Blossempath's story
By Lionblaze03
Prologue
Quivertail bounded along the rocks, stepping into the night cave. She padded in uneasily, worried. It could be a trap…
But to Quivertail's surprise, the rouge who had told her was right. She padded up to the glowing chunk of stones nervously. It was time to bring legends to life.
Quivertail kneeled down by the stone worriedly, and touched her little black nose to it.
Quivertail flashed around wildly in panic. Full darkness had engulfed her, with no light anywhere. She began to panic when her eyes fluttered open and she found herself in a small version of the forest and moor that they lived on.
"Hello?", Quivertail asked nervously, her voice wavering, "Is anybody there? Hello?"
"Welcome", A startling, but also calming, wise, old she-cat's voice mewed. A blue-gray she cat with blue eyes that were brimming with stars stepped out of the shadows, which disappeared with her glimmering presence.
"I am Bluestar", She continued, starry stare unwavering, "The ancient leader of Thunderclan. Welcome to Starclan."
"A… Am I dead?", Quivertail asked, nervous to speak to Bluestar, the legend.
"No, sweetheart", Bluestar mewed reassuringly. "It is time to get your nine lives."
A dark tabby tom padded out of the shadows, glimmering slightly with starlight. A stern look was formed on his face. Quivertail immediately knew who it was. "Father!", She purred excitedly.
"Hello, Maxi", Her father mewed, "Or "Quivertail", as they call you now. I have come to bear you the life of decisions. With this life, I grant you the power to know what you do is the right thing to do." He dipped his head respectfully, as he always had done in his living years, and touched his nose to Quivertail's.
Quivertail instantly felt an enormous weight on her shoulders, the endless indefinite weight bearing down on her more and more each second. Many voices of many cats, much of them the pleading squeals of kits, poured into her orange tabby ears until they felt like she would burst. Suddenly she felt a huge burst of pride explode in her chest, and the painful but wonderful feeling faded as Quivertail's vision spun back into the starry world.
Her father looked at her proudly, and did the one thing he almost never did; smiled. He gave a deep sigh of pride and padded back into the shadows, leaving a comfortable warmth where he had been.
The next cat to step out was a beautiful tortoiseshell-and-tabby she cat, the stars around her flowing like a river of infinite beauty. Her long, starry fur flowed in the sparkling wind of the star world, and a warm, comforting smile spread across her face. "Mommy!", Quivertail cried.
"Hello, Maxi, my darling', Her mother mewed contently, "I always knew the day would come that my daughter would do something special." She padded over to Quivertail and nuzzeled her for a moment. "With this life", She whispered into Quivertail's ear, "I give you the strength of a mother's love and strong will. Use it to protect your family, bloodborn or not."
Pulsing fury flooded into Quivertail, and would have blown her off her paws if her paws hadn't been so well hooked into the ground from the agonizing weight of the previous life. She took deep, rasping breaths, but couldn't seem to catch her breath. Fury and pain flooded through her belly, and suddenly, a gentle calm settled over her. Just as she had started to catch her breath, more rushes of fleeting fear, pride, terror, and calm flooded through her, relentlessly jerking back and forth, from one to the other. Suddenly, she saw gaping, white, pearly, drool-dripping jaws above her, and felt a rush of pain go through her entire body, and suddenly, a rush of furious, vicious energy. Then a sense of warm, fading pride, warmth, and then, a gentle darkness.
Her mother gazed at her warmly as Quivertail jumped back from the shock. Quivertail opened her wild, terrified eyes and let the pain of the second life fade away. She let her tail lie on the ground, but not even then could it stop quivering with excitement.
Quivertail's mother turned her head and padded away, content. She faded off into the shadows. "Wait!", Quivertail called with longing for the warmth of her mother once more. But she was already gone.
Another cat stepped from the shadows, glowing brighter even than Bluestar. "Who… Who are you?", Quivertail asked worriedly.
"I am Thunderstar", The cat replied, deep amber gaze penetrating Quivertail, "The creator of Thunderclan."
Quivertail stood there in shock. An old legend, even older than Bluestar, yet still not forgotten in the new life of the cats of the modern day. "It is an honor", She meowed quietly, "To meet you."
Thunderstar padded up without hesitation. "With this life, I give you the power to shape a clan. You will need this life to truly reform your group of kittypets into true warriors. Use it well.
