Hello everyone,
First off i know that Every Sunset by the Border isn't done yet, i literally have like 5-6 chapters left to type up and then that story will be done so please bear with me. And enjoy this as a nice treat while you wait, i promise there are no spoilers to the ending of Every Sunset by the Border, the only spoiler is that eventually Shimmerlight becomes Shimmerstar, which we were all obviously already expecting.
This is a one shot that i was inspired to write because i had a lot of ideas for it but it never really fit in at the end of Every Sunset by the Border because i already came up with an epilogue that i liked and instead of making this a bonus chapter i just decided to make a one shot instead. This is mostly traditional and very similar to Firestar's leader ceremony from the warriors series, except you get to revisit with cats from the begining of the series who are no longer with us and i also included some flash backs to never before read scenes from the POV of cats such as Minkstripe, Shadowsplash, and Shimmersky so i hope you guys enjoy those parts and find them very interesting since i had a lot of fun writing them.
Please enjoy and leave me a review.
I plan on writing another one shot which features one of Moonstream and Swiftbreeze's kits which i wont post until after i finish Every Sunset by the Border.
I also plan to write a fourth book which will take place in Shadowclan, it will not be very long maybe only 10-15 chapters long but hopefully they will all be amazingly detailed and delicious chapters full of action and angst.
The fourth book will feature Ravenstar's cruel rule of Shadowclan and how he has split the clan based on genders, the basic idea is that female warriors only hunt the male warriors learn to fight and protect borders. Females are forbidden to learn to fight and can be exiled or executed if found learning to fight. When cats reach 18 moons of age they are assigned a mate and the females are expected to join the nursery almost immediately. If a litter is born with just females or more females than males then the extra females will be 'disposed' of. No need to waste time suckling extra she-cats according to Ravenstar. The story will be from the point of view of Ravenstar's daughter Featherdream and how she goes about changing the clan and taking down her tyrannical father.
Please let me know what you think of this one shot and also what you think of my idea for my fourth book. Enjoy the one shot and please review.
Shimmerlight sat outside the medicine den nervously while she waited to find out what was going on inside. Earlier that morning coughing had sounded from inside Amberstar's den and the deputy immediately ran for Topazmist and Hazeshadow for help. Over the last moon aggressive lumps had formed under the leader's neck and the medicine cats knew that such lumps were a death sentence. They did all they could to make the leader's last moons as comfortable as possible, but all who knew of her condition knew that it was only a matter of time. Suddenly movement caught Shimmerlight's attention and she lifted her head to see Hazeshadow emerging from the medicine den, his blue eyes sorrowful.
"Whats going on?" Shimmerlight demanded, her fiery ginger pelt standing on end anxiously "Is Amberstar okay?"
Hazeshadow shook his head sadly "She is on her way to starclan as we speak, she requested that you come sit with her while she passes, I gave her some poppy seed to lessen the pain." Shimmerlight nodded and carefully stood to her paws, her swollen belly hindering her movement for a moment before she made her way into the dark but comfortable den. The ginger she-cat spotted the pale brown tabby lying in a soft moss nest. Topazmist waved Shimmerlight over with her tail before exiting the den, to give the cats some privacy.
"Shimmerlight" Amberstar began weakly lifting her head up to meet Shimmerlight's eyes, her own amber eyes cloudy "It is time for me to go. I am honored to have served my clan for all these moons and I know that you will continue to lead them for many many more. I trust my clan to you Shimmerlight and I trust that you will guide this clan into a permanent era of peace" the brown tabby glanced at Shimmerlight's swollen belly and a weak smile formed on her face.
"I know that you feel like you failed Swiftbreeze" she meowed "But you must remember that he chose his own path, and he was an excellent warrior for Thunderclan. I have no doubt that your new kits will grow up to be equally as extraordinary as the two you have already raised."
Shimmerlight nodded carefully, her ice blue eyes sorrowful as she watched her leader slowly close her eyes for the last time, and the brown tabby's breathing grew shallower and eventually stopped. Hazeshadow and Topazmist trotted back into the den, the ginger medicine cat held her paw in front of Amberstar's nose for a moment before nodding solemnly.
