Chapter 22: Silentium Ostreum
My powers have been expanding. It wasn't that I didn't expect them to grow over time, but they were growing exponentially. I could feel it. The origin of that growth was obvious. My own companions were the source. Their belief in me and my power fed into me. In vice versa, my gifting of powers led to me unintentionally feeding my companions powers. Like a muscle, the constant use strengthened it even more. My companions felt the growth and their faith increased. It was a self-fueling cycle.
Another unintended side effect of my growth was only visible in my cloud theory. My soul no longer was just a ball of life. Instead, my soul appeared to be its own cloud with a core of dense life. I could feel my companions within my cloud. In fact, I could feel everything in camp. It was like I was the camp itself. I felt everything here. It also felt extremely soft and pliable to me. This place was bound to my soul. It was my domain. At that realization, something seemed to have solidified. My cloud no longer loosely billowed, but instead it clung tightly to my creations radially. My companions must have felt it too because every cat in comp seemed to have received an energy boost. They also stole appreciative glances at me.
With my new powers, I decided to try something. I wanted to clone part of my memories. It was working, but it was also migraine inducing. Cats were never meant to hold two copies of the exact same memory together. My solution was to shunt the memories into a growth I created, a second tail. It wrapped around my first and didn't actually connect to my brain. It in a way was a vine with a very basic brain filled with my chosen memories. Finally, I was able to create two copies of my chosen memories. These copies would save me some time in the long run. I called Northpaw and Shellpaw to me.
"Northpaw, Shellpaw, I wish to offer you something. I desire for you two to lead two new subfactions I'm creating. With these factions, you'll need skills and powers unique to us leaders. Teaching you the normal way could take seasons. Instead, I came up with an alternative."
I turned my second tail into two balls of memories. They flickered faintly with the images of the memories I wanted to share.
"These are my memories of making our camp, my philosophies on leadership, how to create and share powers, and how to forge a soul. I am giving you the capability to do all I can do, just to a somewhat lesser extent."
Northpaw looked at me with awe and apprehension. Shellpaw looked at me with suspicion.
"What is the catch?" Asked Shellpaw.
"The catch is that this is a permanent commitment. You are promising to work beneath me as a leader. You'll be responsible for the wellbeing of many cats. Their failures and successes would be yours. You'd be shackled to a duty your faction is assigned. For right now, that would be recruitment and expansion. I'd be putting a lot of trust in you, but you'd be putting a lot of trust in me. This is a big decision."
Northpaw looked at me cautiously, but ultimately, he held out his paw.
"I trust you and what you see in me. I want to do this for you for all you've done for me."
I saw Northpaw take in my memories, and he seemed to rapidly age. He was no longer a kit. The memories filled and aged his soul. He was now a handsome tom. That hesitance from his apprenticehood was still faintly there, but also a quiet confidence was there. He looked like the leader I was training him to be.
My eyes shifted to Shellpaw.
"Are you willing to accept my memories?"
That suspicion she was known for seemed to have died down a bit. Despite that, she wasn't the type to just let me shackle her freely.
"Fine, but on a couple conditions. One, Patch sticks with me. Two, I choose who I recruit. Three, I am not your mindless minion."
I chuffed amused. "I wouldn't dream of separating you and Patch. You're your own leader. If you want, you can consider us allied factions. How you choose to expand your faction and what you do is up to you. Now, we have something to present to the rest of the clan. Come."
Soon I was standing on my boulder again, but this time I raised two boulders of equal height. Northpaw stood on one while Shellpaw stood on the other.
"It is time to unite once again under our stars." I yowled out.
Soon every cat in camp was below watching the proceedings.
"Today marks the beginning of something new for us. Today, two brave cats have become leaders of their own. This is a time of change. These two shall become the leaders of our first constellations."
I created a bridge to Northpaw's boulder. Soon I was nose to nose with him.
"Northpaw. You're a cat who's overcome his past and become a true leader. I was not wrong to name you Northpaw. Today he steps forth to guide others. You've completed your training. In honor of your nature and to match your namesake, I now name you Northstar."
In a brilliant flash, a star appeared upon his head symbolizing his new position. In an odd twist, it was colored the same orange as the orange on my pelt. He stood with pride.
"Northstar. Please name your constellation and select a cat as your second."
Northpaw stood considerate before responding. "My constellation will be named Silentium. My second will be Potentpaw."
With that, he created a star and threw it into the sky. The star was orange like his star marking. Down below, Potentpaw seemed to have aged a bit from the experience. Northstar raised Potentpaw to his side.
"Congratulations Northstar and Potentpaw of Silentium. May your constellations shine brightly and prosper. It is now your duty to promote Potentpaw into a warrior when you feel he is ready Northstar."
My attention shifted to Shellpaw.
"Shellpaw. You are a cat who has had a hard life and has learned the virtues of figuring things out on your own. Through your time here, you've learned when to accept help of others and when to do things on your own. You've completed your training. In honor of your resilience and beauty, I name you Shellstar."
Just like Northstar, a flash occurred. On her head manifested a star marking, but the color instead matched Patch.
"Shellstar. Please name your constellation and select a cat as your second."
Shellstar was ready. "Our constellation will be named Ostreum. My second is Patch."
Patch was lifted onto Shellstar's boulder. She created a star of her own. Its color matched her pelt star. She held it for Patch to touch before throwing it. Instead of staying as one, it split halfway up into two and settled. This must have been her way to say she acknowledged Patch as a full warrior.
"Congratulations Shellstar and Patch of Ostreum. May your constellation shine brightly and prosper. The constellations may stay until they feel ready. Their goal is to grow and teach more lost cats here the way of the Unseen Stars. We will always support them, but they are a faction of their own. With that, this meeting is drawn to a close."
The two boulders under the new leaders sunk back into the ground leaving the rest of my companions to congratulate them. A smile tugged at my lips for this new beginning. I also felt something else. The faith in me surged. It felt like I just had an adrenaline surge from a fight, except it didn't fade over time. In their celebration, the rest of my companions shrugged it off as excitement, but I knew the truth. This new beginning strengthened the Unseen Stars in more ways than one.