Author's Note: This story is going to be about the Warriors characters from the original series. It takes place after Tigerclaw's betrayal but the whole thing with Bluestar getting paranoid/losing her sanity is not included in my FanFiction because it just works better without it. The format of this story is going to be like Cats for the most part (introducing each character and in the end choosing which one gets to be reborn) but with the characters from Warriors instead of the Cats cats.
Disclaimer: I don't own Cats, Warriors or the characters from Warriors.
Read, review and enjoy! :)
Bluestar padded towards the glowing crystal at the center of the cavern, pausing for a moment to regard it with wise blue eyes. As she always did before speaking with her warrior ancestors, she summoned all her strength of mind and soul. It had always taken a different kind of strength than the one used on the battlefield, she reflected, to share with StarClan. She stretched gracefully before settling onto the ground and touching her nose lightly to the Moonstone.
Stars shimmered brightly before her closed eyelids, glittering like frost in the winter night. When she blinked open her eyes again, she found herself at Fourtrees, standing under a nearly full moon. In front of her gathered the spirits of cats that had lived before her. They stood together, not emitting warmth from their fur, but instead seemed to radiate moonlight. Stars shimmered in their eyes and their fur, giving them an unearthly appearance.
A familiar spirit stepped forward, her paws making no sound as they touched the earth. "Welcome, my daughter," said Moonflower. "It has been too long since I have had the opportunity to speak to you." The beautiful she-cat's eyes shone with warmth.
"Why have you all-?" Bluestar began to ask, before remembering and cutting herself off. "Ah," she said, "I have nearly forgotten that old tradition."
"Indeed," replied Moonflower. "It is nearly the blue moon, and therefore nearly time for you to chose one of your cats to be reborn. I can tell already, the choice will be difficult for you. You love all your cats and rightfully so. ThunderClan's current warriors are an exceptionally noble and loyal bunch. But I have faith you will make the right choice."
"I'm not sure I will," Bluestar admitted. "My choice of deputy was such a terrible mistake. How could I have been so blind to Tigerclaw's ambition?"
"Ambition is not always so easy to tell apart from dedication," soothed Moonflower. "And your next choice was Fireheart, who will make an admirable leader for ThunderClan. Believe me, Bluestar, you will choose a wonderful cat to be reborn. Your deputy will help you."
Bluestar nodded. "I hope you are right."
"Oh my daughter, I wish you would have more faith in yourself," sighed Moonflower, touching her nose gently to Bluestar's head as if naming her a warrior. Bluestar closed her eyes and for a moment, she could imagine that her mother's touch contained the same warmth it had in life. "But fear not, for I have enough faith in you for the both of us."
"Thank you," meowed Bluestar, her eyes fluttering open as she stepped back.
"Go well, Bluestar," called Moonflower as the StarClan cats began to fade from her vision and she felt the waking world calling her back. "May the light of StarClan be with you always."
…
Fireheart kept vigil, guarding ThunderClan's camp as he awaited his leader's return. After Tigerclaw's betrayal, no cat really felt safe, especially with Bluestar gone. She had departed alone for Highstones in a hurry, taking neither of her medicine cats with her. Fireheart was concerned that it would be unsafe traversing enemy territory at night. He could only hope that she had passed safely through WindClan's hunting grounds and wait for her to come back.
The young deputy stretched his legs, which were becoming stiff from the cold. He kept his ears pricked for signs of danger, but heard nothing save for the slight rustling of the wind in what remained of the leaves this close to leafbare, and beyond that the sounds of night animals that lived in the forest. The normality of what he could hear soothed him; it meant that nothing was amiss in the recesses of ThunderClan's hunting grounds.
Suddenly, Fireheart could swear he heard the sound of distant paw-steps. Cat's paw-steps. He angled his ears attentively in that direction. A moment later a ghostly shape appeared from the foliage, mist gathering on silvery fur and shining in eerie blue eyes. The moonlight made it almost blend into the shadows, giving it the appearance of a much more sinister spirit than one of StarClan.
Fireheart recoiled in alarm, terrified. Was this an enemy warrior or a vengeful spirit? Before he could decide whether he should attack it or flee, he noticed that it was Bluestar. "Great StarClan, don't do that!" he insisted, his hackles falling. He lashed his tail, trying to calm his wildly beating heart. "You nearly scared me out of my fur."
Bluestar's eyes glimmered with amusement. "My apologies, my loyal deputy," she meowed teasingly. "I see you are dutiful in guarding our camp, if a bit on the skittish side."
Fireheart fluffed out his fur against the cold, settling back into his position by the edge of camp. "With Tigerclaw possibly loose in the forest, I think every cat is feeling skittish, even if they're too stubborn to admit it," he pointed out. "That's why I thought I'd handle vigil tonight. I can't really sleep anyway, even though things seem peaceful."
"Come for a walk with me," suggested Bluestar. "I have something I wish to discuss with you."
Fireheart hesitated, than rose to his paws. "Who will guard the camp?"
"We won't be long, nor will we stray too far," Bluestar promised. "With StarClan watching over us, I believe my Clan is in safe paws."
They walked together into the forest. Moonlight and shadows danced together on the forest floor and moonbeams glowed eerily through the slight mist that rested on ThunderClan's territory. For a few moments they paced in companionable silence. Fireheart could hear distantly the calls of night birds and in the undergrowth, the scurrying of tiny woodland animals. Even at night, the forest was alive, something that continued to enchant Fireheart. It was much different from his old home in the Twolegplace- a welcome change.
Eventually Fireheart turned to Bluestar, slightly unnerved by her silence. "What did you want to discuss with me?" he asked.
"An old clan tradition," she replied. "One that does not come often."
Fireheart tipped his head to the side, intrigued. "What is it?"
She stopped walking for a moment, and Fireheart paused with her. She turned her face upward towards the moonlight, the shine of it dancing in her eyes. "When the full moon comes twice, called a blue moon, we have a special ceremony before the Gathering," she explained, gazing at the moon as she spoke. "Each clan leader chooses one of their cats to ascend to StarClan and begin a new life. They are reborn as a kitten, to have a new chance for a different destiny."
He blinked at her, surprised yet fascinated. "StarClan really has that power?" he asked.
She turned her gaze to his face. "You believe that StarClan has given me nine lives," she said calmly. "Why not a new one to another cat?"
"True enough," Fireheart meowed. He lowered his gaze to the ground, thoughtful. "But if the leader chooses, then why are you telling me this? I'm hardly leader yet."
"Yes, I still have one good life left," Bluestar replied. "But there are two reasons I'm telling you this. The first is because you will be leader after me, and you must know of this tradition. My leader told me of it, as I do to you. The second reason is that ThunderClan has many noble warriors; I wish for you to help me choose which one shall be reborn."
"Me?" he echoed. "But I'm not nearly as wise as you are."
His leader looked amused. "Perhaps not yet, but you are still young and you will learn with time," she meowed. "And I trust your judgment, Fireheart."
"Thank you, Bluestar," he meowed, dipping his head. "This is a great honor."
"I know it is, which is why I entrust it to you," she responded. "You are a great cat and a great deputy to ThunderClan. I know you will help me make a wise choice."
The sun was beginning to rise over the forest, casting pastel colors across the horizon in a beautiful display. A new day was beginning; one day closer to the blue moon and one day closer to the night a cat was to be reborn.