A/N-Last chapter! Yay! If there was any confusion, they were fighting because Hawkstar was starving his enemies and the weaker cats of the Clans.

Dreamflame: I don't care anymore! Story's over!

Chapter 12: Leadership & Warriorhood

After we had met up with the other cats again, everyone went with their Clan to discuss who the next leader would be. The elders in my Clan had called me to talk with them. Mosspelt spoke first.

"Since you have been gone, we have discussed what would happen if this Clan ever fell into the wrong paws again," she meowed. "And that if you lived through it, you would be the most applicable for leadership."

I nodded slowly.

"So we have decided," Redfur started, "you will be the one to visit the Moonpool and receive your nine lives."

I nodded again. "When should I visit this Moonpool?"

"Today," Liontail growled.

"But the territory that we found has something called the Moonstone. That's where I learned of Hawkstar's leadership."

The elders looked at each other. Finally, after a long pause, Mosspelt sighed, "We will not be able to make it back there. Twolegs have taken over the forest there."

"But I saw no Twolegs!" I protested.

"No Twolegs?" Redfur was surprised.

I nodded. "And there was this place where there were these huge oak trees. They all had markings on them. One was a lightning mark, another was a cat's face, another was a swirl, and the last was a water marking."

"Fourtrees is still there!" Liontail exclaimed.

I blinked hard, then shrugged and turned to leave. But a question held me back. "Why did you help me?"

Mosspelt mewed, "Because Hawkstar was starving cats to death. He even killed one of his own kits."

"Oh." I left the shaded area. Mothwing was waiting outside for me.

"Ready?" she asked.

"More than!" I breathed.

We padded down to a huge pond-lake. Leafpool, Barkface, and Littlecloud were there as well. I was slightly hesitant at first, but I continued. When we reached it, Mothwing told me to wade out into the water until she said to stop.

"Stop! Far enough, right, Littlecloud?" I heard a mew of agreement. "Now bend your head down to the water and close your eyes."

I did as I was told. One moment I was standing in the Moonpool, the next I was in a foggy meadow. All was darkness and cold. I had never been so cold. I felt as if every scrap of warmth and life were being sucked out of my body. I felt as if I tried to move, I would shatter into thousands of brittle fragments like ice. Then I noticed something.

The stars were moving.

At once I froze in shock. But I realized that the stars had white flame pelts. They were cats. I crouched before them, a practice every leader had to go through to get their lives. I saw that these cats were my old friends. I recognized some of them right away.

Mistyfoot! A surge of joy raced through me. And Feathertail! I breathed in a soft, sweet scent. It was so familiar to me. Hollypaw—my old friend. I saw her small gray shape among six other shadows.

"Welcome, Iceheart." The sound seemed to come out of all the cats. "Are you ready to receive your nine lives?"

I glanced around, uneasy but joyful at the same time. "Yes." My voice was loud and strong. "I am ready."

A silver tabby she-cat rose to her paws and strode over to me, her head and tail held high. She had bright blue eyes, a sleek pelt that looked like RiverClan. Was this the Silverstream everyone had told me about?

"Silverstream?" I whispered. "Is that you?"

She did not reply. When she was close enough, she stopped and pressed her nose to my head. It hit me like the coldest ice and the hottest flame. I stood completely still.

"With this life I give you loyalty to what you know to be right," Silverstream murmured. "Use it well to guide your Clan in times of trouble."

I felt something warm inside me, like a glow of love. I knew she had died giving birth to her three kits, but I would not let that happen to me. I would be like the ThunderClan warrior Brightheart. Strong and brave even in the toughest of circumstances.

Silverstream stepped back into the dusky shadows. A ginger warrior trotted up to me.

"Firestar," I breathed.

He smiled at me as a reply. He bent his head down to me. "With this life I give you strength. Use it well in battles for your Clan." A feeling erupted inside me. It was like a flame that would never go out, it would just get stronger.

That feeling quickly turned to pain.

Now the feeling felt like someone was clawing me all over. Then I went completely numb. Nothing else happened to me. I couldn't feel it hurt so much. When Firestar stepped back, I was left gasping for air. My instinct was now to draw away, to hide in a corner and shut the world away.

A dark gray she-cat took the place of the great leader. Mistyfoot. "With this life I give you mentoring. Use it well to train the young cats of your Clan." I wondered if she was referring to her death, which stopped her from training me. A feeling of pain and anguish sent shivers down my spine. I thought it would stop my heart. It left me on the brink of tears when she moved back.

