private 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐅𝐀𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑'𝐒 𝗕𝐋𝐎𝐎𝐃 ╱ 𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐄 𝐋𝐈𝐕𝐄𝐒

[SUNNVAR]

Winding paths are no easier traversed the second time through.

Where he had last come to plead guidance before the paws of another leader through StarClan's gentle eyes, he walks these pathways now as an equal. That does not let him know where he must place his paws. Each blind, blundering steps is a mimicry of who he was before, a reminder that he would not be any different once this is through. A comfort, yes, and a terrible reminder in the same breath. A cat's greatness could not be measured in the lives that they held. Only what they do with them. And he is still terribly afraid of doing it wrong. Blazestar had been clear about the choice before him, even if the answer was not plainly spoken. Would StarClan welcome him through what he had done? Had his first taste of those starry hunting grounds be among his last?

It had not fully dawned upon him then that it was their welcome. Many moons ago, the most devout of WindClan's warriors had looked upon him as a rogue. An outcast, a cat that did not deserve his place among the moorland warriors. Now he was to stand at the head of them, with StarClan's blessing. After all that they had been through, however, he cannot even feel the pride he had once clung to. His life had been one long search of pride. To prove himself against the expectations of others, to force himself outside of their molds. Now each one lies behind him in tatters and Sunstride is without the armored shell he had fought against. Expectations seemed a balm now that his wounds were bared.

The final farce, one last layer (WindClan's deputy; Sootstar's end; the final rebellion) —

It breaks as he steps once more into the cavern. The light is once again glowing long before his first steps inside. Its silvery sheen glitters across each hair of his pelt, dusting him in the stars. A foreign, profane sensation now. He has killed the bane of his clan, but so too had he killed its founder. Her final two lives ripped from her by his claws and his fangs. Lives that these cats had granted her. Lives that allowed her to take and taint so many more. Does he even want their blessings? Does he crave it the way that he once had? Or does he come to their fray as yet another defiant face? Not even time will undo this knot of complications. How could it, when there is no answer to be found? Time and thought have remained untethered at his back as he presses his nose to the cool, glowing stone, and dreams once more.

Those that he will face know his story. He will not be cowed before their judgment, nor will he wear their expectations. Raw as a child given to this world, Sunnvar is ready to die, and to come alive anew.

𝐄𝐀𝐂𝐇 𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐌𝐘 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐓  ╱╱ 𝐈𝐒 𝐀 𝐕𝐔𝐋𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐄 〚 11.22.2023 〛 —————«

• OOC. no specific order aside from the final post :3c go ham, and thank you all so much!
• 

  SUNSTRIDE. WINDCLAN DEPUTY & MOOR RUNNER.
  ——– HE – HIM – HIS ╱╱ 48+ MOONS OLD, ADULT.

  NPC x NPC, LONERS. MATE TO WOLFSONG; FATHER TO BEARPAW, SINGEDPAW, RIVEPAW, SUNLITPAW AND FEATHERPAW. MENTORING SCORCHPAW.
  
  TH ╱╱ LARGE CHOCOLATE ROSETTE TABBY, ICY EYES.

• "speech"

​

 

[SNAILSTRIDE]

Twinkles appeared in the first cat who appeared before Sunstride. A familiar figure to the rosetted tabby, a warrior of WindClan, stolen from the world in their prime. Snailstride's eyes were rheumy, silver snot crusted their nose and their fur was as ragged as an elder's. But, they were smiling sincerely, just as they had done on the day they died. They stepped forward with a gusto saved for an old friend (a stretch to call the Deputy that, but he was the first living being the other had spoken to in a while), pawsteps graced with a shimmering trail of the heavens themselves. "Oh heeeeeey, Sunstride. Welcome to StarClan, make yourself at home, or, well maybe not because that means you'd be dead. And you're not dead, you won the battle against Sootstar! Yaaaaaay." Perennial paws clapped together, voice trill with a childlike joy. A whisp of stardust trailed from the limbs placed together, when it disappeared into nothingness, the young cat's expression faltered. Content as they were, the weight of their goal was heavy, and they would not let the rosette tabby down as they had done in life. "You're ready for nine lives, aren't cha?" He had to be, he was here.

