Srry if this is a dumb question but was that the change to graystripe you were talking about or is there more coming? I rly like it, just curius :)
Not a dumb question at all, thanks for asking!
This chapter introduced the major change, but it'll be an ongoing thing. There'll be some other changes to things like how long Graystripe stays in Riverclan and the circumstances of his leaving, but at the core of it is this emotional beat, that Graystripe's grief and guilt are causing him to struggle to connect with his kits (as well as how those feelings change over time based on what he does/doesn't do to cope with it).
My main frustration with cannon Graystripe isn't really how he acts, it's how flat he is. His relationship with Silverstream is a big deal plot-wise. It leads him to neglect Brackenpaw's training, puts a huge strain on his relationship with Fireheart, and ends with him switching clans. But Graystripe, as a character, just kinda...floats along? Other than being sad about Silverstream, he doesn't really express a lot of opinions or feelings about the whole ordeal. I went back to reread the chapters where he leaves Riverclan, and while Fireheart thinks of Graystripe's kits a few times and says he can see pain in his eyes over leaving them, Graystripe doesn't actually mention them at all. That's free emotional real estate!
I know there's a few reasons they did that. Partly, I'm sure, it's that they didn't know if people would actually care. The early arcs were also still kinda figuring out how much of the characters' behaviors were cat-based vs people-based, and irl toms don't always help raise kittens (sometimes they do! There are some good cat dads. It's just less common.). Graystripe was the first father (ok technically Oakheart was the first but you know what I mean), so it makes sense that he'd suffer the most from this toms don't raise kits mentality. Plus, early arc characters just didn't talk about big feelings as much in general.
BUT! That's the fun part of doing a rewrite instead of a write. I can get my grubby little racoon paws in there and play the justification game. We know how he acts, so what would explain it? Well, I've seen families fall apart after a parent dies. Sometimes families pull together, sometimes the remaining parent struggles to connect with the kids. That sure seems like a possible explanation for Graystripe's behavior to me!