"She is with starclan"
Shimmerlight stood to her paws and made her way out of the den, she carefully climbed up the highledge, feeling her swollen belly sway as she climbed her way up the rocky path. Reaching the top of the highledge she called out to her clanmates.
"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join her beneath highledge for a clan meeting."
Shimmerlight watched as her clanmates gathered in a semi-circle facing her. Bluecloud sat near the front of the group, looking up his mate with pride in his blue eyes. Beside him sat Stoneshine and Squirreltail. Skyshine sat next to Flowertail and Mossdapple with Birdstrike on his other side, Lionstreak sat near the nursery beside Petalblossom. Brightwing sat next to her kits Snowpaw and Icepaw with Willowfall on her other side, Mothkit sitting between her mother's paws. Rowanflight, Silverstreak and Gorsefur sat just outside the elders den, waiting patiently for clan news.
"Amberstar is with Starclan" Shimmerlight began carefully "She has spent her entire life protecting this clan and doing everything possible to take care of her clanmates. She was an honorable leader and we are going to miss her guidance and her strong will. I will travel to the Moonstone to receive my nine lives and while I am gone Stoneshine will watch over the clan, as the new deputy."
Eye turned towards the shaggy gray tom who was looking up at Shimmerlight in shock, he nervously cleared his throat before speaking.
"I'm honored to be named deputy" he meowed, his voice shaking "I will do everything I can to serve this clan."
The sky grew darker as the sun made its way over the mountains, vanishing behind them. The moon slowly climbed through the sky as the two Thunderclan cats waited. The warm Greenleaf night was calm, fireflies began to glow in the darkness and a warm breeze caused the goldenrods and tall grasses to sway back and forth.
Shimmerlight sat outside the entrance to mouthermouth with her son Hazeshadow beside her, the two Thunderclan cats waited quietly for the moon to finish rising before they headed into the tunnels. Shimmerlight's whiskers twitched as she felt her way through the winding tunnels, she had walked this path a few times before but never without Amberstar in front of her. A sense of loneliness overcame her as the small glowing light at the end of the tunnel grew brighter.
Suddenly the tunnel opened up into a small cavity, at the center sat the moonstone glowing brightly as the moon cast its light upon it. Hazeshadow and Shimmerlight stepped up to it and laid down, the blue medicine cat gave his new leader, and his mother, a nod signaling her that it was time. The fiery ginger she-cat lowered her head and pressed her nose gently against the cool stone surface of the moonstone. A cool chill coursed through her body, electrifying her blood and taking her into a deep sleep.
Shimmerlight opened her eyes to find herself in a dark clearing, at first she was alone and she turned around taking in her surroundings. A small stream flowed past her paws, inside it swam small fish made up of glittering stars. She carefully dabbed her forepaw into the water and was surprised to find the water was warm, when she removed her foot she was shocked to see that her fur was dry.
"Shimmerlight"
The ginger she-cat turned around to see a wave of starclan cats staring at her, their pelts glittered with stars and when they spoke, they all seemed to be speaking as one. As she looked to the cats standing before her she didn't recognize many of the faces, each cat looked unique and different but at the same time blended in with the cats beside them. The longer she looked at them, certain cats stepped out from the front and she began to recognize them.
The first cat to approach was very small, smaller than any cat in Thunderclan, her physique reminded Shimmerlight of cats from Windclan and her sons Swiftbreeze and Hazeshadow. As the black she-cat got closer Shimmerlight noticed that she was hobbling, the cause was a missing leg, the short-furred she-cat looked at Shimmerlight with pride glowing in her green eyes.
"Hello Shimmerlight" the she-cat meowed "You do not know me, but I know you."
"Who are you?" Shimmerlight asked, a strange feeling in her chest pulled her towards the she-cat, as though they were kin."
