A Change of Heart: Darknessblaze Speaks
Darknessblaze: If Stormshadow was just a HouseCat, would he have gone to Volestar behind Minnowstar's back and arranged to stop the battle before it began. Would he have risked Minnowstar's trust because he believed what he was doing was best for the Clan? Would so many of his Clanmates support him even Brightspirit and Mountainclaw?
Dustfur tells me repeatedly that Stormshadow and Snakeeyes can never be true Clan Warriors because they weren't born in the forest. They belong to Humans, who fed them that muck that looks like rabbit droppings and made them wear a collar! They were such show-offs when they first joined WaterfallClan. They always had to be best in training or catching the most prey and be the most solemn when we went to Gatherings. Dustfur and I could never figure out why Morningflower was friends with them; they didn't seem to know what fun was.
Moreover, Stormshadow was always causing trouble! Like taking Spiderpaw away – Stormshadow said he didn't know what happened when Spiderpaw vanished, but I saw them sneaking out of the camp. He always seemed to be doing something to annoy Shadowclaw. Now it looks as if he was right, and Shadowclaw was our biggest enemy all along. Would a HouseCat have been able to figure that out? Not even Minnowstar realized until Shadowclaw tried to kill her.
Maybe it's because Stormshadow was a HouseCat. He doesn't just accept the Messenger Code; he thinks about it and figures out how it's supposed to work. In addition, when it doesn't, like when he should have obeyed his Leader who ordered him to attack SkyClan, he challenges it and does something different. Is that a weakness in Clancats that we do what we're told just because that's what our Ancestors did?
Dustfur insists that Stormshadow doesn't belong in WaterfallClan because the Code says we have to reject HouseCats. However, we have to reject their life, not the cats themselves. Moreover, Stormshadow has done that, hasn't he? He started out as a HouseCat and chose to leave it all behind to join WaterfallClan.
If I had to choose between Dustfur and Stormshadow to lead the Clan, whom would I pick? Dustfur is so loyal to the Messenger Code, he'd never dream of breaking it. The other Clans would respect him for that, which might make them more peaceful towards us. Stormshadow would argue with any cat, in WaterfallClan or outside, if he didn't think they were doing the right thing. I don't want to live in a Clan that is always at war.
Nevertheless, Stormshadow won't fight a battle that he doesn't believe in. that's why he talked to Volestar, persuaded him not to let his Warriors fight when Minnowstar led the attack on his border. Which means Volestar must respect Stormshadow and trust him because he's always been friendly with Minnowstar before now.
Maybe a HouseCat can know us better than we know ourselves. Maybe it takes and outsider looking in to see the truth – like Stormshadow knew the truth about Shadowclaw. I wonder if he'll ever see the truth in my own heart: that whatever Dustfur says, however much Stormshadow breaks the Messenger Code, I love him more than I could imagine loving any other cat.
Moreover, if Stormshadow knew, would he love me too?