A/N: Sorry for the long update time. I got season 2 of Doctor Who and have been busy with that. TT Here's chapter 25.
I've decided what the surprise will be for the story title. How about a oneshot of the winners favourite pairing? It doesn't even have to be warriors. You pick!!!!
Wind howled fiercely in the night sky. Tinycloud looked on in vain, hoping Batwing and Cloudrunner could receive their nine lives in peace. Batwing took a sidelong glance at the SkyClan camp before disappearing behind the fallen tree.
Tinycloud turned to Cloudrunner. "You're name will be Cloudstar," she realized softly.
The white warrior nodded. "Yes, it will," he meowed. "Why? What's wrong?"
"SkyClan's leader was named Cloudstar when they were banished from the forest Firestar and Sandstorm are from," Echosong explained. "I'm sure StarClan will honour you forever."
Cloudrunner nodded, his eyes listening with gratefulness and pride. "Thank you," he muttered.
Tinycloud turned to the silver tabby medicine cat. "Echosong, how's Leafstar?" she asked, her voice quavering slightly.
Echosong stared at the white she-cat. "She's fine. She's had some poppy seeds. Losing her first life was probably a huge shock for her. She'll be back in no time."
Tinycloud's heart lightened at the good news. Now her leader was on her second life, saying that she only had eight lives left. Of course, that was a lot to spare, but when Tinycloud thought long and hard about it, many things could happen between now and the day Leafstar lost her last life.
"Why do you look so grim?" Thorntail meowed softly, trotting up to Tinycloud. The white she-cat didn't say anything; she simply gazed at Thorntail for a moment before a loud clap of thunder sounded. "I think StarClan are still angry," Thorntail added. "I think they've changed their minds about Sharpstar."
Tinycloud couldn't say anything, so she murmured a low agreement and started padding back toward the main camp. A thin drizzle started falling, and Tinycloud knew that it was a sign that StarClan were not happy.
"Do you want to go see Leafstar?"
Tinycloud turned around to see Sparrowpelt, Cherrytail, and Forestfoot waiting at the medicine cat's cave entrance. Tinycloud glanced at Thorntail. "I'm going to see Leafstar," she mewed.
Thorntail nodded and trotted off and up the slope to the warriors' cave and away from the rain. Tinycloud stared after him for a moment before following the three cats into Echosong's cave.
Ivoryclaw was inside, inspecting the healing wound on Leafstar's shoulder. "It's strange," she muttered as the four warriors made their way into the dry cave. "Leafstar's wound is healing quickly on its own."
Cherrytail nodded. "Sandstorm told me that when a leader loses a life, StarClan heal the wound that caused the death."
Sparrowpelt shivered beside her. "Unless the wound is too deep or fatal to heal, and the leader loses more than one if not all lives."
Tinycloud suppressed a gasp. Was it possible that if Leafstar lost a life by a wound so fatal that StarClan would not be able to heal her and she'd lose all her lives? Surely StarClan had enough power to do even that.
Echosong padded forward from her separate cave in the wall, shaking her head. "Don't scare the young ones," she meowed to Sparrowpelt. "Leafstar will be fine. Besides, the only case Firestar told me about was the wicked Tigerstar. He lost all his lives to one wound straight through his heart."
"Look who's scaring the young ones," Forestfoot meowed.
Echosong laughed quietly. "I suppose you're right." Then she turned to the group of cats. "Quickly look at her and then leave. We've had a rough night."
Tinycloud leaned down and stared at Leafstar's body. Her chest was lightly rising and falling, and her breathing was normal. She simply looked fast asleep.
After the long moment, Tinycloud left the medicine cat's cave. She shook her pelt in the cold leaf-bare rain and trotted up the path and into the warriors' cave. She picked out her nest beside Thorntail's and was careful not to wake him up. She curled up and rested her tail-tip on top of her white nose and shut her eyes, hoping for an easy, comforting sleep.
Tinycloud opened her eyes with a start. She gazed around in wonder, unsure of her surroundings. Eventually, as her eyes grew used to the darkness, she realized that5 she was on top of the Skyrock under a new moon.
Shivers trilled down her spine as she remembered the dreary light. The last she had been out during a new moon was when the rats attacked the Clan. But she quickly reminded herself that Firestar had taken care of the rats and SkyClan were now free of any attacks.
