Lilacsong's Leader Ceremony

Smallbean sat to the side of the medicine den, pawing through stacks of herbs he no longer struggled to identify. Although he would usually put a good deal of concentration and effort into herb-sorting, today his paws were jittery and his mind was racing. The amount of how often he felt this way was beginning to increase, and it made him feel uncomfortable. He wasn't great at identifying his own emotions, nor was he any better at explaining them, but he had a feeling that feeling nervous like this was something he despised.

Although he was constantly thinking about many things, one topic in specific echoed about his mind louder than the others. It was a mix of two things, the main one being the loss of their leader, the second one being a duty he had to carry out later that night. Olivestar had gone missing not long ago, along with Morningdove. They had presumably left together, but it was so... odd. It seemed so out of character for Olivestar to just leave like that. Perhaps she had Windclan's interest in mind? No matter the reason, the loss of their leader hit Smallbean hard. He didn't know the she-cat well, but he knew that Olivestar had been Wildflower's mentor, and the fact that his late daughter had been able to reach warriorhood meant more to him than the world. No matter where Olivestar now was, he was eternally grateful to her. If only he could have told her that before she left. A hint of melancholy lingered in his eyes as his thoughts faded with the disappearance of the sun rays that peeked through the cracks of the den roof. He noticed the lack of light and decided that it would be good to check the positioning of the sun to know when he should be ready to welcome Lilacsong.

Turning away from the herb piles that sat in front of him, he leaned forward just enough to peek his head out of the den entrance. He fixed his uncertain gaze on the setting sun, it's pale, red-orange rays providing little warmth against the cold leaf-bare winds. It was barely a claw mark above the horizon. Pulling his head back in with a shiver, he estimated that he had but a few moments before Lilacsong would be approaching the medicine den. Lilacsong had been chosen as Windclan's next leader, as Maplewhisker had to step down as deputy. He had high hopes for the younger she-cat, but it was a matter of if Starclan would gift her the nine lives. An uncertain look crossed his face as he began to put away his herb stacks and re-arrange the moss in the extra nests. He touched his nose to the moss in each one to be sure that they were still soft and smelling okay, and to his delight, they were. Now all that was left to do was wait for Lilacsong and another warrior to arrive. Worry evident in his gaze, he padded to the den entrance and waited patiently, wrapping his tail around his small paws.

When he saw the two cats approaching the den, he eagerly ran forward to meet them, trying to make sure they felt welcome. "Erm.. How has your night served you? Well, i hope?" He awkwardly choked out the words, walking alongside them into the medicine den. He was unsure as to why he felt so nervous. This was ultimately just like a moonstone dream for apprentices, but for some reason he felt a lot more pressure to do well for this dream over any others. Gesturing toward the nests, he spoke again. "You can pick a nest to sleep in. As far as i know, all you have to do is sleep, and Starclan will visit you in your dreams." He stepped back and out of the way like he would for apprentices during their Starclan dreams. Turning toward the herb piles, he silently debated whether he should sort herbs or simply watch as Lilacsong slept. He soon decided he would just sort herbs, but to sty alert in case Lilacsong needed him.

As Lilacsong approached the medicine den, Smallbean came to welcome her, and she gave a slight smile. "I am doing as well as I can be, Smallbean. Thank you." The medicine cat apprentice was extremely nervous by the looks of it, and Lilacsong had to commend his ability to somewhat maintain his composure. As she went to lie down in a nest, she looked at the tom. "You don't have to worry, you know. I am still just a cat, I have not changed. Just relax some." And with those words, she lied down to sleep.

When she awoke, she was in the same place she was as an apprentice when she spoke to Aspenheart. And yet it was so different. She was surrounded by what seemed to be all of StarClan, all gazing expectantly at her. Some of the cats she recognized, but others were completely foreign. She couldn't help but look for Olivestar among them, and she didn't know if she was relieved or disappointed when she was not there. She really had left the Clan.

The first cat to step out from the crowd was like a ghost of the past. Lilacsong had not known her parents long, they passed when she was a kit, and Olivestar and Zinnia had adopted her. But the pull of familiarity was so strong that she could know this was her mother if she had her eyes closed.

Spottedfrost stepped out from the crowd of StarClan cats, admiring the warrior her daughter had become. ”You’ve grown up to be so beautiful, Lilacsong. Olivestar and Zinnia did such a good job raising you. I just wish I could have been a better mother for you” She let out a shuddering sigh, almost as if she was crying. Lilacsong didn’t even know that was a thing. Weren’t StarClan cats supposed to be at peace with this stuff?

