Thrushstripe's Leader Ceremony

So it was finally time. After all of this waiting for Nightstar, it finally came time for Thrushstripe to take over. He had no idea where the leader had gone and it bothered him greatly, and it had been so long since she was last present. After being done with waiting and leading a technically leader-less clan, Thrushstripe finally thought it was time to try to talk to Starclan. It might not have been in his power to do so, but he wanted to find answers and since it was about his own leader, he figured that he could visit the sacred place just this once before he was officially leader. It honestly scared him a little as he waited in the camp for Ebonyleaf, but he didn't show it. It was just another night. That's all he had to tell himself.

Nightstar's time had finally passed, the poor leader. Sighing, ShadowClan's medicine cat walked out of the den, seeing her father sitting dutifully in the middle of the clearing. With a slight, weak smile on her face, she approached him. "StarClan are the wisest of all. When the night is past, you will be an entirely different cat." She meowed, pausing at his side, she looked at him curiously. "Are you ready to leave?"

The deputy nodded silently at Ebonyleaf before he turned around and walked out of the camp. It most certainly was going to be a long night ahead of them, but he was ready to take it on. After a bit of walking, though, he found himself already crossing over the Thunderpath that lined the other edge of their territory and into Starclan's land. Already he felt the weight of the ancestors in the sky looking down on him on this perfectly clear night. When he made it to the Highstones, he knew that he was here. He definitely didn't know what to expect on the inside, and he wasn't sure what to expect out of the place that held such an important stone, but the closer he got to it, the more he could feel the weight on his shoulders. He looked back at Ebonyleaf, half expecting her to know what he was supposed to do for he wasn't completely certain. Following a cave was clear enough, but what should he expect? "So, all I have to do is go to the Moonstone and touch my nose to it, correct?" he asked, just to double check to see if he was doing this right. He hated being uncertain, but that's why he spoke up.

As they stood outside the Mothermouth, Ebonyleaf gazed up at the sky, carefully watching the position of the moon. By the time they reached the middle of the cavern, the sky should've been aligned just right - so the moonlight would wash over the stone and illuminate the entire cavern. The sight of it was impossible to get used too. Her ear flicked, shooting a look back at Thrushstripe. "That's right," she meowed quietly, "Then StarClan will send you sleep and your ceremony will begin." The calico started to take a step forward before pausing, "Remember, what happens is to stay with you. Not another soul can be told." StarClan's methods were sacred, she knew, and with that - she disappeared into the dark tunnel, expecting the deputy to follow.

The tom silently followed into the darkness of the tunnel. It was a little nerve-wracking having to walk blindly through the tunnels to the moonstone. The only way he knew he wasn't going to run into anything was the faint scent of herbs that came off of Ebonyleaf in front of him and his whiskers brushing against the ever-narrowing walls. It seemed like they had walked forever and the walls continued to grow closer and closer together until they finally opened up into a large cavern with a large stone gleaming with light from where that moon shown from the ceiling and hit it vibrantly. As soon as Thrushstripe saw it, he couldn't help but draw in a sharp breath from the awesomeness of the sight. He knew he had to be silent-- there really wasn't much he could think to say at the moment anyway. As he watched the rays of light from the moon just gleam off of the stone in front of him, he looked back at Ebonyleaf one last time before turning back to the stone and lying down in front of it. It took him a second to wrap his brain around what was actually happening before he finally touched his nose to the moonstone. Instantly, there was a spine-tingling chill that ran through his body before his vision went dark and he began to feel as if he were in a whole different place. When he opened his eyes and blinked a few times, he found himself in a large plain lit up by the millions of stars that twinkled brightly in the sky. Looking around a few times, he couldn't help but wonder where he was.

"Hello?" he called, not really knowing what to expect. Was this supposed to be Starclan? Where were the cats? The longer he stood in his spot, the more tense he had become. Was there something he had done wrong? But before he could continue to second-guess himself, the stars began to move and shape themselves until standing before him were several cats, some of which he knew, others he did not. As he looked around, he could barely contain his own shock as he saw many familiar faces such as his mother and father, both of his sisters, and many clan mates he knew from when he was younger including Sagewhisker. It was upsetting seeing the old tom in Starclan, but Thrushstripe was quickly calmed by the sight of how young and healthy he looked in the stars. Quickly dipping his head in silence, Thrushstripe looked back up to see Mapleface walking towards him.

It was amazing to see how much happier she was to be with Starclan, her face showing small scars of what injuries she had gotten on her face so long ago.  "Greetings, Thrushstripe. It is time for you to take your place as leader of Shadowclan. Are you ready to receive your nine lives?" She asked, looking at him with bright, glistening eyes. "I am," he replied simply, lifting his head back up to look at Mapleface. "Then I will give you your first life. With this life, I give you love to build the relationships within your clan. Your clan mates are important to you, Thrushstripe. Don't push them away." With that, Mapleface touched noses with the tom, sending a searing pain through his body. It felt like emptiness-- heartbreak. It was something he had felt before but never at this magnitude, but it quickly dissolved into a warm and comfortable feeling that was all too much for Thrushstripe to take. He never thought that getting lives would cause him pain. 

Joining the ranks again, Mapleface was replaced by another cat that appeared smaller than the warrior before her. It was Hollowpaw, an apprentice who had died not too long ago. "With this life, I give you mentoring to teach the future generations well and to help them reach their own goals just as you were taught as an apprentice." As the two cats touched noses, this life wasn't exactly painful, but Thrushstripe suddenly felt exhausted as if he had been running for moons nonstop. He had to take a few heavy breaths to try to fill his lungs with air again as Hollowpaw stepped back into her place.

