Chapter Eight
"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join me beneath the Highrock for a Clan meeting!"
It was about a week after Willowpaw's first lesson. Eaglestar had called all the cats to the Highrock for some reason. I padded out of the warrior den and stretched, then sat beside Redtail. I looked up at Eaglestar and saw that he looked slightly frail, and was obviously trying to look strong. Greencough was getting to him…
"Orangecoat tells me that her kits are ready to take on apprenticeship," he announced. "Mousekit and Longkit, come here, please."
The brown she-cat pale and small tabby tom padded nervously forward, sitting beside Eaglestar.
"Runningwind," he continued, "you will mentor Mousepaw. I hope I was an excellent mentor to you. Share all I taught you to this young she-cat."
"I will, Eaglestar," promised Runningwind, and bent down to touch noses with Mousepaw.
"Redtail," mewed Eaglestar, "you will mentor Longpaw. Lionheart was an excellent mentor to you, and you should share all he taught you to this young apprentice."
"Of course," replied Redtail, bending down to touch noses with Longpaw traditionally.
"Before you leave, there is one more ceremony to perform," announced Eaglestar. He beckoned a cat from the crowd to join him. It was Darkpaw.
"I, Eaglestar, leader of ThunderClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down upon this apprentice. He has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend him to you as a warrior in his turn."
He gazed at Darkpaw. "Darkpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and protect and defend this Clan, even at the cost of your own life?"
Darkpaw's response was smug and definite. "I do."
"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Darkpaw, from this moment on you will be known as Darkstripe. StarClan honors your loyalty and your intelligence, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan."
He rested his head on Darkstripe's before leaping down from the Highrock. Tigerclaw moved over to congradulate his apprentice.
When the crowd had parted, I entered the medicine cat's den to see how Bladenail and Gingerpelt were doing. The two cats were sleeping beside the wall of the den. To be honest, they did not look as though they would survive.
"Spottedleaf?" I called out. The young tortoiseshell she-cat stepped out from the back part of the den.
"Hello, Bluefur," she answered. "What's the matter?"
"I just wanted to check and see how these two were doing," I replied, flicking my tail at Bladenail and Gingerpelt.
Spottedleaf heaved a sigh. "Both of them are not doing excellently," she admitted. "I don't know if they're going to make it."
"How did Goldenpaw pull through? She was just a kit!"
The she-cat shook her head. "I don't know. She was one strong cat, though."
I nodded. "She certainly was. Also, Spottedleaf…" I hesitated, then told her that I believed Eaglestar might be sick as well.
Spottedleaf flicked her ears worriedly. "That is not good," she mused.
"I know."
"If he loses a life…" She paused. "You would be called Bluestar."
I swallowed hard at the name. She was right. I would become leader of ThunderClan, and then…StarClan, what if that happens?
The next day, I took Willowpaw to the Sandy Hollow to practice her fighting moves. She was certainly becoming an able warrior. All that she needed was the correct way to stalk a rabbit, and maybe we could move on to more difficult lessons.
Early that morning, Speckletail had announced that she was moving into the nursery because she would have kits soon. Her mate was apparently Patchpelt – I had seen him standing proudly as the she-cats of ThunderClan went to congradulate Speckletail.
When Willowpaw and I returned to camp, we were in for a surprise.
Eaglestar was rounding up a whole bunch of warriors and was preparing to leave. I bounded forward with Willowpaw at my side.
"Bluefur!" he exclaimed before I could say anything. "Where have you been? I was waiting for you to come back."
"Training Willowpaw, Eaglestar," I answered. "What are you doing?"
"We are going to attack ShadowClan and get rid of Shadestar."
I stared at him, horrified. "B-but," I stuttered, "we still carry greencough. And you don't look that well, Eaglestar…"
The brown leader lashed his tail angrily. "I look fine!" he snarled. "Either you follow my orders or I'll send you into exile!"