Snailstride stood on the tips of their toes, meeting the other's nose with a firm boop. He wouldn't be surprised if the other found it cold, as empty as the dark forest his leader claimed to live within now. It was not an evil feeling, rather... the absence of feeling itself. "With this life, I give you love." A twinge of sadness within the blue tabby, twisting their gut until they forced a smile upon their transparent maw. It was not a feeling they had felt when they were alive, and it had suffocated them. "Pain is... all a lot of us knew, living under Sootstar. Love will heal those that remain. Show them you are a leader who will not throw them aside even when times are tough." Their life surged through the other, that emptiness replaced with hope. Hope for a WindClan that would not be cruel, hope for a WindClan that would not be defined by the scars of their past, but rather their dreams of the future. Sunstride had a lot to prove, but... he could do it, that, the classic tabby fully believed. They pulled away, blinking wearily up at the other.

'I did it... I did WindClan proud...' Snailstride had a spring in their step as they moved backward, excited to tell Tigerfrost of how they had managed to help their home one final time. Back and back the blue-eyed soul moved until he disappeared into the crowd of cats, where he awaited the next feline to step forwards.
​

 

[✧ Venomthroat.]

SO MANY WAYS TO SEE THE SUNRISE
venomthroat| 31 months | nonbinary | they/them | starclan warrior

---

The venomthroat that approaches sunstride is hardly different from the one who'd graced the earth - blank faced, throat scarred. The only difference is the smattering of stars where their inkblot pelt was once plain darkness. They'd been... content with things, with themselves and the life they'd led when they'd died. Their only regret had been that Tigerfrost had died first. It'd be a relief, that he'd been the first cat they'd seen upon stumbling their way into the stars.

The bulky feline waits for snailstride to speak - to grant the auburn tom his first life. Love - pehrpas, once Venomthroat might've scoffed. Back before, when they hadn't understood just how much it hurt to lose one you loved, even if it was just a bond of kin, of flesh and blood. It's a fitting life. The tabby bounds away, and then it's their turn. "Sunstride - though it'll be Sunstar soon enough I suppose," they rasp out, dark eyes glittering.

"With this life, I give you ferocity," they say plainly, not beating around the bush. Velvet nose brushes fiery fur, and ear twitches. "It is all well and fine to want to avoid following in her pawsteps, making the same mistakes - but that doesn't mean you should be any less fierce. Protect yourself, your mate, your kits - your clan with each and every one of your nine lives. Don't let the clan you've fought so hard for disappear," and then it's done - over. There is nothing more left to say, so with a dip of their head and lash of their tail they're gone, a shadow amungst the rest of the starlit bodies.

​

 

[TIGERFROST]

---

The next that approaches is broad-shouldered and laced in stripes, starlight speckling muddy hued fur and a face akin to the light of a vibrant half-moon. Tigerfrost's eyes mimic a roaring flame as he draws near, vision piercing as it lands across the figure of Sunstride. Sootstar's final deputy, and her ultimate un-doing. In his life, Tigerfrost had been just as loyal as Sunstride had once been. A prideful lead warrior of WindClan, he had led many into battle, advocated for war on behalf of his tyrant, and turned a blind eye to the horrors that took place in Sootstar's shadow. His pragmatic and stern personality, coupled with an endless supply of stubbornness, had meant that Tigerfrost had never truly understood the seriousness of his former leader's crimes, until the day she turned her back on the stars.

Regardless, a blind follower he was no longer, like Badgermoon, and now Sunstride, he stood independent of Sootstar's influence. He stops a mouse-length away from the larger tom, a soon-to-be leader of WindClan, and wonders how different his old world was about to become.

"Sunstride." Tigerfrost greets with a dip of his head. "With this life, I give you endurance." His nose touches Sunstride's like a dagger of ice. The coldness would surge through the other's veins, as if it were sapping every ounce of strength that the new leader could possibly have. Yet, despite the sensation, Sunstride would find the surge of will to remain standing, no matter the pain. "Sootstar's actions have corrupted not only the name of WindClan, but it's very spirit. The other clans speak about you as a curse. It won't be easy, but you must endure if you are to change not only their perspectives, but those of your own clan-mates, who now trust you to lead them to a better future. I do not expect you to grovel at the paws of the other clans. In fact, I would be most disappointed if you did. Stand proud, Sunstride, and know that WindClan will stand proud beside you, as will those of us in StarClan. Through your endurance, you shall carry WindClan into the greatness it was meant to be." His nose slips away, and the life is given. Sunstride would have a great deal to carry upon his shoulders in the moons to come, but Tigerfrost had confidence that the other would manage it gracefully.

