Poplartooth's Leader Ceremony

It was time. It was actually, finally time. Was Poplartooth ready? Of course not. Maybe his body was physically prepared to make the journey to Highstones, but he was definitely not emotionally and mentally ready for any of this. Between Rippedstar’s death, Sedgestrike’s idiotic arrogance, and the fight with the dog, the fluffy tom felt completely drained. However, Poplartooth knew that he couldn’t let his feelings drag him down, now. He had never let it happen before, so he couldn’t let it happen, now. Tonight would be one of the most important days of his life, if not the most important. His current life would be stripped away so that he could be gifted with nine completely new lives given by his warrior ancestors that resided up in StarClan. Perhaps he would see Rippedstar there. He had to, right? It would only be suitable for the former leader to show up. Perhaps Crowstar would be there, too. And perhaps… perhaps, Mumblefoot would be there…

Mumblefoot’s death had been something that Poplartooth had known about this entire time, he had just been so occupied with everything changing so quickly. Why was everyone that he was close to dying? Why was everything going so wrong all of the sudden? Love wasn’t an emotion that he felt very often, but Poplartooth had definitely felt it for Mumblefoot, and the small black-and-white tom had felt it for him in return. He had felt so happy knowing that Mumblefoot shared the same feelings, but his happiness had been torn apart by invisible claws so quickly. It just didn’t seem fair. All he could hope for now was that Mumblefoot would be there to give him a life, so that he would be able to say a proper goodbye to his mate.

Poplartooth found himself padding silently across the camp, heading straight for the medicine den so that he could see if Mintwhisker was ready to leave. His paws suddenly seemed sluggish and heavy, hard to pick up and even harder to set down on the ground. He couldn’t help but feel relieved once he made it to the medicine den and quietly poked his head inside.
“Ready to go?” The brown-and-white tom managed to ask, slightly cocking his head to the right.
He certainly hoped the medicine cat was ready, because he sure wasn’.t

Mintwhisker looked up, her murky green eyes dark. “Yes; I suppose so.” SHe mewed heavily, getting to her feet and passing Poplartooth a bundle of herbs. She avoided his eyes as they padded out of camp; she had too much to think about. Luckily, it was a long journey. Mintwhisker spent most of it staring at her paws, her expression unreadable.
When they arrived at Mothermouth, Mintwhisker stopped short. “I’ll wait out here,” she mewed softly, mustering an encouraging smile. “Good luck, Poplartooth.”
She didn’t doubt Rippedstar’s choice. It was just... too soon. Far too soon. She hadn’t expected to escort a d pity to Highstones in her lifetime, but here she was, hardly a few moons after Rippedstar’s own ceremony. The taupe she-cat licked her lips and settled down outside the entrance to the tunnels, her head on her paws as she stared hard at the sunset.

OOC: Mobile ;-;

Poplartooth met Mintwhisker’s murky green eyes as she looked up at him, and he lowered his head so that he could quickly lap up the travelling herbs. The horrible, nasty taste of the herbs didn’t even bother the tom. There were things that were far more bitter happening right now. As the two of them padded out of camp, the fluffy tom noticed that the medicine cat was keeping to herself. He wasn’t complaining; he would’ve done the exact same thing without being asked. A dark cloud of doubts and thoughts crowded around Poplartooth during the entire journey to Highstones.

If only there was a way to prolong the journey, to make it last an abnormally long time so that he would never have to do this. The trip seemed to be over quicker than it had begun, and Poplartooth had no idea whether or not he should be happy about that. He had seen Highstones countless times before when he had taken apprentices on their moonstone trips, and even when he had been taken on his own moonstone trip. However, it felt like dozens of rocks had lodged themselves in the feline’s stomach as he stared at mothermouth. This was nothing like a mere apprentice’s moonstone journey. This was far more.

Poplartooth gave Mintwhisker the smallest of nods as she told him that she was going to wait outside.
“Thank you, Mintwhisker.” The tom said, sincerely.
Inhaling as much oxygen as he could, the deputy disappeared into mothermouth’s dark tunnel. It seemed like moons and moons passed as he made his way through complete darkness, and he was starting to think that something wrong had happened, when a reassuring light at the end of the tunnel seemed to beckon him forward. Feeling relieved, Poplartooth kept his eyes on the milky white light and padded toward the moonstone cave. The light gradually got bigger and bigger, and then, it was there. It was all around him.

