Pożegnanie Kruczej Łapy

Warriors Novellas #9

by Erin Hunter, Marta Ziegler (Translator)

Nawet czas nie złamie ducha wojownika.

Krucza Łapa wiódł szczęśliwy żywot samotnika u boku Jęczmienia, odkąd opuścił dzicz. Choć nie było mu pisane zostać wojownikiem, kocur wciąż ciepło wspomina księżyce spędzone w Klanie Pioruna. Sielskie życie obojga zmienia się za sprawą Śmiałka i Pachnotki — kociąt zafascynowanych historiami o bohaterskich kotach, które zamieszkiwały las przed Wielką Wędrówką. Pełne zapału i pewne swoich decyzji maluchy składają samotnikom wizytę, błagając o szansę zostania prawdziwymi wojownikami. Uśpiona w Kruczej Łapie dusza klanowego kota budzi się na nowo. Z wiernym Jęczmieniem u boku oraz dwójką entuzjastycznych kociaków Krucza Łapa obiecuje oddać klanom ostatnią przysługę.

Genres: Fantasy, Animals, Middle Grade, Fiction, Cats, Young Adult, Novella

160 pages, Paperback

First published January 26, 2016

About the author

Erin Hunter is the pseudonym of five people: Kate Cary, Cherith Baldry, Tui T. Sutherland, Gillian Philip, and Inbali Iserles, as well as editor Victoria Holmes. Together, they write the Warriors series as well as the Seekers and Survivors series. Erin Hunter is working on a new series now called Bravelands.

Erin Hunter is inspired by a love of cats and a fascination with the ferocity of the natural world. As well as having a great respect for nature in all its forms, Erin enjoys creating rich mythical explanations for animal behavior, shaped by her interest in astronomy and standing stones.

Reviews

[Luke]

Plot Synopsis:
In this novella from the world of Erin Hunter’s #1 nationally bestselling Warriors series, follow Ravenpaw on his final adventure.

Since Ravenpaw chose to leave his life as a warrior behind, he has lived for many happy moons on the farm near the Clans’ old forest territories. But now two kits in need will send him on one last journey—in search of a long-lost warrior Clan.

Review:
When I heard about this novella, I was so excited about it. Every time I read the books in the Warriors series in all of the arcs, I kept wondering about Ravenpaw and Barley. And finally, here is my chance to find out where they are now. And I knew it would break my heart.

Ravenpaw has such a special place in my heart. I loved him since the very first book. It pained me to see what he went through with having Tigerheart as his mentor and how he felt chased out of ThunderClan. And I'm so glad he managed to find a place where he belonged. And this place came with Barley. When I started to read this novella, I thought: Are they together-together? So I went on the Warriors wikia page; it says under trivia on his page that Victoria Holmes said that "Ravenpaw will never have a mate or kits," but then underneath, it says: "She later stated that she considers Ravenpaw and Barley to be a very committed couple." I found their moments adorable, and I couldn't help but grin so widely.

I loved Ravenpaw's Farewell. It made my heart ache, yes, but it made me feel completely satisfied. I loved the writing: it had such gorgeous descriptions. And most of all, I loved the characters, and I loved the moments with Ravenpaw and Barley. I hope they are reunited.

[Isabella Wood]

You can’t tell me that cats not gay

[Asia]

I actually got teary eyed at the end of this one. When Bluestar told him that there was indeed a place for the two of them when it was time for them to go, oh that killed me. So beautiful. Now my goal in life is to find a friend who loves me like Ravenpaw loves Barley!

[Blaze]

This book broke my heart. I very nearly rated it five stars, but went with four since the pacing is a little weird, though that's my issue with most of the Warriors novellas.

Ravenpaw is shown to still have a love for ThunderClan deep in his heart, and he struggles briefly with his past desire to be a warrior, versus his love for Barley and the life they share together. One of my favorite things about Ravenpaw's Farewell is that the author did not shy away from the implication that Barley and Ravenpaw are in a relationship. In the past, it's been said that they could not outwardly say that there were LGBT relationships in Warriors, due to the books being targeted at children, but the two cats' love for each other is clearly shown in this book and I loved it.

Early in the book, we are told that some mysterious ailment is afflicting Ravenpaw, though it is very minor at the time.

When the opportunity arises for Ravenpaw to help Barley's niece and nephew find SkyClan and become warrior apprentices, he takes it, staying true to his natural-born warrior nature, even though Barley doesn't agree at first. I was so glad to see Ravenpaw get to experience a piece of his former life as the last thing he does before his death.

