Why Alderheart is more Interesting than you might Think by Floofpaw

Floofpaw analyzes Alderheart’s character.

Hello fellow Blogclanners! Today, as the title suggests I will be analyzing Alderheart’s character! I find the fandom likes to portray Alderheart as an anxious, kindhearted cat who will always stick up for what he believes to be right- and he is! However, I also feel that he possesses many traits that often are not considered in people’s opinions and that he is not viewed quite exactly the correct way by much of the fandom. I will be pulling quotes from AVoS to demonstrate my point. So sit back, relax, and enjoy this insanely long article. (You don’t have to read it all in one sitting! Take a break if you need to! :P)
SPOILER WARNING: This article contains major spoilers for A Vision of Shadows. I marked off the specific books though, so if you have only read part of A Vision of Shadows you can still read part of this article even if you are uncomfortable with spoilers! :]

-THE APPRENTICE’S QUEST-

Quote #1
“‘Well, I still think we ought to hunt now,’ Sparkpaw retorted, bristling in turn. ‘Last time I checked, we can’t fill up on herbs and bits of chewed-up bark!’
Alderpaw lashed his tail in frustration. I’m supposed to be in charge, but Sparkpaw still thinks she can boss me around. And she’s arguing with an elder!”
-The Apprentice’s Quest, Page 122
Alderpaw and Co. have left to find Skyclan. Shortly before this quote, Sparkpaw misses a squirrel and suggests that they stop to hunt. Alderpaw thinks she just wants to prove what a good hunter she is after botching the catch and vetoes the suggestion. Sparkpaw continues to argue, but, interestingly enough, Alderpaw’s main qualm about the debate is not the impracticality of Sparkpaw’s suggestion, (they have a long way to go and should try to keep going on traveling herbs as long as they can before needing to hunt) but her challenge to his authority, as shown above. My interpretation of this is that Alderpaw, for all his doubts and uncertainty, enjoys being in charge. He seems to like being involved in decision making and having authority, despite his internal doubts about his capabilities. I think this makes a very rare and interesting balance in his character that is seen in very few characters in warriors, or indeed any book.

Quote #2
“But Alderpaw couldn’t understand why Darktail seemed so unfamiliar with the way the clans lived. Have they really wandered so far away from the warrior code?
Then understanding started to grow inside Alderpaw, like a flower unfolding from a bud. Perhaps the prophecy meant something different from what he had thought at first. Maybe Skyclan was ‘in shadow’ not just because they lived in a distant and forgotten place, but because they had lost their connection to the warrior code, and everything that made clan cats different from rogues.
So it must be my task to guide them back again, and clear the sky!”
-The Apprentice’s Quest, Pages 210-211
I’m detecting a lot of warrior superiority here… Also some parallels to real life colonization, which has a tendency to really mess places up. Alderpaw’s intentions here are good, but he perceives ‘Skyclan’s’ different traditions as being bad and inferior to those of the lake clans. I’m not saying this makes Alderpaw/heart is a bad cat. (Admittedly some of ‘Skyclan’s’ traditions appear as bad to me as well given their poor treatment of the elderly, sick, and very young, and the group of cats are not even Skyclan anyways, but I’m still detecting colonizer-y vibes.) I would just like to point out his steadfast traditionality and failure to understand cats with different ways of life or opinions than him. I think this actually makes him a very well rounded character and more interesting than many people realize. I’ll talk more on this later with more quotes.

Quote #3
“‘Daylight warriors?’ Alderpaw asked, mystified.
‘Cats who came to hunt and train with us warriors during the day,’ Mistfeather explained. ‘Then at night they would go back to their twolegs.’
‘You mean they were kittypets?’ Alderpaw was so outraged he could hardly get the words out. ‘You let kittypets into your clan?’”
-The Apprentice’s Quest, Pages 220-221
This is probably a much better example of Alderheart’s extreme traditionality, since letting kittypets into the clan is not necessarily inherently bad and this can be more accurately interpreted as closed-minded. He refuses to accept Skyclan’s traditions because he views kittypets as inferior and quite frankly useless. (More on that later…) Interestingly enough, kittypets joining clans is the very thing that caused him to exist in the first place, which I think is a wonderful missed opportunity for character development. Does Alderheart believe he shouldn’t exist? Is that where all of his self doubt comes from?

Quote #4
“‘I’m not joking.’ Needlepaw halted and turned to face [Alderpaw]. Amusement was glimmering in her green eyes, but her tone was serious as she added, ‘We need to find a kittypet.’
‘A kittypet?” Alderpaw was outraged. ‘Are you feeling okay? I don’t think there’s an herb for a cat with bees in her brain.’”
-The Apprentice’s Quest, Page 247

(For context this is after they are separated from the rest of the group and are trying to find them again. Needlepaw thinks a kittypet might be able to tell them where they can cross the river and might even have seen their companions.)

