Runningnose

Runningnose is a small gray-and-white tom with patchy fur, and a constantly running nose.

Firestar's Quest

 * Runningnose retires from a being a medicine cat and becomes an elder. Littlecloud replaces him as the new medicine cat of ShadowClan.

Into the Wild

 * Before Yellowfang was driven from ShadowClan, Runningnose was her apprentice. He was the medicine cat apprentice until Brokenstar threw his mentor out of the Clan. From that point on he is known as a lone medicine cat.


 * He was seen at Firepaw's first Gathering, complaining about Twolegs. He tells a story of how there was once a plant that cured kittencough, but after the Twolegs came and built Twolegplace, the plant vanished and kittens die needlessly in the cold. When Firepaw returns to the ThunderClan camp, he tells Yellowfang about Runningnose's new position. Yellowfang remarked on how she could not believe he became a medicine cat when he couldn't cure his own cold. Many cats in ThunderClan make jokes about him.


 * He is part of the rebellion that overthrows Brokenstar's leadership. At the end of the battle, Yellowfang is tending to a kit who was wounded, and he gives her cobwebs to help stop the bleeding.

Fire and Ice

 * Runningnose receives a message from StarClan that Nightstar was their choice to be ShadowClan's newly appointed leader.


 * Also, when Fireheart saw Graystripe with a runny nose, he almost told him jokingly that he looked like Runningnose, but his anger at Graystripe for being with Silverstream made him snap another thing to say at him.

Forest of Secrets

 * At a Gathering, Fireheart notices Tallstar with his deputy, Deadfoot, sitting on the Great Rock. They are a few feet away from Mudfur, the RiverClan medicine cat, and Runningnose, who are sitting side by side while looking at the other cats with eyes that reflect the moon.

Rising Storm

 * Runningnose is with Nightstar when he is sick and interprets the omen of the owl to his sick Clan saying that they will grow strong and rule the forest. However, he does not tell ShadowClan that they will have to pay the highest price possible for their great future. Later at the Gathering, when Fireheart tells Runningnose that Yellowfang is dead, Runningnose is horrified and grief stricken, as she was his mentor.


 * Later, near the end of the book, Runningnose is one of the three cats to arrive before the rest of ShadowClan. Panting, Runningnose announces that ShadowClan was free of sickness and that he had been sent ahead to request the leaders to wait before starting the meeting. When Tallstar asks Runningnose why Nightstar was late, Runningnose bluntly replies that Nightstar was dead. Whitestorm asks Runningnose if Cinderfur was coming instead, but Runningnose looks at his paws as he says that Cinderfur had been one of the first cats to die from sickness.


 * Crookedstar demands who the new ShadowClan leader was, in which Runningnose glances at him and promises that the cats would see for themselves soon as the new leader would be there shortly. When Fireheart goes to speak with Runningnose, he is surrounded by anxious warriors and apprentices, wanting to discover who the new ShadowClan leader was. The ThunderClan deputy wonders how Runningnose would react to hearing about his former mentor's death as he had seen so much death lately that maybe death didn't mean much anymore. Fireheart notes that he wanted to break the news to Runningnose privately as Yellowfang had trained him plus they must have had a good bond before Brokentail drove Yellowfang out.


 * Fireheart signals with his tail to Runningnose who looks relieved as he leaves the swarm of inquiring cats. Following Fireheart to a quieter area beneath one of the oaks, Runningnose asks Fireheart what he needed. Gently meowing, Fireheart tells Runningnose that Yellowfang was dead. Runningnose's eyes cloud and bows his head as Fireheart tells him of Yellowfang's bravery to save a Clanmate from the fire. Not replying, Runningnose swings his head slowly from side to side. Fireheart touches Runningnose's head with his nose then pads away quickly.

A Dangerous Path

 * At the beginning of the book, Fireheart notes that Runningnose is sitting with his head bowed. His hunched posture suggests to Fireheart that the ShadowClan medicine cat is lost in misery as Tigerstar mentions the sickness in ShadowClan. Fireheart thinks about how it must be hard for Runningnose to know that all of his skill wasn't enough to save Nightstar. He is mentioned by Tigerstar when the leader says that StarClan sent an omen to Runningnose that another great leader would arise. From the corner of his eye, Fireheart notes that Runningnose was shifting in an uncomfortable manner and that he looked unhappy at the omen's mention.


 * When Fireheart walks with Cinderpelt to Fourtrees, Runningnose greets Cinderpelt and Fireheart cheerfully and tells Cinderpelt that it was a good day to travel. Cinderpelt greets Littlecloud, who pridefully says that he is Runningnose's new apprentice. Runningnose proceeds to tell Cinderpelt that Littlecloud has real talent and that it took courage to return with herbs. Runningnose adds that he was sorry that Whitethroat didn't return with him.


