Transcript
Speaker: This is Never Grow Up, a show where two grown-ass adults discuss their love of middle-grade fiction. I'm one of your hosts, Laura. And I'm your other host, Jerrica. Jerrica, are you ready to talk about warriors? I just knocked some books over. They're not warrior books. Oh, wait, I knocked them over.
Speaker: I just pushed it a little bit. I got really excited, so I flailed. No, I know i just.
Speaker: Just go back to our earlier conversation. are I said the words to Jerika, I need to stop buying books, and it blew her mind. well because it's Because I have like a wall of books in my room, like between my computer desk and everything else. It's very difficult to get over, and I have a wall of books next to my bed. Makes it very difficult to get out of bed.
Speaker: i feel like... Your ideal situation would be literally like surrounded by books completely. Yeah, but there was one time when I fell on my ass on my books and i was really scared about damaging them and my ass. But thankfully, I only damaged my ass, so it was okay. Yeah, that that that can heal.
Speaker: Yeah, exactly. Well... Duh, but, think you know. Well, books can- may have problems for the rest of my life because i fall on my hardwood floor, but, you know.
Speaker: I can walk. Oh my gosh. I really want to climb a rock wall, but that is not about warrior cats. You know, it is about warrior cats. Well, I'm thinking about things that I can't do because I got knocked over when i a dog was excited for me to pet him.
Speaker: right. Okay. Well, that's how I fell originally and hurt my tailbone. ah He knocked me right over. He was really excited.
Speaker: Well, as he should have Yeah, exactly. um I forgive him. He just wanted pets. But this is called Rising Storm. And it's the fourth book in the First Warrior series. And this one is by Kate Carey, which means...
Speaker: It's going to be heartbreaking, except all of them in the first series are heartbreaking. Well, from this point on, all of them in the first series are heartbreaking.
Speaker: Rising storm, huh? that It rises up and it fucks everything up, you know? Okay, well, let's let's see.
Speaker: Okay, so this was published. Oh, no, this was published January 6th. We don't like that date anymore. Yeah. ah But it was published in 2004, so it was before all the really bad stuff was happening.
Speaker: Oh, wow. I was only nine years old when this came out. That's crazy. i was 22. Let's Because old. twenty two ah um let's see i'm old The site came out in 2007, and that's when I caught up with them.
Speaker: I was about 12 when I started reading these, so that's... yeah, okay. That's within the age range. Yeah. Okay, in the prologue, there is clan. We are not told which clan it is, but there's a clan that is struggling really bad because sickness has swept all throughout its camp.
Speaker: And the leader is in the medicine cat den and they're like having shallow breath and struggling, and all of the cats out in the clearing are like,
Speaker: What's going on here? is our clan is falling apart? Everything is terrible. and i the it's nighttime, all right? And they hear the screech of an owl and they're like, Oh no, that's the omen of death.
Speaker: And not only that, but then the clouds part and a single ah a single star sends a frail beam of light through the roof of the medicine cat den.
Speaker: I'm obsessed with the imagery in this prologue. good. so this is why i'm being very descriptive. I'm hoping it's ShadowClan, but okay. Well, won't tell you what it is. You'll find out later. When you tell me.
Speaker: Exactly. So you will tell me. Don't lie to me. Oh, shit. Sorry. The medicine cat ah sees a vision and it's of great battles and new territories. Why did I think why did i think medicine cats were all female?
Speaker: um You're sexist. I'm not sexist. I just had apparently a sexist thought. i mean we have Spottedleaf, Yellowfang, and Cinderpelt so far in ThunderClan, so... Yeah, almost know okay. um the cats So the cats in this clan are all terrified. They're like freaking out. And they go, where's the medicine cat? Which is hilarious because...
Speaker: Come on, dude. No one is going to say, where's the medicine cat? It's like these cats know they're in a prologue and they can't give names away. Yeah, these clans aren't that big. over Right. We're not talking about hundreds of cats here. We're talking about like, i don't know, what, 30 maybe? Mm-hmm.
Speaker: Yeah, so all the cats obviously know all the other cats in the clan. You know what? The cats know most of the other cats in the other clans, too, of how small these clans are.
Speaker: So the medicine cat tells them all that, oh no, this was an omen that's saying we are going to become an even stronger clan, and in fact, we're going to rule the whole forest.
Speaker: Yeah, that's the Shadow Clan. And everyone is like, yay, we love power. And the medicine cat, private privately to himself, thinks, I didn't tell them the other part of it, that we're going to go through our clan's darkest hour that we have ever gone through before in order to get this new great clan.
