Ravenwing felt like her heart was being torn from her chest. She knew that Adderclaw's kits grew inside her; she could feel them moving, and even before that she just knew. Before Adderclaw, she had never seen herself as a queen, kits scrambling over her in the nursery. But now, pregnant, it was all she could see: Miniature copies of her mate laughing and playing and growing into fine warriors. But never in that picture could she imagine being in a different Clan than the father of her kits.
She felt a rush of anger, but she had no idea who to direct it at. Mintleaf, maybe, for having that dream that would seperate the two of them. Plumwillow, perhaps, for coming up with the idea of splitting the Clan in the first place. StarClan? It was true that if not for StarClan, she would be in the same Clan as Adderclaw, but StarClan can't be wrong... Can they? Ravenwing unsheathed her claws and tore at the earth, leaving two sets of deeply scored dirt. She longed for a fight; anything to get her mind off of Adderclaw.
Ravenwing had finished bringing all of her new Clanmates to FlareClan camp. With the help of her warriors, they had created a makeshift den that would shelter the small Clan for the coming thunderstorm. She entered this den and nearly tripped over one of Meadowthicket's kits; the little silver she-cat was racing her brothers across the den, laughing happily even though she was losing. Ravenwing couldn't help but smile when Cinderkit, the tortoiseshell tom, smacked into Violetdawn, making her jump up in shock, fur bristling. Duskkit couldn't stop laughing after that, rolling on the den floor, and Violetdawn glowered at him half-heartedly.
"FlareClan!" called Ravenwing, standing in the mouth of the den. "I am going to the Whispering Cave to receive my name and nine lives. While I am gone, I would like a few cats to hunt, and a few others to stay and protect the queens, elders, and kits. We are very vulnerable in this new territory, without having had the chance to scare off any predators." she caught the eye of Falconscreech, who was known to be a bit reckless.
"Ravenwing?" questioned Stormfeather, "Did Aurorastar tell you to go to the Whispering Cave today?" there was a hint of doubt in her voice, and Ravenwing could see from here that her tail was ever so slightly fluffed with fear.
"No," answered the black she-cat. "But Aurorastar is a SkyClan cat, while I am FlareClan. Why should I answer to her?" Ravenwing hated that her voice contained a note of petulance, but she was glad to see that most of the cats were nodding in agreement, and Stormfeather merely shrugged. "Very well. I shall be back as soon as I can." she turned and left the den. There was a moment of quiet before the excited squealing of kits and loud boasting among the apprentices started up again.
The burnt pine needles underfoot were less sharp than one might have thought, and Ravenwing ambled across them, unhindered. The quiet noise of the forest soothed her, and the sound of mice squeaking in their homes told her that FlareClan would not go hungry. She had not quarreled with living in the fire-scorched land because oftentimes, she knew, after there was a fire, the plants grew better than before, and this would provide future FlareClan with a good hunting ground. A future FlareClan... Ravenwing thought. Will my descendants one day live in the camp, a camp trodden by countless paws, and tell of FlareClan's beginnings? Surely, as the first leader of this Clan, I would be remembered...
Shaking off her thoughts, Ravenwing continued through the forest. A small piece of her hoped that she would meet Adderclaw on the brink of his territory, but part of her hoped she didn't; it would be so hard to leave after that. She was drawing near the gorge when she heard a yowl of alarm. Her fur started to bristle when she was pounced on by a brown ball of fur. She hissed in surprise and bucked the cat off. She whipped around to face him and saw Brackenpaw, his eyes flaring in recognition.
"What in StarClan was that about?" hissed Ravenwing, her fur ruffled and a small cut ran along her back from Brackenpaw's claws.
He was panting, his expression mostly defensive but part embarassed. "I thought you were a rogue, attacking the camp or something."
He licked his chest fur uncomfortably, and pity welled in Ravenwing, bleeding or no. "I suppose you were just trying to defend your Clan. be a bit more careful next time though." Brackenpaw nodded vigorously, obviously relieved that she wasn't more angry.
Cocking his head to one side curiously, he asked, "Not to be intrusive, Ravenwing, but why are you here?"
Ravenwing licked her scratch and said firmly, "I've come to go to the Whispering Cave and get my nine lives as leader of FlareClan." The apprentice's eyes widened.
"Are you really? I was going to go and get moss for the elders. Can I come with you?" His eyes were wide and the young apprentice flicked his tail excitedly.
"You may certainly accompany me to the Whispering Cave and gather your moss, but I'm afraid it's forbidden for you to observe the ceremony itself." Ravenwing told him.
The sandy brown tom shrugged and stood up as Ravenwing did the same. They walked together towards the cave, which was quite near-by. It was eerily quiet in the dusk light, and cold in the cave. Brackenpaw started tearing moss, and Ravenwing stretched her claws and sliced off a large swath he couldn't quite reach. He smiled at her and she winked. Working together , they soon had a large ball. "I think you have plenty. Now I need to get my name. Tell Aurorastar when you get back, will you?" Brackenpaw nodded, as he had a big wad of moss in his jaws. Turning away, she laid at the back of the cave and closed her eyes, willing herself to sleep.
