#Girlie just draws people to her and enjoys leadership. She isn't a cat capable of taking a backseat wherever she is.

[bonefall]

i really like how in your curlfeather conversation, she talks about Mistyfoot/Mistystar like they're two separate entities and not the same cat. Is this because of her dedication to be a "warrior" in the way the tags are described, or is it for other reasons?

It's her commitment to her sense of honor in the way described in the tags, and a reflection of the way she feels RiverClan (and her bloodline) had declined.

Mistyfoot had been strong enough to defy the code, when it was necessary. Leopardstar was a frothing mess in the Battle of the True Eclipse, so the great reveal that she had been assassinated to protect the Clan wasn't a shock to her-- it made sense.

It was clear to Curlpaw (age shuffle, she is slightly older in BB) that killing her had been a practical, rational choice.

The Code, to her, is a guideline and a tool. Honor doesn't come from the law; the law comes from honor. Good leaders can, and should, bend it when the future of the Clan is at stake. MistyFOOT was willing to make those tough calls when MistySTAR would work with the impostor, so her respect lays with a version of her grandmother she never met.

Curlfeather isn't quite a Traditionalist, but she isn't quite a Thistle Law supporter either. I understand her as a sort of Neo-Traditionalist, someone who greatly respects the law and the "old ways" of cultivating strength within the Clan, but believes that it these traditions must sometimes be broken in order to protect them. Functionally, she's standing with the Hard Traditionalists.

(Like Mudclaw many years ago, ultimately your personal beliefs don't mean much if you're willing to empower fascists.)