"My name is Shadow of Hanging Branch" Shadow meowed "I come from the tribe of touching trees and came to the clans as part of a prophecy laid out by my tribe mates that I would give birth to a cat who would save my tribe by first becoming a member of the clans."
"Leopardlight" Shimmerlight whispered, almost to herself "You're Leopardlight's mother aren't you?" The small black she-cat nodded, her green eyes glowing with pride.
"With this life I give you wisdom" Shadow meowed "Use it to guide you when you feel your path has been planned for you, and use it to make the best decisions you can for your clan to prosper."
The she-cat stepped forward; pressing her nose against Shimmerlight's forehead, as the life flowed into her limbs Shimmerlight's vision went black.
The sharp noxious scent of the thunderpath surrounded her and her body ached as though she had just fallen out of a tree and collided with the ground with extreme force, suddenly a purr rumbled in her chest as the feeling of something foreign running along her spine began, whatever the object was it was hot and felt bare. As the burning pain from the life began to ebb away and Shimmerlight's vision slowly began to return she felt hot stinky breath on her face. When her vision returned she found herself staring into a pair of large yellow eyes, a shaggy animal stood before her that she had never seen before. Its sharp teeth glinted dangerously and Shimmerlight scurried backwards in shock at the mere size of the creature, its teeth were larger than her paws. Suddenly the large gray fox-like creature leapt forward, closing its teeth around her throat.
Opening her eyes Shimmerlight saw that the creature had vanished and Shadow was making her way back into the crowd of Starclan cats. She cast a sad green gaze towards Shimmerlight before vanishing among the fallen.
Another cat stepped forward from the crowd to give the next life, at first Shimmerlight didn't recognize the cat until the ginger and white she-cat got closer, her amber eyes light and mischievous.
"Shimmersky" Shimmerlight breathed, she was shocked to see the she-cat again and in Starclan's forest "What are you doing here?"
"I'm here to give you your second life" the ginger and white she-cat rolled her eyes "Obviously."
Before Shimmerlight could argue the impatient she-cat thrust her head forward, pressing her nose roughly to Shimmerlight's forward. When their heads collided the ginger she-cat flinched, a mrrow of laughter escaped Shimmersky's throat.
"Sorry" she huffed "I've never done this before, and it's not like we got any lessons or anything, no life giving 101"
Shimmerlight rolled her eyes at the she-cat ridiculous remark, she opened her mouth to speak but was frozen in pain as her body was engulfed in flames. Or what she imagined it felt like to be engulfed in flames. The burning sensation started at her paws and climbed up her legs, increasing in ferocity as the pain made its way into her body and then into her head.
"What am I supposed to say again?" Shimmersky mumbled, after a heart beat she shrugged "Whatever, this life is for courage. Be brave and strong, protect your clan with each life and always defend those who are weaker than you."
As the fiery pain engulfed the ginger deputy's head her vision went black, when it cleared she found herself crouching low to the ground. Glancing up Shimmerlight could see a twisted tree above her, suddenly her muscles flexed and she felt her body erupt out from beneath the tree. The ginger she-cat raced towards what she knew must be her destination, the edge of the gorge, the sound of large paws thundered just behind her and hot stinky breath was getting closer to her tail tip.
They were too close!
Shimmerlight didn't know who was too close or how she even knew they were but instead of veering to the right and vanishing in the forest like her brain was screaming at her to do her paws carried her underneath a pile of bracken at the edge of the gorge, fear prickled her pelt as three of the monsters charged blindly past her and over the edge of the gorge. The last monster scrambled along the edge, struggling to regain footing and prevent itself from plummeting to its death. Watching from beneath the bracken Shimmerlight could see the monster's claws dig into the ground and the animal secure its position on stable ground.
Shimmerlight cast a glance to a tree not too far away where she knew her best friend was hiding safely, then without another thought she felt her body move. It moved without thought of the consequences and suddenly the she-cat felt herself leaping upwards, crashing into the larger body of the monster, sending it tumbling over the edge. The wolf yelped as it fell to its death, the sound was cut short as Shimmerlight felt her body collide with something, the collision was so painful she stopped feeling anything after only a few heartbeats, her vision fading
Shimmerlight's vision returned and she found herself staring into Shimmersky's amber eyes, the ginger and white she-cat's eyes were sad.
