IN THE EMBERS ✧ nine lives ceremony

[Orangestar]

// @Marquette @Jay @Rai @Tikki @chuff @DetectLife @waluigipinball @dejavu
i have no specific order in mind except that blazestar will be going last! thank you all again for agreeing to this<3

Though she doesn't tell him, Orangeblossom is grateful for Dawnglare's presence on their trip to Mothermouth. She's been to Highstones only twice before, passing through it on either end of the Journey, but never has she disappeared down the long tunnel that he leads her down now. As medicine cat, he claims to visit every half moon to commune with StarClan; certainly, Magpiepaw had seemed certain as he meandered down into the darkness back then. She would need his guidance now, to make sure she doesn't lose her way.

It hadn't occurred to her that night-time, which had fallen around the time of their ascent, would make the tunnel dark: Orangeblossom can't see anything, and the scent of soil and the sense of the stones just at the periphery of her whiskers makes her tremble. It's like the tunnel she'd been trapped in, except this time she does not have Needledrift's cheery meow to guide her through the eerie ink that renders her vision useless.

More than once, the deputy pauses. It's under the guise of her bad leg, though truly that bothers her little in the presence of a fear she'd managed to forget until now. Thankfully, in the dark, she can't tell if Dawnglare is rolling his eyes at her.

Silver light floods her vision after a time, the tunnel opening into a cavern; and, just like Blazestar had done long ago, Orangeblossom gasps audibly. It's a sharp, surprised sound; in awe of the sight, she's able to do little but take it in for a few heartbeats. Jagged, silver lines of crystal stretch towards the ceiling of the cave, seeming to grow taller with each step she takes towards it until it's at least a few tail-lengths taller than her. It seems to glow from within, twinkling like StarClan itself, and even when Orangeblossom closes her eyes and presses her nose to its cold surface she swears she can still see its light beyond her closed eyelids.

—​

The breeze that greets her when she opens her eyes is far warmer than the world she's left, bereft of any tangible cold. Orangeblossom feels it rustle her fur, pleasant, looking upon the unfamiliar dips of a field. The grass is luminous, rippling like the endless pond she'd seen the sun drown in on the Journey. Yet, curiously, there's no sunlight: only an ethereal, constant illumination.

A small noise catches her attention and she turns, seeing Dawnglare standing at the roots of a great and gnarled tree. Many more spread behind out in the oaken forest behind him, too-green leaves unfurled like the height of newleaf, and an inviting scent of prey wafts from within. Any sense of unease she'd had vanishes at the sight, at the sensation of StarClan all around her, instead replaced with a pure and comforting sense of peace.

Beyond Dawnglare, a familiar pelt shoulders its way from the trees. Without a thought and without a word, Orangeblossom takes a step forward to meet them.

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[MORNINGPAW ☆]

Silver-crusted grass trembles and parts to reveal a spotted face with round blue eyes; starlight gleams in pale fur, smoking a glittering aura into the nighttime air. Morningpaw stands in the clearing as Orangeblossom rises to her paws to come to meet her. The air shimmers around them. “Orangeblossom. Welcome to StarClan.” She dips her head to the SkyClan deputy, her tiny nose twitching. “Are you ready to receive the nine lives of a leader?”

She knows, though, that Orangeblossom is ready, that she has been drawn here to accept her destiny. She steps forward on paws that had never been so confident, so steadfast, in life. Morningpaw’s heart leaps into her throat at the sight of the scarred she-cat who stands before her. When she had known her in life, Orangeblossom had been a young warrior—and from StarClan, Morningpaw had watched her bloom into her role as her father’s taciturn, disciplined deputy.

Now, she would fill the pawprints Blazestar had left behind. She would lead SkyClan.

“With this life, I give you hope,” she chirps, standing on the tips of her paws so that her nose can brush Orangeblossom’s. The life that travels from her tiny body to the SkyClan deputy’s is trembling and sweet, warm like the first touch of newleaf sun on a frosted stem. She will feel the love Morningpaw held for her two Clans, the love she still holds, and the optimism that she carried in her tiny heart will live on. “Even when it seems bleak, when things go wrong, never give up hope, Orangeblossom. It will guide you like the stars in the sky, and your paws will always find the right path again.”

