Cheers to my second TorrentClan Challenge! (Which I'll do better this time ._.)
A pale grey tom and a marbled brown tabby she-cat padded alongside each other to the Moonpool. The tom thought to himself, I can lead SkyClan today. Deerstar has caused too much trouble for us. Still, it was quite unsettling when he died.
"What will you do once you become leader?" the other cat asked. The grey tom turned to her, hackles raised, white paws with blood stains now had broken claws holding onto the ground. He saw his medicine cat flinch and relaxed.
"I'll bring all of the cats who scattered and bring them back to our clan. After that, I'll stop the war Deerstar started." the deputy responded.
"But it wasn't Deerstar's fault!" the cat tried to defend her former leader.
"Spiralstripe, your brother was tempted by a rogue to start a genocide in the lake. Guess what happened? Our water was no longer clean, cats' bodies were below the surface, our territory smelled foul with crowfood. Not only did my closest friends die, but every kit, queen, and elder was holding on to life in greenleaf. Prey was scared back into the trees and cats were poisoned from the lake water." He waited for a reply from his medicine cat, but Spiralstripe turned her gaze back to the path.
"We're wasting time, let's hurry up." the she-cat meowed. The cats soon reached the Moonpool, the only source of clean water for the clans. Green grass was now orange with the blood of ThunderClan and WindClan cats. The deputy cringed at the sight, blinking back a tear of shame.
"Blizzardbranch? Hello? You have a clan to lead." Spiralstripe mewed. Blizzardbranch came over to the pool, drinking the water like the medicine cat told him to. He woke up shortly, seeing the nine cats who would give him his nine lives.
"Blizzardbranch!" A grey tabby yowled. Blizzardbranch turned to the star-traced cat. "Are you ready to receive your nine lives?"
"Yes I am, Sootstar." The deputy agreed. The first cat to come up was a brown tabby tom who was nearly faded, but his eyes shone like bright sunlight.
"Hello there young one. I'm Larchfeather, and with this life, I give you judgement. Use it well to make good decisions for your clan." Larchfeather's nose touched Blizzardbranch's head and a burst of energy burst through the deputy, making him shiver with pain. The pain will end once I receive all of my lives. It will all be worth it. He thought to himself. The next cat to come up was a small one who bounced with energy. The stars on her pelt was hard to see due to her snowball-like appearance.
"Hi brother! Remember me?" Blizzardbranch looked down at his paws.
"Swankit. I'm sorry. For letting you get killed by Deerstar." the tom mumbled.
"No worries! It wasn't your fault." Swankit reassured her older brother. "We can spend more time together once you get in StarClan! But not today. With this life, I give you balance! Use it well to make sure that no one gets the short end of the stick! Even in the harshest leaf-bare!" Her nose met her brother's forehead, which he felt the same pain as with Larchfeather. Swankit skipped off, leaving a frail black she-cat in her place.
"Hello apprentice." The she-cat meowed. "I'd like you to listen to me for once."
"I did listen to you! Fragileheart, you were my mentor for StarClan's sake!" Blizzardbranch protested.
"Ah, whatever you want to believe. With this life, I give you mentoring. Use it well to teach the next generation the ways of SkyClan and the legacy we uphold to this day."
"But Fragileheart, Deerstar-" Blizzardbranch's mouth was covered by his former mentor's tail. She tapped his forehead, leaving Blizzardbanch squriming around, trying to gain the comfort he couldn't get. The cat who replaced Fragileheart was a short tortoiseshell.
"Hey there old friend." The cat meowed.
"Hey Petpaw." Blizzardbranch sneered lightly.
"Swirlpaw." Swirlpaw corrected. "With this life, I give you friendship. Use it well to keep up friendship with your clan, even when duties are overbearing." She tapped on Blizzardbranch's forehead and made way for the next cat to come. He was a white short-furred tom with blue eyes.
"Pheasantclaw?" The deputy asked.
"Yes, it's me." Pheasantclaw meowed. "With this life, I give you mercy. Use it well to pity even those who have done harm to your clan, you may just change their hearts." Pheasantclaw padded off after touching his son's head. A rather plump ginger tabby took Pheasantclaw's place.
"You probably don't know me. I was a past loner named Spruce." The tabby explained. "But I know a lot about SkyClan. With this life, I give you curiousity. Use it well to ponder deeply about things around you and explore them. Who knows, it could lead to a new hunting spot!" Spruce left, leaving the sharpest pain that the deputy felt yet.
"Blizzardbranch! Remember me? Hey!" A voice yowled.
"Dartstone!" Blizzardbranch nuzzled his sister's black shoulder playfully.
"Now, now, I have a job to do you know." The she-cat reminded her brother. "With this life, I give you awareness. Use it well to be aware of things around you, anything off can lead to one's demise." Dartstone ran off in glee after seeing her brother be tormented from his next life.
"Ugh, when is the ceremony going to end! It's too much pain!" Blizzardbranch wailed.
"Two more lives, for your information." A she-cat spat then relaced her tone. "Hello by the way."
"Bearpelt." Blizzardbranch dipped his head to the deputy before him.
"With this life, I give you confidence. Use it well to hold true to your choices and to be brave, trust me, you'll need it." Bearpelt sighed and bounded off for the deputy's final life. Sootstar came back to present the life.
"Blizzardbranch, I will give you your final life." Sootstar announced. "With this life, I give you loyalty. Use it well to stay loyal to your clan, even when this time is tested, SkyClan is your home, as it always was." Sootstar touched the deputy's head, causing him a great deal of shock that he didn't think he'd live.
"Is the ceremony done?" Blizzardbranch gasped heavily. The grey tabby nodded.
"Blizzardbranch, I hail you by your new name, Blizzardstar. Your old life is no more. You have now received the nine lives of a leader, and StarClan grants you the guardianship of SkyClan. 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." The StarClan cats cheered for the new leader.
"Blizzardstar! Blizzardstar!" They yowled. Blizzardstar woke up, feeling refreshed and full of energy.
"Are you leader now?" Spiralstripe asked.
"Come with me. We are going to rebuild SkyClan and save the other Clans." Blizzardstar hissed. The new leader and medicine cat raced to the horseplace, rescuing their beloved clan.