I'm really sorry, I should have posted this months ago! I was going to post it right after I finished TMotM, but then I left for vacation and there was no Wi-fi. When I came back, school started and I completely forgot about this.

Well, I hope you all had a good summer vacation. Now it's time for school and I'm swamped with homework. Being in middle school sucks.

Also, this is in third person. We get some of Midnightstar's POV, but it is mainly Sassafrasleaf. Writing in third person feels weird lol. I have also decided to remove the song lyrics from this one-shot. I know that this will disappoint many readers, but it was against the Content Guidelines. I originally used the song "Listen to the Rain" by Evanescence. I repeat, this is no longer a songfic.

Without further ado, here is Sassafrasleaf's nine lives ceremony!

SASSAFRASLEAF'S NINE LIVES

Midnightstar sat by the Dream Den, waiting for Sassafrasleaf to come. When she was dying, she hadn't given much thought to who should be the leader of RiverClan, but she was now glad that she had chosen Sassafrasleaf. She could have chosen one of the senior warriors, but none of them were with her when Flowerstar had killed her. Or she could have chosen one of Sassafrasleaf's friends. Silvermoon had matured a lot in the past few moons, but she was not fit to be a leader. Wildwater was too shy, and didn't have that bold streak in him. Leopardheart was responsible and brave, but she was too pessimistic and would not be strong enough during hard times. Goldensun would have been the ideal leader – cunning, stoic, and loyal. But he was too aggressive and would more likely lead the Clan into war. Yes, Sassafrasleaf was the ideal choice.

Suddenly, she felt Purpleflower nudge her. "Look," she said, "Sassafrasleaf is coming. Get ready."

One by one, the StarClan cats made their way into the Dream Den.

Sassafrasleaf followed Bluemist to the Moonpool. "Are we doing the right thing?" she asked.

Bluemist stopped and looked at her. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"Well, I'm not sure if I can go through with the ceremony," Sassafrasleaf said. When Bluemist raised his eyebrows, Sassafrasleaf added, "Well, what if I make a mistake during my leadership? How am I going to be a mother and lead a" –

– "Stop." Bluemist turned around to face her. "I'm no expert by any means, but I know that all leaders make mistakes. We're cats, not gods."

"Midnightstar never made any mistakes" –

Bluemist snorted. "Yeah, right. She messed up big time. Remember, she was so stubborn, she refused to give in to Flowerstar when she should have. Cats died because of it. And she refused to listen to Purpleflower when her secret was spilled at the Gathering."

"But she re-formed RainClan and came to save us at the Moonpool" –

– "That's not the point," Bluemist said. "The point is that even though she was a great leader, she still messed up. You're supposed to learn from her mistakes, and make your own mistakes, so that the leader after you learns from your mistakes. And as for not being able to care for your kits and be a leader, you have the support of the Clan for that. Goldensun will help you lead the Clan. Silvermoon will help you care for your kits. She can even help you nurse them herself, because she's also having her own kits." He faced directly into Sassafrasleaf's eyes. "And of course, I'm always here for you if you need me."

Though Sassafrasleaf felt touched by his words, she still felt troubled. "But I" –

Bluemist sighed in annoyance. "Look, we're wasting moonlight by just standing around here. You're scared of making a mistake? Well, the biggest mistake you'll ever make is calling the whole thing off. You're letting Midnightstar down, because she clearly thought that you were the cat for the job. You're letting the Clan down, because they've all put their faith in you. And most importantly, you're letting yourself down. You have to trust yourself. You have to be brave. Look, you were able to face Sandfur and a bunch of FlowerClan warriors when you were a mere apprentice. You can certainly do this."

"All right," Sassafrasleaf said finally. "I'll do it."

Now they were at the Moonpool. It was all the way down the green mossy carpet. It seemed even more beautiful than the last time she saw it. It shone with the light of thousands of stars. The full moon was at its highest point, flooding the meadow with brilliant white light. Blue flowers were poking their way through the grass, flowers that Sassafrasleaf had never seen. Sassafras trees towered above her. She was named after their leaves because of the big, irregular, leaf-shaped patch on her spine.