…Remember when I said he thought kittypets were useless? This is what I meant. At the very suggestion that a kittypet could be in any way useful, Alderheart bristles and calls Needlepaw an idiot. This is proof that Alderheart not only thinks kittypets have no place in a clan, but are entirely inferior and completely useless. I find this very interesting given that his grandfather (without whom he would not exist) was once a kittypet, and for Starclan’s sake his grandfather was Firestar. This is never touched upon, but, confronted about this, I would imagine Alderpaw/heart would tell us that it doesn’t apply to him because he was in a prophecy. Why was he in this prophecy? Literally because he’s orange. So Firestar can be useful and cool even though he was once a kittypet because of his pelt color? That has nothing to do with him; it’s just genetics. Am I saying Alderpaw/heart is a hypocrite? No. (But I might later.) It’s not his fault he has kittypet blood, just as Firestar’s orange-ness has nothing to do with Firestar personally. But what I am saying is that if you dig deep down, Alderpaw/heart’s beliefs mean that he possibly believes he shouldn’t exist, as I touched upon earlier. Either that, or he is indeed a hypocrite. Two very bleak options, at least one of which should have been touched upon in the books and sadly was not. And his vehemence towards kittypets goes even farther than that.

-FINAL ANALYSIS OF THE APPRENTICE’S QUEST-
I like Alderpaw/heart’s character growth in this book. (WOAH IT’S CHARACTER GROWTH WE DON’T SEE THAT EVERY DAY IN THE WARRIORS SERIES :O ) I enjoyed reading his start as a nervous apprentice hardly out of the nursery and his character arc of growing into a more confident cat and realizing his leadership abilities. I also like how well rounded of a character he’s shaping out to be, with his awkward nervousness and self doubt, but then his stubborn traditionality and respect for Starclan and the warrior code.

-THUNDER AND SHADOW-

Quote #1
“Tawnypelt looked apologetically at Leafpool. ‘Young cats don’t seem to have any respect these days.’
Young Shadowclan cats, Alderpaw thought crossly. He resented being lumped in with arrogant furballs like Sleekpaw.”
-Thunder and Shadow, Page 18
I think I’m detecting a little bit of Thunderclan superiority here… It would appear that Alderpaw thinks of himself as above the apprentices in Shadowclan because he’s more respectful of his elders and the warrior code. (And because he’s in THUNDERCLAAAN) I mean I’m not claiming I don’t like Alderpaw more than Sleekpaw but it’s still kind of an arrogant thought. Admittedly, literally everyone in Thunderclan is guilty of it at some point (except for Nightheart but this article is not about him and he’s just weird.)

Quote #2
“Alderpaw nodded, ignoring the guilt worming through his belly, Surely Violetkit’s happiness was more important than clan rules?”
-Thunder and Shadow, Pages 32-33
Y’all are like Floofpaw what I thought you were trying to show us things about Alderheart we hadn’t already realized, and I am. Mostly. I’d just like to point out that however much Alderheart cares about the rules, he cares about the well being of other cats more. I’m not going to point out every time Alderheart thinks something like this though, because we already know this about him for the most part.

Quote #3
“Alderpaw shifted uneasily. He was trying to ignore the envy pricking in his paws. Sparkpelt deserved her warrior name. She’d been a great apprentice from her first day of training. Cherryfall and Brackenfur had announced that she had performed brilliantly in her assessment, cathing a pigeon and two mice and outwitting Cherryfall in a mock fight with a battle move she’d thought up herself. And yet Alderpaw couldn’t help wishing that he was standing beside her in the clearing instead of watching.”
-Thunder and Shadow, Pages 124-125
Alderpaw, although he knows he shouldn’t be, is jealous of Sparkpelt for her warrior name. I feel this contributes nicely to my earlier theory that Alderpaw/heart, despite his internal doubts, actually enjoys being in the spotlight and having influence. Not much more to say here.

Quote #4
“Onestar’s hackles lifted. ‘So we’re going to do nothing?’ He stared at Bramblestar in disbelief. ‘These cats killed my clanmate.’
And took one of your lives, Alderpaw thought darkly. And drove Skyclan from the gorge. He couldn’t help feeling that Onestar was right to want to do more to fight the rogues.”
-Thunder and Shadow, Page 186
Shortly before this quote, Bramblestar expresses concerns for Violetkit’s safety in a battle with the rogues, reasoning that they could easily kill her if they attempted a rescue, and yet Alderheart wants to do something anyways, despite his obvious compassion towards Violetkit. I find the fact that his vehemence for the rogues is stronger than his concern for Violetkit very interesting and I believe it shows us that Alderheart is definitely a big picture kind of guy, for putting what he believes to be the good of the clans above the safety of one kit.