"I wish I could have returned to the clan Shimmerlight" the she-cat meowed, unusually serious for a moment "I wish I could have been there to help raise you, but I had to save everyone it was my duty. Even though I knew I would die, my body moved of its own accord and I was able to save my best friend."
Without another word the ginger and white she-cat carefully rasped her tongue across Shimmerlight's ears, before leaving Shimmersky gave the ginger deputy a quick shove, back to her normal playful self.
The next cat to approach her had long black fur and bright green eyes that glinted mischievously in the moonlight. When she reached Shimmerlight, the ginger queen leapt to her paws, meeting the black she-cat's green eyes with her blue.
"Lichenfur" Shimmerlight began; the young black warrior cut her off with a brisk lick to the ears.
"There is no need to apologize" Lichenfur meowed, a soft smile on her face and her eyes gentle "It was just my time. I'm honored to have served and protected my clan" she stepped closer to Shimmerlight, pressing her cool nose against Shimmerlight's forehead. A slow ache started at the point of contact and began to spread through the she-cat's body, radiating to her limbs.
"With this life I give you trust" Lichenfur meowed "Use it to trust your clanmates to protect you and those you love and also use it to trust in your ancestors and their path they have laid out for you to walk." As the life poured into her body, Shimmerlight felt her heart being pulled straight and true and images of Bluecloud, Lionstreak, Stoneshine and Squirreltail flashed through her mind, those that she trusted with her life. Lichenfur backed up and as she faded into the fold of Starclan warriors another cat appeared, taking her place in front of Shimmerlight.
The stars cleared to reveal Drizzlelight standing before the ginger deputy, the pale tabby's eyes which had be alight with battle when she died had cleared and there were no signs of the hate she had harbored towards the end of her life. Her eyes were clear and showed wisdom that one only gained from death, when the young tabby placed her nose on Shimmerlight's forehead a flash of cold passed over her body and her vision faded. When her vision returned Shimmerlight saw another figure standing beside Drizzlelight, it was another brown tabby with a splash of white on her chest, soft yellow eyes glowed and there was a hint of gray along the tabby's muzzle. Mothpetal!
"With this life I give you justice" Drizzlelight meowed "Use it to protect those who have been wronged and to know when intervention is needed." As the life poured into her body another rush of cold came over her, beginning at her throat and then coursing through her body turning her veins to ice and Shimmerlight's vision faded to black. She realized that this was what Drizzlelight had felt in her last moments alive, cold afraid and alone. When the chill began to fade away Shimmerlight watched as both Drizzlelight and Mothpetal headed back into the fold of starclan warriors, the older Riverclan tabby walked beside the Thunderclan warrior, her fur pressed up against Drizzlelight's.
As the two tabby she-cats took their place among their fellow clanmates another figure emerged from the fold, a small black she-cat with playful ice blue eyes and a small splash of white on her chest. As the small black she-cat came to a halt in front of the ginger tabby the young deputy couldn't help stepping forward and pressing her nose against the she-cat's in greeting.
"Shadowsplash" Shimmerlight purred, the two sisters twining tails as they greeted each other for the first time since the panic fever had taken the black queen from the physical world. The two sisters stood still for a moment relishing their time in each other's presence, after a few heartbeats the black she-cat stepped back looking at her sister lovingly with icy blue eyes.
"I'm so proud of you Shimmerlight" Shadowsplash meowed, her voice catching in her throat with emotion "I'm sorry for leaving you; I can never repay you for what you did for me. For raising Lionstreak for me, you raised him to be a fine warrior and an excellent member of our clan."
"He was an unexpected gift" Shimmerlight replied, her eyes stinging as she was overcome with emotion "Without him I would have never been able to make it without you, he is so much like you Shadowsplash, always takes his duties seriously and he always is one of the first warriors up for the dawn patrol. I know he misses you, you are his mother after all."
