In the Defense of Feathertail by Meadowpaw and Phoenix

Meadowpaw and Phoenix defend Feathertail.

Greetings to all who love waffles or hate waffles or don’t really care about waffles. We, Phoenix and Meadowpaw, present to you an article that will forever be in the faithful defense of Feathertail…

Feathertail is one of the most revered spirit warriors in the series, yet showered with a hateful ferocity by several in the fandom. I, Phoenix, and my apprentice, Meadowpaw, am speaking to all of you, each and every one of you, in her defense.

Feathertail is mainly hated for being a Mary Sue and a so-called “boring” character, but then again, those who despise her also believe her to have many flaws, such as overreacting way too much and holding grudges for way too long.

Now, before you begin on how we had just stated some valid reasons to despise her, let’s give ourselves a moment to think about what she’s been through. Featherkit was raised without a mother, and her father, Graystripe, was exiled out of RiverClan, leaving her without parents. Her foster mother was kind to her, but even before Tigerstar’s terrifying reign in ShadowClan, many had stared at her, an innocent child who had done no harm, with cold suspicion, and treated her as such.

When Tigerstar joined RiverClan with ShadowClan and threatened to murder her and all her loved ones because of who her parents were, right before he demands the successful murder of Stonefur, Featherpaw’s leader, Leopardstar, a cat she thought she could trust with her whole life… she breaks her fragile trust, doesn’t object, and allows Stonefur to be killed right in front of her; I repeat, an innocent child is watching a loved one be slaughtered in cold blood, out in the open for her eyes to see. Featherpaw is suffering and crying, and an “honorable” leader lets her. Her Clanmates cheer for Stonefur’s death, and then cheer for hers.

What would you do, if all that happened to you? Would you not be less trusting as well? Would you not hate the people who hurt you?

Now, in fantasy, most people would try to avenge. They would fight back. They might even kill Tigerstar. Some people might cry, and remain distant, but for the most part, they would quickly pick up their feet and stand bravely against — or for, as shown with Stormfur — the future.

Feathertail isn’t like most people in fantasy worlds… but, in an almost reassuring way, she’s quite like most people in reality. She faces an incredibly tragic childhood and falls into a state of depression, pushing others way, remaining overly cautious, barely talking… but, slowly but visibly, developing into a stronger character — that is, a character who has persevered through many challenges and has learned to face her future openly, and with courage and resilience.

In our opinion, that is definitely, absolutely not a dull kitty <3

Now, before we close this article, we’d like to note that, while it’s true that she has a horrible past to look back to, those who do not hold Feathertail with high regard do have valid points, and her actions, whether explained or even justified by the books, still exist.

But let’s also keep this in mind: every character has a spark, right? That beautiful spark of a flaw, whether big or small, that adds the slightest touch of reality into the fantasy of this wild forest. And I think that Feathertail’s spark is indeed in her flaws. The perfection in her character is smashed into pieces… in exchange for a creative, inspiring, and perfectly flawed personality she possesses today. And keep this in mind as we continue: just like Feathertail, our defense for her is not perfect. It’s filled with cracks, flaws, mistakes, and maybe, just maybe…

Maybe, instead of her courage or strength or heroic actions, these same flaws are what truly keeps Feathertail beautiful <3

Thank you for reading, and have an absolutely amazing day!
~ Meadowpaw and Phoenix