"Don't worry, Windystep," said Blossomfur. "We're almost there." The gray tabby nodded tensely. His heart was beating rather quickly with nerves. He and his medicine cat had just passed the Death Tree, a charred stump that had once been struck by lightning. Soon they would reach the edge of his Clan's territory.
The two cats, one a light gray tabby, the other cinnamon-brown, broke the cover of the pine forest where PineClan made its home. They trotted across the grass, which sparkled with dew in the starlight.
There it was: the DreamPool. The still water reflected the twinkling heavens. At its center was a small island, where a great, smooth, silver boulder lay. Blossomfur crossed the stepping stones without breaking stride, and Windystep reminded himself that she had been here many, many times before, since medicine cats shared dreams with DreamClan once every half moon. Windystep followed her, praying that he would not slip and fall into the DreamPool.
"Drink from the pool," Blossomfur ordered. Windystep obeyed. The water was surprisingly cold after such a warm day. He knew what to do next: the medicine cat had lectured him on the ceremony beforehand, during their trek through the forest on the way here. He lay down next to the DreamStone, touching his nose to the cool rock. He closed his eyes, and almost immediately fell asleep.
When Windystep opened his eyes, he saw that he seemed to be in the exact same spot, but there were three differences. The first was that Blossomfur had disappeared. Secondly, the stars seemed brighter and larger. The last difference was quite obvious: a huge group of cats – many, many Clans' worth – was gathered in the field between the DreamPool and the forest.
One cat broke out of the throng and stepped easily across the stepping stones. He was a huge ginger tom with powerful muscles and a scarred pelt.
"Lionstar," Windystep said, nodding in greeting. This cat had been PineClan's leader until Windystep's apprenticeship, when the courageous leader had lost his ninth life in battle.
"Windystep," Lionstar said, greeting the new leader. "I shall give to you your first life: the life of bravery, so you shall never falter when leading PineClan through troubled times." Lionstar touched his nose to Windystep, and a burning pain flooded the gray tom, starting at his nose and going all the way to the tip of his tail. Windystep was totally unprepared, and gasped in shock, gritting his teeth. When the pain faded, Windystep felt stronger, as though he could fight the largest badgers and fiercest rogues without batting an eye.
"You made a good decision when you chose your deputy ," Lionstar murmured, touching his tail to Windystep's shoulder. "My son Sunstorm will serve you well." Windystep blinked and gave Lionstar a brief nod. The ginger tom retreated across the stepping stones to be replaced by a she-cat with pale green eyes, whose fur was a dark red-brown.
"Windystep," she said. "I congratulate you on becoming leader."
"Thank you," Windystep stammered. This cat, Russetstar, had been Lionstar's successor until green cough had claimed her last life while Windystep was a warrior.
"With this life," said Russetstar, "I give you wisdom, that you will be able to make decisions that will benefit your Clan the most." This time, Windystep dug his claws into the earth to brace himself as Russetstar touched her nose to his. After the shock wave of pain passed, a third cat stood in front of him. She was a dark brown tabby, with stormy green eyes identical to Windystep's.
"Thistletail!" he exclaimed.
"Windystep, my son," she purred. "You are so strong and brave. You will be a great leader. I give you the life of loyalty, that you will always love your Clan and the cats in it with a fire that will never be quenched." A burning flame roared through Windystep's veins as his mother's nose brushed his. But after the pain vanished, a burning fire still blazed in his heart. He knew that he would give every one of his lives in service to PineClan.
The next cat was a large, black and white tom with deep brown eyes.
"Loudstorm," Windystep purred. "It is good to see you."
"It is indeed," the tom said, his voice booming across the open field. "Your fourth life is that of mentoring, so that you may train the young cats of PineClan as well as I trained you." Loudstorm's eyes glittered with amusement as he touched noses with his former apprentice. Windystep shook himself to scatter the remnants of the searing pain.
The fifth cat to cross the stepping stones made his heart both leap with joy and ache with pain.
"Rainfall," he whispered.
"Yes, my love," she purred, brushing against him. "I am so proud of you and our son; you are both such great cats." Louder, she said, "With this life I give you love and protection, that you may cherish your Clan and strive to guard it against all that would harm it." Windystep hoped this life would be more of the warm feeling that filled his heart whenever he spoke to Bluepaw or Rainfall, but it was more painful than all the others. A ferocious desire to rip and slash at all who threatened his Clan and a fury against those that would harm it nearly overwhelmed him, accompanied by the anguish that followed the loss of a loved one.
