| “ | I don't regret having my kits. Only that I lied about being their mother. I wish I'd had more courage, but I thought I was doing the best for everyone by choosing to remain a medicine cat. But please don't turn Squirrelflight away. Everything she did was out of loyalty for me. I couldn't wish to have a better sister. If some cat must be punished for what we did, punish me, not her. | „ |
| ~ Leafpool during her trial in StarClan. |
Leafpool is one of the deuteragonists of Erin Hunter's Warriors book franchise.
She is the sister of Squirrelstar and the daughter of Firestar and Sandstorm, as well as the biological mother of Hollyleaf, Jayfeather and Lionblaze. Due to the warrior code not allowing cats to take mates from outside their own Clan as well as forbidding medicine cats from having a mate or kits, she had to hide the secret of her children's parentage by having her sister and Brambleclaw raise them instead.
Appearance[]
Leafpool is a lithe brown tabby she-cat with amber eyes. She has darker brown stripes, and her paws and underbelly are white.
Biography[]
Firestar's Quest[]
At the end of the book, Sandstorm gives birth to her and Firestar's kits. While Squirrelkit is named after her orange fur and fluffy tail, Leafkit is named after the SkyClan leader Leafstar, as well as possibly Spottedleaf, the former medicine cat of ThunderClan.
The New Prophecy[]
Midnight[]
Leafpaw is a medicine cat apprentice under the mentorship of Cinderpelt. During a Gathering, she meets a RiverClan cat named Mothwing who, like her, is training to become a medicine cat, though Mothwing is waiting for a sign from StarClan before she can officially begin.
Both her and Cinderpelt receive an omen from StarClan of a tiger leaping out of flames. Cinderpelt interprets it as being about Squirrelpaw and Brambleclaw, as they are the children of Firestar and Tigerstar respectively. Leafpaw worries that the omen may be about her, as she is also Firestar's daughter, but her mentor assures her that isn't the case because she doesn't have orange fur like Squirrelpaw.
As Brambleclaw and Squirrelpaw are about to sneak out of camp to go to the sun-drown place, Leafpaw senses that her sister is about to leave and gives both of them travelling herbs. Brambleclaw is angry with Squirrelpaw, assuming that she'd told her littermate about her dreams, but a confused Leafpaw admits that she hadn't heard about any dreams. Her sister then explains to her that she's been having dreams about going to the sun-drown place and meeting with Feathertail, Stormfur, Tawnypelt and Crowpaw in secret, as they had also been having those dreams. While shocked, Leafpaw agrees not to tell anyone about what she had learned or where the two cats went, though while she's gone Leafpaw can't help but worry about her sister.
While out on their journey, Tawnypelt gets bitten by a rat on her shoulder, and her wound starts to become infected. Sensing this through Squirrelpaw, she tries to tell her sister to use burdock roots on the infection by chewing the roots as she goes to sleep.
Moonrise[]
While collecting herbs at Sunningrocks, Cinderpelt rushes back to camp after Spiderpaw informs her that Dappletail's stomach is aching, leaving her apprentice to finish gathering the herbs. Suddenly, a RiverClan apprentice named Reedpaw is caught in the river, hanging onto a branch desperately. While trying to save him, Leafpaw slips and almost falls into the water herself, but luckily the spirit of Spottedleaf saves her, and the young she-cat is able to pull Reedpaw to safety. She is then able to get the water out of his lungs by following what Spottedleaf whispers to her, saving the RiverClan tom. Mothwing is ashamed that she was too panicked to save her Clanmate herself and instead an apprentice from another Clan did, with the brown she-cat's attempts at reassuring her friend being unsuccessful.
Leafpaw feels guilty that she has to keep her sister's dreams a secret from the rest of ThunderClan when cats start asking why StarClan is silent about the forest being destroyed. On the way back from the Moonstone, she notices that the rabbits WindClan have been catching are poisoned. Fellow medicine cat Barkface explains that the twolegs have been responsible for poisoning their prey, and warns Mothwing not to touch them. When she returns home, she tells her father about the poisoned rabbits and recommends that they get rid of any in the fresh-kill pile. Dappletail however has been made delirious from hunger and yanks away a rabbit Leafpaw was about to dispose of, biting large chunks out of it before Firestar is forced to stop her. Due to the toxins, Dappletail dies soon after, and the medicine cat apprentice is wracked with guilt over not being able to save her.
Later, the she-cat has a nightmare of Feathertail plunging into the darkness, and feels the grief of the travelling cats when she awakes. When Brightheart and Cloudtail go missing, she and her friend Sorreltail go to look for them, only to find a twoleg trap with kittypet food inside. Leafpaw smells Mistyfoot's scent inside, and warily tries to get the food to feed her Clan with, but once she enters fully the traps snaps shut and locks her inside.
Dawn[]
Leafpaw is stuck inside a cage in a truck along with several other cats, including rouges and Clan cats. A kittypet named Cody, who is also trapped with her, encourages the young cat to eat and clean herself. Along with the forest cats Cloudtail, Brightheart, Mistyfoot and Gorsetail, Leafpaw sees that one of the captured cats in a loner named Sasha, who she learns is the mother of Mothwing and Hawkfrost. When a twoleg injures a rouge named Coal when the latter tries to fight back, Leafpaw is able to gather some cobwebs from a cage below hers and passes them to Cody to stop Coal's bleeding.
