Leafstar: Mother or Leader?

Leafstar did not begin her life with the expectations of a Clan resting on her shoulders. Before Firestar came to the gorge and restored the lost Clan, she was a simple rogue named Leaf, hunting only to fill her own belly and with no denmates or companions to defend. But when SkyClan was restored, StarClan chose her to lead the new Clan, and thus Leafstar was thrust into a role with responsibilities she’d never even dreamed of before. Those responsibilities only increased when, after becoming mates with the daylight warrior Billystorm, she learned she was expecting his kits. Through the trials of her early motherhood, Leafstar struggled over and over again with a single question: Should she be a mother first or a leader first?

Leafstar certainly had good reason to worry about her ability to do both well at the same time. There is not much precedence for female leaders leading their Clan while also raising kits. Sunstar seemed to stop considering Bluefur as a potential deputy once she began nursing her kits. In fact, Bluefur had to give her kits up to RiverClan and return to her warrior duties before being brought back into the running for the position. Leafstar herself was told by Echosong that she must stop thinking about Billystorm in a romantic light if she was to be the leader her Clan needed. Once she did have her kits, Leafstar struggled to focus on leading her Clan on several occasions when her kits required her attention. She was distracted when Harrykit hurt his nose during a dispute between Rockshade and Harveymoon, which she had to settle, and when her kits tried to join a battle with the foxes. She was captured by an elderly twoleg because she wouldn’t leave her helpless kits behind―had she not had her kits, she would have escaped with the rest of the Clan.

However, while cats like Echosong argued that being a mother was only a distraction from Leafstar’s duties as a leader, being a good mother is just as important as being a good leader, and a cat doesn’t necessarily have to choose one or the other. After all, male cats like Firestar and Hailstar have managed to be perfectly good fathers while also continuing to lead their Clans well. Tellingly, “A mother’s love for her kits” is often a trait given to leaders during leadership ceremonies. Leafstar received it during her leader ceremony from the spirit of her own mother, who told her to use this mother’s love well for all of the cats who look to her for protection. It’s clear that a mother’s fierce devotion to her kits and willingness to defend them at all costs is seen as an important trait in a leader, rather than a distraction from their role.

Though Leafstar may have initially struggled with balancing her responsibilities as leader of her Clan and motherhood, in time she was able to prove that she could handle both roles. She managed to lead her Clan’s rebuilding efforts after the flood, look after her kits, and even made enough time to train Sol on the side. After her kits went missing, the worst possible thing for a mother to go through, she kept herself together enough to lead her Clan in battle against the invading rogues and successfully drive them out. That is not to say she didn’t have help, though. Although Echosong told her that she had to walk her path as a leader alone, a Clan cat is never alone, because a Clan is a family. While trying to fill both of her roles, Leafstar had Billystorm’s help and support in raising their kits, while Echosong and Sharpclaw helped her to handle her responsibilities as a leader. With the aid and love of her Clanmates, and through her own strength and determination, Leafstar was able to successfully raise her kits to adulthood and lead her Clan through some of their hardest times.

Leafstar has proven to be a fiercely loving mother, a strong and intelligent leader, and above all, a cat who cares deeply for all of the cats in her care. Following her mother’s wise advice, she has bestowed the same fierce love a mother has for her kits on all the cats under her command.