Up next was actually a cat he had never seen before, but she felt so familiar. She was a beautiful and very young-looking she-cat who stepped up to Thrushstripe calmly, looking into his eyes. "With this life, I give you compassion to help any cat in need whether they are in your clan or in another. Don't let your grudges make you turn a blind eye." Fallencloud quickly touched noses with the tom, immediately sending feelings of pain and sorrow through his body. It was hard to deal with, but he quickly figured out that it was meant to be the desperate feelings of the type of cat he was supposed to help. It was hard to push through the feelings of loneliness, but it was over just as soon as it had started.

The next cat that stepped forward suddenly made Thrushstripe stop. Gingerheart stepped forward and his heart wrenched. It was good to see her in such a good condition, but almost immediately, his thoughts wandered to Reedstar and what he had done to the old warrior. It wasn't right, but no matter how much he wanted to feel that hatred against Riverclan, it was instantly washed away as Gingerheart began to speak. "Thrushstripe, with this life, I give you bravery to stand up against danger and not be deterred by your fears. Use this well to defend your clan to the best of your ability." The old she-cat touched noses with her son and instantly, the pain of battle shot through his body. The feeling of claws on his side, a bite on his shoulder, the weakness of disease were almost unbearable, but he endured it until it finally stopped. Looking back up at his mother, he dipped his head to her. "Thank you, Gingerheart. I won't let you down," he told her as she stepped back with a nod of her head.

Next up was Daisynose, the third cat they had lost in the great battle between the three clans and Shadowclan. Thrushstripe couldn't help but dig his claws into the ground as he saw the tom for he couldn't even comprehend how Daisynose must have felt in the moment of death, but it subsided as the warrior began to speak. "With this life, I give you courage to stand up to whatever unknown comes your way. Use this to find strength in the worst of times and to keep pushing forward to renew what has been lost or broken." As the two touched noses, the same feeling from the last life flooded through him except this was a feeling of uncertainty and the pain of loss rather than physical pain. This was emotional and it focused right in his chest as if attacking his heart. It hurt terribly, but it was over before he knew it. Then, without another word, Daisynose stepped back.

After Daisynose was back in place, Rustfang stepped up. Thrushstripe was not familiar with the tom, but it was easy to tell that he was a Shadowclan warrior at one time. Dipping his head respectfully, Thrushstripe looked up at the older tom when he began to speak. "With this life, I give you responsibility to know how to handle your clan and to keep up with their actions. Your clan is your responsibility and everything that happens within it is on you. Remember that." They touched noses, but this life was not like the others. There was no pain, but the feeling was not good either. It was like every feeling of emptiness, love, security, loss, and friendship that he had ever felt for each of his actions, but the last part was the most shocking. Before Ebonyleaf was a full medicine cat, she said something about a poisonous rat, and the words echoed in his mind. "There is still a 'poisonous rat' here..." It was a strange message that she had received from Starclan and Thrushstripe had tried to figure it out, but nothing had come up. It was definitely something he need to look for after this.

When Rustfang stepped back, another unfamiliar face took his place. This cat was not a cat that looked as if he belonged in Shadowclan, so Thrushstripe was not sure where he had come from, but there was obviously a link between them somewhere. "With this life, I give you loyalty to your clan. Use this to take pride in your warriors and to follow the warrior code for the sake of Shadowclan and Starclan. Stay loyal to what you know," Amalric stated before touching noses with the tom. Quickly, there was a feeling of pride and security that flowed through him for his clan. This was one of the easier lives to endure, but the emotional feelings were still a lot to take in.

Up next was a very familiar face of a cat lost so suddenly just a moon ago. Mallowroot walked up to Thrushstripe and both cats dipped their heads to each other. "With this life, I give you wisdom to be able to know what is the best decision for your clan. It will help you to discern right from wrong and to take the best course of action for whatever situation you are in." With that, the two touched noses and a quick feeling of empowerment followed. It was just a little bit, though, for it was soon replaced with a feeling of hardship and suffering from the harder decisions he would have to make further on in life. But as it ended, the last cat stepped in front of him.

The last one to step towards Thrushstripe was Sagewhisker. The deputy instantly dipped his head for the former leader, but Sagewhisker shook his head and told him to lift his head. "Thrushstripe, I will give you the most important life of all. With this life, I give you forgiveness. Let go of the grudges you hold deep inside of you. Use this life to let go of the past and look toward the future to start anew and to allow your clan to thrive. Forgive those around you and of other clans. Don't keep holding on to those feelings." With the great words of wisdom, the two touched noses and a sense of warmth and serenity flowed through Thrushstripe. It was very different from any of the lives before him, and it was strange to feel so calm after so long of being tired and worn from stress and craziness. But once again, it ended as soon as it had begun. Stepping back, Thrushstripe looked back up to see all of the Starclan warriors staring back at him.

"You are now the new leader of Shadowclan, Thrushstripe. Lead them well, my son," Gingerheart's voice said proudly as she nodded her head towards the new leader.

"I will not let you down. I will be the best leader I can be," Thrushstripe responded with a nod back before suddenly all of the cats erupted into a chant of his name. "Thrushstar! Thrushstar!" They chanted as everything faded out of view and turned dark once again before he opened his eyes and looked at the moonstone he had been lying next to. There was still a bit of moonlight left gleaming off of the stone, but quite a bit of time had passed as the tom stood up and turned back to Ebonyleaf quietly, giving her a knowing look that it was done.