After returning from the sun-drown place, Spottedleaf shows Squirrelpaw where her sister and the others are being held. Along with Graystripe, Sorreltail, Brambleclaw, Thornclaw and Rainwhisker, she raids the twoleg truck and successfully frees the cats trapped inside. Unfortunately, Graystripe is caught by the twolegs and put inside the truck as it drives away. Cody goes with Leafpaw, Cloudtail and Brightheart, not feeling safe enough to try to return home yet. The ThunderClan cats take refuge on Sunningrocks after their camp had been destroyed. Cody chews up some prey and feeds it to Birchkit due to his mother Ferncloud not having enough milk left to feed him. Once Cody decides to return to her housefolk, Leafpaw is sad to see her new friend go and wishes she could've stayed in ThunderClan instead.
Once the Clan accept that the forest is no longer hospitable, Leafpaw joins them as they all travel through the mountains to the lake. While in the mountains, Leafpaw shields Tallpoppy's kits from the cold. When the Clans encounter the Tribe of Rushing Water, the mountain cats offer the travelers to rest in their cave for the time being. When Crowpaw ears his warrior name Crowfeather in honor of Feathertail, Leafpaw sees the spirits of Feathertail and Silverstream watching the ceremony for a brief moment.
At the end of the book when the Clans finally find their new home at the lake, Leafpaw sees the reflection of Silverpelt shimmering on the water and is sure that this is where the Clans are meant to be.
Starlight[]
Leafpaw and the other medicine cats investigate their new home to see where herbs can be found. She sees Crowfeather in a WindClan patrol scoping out their territory, and thinks about how little she understands about him, wishing she knew him better. Later, she helps Mothwing with gathering water for the elders before noticing that the water smells funny, soon discovering that a dead rabbit is at the bottom of the pool they'd been gathering from. Though she's afraid the water will make the elders sick, she doesn't tell Mothwing to avoid making her feel bad.
When the Clans separate from each other, she asks Crowfeather if he needs help convincing a stubborn elder to return to WindClan. The WindClan warrior replies coldly that he doesn't need help, causing Squirrelflight to threaten him to watch it when he talks to her sister. Crowfeather mumbles an apology, and Leafpaw feels bad for him, knowing he's still grieving the loss of Feathertail.
Later, the elders of WindClan fall ill after drinking the tainted water, and Leafpaw convinces Cinderpelt to let her heal them. She brings herbs to the other Clan, and is escorted to the sick elders by a patrol. As Barkface is busy collecting herbs, Onewhisker lets the ThunderClan medicine cat-in-training treat them herself. Crowfeather is annoyed by her presence and wants her to leave, but Onewhisker tells him to help her with her treatment instead. Once Darkfoot and Morningflower are cured, Leafpaw returns to her own Clan.
During a half-moon meeting between the Clan's medicine cats, they discuss what they should do without the Moonstone to give them access to StarClan. During this, Mothwing reveals to the apprentice that she doesn't believe in StarClan's existence. While the brown she-cat is shocked and in disbelief, she agrees not to tell the other medicine cats so that they won't judge Mothwing for her lack of faith.
Spottedleaf returns to Leafpaw - this time in her dreams - and tells her where to find a replacement for the Moonstone. With Sorreltail at her side, Leafpaw follows Spottedleaf's spirit to a large pool of water known as the Moonpool. She sees several StarClan cats around the pool and tries looking for Graystripe, but does not find him. She sees the spirits of Larchkit, Hollykit and Shrewpaw, and thinks to tell Ferncloud that her kits are safe and happy in StarClan. She then speaks with Bluestar, the former leader of ThunderClan before her father, who tells her that the Moonpool will be where medicine cats communicate with their ancestors and leaders will receive their nine lives from now on. Finally, she speaks with Feathertail, who informs her that she's now apart of both StarClan and the Tribe of Endless Hunting - the Tribe of Rushing Water's afterlife - and that she'll never forget any of the living Clans. She also asks Leafpaw to tell Crowfeather to not let grief consume him, and the apprentice promises to do so.
Returning to ThunderClan, she tells them that she's found the perfect place for them to commune with StarClan. She later tells WindClan as well, and delivers Feathertail's message to Crowfeather. The dark gray cat is angered and insists that no other cat will ever be like Feathertail. The next night, the medicine cats gather around the Moonpool for the first time to speak to their ancestors. There, Leafpaw earns the name Leafpool in honor of her discovery.
During Mudclaw's attempted coup against Onewhisker for the position of leader, Leafpool is caught up in the battle, chased by two ShadowClan warriors. She nearly falls of the cliff surrounding ThunderClan camp, barely hanging onto the edge. Crowfeather arrives to save her, freezing for a moment as he remembers Feathertail's death, but pulls Leafpool up just before she slips. Leafpool says that she must've been the last cat he would've wanted to save, and the WindClan warrior is shocked to hear her assume that. He confesses that he's fallen in love with her despite his grief for Feathertail, and Leafpool realizes that she loves him too.
