Falconfang's Leader Ceremony

A chilling wind whipped across the moors as Falconfang made his way towards Mothermouth, Ravenpaw in tow. It hadn't been enough time to accept Raccoonstar's death in the soon-to-be-leader's mind, and so many thoughts ran through his head, it felt like a windstorm inside his head. Who would his deputy be? Could he keep WindClan strong? Would Raccoonstar be proud of him? He couldn't answer any of those questions, and it worried him. However, they had reached Mothermouth, and it was too late to try to formulate answers to these questions. Standing at the entrance to the Moonstone, he gave one last look at his medicine cat's apprentice. Though she hadn't gotten her full name yet, he hoped to gleam some form of assurance from her, because after everything that had happened, his own positive thoughts had failed him.

Unfortunately, Ravenpaw couldn't exactly give him that kind of assurance. It was true that she was a medicine cat - apprentice anyway - but to be honest, she wasn't the optimistic kind or one who could easily reassure any cat. As she followed Falconfang to the Mothermouth, one thing in her mind was that they probably had the easiest path to the Moonstone, considering that it was a little over the moor. Looking at the former deputy and to-be leader, the SkyClan-WindClan she-cat paused at the moment, meeting his glance before hastily beckoning him to continue. She had no words to comfort him or anything, all she could do was keep quiet. Besides, he needs to remember how much the clan needs him now and regain those positive thoughts and confidence back alone. There wasn't any need for him to be nervous - the clan would follow him no matter what - and she knew that for sure.

There would no reassurance from Ravenpaw, but what reassurance could she give anyway? This was something no one else would know of anyway; this would be his burden alone. A glance upwards confirmed that the clouds were dissipating, leaving the moon free to gleam brightly down upon the earth. Soon the cavern would be awash with its glow, which meant it was time to go. When he entered, he would be the deputy: when he left, he would be the leader of WindClan. Taking a deep breath, Falconfang stepped into the dark crevice.

The narrow, darkened corridor was an intimidating presence, but the deputy had already been through it once before in his haste to find Raccoonstar, so the path was not new to him. Soon enough, the darkness gave way to a pale, silhouetted room, where a giant, crystallized rock stood silent guard. With Ravenpaw behind him, Falconfang slowly padded forward until he could touch the Moonstone; it truly was an awe-inspiring sight to behold. He knew what to do now, though. Slowly getting down to the ground, he gave the stone one last look before he closed his eyes and touched it with his nose. It was the last thing he would see in the waking world as the deputy of WindClan.

A light breeze tickled Falconfang's nose, and slowly he opened his eyes to realize that he was no longer by the Moonstone. A quick glance told him he was on the moors, the slight wind rippling the grass around him. Unlike when he had entered the Moonstone, no clouds marred the sky, leaving it completely black but for the twinkling stars and the huge moon glowing above. Interestingly enough, the stars seemed closer, like the clouds had been masking the distance between the ground and the sky. Falconfang's eyes widened as the stars above suddenly coalesced in front him, shining brighter and brighter as they coated the ground in pure starlight, the forms of cats blinking into existence with a brilliant light. WindClan cats of long ago and of more recent times stood watching him, and all he could do was stare with his mouth agape, starstruck by what was occurring. A cat broke away from the group and stepped forward towards Falconfang, a cat that was very familiar, though he had died moons ago.

"Greetings Falconfang," Stormstar mewed, a smile on his face. "Raccoonstar was right to choose you as her deputy. No matter what doubts you may have had about yourself, you were the perfect deputy for WindClan, and I'm proud to give you your first life. Are you ready to receive your lives?" Still stunned, all he could do was nod, so Stormstar continued. His voice was gentle, yet it seemed to ring across the moors, making the deputy feel both scared and oddly calm. “With this first life I give you courage. Use it to lead your clan through the best and worst of times, to fight the battles that must be fought, and to keep your clanmates together through it all.” Stormstar gently touched his muzzle to Falconfang’s head, and the tom let out a silent gasp as pain exploded all over his body. It felt like his entire being was expanding to hold in all the agony that threatened to tear him apart. Memories began flashing across his mind, thoughts of terrible battles and great loss, blood spilling from the bodies of dying cats. Everywhere in his mind cats were fighting, an entire forest fell around him, and spectral cats swarmed around him as if he wasn't even there. Just when he felt like he could take no more, it was gone. He stood there shaking right where he had been, with the former leader looking down upon him. “You will be a great leader, Falconfang,” he mewed.