Several of the cats around me gasped – I stared at Eaglestar in shock. It's the greencough, I told myself firmly. It's the greencough that's making him like this…
I dipped my head. "As you wish, Eaglestar."
Eaglestar said nothing – he merely brushed his tail in my face before running off with the Clan's warriors. I hesitated before following.
"Bluefur!"
It was Willowpaw. I stopped.
"Can I come?"
I hesitated. Then, "You have not been in training for a moon, Willowpaw. I'm sorry. I think you will have to sit this one out."
"Okay." The apprentice walked over to her den.
I raced after my Clan and quickly caught up with them at the edge of the Thunderpath. I looked at Eaglestar once more and tried to reason with him.
"Eaglestar, are you sure –"
"You dare question me!" he roared. "I am leader here! ShadowClan does not expect us to attack, so we will give him a surprise!"
I looked at my paws and mumbled, "Of course, Eaglestar."
We hurried across the Thunderpath and into ShadowClan territory. The swampy marshes that we went through were incredibly hard to walk in. But Eaglestar would not let that stop him. He let out a roar and marched quickly forward, with all the warriors following him.
"ThunderClan!" exclaimed the first ShadowClan warrior we saw.
"ThunderClan," replied Eaglestar, and leapt onto his neck.
With a horrible jolt I realized that it was Rippletail, the ShadowClan deputy.
"Eaglestar, stop!" I yowled, marching forward. "That's the deputy!"
But Eaglestar paid no attention to me; I was horrified to see that Rippletail was dead in my leader's jaws.
"No…"
"Eaglestar!"
It was Shadestar, sitting in the clearing with a band of ShadowClan warriors. His tail was bristling with anger.
"You kill my deputy, I kill yours!" he hissed. It took me a second to realize that I was deputy of ThunderClan. Uh oh. "Attack!"
Shadestar's warriors leapt forward, knocking over my Clan. I barely saw Shadestar come toward me before I was hit. The black-pelted cat hit me with such force that my legs collapsed under him. He gave me agonizing scratches on my back.
I yowled in pain and rolled over, preparing to pounce on Shadestar. He was completely unready for my attack as I launched into his neck and bit hard. But another ShadowClan warrior threw me off – it was Heartflower.
None of the old friendship that had been there before at that one Gathering was there now. Heartflower's eyes were blazing with such hatred that I thought she would kill me immediately. But she just hissed,
"This is for my Clan."
And then she pounced.
I crouched low to the ground and shot out beneath her. Heartflower hit the ground and I turned quickly, tackling her, claws scraping against her flank. I gave her a lethal bite to the neck and she hung limp, dead. I tossed her body aside and looked for more warriors.
Raggedclaw had Lionheart pinned down, Nightpelt was scratching Whitestorm, and Dawncloud was leaping at Tigerclaw, but those were not the attacks that shocked me.
Shadestar had Eaglestar beneath his claws and was holding him down furiously. Our leader's claws scrabbled furiously and I could see his strength leaving him. He was most certainly going to die.
I let out a horrified yowl and sprang forward, but more ShadowClan warriors tackled me. No! Eaglestar!
"Runningwind! Eaglestar!" I screamed to the ThunderClan cat closest to me. Ashfur slashed my face, drawing blood from my muzzle.
I heard a sudden yowl. Just then, Redtail pulled Ashfoot and Tallpoppy off me. I was impressed; he had done that by himself. Bleeding, I stood up, and saw that Shadestar was standing beside a dead Eaglestar. NO!
Eaglestar…
With an angry yowl I leapt toward Shadestar. The ShadowClan leader was weak from his fight with Eaglestar, and he died when my jaws closed around his throat.
"Raggedstar…"
It took me a moment to realize that those had been Shadestar's last words before he died. I turned toward the cats who were not fighting anymore because of their leaders' deaths.
"He said, Raggedstar," I mewed to them. "That means Raggedclaw is the new ShadowClan leader."
There was no celebrating. I stepped away from Shadestar's body and padded over to Eaglestar. Whitestorm quickly helped me drag him out of ShadowClan camp.