The spotted tabby padded forward, standing in front of her daughter. With a deep breath, she spoke once again, her voice unwavering. ”With this life, I give you courage. The right choice is not always easy to make, but you must be brave enough to make it.” She rested her nose upon her daughter’s head, sending a wave of agony through Lilacsong as she did so, with the pain of the hottest flame searing through her.

Lilacsong had to catch her breath as she righted herself, looking back to her mother as she spoke once more. ”I am so sorry I was not there for you, Lilacsong. But not a day went by that I was not watching over you. I am so proud of the cat you have become, and I know you will make a wonderful leader.”

As she melted back into the crowd, Spottedfrost nuzzled the next cat to approach, and Lilacsong knew that he was her father. She remembered even less about Cloudfern than she did her mother, and she was not fully sure what to think as he approached. ”Lilacsong...” He began nervously, and she eased the tension by embracing him, feeling as he relaxed significantly. Stepping back, she allowed him to continue.

”With this life, I give you determination. Whatever you do, do it with confidence, and never back down. Never let yourself waiver.” Another wave of pain shot through her as Cloudfern touched his nose to her head, and it was all she could do not to cry out. But this pain was quick, as was her recovery.

”I know I was not always the best father. I never knew how to act like one, and so I shied away. But I loved you and your mother so much. I still do. I just hope you can forgive me.”

Lilacsong was at a loss for words, and all she could do was nod, and hope her eyes could convey the message. Of course she forgave him. She always had. Cloudfern smiled with relief, understanding what she could not say, and he nodded, taking his place among StarClan once again.

After a few heartbeats, Dappleshine stepped forward. Starlight glistened in her long, wind-swept fur, and she smiled at Lilacsong kindly. "It's great to see you again, Lilacsong. I'm sorry things are so sudden and crazy right now, but I hope the life I have for you can offer you some aid." Moving forward so she stood directly before the she-cat, Dappleshine called out in a firm, unshaking voice. "With this life, I give you strength. The path you tread is not an easy one, and you will need to rely on not just your own inner-strength, but also the strength of your clanmates. Don't be afraid to call upon them, just as they call upon you." She brought her nose to Lilacsong's gently, but the pain that shot through the she-cat's body was instantaneous. Aching paws and muscles from long patrols, stings from countless scratches, and a sense of agony grasped her. Just as the pain seemed to be too much to bear, it passed, as if lifted from the she-cat's shoulders by countless helpful paws. Dappleshine stood in front of her still, concern shining in her gaze. It was the first life she had given, and she worried if it may have been too much. Once Lilacsong had caught her breath, Dappleshine purred lightly. "It's never easy, but it is possible. Stand tall and strong, and you will go farther than you ever could have imagined." The silver she-cat began to turn before hesitating and looking back. "If you think of it, could you please tell Fogpaw that we're sorry? We never intended to leave her alone. Please let her know that we're so proud of her, and will be watching her from the stars, always." With a final smile, she turned and made her way back into the crowd, blending in with the other starry figures to wait out the rest of the ceremony.

As Dappleshine retreated, a small, dark-furred tom brushed past her to face WindClan’s leader-to-be. Despite the lingering flecks of gray in his pelt, Raventail carried himself with the pride of a newly-named warrior, a grin on his muzzle and a shine to his eyes that couldn’t be fully chalked up to starlight. When he’d died, the cat in front of him had still been Lilacpaw. Now, though… “Lilacsong, right? Well...Lilacstar, soon.” His expression sobered somewhat. “I’m sure you know this, but carrying a Clan’s a big responsibility. It’s hard not to get lost in that, especially when things are…” He broke off to shrug and gesture at the star-spattered grass between them, the waking world far beneath.

“In my life, I saw the entire forest flood. I saw Nightstrikers walk across the moor like they owned it. I saw StarClan come down to kill us with their own claws. None of it was easy, or quick, or painless. But,” and as Raventail raised his head, warmth crept into his voice, “every time, we came out standing. So with this life, I give you hope. No matter how dark the night gets, the sun always rises in the end. Remember that, and you’ll do fine.”

With his nose a whisker’s length from Lilacsong’s forehead, he paused. “Brace yourself, all right?” Then he closed the distance. The life tore outward like a bolt of lightning, like claws through flesh—yet the worst of it passed in a heartbeat, leaving a dull, burning feeling in its wake. Raventail’s mouth curved into a smile once more, softer now. Dappleshine had already passed on the most important message; everything else he wanted to tell his daughter, he would rather say face-to-face. Instead, he met Lilacsong’s eyes one last time, echoed, “You’ll do just fine,” and stepped back into the crowd to stand at his mate’s side.