"Tell Scorchstreak that I am proud of her." A final request, before the star speckled tabby flicks his tail in farewell, and steps away, disappearing back into the crowd of misty figures.​

 

[LAMBCURL.]

Amongst all the glittering pelts that stood before Sunstride, Lambcurl's was not one that he would find youthful vigor in, gleaming anew. For some, their happiest time had been their younger selves, free of any care in the world besides, perhaps, their next meal. It's a certain sadness, Lambcurl feels, for those who had never truly been as happy as they were then. For others, perhaps they were not bright - eyed and apprentice aged, but they had been gladdest before Sootstar had drawn her wicked claws across the moor. Perhaps cats from other clans could speak similarly of the time before their Stars. He could not know, but perhaps, they could.

Lambcurl, however, was no younger than he had been the day he died. He had worn the very same face, the last time he saw him. " Sunstride, " The warmest of smiles is told through his voice. Perhaps the only thing Lambcurl had mourned, was that he gone in his sleep, rather than lifting raising claws for his clan. But now, he feels nothing but blessed to see Sunstride here between them all. The stars in his eyes, he thinks, were always meant to be there. Someway, somehow. " You've grown, " he rasps. And so have I.

Not once while he was alive had he ever thought ill of Sootstar. He had been lucky — now he realizes — that his natural disposition kept the target from his back. Many more had not had luxury, many more would still be without it, if today, she still lived.

If Lambcurl could've been so happy then, only with glee does he ponder what Sunstride may bring to a WindClan of his own.

" With this life, I give you devotion, " he would come to touch his nose to Sunstride's, and perhaps the flaming tabby would need to bend, to make it so. With it, the weight of his feeling would surely burden him — an unnatural, smoldering thing; but he holds the deepest faith that Sunstride would not buckle beneath it. " Devotion to your kin, to your clan, to StarClan, " his voice was whisper - soft, just as it had been moons ago; but to Sunstride, it would be sonorous in its word. " Whatever you hold dear to you... give your all to it; mind, body, and soul. Do not waver, no matter how clouded the waters may seem. Stand strong... Stand true. "

WindClan would soon be born anew, with Sunstride at its helm. Eventually, there will come a lull, a time where they can all sink into much - needed rest... but that would not last forever. And when any storm comes... Lambcurl can only hope that he would not follow his predecessor in turning her back on them. " If all else fails: keep believing, Sunstride. " His blink is kind, not one laden with tears as it had once been. His vision is clear, and in it, he sees a future that's brighter than bright.

As the pale tom steps back into the crowd, his head is lowered in reverence, and he is stardust once again.​

 

[Whisperwish]

Amongst the glittering silver of StarClan, Whisperwish looks like she belongs. Her grey pelt blends in magnificently as it shines with stars, and her expression shows that she is the happiest she’s ever been. Despite all her regrets in life, she knows that she will make the most of her afterlife here. Getting to grant one to the new leader of WindClan was something she knew she had to do, even if part of it was wanting to atone for her inaction. But while she cannot go back, she can grace Sunstride with the same mercy she will give herself, with time.

The fifth to grant a life, she takes ethereal steps forward towards the one who will soon lead her home. She regrets not getting closer to him while she could, but she still has full faith in his capabilities, which she hopes he will come to see in himself too. “Sunstride,” Whisperwish starts, voice as soft as ever, “With this life, I give you second chances.” The rosette tabby puts her cold nose atop his own, the life of an innocent kit slowly taken away flashing before him, but also her final moments as she finally feels at peace once more.

“I hold a lot of regret that I stood by, watching WindClan fall as it did. I did not even act when hope arose, staying silent until the bitter end. But you, you will be more. You might have your own regrets, but do not let them hold you back. You are here for a reason, Sunstride. You will make WindClan into the home it can be, that it always should have been. I believe you can do it; your second chance will mean everything.” And with her final message sent, Whisperwish backs away into the gathered crowd as she shimmers brighter, happy she finally got to do something meaningful to both her and her clan.​

 

[Juniperfrost]

If things had been different would he even be here? Would he too have followed the matriarch into her descent to darkness? Would he have shed the blood of his kin without hesitation in her name? Was his early death a mercy to spare his soul knowing he might have followed her dutifully without hesitation and thus be lost to the very corruption that caused the sun-spotted deputy to be before them in this very moment? Juniperfrost had no answers, only more questions. There was no denying he had been a cat who lacked warmth, one so strictly regulated to his sense of justice and love for his clan that it warped all else in his mind until he had no personality of his own at all aside from what was desired of him to maintain his duties.