As she looked around the Skyrock, she saw a faint, glimmering white-and-grey pelt standing near the edge of the rock. Eight other sparkling cats surrounded him, and she found Batwing in the middle.
Batwing's leader ceremony!
Tinycloud took a step back. She wasn't supposed to be here! Why had StarClan brought her to Batwing's ceremony?
She rushed into the juniper bushes on the edge of the gorge and watched the ceremony from afar. She couldn't hear anything from that far away and watched closely as many SkyClan cats and old ThunderClan cats gave Batwing his nine lives.
Suddenly, Cloudstar's voice came loudly from the rock. Tinycloud jumped when he spoke loud enough for her to hear: "Go now, Batstar. I wish to see Cloudrunner tomorrow night. Lead StreamClan in peace and vanquish the hatred rule of Sharpstar."
Batstar nodded gravely before his image faded away. The StarClan cats remained put as Cloudrunner appeared in Batstar's place.
Senses growing with a new curiosity, Tinycloud crept forward to hear Cloudrunner's ceremony. She wanted to know what Cloudstar would say when they were both named Cloudstar.
The nine cats gave away the lives and Cloudrunner took a step back, dazzle stripping his eyes of fear.
"Cloudstar," Cloudstar mumbled. "We now go by the same name. When cats speak of me, you will know and will not come. When they speak of you, you will know and will come."
Cloudstar, the old Cloudrunner, nodded before his image faded, and Tinycloud was plunged into consciousness.
"Tinycloud, wake up!" Tinycloud fluttered her eyes open to see the watery sunlight of the morning creeping through the cave entrance. She blinked around to find the familiar black pelt of Rockfall nudging her in the side.
"Tinycloud, you'd sleep forever if I hadn't woken you," Rockfall grumbled.
Tinycloud yawned and stretched the sleep from her limbs. She followed Rockfall out of the warriors' cave and into the heart of the camp. Leafstar was perched atop the Rockpile, looking fit as a newborn fox.
Hope surged through Tinycloud's veins. StarClan had fully healed her wound.
"Good," Leafstar mumbled. "Now every cat is awake." She got to her paws and yowled clearly the customary calls to gather the Clan.
"Sharpstar took my first life last night," Leafstar reminded her Clan. "But along with that came eighteen more. I welcome Batstar and Cloudstar of StreamClan and MudClan."
Tinycloud gazed in wonder and apprehension as the two new leaders climbed atop the Rockpile. She glanced around to see the rest of StreamClan and MudClan waiting patiently beside their borders.
"Thank you, Leafstar," Batstar meowed. "I would like to talk to your medicine cat before we go off to find our new camp."
Leafstar nodded as Echosong and Ivoryclaw padded forward.
Tinycloud glanced at the group of StreamClan cats huddled together by the fallen tree. She cast a glance to Thorntail, and the two trotted off to talk to their new neighbours.
Before they could reach the nearest cat, a pretty grey she-cat with long fur limped forward. At first, Tinycloud had no idea why she was limping. But then she remembered the Gathering and looked down. The she-cat's front paw was missing.
"Tinycloud, is it?" the she-cat mewed softly. Tinycloud could sense the hope and excitement in her mew.
She nodded. "Yes."
The she-cat breathed a sigh of relief and rushed up to press her cheek to Tinycloud's. "You've done so much for me and my kits. My name is Missingfoot. My kits over there are Foxkit, Snowkit, and Mosskit."
Tinycloud looked over to where three small kits played happily around one bracken-coloured tom's tail. "I am Flamestone, Missingfoot's mate."
Tinycloud nodded. She looked down at the kits. The white she-kit, most likely Snowkit, was pouncing at her father's tail, while the others, Foxkit and Mosskit played together in the dusty gorge floor.
Something made a chill curl up Tinycloud's spine as she gazed at the newly happy family. She saw Missingfoot and Flamestone gazing into each other's eyes and cast a glance at Thorntail. He was staring at her, a new passion showing in his eyes.
Tinycloud quickly shrugged off the feeling and touched noses with Missingfoot once more before padding back to camp. She wanted to get a good night's sleep and decided it would be best to start now.