Flarestripe looked over the clan through the entrance as Palefoot said goodbye to Peachstump, kneading her claws into the ground. Why couldn't he hurry up so they could get on with it? She was exhausted from the day's events, eyes tired from grief and the knowledge that she was now the new leader of ShadowClan. The speeches she had to give wearied her out. When he padded out of camp she flicked her tail in an attempt to get him to hurry up. Palefoot shook his white rear paw as he walked up, holding some travelling herbs.
"Are you ready?" he asked, looking at her and dropping the herbs at her paws.
She sighed, eating the herbs quickly, "No…but let's get it over with."
The walk to Mothermouth was silent, with a cool wind ruffling their pelts.
"How's WindClan?" Flarestripe tried to break the quiet night.
"I dunno," Palefoot replied, looking across the moor, "I'll see Sprucestripe and Hazelpaw in a few days, so I can ask them."
Flarestripe just nodded, not paying much attention.
"Oh, look. WindClan patrol." Palefoot stopped Flarestripe to look at three cats headed towards them.
'Great, it's them.' she grumbled to herself.
Tuskfang, Gorgeclaw, and Tempestfur. They always seemed to hang out together.
"Hey!" Tempestfur shouted, "What are you doing on WindClan territory?"
"We're travelling to the Moonstone," Palefoot replied simply.
"And you think that gives you the right to trespass on our territory?" Tempestfur remarked, stepping closer towards the medicine cat.
"Tempestfur, enough." Tuskfang shooed her out of the way. "It's a deputy and a medicine cat. Do you really think they're here to harm us?" Tempestfur rolled her eyes, but complied. "You never know," she whispered under her breath.
"So, what are you doing on WindClan's territory?" Tuskfang asked calmly
Flarestripe looked him in the eyes, "I won."
Tuskfang instantly knew what that meant. "I see. I'm really sorry to hear that. Tempestfur, Gorgeclaw, let's head back to camp." Gorgeclaw followed his deputy, looking quite confused, and Tempestfur just looked angry. Nevertheless, the patrol left them alone.
"What was that all about?" Palefoot asked Flarestripe. Flarestripe shrugged, "Something we made up seasons ago." she just explained, then kept speaking quicker "It was at a gathering. I'm surprised he remembered it. I-I'm…surprised I remembered it.."
"Okay," Palefoot shrugged, and Flarestripe stopped talking about it.
They finished the journey in silence after that.
Mothermouth was dark as starless night. Palefoot flicked his tail, urging her to go first. Her mouth felt dry as she entered the cave. The eeriness felt overwhelming to her. The cold, dusty air, the darkened walls of stone; how could the medicine cats go to this place every half moon? Something touched her flank, and she turned around claws unsheathed. It was just Palefoot. He backed up, embarrassed. "Sorry. Just trying to cheer you up. I-I know it's dark and dreary here."
Flarestripe smiled in relief. At least it was nothing dangerous. The rest of the walk went smoothly. It was nice to have a friend while traversing the caverns. Maybe that's what made half moon meetings more durable. A bright light caught her gaze, and she quickly closed her eyes before opening them with a squint. The Moonstone! It was a lot brighter than she remembered it as an apprentice.
"Welcome to the Moonstone, Flarestripe," Palefoot stepped forwards towards her, bowing his head and moving his tail to showcase the mystical crystal. Its blue gaze flooded the entire cavern, turning even Palefoot's black pelt into a shiny silver. Padding closer, she sniffed it. There were small, star shapes carved into its surface. Did twolegs do this? It was a cool detail.
"Go on. Touch it." Palefoot whispered encouragingly, pressing his muzzle onto the stone. His eyes closed and in a moment his body dropped to the floor. His chest was moving up and down rhythmically, so at least he was alive. Although hesitant, she did the same.
In an instant she was falling, a choking void surrounding her. Her paws flailed aimlessly as she fell. A warmth soon made its presence across her back. Twisting her body she turned her paws towards the light to face it. Eyes closed, she prepared herself. An instant later, light took out the darkness she saw. Opening her eyes again, a bright forest surrounded her. Thick evergreen pines casted cool shadows to give shelter from the sun. It was like greenleaf here. She shook her head to gather her senses. The form of Palefoot startled her.
"What happened? Where in StarClan are we?"
"In StarClan of course!" a young but mature sounding voice warmed her heart instantly. Could it be..?
A brown tabby tom made his way to the both of them. He had dark brownish-ginger stripes and a carefree grin.
"Tigerpaw?!" Flarestripe and Kindleroot's lost brother, Tigerpaw, looked nothing like the mauled corpse she had last seen of him.
"Welcome to StarClan! Congrats on becoming leader!" he mewed cheerfully. It was a bittersweet reunion; she didn't realise the leadership ceremony would be so emotional.