The brown tom could only nod numbly as the starry tom moved back into the group and a broad-shouldered cat with the same brown pelt came to stand before him, a cat who he was surprised to see, though in hindsight it shouldn't have been all that shocking: his father, Hawktalon. “With this life, I give you humility. Remember where you came from and learn from your mistakes. A leader is still one of many cats.” When his muzzle touched Falconfang’s head, the world seemed to open up into a huge expanse, spreading out across a seemingly infinite amount of space. Everything seemed so tiny from so far away, and he could tell that there was so much going on out there besides just what he was doing. Still, at the same time he knew exactly what was happening below him. His unfortunate trip to ShadowClan, his cringeworthy hunting failures, and his rule-breaking liaisons with the RiverClan cat Greyheart. Averting his eyes from those bad memories, he found himself staring back into the eyes of his father, who just nodded once. "Remember your mistakes, but don't let them define you. You've grown up so much, but never stop growing. WindClan needs you, Falconfang." A smile played on Hawktalon's face before he moved back into the ghostly crowd.

As the next cat stepped forward, he couldn't help but let out an audible gasp. Unlike the others, her scent was not of wind, but of the river, which was enough to make her stand out amongst the others. The last time he had seen Greyheart had been at Fourtrees many moons ago. Despite all the time that had passed, he hadn't realized that she had… moved on from her mortal coil. What had happened? He didn't know, and he couldn't find the words to ask. Something in her eyes made him not feel like ruining the moment by asking such a question. “With this life, I give you understanding. Remember that everyone makes mistakes, but it's the better cat that forgives those that do." Resting her muzzle upon his head, understanding truly did come to Falconfang. He saw their life together, her end, and his beginning. Seeing his own clan forgive his mistakes brought that understanding to him, and he knew that he too could forgive those that would make the same mistakes he had. He wanted to say something, but she shook her head and mewed, "Don't blame yourself," before disappearing into the crowd. She probably was gone now, among the stars with RiverClan. Letting out a soft sigh, he readied himself for his next life.

Falconfang recognized the gray-and-white fur of Icepaw as the former medicine cat strode up to face him. “With this life, I give you compassion,” she meowed. “No matter who it may be, let your heart guide those decisions.” As her muzzle touched his head, Falconfang braced himself for more pain, but instead he felt a great warmth sweep from his ears to the tip of his tail. His heart felt like it was swelling with love for any cat within his care. Still, a memory surfaced of the moons where WindClan had suffered without a medicine cat, and he knew that no longer would the clan go without the healing touch of one under his care. This time, when Icepaw stepped back, the brown tom felt emptier when the warmth subsided. She returned to the group, only to be replaced by the very cat he had just finished mourning.

Sorrow rushed through him anew at the sight of her with stars in her fur, but Raccoonstar looked rather joyous, illness and paranoia now longer plaguing her regal gaze. “With this life, I give you faith,” she mewed, placing her muzzle upon Falconfang’s head. “Belief in Starclan is important for all leaders, but never lose belief in yourself.” As she finished speaking, his entire mind felt like it was clearing, leaving nothing but a burning desire of purpose. All of his fears and doubts were disappeared, giving him the wonderful feeling of belief in his clan, his ancestors, and, most importantly, himself. Suddenly, the confidence of leadership was flowing through him, making his blue eyes shine with liveliness. Even when Raccoonstar moved back, he felt like those feelings would never leave him. “You will be a great leader,” she meowed kindly. “I couldn't have picked anyone better.”

“Thank you,” Falconfang whispered as the graceful she-cat stepped back. A light brown she-cat with a very bushy tail stepped forward now, and Falconfang recognized the scent of his mother, Robinfeather. “With this life, I give you the love every mother has for her kits. Care for your clan as if they’re your own kin.” Instantly, a surge of the fiercest love pierced his entire being, and he felt like he would collapse from the sheer intensity of it. He hadn’t expected a mother’s love to be such a powerful force as any residual fear was banished from his body: there could be no fear in protecting his clan. Falconfang hadn’t even realized he had closed his eyes until he felt his mother's muzzle gently run across his own, and he opened his eyes to see her smile before she stepped back, her eyes never leaving his, to allow Falconfang's former mentor forward, causing his already stifled voice to fail him completely.

