#but if Tallstar has a religion and culture that makes him value his clan above all else

[bonefall]

Big question I have for the Tallstar kitten, where does Jake go at the end? If they are co-parenting, then does this child get separated from one of its parents? Would shake come visit? Did Tallstar and Jake have a messy breakup? It would make a very interesting parallel for Onewhisker, Tallstar proudly returning to the clan and claiming the kit as his

The child would very much get separated!!

Tallstar’s Collapse heavily involves the infamous BB!Heatherstar, and the death of tunnelling as she sacrifices it to advance the war with ShadowClan. Kitten or no kitten, the entire book is a lot more bitter as a result.

Tallkit grows up in a Clan that is a community. Palebird is loved and helped through her depression, Tallkit learns from all sorts of different cats. There's issues-- the war and Shrewclaw-- but this is home.

At the same time, he watches Sandgorse and the Tunnelers grow angry and desperate, realizing that Heatherstar is killing their tradition to make more fighters. It's likely that she, or one of her supporters, encourages Tallkit's fear of tunnels and division with his father.

Jake is freedom. He's a paw to offer him an escape from the drama and politics. To see that he does not have to live that way.

But the tragedy here is that Tallstar can't leave it behind. He loves his mom, his half siblings, Woolytail, his mentor, his friends... the moorland is home. Doesn't he have a responsibility to it? To serve WindClan and to fix its problems instead of running away?

WindClan is home. It's family. And Jake is family too but...

Without a kitten it ends here, basically. Tall decides to go home at this point. If he DOES have the kitten...

Then the kitten is probably adopted from parents who died, and that causes Tall to have a bit of an existential crisis. The idea of that is ALIEN to him, there's always someone in a clan to care for the kittens, community is the core of Clan life.

Even at its worst, even when Palebird couldn't take care of him, there was no question that he was loved and valued.

But here's kittens with NO family. If him and Jake and the Nomads hadn't found them...

He can't stop thinking about WindClan after that. The lessons he was taught, the gorse and the heather and the bounty it provides. Palebird and his new siblings, Heatherstar and her aging deputy. How this child he's raising would never know a trip to the moonstone or see its grandmother.

And most importantly; Talltail believes there is value in serving a Clan, and being put to the Stars in death. Where will he go? Where will Fly go??

But Jake does not want that life. He can see that his mate is growing unhappy, but he would be equally unhappy if he went with him. They love each other like a breeze loves a stone; try it might, the wind can't lift the rock.

So they have to part ways.

I think Jake visited for a few years after that, but abruptly stopped. The war grew more intense and it wasn't safe to visit anymore, especially as tensions between Clans got even worse. Tallstar chose his destiny, and Jake chose his.