"No, Shimmerlight you are as much his mother as I am, even more so than I am" Shadowsplash purred, her icy eyes glistening with pain "With this life I give you protection" the dark queen pressed her nose against her sister's forehead.
"Use it, as you always have, to protect those who rely on you and to instill that virtue in the generations to come." As the life burned its way through Shimmerlight's body her blood turned ice cold and a horrible pain ripped through her chest.
Her vision went dark once again and when it cleared she found herself surrounded by the fierce desire to protect, standing before her was Sunvine, the sandy gray tom was moons younger barely an apprentice, his yellow eyes were bright with youth and potential and soft comfortable laughter rumbled from the tom. His paw reached forward, flicking something off Shimmerlight's ear and his mouth moved as though he were speaking to her. Sunvine flicked her shoulder with his tail tip, his eyes teasing and his smile warm.
When her vision cleared, Shadowsplash was once again standing before the ginger queen with sad blue eyes.
"Now you know" Shadowsplash murmured quietly "The cat that I knew and loved, was not the same cat that you see before you today. He was loyal and fierce but also kind and loving; I saw the potential that others so often overlooked."
Shimmerlight's heart reached out to her sister as she poured out her secrets to her, the ginger queen had always wondered what Shadowsplash had ever seen in the tom and had forgotten that not long ago he had been a young cat, just as innocent as any.
"Perhaps if I had not died, things would have turned out differently" Shadowsplash concluded sadly, the black she-cat rasped her tongue comfortingly over her sister's ear before stepping back a few paces, but not fully returning to the fold of starclan warriors. Before Shimmerlight could speak, two small figures scurried out from behind Shadowsplash, racing up the larger ginger queen. A large bodied dusty red tom kit and a smaller more delicate dark gray she-kit with a splash of white on her chest, both kits had yellow eyes and their bodies were bustling with health and youth.
Shimmerlight ducked her head touching both kit's noses with her own in greeting "Redkit, Shadekit" she purred, relishing in her first official greeting with her now deceased niece and nephew.
Both kits purred loudly as they greeted their aunt before taking turns speaking.
"With this life we give you nurturing" Redkit meowed, standing up on his back legs in order to touch his nose to Shimmerlight's forehead; the ginger queen still had to duck her head down in order for the small kit to reach. The dusty red tom's brow was furrowed in concentration as he focused on keeping his balance, a look she had often seen plastered across both Lionstreak and Swiftbreeze's faces.
Next Shadekit stood back on her hind legs, resting her nose gently on Shimmerlight's forehead.
"Use this life to care for those within your clan and to nurture all those who come after you into being the best warriors they can be, loyal and useful to their clan."
As the life entered her body images of cats she had been responsible for and failed flashed through her mind, Swiftbreeze, Shinepaw, Drizzlelight and Lichenfur. When the burning of the life ebbed away the two kits scurried backwards where Shadowsplash was waiting for them, the dark black she-cat carefully rasped her tongue over both kit's ears before leading them back to the crowd of starclan warriors, casting an icy blue gaze back towards her sister before vanishing.
As the next cat began to approach her, Shimmerlight felt her hear skip a few beats, the large silver tabby tom with darker black stripes and gentle amber eyes. The tom had a fatherly air about him and as Shimmerlight was growing up, the lack of attention from her father led to her viewing Minkstripe as the father figure she needed to guide her as she grew.
The large tom stopped in front of Shimmerlight, smiling down at her, he rested his chin on top of her head and Shimmerlight buried her face in his long fur, breathing in his comforting scent. After a few heartbeats the former deputy rasped his tongue across her ears and touched his nose to her forehead.
"With this life I give you loyalty" the life that flowed into her body did not burn, it was instead a steady warmth that moved through her veins and into her limbs "Use it to protect those under your care and to never waver in your devotion to them.
As the life worked its way through her body visions of a young pale tabby she-cat flashed through her mind and a scene unfolded.