Twilight[]
Leafpool tries to focus on her job as a medicine cat, but is too distracted by her feelings for Crowfeather. Mosspelt shows up and begs for her help, saying that Mothwing had requested her to come to RiverClan to treat some sick kittens. On the way there, the two she-cats run into a patrol with Crowfeather in it. The medicine cat and warrior briefly stare at each other until Webfoot growls to his Clanmate that there's already enough cats in WindClan for him to pad after. Tornear reminds Webfoot that Leafpool is the sister of Squirrelflight, who Crowfeather went on a journey with in their apprentice days. The dark gray tom tells the brown she-cat to say hello to her sister for him as a cover-up, before whispering to her a request to meet at the island that night.
When Leafpool and Mosspelt arrive in RiverClan's camp, the latter tries to calm down Mothwing. She has the kits and an apprentice named Beechpaw swallow yarrow leaves while telling Mistyfoot and Reedwhisker to go fetch some more of the herbs. The ill cats vomit up mucus with a bitter stench, and Mistyfoot shows Leafpool what she believes to be the cause of their ailment: a puddle of greenish-silver sludge left by twolegs. As night falls, the ThunderClan she-cat decides to spend the night in RiverClan and lays down to sleep, before realizing that she forgot to go to the island for her meeting with Crowfeather. The next day, Minnowkit tells the two medicine cats that she and her littermates had found a twoleg creation that was spewing out the same kind of sludge Mistyfoot had found earlier. She had dared her siblings to eat some of the liquid, which got them sick. Leafpool and Mothwing conclude that the other cats must've gotten sick from eating prey that had been tainted by the substance or by stepping in it. Though one of the kits dies from their illness, the others are able to recover.
When she gets back to camp, Leafpool finds that Brightheart has been helping Cinderpelt in the medicine den while she was gone. Leafpool is annoyed by this, even more so when Brightheart unintentionally speaks to her like she's an apprentice. She tells her former mentor that there are too many medicine cats around, and Cinderpelt asks her to be patient with the substitute medicine cat, as everything has changed for her. Leafpool figures out that Cinderpelt is referring to Brightheart's jealousy over Daisy, who had been becoming very close with Cloudtail lately.
At the Gathering, Leafpool runs into Crowfeather, who is hurt that she didn't show up to their meeting and asks why. She explains that she'd been busy with helping Mothwing, and Crowfeather is frustrated that they never get to see each other, wanting to run away from the Clans altogether. Leafpool tells him that abandoning their Clans isn't the answer, and Crowfeather arranges a new meeting time for the next day as the Gathering comes to a close.
While sleeping, she witnesses Brambleclaw and Hawkfrost meeting with their father Tigerstar in the Dark Forest, and her trust in Brambleclaw is shaken. When she finds she no longer receives the same dreams as the other medicine cats, she worries that her love for Crowfeather has severed her connection to StarClan. Distracted by this, she starts messing up her healing duties, such as trying to get rid of tick with yarrow instead of mouse bile or giving Firestar nettle seeds instead of poppy seeds. She fears that a cat could fall seriously ill from her mistakes.
Cinderpelt catches Leafpool meeting with Crowfeather on the border between ThunderClan and WindClan, scolding her and demanding she stop seeing him. The younger medicine cat runs away in a fit of anger and ends up at the Moonpool, where Spottedleaf tells her to follow her heart, which she interprets as being mates with Crowfeather. In the past, the WindClan tom had told her that due to the warrior code, the only way they could be together was if they left the Clans. While at first uncertain, now that Cinderpelt knew and disapproved of her secret and that Brightheart could take her place in the medicine den, Leafpool decides to leave ThunderClan. The two cats run away together, though Leafpool is sad to have to leave her friends and family behind. While away from the Clans, they meet Midnight the badger, who tells them that badgers are planning an attack on ThunderClan in revenge for the cats driving them out. Leafpool tells her mate that they must go back, and while at first Crowfeather rejects the notion of returning, he eventually decides to go back as well.
When they return, the badgers are already attacking ThunderClan's camp. While Crowfeather helps to fight them off, Leafpool rushes into the medicine den, where she sees Cinderpelt being fatally wounded while defending Sorreltail and her newborn kits. Cinderpelt tells her that she already knew she was going to die in this fight, and Leafpool is angry at herself for leaving her and the Clan, feeling like she could've saved her former mentor if she'd stayed. With her dying breaths, Cinderpelt tells Leafpool that she never would've forced her to do anything that made her unhappy, before succumbing to her wounds and passing away.
After the battle, Crowfeather tells Leafpool that they must split apart and return to serving their Clans. He says that her heart truly lies with ThunderClan and not him, and while she reluctantly accepts to part ways, she thinks about how she loves Crowfeather more than he could ever know.
Sunset[]
After Cinderpelt's death, Leafpool has become the sole medicine cat of ThunderClan. When the RiverClan warrior Heavystep is sick with greencough, she enters the RiverClan medicine cat apprentice Willowpaw's dreams alongside Silverstream to show her where to find catmint. While watching Hazelkit, Berrykit and Mousekit playing with a butterfly, she sees them run off and then spots them near the rock wall, looking down at the now dead butterfly with one of its wings torn off. Mousekit tells her that a tortoiseshell she-cat told them to chase it and Hazelkit points out that it wasn't Sorreltail who did so, leading Leafpool to believe that Spottedleaf was who they were talking about and the spirit was trying to show her something. She looks at the torn off wing and notices a hole the size of a cat's claw in it, thinking of the moth wing that was supposedly a sign to let Mothwing become a medicine cat. She imagines Mothwing's brother Hawkfrost deliberately placing the wing down in front of Mudfur's den and starts to question the RiverClan warrior's motives.