She pulls away, smiling almost sadly. “You will be an honorable leader, Orangeblossom. I know you will.” It’s the most she can say—the most she can give the warrior who stands before her.

With a bow of her head, she turns and departs, waiting for the next StarClan warrior to deliver their life.

, ”​

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[HAKU]

Morningpaw is first, gentle as she offers Orangeblossom a life for hope. Fitting for one's first- Haku looks on with softened, waterlogged eyes as she draws away, as his turn quickly approached. His steps weep starlight, a glittering wake; it has been a long time since he has seen Orange Blossom, and he takes a moment to look at her, aged by the moons he had missed for his martyrdom. She has become quite the warrior.

He has been here longer than most, and thus has had much time to dwell. Relief had not come with his sacrifice, as Haku had thought- but to call his death regretful would be wrong. The cause had been right, but only as a spirit had he finally been able to understand how harmful it was that he had considered himself dead before he had even started fighting. With a resolve to live, with perseverance, could he have survived?

She is Orangeblossom now, of course- and she will soon bear a leader's name. But first, Haku must speak. Eyes stained with sadness, swimming with star-water, met her determined brown. "With this life, I give you perseverance. A pink nose touches the ginger-and-white deputy's; this life is not as soft as Morningpaw's. It is a tiring life, a bursting of pain usurped by numbing adrenaline. It crescendos into reward, into accomplishment- striving through hell to see the brighter side at the end. It was a process with which Haku had never bothered. A deep blue gaze still carries the grief of his life, the loss he'd felt in dying and living both. "As SkyClan's leader, you will face difficulties no warrior can imagine- so use this life well to battle through the worst. If you give up, you will never see what you might have missed- what might have flourished. True strength is in always getting back up again."

Of course, nine lives would help that process along. His duty done, Haku bows his head to the soon-to-be leader, and steps back into the silver web of his peers to allow the next Starclanner forth. ​

[ PENNED BY PIN ]​

 

[BRIGHTFLAME]

Brightflame watched with baited breath as Morningpaw and Haku move before her, two former members of a clan that she herself had died to defend, a clan that - when they were done - Orangeblossom would have the lives to defend it with, the lives of a leader like Blazestar had before her. She watched with sparkling star-tinted eyes as the future SkyClan leader received two lives - hope and perseverance - before Haku moved back and Brightflame found her paws moving her forward, soft smile on her maw as she looked towards the other.

"With this life, I give you loyalty." She'd speak, and as the others had before her Brightflame would move her head forward as well so that nose could touch nose. The life Brightflame gives is bittersweet, pain and happiness intertwined, the strong sense of loyalty Brightflame held for her clan until the very end echoing to Orangeblossom and now living on through her. "There will be difficult decisions to make as leader, things best for your clan, your family, yourself. Do what is right, even when what is right seems like the hardest thing you'll ever do."

A slight wave of her tail and Brightflame's head dips in a bow and as she moves back she offers the other a smile once more. She would be a good leader and although the star-coated moggie could say that out loud instead she remains silent as she moves in line with the others once more, hoping that the look of acceptance and pride on her face says enough.

.⋅ ۵♡۵ ⋅. life gets shorter, teeth grow long

•  
• 
  ⋆ brightkit - brightpaw - bright???
  ⋆ she/her - 12 moons
  ⋆ bisexual - open to relationship
  ⋆ apprentice of skyclan
  ⋆ attack - speech - thought
  ⋆ penned by tikki

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[spiderpaw ✧]

The next shape to part the glittering grass is star-encrusted black, long and lanky as she'd been in life, hyacinth blossoms tangling with the stars in her pelt. The pale blue gaze levelled with Orangeblossom's glimmers with the peaceful wisdom of all StarClanners, but perhaps a twinkling hint of girlish excitement colours it. Her smoky pelt is neatly groomed, and though she makes an effort at restraint, it's apparent that beneath her solemn expression, honor and happiness linger. She feels so important, here amongst these storied cats, giving a life to SkyClan's next leader.

Regret pangs in her chest, that she'd never gotten to become a legend, that she hadn't stepped into the mountains alongside her calico pupil with head raised and eyes wide. The moths pressed into waves of fur rustle dryly as she steps to meet Orangeblossom, the gruesome wounds of her demise disappeared.

