Leopardstar

Leopardstar is a major character in Erin Hunter’s Warriors book series. 
She is a RiverClan leader who serves as a rival to Firestar and ThunderClan in general. She mostly plays a neutral role, acting as an antagonist or a supporting character depending on the situation. Overall, she is a fierce and honorable warrior who tries to do her best for the sake of her clan.
==Appearance==
Leopardstar is a golden tabby she-cat with black specks, thick fur and amber eyes. She bears a strong resemblance to the animal that gave her her name.
==Personality==
Leopardstar is an extremely proud and loyal warrior. She values RiverClan’s interests above all else, so much so that she first hesitates to leave with the three other clans when the Twolegs begin to destroy the forest. She is rather ambitious and focuses on her warrior and deputy duties to the point that she isn’t interested in having a mate or kits. She also puts aside her friendships. Seeking the best for her clan, she also makes the choice to join Tigerstar into forming TigerClan, a union of ShadowClan and RiverClan that aimed at being more powerful and fitter for survival through harsh times. She came to regret it though, accusing herself of being foolish and greedy for power, and realized that she wished her clan not to be the most powerful but to continue to live on.
Leopardstar is sassy and somewhat arrogant in her manners. She likes to look down on cats from other clans as she believes RiverClan to be the best. Though she is able to show respect to a rival, she is mostly disdainful and full of repartee. She is also distrustful of half-clan cats. She is cunning and never misses opportunities to be owed something by another clan, meaning that she rarely helps them for the sake of it, but rather searches for compensation.
Leopardstar is also often aggressive, though she knows how to keep her temper. Yet she can let her anger burst out at times, especially when she is faced with treachery, which is among the things she hates the most. She does with Graystripe when she accuses him of being a traitor and banishes him for warning Fireheart of her surprise attack during a battle. It is often in the midst of fighting that Leopardstar reveals her aggressivity, being particularly brave and fierce.
Still, Leopardstar is overall wise and magnanimous, being able to take difficult yet important decisions for the sake of her clan, and she is eager to cooperate with rivals or former enemies the likes of Firestar.
==Relationships==
Mudfur: Leopardstar is Mudfur’s only surviving daughter, born to his mate Brightsky who died while kitting. As such, she is often spoiled by him as he likes to bring her her favorite prey, which is carp. When she was young, Mudfur told his daughter that she was destined for great things, fostering her ambition. When she rose to power, Mudfur had a habit of questioning her decisions, especially when she agreed to form an alliance with Tigerstar and to punish the half-clan cats, leading to the demise of her first deputy Stonefur, something she deeply regretted afterwards. She even decided to exile her own father as a result of his distrust, but invited him back later. She confided in him that she failed as a leader but he reassured her.
Whitefang: Whitefang was Leopardstar’s mentor and a good friend and supporter even before she was made his apprentice. He started teaching her precious lessons when she was a kitten and helped her get over her fear of water all through her apprenticeship. When Leopardstar received her warrior name, he was extremely proud.
Sunfish: Sunfish had been Leopardstar’s best friend since they shared the nursery as kittens. When they were apprentices, Sunpaw helped Leopardpaw overcome her fear of water and defended her when Blackpaw and Skypaw accused her of being a drypaw. As she lay dying from wounds inflicted by Redtail during a battle at Sunningrocks, she asked Leopardstar to promise her to take care of her son Whitepaw as her own.
Frogleap: Frogleap was a close friend to Leopardstar with whom he grew up ever since they were kittens. After the death of his sister Sunfish, he helped Leopardfur train her apprentice and his nephew Whitepaw. The two of them began to develop romantic feelings but they soon split up when Leopardfur was named deputy as Frogleap did not want to get in the way of her ambition. When Frogleap became mates with Mosspelt, Leopardfur grew a little jealous of her.
Whiteclaw: Whiteclaw was Leopardstar’s first apprentice and adoptive son after the death of his mother Sunfish, who was also Leopardstar’s best friend. On her deathbed, Sunfish made Leopardstar promise that she would take care of Whiteclaw as if he was her own son. She had trouble training him at first, as he was distracted by grief after his mother’s death, but she managed to make him a warrior thanks to Frogleap and Mudfur’s support. When Graystripe accidentally killed him during a skirmish close to the gorges, Leopardstar was devastated.
Firestar: Firestar has always been a rival to Leopardstar. She keeps her distrust towards him when he is made the new ThunderClan deputy and Tigerstar later tells her that he manipulated Bluestar to obtain power, prompting him to leave ThunderClan. The two are wary of each other, but they also share a mutual respect and are able to cooperate if needed.
Graystripe: Leopardstar has always despised Graystripe ever since he accidentally killed her adoptive son Whiteclaw. Her contempt eventually turned to hate when he saved Firestar from her during a battle between ThunderClan and RiverClan, and she banned him from the clan. When she used to bond with Tigerstar, the ShadowClan leader told her to keep an eye on Graystripe as he was deemed untrustworthy.
Tigerstar: Leopardstar admired Tigerstar and was in love with him, hence the reason why she accepted to form TigerClan alongside him. She saw him as an equal and someone reliable who could understand her, the two of them sharing a similar personality, though Mudfur warned her to be wary of him following a vision he had. She later realized how dangerous Tigerstar was after he had Stonefur murdered and he threatened Leopardstar when she stood up to him. After Tigerstar’s death, she deeply regretted having trusted him.
Mistystar: Mistystar was Leopardstar’s second deputy, whom she chose to make amends for the death of Mistystar’s brother and former RiverClan deputy Stonefur, whose death was not prevented by Leopardstar. She had great trust in her.
Hawkfrost: Hawkfrost was Leopardstar’s second apprentice. She named him temporary deputy after Mistyfoot’s disappearance. She had a lot of respect and admiration for him and was adamant that he would make a great deputy.
==Trivia ==
*Leopardstar is a “drypaw”, meaning a RiverClan cat who doesn’t like to be around water and feels uncomfortable when swimming.
*Leopardstar is confirmed to have died from diabetes.
*Kate Cary, one of the authors using the alias Erin Hunter, has admitted that Leopardstar was her favorite clan leader.
*According to Crookedstar’s Promise, her whole generation, among which she was the youngest, had waited for her to reach the age of six moons to receive their apprentice names. However, in Leopardstar’s Honor, she is apprenticed early at five moons old.
* In the Secrets of the Clans field guide, Leopardstar reveals that the Bonehill built by Tigerstar in RiverClan’s camp gives her nightmares.
==External Links==
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