"We lost Flowerpetal," he gasped. "And Steelfur." I saw that he was wincing at a slashmark Nightpelt had given him.
I sighed at those names. "They will be missed," I mewed.
When we returned home, another tragedy had stricken – Bladenail had apparently gotten so weak that he died. I tried to keep it together during his burial ceremony, but I ended up yowling pitifully. Eaglestar, Flowerpetal, and Steelfur were all buried next to him.
The next day was spent caring for all the cats that had been injured in the battle. When there were no more cats to take care of, Spottedleaf padded over to me.
"Are you ready?"
She was talking about the trip to the Moonstone to receive my nine lives. I was totally confident that I could be an excellent leader, so I mewed,
"Yes."
Spottedleaf and I both ate the traveling herbs that were ate at every long journey to the Moonstone before we left. Heart pounding, I raced after her, wondering if I would really make a good leader. We walked on the edge of the Thunderpath, passed the Fourtress where the Gathering was held, and very close to WindClan territory.
We crossed the Thunderpath when we were the closest to the Highstones. I winced at the sharp rocks beneath my feet. I had only been to the Highstones once, with Eaglestar, Waterpool, Lionheart, Patchpelt, Goldenpaw, Redpaw, and Runningpaw. That was when we were still apprentices. It felt strange to be going back to this place. I looked forward to seeing the Moonstone again.
"What do I do when we reached the Moonstone?" I asked.
"Lie down and press your nose to it," answered Spottedleaf from ahead. "StarClan will put you to sleep. And neither of us must speak from now until the ritual is over."
I prayed that I could do everything right when I couldn't speak to Spottedleaf. She led me down into the dark of Mothermotuh.
I lost which way I had to go as the tunnel winded around every which way. I could only hope that I was following Spottedleaf's scent correctly. I was relieved when I spotted the Moonstone ahead, its bright blue light shining off the walls. Spottedleaf sat in front of it and beckoned me to do the same.
So I sat right next to her and lay down in front of the stone, pressing my nose against it. Wow! It was cold. Freezing. It took every once of willpower not to draw back. I then closed my eyes, and waited.
StarClan, it's cold, I thought bitterly.
Where were the dreams? I wondered. Had something gone wrong?
I hesitated, then slowly opened my eyes. My eyes widened with shock and amazement. I was no longer standing in Mothermouth – I was in the hollow of the Fourtress, near the Great Rock. This must have been the dream Spottedleaf was talking about.
I sat beneath the Great Rock and looked up at the sky. It was completely cloudless. Incredible. As I squinted, I realized something extremely strange. The stars were moving!
They circled down to the ground. And then…the cats of StarClan padded down from the sky. I scented them and discovered they smelled like nothing I had ever smelled before.
Goldencrest! I thought, recognizing the golden she-cat. And Eaglestar! ThunderClan's old leader sat in the middle.
And then a voice sounded. It seemed like it belonged to all the cats I had ever known. "Welcome, Bluefur. Are you ready to receive your nine lives?"
I nodded, determined. "I am."
A black cat rose to his paws and I recognized Thistleclaw. He stopped and touched noses with me. I narrowed my eyes at him and stared at Thistleclaw.
"With this life I give you courage," he whispered. "Use it well in the defense of your Clan."
Immediately, a horrible burst of pain shot through me, leaving me panting. My mind suddenly thought of a battle, and hunting in the forest. Thistleclaw was already moving away. If that was one life, then I had eight more to go!
A flame-colored she-cat rose to her paws. It was Gingerpelt, who had been killed by greencough. She touched noses to me and murmured, "With this life I give you justice. Use it well as you judge the actions of others."
Another agonizing burst shot through me again, and I winced, trying to stop myself from yowling out. Gingerpelt moved away, and another cat stepped forward.
My eyes stared in shock as I recognized my old mentor, Waterpool. The blue-gray she-cat touched noses with me.
"With this life I give you tireless energy," she muttered as she touched her nose to mine. "Use it well to carry out the duties of a leader."
