Spottedleaf/Main article

Spottedleaf is a dark tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat with amber eyes.

She is born as Spottedkit to Adderfang and Swiftbreeze. Initially, she is apprenticed as Spottedpaw to Thrushpelt despite having a strong desire to be a medicine cat. However, she is able to be apprenticed as a medicine cat to Featherwhisker after the old medicine cat, Goosefeather, retires. After completing her training, she receives her medicine cat name, Spottedleaf.

Spottedleaf receives the prophecy, "Fire alone can save our Clan," referring to the future ThunderClan leader, Firestar. When Firepaw joins ThunderClan, Spottedleaf is kind to him, and the young tom falls in love with her. Unbeknownst to him, Spottedleaf grows to deeply care for him as well. However, their love is cut short after Spottedleaf is killed by Clawface.

After dying, Spottedleaf continues to appear to ThunderClan cats, particularly Firestar. She visits him and his descendants often, delivering prophecies and warnings. She helps Firestar rebuild SkyClan and helps Echosong learn how to connect to StarClan, and gives Leafstar one of her lives. Spottedleaf helps Leafpool discover the Moonpool, and watches over Hollyleaf, Lionblaze, and Jayfeather. In the Great Battle, Spottedleaf is killed protecting Sandstorm from Mapleshade.

The Prophecies Begin

 * Spottedleaf is the sole ThunderClan medicine cat, who, after a failed battle with RiverClan, receives a prophecy: "Fire alone can save our Clan." When the subject of this prophecy, Firepaw, first joins ThunderClan, Spottedleaf is friendly with him; the young tom develops feelings for her and visits her whenever he can. However, when Clawface raids the ThunderClan camp to steal Frostfur's kits, Spottedleaf attempts to stop him, but is tragically killed, breaking Firepaw's heart. Despite her death, Spottedleaf appears often in Firepaw, now Fireheart's dream, delivering warnings and prophecies. When Fireheart journeys to the Moonstone to become Firestar, Spottedleaf appears among the cats who give him a life, granting Firestar a life for love. Firestar realizes that he can have no future with Spottedleaf, and chooses Sandstorm as his mate.

The New Prophecy

 * Spottedleaf continues to visit ThunderClan cats in their dreams, particularly Firestar's daughter, Leafpaw. When Leafpaw and other Clan cats are trapped by worker twolegs, Spottedleaf appears in the dreams of Firestar's other daughter, Squirrelflight to lead her to them. When the Clans complete The Great Journey, Spottedleaf leads Leafpaw to the Moonpool, earning the young medicine cat apprentice the name Leafpool. When Leafpool is conflicted over her feelings for the WindClan warrior Crowfeather, she seeks Spottedleaf's advice. Spottedleaf insists that she must follow her heart, and Leafpool decides to leave the Clans with Crowfeather.

Power of Three

 * Spottedleaf begins speaking with Firestar's grandson, Jaypaw. When Jaypaw wanders into the Dark Forest, Spottedleaf defends him from Tigerstar and Hawkfrost, but insists to Jaypaw's dismay that he must become a medicine cat. In StarClan, she deliberates along with Bluestar and Yellowfang about the nature of the Kin of your Kin prophecy, and what StarClan's role in it should be, if they should meddle at all. When the truth is revealed about Jayfeather and his littermates' parents, Jayfeather seeks out Spottedleaf accusingly, but the dead medicine cat affirms that StarClan cats do not know everything.

Omen of the Stars

 * Spottedleaf grows increasingly concerned about the prophecy after Hollyleaf is revealed to have not been the third cat. She accompanies Jayfeather and Yellowfang into the Dark Forest after it is suspected that the Dark Forest cats are training Clan cats. During the battle against the Dark Forest, Spottedleaf saves Sandstorm from being killed by Mapleshade, but her own spirit is killed and Firestar is grief-stricken yet again.

Super Editions

 * In Bluestar's Prophecy, Spottedkit is born to Adderfang and Swiftbreeze. She initially becomes Thrushpelt's apprentice despite wanting to be a medicine cat. However, once Goosefeather retires, she is apprenticed to Featherwhisker. When Bluefur gives birth, Spottedpaw assists Featherwhisker with the kitting. She becomes the sole medicine cat of ThunderClan after Featherwhisker dies of greencough


 * In Firestar's Quest, Spottedleaf teaches Firestar all she knows about SkyClan. She later appears to give burdock root to Firestar and Sandstorm after a battle with rats. Spottedleaf flirts with Firestar, making Sandstorm uncomfortable. At Leafstar's leadership ceremony, Spottedleaf gives her a life for healing wounds caused by words and rivalry.

Novellas

 * In Spottedleaf's Heart, Spottedkit wants to become a warrior along with her littermates. As an apprentice, Thistleclaw takes advantage of her crush on him and the two become close. Spottedpaw thinks that she would like to become a warrior so that they can become mates. However, she finds out that Thistleclaw was manipulating her to join him in training in the Dark Forest. Spottedpaw is horrified, and severs her relationship with Thistleclaw, deciding to become a medicine cat so that he would no longer pursue her.

Interesting facts

 * She has SkyClan blood, because she is descended from Spottedpelt.
 * The family tree on the original Warriors site stated that Dappletail was the mother of Spottedleaf and Willowpelt. However, this tree was confirmed not to be canon, and Spottedleaf and Willowpelt's true mother was later revealed as Swiftbreeze.

Author statements

 * Kate revealed that Spottedleaf's destiny was to save Sandstorm.
 * Kate stated that Spottedleaf was killed so "Firestar didn't have to choose between her and Sandstorm in StarClan."
 * Vicky stated that the reason why she killed Spottedleaf in The Prophecies Begin Arc was because "she would be more interesting dead than alive, and that she wasn't confident about a medicine cat to fall in love."  
 * Kate personally believes that Spottedleaf would never have given up her duties for Firestar as she was too committed to healing and StarClan.
 * Kate felt guilty about killing off Spottedleaf.

Mistakes

 * She has been described with a white tail-tip.
 * She has been mistakenly described with green eyes.
 * She is mentioned as "young and pretty, while Darkstripe is neither young nor pretty"; however, she is older than Darkstripe.
 * Her name was mistakenly spelled Spotted leaf.
 * She is shown without white in Shattered Peace.

Detailed description
Spottedleaf is a small, lithe, soft-furred, dark tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat with large, warm, amber eyes, and white-tipped ears. Her coat is distinctively dappled and mottled with orange and brown markings, and she has a small, pink nose. One of her eyes is rimmed with darker fur than the other, and she has small white paws and a black-tipped, gold-and-brown-striped tabby tail.