Speaker: Now, ah chapter one, the start of the actual book. Fireheart and Cloudpaw are hunting and Cloudpaw is being a little asshole because he's not following warrior code as usual and well i mean kind of he's not listening to what Fireheart tells him about hunting.
Speaker: And i feel like the warrior code is a bit ambiguous to these cats because they'll be like, you're not following the warrior code. And it's like, well, you don't guys have it like written down anywhere. You're just kind of saying that.
Speaker: Well. They don't. Do they have written language? They're cats. No, but, like, it's not like they, like, teach... There's never a point in the book where a cat sits down and, like, teaches the cat the warrior code.
Speaker: We, the audience, know it because it's in one of the ah field guides, but the cats kind of just say whatever makes sense at the time. You know what I mean?
Speaker: Sure. i mean, it also, it seems like... It's against the warrior code is a very common excuse for anything. Yeah, that's true.
Speaker: um Well, ah Fireheart is like all worried because he knows Tigerclaw's out there somewhere, and he's like getting spooked at everything, and Cloudpaw is like, big deal, I'll just rip him to shreds or something. okay, Cloudpaw.
Speaker: I still want to call him Cloud Cat. Oh, yeah. Well, it's cute. Yeah. Cloud Pot is, like, super annoyed with Fireheart because he's like, you're no fun since Bluestar made you deputy. And also, he doesn't even know what the fuck Prey is because he gets, like, a dove and he's like, this stupid fat pigeon was never going to get away from me. And Fireheart is like, don't be a dumbass. Yeah. Essentially, that's what he says.
Speaker: Don't be a dumbass nephew. When he gets back, he finds that everyone is waiting for him to set patrols up because he's a deputy now, so he has to do that. And he's like, whoops, I guess I have to take care of my responsibilities. And...
Speaker: Yeah. And surprise, surprise, Darkstripe is all over him about it because Darkstripe is an asshole because Darkstripe was Tiger Claw's most loyal follower.
Speaker: So now he extra hates Fireheart.
Speaker: But he didn't go with Tigerclaw, so how loyal is he? Yes, but the reason that he didn't go with Tigerclaw is because he was hurt that Tigerclaw didn't include him in his secret plans.
Speaker: but did Did he say that publicly? Yes! He was like, you did this behind my back and you didn't even even include me in it. Of course I won't go with you. How could you do that to me?
Speaker: but So why didn't they kick him out too? you don't know.
Speaker: They've... I don't know Jerrica. These cats are crazy. i see. i i have to question Bluestar and her like her leadership. I don't want to, but things happen. It's like, what are you doing? Things happen.
Speaker: It's true. There's a little part about Brightpaw behaving very well for Whitestorm and Fireheart is like, damn, I wish my apprentice would follow what I say that closely. Because Cloudpaw is a little shit.
Speaker: Yep. The elders are all like worrying because Fireheart wasn't named deputy until after Moonhigh. Oh gosh, yeah. Which is against the warrior code. Yeah.
Speaker: and fireheart is like okay never mind i'm not gonna talk to them i can't i can't go in there when they're being like that like how how long was it after moon i think it was i mean it was maybe like half a day
Speaker: yeah i mean these things shouldn't be rushed ah These cats do not believe that. If there is one thing the cats in these clans believe, it is that you need to rush.
Speaker: yeah i think It happens so often. They're like, we need to act now. That's true. And also the opposite ah during times that they should be rushing. They're like, let's just wait and see.
Speaker: No, to be fair, they're cats. They don't live as long. Yeah, that's true. You know, that actually, there's also a like, kind of short story. It's like a page and a half long called The Elder's Concern. it's a very short story.
Speaker: Yeah. um They just talk about how worried they are essentially about Fireheart. And somehow in a page and a half, they get like three things horrifically wrong about the canon. of warriors wow they're like oh when lionheart died it took bluestar past moon high to name fireheart as her deputy yeah lionheart died in book one yeah that was the cat before tiger claw was made deputy
Speaker: Oh, see, and that's you know what? Now I understand why everyone is like unsure about Fireheart being deputy because it it was Lionheart, then Tigerclaw. It should be bear pelt.
Speaker: Why? Lion and tiger and bear. Oh, my You know what? There's not there's not even a bear warrior. Hang on. Are there any cats?
Speaker: But there are are books about bears. Yeah, there are.
Speaker: Oh, fuck off. I look up, are there any cats with the name Bear in Warriors? And fucking AI overview tells me, yes, there is a cat named Bear in the Warriors universe, specifically appearing as a kittypet in the Warriors OC's wiki.
Speaker: Fucking fucking fanfics don't count as canon No, they do not. Unless you want them to. You know what?
Speaker: This might be a fucking good fanfic that I got to read later. as Oh, my gosh.
