It was raining. Tigerclaw padded swiftly after Sparkstorm, Brokenstar, Fierceblood, and Crimsonclaw. His eyes shifted from side to side nervously. The tree's canopy blocked most of the rainfall but the five cats were still soaked through to their skin. The land was marshy and it smelled of a storm. Sparkstorm glanced back,
"You've never smelled any other territory before,"
"Except for ChaosClan…"
"We are passing through AirClan territory."
"AirClan?"
"That is its material world name, in this world it is called StormClan,"
"What's the forth clan?"
"WaterClan, or, CycloneClan."
"…These clans have strange names…" Tigerclaw muttered,
They stopped at a cave; Brokenstar padded in and motioned for Tigerclaw to follow. Sparkstorm sat at the left side of the entrance and Fierceblood sat at the right,
"It's dark in here."
"It is for all cats from the material world, who haven't been truly excepted into a clan." He looked down into a silver pool that took up a good half of the cave. The dark tabby padded cautiously to the edge of the water and glanced in.
Fourtrees appeared, he could see himself. Scourge knocked him away when he lunged at the small black cat. Tigerclaw hear himself shriek when Scourge ripped him open. He wanted to look away but he was glued to the spot. His eyes were unmovable he breathed out a mew of horror. His own ghastly choking and cries for help to his "friends" made him shutter, he clenched his teeth, only able to wince. His ears were pinned back and by the time it was over he was terrified. A red streak of light floated swiftly up from the pool and spiraled around him going into his eyes. He leapt back, blinded and choking on smoke. Then his fur stood on end when electricity surged through him.
He finally breathed out black fog. When he opened his eyes they were streaked with crimson and his dark brown stripes had gone jet black
"Now…" Brokenstar spoke, "You must get your five lives."
"Five lives!" Tigerclaw breathed in dismay recalling the pain he had suffered wile receiving them when he was alive,
"Every warrior has five lives, but every leader has ten…one more than the leader had in life."
Tigerclaw was shaking but panting, he was freezing and burning up at the same time.
"Come, step into the water." The dark tabby hesitated; taking every step carefully he waded into the silver pool and closed his eyes. The feeling of rushing water surged through his body, "This life gives you the swiftness of a rushing river," Brokenstar mewed, the water flashed blue. Then the heat of burning fire and smoke filled the air.
"This life gives you the fierce determination of a wild fire." The water flashed red and continued with earth, flashing green, wind flashing bright silver, light flashing white, and to his surprise the colors flashed four more times. Ice blue for ice, black for shadow, gray for thunder, and bright flashes of yellow for lightning.
"What's this?" Brokenstar hissed, "StarClan has given you nine lives?" He looked at Tigerclaw and smiled, "You have come…"
"What?" Tigerclaw meowed still exhausted,
"The cat that the prophecy of BloodClan for told."
"Wait a minute…doesn't StarClan give prophecies?"
Brokenstar whirled around, his crimson eyes a lit with flame,
"We ask forgiveness from StarClan, but we don't worship them like those kittypets in the material world do! If you wish to worship StarClan we shall send you back."
"No!" Tigerclaw yowled frantically, "I don't want to worship them! If we don't worship them then who are our gods?"
"We worship ourselves, but that doesn't mean we're selfish mouse-brained stuck ups, we are a proud clan who believes they are better than worshiping something that is not able to speak to us when we are awake…" A blast of wind blew through Tigerclaw's fur making him step back, then his eyes a lit with fire. Brokenstar left the cave and Tigerclaw followed but as soon as he was out the form of Fierceblood lunging at him came into view.
"Fierceblood!" Sparkstorm yowled in disapproval, a sudden blinding whirlwind of sand covered Tigerclaw. A tornado had engulfed the dark tabby and knocked the deputy away.
"Tigerclaw!" Sparkstorm yowled with a smile, the tornado died down, "You are Tornscar's equal!"
"What?"
Feirceblood came at him again, this time he was lit with flame; Tigerclaw leapt aside and unsheathed his claws. They met the deputy's face also a lit with flame, but his fire was black and it canceled out Fierceblood's. Blood ran down into his eyes,
"He has two powers…" Brokenstar meowed, "Let's get going…it's going to rain, Tigerclaw, at Sunset, you shall get your apprentice…"
The sun was setting; Tigerclaw couldn't suppress the nervous shake that was engulfing his body.
"Tigerclaw?" Thistleclaw meowed sticking her head into the warrior's den.
