They'll tell you only leaders have nine lives.
But Onestar's not so sure.
Maybe he did get his lives curled up beside the Moonpool.
But that's not how Onestar remembers it.
***
In his first life, he is a son.
He has kit paws and fresh eyes. His mother licks his ears and her purr feels as much a part of him as his whiskers.
She gives him life and milk and love, wisdom and surety and kindness.
She gives him his name.
And she watches it change, tail over paws, with shining eyes as he becomes an apprentice.
Leaf-bare makes the moor bitterly cold. Snow scares away the prey and invites something deadlier.
His mother was the first warmth he ever knew and she was always warm, warm fur and warm eyes and warm words, until she is not.
Until she is cold.
She dies from a rattle in her chest and a fog in her eyes.
He curls beside her cold body on a cold night and asks the stars to welcome her.
Silverpelt looms above them and sometime in the night her spirit slips away.
He knows he is still alive even though he can't feel his muzzle or his tail from the chill. He knows he's still alive even though the pain in his heart feels like it should be enough to kill him.
He knows this.
But.
In his first life, he was a son.
They bury his mother in the frozen ground, hard enough to make his pads bleed and his claws break.
And now, that life is over.
***
Each chapter of this story will be a separate one of Onestar's lives, meaning the story will be nine chapters long. I plan on updating regularly and I hope you'll all stick around to read the next eight parts. I really enjoyed writing this piece and I'm excited to get to Onestar's longer and more complex lives! Please, if you liked the story or had any questions, feel free to leave a review. I'd love to hear everyone's thoughts.
DISCLAIMER: This is a work of fiction using characters and world created by Erin Hunter. All rights are reserved and I do not claim any ownership. This story is for entertainment purposes only. I do not profit from the creation or publication of this story. I give my deepest gratitude and respect to the Hunters.