Quote #4
“‘It’s everyone’s battle! These are the rogues who drove Skyclan away.’
‘So?’ Bramblestar’s shoulders sagged.
‘Don’t you care about Skyclan?’ Why was his father giving up so easily? ‘They may be part of the prophecy!’
Bramblestar faced him in the deserted clearing. ‘Skyclan is gone,’ he meowed. ‘The sooner you accept that, the better.’
Alderpaw watched his father walk away, shock pulsing in his paws. Did Bramblestar really believe that? He glanced at the sky. Starclan! Would you really let Skyclan disappear without giving us a chance to save them?”
-Thunder and Shadow, Pages 245-246
This is one of several instances in the book of Bramblestar refusing to look for Skyclan and Alderheart being unable to understand his decision; despite the fact that, although incorrect, it is currently the most practical choice with rogues troubling the clans and given that it could prove unwise to weaken the clan by sending a patrol, especially with the possibility of yellowcough spreading to other clans and the unlikeliness of finding Skyclan without further guidance from Starclan. I think it highlights his steadfast loyalty to Starclan and unwillingness to admit, for the time being, that there is nothing he can do and what a determined, stubborn character he is.

Quote #5
“Alderpaw followed, glancing nervously at the Windclan deputy, who watched [Alderpaw and Jayfeather], betraying no expression. After his trip to the Windclan camp with Leafpool, he didn’t trust any of Windclan. Perhaps they all shared Onestar’s rage and paranoia.”
-Thunder and Shadow, Pages 322-323
Remember when I said I might call Alderpaw/heart a hypocrite later? Well, I am now! Previously Alderheart was annoyed at being lumped in with arrogant furballs like Sleekpaw/whisker, but now he is lumping literally all of Windclan in with mousebrains like Onestar and essentially stereotyping them based on his leadership tactics. Which admittedly sucks. But I think this, combined with Alderheart’s extreme vehemence of rogues and kittypets, shows us that at times Alderpaw/heart can actually be a very prejudiced character who jumps to conclusions about certain groups. Almost everyone is guilty of this sometimes, and I believe that as the arc progresses he grows out of it somewhat, maybe due to character growth or maybe due to him slowly losing importance and turning into cardboard (I think the latter).

Quote #6
“Leafpool blinked at Alderpaw. ‘Puddleshine doesn’t need to witness your naming ceremony to know what a good medicine cat you will be. He has always respected you.’
Even though he’s been saving lives while I’ve been rolling herb bundles. Alderpaw pushed away the prick of resentment, realizing that he wouldn’t want to swap places with the Shadowclan medicine cat.”
-Thunder and Shadow, Page 373
Alderpaw/heart (although again he knows he shouldn’t be…) is jealous of Puddleshine for his importance despite Puddleshine’s life being far harder than his. I think this adds nicely to my theory that Alderpaw/heart definitely enjoys being in the spotlight and being important despite his internal doubts.

-FINAL ANALYSIS OF THUNDER AND SHADOW-
I don’t believe Alderpaw/heart has as much character growth in this book. This is probably because his importance is fading to make way for Twigpaw/branch and Violetpaw/shine and hence they put most of his character development into The Apprentice’s Quest. I personally don’t like his transition into more of a supporting character because I feel that he is more interesting than Twigbranch and Violetshine put together as I am highlighting in this article, but that is my personal opinion and I can see how it helped the plot progress. But, lack of character growth aside, I feel that he still gives us plenty of windows into his complex personality, albeit not quite as important as before.

-SHATTERED SKY- (This section also has spoilers for the second half of AVoS!)

Quote #1
“‘If the prophecy is about Skyclan, then every cat should know about them. After all, the prophecy was given to all the clans, not just to me.’
Bramblestar hesitated before replying, and Alderheart felt his belly tense with worry. I’m sure it’s time for the secret to be told, He thought, But what if Bramblestar refuses? Can I go against the orders of my father, of my clan leader?”
-Shatterd Sky, Pages 27-28
Alderheart, as we know, is a huge stickler for the warrior code. Yet he is considering breaking it by defying his clan leader because he believes it would be for the good of the clans. This is further proof that Aldeheart, for all his warmth and compassion, really has a tendency to look at the bigger picture insead of the individuals and has these kinds of thoughts more often than one might think.