Two cats sat beside the owl tree, the young brown tabby's belly was slightly swollen, not large enough for most cats to notice but her pregnancy was obvious to those who had experienced it. The silver tom with black stripes was very young, no more than an apprentice.
"Amberfern" the gray and black striped tom meowed, his voice was firm but there was a tenderness and concern behind his accusatory tone "I can help you, you can't keep this a secret forever"
The pale tabby looked down at the ground, carefully curling her tail tip around her swollen belly, sadness filled her amber eyes and she looked lost.
"Let me help you, please" the tom pleaded "These are dark times, you can't do this alone, and you're in danger."
Suddenly the pale tabby looked up, her amber eyes flashing with anger "What can you do Minkpaw?" she sneered, emphasizing the 'paw' in his name "There is nothing you can do and I don't need your help." The she-cat stormed away leaving the apprentice to stare after her in shock.
The scene changed, Shimmerlight found herself beside the owl tree. Sitting beneath it was Amberfern, the pale tabby was staring down at her paws, a fresh mound of dirt piled in front of her pale white paws. The queen's shoulders were slumped in defeat and her amber eyes were void of their usual light, they were hollow with sorrow. The sound of pawsteps didn't draw the queen's attention from the mound and she didn't look up for a moment, not even when the younger Minkstripe sat beside her.
"How many?" he asked quietly, looking down at the freshly filled grave sadly.
"Three" the pale tabby responded, her voice was hollow and it cracked with emotion.
"I'm sorry" Minkstripe meowed, pressing his fur against her pale tabby pelt comfortingly. The pale tabby rested her head against his shoulder as the two Thunderclan warriors stared down at the fresh graves.
"One survived."
Minkstripe sat upright, his ears perking up optimistically "Where is he?"
"She" Amberfern corrected her voice still hollow with sorrow "Mothkit is a she. She is with her father" after a few heart beats of silence she continued speaking "In Riverclan."
Without speaking again the two cats leaned against each other, sitting in comfortable silence, both grieving together but both grieving different losses. Amberfern leaned her head back onto Minkstripe's shoulder and then, a small flicker of hope fluttered in his chest as the two cats twined tails.
The vision faded away and Minkstripe stood before her once again, his amber eyes soft and nurturing as they had been in his memory. The large tom met Shimmerlight's blue eyes with his amber and the ginger she-cat found herself nodding, no explanation was necessary. The gray striped tom carefully rasped his tongue over Shimmerlight's ears for a moment before giving her a serious amber stare, then he walked away vanishing into the fold of starclan warriors.
Shimmerlight waited patiently for her eighth life and when no cat stepped forward panic fluttered in her chest. After what felt like moons a cat finally emerged from the gathered starclan warriors, the golden she-cat with a black and brown dappled pelt slowly padded forward. As her mother Leopardlight approached her, Shimmerlight was overcome with a mix of emotions.
"Hello Shimmerlight" Leopardlight greeted, the she-cat's gray muzzle had faded back to golden and her eyes were alight with youth. Her pelt was glossy and flowed behind her as she walked, white flecks of starlight flowed through her fur and swirled around her paws. When the dappled she-cat reached Shimmerlight she stuck her nose forward in order to give a life, the ginger queen scrambled backwards in shock.
"Shimmerlight" Leopardlight began, her voice was quiet and barely audible, her icy blue eyes pleading.
"No" Shimmerlight growled "No, you don't get to be here right now. I don't want a life from you."
"Please, don't do this" Leopardlight pleaded "I know I wasn't the best mother-"
"The best mother?" Shimmerlight snarled mockingly an uncharacteristic sneer plastered on her usually soft face, she tore at the grass with her claws "You were no mother" Shimmerlight took a step towards the golden dappled queen, her blue eyes blazing "You don't get to call yourself that. You were never there for us, never!" Without a thought to where she was or the consequences of her actions the fiery ginger she-cat launched herself at the golden tabby.