He opened his eyes, the feeling fading. "Rainfall," he murmured. "Don't go... don't leave me."
"I must," she said. Rainfall kept her tone light, but Windystep could see that the pain in her eyes matched his own.
"I miss you so much," he whispered, almost inaudibly.
"I am always with you," she said, touching her nose to his ear. He breathed in her sweet scent, savoring this moment, the moment for which he had been longing for moons and moons and moons. "I love you and Bluepaw. I'm watching over both of you. I promise."
Then she was gone, and Windystep felt as if part of his heart had gone with her.
The next cat was a beautiful queen with a pale silver tail.
"Windystep," she meowed.
"Silvertail," Windystep greeted her, not sure what to say. The queen's life had been cut brutally short.
"With your sixth life," she said, "you will gain understanding, so that you may look past the Clan or the parentage of a cat and see his true heart." With a meaningful look and Windystep, she leaned forward to touch her nose to his.
This life was not as quite painful as the others. "Silvertail," Windystep said. "Your son is a good cat. He will be a fine warrior."
Silvertail's eyes glowed. "Thank you," she said as she retreated across the stepping stones.
Windystep felt a painful pang in his stomach at the sight of the bringer of his seventh life.
"Hello, Windystep," said the small warrior, who looked healthy and well-groomed.
"Littlestream," Windystep said, "I'm so sorry,... You shouldn't have died..."
The other cat flicked Windystep with his tail. "Don't worry about it," he said. "Maybe I should have lived much longer, but there's nothing you could have done." In a louder voice, he meowed, "With your seventh life, I give you selflessness. Always put your Clan before yourself, and never stop giving them your all." When their noses touched, Windystep dug his claws into the ground to steady himself. The pain was exhausting.
Littlestream trotted gracefully over the stepping stones, and Mothflight took his place before Windystep.
Windystep opened his mouth to speak, to apologize for her death, but she cut him off. "Save your sorrow for another cat," she said roughly. "What's done is done. No amount of trying will bring me back. Anyway, there's no whiny kits or idiotic apprentices here to get in my way." Windystep noticed that she did not look quite as scrawny now as he remembered her being, and her eyes shone with vigor. "Carrying on," she said briskly, "I give you your eighth life; with it, strength, and fierceness in battle. Fight for your Clan until your last breath. Never give up." Lowering her voice, she added, "And give those rogues a little gift from old Mothflight."
After the excruciating pain, she was gone, and the last cat approached.
"Graystar!" Windystep cried. The long-furred tom looked great: His eyes glowed, his fur was glossy, and an aura of youth and energy radiated from his pelt.
Yet, grief rose up inside Windystep's heart, nearly choking him. "Graystar," he murmured, "what do I do? I can't lead PineClan, not as well as you did. I don't know how. I don't know what to do with out you there." Windystep gazed hopelessly at his paws.
"Take heart, Windystep," Graystar said softly. "All will be well in the end. I will watch over you, and guide you in your dreams, as will all of DreamClan."
"I still don't think I deserve to be PineClan's leader."
"But you do," Graystar said forcefully. "You will be a great leader, Windystep. Your name will be remembered by all warriors of PineClan, your story told by elders at Gatherings for ages to come. You can lead PineClan. Follow your heart. You know what is right." Green eyes met amber, and the two toms looked at each other for a long while.
Finally, Windystep stood straighter, then nodded.
With a purr, Graystar spoke. "With your final life, I give you fairness and justice, that you will always know what is right." They touched their noses together, and, instead of pain, bravery and wisdom and loyalty coursed through him, followed by the gifts of mentoring and love and understanding. He was brimming with selflessness and strength; fierceness, fairness, and justice.
"Cats of DreamClan!" Graystar called. "I give you Windystar, leader of PineClan!"
And as the cheers of the starry cats echoed across the night sky, Windystar knew he could do it. He could lead PineClan. He would do it for Littlestream, for Mothflight. He would carry on for his mother, his mentor, and the leaders who had gone on before. He would remember Silvertail and Graystar, and strive to make the Clan a better place for their offspring. He would do it for Rainfall. But most of all, he would lead PineClan for the cats that were at this very moment waiting for him to return: Bluepaw and Cloudstorm and Stripefur and Sandstripe, Orchidpaw and Crowflight and Smokefang and Daisyheart, and all the other loyal warriors that he loved and respected. Every cat from Goldenkit to Kinkedwhisker; from Gingertail to Marshpelt, was counting on him to lead them through these troubled times. And he would do it. He would do it for them.