Quote #2
“‘Rowanstar’s got a lot of nerve,” Cinderheart mewed quietly to Lionblaze. ‘Expecting Thunderclan to fight his battle for him.’ With a flick of her tail, she added, ‘If most of the Shadowclan cats want Darktail to be their leader, maybe Thunderclan shouldn’t be fighting for Rowanstar at all. Is it really our business?’
Shock and confusion spread through Alderheart from ears to tail-tip. Starclan chose Rowanstar to be leader, and gave him nine lives, he thought. To refuse to defend that would be a violation of the warrior code.”
-Shattered Sky, Page 51
Alderheart is shocked at the very suggestion that maybe this isn’t Thunderclan’s battle because it breaks the warrior code, ignoring the validity of what Cinderheart is saying. What good is driving out Darktail if Shadowclan goes with him? Of course Cinderheart is wrong and doesn’t know that many cats in Shadowclan are having second thoughts, but they drove out Darktail only for Rowanstar to completely fail at resurrecting his clan, temporarily declare it nonexistent, give up and return his nine lives to Starclan, and promptly die. They fight on Rowanstar’s side, and still Shadowclan is nearly lost forever, so I believe Cinderheart’s arguments do have some validity, which Alderheart refuses to see due to his loyalty to the warrior code.

Quote #3
“Alderheart gazed at [Violetpaw], reflecting on how serious she was, and how she had needed to grow up so quickly. She’s so different from Twigpaw. I wonder what would have happened if I’d been able to convince the leaders to let us keep Violetpaw in Thunderclan, back when they were split up at their first gathering. She’s seen so much since that day.
But Alderheart quickly pushed away any regret, telling himself it had all worked out for the best.
If she weren’t living among the rogues, we wouldn’t have had a cat to help us, he told himself. And she’ll have a good life when we win- and we will win. I can’t let myself believe any differently.”
-Shattered Sky, Page 186
Partially what Alderheart is doing here is just trying to aleve his guilt for not trying harder to keep Violetpaw with her sister, but I don’t think that’s all there is to this internal dialogue. He reflects on all the trauma Violetpaw has been put through so early in her life, her childhood essentially ruined, and thinks that it was all for the best as it worked out for the good of the clans. I believe this may be one of the strongest examples of Alderheart looking at the bigger picture that there is.

Quote #4
“Sparkpelt raced across the clearing and plopped herself down beside Alderheart. ‘This is it!’ she exclaimed, her eyes shining with excitement. ‘Bramblestar must give the order to attack.’
‘Wait and see.’ Alderheart murmured. ‘We still don’t know what Starclan meant about remembering our names.’
-Shattered Sky, Page 268
Alderheart is uncertain that the time is right to attack the rogues, despite the warriors having the might of all five clans on their side and having enough numbers to soundly defeat the Kin. He wants to wait until they understand Starclan’s prophecy, hanging onto his ancestors’ every word even though their advice is tactically unnecessary and the rogues need to be driven out as soon as possible before they can cause any more trouble. Of course he figures it out before the attack anyways, but this still highlights his stubborn trust in Starclan despite their vagueness and tendency to goof things up.

-FINAL ANALYSIS OF SHATTERED SKY-
In Shattered Sky, I really feel like we get a great image of Alderheart’s bigger picture personality. Despite caring intensely about individual cats and their wellbeing, he consistently puts the needs of the clans overall over the needs of any one cat, even Violetpaw or Twigpaw. This, combined with his enjoyment of authority mixed in with self doubt, actually gives him very good leadership qualities. A good leader doubts themself sometimes but never truly gives up, something Alderheart demonstrates many times in The Apprentice’s Quest. A good leader also cares about each individual cat in their group while putting the needs of the group overall above the needs of any one cat, which, as stated above, Alderheart consistently does. He honestly could have been a leader in another life, if the Erins’ plot had played out differently. I’m glad he’s not though, because I think we’ve all seen what happens to cats who become leaders- their character gets wrecked, and their personality becomes subject to constant change based on the needs of the plot. (Cough, Bramblestar, cough.) I wouldn’t want Alderheart to be sacrificed to that.

-DARKEST NIGHT-

Quote #1
“Alderheart swallowed. ‘Then what do you think should happen to them?’ He was scared of her answer.
She glanced at him, her eyes sharp. ‘They should go back where they came from.’
Alderheart could hardly believe his ears.
‘Darktail has left the gorge now,’ She went on. ‘They can go back to their proper home.’
‘But what about Starclan?’ Alderheart spluttered. ‘My visions? Don’t they mean anything to you?’
-Darkest Night, Page 24
Alderheart (Because he’s a faithful boi <3) is shocked that Sparkpelt has a different opinion than him about Skyclan and refuses to see the validity of what she is saying. (Am I saying validity to much in this article? Maybe. Deal with it. 😛 ) Think about it: Why does Skyclan really need to stay by the lake? Why can’t they just go back to the gorge, except for Starclan micromanaging them and striking things with lightning when they don’t cooperate, which they don’t yet know about. So from Sparkpelt’s current perspective, she doesn’t think fitting Skyclan around the lake is worth the trouble it brings, and without the storm Starclan sent, it wouldn’t have been.