When worrying that Cinderpelt resents her for falling in love with Crowfeather or falling asleep during her funeral vigil, Spottedleaf informs her that the gray she-cat still loves her very much, before showing her that Cinderpelt has been reincarnated into Sorreltail's daughter Cinderkit. Later, Bluestar, Yellowfang and Lionheart inform Leafpool that she's has stumbled onto a path few medicine cats have walked, but they will not tell her what her future holds. She is also told that her sister Squirrelflight is destined to be mates with Brambleclaw. Finally, she gets a vision of the lake with blood flowing into it and is told the prophecy "Before there is peace, blood will spill blood, and the lake will run red".
When Firestar must pick a new deputy to replace Graystripe, Leafpool has a dream of a cat's claws growing along bramble bushes, protecting ThunderClan camp, and infers that StarClan has chosen Brambleclaw to be the new deputy. When she tells her father about this, he appoints the brown tabby tom as the next deputy of ThunderClan. Ashfur claims that Leafpool is lying about her dreams because her sister is Brambleclaw's mate, but she denies this and the new deputy is chosen. Later, Brambleclaw notices that Leafpool is somewhat plumper than usual, though just assumes that she's gotten a bit chubby due to ThunderClan's abundance of prey.
When Ashfur tells the two about Firestar being caught in a fox trap at the lake shore, Squirrelflight and Leafpool rush over to find the aftermath of Brambleclaw standing over Hawkfrost's dead body. The two are horrified by the sight of their father with blood gushing from the wound on his neck, though he's able to stand despite his injuries and tells them that his deputy had saved him from being killed by Hawkfrost. Seeing the blood of Brambleclaw's half-brother flowing into the lake, she realizes that the "blood will spill blood" prophecy was about Tigerstar's sons all along.
Leafpool's Wish[]
In-between the events of Twilight and Sunset, Leafpool is treating the wounds of Birchpaw that he had obtained in the fight against the badgers. She reminisces on the deaths of Cinderpelt and the warrior Sootfur, vowing to stay with ThunderClan and uphold her duties. When Brackenfur tells her that Cinderkit has fleas, he notices how tired she is and offers to help. Leafpool turns him down, saying that she's just tired from the recent battle. She then looks into the warrior's den to see Squirrelflight, thinking about her recent breakup with Ashfur and how she chose Brambleclaw over him, thinking about the fire and tiger prophecy.
Remembering the time she saw Brambleclaw and Hawkfrost speaking to their father, Leafpool attempts to enter the Dark Forest in her dreams to spy on Tigerstar and find out if Brambleclaw can truly be trusted. In her dreams, she finds herself in a dimly lit clearing with Bluestar, Yellowfang and Lionheart sitting with their backs to her. Bluestar beckons her forward, and after being introduced to Lionheart, Leafpool asks why she's been brought here. The former ThunderClan leader has her follow them to a moonlit clearing and sit down, where Leafpool notices three bright stars shining in the sky. Upon asking if they're giving her a sign for something, Bluestar instead says that her life is about to twist in an unfamiliar way. Leafpool, concerned, asks what they mean, and they explain that she's about to travel down a path few medicine cats have walked, and three cats she has yet to meet will change her life forever. Lionheart says that they are visiting to give her strength and remind her that StarClan will always be watching over her.
A month later, Leafpool finds out about her pregnancy due to convulsions, and concludes that the three cats she was told would change her life were her three unborn kits. She can't help but wonder about her kits' upcoming futures while watching Daisy's children attempting to play with their father Spiderleg, thinking that it didn't matter whether or not they lived in a Clan, as long as they were happy. She feels a bit of shame at the thought, knowing that having these kits goes against the warrior code. Her convulsions worsening, she tells Firestar that she needs to go to the Moonpool right away, despite Squirrelflight's warnings of a storm approaching. Said storm begins right after the medicine cat leaves camp, and she collapses from exhaustion when she finally gets to the Moonpool.
Expecting to see the cats of StarClan, Leafpool instead has a dream about playing with a moss ball with Crowfeather. The two then climb up a tree at her suggestion, and Crowfeather says that there's a place where they could be together, and she wonders if they'll ever find it. The dream quickly turns into a nightmare as a storm shakes the tree, knocking Crowfeather into the darkness and leaving the brown tabby clinging to a branch for dear life before awaking next to the Moonpool. Spottedleaf is with her, harshly scolding her for becoming pregnant. Yellowfang tells the tortoiseshell to stop yelling at her, before comforting Leafpool and telling her that she's gone through the same experience with Raggedstar.
