Leopardclaw

Leopardclaw is the family ship between Leopardstar and Whiteclaw from the Warriors fandom.

The Prophecies Begin
When ThunderClan brings WindClan back from exile, they decide to pass through RiverClan territory to show their return. They are spotted by RiverClan, resulting in a border fight, which was incredibly close to a gorge. Graystripe is fighting Whiteclaw dangerously close to the edge. This results in Whiteclaw falling into the gorge and dying. Leopardfur sees this, and is very distraught. Leopardfur accuses Graystripe of murdering Whiteclaw. She threatens that the fight had gone beyond a simple border skirmish, and that RiverClan will seek vengeance against ThunderClan. Whiteclaw's death had been prophesied by Barkface, WindClan's medicine cat. StarClan had given him a sign through red clouds at Barley's farm. He interprets this prophecy as: "This day shall bring an unnecessary death".

When Leopardfur found out that Whiteclaw had died, she called the battle to an end. She said that Whiteclaw's death would be avenged, with hostility in her tone. Later, at a gathering, it is noted that ThunderClan and RiverClan got into a fight near the gorge, and that Whiteclaw fell to his death. Fireheart feels Leopardfur's unforgiving hostility, which was as sharp as thorns. Much later, Graystripe decides to join RiverClan with his kits after his mate, Silverstream, died. Fireheart is worried for his friend because Graystripe was the one who allegedly killed Whiteclaw.

After, Graystripe is eventually accepted into RiverClan with his kits. Fireheart speaks with Graystripe after he has joined. He asks if he will mentor one of his kits. Graystripe replies that he probably won't, as Leopardstar doesn't trust him after what happened. He believes that he will never be forgiven for Whiteclaw's death. This is part of what Fireheart was worried about.

Leopardstar's Honor
While Leopardfur is out hunting with Sunfish, she expresses concern for Sunfish leaving her kit, Whitekit, in camp. When they return back to the camp from hunting, Whitekit excitedly informs his mother, Sunfish, and Leopardfur that Crookedstar would make him an apprentice the next day. Leopardfur hopes to become his mentor. Surely enough, the next day, Whitekit is made an apprentice, but is assigned Whitefang as a mentor. Later, when Leopardfur is picking out cats to go on a border patrol, she leaves out Whitepaw. Whitepaw protests and asks why he can't go, even though Whitefang had told him that it was very dangerous. After, a battle happens, and Sunfish gets heavily injured and Whitefang dies.

Whitepaw attends his mentor's vigil, and the next morning, Leopardfur is named as Whitepaw's replacement mentor. A moon later, Sunfish's wounds get infected, and she asks Leopardfur to care for Whitepaw as a mother in her absence. Whitepaw asks Leopardfur if his mother is okay, Leopardfur lies that she is. Whitepaw eagerly replies that she seemed to be better. The next morning, Whitepaw wakes up Leopardfur to tell her that Sunfish is dead. Leopardfur curls around Whitepaw while he grieves. Following his mother's death, Whitepaw is distracted. He didn't hunt as well as he did previously.

When Whitepaw accidentally disturbs the patch of water that Leopardfur is hunting in, she snaps at him. After they finish hunting, Whitepaw apologizes, wondering if Leopardfur will stop being his mentor. Leopardfur insists that she'll never stop being there for him, and encourages him to spend time with his kin.

Later, Whitepaw and Leopardfur wait in camp while a RiverClan patrol confronts ThunderClan at Sunningrocks. Leopardfur has Whitepaw fetch bedding for the elders. Later, a pike attacks Blackclaw and Skyheart. Both Leopardfur and Whitepaw help. Later, another pike appears, and Whitepaw flings Leopardfur from the river and thrusts water out of her lungs. After that, Leopardfur reports Whitepaw's bravery to Crookedstar, who made him a warrior after Oakheart's vigil. Crookedstar also names Leopardstar the deputy, and Whiteclaw purrs loudly for his mentor.

Later, Leopardfur takes some warriors hunting, including Whiteclaw. Whiteclaw is very enthusiastic to hunt. After Bluestar said that WindClan had returned to their territory, Leopardfur is upset because she still wished for RiverClan to hunt there. They eventually come across Wetfoot, leading a ShadowClan patrol. They say that WindClan stragglers are on their land. The joint patrol confronts three WindClan cats, and they chase them away. Frogleap expresses his disappointment for Leopardfur bullying the WindClan cats. Whiteclaw comforts her and said that someday every cat will see that she was right.

After Crookedstar's death, Whiteclaw also dies at the gorge. Leopardfur is extremely upset. When she goes to the Moonstone to get her nine lives and become a leader, Whiteclaw gives her a life.

Fanon
Leoparclaw and Whiteclaw's relationship and how sad she was over his death in the book Fire and Ice was interpreted by some fans as romantic. Leopardclaw is rather unpopular in the Warriors fandom. But, as every ship, it has its shippers. The people that do ship Leopardclaw are very art-oriented. There is a decent amount of fanart for this ship. Some people have even made fan children or fusions for this ship. Most Leopardclaw shippers believe that although the time shared between Leopardstar and Whiteclaw was brief, it truly showed how close their relationship really was. This ship also has a few fanfics, but the amount of art outweighs the amount of fanfics.

However, Leopardstar's Honor that was released 18 years after Fire and Ice finally elaborated on their relationship and revealed that the two characters actually have an adoptive family relationship in canon, with her promising her best friend and Whiteclaw's mother Sunfish to look after him as a surrogate mother, after Sunfish herself died and was unable to do so.

Fandom
FAN FICTION
 * Leopardstar/Whiteclaw tag on FanFiction.net

Trivia

 * The shipping began in Fire And Ice, when Whiteclaw was first introduced. However, the more in-depth version of their relationship in Leopardstar's Honor revealed they have an adoptive family relationship.