His life had ended between traitor jaws, he had always been a devout follower of Sootstar and considered her regime to be absolute. How he felt about her lack of presence in StarClan was not clear in his cold blue gaze, but he stepped forward with head high and posture stiff as he came to a stop before the tom who mirrored him in opposition. Where Sunstride was a blaze of fire, spotted and burning and warm at his core, Juniperfrost had been a cat of coldness and stoicism so prominent his expression rarely faltered from it's usual neutral stare but a glimmer of pride shone in his gaze as he regarded the deputy; though he had not served under Sunstride in the position he still found him adequate enough and the stars so deemed the same.

“Sunstride, welcome.” His tone is calm, collected, even in death he maintains a poised dignity. When he dips his head to barely brush a dark nose to a russet forehead the sensation is like a lance of lightning striking down through the tom’s spine in an agonizing burning ripple of movement, “...with this life I give you loyalty. It will be your deadliest weapon against your enemies and most glaring weakness amongst your companions. It can shield you from any storm if you build it up, but it can just as quickly tear you to pieces at the slightest provocation.You have seen what loyalty can do to a cat, you have witnessed those who threw themselves before bloodsoaked paws lose their way. Where your loyalty lies must remain as resolute as your faith in it, if you can not trust in your clan then you can trust in no one. Your loyalty must never blind you, yet it must also never waver.”
It was loyalty that had destroyed WindClan, it was loyalty that would rise it forth from the ashes of Sootstar's treachery and hoist them into the sky to burn and blaze for all to revere.
​

 

[SUNSETBREEZE]

Sunsetbreeze had been watching them all from above in the stars ever since his drastic and sudden demise. Death were supposed to bring clarity but none such thing had been given to him. if he still had been alive he was convinced that he would have followed Sootstar into the dark like her most devoted servant. That was what he owned to that molly after she had taken him in when nobody else had. Sunsetbreeze would have died a far to earlier if it hadn't been for her so who cared about his soul to begin with?. All of that he had been spared from all because his life had been taken early, and now he was free, wasn't he?. That unrepaid debt he never had been able to fullfill Sunstride had freed him from all of that, and now he truly felt like he could embrace his time here with peace in his soul. So no, he did not felt contempt or anger at the new windclan leader who stood before him for having killed the queen of the moors. She had served her purpose. It was time for peace on the moors at final last.

" Sunstride you've sacrificed a lot just so you can stand here today for your clan sake." he finally spoke as he step forward to stand in front of the soon-to -be -new -leader of the moors. If there was anyone who understood about sacrifice in this life it was him who had sacrificed his kittypet lineage to run away from the horrible life he had lived to arrived out to the moors to embrace the unkown. He who would have sacrificed all and everything just to please the mad queen of the moors. He who instead had sacrificed his own life in the end to save the love of his life, a sacrifice he never would regret even if it pained him everyday that he might never get to see their face again. Yes, to sacrifice comes with a heavy burden, a cost that never could be unbroken. In the future, Sunstride will face many choices like this where he had to pick to save his life or sacrifice it so one of his clanmates could live instead. To sacrifice his own happiness so somebody else could have it all.

" That's the life i wanna give you. The life of sacrifice because there will come times over and over again where you're gonna have to sacrifice yourself to the clan in one or another way. Remember you have nine lives your clanmates only have one. I hope you will use this life wisely." he said with a stern look. In the future, Sunstride would face many choices like this where he had to pick to save his life or sacrifice it so one of his clanmates could live instead. To sacrifice his own happiness so somebody else could have it all. How selfish or selfless he would be only the future could tell. All he could do was give them the tools and hope for the new ruler to make the right decision. All leaders would be forced to face it, the sacrifice of leading a clan. It was not a easy task and it never should be.

