#Nope. Can't say that Gray Wing has any flaws at all ever. Everyone loves him and he's soso perfect.

[bonebabbles]

All arc long, we have seen Gray Wing not be treated like the real father of the kits he raises.

Five books, and we're now on the sixth and last of this rancid arc.

He is not referred to as Thunder's father outside of the closing line of Book 1 when Clear Sky abandons him, CLEAR SKY is, even ENCOURAGING Thunder to go connect to "HIS FATHER" in Book 2. Even if he was, he's a TERRIBLE parental figure. His constant enabling of his shitty brother winds up driving Thunder into a place where he is abused, and subsequently a near murder at the First Battle which Clear Sky causes. Even post-"redemption arc," after Clear Sky slips back into emotionally abusing his son, just like before, and Thunder leaves him for a THIRD time, Gray Wing screeches at Thunder to "STOP SULKING" and fetch the man who has maliciously attempted to hurt him at every opportunity.

Gray Wing is also not treated as the real dad of Turtle Tail's kits. As soon as he spills the beans to a domestic abuser on where his kids can be found, Tom the Wifebeater kidnaps his children and tells him he's their dad in Book 3. This gets their mother killed in the process, and from then on, TOM is treated as the father they're desperate to know and avenge. Sparrow Fur even laments about how he's their father so if the Clan doesn't like him, they don't like her either.

In Book 4, after Tom the Wifebeater gets his redemption death saving his daughter from a mauling Clear Sky allowed to happen, Gray Wing even says to Owl Eyes, point blank, "I'm not your father, am I?"

Owl Eyes has to DANCE around outright telling him that, no, he is not on the same level. Then he learns of Tom the Wifebeater's death and is so upset he cannot visit what might be his sister's death bed. Even though he only met Tom once during a kidnapping.

Gray Wing was not treated as their dad. He is seen as less than a father by all the characters, AND the narrative, even for the kids he raised from birth.

The only one of these four children that he seems to have a positive relationship with and is described properly is Pebble Heart.

But now, after pissing away 5 books of setup, because they're going to kill this character off soon, they start wanting to collect on what they didn't establish. On what they downplayed for drama and angst.

His fridge wife comforts him in a dream about how he's the perfect boy and Everyone Loves Him.

It doesn't matter that Gray Wing was functionally a terrible parent who's put Thunder in danger by encouraging (and even forcing) a connection to Clear Sky, or that he's been shown as having what I can only describe as "unrequited parental love" for these kits, or that "blood" and biological parents have been exalted for FIVE. BOOKS.

People will read this LAST book, Path of Stars, and conclude DOTC has great messages about adoption. That death scene is just soo good it's going to flush the rest of the arc down the drain, I guess.