Speaker: I'm pulling you back and put it
Speaker: back. OK, anyway. ah Fireheart sees the glowing eyes of Tigerclaw right there in the camp. And he's like, he's shocked for a moment. And then he realizes, oh wait, that's just Bramblekit, Tigerclaw's son.
Speaker: Boy looks just like Tigerclaw.
Speaker: hey So that's great for him. And his mother, Goldenflower, is there and she like slides out of the den and just glares at Fireheart in like a fuck off kind of way. Because she could tell what he's thinking.
Speaker: Do we ever find out anything about Goldenflower? And like, where's her stance was on things? So, she... Actually, they... would Yeah, they talk about it in this scene. ah She says that, essentially, she's not going to let her kids be raised, like, in the shadow of Tigerclaw. And she's like, yeah, he was horrible, and he's a traitor, but, like, these kids aren't him. And I'm not going to let anyone bully them. And she says she's not even going to tell them who their father is. Which, honestly...
Speaker: They're gonna find out. Maybe just tell them.
Speaker: Like, these cats love to gossip. Mm-hmm. This is true. So yeah, you don't really get much more on her like backstory necessarily, but she does have a lot more character in this book and the following books, which is mostly like, fuck off about my cats just because their dad was evil. like I'm not gonna let you treat them evil.
Speaker: i that's fair, though. Yeah. They also describe Taunika as ginger, which is very funny because she is a tortoise shell.
Speaker: Very much not Ginger. Not Ginger. Brindleface's kits are ready to be apprentices. And these are the kits that Cloudpaw grew up with. So they're like foster littermates. And Fireheart goes to Bluestar tell her that they're ready.
Speaker: A blue star is just kind of sitting there in her nest with this glazed look in her eye. She's looking kind of thin. And he says, you know, who do you want to train these kits? And she thinks for a minute and she's like.
Speaker: Like a ah look of. Clarity comes over her and she's like, who can we trust to train these innocent kits in a clan full of traitors? Whoa.
Speaker: Whoa! ah Yeah. And he's like, oh um, well ah you could trust any of them. You just couldn't trust Tigerclaw.
Speaker: And she's like... And also Graystripe left, too. It's funny you should say that, because what she suggests is that, well, can't Fireheart and Graystripe take on mentoring these kids?
Speaker: Whoa! Whoa! e And Fireheart has to be like, um, well, remember how Graystripe's not in the k clan anymore?
Speaker: And she's like, I know that.
Speaker: Oh, man. But she tells him to just figure it out.
Speaker: Yeah, I would have thought that that would have been his job, too, but... No, usually it's the elder's job or the leader's job. Oh,
Speaker: OK. our girls got some issues. Uh huh. Yeah. um Obviously, Fireheart is very disturbed by what just happened and doesn't really know how to deal with it.
Speaker: Yeah. He often doesn't know how to deal with things, though. It's true. It's true. Well, he goes to Cinderpelt because he trusts her, so he wants her advice over it. And she is kind of having a mini freakout because the death of Silverstream has left her with such low confidence in herself that she's messing up everyday things. She like doesn't know what to put in a regular poultice that they always make, and she's like... I don't want to ask Yellowfang because, you know, she told me the other day that... can't
Speaker: remember exactly what she said. She told her the other day that, like, she was doing poorly, essentially. And Fireheart is like, no, no, you're great. And you know Yellowfang, she's just crabby. But... But wait, what does Silverstream's dying have anything to do with Cinderpelt?
Speaker: Because Cinderpelt was the one that was there. Like, Fireheart went to go get Cinderpelt. Oh. So... I should have given a little recap at the beginning of this. Eh.
Speaker: They'll remember.
Speaker: a month ago. Oh, Yellowfang said she was a danger to her clan. Damn. Yeah. ah dan like i let I like Yellowfang, but like, come on, man. Sometimes it's like, you're not just like Frankie, old, wise cat. You're just being a bitch.
Speaker: Yeah. Yeah. Like, being in a respected position in the clan shouldn't make it so that you feel okay treating people like shit.
Speaker: Considering that people treated her like shit, and that's how she even got her the place. ah Yeah. Her own son. Yeah.
Speaker: he asks for her advice, for Cinderpelt's advice, and they settle he's going to give an apprentice to Dustpelt because Dustpelt is, like, ready to prove himself after after the Tigerclaw thing, and firear is younger than Dustpelt but has had two apprentices at this point. So Fireheart's kind of like, maybe if I give him an apprentice he'll get off my back a little bit.
Speaker: Wait, and Cinderpelt was
Speaker: Fireheart? No, that was Graystripe's apprentice? Cinderpelt was Fireheart's. Oh, but then she's like, I want to be a medicine cat.