She pelt power and fear rushing through her pelt quickly as Thunderstar touched his nose to Quivertail's. She felt the pain of being excluded, and shamed. The pain of separation from siblings, and the sadness of a broken heart. Loud, booming voices screamed in her soft ears, and her eyes were wild with terror. Fear flooded through her body, and furious confusion took hold of her. She felt as if she could hold on no longer, as is she were losing her mind, until finally, acceptance and relief flooded over her. A gentle peace settled over, and just as she thought she could open her eyes, furious battle raged around her. Many battles, many cats, many deaths. Eventually, pain struck a blow in her soft, short-furred pelt, and a gentle calamity washed over her as she opened her eyes. "Thank you"l She whispered into Thunderstar's orange ear.
Thunderstar took a calm step back and padded back into the shadows, his strong, muscular tabby pelt dissolving into the darkness. This time, a new cat stepped out. Before Quivertail could even ask who she was, she mewed, "I am Mothflight, the first medicine cat."
"It is an honor", Quivertail repeated in quiet surprise.
"I have come to bear you a life for wisdom", Mothflight mewed, dipping her head respectfully. "Use it well to guide your clan."
As the two touched noses, Quivertail felt herself lose her knowledge. In just moments, that and more flooded into her tiny, powerless kitten body, and suddenly, it began to grow. As she got bigger, her knowledge extended, until eventually, she was at her full adult size. She shrunk a bit smaller, but the feeling of wisdom grew and grew until it felt like she couldn't hold it any more. Suddenly, calm washed over her, and a feeling of trust took hold of Quivertail as calm darkness washed over her.
Quivertail opened her eyes with a deep breath. "Thank you", She mewed respectufully with a nod.
"No", Mothflight mewed, "Thank you. I wish you the best of luck in leadership." She dipped her head respectfully and retreated back into the shadows.
Suddenly, the shadows seemingly began to move, and a green aurora lit up withen them. The shadows merged into a pure black she-cat with green eyes. "Hollyleaf!", Quivertail gasped with surprise.
"Hello, Quivertail", Hollyleaf mewed respectfully. "I have come to bear you a life for forgiveness. Sometimes, we make mistakes. We just don't all have the power to forgive them."
Hollyleaf touched her nose to Quivertail's, and from the moment she opened into the life she felt a fierce sense of loyalty. Loyalty to family, clan, and most of all the warrior code. She felt a sense of loyal friend, and the sense of a furious anger. She felt pride, and suddenly, sheer terror. Worried surprise filled her, and from there, anger took over. She felt her claws strike the soft neck flesh of another cat, and saw red deathberries before her eyes, the hatred growing stronger. Snapping voices and yowls of pain and fury filled her quiet ears, and she felt a crushing weight on her back one more. She felt a restoration of life, and a bond that could not be broken. A sense of love, and loyal once more. A sense of pride and reborn clan loyalty, and a hint of sadness. A hint of pride and a sense of content mixed with ferocity and a sense of final, loyal acceptance as she faded away into the dark.
Quivertail opened her eyes, immediately wanting to close them again. Hollyleaf dipped her head at Quivertail. "Use what you have learned well", She mewed. She then turned and quietly padded back into the shadows, even her burning holly eyes disappearing into the darkness.
Another cat padded out of the shadows, as if on que. Quivertail gasped. "Leafpool!"
"Mmmhmm", Leafpool mewed, dipping her tan-brown tabby head.
The two stared at each other awkwardly for a moment until Leafpool finally spoke.
"I give you a life for love", Leafpool mewed, oddly solemn. "Use it well to protect all that you care for."
Quivertail softly slid into a sweet sense of love for her family, and love for what she did. She felt nearly content, like there was something missing. There was a short terror, and a stressful calm. There was a sudden moment, and pure warmth flooded over Quivertail. She knew she needed to savor it, for it would probably be the only life with that much warmth in it. But surprisingly there was suddenly punishment and anger. Soon, there was more fear, and regretful remorse. She felt a sense of pleading, and single acceptant feeling. She felt a soft and loving pain, and suddenly, a sense of fear. Her terror grew larger and larger until she once again saw deathberries in front of her eyes, and a feeling of being outcasted. Loneliness, and hatred towards her from all angles. A feeling of sudden hope, and joy, and a final feeling of sad acceptance. In the end, she felt no regret. After all, she did it for love.
Quivertail opened her eyes, tail flicking back and forth. She dipped her head at Leafpool, and Leafpool did the same to her, padding away back into the shadows were Hollyleaf had disappeared just moments before.
She stood there, waiting to reach her next life. She braced herself as the next cat padded out. She gasped. It was Chiptail, the first cat that had died in her newly born clan.