Ravenwing opened her eyes as a warm breeze ruffled her fur. But instead of the cold dark walls of the Whispering Cave, she found herself in a starlit clearing, alone. Not knowing what to do, she sat up and waited. After several moments, she noticed starry forms materializing in front of her. She dug her claws into the ground as the first cats became clear; it was her sister, Ebonypaw, who had died in the forest fire as an apprentice, seasons ago. Ravenwing's heart twisted in pain. More familiar cats took shape; the sweet elder Thrushsong, who had told the best stories when Ravenwing was but Ravenkit; her father, Nightleaf, she knew only from stories, as he had died before she was born; and Tanglestar, who had been the leader before Aurorastar, losing his last life only a moon after her warrior ceremony.
A brown and cream tabby she-cat stepped forward. "Ravenwing. My name is Leafstar. I was the first leader of SkyClan, as I'm sure you know." Ravenwing did know; there were many tales of Leafstar's bravery. The black she-cat merely blinked, not knowing what to say. "I know you question our judgement in choosing you to be the first leader of FlareClan. You are pregnant, after all. But I assure you, there is no better cat to lead FlareClan than you. you have always had sound judgement, and have given up much for your Clan: your life as a kittypet, for example. We regret to have to ask you to give up more for FlareClan. Yes, I am speaking of Adderclaw. Your destinies go separate ways. Your kits will be raised in FlareClan, but always know that you will be happy with Adderclaw in StarClan, when your time as leader is over. The way will be hard, but that is the life of a warrior.
"And now, your old life will be stripped from you before you may receive the nine lives of a leader." Leafstar stepped back into the ranks of StarClan, and Ravenwing felt it as her old life melted away; she could remember the events that had happened, but it wasn't hers anymore.
Tanglestar was the first to step forward, and Ravenwing braced herself, instinctively knowing that it wouldn't be altogether pleasant. The dark brown mottled tom touched his nose to hers as he meowed, "With this life, I give you leadership. It will help you gain respect from your Clanmates." As their noses met, Ravenwing felt a bolt of energy go through her that made her dig her claws into the earth. She lifted her head higher unerringly and Tanglestar gave her a small smile meant for only her.
Ebonypaw stepped forward next with a hint of remorse in her eyes at Ravenwing's expression of pain. She had missed Ebonypaw so much, and all the grief she had felt when the apprentice had just died rushed through her again. Her sister's familiar, quiet voice made Ravenwing tremble with sadness as she mewed, "I give you a life of love. May you use it to protect each of your Clanmates as if they were your kit." Their black noses touched, and the older she-cat felt protectiveness surge through her like wave, with all the energy in the world to fight off anything that threatened any of her cats.
Third was Sharpclaw, the first deputy of SkyClan who had died before he could become leader. He gave her a life of courage. He was followed by Nightleaf, with a life of wisdom, then Leafstar, with empathy. After them was Thrushsong (Judiciousness) and a warrior she had not met before called Rockshade (responsibility). Her last life was to be given by another unfamiliar cat; a former medicine cat called Echosong.
The two black she-cats faced each other, and Echosong's nose grazed Ravenwing's. "I give you a life of acceptance; of knowing what is what, and who is who, and accepting it with all your heart." Though Ravenwing didn't quite grasp the true meaning of the life, she took it gratefully. Echosong stepped back, and meowed, "StarClan greets you by your new name; Ravenstar."
A chorus of cheering went up in the starry-furred ranks. "Ravenstar! Ravenstar! Ravenstar!" called the StarClan warriors, and she dipped her head embarassedly.
"Ravenstar, before you leave us, let me show you something." said Ebonypaw, guiding her sister with a long tail to a small pool of water. Instead of a reflection of the stars above, Ravenstar saw something else entirely. In the pool, as a slightly blurred image, stood Lightningpaw. It looked to be late-afternoon, as the light of the sun lit up the den she appeared in, turning everything a shade of gold. The apprentice looked older, and was sniffing at some dried leaves on the floor of the den. Frowning, she pushed some of the leaves to one side, and the rest she flicked out the mouth of the den with her tail. The image faded, the pool's surface turning back to mirror the light of the stars, shining cold and bright. Ebonypaw spared her sister a glance.
"Does...Does this mean that Lightningpaw is to be our medicine cat?" Ebonypaw did not answer for a moment, only stared into Ravenstar's amber eyes.
Finally, she broke the silence. "As leader, the will of StarClan is yours to interpret. Have faith in yourself." Ravenstar's surroundings started to dissolve, and the leader shouted desperately, "Wait! Don't you have some cryptic hints about who should be my deputy? Ebonypaw!"
Ravenstar's eyes snapped open, and her heart san when she saw that she was no longer in StarClan's hunting grounds, but back in the Whispering Cave. Yet Ebonypaw's scent wreathed around her, and she heard an ethereal voice whisper, "We trust you will find that out on your own...Have faith..."
A/N: Another rather wonky chapter. Also, thanks Skystorm-Amberlight and Spiritflare for reviewing! On a side note, I noticed that I totally forgot to put Jasmineflight, Nightstrike, and Sunpaw in the allegiances *facepalm*. Jasmine is in SkyClan, Nightstrike in FlareClan, and Sunpaw (Adderclaw's apprentice, if you recall) is in StoneClan. I shall put an updated allegiances up sometime later, and hopefully I'll be smart enough to include those three the second time. xD Please review guys! They make my day!