 * Fireheart carefully asks Runningnose if things had gotten better, wanting to warn him about his new leader. His voice equally guarded, Runningnose says that things appear to be better as apprentices were getting proper training and bellies were always full. Curious about the rogues, Fireheart asks Runningnose about them, and he replies that he wasn't too happy about them joining ShadowClan at first as well as other cats. He adds that they were strong warriors and haven't caused trouble so no cat could deny them.


 * When Fireheart mentions that Tigerstar may be a good leader like the omen mentioned, Runningnose meets Fireheart's gaze evenly and says that it was strange that ThunderClan got rid of a strong cat like him. As Fireheart prepares to tell the ShadowClan medicine cat about Tigerstar, Runningnose interrupts him and says that he wouldn't want Fireheart to betray his clan's secrets but that StarClan really did send the omen to him about Tigerstar. Runningnose tells Fireheart that Nightstar never got his nine lives. Runningnose thinks that it was because StarClan thought that Brokentail was still the leader of ShadowClan. However, when Brokentail died, Nightstar was too weak to receive his nine lives. Runningnose then confesses that ShadowClan didn't know that Nightstar wasn't granted nine lives and that Nightstar was a noble, loyal cat. He proceeds to mention that he and Nightstar decided to keep StarClan's rejection to themselves as they had no other options because there was no other cat fit to be leader. Runningnose says that if the Clan knew the truth, they would have panicked. As Runningnose continues the story, he says that the Clan was scared because they believed that the sickness had swept away all nine of Nightstar's lives. Fireheart realizes that their fear was the reason that they accepted Tigerstar for leader without question.


 * Fireheart then hesitantly asks Runningnose if ShadowClan was planning an invasion on ThunderClan, in which Runningnose releases a purr of amusement. He says that he'd be betraying his Clan if he gave away the information to Fireheart, but reassures him that he had nothing to worry about. Fireheart chooses to believe Runningnose. Suddenly, Cinderpelt calls out to Fireheart, asking if he and Runningnose were going to sit around and gossip all day like elders. Rising to his paws, Runningnose goes to join Cinderpelt and Littlecloud and reminds them that they had all day and that Highstones wouldn't be going anywhere.

The Darkest Hour

 * Runningnose is seen leaving with ShadowClan to help Blackfoot prepare for his journey to the Moonstone. Blackfoot takes the lead and Runningnose took the back, glancing at Firestar as he went. Firestar remarks that he wishes him good luck after Nightstar and Tigerstar's failed leaderships.

Midnight

 * He is now listed as an elder, due to his retiring before the events of Firestar's Quest.

Dawn

 * He makes the Great Journey with the rest of his Clan, rather than staying behind in the old territory with some of the weaker elders who didn't feel up to going such a long way. Before the cats leave, Runningnose insists on saying goodbye to the dying Mudfur, medicine cat of RiverClan. It is said that Mudfur had been a close friend of his since he was a medicine cat apprentice.

Starlight

 * Runningnose appeared very briefly in Starlight, arguing for a new Gathering place.

Eclipse

 * He appears very briefly when Littlecloud is at Moonpool in a dream, telling Littlecloud that Blackstar is questioning StarClan, and wondering if the Clans were supposed to go to the lake after all, and Runningnose says to Littlecloud to never give up on Blackstar. Jaypaw comments that even in StarClan, the former ShadowClan medicine cat couldn't cure his own cold.

Long Shadows

 * Runningnose appears with the past ShadowClan leader, Raggedstar in one of Jayfeather's dreams, asking the medicine cat apprentice to restore ShadowClan's faith in StarClan.


 * He and Raggedstar appear before Blackstar and Littlecloud, telling them to regain their faith in StarClan, and to drive Sol out of ShadowClan.

Fading Echoes

 * When Jayfeather ventures into Flametail's dream, he spots Yellowfang, who tells the young medicine cat apprentice that Runningnose wants to talk to him. Jayfeather then wonders what Runningnose has to say to Flametail.

Night Whispers

 * When Flametail goes to the Moonpool, he is prompted by Sagewhisker to tell her which of the ancestors he sees. Runningnose is then mentioned as Flametail lists the StarClan cats that are with him.

Cats of the Clans

 * Rock tells one of the StarClan kits, Blossomkit, that Runningnose tried hard to save Blossomkit's life.


 * Rock also thinks that Runningnose must have regretted the day he asked to become Yellowfang's apprentice. He was forced to interpret omens that would appease his bloodthirsty leader, Brokenstar. After Brokenstar's capture by ThunderClan, Runningnose had to keep one of the largest secrets he would encounter - when StarClan would not grant Nightstar his nine lives. Rock states that his conscience must have weighed more than stone.

Trivia

 * Runningnose's prediction of a glorious future for ShadowClan was fulfilled when Tigerstar became leader.
 * He has been mistakenly shown with additional black patches.