Speaker: Well, because she got injured. Oh, yeah. And Fireheart was like. Blaming himself or Cinderpelt's mom was blaming him. I can't remember. for Would be both.
Speaker: No, Cinderpelt's mom was. ah said that it wasn't his fault. OK. Yeah,
Speaker: that's what I said.
Speaker: Is it? it will be once you edit it. huh.
Speaker: Jerika, there's a cat called Elder Kit. I don't want to alarm you or anything, but. Like, like obviously from Elderberry or something, right?
Speaker: But like, what the fuck? You can't. Yeah, OK. You can't name a cat Elder Kit. what It's like naming them Leader Kit. It's like, oh yeah, hello, old baby.
Speaker: i mean, Benjamin Button, maybe. um Apparently, Elderkit was the sibling of Ashpaw and Fernpaw, who are the new apprentices being made.
Speaker: This whole bitch's family's dead. she's looking at the I'm just looking at the family tree and seeing how many people are fucking dead. Well, these cats fight all the fucking time. Yeah, that's true. Okay, so the cats in this litter were...
Speaker: me see if it says exactly who the cats were. The cats in this litter were Ashkit and Fernkit. And then the other one that died Tulip Kit. And then we got fucking Elder Kit. And it's like, how do you name such three cutie patootie names and then you give one Elder? you know? i just...
Speaker: Especially when they're the younger one.
Speaker: okay And we we gotta move on from that. Because what the hell?
Speaker: Okay, so he gives... so yeah, Dustpelt is getting Ashpaw, and then Darkstripe will Fernpaw. And he's, like, giving them apprentices because he wants to show, hey, i know you were tight with Tigerclaw. We don't hold it against you. He fooled everyone.
Speaker: i don't... I think he does hold it against him, though. I mean... Dustpelt, when Tigerclaw offered to Dustpelt to leave with him, Dustpelt was like, no, fuck you i I looked up to you and you tried to murder my leader and destroy my clan. Like, go die in a ditch.
Speaker: So, like, you know, that's valid to be like, okay, obviously Dustpelt is loyal. But when Darkstripe is like, how dare you do this without me? You know?
Speaker: I wanted part of the... I wanted in on the coup, man! Right! I have a feeling that that is... Darkstripe remaining in the clan is gonna bite them in the ass.
Speaker: We'll see. We'll see. Fireheart goes and tells Bluestar what his decision is about the mentors, and she learns how many warriors are left in camp right now, and she freaks out. She's like, absolutely not. There must never be less than three warriors in camp at all times. And Fireheart thinks she's being dramatic, but I honestly think that's pretty reasonable. Mm-hmm.
Speaker: mean, how many times have they been attacked, you know? Literally every book. Exactly. Cloudpaw finally returns after the apprentice ceremony and all he's caught is a vole even though he was out the entire day and he didn't even go back to get the pigeon that he killed at the beginning of the book. He's just like, whatever, I didn't get it And Fireheart is scolding him and telling him he needs to care and he's like, Okay, well, how about this? You don't get to eat tonight because all you but brought was a vole and you were out hunting the entire day. And Cloudpaw just shrugs. Okay, whatever. And goes into the apprentice's nest.
Speaker: Yeah. In there, done that. yeah That night, Fireheart has a dream.
Speaker: Of course he does. About Spottedleaf. Yep.
Speaker: Spyleaf is walking away from him and Bluestar is there with her eyes wide with fear Cloudpaw leaps at him and knocks him over and Whitestorm is there, i guess, watching him from the branches of a tree and then he wakes up.
Speaker: What, is he supposed to be afraid of Cloudpaw now? um A lot's happening, but he doesn't know how to deal with any of it When he wakes up, Bluestar calls him and says, we're going to the Moonstone.
Speaker: And Whitestorm is going to be in charge when they're away. She needs to speak to StarClan. um Real quick, Whitestorm is who At White Storm, we learned in Blue Star's Prophecy is Blue Star's nephew, and he's one of the senior warriors.
Speaker: Okay. He's been kind of like supporting Fireheart this whole time. Okay, so maybe his dad didn't rub off on him too much then.
Speaker: Right. Freaking Thistleclaw.
Speaker: Along the Bluestar leads them near the RiverClan border, which is way out of the way. Usually they go ah the other direction. But then Fireheart is like, oh, she's trying to see Mistyfoot and Stonefur. She just wants a glimpse of her children, you know? But unfortunately, she doesn't see them.
Speaker: And when they are WindClan territory, they're stopped by a patrol led by Mudclaw? Which is modlaw is' a great name.