"Hello, Quivertail", He mewed poilitely. "I have come to bear you a life for indurance. Use it well to bear through the troubles with your clan."
Suddenly, a searing pain flooded through Quivertail and terror rushed through her pelt. Under her pelt, she felt a burning fire, and on her paws it felt worse than of her claws were torn of and her paws were shredded. The pain ripped through her. She felt that she was torn apart. Her pelt felt as if she was being eaten alive by millions on fire ants. Tears of shear pain flooded her eyes as endless pain coursed through her convulsing body. Just as she thought she could hold on no longer, the terrible pains began to ebb away, and the blurred darkness of her vision began to grow brighter and more clear. She struggled to catch her breath.
Chiptail nodded politely at Quivertail. "Goodbye, Quivertail", He mewed. "You will be a fine leader." He padded back into the shadows, his tail winding as he stalked away.
The next cat un-hesitantly leaped out from the shadows. He was tiny, a black kit with a long, white stripe down his back and tail with gray paws and belly.
"Who are you?", Quivertail asked, smiling sweetly down at the kit.
"I'm Badgerfang!", The kitten growled with angry kitten excitement, "And I'm here to give you a life for power! I guess, so, um… Oh yeah! Use this well to protect your clan from all bad outside enemies!"
Badgerfang leaped up onto a rock so Quivertail had to pad over to touch his nose. As soon as she did, the blood roared in her ears and the red darkness of blurred battle raged around her. Power surged through Quivertail. She felt as if she could run forever, as if her paws could take down any enemy with one blow. There were slight cuts of pain every now and then, but she ignored them as she raced with fury and conquered the battlefield. A surging pride rushed through her , and it very gently ebbed away.
Badgerfang's whole body trembled with excitement as he raced back into the shadows.
That's when Bluestar came back out of the shadows. "Hello, Quivertail", She mewed, a sliver of pride hidden in her voice. "I am here to give you a life for leadership and guidance. Use it well to lead and guide your clan."
The moment Bluestar touched her little pink nose to Quivertail's black one, rushing sadness filled her. Sadness and pains filled her. Fury and protectiveness surged through her, and she felt a pressing sadness come down once more. Then a crushing weight pressed down on her shoulders, and pride surged through her. Suddenly, terror rushed through her as she spun from control and power. Vicious rage snapped around her, and she raised her hindquarters furiously to protect herself. Suddenly, she felt herself falling, and her pelt felt wet. She then felt a calm wave of love and acceptance wash over her as blackness spun away back into the world of the stars.
Quivertail opened her eyes in shock as the cold rush of the stars jolted her back into the world.
"Congratulations", Bluestar meowed. "You are now a leader. Welcome, Quiverstar!"
"Quiverstar, Quiverstar!", A unanimous chorus of cats cheered. The cats who had given her her lives stepped out from the shadows. Her parents smiled warmly down on her. The ancients eyes glimmered with pure white starlight, full of pride.
"What do you plan on calling your Clan?", Bluestar asked her.
Quiverstar thought for a moment. Then, her ears perked up. She told Bluestar suddenly after some thought, "Dayclan."
Bluestar glared at her for a moment, and then raised her head to the sky. "All hail Quiverstar, leader of Dayclan!"
As the cats of Starclan continued cheering Quiverstar's new name, Quiverstar bowed her head nobly. She turned silently and padded away, the cheering getting quieter as she padded away.
Quiverstar turned one more glance towards the stars. Everyone smiled warmly at her. "Thank you", She whispered. Then, she padded off into the darkness, tail quivering more than ever.
Quiverstar padded into the camp nervously. All of the cats were huddling in the clearing. Quiverstar looked over at the scene. "What's going on?", She asked, sliding into the group.
"Just take a look", Rubyflake mewed nervously.
Quiverstar wound her way into the group of cats. When she saw the sight, a small tear of sad surprise filled her dark green eye. "Blossemcall…", She muttered sadly.
There lie a beautiful calico she-cat, blood sliding down her shoulder onto the ground. A dead adder in a small pool of blood lie nearby, deadly fangs still extended, still dripping with the dead venom.
Quiverstar sat down next to the body of her old friend sadly. "Tonight", She announced, "All of those close to Blossemcall will stay to mourn. No sleep."
Only a few cats retreated away from the camp. Some others padded into rock crevices and bramble nests. Quiverstar and a few others sat there next to Blossemcall.
"May Starclan light your path", She whispered into Blossemcall's ear. She then lie down beside her and curled her long, spindly tail around her body. That was the one night her tail didn't quiver.