"Go on," Bluemist encouraged. "I'll be waiting."

Sassafrasleaf didn't move. She was still very hesitant. As she stood there, a leaf suddenly flew down from the tree above her and landed exactly on her spine. She tried to shake it off, but it stuck there.

Bluemist came up to her and pawed it. "Strange," he murmured. "It landed on the exact same spot where you have that patch on your back. And it's the exact same shape and size."

He looked into her eyes. "It's a sign. StarClan approves of you. So you'd better get down there right now, or you'll have one Clan of disappointed warrior ancestors hot on your tail."

That was all the encouragement Sassafrasleaf needed. Without thinking, she snatched up the leaf and bounded down the carpet. Although she was running faster than ever before, each step felt like eternity. She didn't even slow down as she approached the Moonpool and slammed paws-first into the water.

Her vision suddenly became dark, and stayed that way for a long time. Then a speck of light shone in the darkness. Then one more. And another. Soon, nine stars were shining in the distance.

To Sassafrasleaf's shock, the stars were coming closer. As the stars came closer, the setting around her changed. She was soon in a light-filled meadow with a shining blue pool in the middle of the clearing, trees forming a perfect circle around the meadow, and the same blue flowers that she had seen at the Moonpool, rising up from the ground. The air was filled with butterflies.

As the stars came closer, Sassafrasleaf realized that they weren't stars, but actually cats. The first cat to approach her was Midnightstar.

"Are you ready to receive your nine lives?" she asked, her voice higher-pitched than Sassafrasleaf had remembered it. She looked younger than Sassafrasleaf ever had seen her.

"Yes," Sassafrasleaf stammered.

Midnightstar's eyes twinkled. "You don't sound very convincing," she meowed. "Wade in the pool."

Confused, Sassafrasleaf did as she was told. As she did so, steam rose from the bottom of the pool. All of the water dried up, and a sudden piercing pain hit her in her chest. She screamed.

Then the pain suddenly stopped. Sassafrasleaf felt lighter than ever before, but also strangely empty. "What happened?" she asked.

"Your old life is no more," Midnightstar said. "Rise to receive your nine lives."

Unsteadily, Sassafrasleaf rose to her paws. StarClan cats were flying over her head in a circle, making her dizzy. The first one – Willowbranch – flew down in front of her.

"With this life I give you strength," she said. "You will need it."

A sudden, strong feeling developed in Sassafrasleaf's legs. She felt that she could run all the way to ShadowClan territory and back. She felt as if she could lift up the biggest boulder.

"Not all lives are going to feel as good," Willowbranch warned her, before flying back into the clouds to join the others.

The next to come was Purpleflower. "With this life I give you a mother's love," she murmured. "Use it well to take care of my kits." Sassafrasleaf felt a warm fierceness burning in her heart. She heard the slashing of claws, felt the drowning in despair, and knew that she was feeling what Purpleflower had felt when she had killed Darkshadow.

The next cat to come was Featherfur. The beautiful, golden-brown she-cat had been killed at the fateful Gathering. "With this life I give you diligence. A leader must think about her decisions, but must also make them quickly." Sassafrasleaf bowed her head, surprised at the pain that this life brought.

The fourth cat to come was Waterkit. "Hi, Sassafrasleaf!" she said cheerfully. "You're going to be a leader now!"

She smiled wanly, not bothering to show how much apprehension she felt.

"With this life I give you cheerfulness," she said in her high, squeaky voice. Sassafrasleaf suddenly felt weightless. She felt as if she were flying in the clouds and as if nothing mattered in the world.

"Thanks," Sassafrasleaf muttered as Waterkit flew away. "I needed that."

Now the next cat was Graypelt, who had died in the battle with FlowerClan. "With this life I give you courage," he meowed. "Use it well." Sassafrasleaf suddenly felt fearless, as if she could do anything. She thanked Graypelt and waited for the seventh cat.

