Warriors: What If?

The Three

Question: What if the Three did not have their powers, and therefore, did not exist?

    This is a larger topic, as the Three did a lot for the Clans in their time of need, but also had some major repercussions. As always, major spoilers here. Let's get to it.

    All in all, the Three's main, appointed role was to defend the Clans against the Dark Forest. That's why they were born with their StarClan given powers, to 'hold the power of the stars in their paws', and defend the living Clans when their ancestors could not. A quick refresher; Lionblaze cannot be hurt in battle, Dovewing has super-senses, and Jayfeather can walk in other cats' dreams. Ultimately, these powers were crucial in the success of the Clans in the battle against the Dark Forest. Lionblaze could, well, fight forever and defend other cats, whilst holding off Dark Forest cats. Dovewing was able to use her super-senses and figure out when, where, and how the Dark Forest cats would be attacking. Jayfeather was able to receive messages from StarClan and read into the Dark Forest through other cats' dreams, which was important during battle planning and even learning of the threat. Without these abilities and legs up, the Clans would have suffered many more casualties in the battle. The Dark Forest most likely would have won, and destroyed the Clans as we know them all together. This is, perhaps, the most major result of there not being a Three.

    Shortly before the battle, the other Clans learned of the Three's powers. This lead to anger at ThunderClan's deceit; they always had these powerful cats that could have been used against their rivals. Tensions were put aside during the battle, but erupted shortly afterwards. This can be seen through Rowanstar and Bramblestar's tension during Bramblestar's Storm. If these powers did not exist, the Clans may have been able to work together more easily during and after the battle. ThunderClan may not have won some crucial battles, such as the battle when Lionblaze killed Russetfur, forcing ShadowClan to retreat. ThunderClan may have lost territory, prey, and power through these battles. Without the powerful cats, they would not be the 'leading Clan'. They would be in a more RiverClan-like state; neutral and calm.

    The Three's powers did go away after the battle. This proves their only purpose; they were not meant to be a tool for ThunderClan, but to be a protection against the Dark Forest. This created trauma for the cats, especially for Dovewing. She felt lost and weak without her next-level senses, making her withdrawn and lethargic. Lionblaze found himself getting minor scrapes and bruises that he had never experienced before, which shocked and hurt him. Jayfeather seems to not have consequences to his loss, as he is still a medicine cat, and medicine cats experience visions from StarClan anyways. If these cats had never been the Three with their special powers, they would not have experienced the loss of them and the bad things swept with it. They would be regular warriors and medicine cats who could carry on with their duties.

    As you know, Lionblaze and Cinderheart were romantically involved before Cinderheart knew of Lionblaze's ability. When she learned of it, she felt as if she were not good enough for him, and that they were too different. This ended things between them (temporarily). In this scenario, they would have lived out their lives as regular mates and had their kits, without the rift caused by the power. This can relate to Jayfeather and Dovewing as well. They would have had less prejudice against them in the Clan without their abilities, and would be treated much more normally. This would lead them to be able to carry on their regular duties without hinderance.

    There are theories that Jayfeather's ability is the main reason he became a medicine cat. So, obviously, he may not have become a medicine cat and saved all the lives that he has. He would most likely have a mate and be a warrior, as his brother does.

    Hollyleaf was once thought to be a member of Three, but was shown to not be a member. Without her siblings' powers, she may have kept training to become a medicine cat instead of a warrior. If she didn't feel so estranged from her brothers, perhaps she would not have run away or killed Ashfur.

    Finally, we come to Firestar (don't we always come back to Firestar?). For some odd reason, the Erins tied up his special-ness as being the Fourth in what was actually the Four, not the Three. His power was basically just being the savior of the Clans. Without the powers bestowed by StarClan, he would most likely not be our hero, our main character. Firestar, frankly, would not have been special. He would not be the subject of so many prophecies. Ahh, there are so many things that could happen if Firestar were not so influential! Tigerstar could have taken power, BloodClan may not have been defeated, the Clans may have not left the forest, SkyClan wouldn't exist again...maybe our next what-if will have to be 'What if Firestar didn't exist?"

     To conclude, the Three would just live normal lives as warriors without their powers. Their personal relationships would be much smoother and easier to manage, as well as ThunderClan's relationship with the other Clans.

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