Two series stood out to me most and shaped my childhood: the Warrior Cats series and the Percy Jackson series. Warriors were my first foray into actual chapter books and it consumed most of my childhood, with my fantasy and my imagination filled to the brim with anthropomorphized warrior cats. I rarely think of them now; but after hearing a delightful debate piece on it in one of the clubs I'm in at school, I decided to revisit my time with the Warrior world.
I remember reading 'Into the Wild' as a third grader, my mind enamored with the enigmatic and stoic lead of Fireheart, who always knew the bravest thing to do in a pinch. I devoured the original series, savoring Fireheart (and eventually Firestar's) adventures with companions Sandstorm and Graystripe. The cats fell in love, fought amongst themselves, and had a governmental and leadership structure; they were thoughtful, organized, and dignified. It was a whirlwind of series to the young impressionable mind of myself, and I carried on many of the ideas presented later on in life and allowed it to influence my future fictional writing.
I remember taking the online quizzes associated with the books: my clan was Thunderclan, my warrior name was Rainfire, and I hypothesized that I would be a grey-striped tabby. A friend and I would go over to each other's houses for playdates and pretend to be warrior cats, crawling under tables and hissing at one another. Life was simpler and more entertaining then; I can't imagine roleplaying, in the same way, my interests now as then (also what would I do? Put on a cloak and sword and march around declaring that I'm Jon Snow, a Stark bastard)?
I eventually lost interest in the series, as storylines grew ever more convoluted and the world ever weaker and more complicated. My severance from the Warriors series was an ungraceful one; I failed to finish the books I was reading and simply quit.
Even though those books are gathering dust on my shelf now, I will never forget them. Maybe I will walk one day with my heroes in StarClan.
