehow returned, with a new mate. So, Graystripe (a warrior), lived longer than Firestar, (a leader).  

I hope you like this article! Like I said before, this is my first and I hope to write more soon. Let me know what you think! (Also, if you have any suggestions for other articles you’d like me to write, let me know that too. I’m open to different opinions) Byeeeeeeeeee!