Deducing The Fault of Longtail’s Death by Oakpaw

Oakpaw takes a look at the events leading up to Longtail’s death.

Hellooo, BlogClan! It’s Oakpaw (Oaky) here with my very first article! I’ll be deducing whose fault it was that Longtail died, so if you haven’t read up to Omen of The Stars, beware of spoilers!

Let’s begin with how he died. A beech tree began to fall into ThunderClan’s camp, so the cats evacuated. However, Mousefur, one of the elders, wanted to retrieve a mouse from the camp as she believed it would be dishonoring StarClan if they just left it there. She was “forced” to remain behind but Longtail bravely raced into the camp, with Briarpaw behind him, to fetch the mouse. The tree fell completely and not only killed Longtail but paralyzed Briarpaw’s hind legs. The entire Clan mourned his death, and Mousefur constantly blamed herself for Longtail’s death. Many readers have simply said “Oh yeah, it’s all Mousefur’s fault that Longtail died”, but I disagree. Now, let’s get on with the points…

Mousefur was going to retrieve the mouse herself. That’s why she sort of hung back rather than immediately rush out of camp like the rest of the Clan. They urged her to hurry, but when she didn’t listen to Longtail trying to stop her, Longtail rushes to fetch the mouse himself and is killed by the tree. Now, did Mousefur ever really tell Longtail “Could you go grab that mouse please?” No! She was trying to get it herself, so if anything, Longtail sort of got in her way. Longtail took the risk he didn’t have to and faced the consequences of death. Mousefur blamed herself for his death anyway, and heavily grieved for a while until Purdy’s comforting was able to help her cope with the loss of her good friend.

So now we’ve got that covered. We know it wasn’t really Mousefur’s fault that Longtail died. So whose was it? The next suspect is… *drumroll* StarClan! Yes, our warrior ancestors. StarClan has the power to send signs to living cats through dreams, or through physical things that hold a message. Example: Spottedleaf guiding Mousekit, Berrykit, and Hazelkit to a butterfly so that Leafpool can deduce the truth about Mothwing’s beliefs. StarClan is known to send clouds to cover the moon during a Gathering if they are angry with something the Clans are doing, such as strong verbal usage and/or physical fighting. We can also remember that in Rising Storm, some of the warriors comment how StarClan has sent rain to put out the fire in the forest (not completely sure if that’s true, but it’s EVIDENCE.). If StarClan can change things physically, that means they could have stopped the tree from falling down. Some people actually think it was thanks to StarClan that the tree fell so slowly, but it was only because the roots were being pulled on, causing the tree to very, very slowly fall over. StarClan could have sent that beech tree falling as a sign, perhaps saying it was Longtail’s time to die. And they couldn’t have told Briarpaw to follow Longtail; she was just being a good cat and intended on helping Longtail. Also, didn’t StarClan sort of make the rule in the warrior code that you should honor prey and always give thanks for its life…? Therefore, Mousefur was just following the rules that StarClan created. So maybe it was StarClan’s fault Longtail died!

I guess I’m out of suspects, so let me think for a minute… oh yeah! Lionblaze. This theory isn’t very strong, but I still have thoughts on it. Lionblaze had spotted Mousefur turning back to retrieve the half-eaten mouse in the elders’ den as it was dishonoring StarClan, and Lionblaze doesn’t really do anything. It had been him, Longtail, and Briarpaw who first noticed Mousefur’s attempt to get the mouse. When Longtail told Mousefur he’d get it himself, Lionblaze didn’t chase after him, howling it wasn’t safe; Briarpaw did. In result, Briarpaw got permanently paralyzed and Longtail died. I guess Lionblaze thought he was too important with the prophecy and everything to go in and get the mouse himself. A shame, I know, because he’s actually described as not only a good fighter but also very fast. Then again, Longtail was also known to be speedy and lithe.

In defense of Lionblaze, he was truly important to the Clans, and if it had been him instead of Briarpaw (later Briarlight) who got paralyzed, he wouldn’t have been very useful in the Great Battle. So, I guess at the end of the day, I blame StarClan for Longtail’s death. But that’s just my opinion. Let me know what you think in the comments! Oaky out! (Sorry it’s so long TvT)

*curtains close and applause starts*