Speaker: and they say but Blue Star is very i insistent that she says, well, it's our right to go to the Moonstone. And Mudclaw says, no, ThunderClan gave up their right to the go to the Moonstone when you sheltered Brokentail.
Speaker: He was a prisoner! Uh-huh. Yeah, the other clans are really pissed that they didn't just kill him.
Speaker: Man. fucking bloodthirsty. yeah they are. I i mean mean, probably should have, but you know. I should have, but... Fireheart tells him that Broken Tail is dead now, so they don't need to worry about it. And Mudclaw says, uh, did you kill him? Like, on purpose, did ThunderClan kill him? And Fireheart's like, wow, I mean, he died in a battle. And so Mudclaw says, okay, that's not good enough then. You should have killed him.
Speaker: Well, okay. Technically... Technically, ThunderClan did kill him because Yellowfang ThunderClan now. yeah yeah but Fireheart's not going to give away her secret. No, yeah, for sure.
Speaker: Bluestar is like on the brink of fighting this whole patrol and Fireheart convinces her to back down that like they're not gonna win this fight. He's like, dude, we gotta just go back. And she grudgingly accepts this. Man, she's not doing well.
Speaker: She's not doing well, yeah, no.
Speaker: When they get back, Running Win reports that, yeah, um I was supposed to take Cloud Paw out while you were gone, but he just kind of ran off. He just left.
Speaker: Yeah, typical. and when he finally gets back, which, like, you know, it's been some time, and then he gets back, he does not give two fucks about Fireheart scolding him.
Speaker: Fireheart's like, you can't be doing this, my dude. And Cloudpaw's just like, I'm gonna do it.
Speaker: And Fireheart tells him, you can't go to the gathering tonight as punishment. And Cloudpaw... He doesn't give a fuck about anything. Apparently.
Speaker: ah wait. They couldn't go through WindClan so they just abandoned the whole trip? Uh-huh. There's gotta be a more than one way to get there.
Speaker: only me look up a map. Um, I guess they technically could have gone ShadowClan territory. Yeah, usually, i think usually they go through ShadowClan territory.
Speaker: Bluestar tells Fireheart who's going to the gathering and Fireheart notes that ah all of Tigerclaw's lackeys aren't included in the list, so Darkstriped Longtail and Dustpelt get to stay home.
Speaker: And he thinks that's kind of a bad look because we want to be telling these warriors that they belong here, essentially, so that they don't like go scurrying off to Tigerclaw.
Speaker: Again, with Darkstripe, though. yeah Yeah, because when asked Longtail to go with him, Longtail was kind of...
Speaker: He was kind of more um upset at the thought of being without a clan than upset at anything Tigerclaw had done, which was concerning.
Speaker: by Yeah. yeah ah So i it's kind of up... we're so We're suspicious of both of them at at this point. Dusk Pelt seems pretty cool, but Longtail and Darkstripe, we're not sure.
Speaker: Well, uh, Fireheart and Longtail haven't got along since literally day one. Yeah, that's true. On the way there, Sandstorm expresses fear to Fireheart that she doesn't think Bluestar seems to be recovering well from this.
Speaker: So Fireheart is like, oh shit, everyone's starting to notice. Yeah. It's kind of hard to hide. Fireheart is disappointed but not surprised to see that Graystripe is not at the gathering. And he sees...
Speaker: he sees Mudclaw talking with Onewhisker, and Mudclaw, like, whispers something into Onewhisker's ear, and Onewhisker just blinks sympathetically at Fireheart. Yeah.
Speaker: it hurt These dudes are bros. They like each other. okay. One whisker was the cat that Fireheart got close to when they were taking WindClan back from exile.
Speaker: okay. Fireheart talks to Leopardfur to see how Graystripe is doing, and she's like, yeah, he's doing better than I expected, but he's never going to be a true RiverClan warrior.
Speaker: i mean... He was barely a true ThunderClan warrior. That's true. Yeah. Yeah, because he essentially started ditching like as soon as he was made warrior. he just like wasn't there for the clan.
Speaker: Yeah, so like...
Speaker: and just picture him I just picture him as like in the... in with the In with the other queens who like, just taking care of the kids. Yeah, that's what he wants to be doing, I think.
Speaker: Nightstar, the new ShadowClan leader, is looking super thin, and he's all hunched over and sickly looking. Mm-hmm.
Speaker: Uh-huh. Yep. Mm-hmm.
Speaker: The other clans are shocked that Fireheart is the new deputy and want to know what happened to Tigerclaw, but Bluestar just straight up refuses to share why. She says, yeah, that's ThunderClan business. Don't worry about it.