Quote #2
“[Alderheart] blinked at her despondently. ‘You were right. Sparkpelt wants Skyclan to leave.’
Leafpool touched her nose to his ear. Her warm breath bathed him as she spoke. ‘Sparkpelt doesn’t speak for every cat,’ she murmured. ‘But if the clans do decide that Skyclan can’t stay, you must accept it.’
Alderheart bristled. ‘I could never do that!’
-Darkest Night, Page 25
Alderheart here is demonstrating that no matter what the clan leaders say, he could never learn to accept our understanding of another opinion besides his own (Or so he thinks…). I think this really highlights what a stubbornly faithful character he can be at times. (Although he does eventually learn to accept that Sparkpelt has a different opinion than him because CHARACTER GROWTH! :D)

Quote #3
“Alderheart’s pelt prickled with annoyance. Sparkpelt was flirting. How could she be such a featherbrain? She’d always been so ambitious about being the best warrior in Thunderclan. Why was she wasting her time acting like a dandelion-headed apprentice? Alderheart stalked past her. He still hadn’t forgiven her for speaking out against Skyclan at the last gathering.”
-Darkest Night, Page 72
…Wow. Alderheart is legit holding a grudge against Sparkpelt for having a different opinion than him. Definitely shines a light on how Alderheart views opinions different from his as ‘wrong’ without taking the time to understand them, especially when it has something to do with Starclan. He also appears to be angry with her for having a crush. Sparkpelt can have a crush if she wants to and in fact, if she wants to spend time with him she can do that too. My analysis of this is that Alderheart is jealous that she is allowed to have these feelings and he, as a medicine cat, is not. I feel these qualities I’m highlighting in this article just make him a more complex and interesting character and in fact like him more than I did before I started this article.

Quote #4
“Alderheart’s pelt prickled with irritation. Skyclan got driven from their home and ended up nearly dying. Twigpaw saved them. He glared at Hawkwing. She should be training you.”
-Darkest Night, Page 74
My oh my, am I detecting Thunderclan superiority? Skyclan is driven from the gorge and found by a Thunderclan cat, (now ex-Thunderclan) and Alderheart is resentful towards Skyclan for understandably making her complete a short Skyclan apprenticeship. If you ask me, he is also angry at Hawking/Skyclan for taking Twigpaw from him. Again, more jealousy.

Quote #5
“Alderheart’s pelt prickled. ‘Why don’t leaders understand that Starclan is their best ally?’ He grunted. ‘Patrols and borders,’ he muttered under his breath. ‘That’s all leaders care about.’
-Darkest Night, Page 149
Medicine cat superiority! Alderheart is essentially viewing the leaders of the clans as petty, squabbling children (I mean he’s right but this quote still has an air of lofty superiority about it.) and below him and the other medicine cats, which is an extremely disrespectful thought, not to mention ironic given that the leaders have a higher rank than him and are in charge of an entire clan.

Quote #6
“As the forest thinned and the land opened into rolling meadows, he narrowed his eyes. The twoleg dens dotted the hillside where it dipped toward the lake. Would twolegs still be here now that greenleaf had cooled into leaf-fall? He didn’t want to find Twolegs, but if there were no six toed cats among the clans, perhaps he’d find one here among their kittypets.
It’s a dumb hope.”
-Darkest Night, Page 189
Previously I said he was entirely opposed to the idea that a kittypet could be useful in any way, but it appears this opinion has lessened slightly although he still thinks it’s likely his search is a waste of time. I think he’s had a partial change of heart because some kittypets helped fight against Darktail, although this character arc is never touched upon or implied in the actual books because the Erins are just SUPER great at being consistent. But based on his previous prejudices and his current actions, I think this is the most logical interpretation. CHARACTER GROWTH! Kind of…

Quote #7
“Jasper leaped to his paws and faced Sparkpelt and Alderheart, his eyes flashing with shock. As he backed away, Alderheart felt relief flood him, and yet his pelt prickled with embarrassment. Medicine cat or not, he should have been able to defend himself from a kittypet.”
-Darkest Night, Page 196
It would appear Alderheart’s prejudices are not completely gone. Despite his attacker being far larger than him and most likely actually having some experience in beating people up, he thinks he should have been able to defend himself because he’s a clan cat. I hate to break it to you Alderheart, but a title won’t make you weigh more.

