starclan HEART OF A FIGHTER ★ NINE LIVES

[Flamestar]

〔✦〕By the time the duo reach the high stones, the sun had already made its way back into the water that claimed it each night. The fire hued tabby stood outside the mouthermouth, taking a few heartbeats to process what was about to happen. "You'll have to lead the way from here." she murmured quietly to her friend beside her. She had only been here once before, and that had been when Magpiepaw stopped to speak with their ancestors before departing. Looking into the dark entrance made her fur prickle anxiously, the first real emotion she had shown since they had departed.

Deep breath...in...out...

A nod, then a paw step forward. She would be entering the tunnel a deputy, and returning a leader. She was quiet as she followed the Medicine Cat through the tunnels, making sure her nose touched his tail. I wonder if this reminds him of when we were trapped in the cave in. It felt suffocating to her...she was positive Gentlestorm could hear her heart pounding in her chest. It had taken quite some time to be able to sleep in the warriors den after returning home, but this was the first time she had set paw in a tunnel like this since all those moons ago. Are you sure it's safe? The question begged to be asked, but she bit her tongue. Speaking right now didn't seem right, not when she was about to be reunited with those who had fallen.

What if they aren't real? The idea seemed mouse brained. She had watched Howlingstar and Emberstar return from the dead several times after all...but she couldn't help but hold onto that fear. Will I see my kits again? Lilykit, Butterflykit, Sparrowpaw...the thought made her heart swell. Flycatcher...my love, please....please, come see me. If her mate didn't come, would it be selfish to be distraught? There were so many faces she wanted to see, to embrace...

After what seemed like eternity, she followed Gentlestorm into an illuminated room. As her gaze fell upon the stone, she suddenly felt...small. The power that radiated from the sacred rock made her nervous...and what doubts she had were flushed from her mind. They are real...I'm going to see them again.. The tabby turned to her friend and touched her nose to his shoulder affectionate, before taking the steps to the moon stone. "I'll see you soon." she breathed as she laid down, touching her nose it's surface.

When she opens her eyes, she is taken away by the beauty that surrounds her. Nine star dappled silhouettes stood in front of her, each causing her heart to swell even more. As the first body stepped forward, tears began to form in her eyes. "My love..."

even on my weakest days ( I get a little bit stronger ) //

• ooc.
  after the first life is given, lives may be posted in any order (:
  
• FLAMEWHISKER —— deputy of thunderclan , mentoring none . storm x lily . littermate to nala, smokey, and nemo ✦ penned by icey !
  ✦ afab / she/her / 36 moons & ages every 20ᵗʰ
  ✦ widowed / heterosexual / closed to romance
  ✦ peaceful and healing powerplay permitted / underline & tag account when attacking
  —— difficult in battle
  
  ✦ “speech”, 'thoughts', all opinions are in character
  ✦ tags — msg on discord for plots — toyhouse
  
• 
  
  

  a longhaired red tabby with low white and green eyes. flamewhisker's fur is a vibrant hue of red, riddled with thick classic tabby markings. her fur is medium in length, and she has a large, feathery tail. her chest, belly, tail tip, and her paws are dipped white. flamewhisker's eyes are a dark, deep shade of green. her shoulder has a large scar on it from a fight with a dog. she also has a shredded ear from a disagreement with a loner during her time alone before joining thunderclan. on particularly cold days, or sometimes before a major weather change, she will walk with a slight limp from her shoulder injury.

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[Flycatcher]

As was customary for the cats coming to receive their nine lives, a throng of StarClan cats comes to greet Flamewhisker and bestow one of her new lives.

No doubt all those cats present were heartbreakingly familiar to Flamewhisker, and none more so than the blue warrior who steps forward first. When she had last seen him - or at least his body - he had been bloodied and broken, his life cruelly snatched away by opportunistic rogues. Now, Flycatcher has been restored of his body, and he walks with a renewed spring in his step. His pelt well and truly star-touched.

When Flycatcher approaches, for once, detached free of their two young daughters - Lilykit and Butterflykit, forever young, forever to remain as kits under the watchful eyes of StarClan. It might have been a sad existence to some, but it was better than the lives they had lived, or rather not lived, in the realm of the living.

Stopping in front of her, Flycatcher gazes upon her with love and admiration. Once, it might have been him standing here to succeed Howlingstar, but he had chosen a different path. He had never intended to die so soon after but he was glad at least he could be here for this moment and that he could be the first to greet her. “Welcome to StarClan, Flamewhisker,” He greets with a soft mew. “You have been on quite the journey to get here, my love, but you can rest now. You did it, you made it.” He had watched with sadness and rage as those supposedly honourable ThunderClan warriors had bullied, killed, and forcibly taken over the clan. It had pained him to see his former home and clanmates torn apart in such a manner but could breathe easy knowing that the problem had been resolved.

