Moonrise

Chapter 6

Starclan

"Look at the stars. The kings of the past look down on us from those stars."

As the last thoughts of life ran through her head, there came the last moments of finality. There was nothing more she could do than to accept her fate. As soon as she started feeling ill in life, she began to think of what was waiting for her on the other side. With much work to do on the farm and then her unsuccessful attempt at escaping, there wasn't much time to ponder her final destination. It had never had the importance it did when she fell into eternal sleep. And even then it wasn't important. She had failed. She had lost her chance at ever being loved. She had died at her father's hands.

It was also filled with a creeping sense of terror. All her life, her parents had told her that she was going to hell, and once she started talking to Nimue they were sure of it. Nimue had changed her mind about everything. The eve of her escape she was supposed to meet her in the forest to forever renounce her parents religion and pledge to follow the old ways. But now that she really was dead…what if her parents were right? What if she really was about to spend eternity in a lake of fire? Getting tortured? Abused just as she was in life for crimes she hadn't even known she committed? But there was no way to escape whatever was coming now. She accepted it.

It was like drowning and falling asleep all at the same time. When her breathing stopped and her soul, her spirit, her consciousness became the only thing in existence, bits and pieces of her life began to flash before her mind's eye. She braced herself, even if she only was a feeling or a spirit now to see the worst parts of her miserable existence played out before her. However, it was not so. Only her best memories were shown. There were only a few, but most of them involved her telling stories to her animal friends, and Nimue. She would never see her, or anyone again after this. So she savored every moment. If she could cry tears hers would not be filled with sorrow but with joy. At least she could see them one last time.

As the images faded to black, the darkness around her began to fade into a soft twilight, the creeping of the morning sun being felt upon her face. How could that be? Though she didn't have eyes to see, the spirit somehow made vision come into focus. When she did, there was the most beautiful landscape that she had ever seen. There were fields of verdant green, dotted with wildflowers of every color. Glassy crystalline streams flowed across the land, the only thing breaking up the wild landscape. There was no lake of fire in sight. She felt something brush past her. Looking to her side, there was a horse that was rubbing shoulders with her. It's color was drained. The stallion was like a cloud. She could see past his other flank and to the landscape, his form giving off an eerie blue light. Looking out to the valley, Elizabeth or whatever was of her spirit gasped. Walking serenely, along with running, playing and jumping were spirits of animals. The ones she knew were bright blue or white, cats, dogs, sheep, horses and cattle and the like. There were others who lived in the wild, deer, bears, wolves and others who lived elsewhere in the world, great elephants to tigers, to striped herds of zebra to lions were all playing or relaxing together. All of them were purple, even animals her father said were only silly myths, dragons and unicorn could be seen on the plain. Then there were even more strange creatures. There were huge tusked elephants with long hair, mountain lions with teeth as long as a sword. Strange large lizard like beasts lumbered but serenly and happily, four legged ones with large plates along their backs and enormous two legged ones with small arms and sharp teeth. A lizard like beast the size of a castle regarded her with a stare, it's head coming to a point from its long neck. These more ancient creatures had a dull red glow to their translucent hides.

But what mesmerized her most was the sky. It was nearly twilight. There were no stars in the sky. Looking behind her was a bridge, where she had slept at the end of as if she had just come across. More and more animals were crossing over it each moment. The bridge itself was a glowing bridge of light adorned with all the colors of the rainbow, and it seemed to be made of light and water vapor just like an actual rainbow. Power and light pulsed through the bridge, and looking at it more closely revealed a solid surface, like glass. She had often heard stories of "the rainbow bridge", a bridge that all animals crossed when they died. And here it was, gleaming before her in all it's glory. Then it hit. She was in the animal afterlife? But how could that be? She was human in life. Her parents might have treated her like a stray, even to the point of being bashed with a shovel but still…she was the only human here. At least it wasn't hell. And with so many animals here, perhaps she could be happy. There were no parents to scream at her or hit her, no angry fathers, no uncaring mothers, just the animals. Like many times before in her life, she felt the small but compelling urge to get down on the ground on all fours and run with them. After all, there was no cancer to hold her back and no knee injury. She had always deep down longer to run with the deer in the forest, as if she had always had an inhuman call to the wild.