"Here…" He meowed; She smiled and padded over to him
"Hi…" She meowed sitting down, "I haven't been very kind to you for the last moon, and I thought we should just start over…"
"Alright…hello my name is Tigerclaw,"
"Hi, I'm Thistleclaw, are you nervous about getting an apprentice?"
"Yes…" He meowed trying to stop shaking,
"Well at least your getting one, you have to use your powers to protect yourself before you get one, but…I can't control my power."
"What is your power?"
"I'm Fierceblood's equal, but when I get frightened fire breaks out around me and I can't control it…I'm terrified of fire…"
"…How did you die?"
"Fierceblood killed me…he was the son of a cat named Flameclaw, but like he said, a Twoleg set him on fire, he came towards me for help because we had become friends, but all he did was force me into the gorge, I drown, but it was an accident, he didn't mean to kill me, he leapt into the gorge to put himself out and to save me because I was expecting his kits, but he ended up killing himself as well."
"How do you learn to control something your terrified of?" Thistleclaw met his amber gaze with bright green, "I mean, it's only possible if you over come the fear right? But…if the fear killed you, you can't over come it can you?"
"No…"
Brokenstar's call caught their attention.
"Show time." Thistleclaw meowed, "C'mon I'll sit with you."
Clawkit and another brown kit with dark green flecks on his back padded out followed by a queen named Lions-mane and a golden kit with long ears and dark blue streaks in the corners of each eye and ear tip. They sat before the obsidian tower where Brokenstar leapt down to meet them.
"Clawkit, Spiritkit, and Forestkit, you have all reached your sixth moon and are ready to become apprentices," He spoke with a proud gleam in his eyes as if he were excited to make more apprentices, "Do you promise to protect the clan and not let any other cat manipulate you into turning against your clan and breaking the BloodClan code?"
"I promise…" Spiritkit purred, her voice reminded Tigerclaw of Sandstorm; there was determination in it, yet a hint of curiosity.
"I do," Clawpaw replied
"Yeah…I guess so…" Forestkit meowed looking away like he wasn't interested,
"Then I ask the warriors and leaders of the past to look upon you three and give you your apprentice names, Spiritpaw, Forestpaw, and Clawpaw!" He rested his muzzle atop each of their heads and they each licked his shoulder in return.
"Spiritpaw! Forestpaw! Clawpaw!" The cats took up the cheer. He silenced them with a motion of his tail,
"Now, these apprentices need mentors…" He meowed deeply acknowledging the bewildered look in Spiritpaw's eyes.
"If Tigerclaw, Scarletstream, and Thistleclaw would step forward." The three cats padded up behind the apprentices,
"Scarletstream, you are a strong and intelligent warrior, you have not yet had an apprentice, and so I give you Spiritpaw…pass these traits onto her."
"I will Brokenstar." She meowed her voice cracking, Tigerclaw realized with a star she was crying, but not in sadness or disappointment, but in happiness. The blue and gold she-cat stepped timidly up to her mentor and touched noses with her. The she-cat's scarlet eyes sparkled and she blinked back tears of joy.
"Tigerclaw…you are the newest edition to our warriors and received your lives and powers earlier today, we honor your quick thinking and learning skills by giving you Clawpaw to mentor. Pass these skillful traits onto him."
"But of course…" He replied in a deep mysterious mew, the kind Firestar had been suspicious about when he was alive.
The two touched noses, Tigerclaw sat up straight holding his head high and wrapping his tail neatly around his paws, Clawpaw copied his action exactly.
"Thistleclaw, you are a protective and fiercely loyal warrior, you have earned the rank of Gamma warrior and deserve to have an apprentice, I give you the responsibility of mentoring Forestpaw, pass these traits onto him."
"It will be a pleasure." She meowed sounding as if he had just commanded her to attack an enemy, but there was a motherly tone in her voice.
Tigerclaw caught Fierceblood staring at Scarletstream in affection, his gaze moved to the dark tabby, he pinned his ears back and pulled back his lips in a snarl. The deputy unsheathed his claws challengingly. A chilly wind blew through the camp softly. Tigerclaw smirked baring his teeth still; his eyes had gone totally white as he controlled the wind.
Brokenstar's words brought him back into reality,
"The meeting is over…"
Scarletstream and Thistleclaw sent their apprentices off to their dens; Tigerclaw did the same then looked up to see deep pools of scarlet burning into him.
"Tigerclaw…will you come with me?"
"I…uh…sure?" He murmured not being able to tear his eyes from Scarletstream's seductive gaze.
"Good." She meowed and padded into the forest. Tigerclaw followed with out question.