Leaders of NightClan

Nightstar

Goldenstar

Snowstar

Lightstar

Milkstar

Rainstar

Cat: Raintail- Dark gray tabby with white tail tip and blue eyes

Challenge: 9 lives

Clans: NightClan, CloudClan, FireClan, IceClan

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Raintail walked hesitantly to the Moon Stream. She hadn't been deputy for even a moon, was it truly StarClan's will for her to lead NightClan? She glanced uneasily at her Medicine Cat.

The journey to the stream wasn't that long- it was barely outside of her clan's territory, in uncharted territory. Was it her clan now? It didn't seem right, or even natural.

Had Milkstar known he was going to die? If he had, why would he appoint her? There were plenty who had more confidence than she. Leafsong, for one. The senior warrior had been her mentor.

Raintail was still training her first apprentice, Leafsong had mentored at least three cats, she was training her fourth. Leafsong would be so much more comfortable at the thought.

"It's time, Raintail." Came Whisperwind's soft voice. "Take a lick of the stream, StarClan will make sure your body is safe."

Raintail did as she was told, drowsiness crashing down on her in waves. Her eyes closed.

It seemed like ages before she opened her eyes again and saw the frosty forest of her ancestors. She coughed, looking around.

There was no one. Not even Whisperwind. She panicked, wondering if she'd fallen asleep wrong. Or maybe it wasn't her destiny to lead, after all.

Her heart dropped when no one appeared after a few heartbeats. She closed her eyes, preparing to attempt at waking herself up. Coming here was a mistake.

"Do believe in what's happening, Raintail?"

Her eyes snapped open at the familiar voice of her mother.

"Starlingfrost!" She cried happily. Maybe it wasn't a mistake, after all. "I.. I do believe." She started out at least I hope I do.

Starlingfrost nodded. "We shall begin shortly. Some cats take their time getting here." Her eyes narrowed as the leaves rustled and the other cats appeared.

"Where's Whisperwind? She should be here, right?" Raintail asked, glancing around uncertainty.

Her mother shook her head. "Your medicine cat decided to stay, protect your body, since it is in Rogue land."

Raintail nodded, glancing around at the fallen. Some of the faces she hadn't seen since she was a kit, others dying shortly before Milkstar.

Her mother she hadn't seen since she was in the middle of her training. She'd never known her father- being told that he'd been killed before she'd even been born.

"Everyone is here." Starlingfrost mewed. "We can now begin." The StarClan cat stepped forward.

"With this life I give protection." She mewed, touching her nose to her daughter's cheek. "Use it well, to protect your clanmates as a mother would."

Raintail stiffened, heat surging through her. Her heart swelled until it felt like it was going to burst. Is this how much a mother loved their kits, no matter how old they get?

When she could breath again, the pain peeled off until only a peaceful feeling was left.

A tom Raintail didn't know stepped forward. "I am Stoneclif, your father." He introduced herself and she felt shocked. This was her father? Starlingfrost had made him seem more powerful than even StarClan, but he wasn't! He was the same as she.

"I give you the life of stamina." He touched noses with her. "Use it to keep you clan moving, even when they feel they can't continue."

Raintail braced herself, expecting it to be as painful as the last. It was, in a way, energy that burned through her until she felt an almost undeniable urge to run the whole forest and never return to the waking world.

"Milkstar!" She purred as the older tom stepped forward.

"I know you're having doubt," he whispered. "But you are the right cat to lead NightClan to it's glory." He touched his nose to her forehead. "I give you the life of mentoring, teach all your cats, even if they're older."

Raintail shuddered as the life coursed through her. A burning desire to teach to the best of her abilities- even the Elders- was all she could feel. The life wasn't as painful as Love, but it was close.

When both her sisters stepped forward she felt like a kit again. They'd both been apprentices when she was born. They'd look out for her. Until IceClan attacked and killed them and her mother.

Hailpaw would have been made warriors before they were sent to StarClan, but Milkstar had been injured and sick; he was recovering during their vigil. Snowpaw had been training for a Medicine Cat, though she still participated in any battle she could. It was like she had her paws in both the Warrior world and the Medicine Cat world.