Speaker: Which, ah
Speaker: I feel like that might not be just ThunderClan business, right? like ah feel like it's important for the other clans to know the leadership.
Speaker: Yeah, like, i feel like, hey, this cat tried to murder me and take over my clan. Maybe the other clan should be made aware of that.
Speaker: In case they encounter him. Mm-hmm.
Speaker: Well, I mean, if they encounter him, they're probably going to fight anyway, regardless. ah The next morning, Sandstorm tells Fireheart that they have captured two RiverClan warriors.
Speaker: There is LittleCloud and WhiteThroat, which is an excellent name. And LittleCloud was one of the warriors who was forced into training by Broken Tail when he was too old.
Speaker: And both of them are looking all like matted and stinky. And they say, well, we wanted to be brought here.
Speaker: Oh, sorry. a White Storm says that actually they asked to be brought here. They're asking for shelter because um they need herbs and food. And ShadowClan's not doing well.
Speaker: I'm sorry. i'm I'm fixated on Little Cloud. Yeah. What about it? It's a cute name. Yeah. But when he was born, they named him Little Kit.
Speaker: Yeah. There's also a cat named Tiny Kit. Oh my god! Who turns into Tiny Cloud?
Speaker: Whoa.
Speaker: But Yellowfang, okay, so Cinderpelt wants to help them, but Yellowfang pulls her away. She's like, nuh-uh, I know of this sickness. It's from the rats that live in the Two-Legged Place dump. It doesn't have a cure, and it spreads very quickly, and I don't want you anywhere near it. So they just turn these warriors away.
Speaker: Which is not against the warrior code. Because they're not kits. Yeah. Yeah.
Speaker: Fireheart and Sandstorm lead them to the border to make sure they get off ThunderClan territory, and they, like, watch from the bushes, and they see that they go through ah a secret tunnel under the Thunderpath, and they're like, ha-ha, we have something to use against ShadowClan.
Speaker: When they get back, Fireheart says he needs ah he needs to take Cloudpaw out, and Sandstorm, um... Sandstorm notes that Cloudpaw is getting a little fat, so it might be a good idea to get him some exercise.
Speaker: my gosh.
Speaker: And... and Fireheart is like, okay, we're gonna go hunting and we're gonna do battle practice. Which one do you want to do first? And Cloudpaw is like, I'm not hungry, so let's do battle practice. and when they're when they're fucking practicing, Cloudpaw, it literally says, Cloudpaw is slowed by his fat belly.
Speaker: Oh my gosh.
Speaker: And so Fireheart is like, okay, okay, let's let's go hunting. And Cloudpot just randomly sucks at hunting now. And Fireheart's like, you were literally like, when you were a kid, you went out and caught a piece of prey. Like, no training whatsoever. And now all of a sudden, you suck at hunting. What happened? Mm-hmm.
Speaker: And Cloudpaw is like, let me just go hunt by myself. I'm better alone. and Fireheart says, yeah, sure. I'll definitely let you hunt by yourself, unsupervised. And I won't follow you secretly to see what you're up to yeah Except that's what he does. He just doesn't tell Cloudpaw.
Speaker: And he finds out that this motherfucker has been going to get food from two legs. oh He goes up to the door. He gives a cute little meow and they come out and he rubs himself against them and they bring him into their den and they give him food.
Speaker: Oh, fuck. that's That's definitely against the warrior. Uh-huh. Yeah. Oh, man, that's not going to go well and if anybody finds out, because Blue Star was like, OK, fine, we'll we'll let you take this.
Speaker: You know. Kitty pet kit in.
Speaker: and meanwhile, not now he's.
Speaker: Now he's being in a kitty, but this little motherfucker oh doesn't even know. Doesn't even know. What was the reasoning for um his sister giving Cloud Kit to Fireheart?
Speaker: She was just like, oh, my two legs are going to choose where all the kits go, but I want to choose where my firstborn goes. And I want him to be a cool warrior like you. yeah And speaking of princess, ah she sees Fireheart while he is following Cloudpaw, and she's like, oh, Fireheart, my brother, I love you. How's Cloudpaw? And Fireheart doesn't have the heart to tell her, yeah, he's turning out to be the shittiest apprentice Thundercloud has ever seen.
Speaker: He talks to Sandstorm about it when he gets back to camp, and she's like, I mean, if he doesn't want to be a warrior, he doesn't want to be a warrior. Like, that's his choice to make. He's going to to make it. He's, like, a young punk right now, so maybe he's making bad decisions. But, i mean, you need to face that. He might just choose to be a giddy bit. That's true. Yeah, like, you know, we don't want warriors who don't want to be warriors.