"Are you ready?" he asked. Flarestripe stepped back. Her heart raced in her chest as she thought of the answer.
"She is." Palefoot responded for her, giving a nod towards her. She shot daggers at him, but he simply shrugged. "You'll never be ready for leadership. No cat is." he whispered.
"Alright, let's get started!" Tigerpaw declared. He sniffed her fur before putting his nose atop her head. "With this life, I give you confidence. Having a good sense of yourself is vital in becoming a good leader to your clan. It's how you gain respect. I have full confidence you will use it wisely."
Flarestripe felt her heart ache and her body hurt, until it felt lighter and suddenly she felt better. What was this feeling of weightlessness? It was like she had no worries about herself or anycat else.
Tigerpaw gave a chuckle before stepping back. Tigerpaw…I missed him so much. Flarestripe thought.
The brown tabby stepped back, and a ginger she cat with a long, dark ginger tail stepped forwards, sitting down.
"Greetings, Flarestripe," Ambertail said.
"Hello," Flarestripe replied. Ambertail was her kin; Fleetclaw's sister. She had died a few moons back during leafbare. "What's my kin up to these days?" Ambertail asked, an expectant glare focused on Flarestripe. The deputy thought of Peachstump devastated with Foxfire and the other queens comforting her, and of grumpy old Shadetail being a thorn in her side by crossing the WindClan border out of something akin to spite. "...Good..the death of EagleStar has hit everycat hard today."
Ambertail nodded. "Of course, of course….I wish I hadn't died to stupid greencough, then I could come down there and smack some sense into these cats."
"I know!" Flarestripe couldn't help but feel comforted, "Shadetail hunted a rabbit on WindClan territory during the past moon."
Ambertail laughed a little, rolling her eyes, "If only I could be there. I would've ripped him a new one! Ridiculous furball. I can't wait to see him to tell him what I think!" Ambertail smiled. Flicking her tail, she sat up and put her nose on her head. "With this life, I give you a life of humour. Don't be afraid to act informally towards your clanmates. You're the same cat as you have been for all these seasons."
Flarestripe found her lungs heaving in agony, and urging her to breathe. It felt like she was drowning, yet the tickling was such a good feeling to have. When had she last felt this sense of laughter and carefree joy?
Ambertail stepped back, nodding."Tell them I said hello," she told her as she walked towards Tigerpaw's side.
Coughing to recover, Flarestripe saw a pale grey tabby tom staring distantly at her. He looked familiar, but his strong stance and young looks made it difficult to figure out.
"Do you know where I could be, young kit?" he asked.
"Uh…." Flarestripe was now confused, "StarClan?"
The tom looked at her more directly, his gaze locked onto her. She felt uncomfortable again.
"You are Flarestripe. Once Flarepaw and even before Flarekit. I have seen your birth, apprenticed you to Dusteye, and now I see you becoming leader. I never thought it possible." the tom explained.
"AshStar…?"Flarestripe guessed. AshStar was the former leader of ShadowClan before EagleStar.
"Exactly," AshStar affirmed. "With this life I give you acceptance," he put his nose onto her head, hardly needing to reach. This was nothing like the old, fragile leader she last remembered. "Use this life to never look back. Accept your successes, and failures, with stride. Always move forwards," he said this with a dark expression clouding his light blue gaze. She wanted to avert her eyes, but was unable to even move her eyes, let alone her head. It even began to hurt. AshStar moved back, and suddenly she was able to move again. Glancing at Palefoot, she saw the medicine cat glancing back at her,
"You're doing great. Just keep at it." he murmured.
The fourth cat was a dark black tom with dark blue eyes. He looked especially happy to see Palefoot.
"Palefoot! How's my favourite medicine cat doing? I've missed you." The tom nuzzled his muzzle into Palefoot's chest.
"Hey, dad. I've missed you too!" Palefoot responded, licking his father's head. He sounded a little embarrassed. Turning his head, the black cat stepped up to Flarestripe,
"Good evening, Flarestripe. I'm proud to be giving a life at a warrior's leader ceremony," Ravenclaw, the tom's name, purred.
"So," Ravenclaw put his nose atop her head, "I give you a life of love. You now have to take care of every cat in your clan, which includes elders, kits, queens, those who are not your kin. You must take care of all of them at the cost of all your lives. That's what being a warrior is about, right?" Ravenclaw smirked by the end of his spiel. Her chest struck her in agony, and she had to cough violently. Yet, despite the pain and the smell of blood it was a warm feeling of happiness. The pain soon faded leaving her only with the warmth and a good feeling in her chest. Ravenclaw stepped back and nodded happily, like he had caught a good piece of prey.
After Ravenclaw there was a spotted dark grey she cat. Her light amber eyes sparked a sense of rested relief.