The fourth cat was one who I knew since kithood. "Hollypaw," I gasped, "it was my fault you died."

No reply. Instead she did as the other cats did. "With this life I give you courage to do what is needed," she mewled. Her voice sounded distant. "Use it well to care for your Clan in times of darkness." A pang of ferocity pulsed through me, as if the warriors of TigerClan, LionClan, CheetahClan, and LeopardClan were inside me.

She faded into black. A dark gray tom padded up. He stood a pawstep away from me. His dark eyes let me know he was a ShadowClan cat. Cedarheart, the one who had died of Hawkstar's leadership.

He bent his head down to mine. "With this life I give you tireless energy." Cedarheart breathed into my fur. "Use it well to carry out the duties of a leader." I braced myself for pain. But this life was different. It was as if I were racing through the forest, fields, even Twoleg towns.

As the feeling ebbed away, a sixth cat trotted over. He was black-and-white, with a long tail. Tallstar of WindClan.

"With this life I give you faith." I felt his ears flick in the air. "Use it well to guide your Clan to always believe in StarClan." I wasn't prepared for the shocking amount of pain that coursed through me. All the air went out of me in a soft whoosh.

Three cats left now. I wasn't sure if I would die here and never wake up it hurt so badly. I nodded absentmindedly.

A pale ginger she-cat strode up with me. She bent her head down to mine. "With this life I give you certainty," she sighed. "Use it well to make decisions for your Clan." This time, knowing the pain, I took in the life with gratitude.

The she-cat, Sandstorm, stepped back, and a blue-gray she-cat walked up to me. She had a tinged silver muzzle, so I knew she was Bluestar, the leader of ThunderClan before Firestar. She bent her head.

"With this life I give you love," she rasped softly. "Use it well for all the cats in your care—especially your kits and your mate." There was no pain in the life that Bluestar gave me. I guessed it was like she was giving her own kit a life. Bluestar turned away. Feathertail took the place of the old leader.

My mother rubbed her face against mine. Her pelt was silver like mine in the bright moonlight. Instead of bending her head immediately, she meowed, "My daughter, my daughter, a leader."

She pressed her muzzle against my head. "With this life I give you protection," she murmured. "Use it well to care for your Clan as well as your kits."

I expected this life to be like Silverstream's and Bluestar's, but I wasn't ready for the bolt of ferocity that transfixed me. I felt as though all my ancestors' fury were coursing through my veins, challenging any cat to harm the weaker, faceless shadows that crouched by my paws.

Shocked and left trembling, I realized that was what it was like to mother kits. I had to protect them, I had to give life to them, I had to lead them to what was right. It was a mother's desire.

Feathertail stepped back, but did not leave. I saw all the StarClan cats rise to their paws, Feathertail signaling to me to rise as well.

"I hail you by your new name, Icestar," Feathertail announced. "Your old life is no more. You have now received the nine lives of a leader, and StarClan grants you the guardianship of RiverClan. 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."

"Icestar! Icestar!" Just as the forest Clans would acclaim a new warrior by name, so the cats of StarClan acclaimed me, in rich voices that tingled in the air. "Icestar! Icestar!"

The light faded, along with the voices of my ancestors and friends, and I was back at the Moonpool. I was staring at my reflection in the water. My eyes were silver-rimmed, my ears had a light bluish color on the edges. There was a loud ringing in my head.

"Icestar," Mothwing meowed.

I whipped around, scattering droplets of water around me. I relaxed. "What is it?"

"RiverClan needs you now."

I blinked, then nodded. The medicine cats nodded back at me once I stepped out of the water. The water slid off of me like an I was an otter. I blinked again. That ringing sound was still there. I padded with the others to the Clans, which had gathered along the clearing to watch.

Waterpaw was sitting between Aquadream and Moonclaw. Cometfire sat off to the side. I smiled. I knew they'd love the news I had for them.

O.O.O.O.O.O

"Waterpelt! Waterpelt! Waterpelt!" the Clan chanted her new name over and over again.

I watched my former apprentice pad away. The Clan dispersed to hunt or train the apprentices. I sighed deeply, wondering if Cometstar felt the same way. Ever since Cheetahkit, Featherkit, and Firekit were born, we had become distant, even at Gatherings.

"Icestar?" Lionpool asked. "Something wrong?"

"No, Lionpool," I meowed.

"But you seem... distracted."

I shook my head. "Nothing is wrong."