“It is my honour to give you the first of your new lives,” Flycatcher said, taking on a rather serious tone for a moment. Despite the seriousness, his gaze his gentle and loving, scarcely wavering from looking directly at her. He steps forward and touched his nose against hers. She would be aware of a vaguely warm, fuzzy sensation. Not unpleasant in the slightest. “With this life, I give you kindness. The life of a leader is a hard one, you will be pushed in ways you can't imagine, stressed in ways you can't imagine. Despite all those pressures, never take your rage out on your clanmates. Give them kindness and they in turn will be kind to you. A kind word can go a long way for someone who's hurting.”

Stepping away, Flycatcher looks at her sadly for a moment, knowing their short time is coming to an end. Selfishly, he wants to stay, to keep her all to himself, but he knows he cannot. Instead, he gently rests his head along her shoulders for a fleeting moment, before stepping back. “Goodbye, Flamewhisker,” He said, dipping his head as he spoke. “We're so proud of you.” Me and our girls. “I’ll see you again one day soon.”
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[batwing]

He is one of the next to approach. Flamewhisker stood before them- eyes shifted towards Flycatcher, a small smile finding Batwing's face. It's good, but oh-so-bittersweet to be witnessing this. Parts of him are grateful he would not be meeting Leopardtongue like this, but other parts ache knowing that she's here with them, and not with their sons. His mind scrambles back to the task at hand as the once-mates part ways and Batwing steps forward.

A slow breath left him as he regarded Flamewhisker. One of his close friends in the last few moons of his life, a pelt he looked for when he needed help. "Long time no see, huh?" It's a meek attempt at the jokes he used to carry through camp, humorous tone falling flat at the end of his rhetorical question. ".. You are deserving of this, Flamewhisker. You've risen above what has plagued Thunderclan so." He says gently, perhaps just a reminder that her decision is solid- one that he could see her making.

When he speaks again, his voice is stronger, more stern. Something that had only trailed after him in the time that he needed to be utmost serious. "I am giving you your next life- the life of courageousness." He is closer now, brushing muzzle against her as he gifts her the life that he had lived- a roaring fire of fearlessness, even in the face of pains, aches. Wounds, something she had just lived through for Thunderclan's sake. Everything that had made him a descendent of a lion in the minutes before the leap into the gorge, wolves snapping after his tail even as they fell.

"As a leader, there will be plenty of hardship to fight- for your family, and for Thunderclan. With this life, you can face it all head-on without flinching, without yielding." He pulls back, a small smile on his face- one that was weak at the mention of family. "Keep your head up. We believe in you, and know you'll do well." Batwing steps away then, turning back towards Flamewhisker once he was in the crowd again. A silent bid to keep his sons (and daughter) safe. A hope that Gentlestorm stayed put together. A need for his old clan to grow strong again.​

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"speech"​

 

[MORNINGPAW ☆]

Once Batwing rejoins the ranks, a small, kittenish shape detaches herself from the other StarClan warriors. Morningpaw pads toward the ThunderClan deputy on plush paws, her blue eyes round and silvered with starlight. She greets the ginger-furred she-cat with a lush purr. "Flamewhisker. It's been a long time." The tiny tortoiseshell point dips her head to the warrior who'd once fought beside her in her first and final battle, the warrior who'd helped carry her bleeding body to its final resting place. "You fought hard, but your battles are far from over. You know that, don't you?"

Morningpaw's face loses some of its innocence, replaced by wisdom and seriousness. The young she-cat extends herself on the tips of her paws to brush her gentle pink nose against Flamewhisker's. "With this life, I give you hope." This life, unlike some of the others, is warm and pure; the energy will tingle in Flamewhisker's nose and sweep like heatless fire to the tip of her tail. It is full of childlike wonder, of the ferocity of clinging to dreams. It is sincere, and eager, and full of determination. "Your journey as leader will seem hard and cruel at times. You will have to make some of the most difficult choices a cat can make." Morningpaw settles back on her spotted feet, smiling. "But if you keep hope alive, you will continue striving to do your best for your Clan."

She sweeps her tail against the grass. Flecks of starlight seem to trail after it. "StarClan will always be with you, Flamewhisker. Remember that."

With that, Morningpaw turns to make way for the next StarClan warrior.

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[Acornwish.]

As Morningpaw slips back into the fray, the star-laden figure of Acornwish floats forward on feathered pawsteps, blinking rapidly with each step that brought her closer to her former mentor. Cinnamon paws come to an abrupt stop, and Acornwish remains silent for a moment, mind reaching for the right words, like apples from its bushel.

Apples, apples… Acornwish smiles lightly. The ghosts had taken each tuft of her fur from the wolf’s belly, kissed it with the stars themselves, and put her all back just right, just perfect. “They put me back together, ain’t that neat?” The forever-youthful warrior whispers with a somber twist of her lips, something eerie and sad in her tone, oh how scary it had been, how peaceful her afterlife was now. “So I get to hunt and climb just like you taught me.”