"Juniperspots, hello." Palefoot spoke, greeting the she cat. Of course; this was his former mentor.
"Greetings, both of you," she gave a slight nod. "I'm proud of the cats you've both become."
Putting her nose on her head, she started, "With this life I gave you good health. Being a leader is stressful, and as a medicine cat I implore you to keep a mind on any ailments you may have, physical or otherwise," energy once lost was restored to Flarestripe. The ceremony was halfway done, thankfully. Perhaps this life was also to help me endure this ceremony, Flarestripe theorised inwardly. Juniperspots stepped back politely, nodded her head one last time, and headed towards the other cats.
The sixth cat was a bit of a surprise. Sagebark! This cat had been a father to her when she was a kit! She padded up to him, sniffing his starry fur.
"Hello, Flarestripe. Good to see you," his scratchy voice was a nice reminder of her kithood.
"G-Good to see you too." she stepped forwards to feel his fur.
"I hope you've been doing well, and I'm proud that you became deputy. I hope you're proud of yourself too."
"I..yeah, sure." Sagebark put his muzzle on her forehead,
"That's great! You can do anything you put your mind to. I give you the life of resolve. Use what you have to achieve your goals, and remember your abilities. Everycat is stronger than they think. We have the power to overcome anything." Flarestripe felt her muscles tighten, feeling like they could bring her down, but it never happened. Instead, it seemed to bring her sitting more straight. Sagebark looked down at his paws, as if thinking of a painful memory. But he looked back up at her in a heartbeat.
"I know you're scared, but the clan'll have your back, don't worry." he gave her a warm smile, and padded off to the side with the other cats. Tigerpaw welcomed him openly with glee.
How is resolve different from confidence? Flarestripe thought as Sagebark left.
Batshine, an elder similar to Ambertail, replaced him. The black ticked she cat dipped her head low.
"Good evening, and welcome to StarClan." She greeted them quietly, her eyes shifting awkwardly.
"I never thought I'd be here, heh. Ravenclaw's been a huge help in showing me around..I've never had to do this before, am I doing it right?" she asked Flarestripe.
Palefoot gave her a reassuring nod, so Batshine continued,
"With this life I give you far-sightedness. Not every cat lives in a clan, and the ability to see past origins for the good of the clans is what makes a good leader. Without this, many good cats may not have been born. Remember this when making decisions." Batshine licked Flarestripe's forehead, and stalked off to Ravenclaw without a word. Flarestripe's head was throbbing, the images of the entire forest seemed to fill her mind, then, like a bird, expanded towards highstones, the twoleg places, and some gorge..? The headache went away, but the toll was exhausting.
The second to last cat was the former deputy, Mudstream. He was a grey and brown tabby tom with green eyes. The tabby dipped his head politely as he sat down.
"Very nice to see you, Flarestripe." he greeted
"Hello Mudstream," Flarestripe repeated, a tad awkwardly. "I-I'm sorry it's not you being made leader instead of me. You probably would make a better leader–"
"I never expected to see you becoming the new deputy, but I think EagleStar made a good choice." Mudstream explained. "I mean, I'd rather not be dead, y'know, but…" he shook his head and put his nose to her head, staring her in the eyes, "I give you a life of protection. The promises made when becoming a warrior are not to be taken lightly, even in leadership. You must be prepared to die for this clan, all nine of them. That was the oath we both took and, when I had to, I defended our clan to the death. You have more lives than your fellow clanmates. Use them to save their lives when needed. Do you understand?" Mudstream's mew was intense, as if thinking of his own death. The anguish of dying ached her bones, but she had to continue to stand under his gaze. She felt on the brink of death, still clinging to life.
"I-yes, I understand," she panted. She wanted this to end as soon as possible now.
"Good," Mudstream replied curtly. Then, he turned to Palefoot. "Watch my son for me, will you? He needs your guidance, and I would hate for him to turn down the wrong path."
"Uhhhhh, yeah. No problem. Wasn't I already doing that?" Pale answered, confused. Mudstream didn't seem to hear, or he was just satisfied as he took his place amongst the seven other cats.
Finally, EagleStar appeared. He looked the same as she saw him last night…only with stars in his fur. It made her feel pangs of grief and emotions she couldn't define. Acceptance? Dismay? He really is dead, and I am here. Getting my nine lives.
EagleStar looked sombre as he approached. His eyes conveyed tiredness. "Thank you for being my deputy," he meowed, dipping his head to her. She did the same. With that, he put his head atop of hers,
"With this life, I give you apprehension. Use it when you make decisions. Rashness is not something a leader can have. You may have nine lives, but those can disappear within a few moons if one isn't careful. Please, treat each life like it's your last. Do as much as you can for yourself, and the clan." This life felt like a stone in her belly. Suddenly, flashes of blood, fur, and an ominous figure looking down at her bombarded her vision. Is this what EagleStar saw while he was dying? she thought.
