Q: Why focus on Addertooth in Addertooth's story?
A: When I finished planning on the plot, I decided to make it through Addertooth's perspective. Why? Well, Addertooth is a very interesting character. He is the kit of the clan's leader and medicine cat, he is an unreliable focus, and he has trust issues. Also, it's nice showing the perspective of someone who is in the wrong (Addertooth) instead of who is in the right (Duskstar). If this was a regular Warriors book, Duskstar probably would've been the protagonist. This also shows how a change in perspective can affect the reader's opinions. If it was in Duskstar's perspective, Addertooth and Hawkstar would be largely disliked characters. However, in Addertooth's perspective, Duskstar is a largely disliked character. This just shows how simple misunderstandings can affect both characters and the audience. One of the points of this book was to make fun of a part of the Warrior Code that I greatly dislike. "The word of the clan leader is the Warrior Code." I dislike this because it indicates a dictatorship. It means that whatever the clan leader says, no matter how cruel or wrong it is, the rest of the clan must follow it. What a leader says should be questioned. This is shown when Hawkstar breaks the warrior code twice and keeps a secret from her clan and gets caught. She uses this part of the warrior code to defend herself, which is wrong. Not only does she use only one part of the warrior code to defend herself when she broke two other parts and kept a secret from her clan, but this also shows hypocrisy. This part of the warrior code was added when SkyClan's leader at the time, Darkstar/Duskstar, gave away some of his clan's territory to ThunderClan willingly. His deputy tried to stop him and was like "dude, are you sure?" And he backed himself up by adding to the warrior code that whatever the clan leader says is the warrior code. He threatened his deputy not to question him ever again. I just hope this part of the warrior code is removed sometime in future books, especially since the new series seems to focus on the questioning of the Warrior Code and StarClan. I just thought Addertooth's point of view would've been perfect for this and more interesting, especially since he died a hero as well.