Knowing that this most likely would be her home for all eternity, she decided to explore. She had always had a curious nature and it didn't end in death. Like a cat exploring it's territory, she slowly moved through the soft tall grass and flowers. No matter which direction she went she was pulled towards the center. And it was in the center of that valley where the biggest tree that she had ever seen loomed over the animal afterlife. Within the tree was carved the shapes of many animals, it's trunk a tribute to the diversity and beauty of life. It had one trunk that split into two, but five main branches, and luckily she had learned to read just enough in life that she could make out the writing carved in the massive stems. The names were unlike anything she had ever seen. They were latin just like the church books. "Animalia, Plantae, Fungi, Bacteria.." she shook her head and looked beyond the tree.

There was a figure sitting calmly at the base of the tree of life. To her shock, it was another human. He was a tall man with handsome dark skin, wearing a stately crown of antlers. He was dressed in a green robe adorned with flowers, his smile the warmest besides Nimue that she had ever seen. Somehow, she wasn't afraid of him. He was guarding a sword embedded in a large rock. His voice, echoing across the plains washed over her like warm sunlight. "Come closer, Elizabeth. Fear not, little one." She hesitated and gulped. Every story she had ever heard of the afterlife was one of pain and suffering, and punishment for crimes committed in life. But his warm smile and voice gave her courage. Slowly being pulled towards him, the shade of the broken girl knelt at his feet. He looked like a king, and she having heard enough stories about judgement after death was taking no chances. She bowed her head in submission. His voice was warm but sad, just like Nimue's had been. "There is no need for that." Looking up at him slowly, she asked the unavoidable. "Are you an angel?" She noticed as well that she was actually able to speak, an ability which she did not have in life. Fear laced every syllable. And unlike her family's accent, she heard Nimue's thick highland brogue in her own voice.

He shook his head, his voice warm and soft. "No my dear. Those fairytales told by men do not exist in this place. There will be no judgment passed on you today. I am Merlin…." The ghost's echoing voice trailed off to a sad sigh. "Nimue's husband." Elizabeth even now could see the sadness in his eyes but her head remained low. It was just what she was taught, and even though the dark one allowed the girl to become close to her in ways that no one was, she had been taught to respect authority even at the cost of her own safety…especially towards men in power. Merlin took her incorporeal hands. "No my dear. It is I who should bow to you. The animals spoke to me of your deed. You could have been a coward. And it would have saved your life. Instead you chose their lives over yours." He sat down on a log and beckoned her to sit next to her. If she even had life, she would be blushing. Though no blood rolled through her veins now, the girl could feel her face heat up. She sat beside him, looking out into the distance at the spirits of all the animals. She let out a huff, her thoughts and eyes reaching across the plain as a realization came to the surface. "He would have done it anyway." She muttered, knowing damn well her father was just using her for labor since birth. He was just looking for an excuse. She was just a victim…how could he call her a hero? She wasn't like the heroes she knew in town, those men who marched off to war. Partially, she was still terrified of the former light one. Every man she had ever known had treated her with malice, as a matter of fact all humans did. Nimue ironically was the only one who had ever spoken a gentle word. But for some reason he didn't feel like the other men. A lot of his mannerisms towards the animals were like hers. They seemed to trust him, which to her was everything. Besides, she was dead now. What more could happen?

She asked the question that had been on her mind ever since she looked upon this gorgeous eternal landscape. "What is this place? Why aren't there any people?" Merlin smiled and spoke in a kind gentle tone. "This is Starclan, the ancestral plain of the animals. When the sun sets on an animal's time on earth, they end up here and become one of the stars. The older animals, those who lived long before us turn into red stars as time passes. The blue stars are the ones who died recently. Here, animals no longer need to survive or to work, this is a place of rest and peace. Humans or people like Nimue…and you…" he referred to her conversion to the old ways. "Call it the Summerland." Now everything made sense. There were so many stars in the sky. She could remember sitting on the roof of the barn on a clear night and attempt to spot each one. But there was still something she didn't understand. "But I'm a human. How did I…" her voice faltered.

She had always heard it said that if you treat someone like a dumb animal, soon enough you become one. Merlin spoke the words that she couldn't bear to say. "My dear…you know the truth. To others on earth, you were not human." If tears could gather, they would have welled. He was right. She had never been a human to her parents. And to the community she was less than a person. She too struggled for every scrap of existence, scavenging for food, looking for every way to survive another season. The very way her life ended, bludgeoned with a shovel like she was a garden pest spoke that truth. She also felt closer to the animals. They had been her only friends, her only family. She was one of them.