He lifted his head and looked into Flarestripe's eyes,
"I now hail you by your new name, FlareStar. Your old life is no more. You have now received the nine lives of a leader, and StarClan grants you the guardianship of ShadowClan..Defend it well; care for young and old, honour your ancestors and the traditions of the warrior code, and live each life with pride and dignity."
"FlareStar! FlareStar!" the crowd of StarClan cats chanted. Flarestripe felt so embarrassed at this; not that it wasn't an honour, it just felt so overwhelming the pelt under her felt like it was on fire.
"Wait! EagleStar! Who killed you?" she breathed, but the ceremony was already coming to a close. The choking darkness from before started to engulf her vision, and as she struggled to breathe in it the forests of StarClan vanished, and she woke up with a start.
The trip back to the WindClan moor was silent as the wind. Flarestri-ar. FlareStar. That was her name now. It was strange to think again. It was certainly a change from simply being 'Flarestripe'. But, even after her ceremony, she was still her. She was still Flare, so to speak.
"FlareStar…Flare-Star." She repeated it to herself a couple of times.
"Hey," Palefoot said calmly, "Are you doing alright?"
"Yeah, it's just strange." FlareStar admitted. "It feels unreal."
Palefoot dipped his head slightly, "I understand how you feel," he explained, "It's like getting apprenticed, or earning your warrior name. It's sort of like a stepping stone. I mean…this is more of a specialised stone to step." he paused for a moment, looking around a bit awkwardly, "Lots of cats could've been chosen, but you were. You should be, uh.." Proud of yourself? I know, but I'm not. She thought. The lingering feeling of anxiety felt heavier on her. Why wasn't she proud of herself? What did she even do to deserve deputyship? I should have asked when I had the chance! She groaned at the thought.
"Oh, look! Tuskfang." Palefoot spotted the WindClan deputy sitting by the border between ShadowClan and WindClan. Sure enough, the brown tabby was there, prey in paw. She approached him.
"Here you go, as promised," Tuskfang pushed a large rabbit towards her. "It was the biggest, freshest on the pile." he dipped his head down to the ground exaggeratingly.
She accepted the rabbit, "Thank you, Tuskfang. You truly are a noble and honourable warrior." She copied the gesture. Tuskfang chuckled, "You better return the favour when it's my turn," and winked.
"What are we going to say about the rabbit?" Palefoot whispered as she said goodbye to Tuskfang.
She had thought of that. "We just caught it on our territory on the way back. That's reasonable enough."
"Hmm, yes, I suppose you're right. Sound logic." Palefoot concluded.
Jaguarpelt and Houndheart were guarding the camp when they finally arrived back. They both dipped their heads in respect.
"Welcome back," Houndheart looked up at the pair.
"FlareStar." Jaguarpelt muttered solemnly. FlareStar said nothing, still holding the rabbit, but nodded her head in acknowledgement.
The clan was still holding vigil. Peachstump was still sitting by EagleStar, with her kits sleeping beside her. Splashpaw was sitting next to a sleeping Sparkpaw and Marshpaw. Nightwing and Frostfang were sitting nearby. The rest of the apprentices were sitting next to their mentors. Kindleroot was at the front of the Clanrock, along with Dusteye, Goldtalon, and Clawleap.
"Hey there," Clawleap greeted her groggily. "How'd it go?"
"Good." she simply said. Bunging down on the ground, she leapt up onto the Clan's rock.
"Let all cats old enough to lurk in the shadows, gather around the Shaderock for a clan meeting!" she called. Her clanmates woke themselves up to gather around.
"I have gone to the Moonstone to receive my nine lives," she told the clan.
"FlareStar! FlareStar!" one cat called. Soon, the rest followed. FlareStar gave a weary smile. At least they approved of her.
"Now, I say these words before the body and spirit of EagleStar, so he may hear and approve my choice. Kindleroot shall be the new deputy of ShadowClan."
It was an easy choice. He was always there to help her, especially during the early days of her deputyship. Everyday he would take the dawn patrol out.
"Thank you," Kindleroot replied, taking his place on the rock. "I have always looked after this clan, and will continue to do what is best for it. As the new deputy I assure you, this new era of ShadowClan will be the greatest thus far. EagleStar's slaughter will not be in vain! We will avenge him and wage war against all who oppose us!" The clan cheered in response, with Birchfur, Houndheart, Jaguarpelt, and Littlepaw being the loudest supporters.
FlareStar felt taken aback by her brother's…rather intense speech, but she felt she made the right choice. They would solve this mystery no matter what. Jumping off the rock, the rest of the night was spent in vigil for the fallen clan leader.