"With this life, I give you temperance," she mews, leaning to press a twinkling nose to the soon-to-be leader's. This life is one of pressure, of anger and vengeance and hunger pressing at the seams of one's mind, the turmoil Spiderpaw had known so well. It draws itself up into a crushing weight and then shatters away, leaving behind the gentle comfort of the right decision made. Temperance is a virtue Spiderpaw may well have never attained in life. "You will have nine lifetimes in which you can choose to act in anger." The soft gleam of the apprentice's eyes make clear how familiar she is with choices made in rage. "Do not let it rule you, but guide you. Know when to choose mercy and when to choose war, no matter how hard it may be."

Spiderpaw's head dips respectfully and she whispers, "Tell Cherrypaw she looks pretty for me, please!" Then she's off back into the waving grasses and mass of silvered bodies to let the next cat forward, a rare smile christening her face.

"speech"

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[Snowpath]

Cloaked in stars so heavy they shed from him like fallen snow, the blue spotted tom slides past Morningpaw and bumps the smaller cat with a friendly nudge of his shoulder in passing as he pads forward to stand before the SkyClan deputy. He remembers a cold morning, his mood morose and her voice a quiet purr of encouragement in his darkest hours - the following days after the incident at the border that had brought to the clans their first code was something he had never truly shaken even in death; his name is whispered as a curse still in some places he's sure, the SkyClan apprentice who killed Blazestar's daughter. The story is older than he was alive now, twisted and warped to fit any narrative that suited the cat's who spoke of it, in some he is a cruel and bloodthirsty murderer and in others he is sympathetic and it had been an accident he did not deserve to suffer for, but only Snowpath knew the truth.
He had struck with intent to harm, maybe even kill, in what he believed to be defense of his clan and instead the blood spilled had been both a clanmate and an enemy in one - a halfclan apprentice teetering between the border of Thunder and Sky. It was only in death did he finally find solace for what he'd done and in doing so he came to understand some things with a wisdom far beyond his young years.

"Orangeblossom..." The pale tom says quietly in greeting, the faintest trace of his usual sharp grin on his maw - the deputy he had once disliked for taking the place of his mentor, who he eventually learned to respect and even admire, it was bittersweet to see her here. Blazestar had joined them in the stars at last and he knows the clan mourns but under her guidance he feels comfortable in the knowledge his family still down in the world of the living was well taken cared of. Greeneyes was a lead warrior now, Figfeather a mother, they moved on without him and he couldn't be more proud. He wished he could pass on a message to his kin, wished the orange and white molly might carry it for him, but this moment was not for outside eyes or ears and he held his tongue. There were things to tend to.

His coal black nose touches her forehead easily, he had always been a tall cat even as an apprentice, "With this life, I give you forgiveness." Deep regret and pain, permeating through the surface of fur and flesh down into one's very core - a bruise that wouldn't heal, a bone unmended, a reminder eternal of how mental anguish was only longlasting if you allowed it to be, "I spent so long struggling to understand what it means to forgive - to forgive others, to forgive myself, to forgive the cruelties this world may show you. In the end you must understand that no matter what, holding onto bitterness, to anger, to sadness, to grief, it will only ever hurt you and others in the long term. Your clanmates may invoke your ire, you may make mistakes, things may not go as they are meant to but we are all flesh and blood woven from the same parts and pieces - learn to forgive yourself and others for the things out of our control. Fate is fickle, our lives can end at a moment's notice." Snowpath remembers the tree the nursery is now sheltered in, that his older sister now had her kits in protected and safe. He would never regret it, but he often wondered if things could have been different, "Do not let any of yours end with a heart heavy and vindictive."
With a curt nod the young tom turns, tail flicking behind him to rejoin the ethereal figures of the other Starclanners and settles himself down to sit next to Morningpaw with his head raised up proudly.
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[Daisyflight]

"SUREFIRE, YEAH, THE SETTING SUN WANTS COMPANY"​

Daisyflight followed close behind her son, already a lingering constellation in the haze twinkling at the clearing's edge. Star-sharp eyes were smothered in a blink towards him as he settled beside Morningpaw before the calico padded on. Quilted fur, well-groomed as always, was stitched into lucidity in her approach. It was a strange thing, all of this. Orangeblossom’s amber blot pelt brought memories high and heady, her appearance in Starclan heralding change. Blazestar departed, Butterflytuft and Figfeather now parents. Slippery and unattainable, time sifted as silk beneath her paws.