The light from the respected moonstone seemed to pull him forward, wanting desperately for him to press his nose against the cold mineral. Now, there was absolutely no turning back. Even thinking about turning around and running for dear life wasn’t an option. He couldn’t be selfish, and he couldn’t be a coward. Rippedstar wouldn’t want him to turn back, Mumblefoot wouldn’t want him to turn back. SkyClan needed a leader, and he had to be one for them. Some of his Clanmates had disagreed with Rippedstar’s choice, and Poplartooth had even doubted the fact that he had been chosen, but it had all come down to this in the end.

Well, here we go…

A cold feeling of serenity seemed to sweep through the tom’s body as he gingerly pressed his nose against the moonstone. A dark wave of blackness took over his vision. Soon enough, he was just a sleeping lump of brown-and-white fur on the ground on the moonstone cave.

When Poplartooth woke up, he wasn’t shocked by his surroundings. His moonstone journey as an apprentice had already shown him the type of grounds that SkyClan roamed. However, this time, the fluffy tom felt as if he wasn’t alone when he glanced around the beautiful, starlit clearing. There was no sense in calling out to ask if StarClan was there. He could feel the presence of his warrior ancestors, he knew they were there… all he had to do… was wait.

Then, there was a voice. A powerful and frightening yet soft and welcoming voice.
“It is time. Poplartooth, are you prepared to be removed from your old life and proceed to become the leader of SkyClan?”

It was such a struggle to let out one simple word. It felt dry on his tongue, and it felt painful as it escaped his maw.

“Yes.”

StarClan cats. A lot of them. They seemed to appear out of nowhere. It was like a still sea of glittering, starry pelts with bright eyes that seemed to shimmer with life and wisdom. It was such a brilliant sight, and Poplartooth wished that it would stay that way forever, but the sea of pelts seemed to ripple as a cat made their way toward the front. The moment that the first StarClan cat left the crowd and made himself known, the brown-and-white tom felt his heart begin to melt. His limbs seemed to weaken, his ears flattened against his head, and he felt a strange, stinging, wet sensation begin to grow in his sharp green eyes.

“Mu-Mumblefoot?”

“It’s so good to see you again, Poplartooth, even though it hasn’t even been that long.” The StarClan cat said, the slightest ghost of a smile on his smile.

Poplartooth touched his nose to his mate’s in a weak manner, trying to hold back any sobs even though tears were running freely down his cheeks, “Y-you… wh-why did you have to die? I ne-need someone by my si-side!”

Mumblefoot shook his head, “You have the whole of SkyClan by your side, and just because I’m dead doesn’t mean that I won’t be with you. You're going to be such a great leader... I believe in you.”

The small black-and-white tom didn’t give Poplartooth a chance to say anything else. Lives had to be given. Mumblefoot lifted his muzzle slightly and touched his nose to the deputy’s as he began to speak.

“Poplartooth, with this life, I give you clear judgement. Use it to always see cats the way that they deserve to be seen, and to never jump to conclusions with your Clanmates.”

With that, a sharp jolt of pain shot through the fluffy tom’s body. His limbs began to shake again and he closed his eyes tightly, wanting it to end. He had to do this eight more times… how was he supposed to make it through the rest of the ceremony? When the pain ended, and Poplartooth could open his eyes, Mumblefoot was gone. Confusion was evident in the tom’s eyes as he looked around for the small tom, but he sucked in a breath of amazement and shock once he saw the cat that had taken Mumblefoot’s place.

“Crowstar!”

So far, two of Poplartooth’s predictions had been correct. The large, black tom in front of the future leader still possessed an air of importance. As a kit and an apprentice, Poplartooth had never really seen the leader and the deputy with as much respect as he should’ve. Now, though, he realized just how much power Crowstar seemed to hold within him. Almost as if it was an instinct, the brown-and-white tom dipped his head low as a sign of utmost respect.