Screeches erupted from the two she-cats as they rolled across the starlit grasses. Shimmerlight had a smaller build than Leopardlight but was easily overpowering the older she-cat. She dug her claws into her mother's lean body, feeling the tear of muscle as she pulled her claws back and dug them in once again. Patches of golden fur were flying as Shimmerlight rolled with Leopardlight, the golden tabby weakly defended herself.
The two she-cats broke apart and stood facing each other, Shimmerlight was heaving as she struggled to catch her breath while Leopardlight stood still just staring at her daughter, one advantage, at least, to being dead already was that the golden tabby could not acquire any wounds from this fight and her breathing remained stable.
She stared at Shimmerlight, her own icy blue eyes sad, movement caught her eyes and she glanced up to see Shimmerlight advancing on her again. As the fiery ginger she-cat's forepaw lashed out for a strike the golden tabby stumbled backwards, barely avoiding contact.
"You left us, Shadowsplash, Rowanflight and I, you abandoned us. You abandoned me!" Shimmerlight snarled her voice catching in her throat causing her last words to come out strangled with emotion, leaning back on her hind legs before lurching forward with claws outstretched. A blow to the side of the head sent her crashing to the floor, disoriented, she stood up on shaky paws blinking to clear her vision.
"You think that I abandoned you?" Leopardlight demanded, anger rising in her voice "I had to leave the clan, Starclan told me my work with the tribe was not done I had to find the moon. They needed me"
"I needed you" Shimmerlight cried "I was alone, even amongst kin I was alone. Do you know how hard I had to work to prove myself, to show them I was worth something!"
Leopardlight darted to the side as Shimmerlight struck out at her again, the golden tabby winced feeling her daughters claws sink into her side. Despite knowing there would be no wound, the feel of the claws tearing at her flesh felt as real as when she had been alive.
"When you came back you never acknowledged me" Shimmerlight meowed, barely more than a whisper "I knew who you were and you knew who I was yet you never acknowledged me as your daughter" suddenly the fiery ginger she-cat stopped attacking, her body shaking and her shoulders slumped as she finally formed the words that she had been unable to speak to anyone besides Bluecloud since her mother's return.
"Why?" she finally asked, looking down at her paws and feeling as small and vulnerable as a kit "Why didn't you acknowledge me?"
Sadness clouded the golden she-cat's blue eyes and she took a hesitant step forward towards her daughter, laying her tail across her shoulder comfortingly for the first time.
"I never acknowledged you" Leopardlight began, her voice catching In her throat "Because I never deserved you, you are right I was never there to help guide you and your sister, I couldn't be there to watch you grow up, to see my grand-kits born, or to see you be made deputy."
"And it is my greatest regret" the golden tabby continued, pressing her nose against her daughters forehead "With this life I give you love, use it as you always have to guide your decisions and use it as I know you will to care for every member of your clan."
The life fiercely clawed its way through Shimmerlight's body, the sheer pain from the life restricted Shimmerlight's movements. The fierce desire that flood through the ginger cat's body was familiar to her, she had only felt this desire to protect a few times before in her life.
The first was when she woke in the night during a terrible storm, a terrible feeling creeping over her, to find that Lionkit had vanished from the nursery.
A large crackle of thunder sounded and Shimmerlight was jolted from her sleep, a terrible feeling creeping through her body. She looked beside her when Bluecloud was sleeping on her other side slept Stoneshine. Rolling her eyes she carefully stood up weaving her way away from the toms that confused her. Squeezing out of the entrance Shimmerlight blinked in the darkness as her eyes adjusted. The ginger warrior stepped out into the rain, feeling her paws carry her towards the nursery; bolts of lightning startled the young warrior causing her to jump and after a particularly loud crack of thunder the she-cat raced into the nursery. She quietly made her way over to Brightwing's nest, when she reached the sleeping queen the fiery she-cat was overcome with dread. Only Petalkit and the queen were in the nest, Lionkit was nowhere to be seen. Without a word the ginger she-cat made her way out into the storm, attempting to follow the kit's scent. Eventually she found her nephew huddled under a hollow log. The pale ginger tom was soaked to the bone, his fur plastered to his body and mud covering his paws.