Quote #8
“Alderheart kept walking. He felt mean. [Sparkpelt had] just saved him and he was acting ungrateful, but he couldn’t shake the embarrassment from his pelt. Was she going to tell their clanmates that she’d had to rescue him like a kit?
Sparkpelt blocked his path. ‘What’s wrong? She gazed into his eyes anxiously. ‘Are you annoyed with me?’
Thoughts flashed like shooting stars through Alderheart’s mind. Where should he start? She had wanted Skyclan to go back to the gorge after he’d spent moons finding them. She’d been so busy flirting with Larksong like a feather-headed apprentice that she hadn’t even noticed that Alderheart had hardly spoken to her in a moon. And now she had totally humiliated him and didn’t even realize it. He glared at her. ‘What’s wrong with you?’ he snapped. ‘We were always close. Now I feel like I hardly know you!’
-Darkest Night, Pages 197-198
So… if I recall, this argument started because Sparkpelt had a different but perfectly valid opinion about Starclan than Alderheart and he couldn’t understand that. He proceeds to be distant and grumpy towards her and he’s mad that she doesn’t pick up on his feelings because she’s busy flirting with Larksong. Is she supposed to be able to read his mind or something? (Also she ‘totally humiliates him’ by saving him from being pummeled…) It seems to me that this mess is almost entirely Alderheart’s fault, although he refuses to see this because he doesn’t understand how he, with guidance from Starclan, could possibly be wrong about anything. Of course, he and Sparkpelt proceed to make up because Alderheart has character growth and realizes he’s being a mousebrain. Don’t you just love character growth? I wish the Erins would use it a little more often…

Quote #9
“[Alderheart] stared desperately at Leafpool. ‘This is all wrong!’ He breathed.
She gazed at him, her eyes like dark pools. ‘There is nothing we can do but listen for Starclan.’
Starclan! Anger choked Alderheart. Starclan’s meddling had caused this storm. Why should he believe that they would fix it?”
-Darkest Night, Page 270
Heeey, look at that! Alderheart’s faith in Starclan isn’t completely unwavering after all. It would appear that he is feeling betrayed that he trusted Starclan to guide his paws and all that came of it was Shadowclan’s (temporary) extinction and is beginning to see that all they really do is screw everything up. Of course, a grand total of 32 pages later after no character growth at all he has a complete turnaround of this thought and is back to his usual self, yelling at anyone who doubts Starclan. Because, um, consistency. Definitely. Yeah. Hooray.

-FINAL ANALYSIS OF DARKEST NIGHT-
In this book, we get amazing windows into some of Alderheart’s flaws through his dispute with Sparkpelt. We get to see his inability to admit when he’s wrong and his air of medicine cat/Thunderclan superiority, as well as his underlying jealousy towards Sparkpelt for being allowed to have a crush. And then he has character growth and he realizes that he can be wrong sometimes and that, yes, believe it or not, Sparkpelt is allowed to have a crush. And even his undying faith in Starclan is briefly shaken! I really love his development in Darkest Night and I think it may have been the most interesting book for this article’s purposes yet.

-RIVER OF FIRE-

Quote #1 (Big quote up ahead :O )
“At the entrance to the nursery Twigpaw was crouching, peering out at the sky. ‘Are you as worried about this as I am?’ she asked, as Alderheart slipped into shelter and stood shivering.
‘Maybe,’ Alderheart responded, his voice a bit sharper than he intended.
It was less than a half-moon since Twigpaw had come back from sneaking off to Skyclan camp, excited at the idea [that she and Violetshine] had come up with, to persuade Tawnypelt to become the leader of a rebuilt Shadowclan. Sparkpelt and Bramblestar had both been furious with Twigaw.
It sounded like Tawnypelt and some of the other former Shadowclan cats were intrigued by the idea. But it wasn’t a Thunderclan apprentice’s job to challenge the leadership of other clans.
I understand she’s concerned, Alderheart thought. But even I have to admit she really overstepped. Shadowclan is none of our business.
He was a bit hurt, too, that Twigpaw hadn’t taken his advice, or seen fit to talk over her idea with him before heading off to Skyclan. I’m a medicine cat, and I would have told her that no cat can install a new leader without Starclan’s approval.
‘Did you hear anything about Shadowclan at last night’s half-moon meeting?’ Twigpaw asked.
The question did nothing to make Alderheart feel friendlier toward her. The meeting at the Moonpool was medicine-cat business, and it was up to them how much they revealed.“
-River of Fire, Pages 148-149
I seem to be detecting more medicine cat superiority! Alderheart appears to be viewing Twigpaw as an unknowledgeable, silly apprentice, when really everything he says about Starclan is stuff Twigpaw could probably infer on her own. (I mean she is an unknowledgeable, silly apprentice who despite being old enough to have her warrior name acts like a six moon old apprentice if you ask me, but I do understand that many people do not view her this way and this quote is still full of medicine cat superiority.)

