History Characters / WarriorCatsThunderclanMedicineCats

[[folder:Medicine cats in general]]

* CelibateHero: Medicine cats, regardless of gender, are not allowed to have mates or kits. However, this has not stopped some of them.
* CombatMedic: Medicine cats usually don't fight or hunt, but in the rare cases where a grown warrior is chosen to train as a medicine cat, they become skilled in healing in addition to battling and hunting.
* EarlyPersonalitySigns: It's usually easy to tell if a young kit is destined to become a medicine cat. They may show a fascination with herbs or the medicine den, or have prophetic dreams from [=StarClan=].
* EmissaryFromTheDivine: A medicine cat interprets omens from [=StarClan=] that foretell the future of their Clan's cats.
* GenderIsNoObject: Both toms and she-cats can become medicine cats. However, the VowOfCelibacy that comes with the position may weigh a little more heavily on a female medicine cat, because if she breaks her vow, she'll be the one who has to keep her pregnancy a secret and figure out what to do with the resulting kits.
* LoveHurts: Because of their celibacy vow, a medicine cat who falls in love is always bound to suffer heartbreak. If they act on their feelings and pursue a mate, they are forced to keep their relationship a secret, and at some point must choose between their lover or their duty to their Clan. Even a medicine cat who honors their vow and puts their feelings aside must deal with the painful realization that they can never be mates with the cat they love, and possibly watch them become mates with another cat.
* TheMedic: A medicine cat's duty is to treat the wounded and ill of their Clan.
* MasterApprenticeChain:
** [=ThunderClan=]: Echosnout > Cloudberry > Goosefeather > Featherwhisker > Spottedleaf. After Spottedleaf's death, the chain goes Yellowfang > Cinderpelt > Leafpool > Jayfeather > Alderheart.
** [=ShadowClan=]: Redthistle > Sagewhisker > Yellowfang > Runningnose > Littlecloud > Flametail. A new one is starting with Puddleshine > Shadowsight.
** [=RiverClan=]: Milkfur > Brambleberry > Mudfur > Mothwing > Willowshine.
** [=WindClan=]: Hawkheart > Barkface > Kestrelflight.
** [=SkyClan=]: Echosong > Frecklewish > Fidgetflake.
* MySecretPregnancy: If a female medicine cat secretly takes a mate and accidentally finds herself pregnant, she must hide her pregnancy and give birth to her kits in secret. This happens to [[spoiler:Yellowfang and Leafpool]].
* NonActionGuy: As a general rule, medicine cats are not trained to hunt or fight, focusing all their energy on studying herbs and curing cats. Exceptions include any medicine cats who were formerly warriors, including Yellowfang and Hawkheart.
* ResignedToTheCall: Some medicine cats take up the position not because they want it, but because other circumstances force them to.
** Yellowfang was born with the ability to sense and feel the pain of other cats, which crippled her ability to fight and forced her to become a medicine cat.
** Jayfeather's blindness prevents him from being a conventional warrior, but his ability to see omens in his dreams and tell apart herbs by scent and texture makes him more suited to being a medicine cat.
** Puddleshine of [=ShadowClan=] was chosen at random by his Clan and had to be trained from scratch by Leafpool because [[spoiler:Littlecloud's previous apprentice, Flametail, died without completing his training, and Littlecloud himself died after him of old age without taking another student]].
* {{Seers}}: After providing herbs and treating injuries, a medicine cat's secondary purpose is to communicate with [=StarClan=] and interpret omens that foretell the future of their Clan.
* SingleLineOfDescent: A Clan has many warriors, but usually only one medicine cat and one medicine apprentice at a time. This has the potential to become problematic if a medicine cat dies without an apprentice, such as when Ravenwing was killed by Mapleshade.
* StarCrossedLovers: Several [=ThunderClan=] medicine cats have run into this problem.
* VowOfCelibacy: Medicine cats are forbidden from taking mates or having kits, regardless of gender.

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->"I believe my leader was wrong, but he won't condemn helpless kits to die. They will have a future in ThunderClan, and so will you, Birdflight."

[[caption-width-right:279:"You should tread the path you're following with care, Mapleshade. A destiny shouldn't be played with like prey."[[labelnote:Image source]]Goosefeather in ''The Ultimate Guide''[[/labelnote]]]]

[[caption-width-right:279:"Thistleclaw will teach them how to be a fierce warrior. But who will teach him that softness and strength can exist together? And that loyalty to the Clan comes from the heart, not through teeth and claws?"[[labelnote:Image source]]Featherwhisker in ''The Ultimate Guide''[[/labelnote]]]]