It was a few moments before Merlin spoke again. "I have been waiting for someone like you. I have been looking for a replacement. My time on earth is over. As the light one, I am also king of the animal kingdom. But a King's time as ruler rises and falls like the sun. The sun has set on my time, and now it needs to rise with a new king…or queen." She turned her head towards him if she had one, her eyes wide. Was he really saying what she thought he was saying? No, it couldn't be. Her…the new light one? Surely he didn't mean…no. She shook her head. "But I'm not…even if I was…I'm already dead…" Merlin chuckled. "On the contrary my dear, you are perfect for the role. You gave your life for the animals in your care. You have always put them first, gave them the clothes off your back and the food on your plate. You treated them with kindness and helped and spoke for those who like you didn't have a voice. All of these are qualities of a true queen. A true queen searches not for what she can take, but what she can give." He set a ghostly hand on her shoulder which at first causes her to involuntarily flinch, balking and her eyes shut and her head turned away. But instead of giving her a reason to hide, he pet her arm. Those same warm feelings flooded through her as they did with Nimue.

She didn't wish to disrespect Merlin, not because she feared him, but because she was in awe of him. However, how could she be the next light one? She was worthless. In life she was a dirty, raggedy crippled girl who'd never be pretty, only pretty pathetic. Before she died she was becoming incontinent, and she was destined to become the lowest of the low. How could she ever become queen of the animal kingdom? A powerful sorceress? And there was one final obstacle. "Merlin sir. I'm…dead."

Instead the spirit gave her a soft and sad look. He took her ghostly hands in hers. "There is a way. Nimue is trying to resurrect you. But you are right. The herald of life needs to be alive herself. Sadly, your human body is too far gone to remain alive. Humans have only one life. But that is not the same..for cats." A realization just clicked. Though she would never admit this to anyone out of fear of retribution and being abused even further, sometimes she could hear the animals voices inside her head. Whether it was real or a product of a child's imagination combined with dawning insanity, she swore she could hear the cats talking about their clan leaders, how each received nine lives when they became rulers. "You mean I'm to become a.." Merlin nodded. "Yes. You will be an imp like Nimue, but you will be combined with a cat. You will become a cat demon, an imp who is partially feline. This serves the light one well. My animal form as the horned one was a deer, but the cat also serves well. Cats are the kings and queens of each food chain they inhabit. They are always the apex predators. And man has always thought of lions as being the kings of the beasts."

Merlin gestured towards a pool of water that has collected at their feet. Elizabeth looked into the water. The reflection was her own at first. But as ripples spread across the surface, a lioness stared back at her. With each ripple, it showed a different species of cat. A domestic long haired cat, a leopard, a cheetah, a saber toothed cat, a mountain lion, a panther, and then finally back to the lioness with the golden fur, the domestic long hair, and then the strangest reflection. She was her humanlike self again, but something was happening to her skin. Her pale skin was slowly being replaced with golden glittering flecks. Nimue's skin was now her own, only the tone of her golden skin was tawny like the coat of a lion or a golden domestic cat. Her golden skin spread from her heart outwards, soon spreading across her face until her entire coat sparkled in the light of the pool, glittering in the starlight of the thousands of passed on animals. A long fluffy tail spread out from her bottom and replacing her human ears, two tawny feline ears sprung through her auburn hair. Her fingernails became claws.

Merlin spoke again. "The cats during your life gave you the name of Goldenheart. From this day on, to the animal kingdom you will take the name of Goldenstar, as is proper for a feline leader. You will represent the sun and will guide the seasons and life on earth." A wave of new courage went through her, a new sense of pride. Confidence was felt for the first time in any life. Looking up from the pool she saw nine cats of different species approaching the tree of life. Merlin spoke again in his kingly voice. "As a clan leader you will receive nine lives. The kings and queens of the past…bestow the new queen her lives." She didn't know why she did so, but her spirit bowed and head craned out of respect. A lion approached, a huge male with a reddish mane who now glowed blue with new starlight. "I, Mufasa, give you your first life and power as queen. You will become queen of our kingdom and will have power over all the creatures. From the crawling ant to the leaping antelope, you will become one with the circle of life." The spirit of the lion jumped at her, and for a moment she felt fear, but soon felt an explosion of warmth inside of her as the spirit jumped into her. A feeling of power soared through her veins. She opened her mouth and let out a powerful roar as the image of the savannah spread out before her mind's eye. She had power over it all, but also had the responsibility of a ruler to protect the pride. She felt a kinship to all creatures, a sudden connection to every animal she saw. They were her family. And it was her job to lead, not to oppress.