The end of the book is heartbreaking, but I think Ravenpaw passes away in the way he'd best like to, with his mate by his side, and just after he'd helped some fellow Clan cats. One of the Erins revealed, outside of this book, that Ravenpaw dies of liver cancer, but he dies lying by Barley's side, after he promises him that they will be together in the afterlife. It was the sappiest, yet most heart-wrenching scene I've read in a long time.

[Mylina]

Hab geheult

[Sierra]

I'm in tears. My heart is breaking. So many feels rn... ugh... I don't want to spoil anything but this story is great. Feels a bit quick paced, but still very good. Ugh the feels tho...

[.]

SINCE I'M LISTING SOME CONTENT, THERE ARE SPOILERS. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!

I was really looking forward to reading this novella. I mean, I've wondered what happened to Ravenpaw for a long time. Sadly, I don't feel like this book had done him some good.
I got really frustrated with this book. The story was great, although I wish the story itself was a bit longer and was more clear on certain things. Want to know what wasn't great?

Ravenpaw's Farewell contained a few LGBT undertones, which might not be a problem for some of you, but it was for me. I'm going to provide a few instances where this is shown.

On page 23 (page 212 of the paperback version), there was what appeared to be an "innocent" question. They might not have expected readers to catch it, but it was so obvious. Ravenpaw and Barley went to visit Violet, Barley's sister, and this is what her daughter Bella asked.

"Do you and Barley have any kits?"
"Er, no."

Another instance would be one that some people would not consider an undertone would be this one at the end of page 59 (page 248 of the paperback version). The only reason it caught my eye was how feminine Barley was acting towards Ravenpaw, as if he was in love. This, in my opinion, was a very hidden LGBT undertone as only females would act like the way Barley was acting (think of Firestar and Sandstorm as an example):

Ravenpaw let them start eating first. He was conscious of Barley standing very close to him as they watched the young cats tuck in. "I can't believe how well they've settled into living wild," Barley murmured."You've done a great job."
"They've been very brave," Ravenpaw replied. " I'm proud of them."
Barley leaned against him, smelling warm and soft and familiar. "You should be," he whispered.

Skipping forward to a few pages before the end, it was obvious to me that the undertones were there. Why? Well, Bluestar and the other cats Ravenpaw knew came from StarClan to visit him. They tried to give him his warrior name, but he said he didn't want it. When they offered him a place in StarClan, he again decided against it.

"I cannot join you," he mewed softly, "There is someone I need to wait for. I hope there is a place where we can be together, even though he is not a Clan cat."

At the end, it was really obvious to me. Ravenpaw was dying, and Barley was curled next to him. Innocent, right? When Ravenpaw wished he could comfort Barley, he said this:

"I will wait for you. Wherever you are, I will find you."

From what I've read from the older Warrior books, this seems to be romantic. Like, only the males would say this to the females.

There were probably more hidden "gems" in this book, but these were the ones I caught and wanted to mention. I'm rating this book two stars, mainly because of the hidden LGBT undertones, but I gave another star for the story out of mercy. The story would've been great if not for the content I showed you above. I would never have finished it, but I decided to so I could let you all know what was in it. I would recommend that you check out the book first before handing it to a young one, although this all depends on your morals and what you believe.

I'm really sad how far the Erin Hunter pseudonym has gone under. I know exactly which of the seven people part of the pseudonym influenced the LGBT undertones in general, though I won't list any names. Anyways, I used to love this series, but it's going downhill now. I don't think I want to read any books by them that are newer. The original books that started it, including Into the Wild, as well as a few of the series after that will probably be the only ones I'll read now.

[Anna]

I read this novella as part of 'Shadows of the Clans' which also contains 'Mapleshade's Vengeance' and 'Goosefeather's Curse'. I have read 90% of Erin Hunter's Warrior Cats series and I am yet to find one I did not thoroughly enjoy. This one is absolutely wonderful. If it were possible to choose a favourite this could well be it. There are some very adult concepts inferred in the relationship between Barley and Ravenpaw which I personally would not necessarily want to share with young children.

[Romy Sprokkerieft]

Oh my sweet, sweet Ravenpaw; I wish you've gotten an super deluxe super edition. One where you would meet Barley again and would be 'living' forever on a piece of land next to Starclan.