“Now isn’t the time to honor the leaders of the past, Poplartooth,” Crowstar spoke as the large tom looked up, “Now is the time to honor the leader of the future.”

Leader of the future… how can something sound so grand and so horrifying at the same time? The future of SkyClan is in my paws, now, and I must shape it well.

“I know you have your doubts, but I know that you’ll be able to lead SkyClan to greatness. The first step, though, is to actually believe that you can do it.”

It’s almost like they can see straight through me.

Poplartooth didn’t even want to say anything in reply as Crowstar padded forward. Once the two felines touched their noses together, the former SkyClan leader’s voice began to ring out through the starry clearing, and it flooded Poplartooth’s ears, making him feel far more confident than he had before.

“Poplartooth, with this life, I give you leadership. Use it to always lead your Clanmates through thick and thin, through happiness and sadness, through the harshness of leafbare and the warmth of greenleaf, and through greatness and failure.”

Brace yourself.

There it was. The sharp and burning pain that started at Poplartooth’s nose and flooded through his entire body. His muscles tensed and twitched, his tail seemed to stand rigidly in the air, and his eyes squeezed tight all on their own. If this was supposed to represent the amount of pain that he’d feel in his lifetime, then that just made the fluffy tom feel even more scared. He couldn’t show it, though… he had to stay strong for the sake of the Clan waiting for him back home.

When his eyes fluttered open, Crowstar was gone. He’d just have to get used to having the StarClan cats disappear so quickly. In the place of the former SkyClan leader was a cat that Poplartooth had never seen before. He tilted his head in confusion as he met the yellow eyes of the gray tabby in front of him. Well, whoever it was, this cat was one of Poplartooth’s warrior ancestors, and he had to show some sort of respect.

While many of the rest of StarClan had mourned his early passing, Breezewhisker had silently rejoiced at Rippedstar's death. Though it took much longer than he would have preferred, and it hadn't come at his own paws as he'd promised, justice had eventually taken its toll. Though it certainly took its sweet time... finally, I can rest in true peace. He had been taken from the world before he got a chance to fulfill his vow, but fortunately, SkyClan was now in far better paws. Those of the tom he faced now... Poplartooth. He'd never known the tom in real life, but he'd watched his Clan's new deputy with interest and approved of the progress he'd made. He seemed to have a far more quick-judging and open-minded look towards things, as evidenced when a WindClan apprentice had been killed and his opinion had differed from the leader's. Now, he was leader, and hopefully SkyClan would flourish under his rule.

"I know you've probably never heard about me," the gray tabby tom told Poplartooth gruffly, "but I'm one of Crowstar and Poppysong's children. Though I left SkyClan for a time, I always planned to return... but StarClan saw fit to bring me here instead of letting me fulfil my life's purpose. My name is Breezewhisker." His piercing yellow eyes looked straight through the deputy's green ones, seeing straight into his heart- and he liked what he saw there. If that idiot Rippedstar had ever made one good decision in his entire cowardly life, it was putting this tom in the deputy position. Now that he had run off and gotten himself killed, SkyClan would be all the better for it. But there were still some insecurities in that strong personality. "Poplartooth, you may be a little uncertain about your ability to make large decisions that impact your Clan," he meowed seriously, but kindly, different from his regular grumpy tone. "Don't be. If you doubt yourself, then that paves the way for others to doubt you, and as a leader you will need to be strong. The warrior code dictates that your word will be law, and as such, you must put careful thoughts into everything you say and do, especially decisions that hold the fate of SkyClan in the balance."

The thin, strong StarClan warrior touched his nose to Poplartooth's, looking into his eyes. His voice was solemn, every word dropping with the weight of a thousand trees into the still, quivering air. The wisdom of StarClan glowed in his knowing yellow gaze. He knew exactly which attribute to give to the new leader... something Rippedstar had copiously lacked. "I give you this life for justice. As leader of SkyClan, you will have to make decisions in the lives of others. Remember, despite your dispositions to favor your Clan in disputes, there are always two sides to every story. Never assume based on only one argument. Give careful thought to your decisions, make compromises, do the right thing instead of the easy one. The lives of every Clanmate, kit to elder, and even warriors of other Clans, may rest on the words that you speak. Make sure they are the correct ones."