His stern look grow softer, a hint of a smile danced briefly across his features. " I wish you the best of luck and may the stars guide your path." With that said he gave a dip of his head to the new king of the moors before he turned around to elegantly walk himself back to the others.




​

 

[SHRIKETHORN ★]

( ☄ )　 A late joiner to the star--dappled pelts, Shrikethorn is quick to join the throng of cats ushering Sunstride into his leadership. There's a pang of bitterness in her still; she should be down there, she knows, but all her anger has dulled in death. How glorious still, to stand above and watch her own mother's demise, watch the righteous victory of those who still look to the stars for guidance

She smiles as she approaches him. There is something peaceful in her expression that she never quite had in life. "Sunstride," she greets, cordial and easy. She does not know the tom well, though she died pledging her allegiance to him. "It is shame that I never got to fight alongside you, but I suppose this will have to suffice." She will grant him his eighth life, a memento of her own blazing demise. May he make better use of it than she did.

"With this life, I give you conviction." She draws forwards, trailing stardust behind each step, cranes her neck upwards to touch her nose to his. "May you always have the courage to stand by your beliefs, no matter where your path may lead you. Let it burn within you like fire, let your paws be guided by righteousness. Fight for what you know to be right, and never let waver. You have a bold and noble heart, Sunstride, and I know your paws will lead you to glory should you always keep that spark within you." The words feel right upon her tongue. Maybe this is the legacy she's always wished for, living on in the life of a leader far greater than any she'd known. A smile curves its way across her maw as she dips her head in farewell and retreats into the crowd.

I DONT WANT WHAT YOU HAVE ☄ I WANNA BE YOU !【 01.23.24 】

• //
  ​

• "SPEECH"

• ˏˋ　• ☄ SHRIKETHORN. WINDCLAN TUNNELER. SHE / HER.
  19 MOONS & AGES ON THE 1ST.　PENNED BY SATURNID.
  
  

  

  ☄ A SMALL WHITE MOLLY WITH ASHY GRAY PATCHES AND PIERCING YELLOW EYES.

  
  SOOTSTAR xx FLINT. LITTERMATE TO SOOTSPOT.​

​

 

[HARE WHISKERS]

Eight lives have been passed to the newest leader of WindClan. In any other ceremony, this would be the time when Sootstar might step out from the crowd, had she followed the path StarClan laid out for her. Had she stayed on the side of the righteous and just, she would have strode to her deputy and granted him his ninth life and new name, but the she-cat is nowhere to be found. Instead, an aged tom steps forward, eyes burning with sunlight as they settle on the rosette WindClanner.

"It is an honor to finally meet you, Sunstride." His voice booms through the clearing, carrying with it an authority of a leader, but not one the forest clans have ever known. No, he has never worn a star in his name nor has he lived and died nine times over. But he is a leader in his own right, one that many followed once upon a time. He pads forward until he is standing before the hickory-furred tom, glittering stars left in his wake. "My name is Hare Whiskers. I was the original leader of the cats in the marsh, before the clans came to be. And once, long ago, Sootstar followed me. I am sorry to see where she has led your clan." There is a somber light in his orange eyes, but he smiles all the same. The cat before him will be WindClan's savior, he is sure of it.

He steps forward and lifts his nose to reach the dipped skull of Sunstride. When he touches him, the life will fill the deputy with painful shocks. "With this life, I give you forgiveness." Eventually, the pain fizzles out into a warm buzz. Peace. "Use it well to make the conscious decision to forgive your clanmates, the other clans, and most importantly, yourself. Sootstar left scars on the moors that will be hard to mend, but if you can forgive yourself and your clan for the mistakes that were made under her reign, WindClan will grow and flourish. Your clan can have a bright future, but not if you hold onto anger and guilt from past mistakes. Trust yourself and your clan to do better."

When he finally steps back, he dips his head in respect to the tom before bellowing, "I hail you by your new name, Sunstar. Your old life is no more. You have now received the nine lives of a leader, and StarClan grants you the guardianship of WindClan. Defend it well; care for young and old; honor StarClan and the traditions of the Warrior Code; live each life with pride and dignity." He tips his muzzle back up and smiles, the wrinkles at his old eyes creasing. "Bring honor back to your clan. StarClan is with you."

With that, he steps back into the crowd, and the landscape itself begins to fade as do the chants of Sunstar's new name.​