Duststorm So many questions he had, so many things to say. All the insecurities, all the times he had been so desperate to prove himself to his mentor, yet he could not form the words to say what was whirling through his mind. However, it seemed as though the proud warrior understood, though he only came forward to give a life. “With this life, I give you strength. In the thick of battle, your clanmates will look to you to lead them to victory. Don’t let them down.” With that said, Falconfang was thrust into the midst of a great battle, with his clanmates fighting with all of their might. Watching them in battle, Falconfang felt like he had the strength of a hundred cats in his paws, like he could take on the entire forest if it meant defending his clanmates. Then the feeling was gone, and he was left breathing heavily as Duststorm stood before him, as if waiting for him to regain his composure. Before he could say anything, his mentor spoke. "I'm proud of you, Falconfang. I always have been." That was all he said before his starry visage faded back in with the rest of the WindClan cats, but it was all that was needed to be said. Though his concentration was still mainly upon keeping himself upright after having been flooded with the power behind all those lives, what Duststorm had said kept his spirits high. It was all he had ever wanted, and now relief and joy mixed with the exhaustion as he prepared himself for the remaining lives. Only two left, he panted to himself, feeling like all of the pain, warmth and knowledge was spilling out of his body.

Now a smaller cat stepped forward, one who was no more than an apprentice. Recognizing his daughter Applepaw, his heart sunk at the sight of one who was taken far too young. Just like the others though, she showed no signs of regret or sorrow, emotions bound to mortal cats. “With this life, I give you the gift of mentoring. Watch over all the young cats of WindClan and give them the same care and watchfulness that you gave your own kits.” This life wasn't painful nor warm, but Falconfang still felt it, the desire to pass on the training he had received to generations of WindClan cats, and they unto others, time immemorial. Purpose blazed within his eyes as Applepaw left, though she never would leave his memory.  

As the final cat stepped forward from the ranks to complete his ceremony, Falconfang's heart soared as he gazed into the beautiful green eyes of his former mate Minteyes. He longed to rush forward and rest his own muzzle upon her rather than vice versa, but he felt compelled to stay still as she padded over and fixed him with a smile of warmth and love. “Falconfang, your last life is mine to give. After everything you went through, you continued to help bring WindClan to the prosperity it deserves. Still, there is so much more to learn. With this life, I bestow upon you knowledge. Use it wisely, for knowledge is your ultimate power.” The final lifegiver placed her muzzle on Falconfang’s head, and suddenly everything seemed to expand inside his mind. Things that before were blind to him now came forth clear as day, exposing his mind to the troubles and joys of his clan, and truly those of the entire forest. Ancient ways of the clans seasons upon seasons before his birth were revealed, and in a flash history was running across his eyes and through his mind. And with that it was gone, his body trembling with the essence of nine new lives bestowed upon him. Falconfang let out a silent sigh of relief, a sheer force of will keeping him from collapsing to the ground. Returning his gaze to his former mate, Minteyes smiled sweetly and gently nuzzled the new leader of WindClan. "I love you, Falconstar," she whispered in his ear, her voice like the wind bathing him in the warmth of her love. "I know you will make WindClan proud."

With their final goodbyes intact, Minteyes stepped back and Falconstar looked over and addressed his ancestors. "I promise I will make you all proud." Through the starry crowd, he could see Minteyes nod and yowl to the sky, "Falconstar! Falconstar!" The rest took up the chant, and soon the air was filled with the sound. "Falconstar! Falconstar!" The cats were becoming stars once more, filling the moors with their brilliant light, and the newly-minted Falconstar woke up by the Moonstone. He didn't know how much time had passed, but the cave was no longer illuminated. Standing up on stiff and shaky limbs, he turned and faced Ravenpaw, barely visible in the dying light. "Let's get back to camp," he mewed with relief in his voice. He was tired and starving, yet he still felt a fire burning within him. Now began the leadership of Falconstar!