The next cat to appear before Lilacsong boasted broad shoulders and a rather slender frame, starry stripes wrapping around his body and swirling down his sides. His icy blue eyes made direct contact with Lilacsong, but it wasn’t harsh- in fact, his gaze was almost comforting and warm. After taking a few steps forward, the tom mewed, ”Hello, Lilacsong. My name is Silentstrike, a former WindClan warrior under Ashstar’s reign.” With his introduction out of the way, he decidedly moved on to the more bitter part of what he had to say. ”I believe it is painstakingly obvious that there will be many trials and tribulations for you to face during your time as a leader. There will be times where you feel completely lost, and unsure of where to turn. So, with this life, I give you adaptability.” Moving toward the she-cat, he gently touched his nose to the she-cat’s forehead, and immediately felt the effects of this new life flooding Lilacsong’s body. It burned like the raging forest fires of moons past, touching every nerve and coursing through the very veins that ran through the leader-to-be’s body. Once the pain had subsided, Silentstrike’s blue eyes gazed at Lilacsong once again. ”With your Clanmates by your side, you can surpass any obstacles that fate throws your way. Use this life to further that. You’ll be a fine leader, Lilacsong, just trust the process. The stars will always be here for you.” With those final parting words, the black and white tom backed away, finding his place once again among the stars.

A pale golden she-cat rose to take Silentstrike’s place. Darker brown dappled her fur, and stars pooled throughout her pelt. Her head turned to meet with the soon to be leader’s, and pale scars were visible over what were once light green eyes. Even in death, Wildflower was blind. Though the scars on her muzzle and pelt were gone, she was more comfortable with her blindness. The she-cat smiled at the brown and white tabby in front of her. It was full of warmth.

“It’s been a while, hasn’t it, Lilacsong?” Wildflower drifted towards her former apprentice. “And under different circumstances, certainly...” Theron had killed her, but her body was never found. A veiled message from her starry counterparts and her empty nest were the only things WindClan had ever known. It was not her place to worry Lilacsong with details of her death. This was a new era. She had a duty.

“With this life, I give you empathy. The moment you fall to cruelty is the moment you are at the same level as those you despise.” The life that came from Wildflower’s touch was no burning flood of pain as the others had been. It was a gentle flow of warmth that blossomed from her nose and reached Lilacsong from head to tail-tip. The life filled Lilacsong with that tingling warmth and slowly settled. Wildflower stepped back and ran her tail briefly over the other molly’s, then sank back like the others had until she was just another star-filled shape.

The late evening sky, an ethereal simmering smudge of silky colors perpetually wreathing against the luscious backdrop of the endlessly unfolding forests, was laden with little specks of twinkling light- some seeming to slip forward from their place within the strange sky, plummeting forward to rain down against the sweet-smelling foliage in a manner similar to that of rain. hick foliage and undergrowth, rich with life and heavy under the newfound weight of budding bulbs and flowers, trembled softly in the faint breeze that crept through the ghostly forest- bringing with it the taste of all things warm and inviting. For several moments, it seemed as though there was a strange pause between Wildflower and the next bearer of life and unspoken knowledge, leaving Lilacsong standing by her entire lonesome.

A silky flourish of starlight rippled suddenly against the flank of Lilacsong, a strange trembling and warping of the limited light as something seemed to simply... appear out of thin air alongside her. The iridescent flecks of gleaming white light quaked as they hung heavily in the air for a momentary heartbeat, before sharply contracting and pulling inward; the little bits and broken pieces of refractory light gently stitching themselves back into the orderly outline of a cat, cool greys and beguiling undercurrents of pale browns bleeding out into the familiar shape of a pale coat. Big pale eyes suddenly blinked into light before the living counterpart, cool blues accentuated by the grizzly scars curling across the narrow molly's features like rivers slicing through unbroken earth.

"You're a tad bit young, are you not, Lilacsong?" Brindlestar drolled out, low voice doused in the familiar, and seemingly innate, remnants of a faint snarl, "Ah, pay no mind to such words- I doubt wandering eyes and ears wish to be regaled with complaints on the shrinking agepool."

Brindlestar's pale pelt rippled with starlight as she drew closer to the young Lilacsong, pulsating and ebbing as though it were captivated by a strange, unseen living being. Odd little ethereal specks of light seemed to sputter and flicker with each smooth movements, sparking and twinkling with a unique lifeforce that was utterly captivating, as the formidable old WindClan Leader strode a careful, curious circle around the newest successor to the title she once held. The strange, predatory gleam within the old she-cat's gaze was faint, the drive to size up the unfamiliar cat standing before her much too enticing to resist. A dry, humorless chuckle seethed past the narrow confines of Brindlestar's teeth as her circling gradually drew to a halt, faintly unnerved by the odd feeling of sharing a close proximity with a living creature.

