YOLNT

[{ KYRA }]

ooc| yolo. unless you're a clan leader, of course...

ic| well, this wasn't what mothfur had been expecting. the dampness of the cavern, the darkness illuminated only by the glow of the moonstone... was this where it happened, his moment? was this his destiny? he had never dared to dream of becoming leader. tallstar had been such a good friend and teacher that the loss of him hurt to much for words. how would windclan go on without him?

mothfur hadn't wanted to inherit this mess of a situation. if tallstar, an experienced leader, had been thrown off balance by the war, how could starclan expect mothfur to handle it? shadowclan was out for their hide, thunderclan wanted them to submit to tigerclan, and riverclan was unpredictable now that they had a new leader. there hadn't been a gathering in moons, at least not a gathering that windclan had bothered to attend, and mothfur knew it probably seemed as if even windclan had turned their backs on starclan. he hoped his ancestors would talk to him tonight and talk to him well, because he could use their guidance at a time like this. he could use, if starclan were willing to give them to him, those nine lives...

well, there was no point in dilly-dallying, he supposed, nosing up to the stone. he didn't want poor iceclaw to have to watch over the clan all alone for too long, not while every cat was still mourning tallstar.

the tom closed his eyes and waited to see what dreams might come...

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[StarClan]

The voices of all the warriors that have ever lived chimed in unison: Welcome, Mothfur.

There was a moment of respectful silence in the Silverpelt as the power of StarClan stripped Mothfur's old life away from his body. And then, the real process began... The making of a leader...

Heatherstar stepped forward first, her gray coat glowing in the eerie light of StarClan. She had seen Mothfur grow up, but she had never imagined the great deputy he would become. It made her proud to bestow upon him his first life, although she would never say so, at least not now. This was a time of business, and she ought to get on with it.

She touched her nose to the top of the tom's head. With this life, I give you endurance. May it help you to continue leading your clan, even through the tough times you have before you.

[{ KYRA }]

welcome, mothfur

it was like ice running through his veins and for a second it was like there was nothing to him at all. his old life had been stripped away, and for just a second, he was dead. death warmed over.

and then a familiar face emerged from the silvery crowd, and a glimmer of hope sparked in his chest. heatherstar, his first leader. mothfur dipped his head in respect. how awesome to see her here, after all this time, as good as if she was alive.

with this life, I give you endurance. may it help you to continue leading your clan, even through the tough times you have before you.

it was as if the life had flown back into him, rewarming his veins. with this life... what did heatherstar know? what was she trying to tell him, 'the tough times'? did starclan know how long the war would last? did they know if windclan would lose? he wanted to ask her, but he couldn't open his mouth. how difficult it was to ask these important questions... perhaps there was a better time for it. how could he know? he'd never been leader before, he'd never dreamed of becoming leader....

he closed his eyes and waited patiently for the next life to be given.

[StarClan]

A small, black she-cat came into view next. Her glossy fur was groomed to perfection. She had known it was a special day, and she had tried to look her best. Her eyes glimmered with a tear as she stepped forward, and no cat could say whether the droplet was a sign of sadness or joy.

Rookflight pressed her muzzle against the tom's head. Mothfur, my son, she whispered, her throat catching. She gave a little cough and continued. With this life, I give you pride, so that you may guard the dignity of your Clan and of all the clans. She removed her nose from his head and stepped back, her job done.

[{ KYRA }]

tears welled in his eyes at the sight of rookflight. his mother... no matter what their differences had been when he was alive, he knew looking into her eyes, past all the emotionless depths, that deep down she cared about him. and suddenly, the two of them were crying together, shedding a single tear in the name of this moment.

he bowed his head and prepared to receive his second life.

with this life, i give you pride

a small purr sounded in the back of his throat. of course rookflight would give him pride, she had so much of it to spare. it was what he simultaneously loved and hated about his mother, but there was always much more love than hate.

and suddenly, she was gone. his mother had disappeared, and the power of his second life was slowly awakening in his veins. this was it... this was what it felt like to have more than one life to live... the tom stood frozen in awe, scared to know what his third life would bring.

[StarClan]

(OOC: to speed up the process, I'm doing two lives at a time this time.)

Hawkheart stepped forward next, his mottled brown pelt rippling in the moonlight. He had not been personally as close to Mothfur as Heatherstar or Rookflight, but he had been there on the night that Mothkit was born, supervising Rookflight's labor. He laid his muzzle on the tom's head and mewed, With this life, I give you strategy. Use it to in battle and in camp. Use it to make decisions only a true leader can.

As the tom stepped back, Squirrelpaw appeared. The little brown she-cat had shared the apprentice den with Mothpaw, and if she were honest with herself, had held a small crush on the tom. But he had never had eyes for Spottedthorn, and when she looked down from StarClan on their large family, she knew their love was true. The ghostly apprentice said softly, With this life, I give you love. Use it well to love your Clan and to love your territory as much as you love your family.

[{ KYRA }]

he was surprised to see hawkheart here and wasn't sure why the tom would want to give him a life. the medicine cat had never seemed to support him or even like him, but if he was offering mothfur a life, who was he to refuse? he bent his head and allowed the life to flow into him. a silent thanks went out from his eyes to the tom, although he wasn't sure the silent medicine cat wanted his thanks or even his acknowledgement.

the next cat to approach him looked familiar, and suddenly a memory of squirrelpaw flashed in his mind. he had nearly forgotten about the sweet little apprentice he had shared a den with moons and moons ago, but smelling her unique scent brought back all of those old thoughts locked away in his brain. a cat he had never thought he'd see again... he blinked happily as gave him the life of love, but the emotion in her voice took him by surprise. his paws were unsteady as she faded away and he found himself nervously awaiting his next lives.

four lives left, five to go...

ooc| that's fine by me.