User:Maplefern/Essays/Thistleclaw's Fault?

"Tigerstar wouldn't have been murderous and cruel if Thistleclaw wasn't his mentor!"

Above is one, along with the "Hollyleaf is Dead", is one of the most popular theories among Warriors Fans. Well, I'm showing you what was his fault.

His Fault - Scourge
After seeing Tigerkit in Bluestar's Prophecy, you see that he was like any other kit. But was it really Thistleclaw's fault?

Of course, we see that he was arrogant towards Bluestar, but not to anybody else that we know of. It was a rivalry between them, and them only. There might have been others, but we did not see them.

Anybody would agree that Thistleclaw was mean to Scourge. Actually, it wasn't Tigerstar's fault that Scourge turned out the way he did. it was Thistleclaw's fault.

He offered the obvious option just by the way he said it. Tigerpaw wanted to please his mentor, and show off his battle moves, so what better way to do it on a helpless kit?

Not (Completely) His Fault - Tigerstar
One thing remains unknown: If Tigerstar would've turned out the way he did without Thistleclaw being his mentor.

Remember, he was strong, pushy and ambitious as a kit. Thistleclaw probably did teach him some blood thirst, but it probably came naturally. We don't know the exact truth, but it could be that he was just like that. Who knows? Maybe he asked to be taught that move because he saw his mentor use it in a battle.

Conclusion
Remember, Bluestar's Prophecy is from Bluestar's point of view, and Thistleclaw is meant to be the antagonist. They didn't explain every training session in detail. The one they showed was very cruel - in Bluestar's eyes. Maybe Tigerpaw was ready for such a battle move. Maybe Thistleclaw was actually a very efficient mentor and not as bloodthirsty as we think he is.

He is