Snowpaw was the first to speak, though it was still in her quiet voice that Raintail remembered so well. "We're proud, sister. With this life I give you healing. Heal your clan with word, as well as herbs."

The life flowed into her and didn't cause her pain. Her paws itched to give her clanmates hope, to heal them with everything she had. She only had four lives at this point, but she realised she'd give them all up for her clan.

If they needed her, at this very moment, she was sure Whisperwind would wake her up, even if it disturbed the Leadership Ceremony.

"Sister." A voice called, forcing her to tune back in. "With this life I give you Justice. Use it to fairly judge your clanmates, and cats from other clans."

Raintail flinched at the pain caused by the life. She had been unprepared, healing had been easy to receive, it had fill her with peace.

A memory Milkstar flashed through her mind. She'd been a kit, shortly after her sibling's and Mother's death. Two IceClan cats has been found trespassing. She'd wanted to kill them, their clan had caused her family to leave her; her close family.

But Milkstar had refused to execute them. He'd said they had no right to kill them, even if it was fair in her mind. An eye for an eye, per say.

Is that what justice is? Not letting a personal vendetta get in the way of your clan's safety?

She looked longingly after her older (or was it younger now?) siblings. Why couldn't they be alive? They deserved to live too. All the fallen around her did.

A tiny kit came up to meet her. She didn't know who it was. "I'm Cloudkit." The kitten. Squeaked. "I was your mother's littermate." Before Raintail could say anything, Cloudkit continued. "I give you the life of Spirit. Use it to keep NightClan's hopes and dreams safe."

If she thought that protection was a hard life to receive, it didn't compare to spirit. This life made her feel like she was burning in a fire. She felt like she couldn't breathe. When she warily took a breath, the burning sensation left and all she could think about was the tiny kits who had yet to be born.

She'd protect their dreams like they were her own. Even the Elders had a dream, and if they wanted to go after it she'd be sure to help them in any way she could.

As her mother's littermate rejoined the ranks, she realised how sore she really was. How could she take three more lives if her muscles were screaming at her?

Before she could decide that she didn't want to continue the ceremony for six lives was enough for her, Echomint padded forward. She hadn't known the elder very well. Echomint had been the medicine cat before Frostedleaf, who had been Whisperwind's mentor. At some point they'd had three medicine cats alive, but sickness had claimed Echomint and Frostedleaf's live in the same leaf-bare, the same illness.

"I know you don't know me that well, but I am here to give you the life of peace. Not every problem should be solved by battle."

As Echomint spoke, her nose was touching Raintail's. The life flowed into the deputy. She felt herself relax, the life wasn't as painful as the others. It felt like she was starting to feel like it was giving her strength back.

The former deputy padded forward.

"Twilightfur!" Raintail's eyes brightened. Twilightfur had been deputy long before she'd been born. It felt strange, that the former deputy had died a moon before he would have been leader.

"Hello, youngster." He purred. "I give you the life of Empathy."

She expected it to be a difficult life to receive, but it wasn't. It wasn't as easy as Peace, but not at hard at Spirit. It caused her some pain, like stepping on a thorn. Maybe it was because she'd been expecting pain that it didn't hit her as hard. "Not every choice has to be all or nothing." He mewed and stepped back.

A white-silver she-cat with green eyes padded forward. The silver in fur sparkled, like frost on green grass.

Raintail figured this must be Frostedleaf, though she wasn't sure of the elder medicine cat's personality. While she'd been alive when Raintail had been a kit, she'd also been sick, the clan had expected the elder to pass at some point that leaf-bare.

"I give you the life of loyalty." Frostedleaf pressed her nose to Raintail. "Loyalty to your heart is just as important as loyalty to your clan."

She felt at peace with the final life, images of Frostedleaf as a young medicine cat flashed through her mind. She was getting fatter, though her long fur hid it. Raintail was surprised to realise that the elder Medicine Cat had, had kits.

She wondered who they were, but she didn't spend too much time on it. What's past is past and she didn't want to pry.

"Rainstar! Rainstar!"