When returning home, Leafpool tells Squirrelflight her secret and begs her sister to raise her kits in her stead. Squirrelflight instead tells her to step down from her medicine cat duties, but she tells her that the Clan still needs her. She then tries to apprentice Brightheart, but the older she-cat is happier being a warrior and Cloudtail's mate. When she sees Crowfeather by the WindClan border, the tom tells her that he still misses her, but she instead snaps at him that they must both remain loyal to their Clans. Crowfeather is hurt by this and returns to his patrol, with Leafpool noting the closeness between him and Nightcloud, wondering if he's already moved on to another mate.
She returns to the Moonpool - this time with Squirrelflight - and in a dream asks Yellowfang what to do. In the shared dream, Yellowfang tells Squirrelflight that she must raise the kits, lying that the orange she-cat is barren and thus cannot have biological kits of her own. While conflicted about giving her kits away, Leafpool accepts, knowing it's the only way that she can watch them grow while still being a medicine cat. When the kitting starts, she and her sister travel outside of the Clans under the guise of important medicine cat business. They shelter inside a hollow tree, where with Yellowfang's assistance, Leafpool gives birth to three kittens: a black she-kit, a gray tom, and a yellow tom. Feathertail's spirit appears and congratulates the tabby she-cat, while also telling Squirrelflight that she should raise the litter. Squirrelflight agrees, though is reluctant knowing she'll have to lie to Brambleclaw about them. Leafpool names the yellow kit Lionkit, while her sister names the black kit Hollykit. When the gray kit's eyes open and are revealed to be blue like a blue jay, Leafpool names him Jaykit, thinking about naming him Jayfeather after his father when he's older.
The two sisters stay in the hollow tree for the next five days, nursing the kits and waiting until they're able to travel back to ThunderClan. Noticing that Jaykit is blind, Squirrelflight wonders what role he'll have in the Clan, and Leafpool states that he'll have just as much of a place as his siblings, promising him that she'll always support him. On the way back, the tiny gray tom asks her why she's walking at a distance from the litter, and she remorsefully replies that she's the medicine cat and their aunt, telling Jaykit that she can't make him see when he asks why he's blind. When they finally return home, Leafpool watches from a distance as her sister introduces her adopted kits to the Clan, silently telling the kits that she'll always love them and wishing them a good life.
The Power of Three[]
The Sight[]
Upon reaching six moons old, the three are made apprentices, with Lionpaw and Jaypaw being mentored by Ashfur and Brightheart respectively. Hollypaw, wanting to be a medicine cat, is mentored by Leafpool. While she initially wanted Jaypaw to be her apprentice, Leafpool is happy to teach Hollypaw. However, Hollypaw soon finds that she's unhappy training to be a medicine cat, and as Jaypaw is equally unhappy with warrior training, Leafpool and Spottedleaf consider having the gray tom be a medicine cat instead due to his connection to StarClan and dreamwalking abilities. At first Jaypaw refuses, thinking they only want him to be a medicine cat because he's blind. During her apprentice ceremony, Hollypaw notes a look of sadness in Leafpool's eyes when touching their noses together.
Jaypaw senses tension between the medicine cat and Crowfeather, as she is unhappy with the WindClan tom's relationship with Nightcloud. Later, Jaypaw reluctantly accepts becoming a medicine cat apprentice and switches positions with his sister, who is in turn reassigned to Brackenfur. During the Daylight Gathering, Leafpool saves Lionpaw and the WindClan apprentice Breezepaw after the two are trapped underground from the earth collapsing beneath them. Crowfeather thanks her for saving his son, and Leafpool replies that she would give her last drop of blood for Breezepaw's sake, which embarrasses her apprentice.
Dark River[]
After Cinderpaw falls out of a tree and breaks her leg, Leafpool takes very delicate care of her, knowing that she's Cinderpelt's reincarnation and not wanting her to have the same fate her predecessor had. When Hollypaw disappears, the brown tabby tells Jaypaw to find her with his dream walking powers, to which he discovers that she's in RiverClan. When Firestar sends the medicine cat and her apprentice to WindClan to ask them if RiverClan had been stealing their territory, Jaypaw notes how tense Leafpool is while talking to Nightcloud and Crowfeather. She then surprises both Jaypaw and Onestar with her intensity while talking to the latter, and the WindClan leader angrily sends them back to ThunderClan. When Jaypaw finds out that Cinderpaw is Cinderpelt's reincarnation, he asks his mentor if they should tell her. Leafpool says no, fearing that knowing the truth could ruin Cinderpaw's new life.
Outcast[]
Leafpool scolds Jaypaw for being distracted by the stick he had found while the two are collecting mallow. During the half-moon meeting at the Moonpool, she says hello to Jaypaw in their shared dream, but doesn't get a response. She then points Feathertail's spirit out to him, but denies that he should talk to the StarClan cat. She later briefly visits the Tribe of Rushing Water when bringing prey to them, and later tells her Clanmates that the visiting Talon of Swooping Eagle and Night of No Stars are Tribe cats, not intruders.
Her apprentice takes note of how distracted she is when it's time for him and some other cats to leave for the mountains. She tries to hide some herbs when Jaypaw comes in to say goodbye, and when he asks if she's going to say goodbye to the other departing cats, Leafpool claims that she already did, and Jaypaw wonders if she's trying to avoid Crowfeather, who is also in the group.