Quote #2
“‘You’ll have to excuse Fuzzball,’ Velvet mewed, dropping the piece of fur she was carrying. ‘There’s nothing between his ears except for dreams of clan cats, so he’s very excited to be here.’
‘That’s all very flattering,’ Bramblestar meowed, giving [Fuzzball] a harassed glance. ‘But the clans don’t take in kittypets. It’s for your own good,’ he added, as Fuzzball’s whiskers drooped dejectedly. ‘It’s a different life here in the forest, and kittypets aren’t prepared for the dangers. You’ll have to leave.’
Alderheart couldn’t bear to see the disappointment in the kittypets’ eyes, particularly Velvet’s. ‘Look at them,’ he told Bramblestar. ‘The she-cat is wounded. They’re covered with soot, and obviously exhausted. They must have traveled a long way to ask for our help. At least let me treat Velvet’s wound before we send them back to their twolegs!’
-River of Fire, Page 156
Although we have addressed that maybe Alderheart’s opinions about kittypets have changed slightly after shattered sky, we have also noted that he still thinks of warriors as superior to kittypets and doesn’t think particularly highly of the latter. So it seems to me that he probably ought to be agreeing with Bramblestar based on his current beliefs. Of course, Velvet is burned and Alderheart as a medicine wants to help her, but I don’t think that’s the root of the issue given that Alderheart is very heavily noted to find Velvet attractive on the few pages surrounding this one. (Plus, he still wants them to stay even after her burn is treated.) So I’m just going to say it: Alderheart is ok with Velvet and Fuzzball staying with Thunderclan largely because one of them is a pretty she-cat. So I am again calling him a hypocrite. Would it have been wrong to turn them away? Certainly. Did Alderheart stick up for them for the right reasons? It’s debatable.

Quote #3
“‘Really?’ Jayfeather sounded surprised and relieved. ‘You weren’t thinking you might go with Velvet to the twolegplace?’
‘No,’ Alderheart responded. ‘I was thinking about how to say goodbye.’
Jayfeather gave his shoulder fur a couple of awkward licks, clearly finding it difficult to respond. ‘Thank’s Alderheart,’ he meowed with a clumsy dip of his head. ‘That’s good to hear.’ He took a pace backward and disappeared into the den.
Alderheart watched him go, letting out a purr of affection.
I know where I belong, he thought. It’s with you, you grouchy, difficult, dedicated furball. And with Thunderclan.”
-River of Fire, Page 239
Awww I love this conversation <3. (One of the few parts of AVoS I actually enjoyed.) It shows how dedicated to his clan and his job Alderheart is and Alderheart’s certainty that he belongs in Thunderclan is really heartwarming after all of his self doubt throughout the arc… which we’re almost finished with!

-FINAL ANALYSIS OF RIVER OF FIRE-
Although Alderheart is heavily declining in importance, I find he still has decent character growth in this book. He realizes the full extent of his devotion to his job and Thunderclan. I don’t have a lot to say because River of Fire didn’t have a lot of quality quotes, but I’m just astounded that Alderheart consistently has character growth in almost every book in AVoS. Erins, where was this talent when you were writing Twigbranch and Violetshine???

-RAGING STORM-

Quote #1
“What’s it doing? Alderheart watched in horror as the rabbit dropped the [deathberry] at its paws and began to nibble delicately as the flesh. Doesn’t it know that it’s poisonous? He thought all woodland creatures knew to stay away from deathberries. Their bitter tang betrayed the poison they carried. Perhaps it knows it’s dying and wants to end its suffering. It must be in a lot of pain to choose death. For the first time, Alderheart felt a twinge of sympathy for prey. Perhaps he should kill it himself. It would die quickly.”
-Raging Storm, Page 57
As I said sometime earlier at some point or another (This article is getting too long, help D:), I will not point out every time Alderheart has sweet, caring thoughts because ^, and also because we already know that about him. But I thought that this quote does a good job of showing how deeply Alderheart cares about all living things, to the point that he feels sorry for a sick rabbit infected by twoleg silverthorn. (Also I need to remind you he’s not a jerk (usually) and that you shouldn’t hate on him for the qualities I highlight in this article!)