The seventh was Muddyclaw, who had also died, but from starvation. He smiled at Sassafrasleaf. "With this life I give you hope. No matter how long the path is, there will be light at the end."

Sassafrasleaf smiled, and relished the feeling of excitement and hope. But then the gift faded away, and she was back at the ceremony.

Now the eighth cat – Darkshadow – made his way to the front of the line. Sassafrasleaf stiffened. Although he had redeemed himself and defeated Sandfur for all of them, she still couldn't forget that he had threatened to kill Purpleflower's kits and plotted against Bluemist.

"No need to look so frightened," Darkshadow said. "Listen to me, Sassafrasleaf. Most cats think that a mother's love is the most powerful thing in the world. But a father's love is important too. So with this life, I give you a father's love."

Of all of them, this was the most agonizing. Sassafrasleaf could feel Darkshadow's pain as Waterkit had died, moons ago. For the first time, she understood what he had been going through.

Darkshadow disappeared from sight. For a while, no one came. The Midnightstar suddenly appeared. "With this life I give you pride, honor, nobility, and loyalty," she said. Sassafrasleaf felt the pride lift her up into the air, but was quickly brought down by the need to follow the warrior code. She felt even more pain after that, and knew that she was feeling what Midnightstar felt when she refused to ally with Flowerstar.

"You ready for your name?" Midnightstar asked.

"Well… um"… Sassafrasleaf didn't know what to say.

"Having second thoughts?" Midnightstar asked. "What's wrong?"

"I just don't know if I'm good enough," Sassafrasleaf said. "I don't know if I can give enough for the Clan. They're all depending on me, and what if I let them down?"

"Listen," Midnightstar said, "you are good enough. Sassafrasleaf, all leaders have second thoughts before their ceremonies. Just yesterday, Crowstar was in here, questioning whether he was good enough to lead ThunderClan."

She sighed. "I know how scary it can be to lead a Clan. One moment, you're deputy, which you think is such an honor. The next moment, you're suddenly in charge of the entire Clan. It's a huge responsibility, I know, and very hard to handle.

"But the important thing that you should keep in mind is to know who you are. You keep asking if you're good enough. Well, the only cat you can ask that to is yourself. You need to make it happen. You can't just live off of other cat's opinions. You just have to trust the cats around you – and yourself."

"Are you sure?" Sassafrasleaf asked.

"Yes," Midnightstar said. "I can't answer your questions for you. You have to answer them yourself."

She raised her voice. "From this moment on, you shall be known as Sassafrasstar!"

"Sassafrasstar!" Waterkit was the first to yowl.

"Sassafrasstar!" Purpleflower and Willowbranch yelled.

Soon the whole of StarClan was cheering. Sassafrasstar held her head high, but inside she wondered, "Am I good enough?"

"Yes," she suddenly thought to herself. "I am Sassafrasstar. I am going to lead RiverClan. I am going to leave a legacy behind that no cat can forget!"

And then, the cheering faded away. StarClan faded away. She woke up at the Moonpool. Shaking the sleep out of her fur, Sassafrasstar noticed five kittens next to her. Who are these? She wondered.

"Hello, Sassafrasstar," Bluemist said, waking up. He brightened. "Oh, look, there are your kits. StarClan said that they would give them back."

One of the kits – Eaglekit – seemed to have opened his eyes. "Mrrow?" he asked, looking confused.

Sassafrasstar laughed. "We're going home," she said. "Come on, kits." She carried Flamekit and Swankit, while Bluemist carried Eaglekit, Whitekit, and Waterkit.

As they were leaving the clearing, Sassafrasstar turned back to have one last look at the Moonpool. The sun was just rising, and the sweet scent of morning dew and newleaf mixed in the air. Somehow, Sassafrasstar knew that everything would be all right.

She was going to make mistakes – lots of them – but that was not what she would be remembered for. Sassafrasstar vowed to herself that she would be the greatest leader that RiverClan had ever seen.

THE END