Eclipse[]
Leafpool worries about Cinderpaw's still healing leg after it buckles during an assessment. Jaypaw believes that Leafpool isn't helping the gray she-cat get better by spoiling her all the time, thinking she should instead focus on getting her to move her healing leg. Later, Jaypaw is surprised when his mentor allows him to take Cinderpaw out for swimming lessons. She's later seen to be tense when Squirrelflight tells Jaypaw to eat, commenting that she knows how to take care of her apprentice. After a battle between all four Clans is cut short by an eclipse, she's seen helping injured WindClan warriors with their wounds. She's later seen purring happily while sitting next to her sister during Hollyleaf's, Lionblaze's and Cinderheart's warrior ceremonies.
Long Shadows[]
At the Moonpool, Leafpool gives Jaypaw his full medicine cat name. As she had first thought of when he was born, she names him Jayfeather, after Crowfeather. The newly named Jayfeather senses how happy she is, as well as her love for and protectiveness over him.
During an outbreak of greencough, Leafpool is very worried for her Clanmates due to a shortage of catmint. When Lionblaze brings in the sick Spiderleg, she briefly has an outburst about the lack of catmint before quietly treating him with tansy. She then snaps at Spiderleg for neglecting his and Daisy's children, telling him that every kit is precious and that he's missing out on the chance to raise them, envious of his opportunity to be with his kits and angry that he's wasting it. She's very concerned for and caring towards Firestar when he catches greencough as well.
After Squirrelflight is forced to admit to the three that she isn't their biological mother in order to save them from Ashfur, Leafpool becomes incredibly distant and forgetful. She's saddened when she discovers Ashfur's body, unaware that he had tried to kill both her father and her kits in order to make her sister suffer. While licking his fur, she notices claw marks all over his body and a large bite wound on his throat, leading her to the conclusion that someone had murdered him.
Sunrise[]
While examining Ashfur's body for clues as to who could've killed him, she finds tufts of black fur stuck in his claws that have Hollyleaf's scent. She tries to convince herself otherwise, but is unable to deny the proof that Hollyleaf had killed him. Not wanting the rest of the Clan to find out in fear of the consequences Hollyleaf will face, she removes the fur from his claws and hides it while wondering if his death was her fault.
When Honeyfern is bitten by a snake while protecting Briarkit, Leafpool is unable to help her due to not knowing how to cure snake venom. She stares at Cinderheart with pleading eyes, hoping she would know how to help due to her past life as Cinderpelt, but the gray warrior is unable to do anything either. Honeyfern's passing gives Leafpool the idea to stuff a mouse full of deathberries and thorns, leaving it outside the snake's nest. She tells the kits to never eat any of the berries, claiming they'll die instantly. Though both her and Jayfeather know that this is not true, as deathberries' effects aren't instant, the latter thinks that she said so because she doesn't want to be taking any chances with the kits.
Hollyleaf recognizes that Leafpool may have information on who her biological parents are, yet when she asks, the medicine cat diverts the conversation by revealing that she knows she killed Ashfur and asks why she did it. Hollyleaf explains that he knew Squirrelflight and Brambleclaw weren't her birth parents and was going to reveal it to all of the Clans, so she had to put a stop to him. Leafpool then tells Hollyleaf that she's the biological mother of her and her brothers, and Squirrelflight's lie was to protect them. When Jayfeather walks in, Leafpool tells him her secret as well, to which he reveals that he already knew. When asked how, he explains that he pieced together the memories from his kithood before going to ThunderClan, how Leafpool acts around him and his siblings, and how Leafpool had been using parsley, an herb that stops the production of milk. Leafpool tells him that for his and his littermates' safety, the rest of ThunderClan must not know their origins.
At the Gathering, Hollyleaf interrupts the Clan leaders and climbs up the tree to announce to all of the Clans that her biological parents are not Squirrelflight and Brambleclaw, but Leafpool and Crowfeather. The other Clan cats are revolted by Leafpool's breaking of the warrior code and her lies about doing so. Crowfeather coldly tells her that she no longer means anything to him, stating that his only mate is Nightcloud and his only child is Breezepelt. After this, Leafpool decides to step down as a medicine cat.
When returning from the Gathering, Leafpool slinks into the medicine den to find Hollyleaf waiting for her, yowling at her that the only possible way for her to redeem herself is by eating deathberries. Leafpool numbly replies that she's already lost everything, and that letting her live is a far worse punishment than any death, causing Hollyleaf to relent.
Along with Squirrelflight, Jayfeather and Lionblaze, she's utterly distraught when Hollyleaf runs into the collapsing tunnels, believing her daughter to be dead.
Omen of the Stars[]
The Fourth Apprentice[]
With her medicine cat title revoked, Leafpool becomes a warrior instead, though is noted to not be very good at either hunting or fighting. While she's hunting near the WindClan border, Firestar is attacked by a fox, and she isn't able to make it back in time to help, much to Jayfeather's annoyance. Due to the events of the last book, the gray medicine cat notices that she's severely depressed despite not outwardly showing it.
