Chapter 1
Graystripe padded down the tunnel that led to the Moonstone, heart beating wildly in his chest. He could just make out the shape of Cinderpelt before him, limping rapidly towards a steady, intense white glow. A small gasp escaped him as he entered the large chamber where the Moonstone lay, blindingly white. He glanced at Cinderpelt who nodded her head towards the Moonstone, telling him to lie down. He braced himself and then lay down, touching his nose to the white surface. A shock of pure ice went through him and he stopped himself from mewling like a tiny kit as the shock consumed him.
Suddenly, he was in the area of Fourtrees in the old forest. He looked around, paws prickling with uneasiness. After a time that might have lasted a hundred seasons or a single heartbeat, all the cats of StarClan had come down to earth. All around Graystripe, the hollow of Fourtrees was lined with their shimmering bodies and blazing eyes. Graystripe stood in the center, looking around uneasily as he was surrounded on all sides. His ears pricked though as he began to realize that some of the starry cats, those sitting closest to him, were achingly familiar.
Firestar! Joy and sadness pierced him like a claw in his heart. Bluestar! Then he raised his nose and scented the air, catching the scent of RiverClan. He turned slowly and was faced with those he had missed the most. Silverstream and Feathertail sat closest to them, eyes shining with bright wisdom. He wanted to yowl his joy and press himself against the two she-cats but something told him that it was forbidden.
"Welcome, Graystripe." The sound seemed to belong to all the cats Graystripe had ever known, and yet at the same time it was one clear voice. "Are you ready to receive your nine lives?"
Graystripe braced himself then nodded, glancing around to see any signs of danger. "Yes," he replied, forcing both voice and body not to shake. "I'm ready."
A golden tabby cat rose to his paws and strode toward him, his head and tail held high. Graystripe's heart lifted as he recognized his old mentor, Lionheart. His eyes widened as he saw not the old warrior who had been his mentor, but a young warrior in his prime. His golden coat seemed to shine with pale fire and his eyes shone like two stars.
When Lionheart was close enough, he stooped and touched his nose to his one-time apprentice's head. The touch was like fire and ice, burning and freezing Graystripe at the same time. Graystripe wanted to shrink away but could not, not wanting to disappoint his former mentor.
"With this life I give you courage," Lionheart murmured, gazing into Graystripe's eyes. "Use it well in defense of all Clans."
At once, a bolt of energy seared through the gray tom, setting his fur on end and filling his senses with a deafening roar. His eyes closed and his mind filled with a chaotic swirl of battles and hunts; claws and teeth ripping into fur, the sounds of caterwauls and yowls of pain, the feel of teeth sinking into prey.
The pain ebbed, leaving Graystripe weak and gasping for breath. His eyes opened and found himself to be in the clearing again, surrounded by the warriors of StarClan. He had received one life but still had eight more to go. Trembling, he thought, How will I bear it?
When he looked up, he found that his former mentor was walking away, returning to his place in the ranks of StarClan. Another cat rose to his paws, eyeing Graystripe intently. Seeing the crooked jaw, he realized that it was Crookedstar, former leader of RiverClan. His heart surged as he watched the father of his beloved Silverstream walk towards him.
Like Lionheart, Crookedstar pressed his nose to Graystripe's. "With this life I give you justice." He mewed, staring into Graystripe's eyes. "Use it well as you judge the actions of those in all four Clans."
Once more, an agonizing spasm rushed through Graystripe. His eyes darkened and suddenly he was on Tallrock, judging whether a faceless cat had betrayed the Clans. The darkness faded and he regained control of himself, forcing himself not to yowl. Crookedstar twitched his whiskers and then went to sit next to Lionheart as the next cat approached.
It was a blue-gray tom, an exact copy of his mother Bluestar. Stonefur, born of the forbidden relationship between Bluestar and the RiverClan deputy, Oakheart, was walking towards him. His eyes were thoughtful as he looked down at Graystripe.
"With this life, I give you loyalty to do what you know is right." He meowed. Graystripe wondered if he meant the way he had saved the dying Bluestar, even though he had hated her once he had found out she was his and Mistyfoot's mother. "Use it well to guide all Clans in times of trouble."
Graystripe braced himself for another agonizing pang, but this time there was less pain as the new life rushed through him. He was aware of the warm glow of love, and realized dimly that that was what marked out Stonefur's life—love for his Clan, for Bluestar, and for his sister Mistyfoot.
He closed his eyes, inhaling the scents around him and prepared himself for the next life as Stonefur walked away. When he opened his eyes, a gasp of anguish escaped him. The shape walking towards him was achingly familiar. Her silver-gray pelt glittered with starlight and her blue eyes danced with mischief and joy. It was Feathertail, his daughter who had given her life to save a mysterious Tribe from a killer.
"With this life I give you tireless energy," She meowed as she bowed her head to touch her nose with her father's. "Use it well to carry out the duties of a leader."
As the life coursed through Graystripe, he felt as if he were racing through the forest and across the beach, his paws skimming the ground, his fur flattened by the wind. He knew the exhilaration of the hunt and the sheer joy of speed, and he had the feeling he could outrun an enemy forever.
As the silver-gray she-cat turned away, he mewed, "Feathertail. Don't go yet. Don't leave me again." He knew he sounded pitiful but when she turned to meet his gaze, he saw the depth of love and pain and knew how much she missed him.
His gaze followed her as she returned to her place. The fifth cat approached him and he recognized Greypool, the RiverClan queen who had been foster mother to Stonefur and Mistyfoot. She had been killed by Tigerstar, if only on purpose, after she had revealed that two kits of RiverClan were actually from ThunderClan.
"With this life, I give you protection." She mewed, touching her nose to his. "Use it well to care for your Clan as a mother cares for her kits."
