Do We Need Ivypool’s Heart? Speculations and Theories by Wolfpaw

Wolfpaw speculates about what we might see in the upcoming Ivypool Super Edition and whether it will live up to fan expectations or not.

Hello, everyone! I’m Wolfpaw/whisper, and today I’m going to be covering one of the Super Editions, Ivypool’s Heart, theories and predictions, and my final opinion on whether we really need this Super Edition on our shelves.

As a reminder, we don’t know much, but there will be some spoilers for the Super Edition and prior main series books!

To start things off, we are going to start things off by reading the lengthy blurb from the official Warrior Cats website.

“It’s been many moons since Ivypool lost her daughter, Bristlefrost, to the Dark Forest, yet Ivypool can’t bear to move on. Even being named Deputy of ThunderClan feels meaningless in her grief. When Whistlepaw has a disturbing vision—one that could spell disaster for all the Clans—a group of cats is selected to go on a quest to investigate. Ivypool is happy to join their mission. Perhaps being away from her daily responsibilities will help her escape the painful memory of Bristlefrost’s death. The cats set out on an arduous journey, facing everything from painful hunger to bloodthirsty dogs. But nothing can prepare them for what they find: a disgusting twoleg den that’s caging a series of strange animals, including two who may have surprising ties to the Clans. In order to complete their quest and right a terrible wrong that goes back generations, the five Clan cats must help these creatures find their true home. But first, Ivypool must let go of the past, and her grief, if she is to have any hope of ensuring a future for the Clans—and for herself” (The Editor, Pg 3-6).

Wow. There is a lot to unpack here! First of all, it is blatantly stated that Ivypool is grieving Bristlefrost’s death. While this could leave some to believe that Bristlefrost may return, I do NOT think that this is the case. Firstly, it gives Ivypool a personal reason to go on the journey, possibly to spend time away from her Clan to grieve or come to terms with herself. This gives her already fleshed-out character even more depth that could be worked with in the Super Edition.
Another reason that Bristlefrost most likely won’t return is that it would completely ruin the emotional impact of her death in the dark waters. The series has been lacking some moments like this lately, and a magical artifact or blessing shouldn’t just erase this powerful death scene’s significance from our minds. Like I mentioned in my first reason, it would be a much better choice for the team to have Bristlefrost’s memory to be a motivating factor for Ivypool’s journey.

Speaking of a journey, the blurb mentions that Whistlepaw has a mysterious vision that could endanger the Clans. For anyone who needs a refresher, Whistlepaw is the current WindClan medicine cat apprentice. We don’t know too much about her, though. This is pretty big news! A WindClan cat having a remotely important role in the story? I don’t think I’ve seen that since… Arc 3. I may be forgetting something, but I do believe that it has been a really long time since a moor-runner has been in the spotlight.

Apparently, a group of cats will be sent over to investigate. There aren’t too many clues for this snippet of information, but a one-from-each-clan type of election is very possible. This can be hinted at by the inclusion of Whistlepaw, who we’ve barely heard of. This is further evidenced by the fact that there are five clan cats going on the journey- likely one from each Clan.

Moving on to the information about the journey, one thing that stood out to me was the description of the dirty Twoleg den that the cats find. It apparently houses exotic animals with surprising ties to the Clans. While reading this, you may have thought of lions and tigers. Not only are these big cats a part of Clan mythology, but LionClan and TigerClan fought in the very first arc, The Prophecies Begin.

However, another idea popped into my head. Could badgers be one of the strange beasts? Well, badgers have also had a large role in the series. Throughout the series, badgers continuously attack various Clans. Five super editions include a badger attack. Midnight was a VERY important character in The New Prophecy. This means that badgers really do have ties back to the Clans. However, it may appear that the entire “strange” part of the equation would stop this theory in it’s tracks. Wouldn’t the beast have to be something that most cats have never even seen before? Yes, and a honey badger fits the bill perfectly. While it is still a species of badger, it is fiercer, faster, and more dangerous than it’s forest counterpart.

Finally, the blurb states that the group must “right a terrible wrong.” I already dismissed the Bristlefrost theory, but there are probably still options that would count. Perhaps secrets will spill about another Clan’s troubles as the journey becomes harder and harder. Perhaps we could learn some more StarClan lore from Whistlepaw, for it is stated in Secrets of the Clans that WindClan has the strongest connection to their warrior ancestors.

With all of my speculations and theories out of the way, I am going to begin the process of debating whether or not Ivypool’s Heart should be anticipated with such high hopes. Did another cat deserve the spotlight? Let’s find out!

Now, the first reason why Ivypool’s Heart could succeed could simply be the fact that she is a fan-favourite character! This would easily make people snatch the book off of the library shelf to read it.

Another reason why the book could be great is it’s unique foes being introduced which I discussed earlier. Upon reading the blurb, I was intrigued by this concept. It felt fresh and new, which is something impressive for a series that is 20 years old!

The final reason why Ivypool’s Heart could live up to expectations is that it could potentially allow us to see into the lives of other Clans. Even though A Starless Clan has been really good about giving us a more diverse cast of characters… this was quickly and FRUSTRATINGLY narrowed down to two ThunderClan PoVs in Shadow. This book could give us more of that Clan-life ASC freshness that was so wonderful in River.

Now… onto the cons of having this book as a Super Edition.

I’m aware that not too many fans like the fact that Ivypool is being given a journey book as her Super Edition. While I like the journey books, personally, they’re not very well paced sometimes, which could make a ~500 page super edition feel like a chore to sit through all of that possible filler.

This could seriously tarnish Ivypool’s reputation if the book isn’t written well. She is already a beloved character, and if we readers are unlucky, Ivypool could be ruined for some die-hard fans.

Finally, my biggest problem with this Super Edition, Ivypool is already a PoV in the main series. This frustrates me because other cats have their stories to tell, like Nightstar and Heathertail. And Ivypool is already a really deep character who has had her adventures in the Dark Forest.

In the end… I hate to have to do this, but I’m going to have to say that there are just too many possible outcomes for me to handle. Really, the outcome is in the writer’s hands. On one end, we could get a slow, boring, book that tarnishes Ivypool’s reputation forever that could have been replaced with a much better, more interesting protagonist and story. However, we could get the masterpiece that so many fans want. All we can do is wait for the release.

I’ll see you in my next article, Wolfpaw out!