After the tired-looking deputy weathered the pain of another life, Breezewhisker stepped back, offering him a crooked smile of encouragement. "You'll do well, Poplartooth. Don't make the same mistakes Rippedstar did... lead your Clan to greatness. Oh, and tell Tinylegs that I said hello." After offering his parting words, the smoky gray tabby faded into the sea of star-studded cats, knowing he would still watch the tom from afar.

Poplartooth stared silently into the eyes of this cat before him - Breezewhisker - as the StarClan cat began to speak. All the fluffy tom could see was approval in Breezewhisker's eyes, and it made him settle down a bit. All three of the StarClan cats had told him to not doubt himself, they had told him that he'd make a fine leader, and the large feline was actually starting to feel his doubts and fears wash away. As Breezewhisker and Poplartooth touched noses, the soon-to-be leader took everything the StarClanner said very seriously. He had seen a time where proper justice hadn't been served after a SkyClan cat murdered a WindClanner. Even he had disagreed with Rippedstar - not to say the black-and-white tom was a bad leader, but that Poplartooth's leadership would probably take a different approach.

Then, there was more pain.

It went by like a harsh blur, and the tom felt his paws, ears, and tail numb as pain flooded through the rest of his body. Three painful lives were down, and now there were six left. The brown-and-white tom tried his hardest to hide back any evidence that he was hurting as Breezewhisker stepped back into the crowd of StarClan cats. The cat that stepped out next was beautiful, but Poplartooth, once again, had no idea who she was. Even though he didn't know the identity of the she-cat, his green eyes still glowed with the utmost respect for the warrior ancestor that stood in front of him.

In a blaze of sparkling starlight, Pansyface stepped forward out of the dense crowd of other StarClan cats, her dark gray and white patched pelt reflecting the beautiful shimmer of thousands of tiny lights.  With a faint smile and murky green eyes that shone with kindness, the she-cat almost appeared motherly, but there was still the old spark of mischief deep within her gaze, just as it had always been in life.  With a flick of her sleek tail, she came to a halt in front of the deputy - soon to be leader - and bent her head in greeting, a purr rumbling in her throat.  "Greetings Poplartooth, my name is Pansyface.  I was once a warrior of SkyClan, daughter of Tinylegs and Moonlight, but I died a few moons before you were born while bringing my kits into the world, Mintwhisker...and Fernpetal."  A shadow of deep sadness passed over her face as she meowed the name of her troublesome daughter, depressed memories flashing behind her gaze.  She did not allow herself to dwell though; this was not a time for sadness.  

The smile returning to her face, the bi-color queen continued.  "When I died, I asked my dear friend Rippedstar to watch over my kits, and raise them as if they were his own.  He did well, and I couldn't be happier, though I do wish he could have stayed with them longer, as well as the clan.  He is here now, among the stars...but I have confidence in you Poplartooth, we all do.  Though you may be young, your dedication to your clan and your bravery rival few other, and I am confident that, with our guidance, you will serve your clan well."  Her smile morphed into a grin as she went on though, and her voice gained a playful edge.  "One thing though, I must say, is that you must learn how to look beyond your duties, and have a bit of an imagination."  

Lifting her head, the slightly smaller she-cat touched noses with the tabby and white tom, feeling a warmth spread through both of their bodies.  "With this life, I give you curiosity.  Use it to look beyond the borders of what you know to be true and safe, so that you may guide SkyClan into a new age of prosperity, and go where no other clan has gone before."  She felt the young tom's body tense beneath her touch, and she resisted the urge to pull away; he needed to learn and endure, for what he might face as leader was much more strenuous than anything he would feel here tonight.  Once it was finished, Pansyface stepped back and met Poplartooth's gaze with a low purr.  "It was an honor to meet you, and I pray that our paths may cross again someday."  For a moment, she bent forward and whispered something to him, before stepping away.  Bowing her head one last time, she turned and padded away back into the crowd.

"Please...have patience with my daughter.  Guide her, show her the power of StarClan...she needs hope."