This page contains Scourge's personality and relationships. It contains conjecture due to being based off of general novel themes, and all statements must be sourced.
Personality[]
- "I try not to let it show, but it really hits me: nobody here has ever asked me what my name is. And you know what? It isn't 'Tiny'. Not anymore."
- ―Scourge about his name The Rise of Scourge, pages 57-58
- As he grows, Tiny sheds a lot of his former personality upon learning that life is harsh. He sees it fit to lie to other cats in order to survive.[6] However, his actions have consequences as the alley cats begin to see him as a solution to their problems, such as dogs and other rogues.[7] As these occurrences take place, he gains their respect, and renames himself from Tiny to Scourge in order to completely remake himself.[8] Scourge secures his place as a leader amongst the alley cats after he kills a rogue. His experiences cause a shift in his attitudes as he becomes less naive. He becomes colder and unnervingly at peace with his actions.[9]
- Despite his outwardly cold demeanour,[8] Scourge shows some mercy to his estranged kin, such as feeding them once, and thinking of them on occasion.[10] As time passes, Scourge becomes absorbed with his desire for revenge to be satisfied. He puts aside his grudge with Tigerstar to follow along with the other tom's proposition for BloodClan gaining territory in the forest. Scourge knows that if he wants to exact his revenge he must time it well,[11] and he evidently does.[12] However, by getting his revenge, Scourge starts the path that would become his own downfall. He becomes cocky and sure of himself against the other Clans, and more importantly, Firestar. His lack of moral code[13] would ultimately end his reign of terror.[14]
Relationships[]
Quince[]
- «Mama doesn't say it…But I think she likes them better than me.»
- —Tiny thinking about Quince's thoughts on her kits The Rise of Scourge, page 14
Socks and Ruby[]
- "I hate being small. All I want is for my brother and sister to like me. I'd grow if I could."
- ―Tiny wanting acceptance The Rise of Scourge, page 5
- Socks and Ruby are Scourge's littermates. As kits, they would exclude him from their games and make fun of his size. They openly showed their dislike of Scourge to their mother as well.[20] Ruby, at times, is worse than Socks as she cruelly tells Scourge that unwanted kits are thrown in the river.[21] Her statement acts as a catalyst for him running away and starting a new life away from his family.[18]
- At some point, Socks and Ruby's Twolegs abandon them and the two seek out their brother. The pair beg him for help and food, pushing the point that they are littermates and blood. Scourge tells what blood means to him, albeit through his perspective, but, sees that they care more about the food he gives them. He has Bone and Brick take them away, stating they are not welcome in BloodClan territory, with Ruby appearing to glance back at him solemnly as she and Socks are escorted away.[10]
Tigerstar[]
- "You'll never forget me."
- ―Tigerpaw to Tiny The Rise of Scourge, page 33
- In the end, Scourge is able to exact his revenge when Tigerpaw, now known as Tigerstar, is brought to him by a former BloodClan member. Tigerstar offers him a deal, and Scourge takes it and accompanies the tom back to the forest to assist in Tigerstar's plan.[24] However, the impending conflict goes awry when Firestar reveals Tigerstar's crimes to the Clans and Scourge.[25] Scourge picks his moment and takes Tigerstar's nine lives, finally getting his revenge on the tom.[12]
Bone and Brick[]
- "Bone was Scourge's closest ally — never viewed by Scourge as his equal, but valued for his brute strength and absolute courage in the fiercest battle."
- ―Narrator about Scourge's opinion of Bone The Ultimate Guide, page 198
- Scourge's relationships with both Bone and Brick hardly extended past the pair of cats serving as some of his most loyal followers,[26] even in the moons following his death in the case of Brick.[27] The three initially met after Scourge, then Tiny, lied about the way he obtained the dog tooth in his collar. Bone and Brick approached him with the intention of enlisting his help to remove a dog that was causing problems for the cats of Twolegplace. After scaring the dog away, the newly named Scourge, secures himself the respect of the two rogues.[28] They begin serving as guards for him, aiding in dealing with problems from the cats of Twolegplace.[29]
- There is one instance where Bone and Brick doubt Scourge when his leadership is being challenged by an intruder and their own followers. They share worried looks before Scourge coldly kills a cat for mocking him. The pair are in disbelief with Scourge's actions, but rise behind him to show their support to drive out the tabby and their followers. When Scourge calls for food to only be taken with his permission, the pair of rogues share a slightly shocked expression but say nothing on the manner to the tom.[30] In the moons following, as BloodClan establishes itself, Scourge trusts Bone with more and more tasks,[31] and appoints him as the Clan's unofficial deputy.[32] As for Brick, he continues to serve the subsequent BloodClan leaders.[33]
BloodClan[]
- "I am Scourge, the leader of BloodClan. Tigerstar, my warriors are not yours to command. They will attack when I tell them, and not before."