"I am Brindlestar, and I led WindClan many moons ago, back when the sun was dark and RiverClan raged at our borders. With this life, I grant you the gift of ferocity. The mantle you shall now bear is one of great risk; you no longer have the option to hesitate, no longer have the option to submit and show your throat when the going becomes too rough. You will be the strength of WindClan, and you must defend them with all the rage and passion of a fox defending her newly-whelped kits." Bending forward so that her scar-spliced muzzle gently brushed the protruding ridge of Lilacsong's own, the starry Leader exhaled softly at the faint brush of contact, an invisible web of agony inevitably blossoming between the pair, the newly-proclaimed successor sharing the ancestral burden of a newly-granted life. Brindlestar remained close for a few integral seconds longer, intimate with the sharp flood of pain likely dousing the young WindClanner standing just ahead of her, before drawing away with a faint brush of chilly, star-sodden light. "Perhaps such a life and drive is a terrible burden to bear, but such is Leadership. You will likely come to know great troubles and sorrows in your life, but ferocity will warm your heart and forever gift the courage to defend your Clanmates."

Slipping back into the wavering outline of onlookers, Brindlestar's pale shape was quick to abandon the lightly familiar outline of Lilacsong as she awaited the next steps for the ancient ceremony, cold words hanging heavy against the heavenly backdrop of the ongoing ceremony.

Steely green eyes sought out the frame of Windclan’s new leader. They seemed to pick apart her fur and graze the length of her pelt as if searching for something. Brookclover desired to know what kind of leader stood before her. Surely there had to be strength within the young she-cat, a fiery passion that mirrored that of a leader moons before her own time - Finchstar. Even the thought of the tom’s name still drew such overwhelming love from the pits of her chest. In the afterlife he stood at her side as finite as ever. Lilacsong would need to be able to stand on her own even as she leaned on another. The former leader had learned that much with the unfortunate reality that his warrior mate possessed the natural singular life of many creatures.

As the she-cat stepped forward, she offered a proper greeting in the form of a brief dip of her head. It was decided, the life she would bestow upon Windclan’s new leader, “Hello, Lilacsong, I am Brookclover - a former Windclan warrior. My blood may not run through the clan but I watch over you now, nonetheless.” A mild softening was obvious in the flint-hardened stare as she realized that had her son, Cricketstar, lived that he would have been able to fully realize his legacy and might have stood before her now. The beautiful russet-pelted warrior flickered her feathery tail as she paused to think of her Starclan-bound family, “With this life I give you the gift of tact. Use it to navigate tough decisions and think beyond the obvious course of action.”

There was a flicker of a thought as she considered the many times she had wished to have lived at Finchstar’s side to provide the gift that was now given to one of his successors. The idea caused a mere twitch of whiskers. Leaning forwards, their noses touched with a burst of sparks that quickly disappeared after running the length of the new leader’s slender frame. She pulled back and met her gaze, offering a silent vote of confidence and support before the warrior returned to her rank among the stars.

Finally, the frame of a gray and white she-cat parted from the gathered Starclanners. Her star-speckled coat seemed to radiate with the faint and unending scent of herbs. Sageleaf had died under the trees of Thunderclan and yet her heart had never abandoned the clan which she was born to. A fractured past with her kin and circumstances had driven her to another path but she still regarded the Windclan blood that flowed through a memory of veins highly. There was a faint touch of a smile that crossed the former medicine cat’s maw as she came to greet Lilacsong.

“You have a long road ahead of you, that’s for sure. This is far from over, though, the clans have bore many challenges since the dawn of this forest.” Sageleaf’s voice was soft but resounded with a quiet strength. She had become further resigned underneath the overwhelming control of her brother but the true nature of the warrior-born she-cat had never entirely disappeared. A sigh parted her maw as a low sigh came from the sides. So many memories and yet none could compare to the trials that this young cat and their clan would now face, “I’m going to give you the gift of consciousness, Lilacsong. May it help you be grounded and present, both in yourself and with those around you.”

This life was a contract to the gentle brush of the medicine cat’s nose, threatening to split its receiver in many directions but the bolts seemed to collect into her pads and disappear into the ground below, allowing Lilacsong to stand taller than ever before. Satisfied, Sageleaf took a pace back, standing before both the leader and all of Starclan. This time when her maw parted, it seemed to carry the voice and echo of each star behind it.

“Amidst this time of trouble, Starclan recognizes you as a full leader of Windclan. Go now, Lilacstar of Windclan, and help guide your clan from under the paws of Asylum.”

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Thank you to everyone who helped me write all of this!
Spottedfrost and Cloudfern were written by me.
Dappleshine was written by Mosspelt
Raventail was written by Rhindon
Silenstrike was written by Maple
Wildflower was written by Sal
Brindlestar was written by Seer
Brookclover and Sageleaf were written by Ripped