Another had been a few moons after her own kits had been born and Swiftkit and Hazekit had snuck out of camp to track down a problem badger that was terrorizing the clan.
The badger had last been seen by the old oak tree, Shimmerlight was preoccupied coming up with a strategy to chase the pesky animal away. This particular badger had been more troublesome than any she had fought against before, no matter how many times they chased it off the badger always returned to the same place; an old set beneath the old oak. The ginger queen had left her kits with Petalpaw while the warriors were distracted, the pale tabby was delighted to watch them, she always had a way with kits. Suddenly commotion from the camp entrance caught her attention and she turned to see Bluecloud entering the camp, two shaking blue kits following him. Shimmerlight couldn't remember racing over to her family; she was just suddenly there covering her son's with licks despite their complaints that she was embarrassing them.
As the life ebbed away from the ginger deputy she opened her eyes to see Leopardlight looking at her with sad blue eyes.
"I'm sorry for the pain I've caused you" Leopardlight meowed "I have never called you my daughter because you're right, I was no mother to you. I don't deserve to call you my kit."
Shimmerlight felt her heart clench as she watched her mother turn and walk away, the golden tabby's shoulders were slumped as she headed back towards the group of starclan warriors.
"I forgive you."
The golden tabby stopped in her tracks, turning, she met Shimmerlight's icy blue eyes with her own and a soft smile tugged at her lips "I am so proud of you."
The ginger deputy watched her mother fade back into the crowd of starclan warriors, her flowing golden dappled pelt disappearing among the rainbow of fur and eyes.
The last cat to step forward was one that Shimmerlight had expected to meet in the forests of Starclan, Amberstar made her way over to her former deputy, her pale tabby pelt glossy and shimmering with stars. Her amber eyes were bright and youthful like they had been in Minkstripe's memories, Shimmerlight found herself watching Amberstar with awe. The she-cat before her had not only been a regal leader for Thunderclan for more moons than Shimmerlight could comprehend but she had had her own share of pain and misery, made mistakes like any other cat and made difficult decisions to make up for those mistakes and to protect and serve her clan.
When the pale brown tabby reached her Shimmerlight met her amber eyes with her blue ones strongly, a powerful desire overcame Shimmerlight, the desire to make this cat proud of her.
"Shimmerlight" Amberstar began, her once shaky voice strong "First I want to say that there is no better cat that I can think of to leave my clan to. You faced adversity from a young age and were faced with many challenges throughout your life. Starclan entrusted the future of the clan to you when they chose to tell you the prophecy concerning Sunvine. They hoped that you would be the cat to finally bring an end to his tyranny if he went down that path and they were right to put their faith in you. So now I put my faith in you to be the new leader of Thunderclan."
The pale tabby lowered her head pressing her nose to the fiery ginger she-cats forehead, as her nose touched the last life erupted through Shimmerlight's limbs. The force of the life entering her body rendered her motionless as the fiery pain tore through her veins.
"With this life I give you understanding" Amberstar meowed steadily, feeling the life flow from her body into the young she-cat's "Use this life to empathize with those around you and to give you the power to understand the reasons behind the actions of others. Only by understanding can we truly make forward progress with our decisions, those who do not learn from the past are doomed to repeat it."
Amberstar took a step back and bowed her head to Shimmerlight "I leave the clan to you Shimmerstar."
"Shimmerstar" "Shimmerstar" "Shimmerstar" "Shimmerstar"
The cats of starclan cheered her new name, slowly growing in strength and in volume. As the chorus continued the cats around her began to fade away leaving the empty clearing in their wake. Amberstar before her began to fade as well, only her amber eyes remaining bright as her body faded.
"Thank you Amberstar" Shimmerstar meowed "For everything, I hope to be as good a leader as you."
"I'm sure you will not disappoint" Amberstar replied, her form completely fading from view "I'm proud of you Shimmerstar."