Speaker: When Fireheart confronts Cloudpaw about it, Cloudpaw literally no idea why Fireheart is upset about this.
Speaker: He's like, yeah, I'm saving prey for everyone else by eating two-leg food. yeah okay, buddy, that's what you're doing. It's a sacrifice on your part, okay. Yeah. a fat fuck and fireheart is like no listen like this is literally in the warrior code you cannot be both a warrior and a kitty pet you have to choose which one after his conversation with sandstorm he like is a little more clear-headed about it so he's like if you choose kitty pet that's okay that's the life you want but just you can't have both and cloud kid is like huh why
Speaker: Oh my god. This motherfucker.
Speaker: And you know what is hilarious is that the very next day, Fireheart decides to cross the fucking border to go hang out with Graystripe. So who's the codebreaker now?
Speaker: Yeah, but Fireheart's a deputy. oh who fucking cares? He's going to see his friend. He's not going on deputy business.
Speaker: He's sleeping around. Yeah, okay, whatever, though. Like, it's did that's that seems less egregious. Then breaking into another clan's territory?
Speaker: ten being a kitty pet and a warrior somehow? like I don't know, because going onto another clan's territory is going to start a battle which cats might literally die in
Speaker: They don't have to fight. Jericho no I yeah dare you no no how dare you I realized uh while we're recording this that I realized the true brilliance of the series
Speaker: it's that yeah we're personifying these cats But they are cats. ah Why do they keep fighting? Because that's what cats do. Yeah, it's true. And I'm like, have this epiphany like, oh, shit.
Speaker: That's good. That's that is such a brilliant. Little tidbit. Yeah, you really don't need reason for them to fight other than just their cats.
Speaker: Yeah, like. They'll fight if one looks at the other weird or whatever. Like, when i was on the couch the other day and Kitty was on my lap and Harley dared to come into the kitchen, so Kitty just started growling at her and I'm like, this cat is having no effect on your existence.
Speaker: None. Absolutely none. You need to get over it But the audacity of another cat to be in her presence. Oof. That was horrible.
Speaker: Yeah. Like, I've seen my cats, like, One of them could be just chilling and the other one will just kind of walk by and just smack ah for no reason. It's like, what the fuck are you doing?
Speaker: It's very good. Yes, I'm talking about you. While Fireheart is breaking the code to see his best friend, he yeah he comes across. know if That's the way you put it. gosh.
Speaker: It's what was
Speaker: um He comes across Little Cloud and White Throat who haven't left ThunderClan territory after all. And he finds out that Cinderpelt has been caring for them.
Speaker: Because she just couldn't turn away these sick cats. This is not going end well. So he has a talk with Cinderpelt and he's like, no, you have to get these cats off our territory. Like, this is crazy. You can't just be hiding them here with this, the fucking plague. And Cinderpelt's like...
Speaker: Oh, come on. Just let them stay until they're healthy enough to travel. and she essentially has Fireheart wrapped around her little claw. So Fireheart says, yeah, okay.
Speaker: Let them, they can stay until they can travel. Yeah. yeah Fireheart essentially just does whatever Cinderpelt tells him to. Why?
Speaker: cause she's, I don't know. She's awesome. Hmm.
Speaker: She has medicine cat wisdom now.
Speaker: Oh, and Fireheart is obsessed with spotted leaf, so... No! I don't think it's that reason. don't think it's that. I like to think it's not that.
Speaker: Okay. It would be weird. Because he was her mentor. No, no, no! Oh, no, no, no, no! That's not I'm saying. I'm saying that Fireheart is obsessed with spotted leaf, so...
Speaker: Clearly, her being a medicine cat, like, is like, she's sort of following in Spotted Week's footstep or something. I don't know.
Speaker: it made sense in my head. No, I, yeah, I get it. Fireheart takes Sandstorm to spy on Cloudpaw again. However, when they get to the Two Leg place, they find...
Speaker: That Cloudpaw is encaged in a
Speaker: a little metal enclosure that the two legs are carrying to their monster. So the two legs are taking Cloudpaw away. Uh-oh. And there's nothing they can do about it.
Speaker: Now we have...
Speaker: and we have a scene of Sandstorm is trying to convince Fireheart that, well, maybe he'll be happier as a kittypet. This is what he wants.
Speaker: And Fireheart is mad because Sandstorm doesn't seem to be bothered by Cloudpaw being stolen. And he's like, you don't understand because this is my only kin in the clan. is the only person who understands me and my kittypet roots.
Speaker: And Sandstorm is so fucking pissed at him for this. Because she's like, oh, we aren't close. Wow. And just like, spins away and runs off.