Quote #2
“‘Have you got bees in your brain?’ Jayfeather hissed.
‘But I’ve seen it work! Nothing else is helping.’ Alderheart sounded desperate.
Alarmed, Twigbranch hurried to the medicine den and nosed her way through the brambles that trailed at the entrance. No one seemed to notice her. Jayfeather was cringing from a small pile of dark berries, which lay on a dock leaf at Alderhert’s paws. Leafpool’s pelt was bristling as she pressed protectively against the nest where Puddleshine lay. The Shadowclan cat’s eyes were glazed and dull.
‘How could you bring deathberries into camp?’ Leafpool stared at them. ‘What if a kit finds them?’
‘I’ll hide them where no kit can find them,’ Alderheart promised.
‘What if you get juice on your paws and walk it through camp?’ Jayfeather argued. ‘A kit might pick up some poison without anyone realizing.’
‘That’s not going to happen!’ Alderheart’s hackles lifted. ‘I know the dangers. I’m not going to risk any cat’s life.’”
-Raging Storm, Page 69
This quote highlights two things: First, Alderheart’s unyielding faith in Starclan. They send him a dream of a fire burning a forest and it growing back better and greener than before, which Alderheart interprets (Correctly, thank Starclan!) to mean that feeding Puddleshine deathberry flesh without the seed will cure his infection. No Starclan cats appear in this dream, and yet Alderheart’s conviction that his ancestors are guiding his paws is so strong that he is willing to use DEATHBERRIES to cure a patient, and even argue his point with more experienced medicine cats. Secondly, this quote shows us his character growth. Think about it. This requires faith, but it also requires self-confidence, something Alderheart is not known for. Could you imagine Alderheart having the courage to resort to deathberries at the beginning of AVoS? I certainly couldn’t.

Quote #3
“Alderheart blinked at [Sparkpelt] distractedly, barely seeing his littermate. His thoughts were racing. He had to tell Bramblestar about Skyclan in the seeds.
She stiffened. ‘What’s happened?’
‘Skyclan is gone.’
Sparkpelt shrugged. ‘Leafstar said they were leaving.’
Had she forgotten the vision? Why wasn’t she upset?
‘Don’t you know what this means?’
‘Peace, of course.’ She tipped her head, as though she didn’t understand why this bothered him.”
-Raging Storm, Page 214
…Didn’t we already clarify this? Again, Alderheart is failing to understand that Sparkpelt has a different opinion than him on Starclan despite the validity (There’s that word again…) of her belief. (If you don’t remember, go reread towards the end of the Darkest Night section. I’m almost done and I’m too lazy to rewrite the entire thing.)

Quote #4
“‘[Alderheart] shuddered. If parts of Shadowclan territory were underwater, what must Riverclan be like? Yesterday, the evening patrol had brought news of flooding around the river. After another night of heavy rain, the flooding must be worse by now. Starclan, protect them, he prayed, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that Starclan would have little sympathy for the stricken clan. They tried to warn us. Alderheart picked his way past the flooded ditches. Five saplings must stand together. Mistystar had chosen to ignore the warning. Did she expect to be unaffected by the storm now that Starclan was gone?”
-Raging Storm, Page 238
You’re darn right Starclan won’t have much sympathy, Alderheart! They CAUSED this storm. They were never warning the clans, they were making threats. And remember this is not long after they throw an absolute temper tantrum and strike Riverclan camp with lightning when they refuse to cooperate. Yet Alderheart has no significant resentful thoughts about either of these incidents, seeming to view them as almost justified. I think this definitely shows how extremely faithful Alderheart can be. Let’s also note that the twolegplace was also struck, meaning Starclan inflicted Velvet’s burn and very well could have killed her. Alderheart, it seems, will always trust Starclan no matter what they do, even pointlessly endangering the cat he kinda-sorta loves. (And yes, this is Starclan doing this. It has to be. The politics of cats don’t influence the weather.)

-FINAL ANALYSIS OF EVERYTHING-
Bravo! You’ve almost reached the end of my insanely long article. Since it’s been a good bit, (This literally took me weeks to write :P) let’s recap with a general summary of Alderheart’s personality.
.Alderheart is nervous and struggles with self doubt.
.Alderheart is a compassionate cat who cares deeply about his kin, friends, and clan.
.Alderheart, for all of his self doubt, enjoys authority.
.Alderheart is devoutly faithful to Starclan and trusts their word above all else, even his father and clan leader.
.Partially due to this, Alderheart has trouble admitting when he is wrong and sometimes refuses to see both sides of an issue.
.Alderheart can be prone to jealousy, although he feels guilty about this.
.It is possible Alderheart believes he shouldn’t exist due to his steadfast traditionality.
.Alderheart, despite caring deeply about individuals, has a tendency to look at the big picture instead of any one cat.
.Alderheart can be a hypocrite sometimes.
In conclusion, I believe Alderheart is a far more complex character than many people realize. I am not asking you to hate on him for this, but instead appreciate it. How many characters in the warriors series are as complex and interesting as I believe I have shown Alderheart to be? Very, very few. Through writing this article, Alderheart has ranked up to become one of the favorite main characters and I hope I have not made you like Alderheat any less, but caused you to view him in a different light. And that’s about it! I hoped you enjoyed reading this! I know I enjoyed writing it, even if I am exhausted. Floofpaw out! :]