The two mollies, now nose to nose, had worn many of the same mantles in life- mother, lead warrior, deputy. Now, it was time for another to settle on Orangeblossom’s shoulders, one Daisyflight had feared. "You made it." The comment was made with familiarity, undeath unable to shed moons of patrols walked together, time spent huddled in Blazestar’s den in discussion.

"With this life I give you a mother’s love." A knowing spark warped the starclanner’s expression, fed by amusement and weariness alike. "Having kits yourself, it will not be unfamiliar to you. That love should cloak the whole clan, protective and fierce and selfish." Crushing weight accompanied the life, sweet affection that rotted confidence and frayed nerves- a terrible sort of responsibility swaddled with sight of kits tucked safely beneath a woollen tail.

"And…" An uncharacteristic ripple of hesitance splintered her lambent silhouette. Mourned only once. Daisyflight had been unable to stomach any more than that. “…Never forget the pain and importance of each of these lives, not just for yourself but those around you. Fight for each of them as if they were your last- shield your family from the heartache of watching you pass. Fear the stars, for they bring you closer to leaving them that final time.“ Pearly chin tall, she stepped away from Orangeblossom. Severe hope was levied in her parting gaze, that the to-be leader would protect those she could no longer.​

✿ ✿ ✿​

 

[LITTLE WOLF]

When Little Wolf was born, there was no StarClan, no nine lives to fall back upon, no dreaming with cats long past. Her father had died and that was it - he had been gone. How special and wonderful was it now? A mother reunited with her daughter, with her brothers and a daughter who got to walk in the dreams of her mother, a loved one she had the privilege of seeing again and again because he had chosen to walk the path as close to the stars as a living cat could get. How lucky was she in this moment, that she would get to be a part of something as beautiful as giving a life even in death?

The last time she had seen Orangeblossom, it had been through half-lidded eyes as she lay dying. A death she would endure a million times over again if she must. She does not regret her choice to save Cherrypaw, does not regret going on the journey because if she had not been there who knew what would have become of the tortoiseshell molly. But when she looks at Morningpaw, watches her give a life before her, she does feel a brief pang of sadness that she could not be there for her surviving kin. Like Snowpath, she contemplates for a moment a message but just as quickly as the thought is in her mind, she wipes it away. Here was not the time, nor was it the place.

She watches in silence as other cats go before her. Dips her head respectfully as Daisyflight rejoins the ranks of starry warriors. A life for mothers love, she had said. She knew how fierce and protective a mother could feel, knew it was a feeling that could move mountains and destroy whole forests. What she had to give was important to, though.

"It is bittersweet to see you here" she says, her voice quiet as she steps forward, her green eyes gleaming with starlight. Orangeblossom was an old friend, one from the days she had spent with a paw in both Thunder and Sky. There was no one she could think of that was more deserving to take Blazestar's place as leader, but the catalyst of her being here before them was the death of a cat she had once loved. The father of her children, and for his life, for his mate and all the kits he had left behind, she mourned.

"With this life I give you selflessness" This life would not be a kindness, it was not a respite from the torrent Orangeblossom had no doubt already received. For that, she was sorry. "Use it to do what is right for others, even if it scares you, even if it hurts. You will have so many cats who depend on you, who look to you to make the tough decisions for them." This life is a rapid beat of a heart raging against a rib-cage, the icy cold grip of fear immediately accompanied by heart-ache and melancholy. Then it is the feeling of talons digging into a back, red hot pain that threatens to sear flesh off of the bone, an image of a pale figure walking away with two smaller shadows and then there is nothing but a faint, lingering breeze that smells of lungwort and mountain air. A sad smile plays upon the features of the raven-furred warrior "You'll be a great leader Orangeblossom." she says and steps backward, back into her spot next to her daughter who she reaches down to nuzzle the ear of gently.

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[sheepcurl]

It has been too long since she had died, but thankfully, within Starclan, there is good hunting, good company and great places to sunbathe. Being dead wasn't all that bad! Sure, she missed her friends and her family, but she had some old friends up here, too. When she had been called forth to give a life to Orangeblossom, Sheepcurl had been ecstatic. What a blessing to give Skyclans new leader, her friend, a life! She waits excitedly for her turn as she watches bodies move forth and finally, finally comes the time.