Speaker: So this dude watches his nephew and apprentice get stolen. And because he's not consoled by what she says, she's pissed at him, essentially.
Speaker: Wait, hold on.
Speaker: Yes. Is... Does Sandstorm have a crush on Fireheart? She may or may not have a crush on Fireheart.
Speaker: But, like, come on, think about, like, if you move to a completely different country and you even if you, like, fell in love with someone,
Speaker: And you're one person, like, from the same place as you left. And you were like, oh, I feel more alone now because that person understood me in a way that no one else does. And then the the person who you had a crush on is like, well, fuck you. I thought we were close, but I guess not.
Speaker: Like, ah come on, dude. Yeah. no
Speaker: yeah Fireheart goes to tell Bluestar what happened, except she is sharing tongs with Whitestorm and she looks happy for once. So he decides not to spoil her good mood.
Speaker: He just doesn't tell her.
Speaker: I mean, right then. i mean, he has to... but Well...
Speaker: fire Well, let me tell you what happens. Cause like immediately after that, when they're all eating for the night, um, dark stripe sends ash paw over to talk to fire heart. He like sees this from across, across the clearing that dark stripe clearly says something to ash pot. And then ash pot, like hesitantly comes over to fire heart asking where cloud pot is.
Speaker: And Fireheart is like, why don't you tell Darkstripe to come ask me himself? And Ashpaw, like, looks all meek and everything. And he's like, well, actually, I'm friends with Cloudpaw, so I was wondering, too. Because he misses him.
Speaker: Well, get used to that feeling. yeah
Speaker: So... Fireheart, here's the thing, Fireheart tells Ashpaw, oh, he has he's left to be a kittypet.
Speaker: The thing that's baffling to me is that everyone says, everyone is making it seem like he chose to be a kittypet when they literally saw him in the cage, like, screaming for someone to help him to get him out of the cage. Like, he clearly didn't want to go.
Speaker: Then he clearly shouldn't have been where he wasn't supposed to be. Yeah, but you don't, it's, he still obviously didn't go choose to be a kitty pet. Like.
Speaker: He kind of did choose in his actions. Okay, but. Oh my God. Sorry. I just glanced over. And then at one point in my notes, I accidentally spelled fire heat.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: Yep. Fire, heat, ice, cold. Ice, cold. Wind, blow. um those Those could all be warrior names, honestly. Wind blow?
Speaker: Wind blow, yeah. Because the wind blows. i mean, it does. We were making dumb jokes, Jericho, like fire, heat, and ice cold, so I made another one. I'm just...
Speaker: ti Never mind. I ain't what you're going to say. No, I'm just like if we're talking about wind blow. Like.
Speaker: Would it be weird for like a river clan cat to be named Wind Kit? Well, yeah, because cats aren't named with the name of the four clans.
Speaker: Right. OK.
Speaker: Continue, my I don't know where I am right now. I'm gonna tell you this really quick. I did have this idea for an OC when I was little to have just like a fucking insane cat who had kits.
Speaker: Because I would be like, who's gonna tell her that she can't name her kit like Star Kit, you know? ah or like if name them with a warrior name. Here's my kit. here's here's my kit Uh, Dark Pelt.
Speaker: And they'd be like, you can't name it that as a kit. And she'd be like, oh, I'm the mom. I can name it whatever I want.
Speaker: Dark Pelt Kit. Dark Pelt Kit, yeah. I posted that on Reddit once and someone was like, damn, I really miss, uh, I'm sad that we never got to see Heroin Kit.
Speaker: Wow. Yeah. Can you imagine if someone was named Star Kit? I'd be pissed. They can never be leader. Right, because then their name would be starst Star Star.
Speaker: And that that's illegal. And ridiculous. Yeah. Probably be illegal because it's ridiculous. Exactly. That is where we're going to end it for now, because this has been a very long episode and we will get back to you in part two.
Speaker: And until then, you can hang out with us in our discord, which you can find the link in the episode description or at glitterfoxmedia.com.
Speaker: And while you're at the website, the cool, super cool website, check out some of our other shows like Lazy Fox Creates, where Becca and Laura talk about crafting stuff.
Speaker: Or, I mean, if you're not listening to We Fix Games, what what are we what are you doing with your life? right We want you over there. We want to hang out with you. Yeah. It's me and Jerika again. So it's this same chaotic energy, except I think we're dirtier on it and we swear more.
Speaker: Yeah. It's maybe more chaotic than this. Yeah. But that's okay. Because it's good. ah Well, once again, i have been Sparkleheart.
Speaker: And I have been Snowstorm. And just because you grow older doesn't mean you have to grow older.
Speaker: Bye. Bye.