Fading Echoes[]
Leafpool starts to adapt to being a warrior, despite missing her previous role. When a tree falls on Briarpaw and crushes her back legs, she helps to heal her. Briarpaw's hind legs are permanently paralyzed from the incident, so Leafpool suggests to Jayfeather that he go to the ShadowClan medicine cat Littlecloud for advice, as he had once dealt with a similar condition with a warrior named Wildfur.
Later, Leafpool is attending battle practice with several apprentices. When she notices Ivypaw using advanced fighting moves, she asks her where she'd learned them. Not wanting to reveal that she'd been training with Hawkfrost in the Dark Forest, Ivypaw replies that she just did them on accident, and Leafpool comments that she's very lucky.
Night Whispers[]
Still a warrior, Leafpool briefly stops working on fixing the warrior's den to check on Jayfeather, who is in an argument with Millie over Briarlight's wellbeing. She supports her son, who simply snaps at her in return, and soon finds herself arguing with Millie as well.
Later, she, Dovepaw and Cinderheart find Lionblaze and Breezepelt fighting at the border. She spots Crowfeather, who is simply standing by and watching the two fight. She yells at him for doing nothing about his own sons fighting before trying to break them up, causing Breezepelt to attack her. Crowfeather drags him off of her, before telling her that she chose her Clan long ago, and Leafpool retorts that it didn't mean she didn't love him. Crowfeather, pained, says that though she loved him, it wasn't enough. Nightcloud then yanks him away for talking to Leafpool, causing a heated argument between the two WindClan cats.
Lionblaze blames Leafpool for causing all of this, before realizing how much suffering she's gone through. He sees that her eyes are full of pain and sadness as she watches Crowfeather walk away. When they get back to camp, she begins to worry about Sandstorm when she starts coughing. She tries to get tansy or catmint for her from the medicine den, but Jayfeather refuses to let her take any, asking for someone to guard his herb supply so that Leafpool won't touch them.
Sign of the Moon[]
While on a patrol with her, Lionblaze asks Leafpool if she misses being a medicine cat, to which she replies that she misses it with every breath. When the golden tom wonders why Cinderheart doesn't want to be his mate, Leafpool reassures him that the gray warrior does in fact love him. He then asks why StarClan allowed her to be with Crowfeather while she was a medicine cat, and she somberly replies that destiny is not a path followed blindly. She says that she listened to her heart when she returned to ThunderClan, and advises Lionblaze to do the same. While Jayfeather is visiting the Tribe of Rushing Water, she briefly resumes her role as medicine cat along with Brightheart.
The Forgotten Warrior[]
When Jayfeather searches for Cinderheart, the two go into the forest to speak privately, where the brown she-cat tells her son about a dream she had where Spottedleaf told her about Yellowfang's desire to tell Cinderheart about her previous incarnation. Leafpool however still disagrees with the idea of telling Cinderheart that she's a reincarnation.
When Hollyleaf returns to the Clans, Leafpool is overjoyed at seeing her alive and welcomes her warmly, but the black she-cat ducks away instead. Later, as Hollyleaf admits that she had killed Ashfur, Leafpool and Brambleclaw defend her by saying that his death was an accident, despite knowing that's not true. With Cinderheart's instruction, she heals Cherrypaw and Mousewhisker when the latter two are in pain from eating water hemlock. She becomes agitated at Cinderheart's herbal knowledge, though is quick to apologize to her for doing so. She then tries to comfort her when she becomes agitated with the memories of her past life, but fails to do so.
The Last Hope[]
Leafpool is one of the few cats to know that Jayfeather, Lionblaze and Dovewing are the prophesized three cats with the power of the stars in their paws. She tells them that she could help them, but Lionblaze snaps at her that none of this would be happening if she hadn't broken the code. Leafpool flinches back, hurt by his words, and Squirrelflight defends her by pointing out that they needed to be born to save the Clans. Brambleclaw is still angry that Squirrelflight lied to him and how Leafpool still lost everything despite her sister's efforts. The orange she-cat rebukes that she hadn't lost everything, as she still got to watch her kits grow up and serve her Clan. Lionblaze at last acknowledges that Leafpool had sacrificed everything for them and had never stopped loving them. Leafpool says that Squirrelflight isn't to blame and that she's solely the one at fault, telling Brambleclaw that all that matters is that the kits were accepted by the Clan and that their destinies are intertwined.
While preparing for the Great Battle, Leafpool offers to help Jayfeather with his herbs, to which he agrees. She's surprised by this, fully expecting to have been turned down, but Jayfeather states that her skills will be very useful. She hesitantly asks if he forgives her, but her son says that there's nothing to forgive, as she and Squirrelflight had only been doing what was best for them. He feels a wave of joy radiating off of her from this.
When the Great Battle arrives, Leafpool rushes to Hollyleaf's side after Hawkfrost lands a killing blow on her while she was defending Ivypool. Hollyleaf says that she's glad she finally got to know her birth mother before she passes away, and Leafpool grieves her death. As Breezepelt pins down Lionblaze and is about to kill him, Crowfeather stops him and tells his son that his hatred for his half-siblings needs to end. Leafpool apologizes to them, saying that she never meant for any of this to happen. She says that things may have been different if they'd stayed together, but Crowfeather tells her that it was never meant to be. He strokes her with his tail, telling her that regardless, he never regretted any of their time together.
