Mousebrain takes a (playful) look at Graystripe’s negative actions over the course of the series.
![[in a realistic art style, Graystripe is enshrouded in shadows as he snarls]](https://blogclan.katecary.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Graystripe.FG-4.webp)
[in a realistic art style, Graystripe is enshrouded in shadows as he snarls]
*THIS ARTICLE IS MOSTLY INTENDED TO BE A JOKE… mostly. *
We all know Graystripe, the LOYAL, KIND and COMPASSIONATE warrior of Thunderclan. He is the first cat that Rusty meets in the clans and was Firestar’s best friend. However, his actions do not account for his immense reputation. Here is a share of the sins that Graystripe has committed that I will go over in this article:
– Neglecting Brackenpaw
Graystripe never actually trained an apprentice. He is the most irresponsible cat the clans have ever seen, but all of a sudden, people act like he is so trustworthy and responsible? Firestar appoints him as deputy and he even takes control of the clan as temporary leader several times throughout the story, but he never did anything to deserve this trust. When Fireheart and Graystripe got apprentices, Fireheart did all that he could to make Cinderpaw into a warrior, while Graystripe went of galloping into Riverclan territory, pretending to be “sick” and lying about going to hunt. Graystripe barely even looked at Brackenpaw, and definitely didn’t train him. Fireheart had to train Brackenpaw in his place for most of the apprenticeship, but Brackenpaw apparently forgets this and lies “Graystripe taught me everything I know.” This seems rather suspicious, don’t you think? Perhaps Graystripe was pulling some strings behind the scene to convince Brackenpaw to blatantly lie when he was pretty much never there for Brackenpaw’s entire apprenticeship.
– Not Helping Fireheart With Anything Ever
Ravenpaw didn’t just tell Fireheart about Tigerclaw killing Redtail, he told Graystripe about it as well. Ravenpaw trusted Fireheart and Graystripe to handle the issue and protect Thunderclan from Tigerclaw’s treachery, as they were the only ones that trusted him. Now Fireheart, being a reasonable individual, thinks about this and how to expose Tigerclaw for who he is. He devices a plan to find out what happened at Sunningrocks to prove to Bluestar that Tigerclaw lied and was plotting something dangerous. What does Graystripe do? He brushes it aside and ignores it, refusing to help Fireheart on the matter and barely batting an eye to the events occurring around him. Fireheart had to deal with Tigerclaw alone as he had no allies, because Graystripe was too busy in his own treacherous ways to care.
– Leaving Again (Super Edition)
I won’t get into too much detail on this, but he leaves Thunderclan in their time of need again in his old age. All this cat can seem to do is betray and disappoint.
– Neglecting his Own Children
By this point, some people may be saying “All Graystripe ever did was love too much, maybe he values his family?” And to them I say NO, you fools, you clowns, Graystripe doesn’t value his family at all. He only thinks about his children that he had with Silversteam, even after Feathertail died and Stormfur left to the Tribe of Rushing Water. However, he neglects and forgets about the kits that he had with Millie, When Briarlight is struggling with her disability, who isn’t there? Graystripe. When Bumblestripe is being weird and obsessive, who isn’t there? Graystripe. When Blossomfall feels neglected and devoid of attention, who isn’t there? Graystripe. Graystripe can’t even remember who his children are, so at one point he even believed that Mistystar was his own kit. Mistystar is several moons older than Graystripe. If that doesn’t prove something, I don’t know what will.
– The Silverstream Saga (several crimes in one package)
Graystripe has a forbidden relationship with Silverstream. This is perfectly acceptable, forbidden relationships are perfectly fine, it breaks the warrior code but it is a perfectly valid reason for doing so. No problems there. When Fireheart confronts him about this, telling him that he is ignoring the rest of his life to be with Silverstream and that he should meet her less often, or that he should be more careful, Graystripe attacks his concerned friend. He didn’t even know about the Cinderpaw situation until much after it happened, because he was too distracted. That is an issue. When Silverstream dies, because Graystripe didn’t call for a medicine cat and Fireheart and Cinderpelt had to arrive instead, Graystripe is mortified. One could almost feel sympathy for him, before he makes the worst decision yet. He takes his kits, and moves to Riverclan, for NO REASON AT ALL. He is not a Riverclan cat, his kits may be half-Riverclan but they are also Thunderclan and Thunderclan would have fought for them. He just decides that he wants to leave his own clan, the clan he fought for, the clan that fought for him and his kits, to go to an enemy clan because his mate was from Riverclan. He obviously can’t even commit to this as he betrays Riverclan and returns home a traitor, but he leaves his kits in Riverclan, giving Riverclan two valuable warriors for no reason and separating himself from them.
CONCLUSION:
In conclusion, the verdict is clear. Graystripe is an awful cat and doesn’t deserve the respect that he gets. He is utterly irresponsible and should not be in any position of power. Graystripe lacks any sense of loyalty to anyone but himself and is as selfish as a cat can be. If any cat deserves to be in the Dark Forest, it is him.
Anyways If you liked this article, or if you hated this article, please let me know in the comments! – Mousebrain
I pretty much 100% disagree with this, whether you’re joking or not. Graystripe had his faults, and made his share of mistakes, but he is fundamentally a good cat. He risked his life and freedom for others, repeatedly and died a hero’s death at a ripe old age.
My defense of Graystripe:
https://blogclan.katecary.co.uk/2023/12/09/elegy-for-graystripe-by-whitewhiskers/
I pretty much 100% agree with you. I’m just pointing out some of his consistent faults (his irresponsibility) that go ignored by the plot as he is given more and more responsibility and roles without proving that he deserves it.
Even if he did help others and die a hero’s death, you can’t ignore that he is consistently irresponsible. Here are some examples:
– He didn’t train his only apprentice (and still became deputy).
– He doesn’t help Fireheart with the Tigerclaw Issue (even after being asked).
– He leaves his clan.
– He neglected his children with Millie completely.
You can like a character without being blind to their flaws.
I’ve never thought about all the mistakes Graystripe made piled up like that, but I don’t think he deserves the Dark Forest because even though he did some mouse-brained things doesn’t mean he’s evil. He wasn’t the smartest cat, but the requirements of StarClan don’t include being smart, so I don’t think he shouldn’t go to StarClan.
Anyway, the article is really well written and convincing. I definitely agree that he was very stubborn and not that responsible, but he wasn’t the Tigerstar 1.0 type of cat, so I think he didn’t deserve the DF. ANYWAY x2, great article! 🙂
Even if this is mostly a joke, it still manages to bring up some very good points, and I quite enjoyed reading it. Great article!
Great article! I agree!
We all have some sort of liking for Graystripe, but why is this right lol?
I don’t actually think Graystripe deserves to go to the Dark Forest, I was joking and… clickbaiting (sorry)
What I do think though is that Graystripe doesn’t deserve the respect and reputation he has at least in the beginning and is consistently irresponsible.
Well, you can have opinion, but whether you’re joking or not, I think Graystripe is a great cat and friend. I don’t think he deserves the Dark Forest! Not at all! But you have a good point of view!