As the third life surged through me, I felt as though I was running through the forest, the wind flattening me to the ground. I looked up and saw that Waterpool was moving away from me. I wanted her to stay longer and talk, but another cat was taking her place.
It was Tailtip, Tigerclaw's mother. She had been killed in the battle with WindClan. "With this life I give you protection," she murmured. "Use it well to care for your Clan as a mother cares for her kits."
This life was incredibly painful – I saw Mistykit and Stonekit by my side as we fought against evil cats trying to take them. I opened my eyes slowly and saw that Tailtip was watching me.
"Mistypaw and Stonepaw are doing fine, Bluefur," she mewed. "They are Mistyfoot and Stonefur now."
My eyes brightened. My kits had been made warriors!
As Tailtip moved away, a golden-colored tom took her place. My jaws gaped. It was Bladenail, my father. He bent to touch noses with me.
"With this life I give you mentoring," he mewed. "Use it well to train the young cats of your Clan."
I saw Willowpaw suddenly, grown up, next to a flame-colored cat that I didn't recognize. The life was painful and it thankfully ended quickly.
The next cat that walked toward me was Steelfur, my mother. She touched noses with me and whispered, "With this life I give you compassion. Use it well for the elders of your Clan, and the sick, and all those weaker than yourself."
I winced, knowing that the life would be painful, and I was panting seconds later. But like Tailtip, Steelfur was still there.
"Remember, Bluefur," she whispered. "Metal's kin will rule the sky."
I suddenly understood the prophecy Eaglestar had first told me about. Of course. Metal was another name for steel – meaning Steelfur. And the sky was obviously ThunderClan, and metal's kin was me. So I, Bluefur, would rule ThunderClan.
As Steelfur moved away, I realized that I only had three more lives to obtain. Even now I felt as though every scrap of energy had been sucked out of me.
My eyes widened as my lost sister, Goldencrest, padded toward me. She bent to touch noses with me and whispered, "With this life I give you loyalty to what you know to be right. Use it well to guide your Clan in times of trouble."
There was no pain in this life that Goldencrest gave me. I wished that Goldencrest could have stayed longer, but she moved away.
"Goldencrest," I whispered, "I've missed you."
But the cat that was moving toward me was not Goldencrest replying; it was the old medicine cat, Wolfpelt, who had been killed when ShadowClan tried to invade ThunderClan.
"With this life I give you love," she told me. There was none of that grumpiness in her voice that I remembered her having. "Use it well, for all the cats in your care – especially for Oakheart."
Again, there was no pain in this life. I stared into Wolfpelt's eyes, for some reason wondering what she knew about Oakheart. But these were StarClan's cats.
Finally, Eaglestar stood before me. He was not sickly like he had been in the last days of his life. Eaglestar stood proud and tall, like the leader that I had known as a kit and apprentice.
"Welcome Bluefur, my apprentice, my warrior, and my deputy," he meowed. "I always knew you would make a great leader one day."
I bowed my head forward to touch Eaglestar's nose to mine.
"With this life I give you nobility and certainty and faith. Use it well as you lead your Clan in the ways of StarClan and the warrior code."
I had received two unpainful lives in a row, and was unprepared for the agony that came with Eaglestar's life. When it was over, Eaglestar still stood in the center of the clearing, in front of me.
"I hail you by your new name, Bluestar," he announced. "Your old life is no more. You have now received the nine lives of a leader, and StarClan grants to you the guardianship of ThunderClan. Defend it well; care for young and old; honor your ancestors and the traditions of the warrior code; live each life with pride and dignity."
"Bluestar! Bluestar!" the StarClan cats yowled. "Bluestar! Bluestar!"
Eaglestar touched noses with me for the last time before I awoke, shivering, in Mothermouth.
Yes! Okay! Gees, I have certainly killed a lot of cats, haven't I? That's probably my only mistake. I shouldn't have added that many cats to the Clans…anyways, the next chapter is the last one, people!