This book gives us a view of Ravenpaw's last moments and his sweet & cosy relationship with Barley (WE WANT MORE).

I have no tears left

[Chantal Kloth]

i’m bawling my eyes out right now. ugh i just have such a special place in my heart for ravenpaw. his queer love with barley is one of my favorite things about this whole series. my heart is so shattered by the ending, but i am so grateful for their love for each other.

[Astraea]

"friends"

[Wojciecha]

fcking gay cats :(((

[Emma]

This book went too fast! I have liked raven paws character for a long time, and I think he deserved a super edition instead of a novella but fine. Raven paw and Alder heart are the only two anxious/nervous cats in the entire series, and there is a huge time gap between them. This book was very sweet and the beginning was great, while the ending was rushed but still really good.

[franzi]

das ende hat mich fast zum heulen gebracht

[Avery Schnitt]

Ravenpaw's Farewell is about the clan-born loner and his friend Barley, who live together in the once famed forest of warrior clans. Ravenpaw and Barley are exploring the forest after the leaving of the clans. They come across two kitty pets also know as house cats who dream of being warriors. After a little encouragement Ravenpaw agrees to bring them to a clan the fifth clan, Skyclan. When they get there they are rejected but end up saving Skyclan from terror and winning their favor. Ravenpaw is getting older and also has some kind of sickness. Is it the end for Ravenpaw? Or will he live the rest of his life at the farm with Barley?

[Lauren Otto]

My gay heart shattered into a million pieces (in a good way). Ravenpaw and Barley’s relationship was so pure, it broke my heart. It’s the only good novella of these I’ve read so far, I think. The rest have just been filler while this is actually new content.

[• fogpunk •]

"Ich dachte die Scheune wäre mein Zuhause, aber mein Zuhause bist du."

Selten so eine schöne Geschichte über enge Freundschaft bis hin zu einer homosexuellen Beziehung (anscheinend sogar confirmed! ❤️) und den Tod gelesen.

cried like a baby.

[GoldenStar of thunderClan]

Goodly awesome

It's so cool, and I loved all of the adventures, but I still have two questions. 1,why'd he die? 2, why did he die before barley?

[Hailey Vieira]

I was not ready for this book.... my heart hurts so much but I loved this little novella so much. I just have all the feelings right now! Ravenpaw is such a sweet boy and I love him so much!

[lizzie ray]

I'm so sad now.

[myr]

me crying? More likely than you think

[Akarie]

This book made me cry at the end, especially his last words: "Wherever you are, I will find you." I was excited when we saw Barely one last time in Graystripe's vow.

[Zoe]

i was genuinely aghast and gawking at ravenpaw and barley's relationship. i didn't expect barley to be a manipulative asshole! what concerns me is how 'sweet' their relationship is intended to be portrayed as, when it's really barley repeatedly discouraging ravenpaw from even thinking about his heritage because he's afraid that ravenpaw doesn't like him/wants to leave him.

really did not like how barley is portrayed here. its a harsh contrast to how he acts in other books. it really makes his relationship with ravenpaw seem much more sinister, with ravenpaw repeatedly fawning, reassuring him, etc. instead of saying sorry he says that he "doesnt deserve" ravenpaw. its just... wow. it's not cute, its just toxic. i did not like this. :(

which is pretty par for the course for relationships in warrior cats, to be honest. I will say a huge W from this novella is making homophobes cry

[Emmi]

Read this purely for the nostalgia but I was NOT expecting to tear up at that ending 😭😭
Ravenpaw was my favorite as a child and he always will be. Even though I’m past reading the silly cat books (thank goodness) and I don’t really like them anymore, they’ll always be special 🫶

[Krys]

4.5 stars

[eris]

3.75✨
strasznie ironiczny jest fakt, że na ostatniej scenie zaczęła grać piosenka "I'm glad I'm alive"

[Jayda 🍉]

I read this years ago but I remember crying, I loved Ravenpaw so much

[Nathan]

Happy pride month 🌈‼️ Too bad the story was bad 🤭

[Lena _B]

Super ale też mega smutne szczególnie koniec mimo to serdecznie polecam osobom które lubią krucza łapę i chcą się jeszcze dowiedzieć jak mu się żyje

[probably not in use]

This was really sweet, it's just really irritating how (not just skyclan but the clans in the books in general) are so agressive to loners, like wtf? How dare you treat ravenboy like that D:
Also i never really got the "not taking things from Twolegs" rule, like it's food?