Lionpool nodded and left. I looked after the old deputy. Sometimes I wished my kits were older, so they would understand me. I shook my head. There was no thinking like that about my Clans. I turned and went inside my den.

Firekit looked up at me. He squeaked. I smiled. Cheetahkit bit his ear. I frowned. I had no idea if he would be like Tigerstar or Firestar. They were related to both, so anything could happen.

O.O.O.O.O.O

"But now they're great warriors for the Clan!" Lilypaw exclaimed.

"That's right," Icestar replied.

Cheetahflight licked his apprentice. Fireheart smiled at his mother.

"Is that all true?" Featherstream asked.

"Of course it is!" Nightpaw snapped.

"Well, I was just asking!" Featherstream spat angrily.

"You two, knock it off," Icestar meowed firmly.

Featherstream and Nightpaw huffed. They sat down, pricking their ears. Lilypaw nudged Cheetahflight softly. She stood up slowly. Lavenderpaw and Magnoliapaw stretched on the ground. The three sisters crowded around their leader, intent on learning the last part of the story.

"Well," Icestar began, "it goes like this..."

O.O.O.O.O.O

Cometstar, Moonstar, Russetstar and I sat around each other. We were discussing the problem with the blackcough season. The Clans watched in silence.

"Oakfur died yesterday," Russetstar murmured. "He was a great deputy."

"Saberkit, Burnkit, and Nofoot died of it," Cometstar sighed.

Moonstar had been silent during his turn. So had I. Our Clans had been hit hard during this time. Many of our warriors, queens, and kits had fallen ill. The elders were ill with greencough, which Mothwing said that could progress into blackcough.

"Icestar, Moonstar? Have you anything to say?" Russetstar growled.

My head snapped up, eyes narrowed. "No." I tried to be polite, but there was an edge in my voice that I couldn't get out.

"Nothing bad has happened to us," grunted Moonstar.

Russetstar sniffed.

That was it. I was so tired of it. "Stop being such a hypocrite!"

Everyone stared at me. Only the soft rustling of the wind in the trees met my ears. Russetstar looked taken aback. Then she narrowed her eyes as well.

"I specifically remember you being related to Scourge, so I won't say anything bad," she meowed coolly.

I saw Moonstar stand up, raising his head. "And I specifically remember you being the second leader to act like Brokenstar," he spat.

The ginger she-cat whisked around, her tail pushing in my face, making me sneeze violently. I sat back on my haunches, just watching.

"Second! Tigerstar was worse!" Russetstar shouted.

"Oh, right! Thanks for correcting me! You're the first cat to be like Tigerstar!" Moonstar yelled.

Russetstar looked like she was about to say something, but Cometstar interfered.

"Look, I know it's hard after having the blackcough outbreak, but there is no need to be at each other's throats for it. I mean, it's nobody's fault." He was amazingly calm.

Moonstar and Russetstar nodded. The Gathering ended, and we leaped off the Great Rock. I padded over to Cometstar.

"Thanks for keeping the cool back there," I murmured, pressing my muzzle against his.

"You're welcome, love. I hoped I didn't screw anything up with those two Clans," he purred, licking my muzzle.

"You didn't." I pulled away. We both smiled. I nodded and called my Clan. He called his, and we left.

O.O.O.O.O.O

The apprentices, younger warriors and elders listened intently.

"And now I've ended up here. The end," Icestar concluded.

Everyone smiled and began asking questions.

"What happened to your second litter with Cometstar?" Shellpaw asked.

"Robinpaw, Sparrowpaw, and Redpaw are going to become great warriors. We had decided that they belonged in their father's Clan instead of their mother's," Icestar answered.

Shellpaw nodded. Dewfrost padded over. "And since me being her foster-mother, I want you all to go back to your dens."

"AWWW!" everyone cried.

"Now," Dewfrost mewed firmly.

The cats nodded. They all left for their dens or duties. Dewfrost turned back to Icestar.

"You're still a spunky kit, aren't you?" she asked, nuzzling Icestar's head.

"Inside I am," Icestar replied, smiling warmly. "Inside I really am."

THE END

A/N-(overlooks chapter a couple of times) The end. Wow. It's all over. I can't believe it. I think this is the longest chapter in the story because it's the last chapter and everything gets explained.

(everyone gets together, bows)

Me: Thank you all who read and reviewed! Oh, and one last thing!

Pillows and cookies and plushies to all!

Me: Thanks again! And good luck Dewfrost on your story! Goodbye!