- ―Scourge to Tigerstar The Darkest Hour, page 228
- Scourge unintentionally created BloodClan after striking fear into the cats of Twolegplace with his lie killing a dog. He noticed that after chasing the dog off of useful territory that the inhabitants of the area feared him more than they respected him.[34] This fear became much more apparent after he killed in cold blood, as Scourge could see the belief of his followers ebb as he hesitated to stand up for himself. This action alone, set a standard for the moons to follow for BloodClan.[35] From there on, Scourge gains control over the Twolegplace cats as they make offers to him and he learns everything there is to what is happening in his territory. BloodClan would gain their striking name after one final interaction between Scourge and his siblings as he tells them the true meaning of blood to him and his followers.[36]
- As their leader and founder, Scourge implemented many ideals drawn from his own life experiences, such as kin being estranged and having only him as a sole reliant for food and safety. Former members detailed that living underneath Scourge's leadership was less than ideal and much preferred to escape BloodClan as a whole.[37][38] Interestingly enough though, despite these harsh and unique beliefs, the tom shows genuine concern over his group's need of territory and food.[39][40] His cats are even loyal enough to kill on only his orders, showing that they are looked after if loyal to his needs.[24][41] Even his death was a shock and loss to those left of BloodClan, as it was left to try and recover after losing his imposing status as their leader.[14] His impact, though, would remain as other leaders attempted to fill his empty role.[42] Some would even try to achieve what he had failed as BloodClan's first leader, but comparisons would remain as most BloodClan members were unable to forget the small tom's rule.[43][44]
Notes and references[]
- ↑ Revealed in The Rise of Scourge, page 4
- ↑ Revealed in The Rise of Scourge, pages 16-21
- ↑ Revealed in The Rise of Scourge, pages 25-27
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Revealed in The Rise of Scourge, pages 31-33
- ↑ Revealed in The Rise of Scourge, page 42
- ↑ Revealed in The Rise of Scourge, page 44
- ↑ Revealed in The Rise of Scourge, page 49, 63
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Revealed in The Rise of Scourge, page 59
- ↑ Revealed in The Rise of Scourge, pages 70-71
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Revealed in The Rise of Scourge, page 74
- ↑ Revealed in The Rise of Scourge, page 78
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Revealed in The Darkest Hour, page 233
- ↑ Revealed in The Ultimate Guide, page 197
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Revealed in The Darkest Hour, page 307
- ↑ Revealed in The Rise of Scourge, page 5
- ↑ Revealed in The Rise of Scourge, page 14
- ↑ Revealed in The Rise of Scourge, page 10
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 Revealed in The Rise of Scourge, page 35
- ↑ Revealed in The Rise of Scourge, page 12, 58
- ↑ Revealed in The Rise of Scourge, page 5, 16
- ↑ Revealed in The Rise of Scourge, page 25
- ↑ Revealed in The Rise of Scourge, page 42, 59, 64, 74
- ↑ Revealed in The Rise of Scourge, page 72
- ↑ 24.0 24.1 Revealed in The Darkest Hour, page 5
- ↑ Revealed in The Darkest Hour, pages 230-232
- ↑ Revealed in The Rise of Scourge, pages 69-71
- ↑ Revealed in Graystripe's Vow, chapter 27
- ↑ Revealed in The Rise of Scourge, pages 44-49
- ↑ Revealed in The Rise of Scourge, pages 62-63
- ↑ Revealed in The Rise of Scourge, pages 68-71
- ↑ Revealed in The Rise of Scourge, page 74, 76
- ↑ Revealed in The Darkest Hour, allegiances
- ↑ Revealed in Graystripe's Vow, chapter 26
- ↑ Revealed in The Rise of Scourge, pages 60-62
- ↑ Revealed in The Rise of Scourge, pages 68-70
- ↑ Revealed in The Rise of Scourge, pages 72-74
- ↑ Revealed in The Darkest Hour, pages 247-249
- ↑ Revealed in A Clan in Need, page 4
- ↑ Revealed in The Rise of Scourge, page 73
- ↑ Revealed in The Darkest Hour, page 235
- ↑ Revealed in The Darkest Hour, page 232, 235
- ↑ Revealed in Graystripe's Vow, page prologue
- ↑ Revealed in Graystripe's Vow, chapter 7
- ↑ Revealed in Graystripe's Vow, chapter 16