Another blink, and the former apprentice would clear her throat, knowing her time with Flamewhisker had come to an end. Unlike Batwings admirable shift in his voice, Acornwish’s cannot muster the strength to stray but it’s dreamy tune. “With this life I give you the grace to offer second chances. Use it well to unearth nobility hidden in the darkness of life’s mistakes.” As the last word is spoken, Acornwish leans forward to brush her nose against Flamewhiskers.

This life will pour into the leader with a sharp icy flood of dread, of all the shame and the fear and the guilt one cat could hold. Directionless darkness, before gradually lightening to the near overwhelming, fiery warmth of pride and hope. “You must be for your clan the guiding light you were for me, and some will stumble and fall, or come from unknown lands. Don’t snuff out their light too quickly.”

Acornwish takes a step backwards, the same sad smile upon her maw. ”Until we meet again.” With a final dip of her head, the molly dutifully returns to the ranks of Starclan to allow the next cat forward.
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[BERRYHEART]

The world had thrummed with wrongness, since Howlingstars death- now, a light rises from the ashes. A loyal ember who had dedicated much of her life to ThunderClan- a purr sings in Berryheart's throat when he sees her. Blue, of course, is first to greet her with smiling eyes and words drenched sweetly in affection. Kindness. It is fitting... and emerging from a time of violence such as this, one very necessary life.

Wings gives courage, an emotion that had run deep within him in life and death. Wisps gives a quiet, honeyed life of hope, wise beyone the years her body had lived. Mousy offers second chances ... and perhaps that, too, would prove to be quite needed in the near future. Many cats, claws stained with wrongness, encircle and infiltrate ThunderClan's camp as they sit here and imbue the rightful leader with her power.

But he is beyond grudge, and beyond it all. Uneven green eyes settle upon sunset, a good friend in life- someone he has always known to be good. Primarily, that is what gives him great faith in her- it is what curves a crooked maw into a small, snowy smile. A twist lies upon a stony face, one that she would recognise as a subtle smile.

Peace and starlight dance from the blazing flecks of his fur. A long, slow blink covers wise eyes. "My friend," he greets, simply. Sparse words have not changed after death, but Sunset would feel the gladness pulsing from his words.

A pink nose presses gently to hers, as deft and direct as methodical paws of healing had been in his time as ThunderClan's medicine cat. "With this life, I give you knowledge." Fitting, he should hope. This life sings with inspiration- it glows with the light of the stars. There is an excitement herded within it that buzzes like a brewing storm- there is something ceaseless and uncontrollable about it. For a moment, Sunset would feel as if she could stride into the sky and look upon everything- understand it all. "Use it well to trust what you have learned in your moons of experience- but do not keep it to yourself, nor refuse to take in any more. Teach and learn freely, and never close your mind. Claws are sharp indeed, but the right knowledge can blunt them in an instant."

He bids goodbye, with a dip of the head- a gap is drawn between them, aflutter with argent energy. "Look out for my brother." Please is written in his eyes, but does not form upon his lips, as Berryheart's spirit returns to glimmering ranks.​

PENNED BY PIN ☾​

 

[LITTLE WOLF]

Star-shine glimmers in a night-sky pelt as Little Wolf watches the ceremony, lips upturned into a smile tinged with sadness. This is a ceremony, of course. A blessing bestowed upon the shoulders of one she cannot imagine to be more worthy, a dear friend she would give anything to be reunited with once again, but in order to be standing here today... All that had occured in her clan this past moon made her heart ache, for her kin, for her friends, for the clan-mates she had left behind and those that she would never know.

When her daughter returns to her place, Little Wolf is there, reaching out to press her nose against Morningpaw's head in a loving gesture, a mother reunited with her daughter. For a moment, she lingers, watching and waiting by her kin's side until Acornwish has bestowed her life upon the soon-to-be leader of ThunderClan.

"Old friend... how far we have come from our days together in the nursery" Her voice is soft as she steps forward, a wide smile worn upon her features despite the tears that glimmer unshed in her eyes. "I will not lie to you and say the path before you will be easy..." She had seen first hand the weight that these nine lives could place upon another's shoulders "But these nine lives are a gift, a blessing not bestowed upon many, and so, for this life, I give you the life of sacrifice" she reaches forward to touch her nose to Flamewhisker's

This life is a cold breeze and the scent of flowers, a surge of warmth that burns with the pain of talons dug into the shoulders but carries with it a core of fierce love and devotion that lingers long after the pain has faded away

When Little Wolf pulls away, a tear does in fact break free from her eye, blazes a trail of starshine down her cheek as she stares at the she-cat opposite her "In times of hardship, there may be need of you to put the needs of your clan before your own desires, or even your own safety, with this life I grant you the strength to make those choices, even when it hurts the most. Use it wisely." She lingers for only a moment longer before she turns towards her star-pelted clan-mates, eyes on her brother as she rejoins him in StarClan's ranks, tail flicking his shoulder affectionately as she brushes one again against her daughters pointed pelt.

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