She is shown with the rest of Firestar's family gathering around him as he dies from blood loss, mourning her father and daughter during the vigils held for those killed in the Great Battle. After Bramblestar becomes the new leader of ThunderClan, he chooses Squirrelflight as his deputy and the two become mates again, with Leafpool congratulating her sister, telling her that she deserves her promotion.
Squirrelflight's Hope[]
When Squirrelflight is having troubles in her relationship with Bramblestar, she goes to Leafpool for comfort and advice. The orange deputy tells her that she wants to have another litter of kits before she's too old to do so, but Bramblestar doesn't share her wishes. Leafpool tells her that it's ok to be upset about her situation. Squirrelflight also tells her sister that her mate is angry with her for going with The Sisters, and she feels guilty for snarling at him when he tried to talk to her. The ginger she-cat then comments that it must've been hard to watch her kits grow up without her raising them, and the medicine cat responds that she did get to raise them, as she was there for them the whole time. Her littermate tells her that if she was a part of The Sisters, then she wouldn't have had to give her kits away in the first place, but Leafpool says that they are Clan cats, not Sisters, and that she made the choice she thought was best. The two then continue to talk about the differences between The Sisters and the Clans.
When Squirrelflight and Leafpool are caught in a rockslide and crushed to near-death, they wake up in StarClan, where Hollyleaf greets them enthusiastically. Soon after however, the two are put on trial by Bluestar, Yellowfang, Littlecloud, Moth Flight, Crookedstar and Tallstar. They are judged for breaking the warrior code and lying to their Clanmates, threatened to be sent to the Dark Forest over it, despite StarClan themselves playing a large part in the incident. Leafpool stands up for her sister, stating that she's done nothing wrong and that Leafpool is the only one who should be getting punished. The StarClan cats eventually conclude that while they broke the code and lied to their peers, they both did so with the best intention and are allowed to stay in StarClan. While Leafpool stays behind, satisfied with her life, Squirrelflight instead chooses to go back to the living world to be there for her daughter Sparkpelt, who had just recently lost both her mate and one of her kits. The two have a tearful goodbye before Squirrelflight wakes up next to her sister's unmoving body. She mourns Leafpool heavily, though at the same time is happy to be back in ThunderClan to watch her grandchildren grow.
Quotes[]
| “ | It's all right. I'll stay here and take good care of the Clan, I promise. One day we'll meet again, walking among the stars. | „ |
| ~ Leafpool to Cinderpelt after she dies |
| “ | Leafpool: Hollyleaf. It's alright. I forgive you. Hollyleaf: What! You forgive me? You're the one who needs forgiveness! You abandoned your kits! You let us grow up in a web of lies, and now the warrior code might be broken forever because of your stupid, selfish actions. Leafpool: Do you think you need to tell me that? I can only tell you how much I love you. I'm so sorry for what I did. Hollyleaf: And you expect me to forgive you? Well, I don't. I never will. See those deathberries? You're going to eat them - or I'll make you! Leafpool: What? Hollyleaf: Eat them! You deserve to die. I've killed once. And I can do it again. Leafpool: Hollyleaf, I have lost my kits, the one cat I love, and my calling as a medicine cat. Which do you think would be easier for me, to die or to go on living? |
„ |
| ~ Hollyleaf confronting Leafpool for breaking the code |
| “ | I know I cannot be ThunderClan's medicine cat any longer. I'm so very sorry to you, Firestar, and to all my Clanmates. Please know that I tried my best, and regretted what I had done with every single breath. But I couldn't regret having my kits. They are fine cats, and I will always be proud of them. | „ |
| ~ Leafpool stepping down as a medicine cat after her secret has been exposed |
| “ | Bluestar: Have you nothing to say? Leafpool: I'm waiting for you to say that the father of my kits was from another Clan. Why defend myself from one accusation only to face another? Moth Flight: All right. You had kits with a cat from another Clan. Littlecloud: Have you no respect at all for the warrior code? Leafpool: I'm not a warrior. I'm a medicine cat. And being a medicine cat means more to me than anything. I gave up Crowfeather. I gave up my kits. Yes, I broke the code, but I chose the Clan over myself. If you want to keep me out of StarClan, it's up to you. Bluestar: Would you make the same choices again? Leafpool: Of course I would! I can't imagine my life without Lionblaze, Jayfeather, or Hollyleaf. I'd never choose a life without them. If they'd never been born, we might all have been lost to the Dark Forest. |
„ |
| ~ Leafpool defending herself during her trial |
| “ | Tell Jayfeather and Lionblaze that I always loved them with a mother's love and I always will. Tell them I'm sorry for the lie. I was trying to protect them, not hurt them. I'll never forgive myself for the pain I caused, and I'll be watching over them, and you. Even when you feel I'm a long way away. | „ |
| ~ Leafpool saying farewell to Squirrelflight |
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Initially, Firestar thought that the "There will be three" prophecy was about her, Squirrelflight, and Cloudtail.
- Moonlight's son Leaf is named after her.
- Leafpool is one of author Cherith Baldry's favorite characters.
External Links[]
- Leafpool on the Warriors Wiki
[]
 Heroes
| ||
|
ThunderClan RiverClan ShadowClan WindClan SkyClan Outside of Clans | ||