Her paws guide her forwards with almost a practiced precision, an odd mixture of pride, grief, excitement shining in her eyes. Orangeblossom had been a good deputy, a good friend. She will be a good leader, even if she has big paws to fill; Skyclan loved her, and in turn, she loved them. But... The loss of Blazestar would leave a sting in the hearts of her Clanners, but she knows he will be taken care of in Starclan. Thats how it always goes. "Orangeblossom! Mi amigo!" she purrs a greeting, accented voice just as lively as it once was. It does not carry the deep rasp, the wheeze she had in her last living week. "It's so good to see you again." now its a bit quieter, thick with emotion, eyes glossy with starry tears that do not fall. Bittersweet seeing a remnant of the past, but good, good to see a friend. She is not dead yet. That is all Sheepcurl could hope for her.

"With this life, I give you bravery." her paws prickle with excitement as she steps forwards to touch her nose, its a fire ignited, it is warm, it is uncomfortable, it is kind. It is a surge of emotion on a hot greenleaf day, it is courage in the face of fear. "Being brave isn't always easy. Sometimes you need to be brave even when you're at your wits end, you need to be brave for your clanmates, you need to be brave for yourself." she gestures towards Orangeblossom with a paw. "Being brave is a must. Let it guide your decisions, and let it guide you. Be brave in the face of uncertainty." she ends her speech with a small giggle and hesitates before she speaks again. "If you can... Tell Greeneyes i'm so proud of him. I'm so proud of all of you, actually! Of what you've all done, it's been so fun seeing what all of you have become. You're going to do great!" she beams, the emotion displayed so heavily within her eyes, within her grin.

Sheepcurl gives one last respectful dip of her head, a flick of a curled ear, before she disappears to stand besides Daisyflight, rocking on her paws as she continues to watch.
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[BLAZESTAR]

A final cat breaks rank from the band of StarClan warriors, this one towering above the rest. Blazestar is resplendent: his golden fur shimmers with celestial frost, and the weariness that had drawn his features in the last few moons of his life has been replaced. The expression he wears is one of pride as he approaches the she-cat who had served as his deputy for many moons. He looks upon her now, breathless and shaken from the power coursing through her veins, and he bows his head. “Orangeblossom. You have done well so far, but there is one final life StarClan must bestow upon you before you can return to your Clan.” His blue gaze twinkles with wisdom as he bends to touch his nose to Orangeblossom’s.

“With this life, I give you compassion,” he murmurs. A flush of energy floods from his body to her’s, and contained within it is a lifetime of emotion. Excitement, starstruck Blaise as he tumbles from his housefolk’s nest into the woods for the first time; proud, anxious Blaise as he ascends the Great Rock to claim the pine forest for SkyClan; Blazestar, bending his head to brush his chin against his first deputy’s head; Blazestar, hunched over Little Wolf, licking his firstborn kit clean; Blazestar, dying and dying and dying again, body broken, spirit crushed, wailing over a child who had returned to the stars too soon; Blazestar, crowning Orangeblossom his deputy amidst the snowbanks in SkyClan’s camp; Blazestar, noble and wise and generous and self-deprecating; Blazestar, as he was before Harrierstripe’s teeth found his neck for the last time.

He straightens, his ears flicking forward. “Remember that every cat has walked a path we cannot begin to know, and that every cat—from the smallest kit to the frailest elder, whether they are SkyClan or kittypet or rogue-born, deserves to be understood.” His smile softens, and he withdraws, leaving a circle of space between himself and his former deputy.

“I hail you by your new name, Orangestar. Your old life is no more. You have now received the nine lives of a leader, and StarClan grants you the guardianship of SkyClan.” The wind whispers through the trees, combs through Blazestar’s starry pelt. “Defend it well; care for young and old; honor your ancestors and the traditions of the warrior code; live each life with pride and dignity.”

With that, Blazestar lifts his chin, his tail curling behind him: “Orangestar! Orangestar!” The warriors of SkyClan join him, their voices rising into a resinous chant until the star-strewn forest seems to shake with it. When the last cat’s voice begins to fade, so to do the warriors of StarClan, leaving Orangestar alone in a silver-dusted clearing.

, ”​

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