A snow leopard approached next, soft and full furred as she was in life, her crystalline eyes meeting hers. "I Nyeing-Je give you your second life and compassion. You will need it many years into your reign to fulfill your destiny." The spirit of the leopard rose up to jump within her as Mufasa's had done. As the spirit of the leopard rose up within her, she felt a surge of painful warmth for each animal on the plain, what she felt for poor Moonpelt. Their sadness became hers, and all she wanted to do was use her powers to give. A panther paced forward. "I, Bagheera, give you your third life and wisdom, wisdom of your subjects and the wisdom needed to choose between paths. You will need it all one day to make a hard decision." As the spirit of Bagheera went into her body, thoughts raced through her mind, of taxonomy, of species, flashes before her eyes showing her migration patterns, anatomy of different animals, the right way to turn on each, breeding grounds, habits, and it nearly felt overwhelming. Not only did she instantly know what she saw, but somehow understood it. She understood how they evolved, why they did what they did, and their relationship to each other. A long haired domestic cat paced forward. "I, Yellowfang, give you your fourth life and protection. You will protect those you love with ferocity." As the spirit of the cat jumped into her, she suddenly felt a surge of righteous and ferocious anger, and she recognized that feeling from when her father threatened to hurt innocent animals. She suddenly felt like a mother cat guarding a litter who hid under her, and she bared her new fang like teeth and hissed.

The cats continued to come forward, each spirit melding into hers with each life they gave, along with the gifts they gave. The tiger gave her courage with her fifth life. The lynx gave her connection to the motherland with her sixth life, so that she would become of her mother's ancestry. The sabor toothed cat gave her the ability to look deep into the past with her seventh life, giving her the ability to see in deep time through the eyes of loving things. The cheetah gave her tenacity and endurance to handle the pain that would come with her immortal life of sickness. Then Merlin turned towards her with a soft and proud smile. That smile of his filled her with pride. It was like nothing she could do could disappoint him. She had always been seen as a disappointment in life, and for the first time a father figure looked into her eyes with pride. She knelt before him, her ears tucked low and her tail curled around her. "I, Merlin give you your ninth life and the mantle of the light one. With your ninth life I give you love and loyalty for the dark one as their child. The love I had for my dark one will now be yours. In life you will regress in age, and in time you will become dependent on them. You will love and take care of one another."

Happiness flooded her. And hope. Nimue was going to be her mother after all. Warmth and love and innocence flooded into her all at once. There was an overwhelming desire to go back, to live on so she could be with her. Looking up at Merlin, the new imp grinned as Merlin placed a hand on her cheek. His spirit began to melt into hers. A feeling of warmth and love surged as she remembered Nimue's kindness as the attachment to her grew. Her heart ached to be with her. She ached to see her again, to hear her voice, even her very breath. His voice now spoke inside of her along with the voice of each cat that had melded within her. The animals of Starclan, thousands, millions of them, surrounded her in a circle and bowed their heads. She faced the sword in the stone as the voices echoed within her. "Take the sword, light one. Claim your place as queen. Horned one, the sun, the great lion. Take your place in the circle of life." Her spirit humming with nervous excitement and determination for what she must do, she grabbed the handle of Excalibur and pulled. It was as if the sword was never encased. It slid out easily. It had no point, as if it was broken.

Looking down at the blade, a name was inscribed in intricate brandishing on either side of the sword. On one side of the blade "Goldenstar" was inscribed, and "Elizabeth" was engraved on the other. Suddenly, the imp felt pain where there had been none before. Her spirit seemed to become more solid. She felt the instinct to go to the rainbow bridge and follow it. Her clawed foot took one step upon its surface, and everything turned black.

She felt herself gasp for air, sucking in air as she took one breath after another and her eyes opened to a yellow sun rising over the Pridelands. "She's alive! S..she is alive!!" Nimue cried out in triumph, her voice laced with tears and joy. She heard a male's silky voice saying with determination. "It is time."