Graystripe expected this life to be gentle and loving, like Stonefur's, and he wasn't prepared for the bolt of ferocity that hit him. He felt as though all the fury of the ancient ancestors of TigerClan and LionClan were pulsing through him, challenging any cat to harm the weaker, faceless shadows that crouched by his paws. Shocked and trembling, Graystripe recognized a mother's desire to protect her kits, and realized how much Greypool had loved them all—even Stonefur and Mistyfoot, who were not her own.
As the fury ebbed, Greypool drew back to sit with the other cats of StarClan again, and another familiar figure took her place. This blue-gray she-cat was in her prime, not the broken-down leader Bluestar that had led ThunderClan until saving Firestar from the dogs and thus causing her own death. Bluestar's eyes searched his and then he saw approval fill them.
She touched her nose to his, mewing, "With this life I give you mentoring. Use it well to train the young cats of your Clan."
This life was a pang of aguish so great, Graystripe thought it would stop his heart. It ended in a warm contentment and Graystripe knew that he was experiencing the she-cat's feelings as she saved Firestar from death.
As it ebbed away, Graystripe began to feel like a hollow in the ground as rain falls into it and spills over. He thought that his strength would hardly sustain him to receive lives from the three cats that were still to come.
The first was Whitestorm, restored to his youth. The warrior had the same air of calm patience and level headedness that had made him respected in all four Clans. Graystripe had watched him die in battle and had seen the anguish in his eyes but the soft humor was back now, reminding him of the younger Whitestorm.
"With this life I give you compassion," he announced, "Use it well for the elders of your Clan, and the sick and those weaker than yourself."
This time, even knowing the pain he would have to bear, Graystripe closed his eyes and drank in the life hungrily, wanting all of Whitestorm's calm, humor, loyalty and courage. He received it like a tide of light surging through him: his gentle humor, his patience, his respect for his leader, and his loyalty and honor.
When he opened his eyes, the white warrior was already moving away. The cat that took his place made his heart stop. The she-cat was silver-gray with gentle, laughing eyes. Silverstream, Graystripe's love, was walking towards him. Her eyes glowed with happiness and love. The anguish that had filled her as she died giving birth to his kits was gone. A purr escaped her as she pressed herself against the gray tom. "Silverstream…"
"With this life I give you love," she murmured softly. "Use it well, for all the cats in your care—especially the one you will find later."
There was no pain in the life that poured into Graystripe. It held the warmth of the high sun in Greenleaf, burning to the tips of his paws. It was pure love; at the same time he experienced the sense of security he had known as a tiny kit, nuzzling his mother. He gazed up at Silverstream, wrapped up in a contentment he had never known before.
He heard a whisper in his ear as she moved away. "I love you Graystripe. Stay strong for your Clan…for all Clans." His heart felt torn again as the she-cat moved away, stars sparkling where she had walked.
At last, Firestar approached him. He was not the cat Graystripe had watched die but the youthful and courageous leader that had been Graystripe's friend and guide. The flame-colored tom prowled across the clearing like a lion, green eyes glowing. His pelt seemed to be made of stars and they seemed to fall as he came near Graystripe.
"Firestar," Graystripe mewed, anguish filling his heart. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to turn away…" Firestar shook his head, cutting Graystripe off with a look of forgiveness.
"Welcome Graystripe, my friend, my warrior, and my deputy," He greeted him. "I always knew you would make a wise leader."
As Graystripe bowed his head, Firestar touched him with his nose and went on: "With this life, I give you nobility and certainty and faith. Use it well as you lead your Clan and the others in the ways of StarClan and the warrior code. Let your heart rule you, it brought you to where you are today."
The warmth of Silverstream's life had lulled Graystripe and so he was unprepared for the agony that shook him as he received Firestar's. He shared the fierceness of his courage, the anguish he had suffered when he had lost Spottedleaf, the ferocity of battle after battle in the service of his Clan. He felt Firestar's terror as his final life ended and his fear of Tigerstar. The rush of power grew stronger and stronger until Graystripe felt that his pelt would never contain it. Just as he thought he would die from the pain, it began to ebb, ending in a sense of forgiveness and acceptance.
A long, soft sigh passed through the clearing. All the StarClan warriors had risen to their paws. Firestar stayed in the center of the clearing and signaled with his tail that Graystripe should rise also. He obeyed him shakily, feeling as if the fullness of life inside him would spill over when he moved. His body felt as though he had experienced every battle that his nine life-givers had gone through, and yet his spirit soared with the strength and courage of the lives he had been granted.
"I hail you by your new name, Graystar," Firestar 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."
"Graystar! Graystar!" Just as the forest Clans would acclaim a new warrior by name, so the cats of StarClan acclaimed Graystar, their rich voices tingling in the air. "Graystar! Graystar!"
Reviews and Responses
Purple Eyed Cat: squeals Pretty, pretty! Poor Firestar, having to die! Now, then, where's Chapter 1?
Response: Right here…duh!
Cherreh and Stormeh: Ooh, write some more!
Response: I did! Hope you liked it!
Luxpaw: Pretty good. But, water can only save them? Sounds like fire, but turned around.
Response: Sort of…but it's so much more (how should I put this?) evil and maniacal and sad…:(
Glaicerclaw: Oh...man...utter coolness. I am loving this. Please update!
Response: I did! After a few hours of typing, trying to find the right cats, arguing with a friend and laughing maniacally.
Purple Eyed Cat: Update! Update! Update! I want to read it! Hey, if you write Chapter 1, I'll write Chapter 8, deal? looks at author pleadingly Pretty please?
Response: Here it is…Now where is Chapter 8?
Ravenpelt: Looks good so far, only thing is that you could include how Firestar died. Update soon!
Response: Thanks! How Firestar died is later and sniffle sad…