Take one away and replace it with nine.

    Searingflame padded to the Moonstream with Lilyfrost, feeling a bit nervous. Not too long ago, I was just an apprentice. he thought. Will I be too young to recieve my Nine lives? What if starclan rejects me for that? he worried, and then they came to a sudden halt.
    He gazed upon the stream before them in awe. It was clear and sparkling, not even a fish in sight, and smooth pebbles lining the bottom.
    He walked up to the edge and looked at his reflection. Except there wasn't any. Instead there was a shining silhouette of him of moonlight. He touched his nose to that part of the water and slowly drifted into sleep.
       ~<>~

    Opening his eyes, he found himself in a starlit clearing. But to his surprise , it was the Brokenclan camp. Suddenly brilliant points of light lit up from a distance out into the shadowed forest, and they got brighter and bigger.
     Shielding his eyes, Searingflame felt a white light light up the forest. Then it faded, and he turned to look to see a bunch of cats, some you could see more than others, standing in the clearing facing him. Starlight glittered on then and behind them from the path that they walked.
        "Why are we in the Brokenclan camp?" he asked them first. All together they seemed to say.  "It is the place of your birth." Searingflame just nodded. Maybe it's usually like this for all leaders..... but my home is in Briarclan now. he though confidently.
       "Welcome, Searingflame. It is time to replace your one life with nine, and take your place at the head and spirit of Briarclan." they all said. "Is this what you wish?" they asked.
       "Yes." he said at once, his tone clear and confident. Then there was silence, and his eyes closed. He felt the energy swirling around him, and opened his eyes to see the first cat standing before him. It was Featherleaf. He wasn't there when she died, but Emberpaw told him that she died right before she had her kits. She felt her nose touch his head, and he felt it might scorch through his fur.
       "With this life I give you strength." she said. "Use it well to get though the tough times, even when everything good has beem lost." she said, and he felt the life though him. Searingflame stiffened. He felt his heart drop, like life was just gone, but rise back up again. Searingflame exhaled, feeling battered but refreshed.  Are all lives like that? Or are they all different? he wondered suddenly but didn't notice the cat that replaced Featherleaf in front of him. Standing there was Wildpaw, who had died by killing herself out of temporary insanity. (lovely :P) She touched her nose to his forehead.
    "With this life I give you the power to know right from wrong, and a clear mind to make the right decisions. Use it well to steer your clan clear of dark paths." Wildpaw said, and the life went through him like a storm. Then he felt warm, as if it was burning away. It was gone as quickly as it came. Searingflame dipped his head to her, and she vanished back into the mass off starclan cats. Another cat padded up to him. The cat was unrecognizable until he stepped into the light, and Searingflame saw it was Jumpfoot, who had died in battle.
   "With this life I give you Justice. Use it well to judge yourself and others fairly." he said, and he felt the life growing in him, strengthening him. Then it grew into intense pain, running through him like a lightning bolt. Then he was panting at the end. Jumpfoot nodded to him, a glint in his eyes before stalking back with his clan-mates and Sagefrost walked past him, exchanging a glance with Jumpfoot, and got up to Searingflame. He knew the Medicine cat apprentice died soon after sickness, before he was born. Sagefrost touched his nose to to his fur.
   "With this life I give you patience. Use it well for your clan-mates who are falling behind, and for the stressful times you will overcome." Sagedfrost meowed, and he felt light-hearted. Searingflame felt like he was moving forward gradually, through time. He fell into a daze and let out a sigh. Another nose pressed itself to his head and he snapped out of it, seeing it was Dustymist, who also died in the battle with Brokenclan.
    "With this life I give you protection. Use it well to keep your loved ones out of unnecessary harm." Dustymist said, and he felt a burning pain flume inside him, engulfing him. Searingflame wanted to dig his claws into fur to keep others safe. The burning faded, but the overwhelming Desire stayed. "Tell my kits I love them." She whispered, flashing him a glance. Searingflame nodded to her, and she left. The next cat padded up to him and it was Dustymist's mate, Ravenstar. The big black and white tom stalked up to him, leaning down to touch his nose to Searingflame's ear.
   "With this life I give you wisdom. Use it well to lead your clan." he said, and he felt as if a thousand pins had gone through him, all with a pain of their own. He saw all the possibilities at once, and it began to swell. Annd then it just stopped altogether. "And you must gain the wisdom as well." Ravenstar said, and walked back over to sit next to Dustymist. Brownspots came up next. And Searingflame remembered how she died with a pang. His mother killed her. He expected to see anger or revenge in her eyes, but there was only clear knowledge.
    "With this life I give you Understanding. Use it well to figure out the problems of your clan." she said, and touched her nose to his head. He felt as if he was filling up, every life was making the weight heavier, and he felt like he would burst already. "Don't try and blame yourself for my death. You weren't born yet." she said, and whisked away, leaving Searingflame gaping. Did she read my mind? he wondered. He peered to see another cat come out of the edges of the Brokenclan, a scowl on her face. It was Briarberry, the deputy before him, who also died in battle. Though he touched her nose to his.
  "With this life I give you love. Use it well to love your clan as a whole." she said, and the painless life flowed through him, and he thought of Frostriver. Frostriver..I love her  so much. He thought, and he already ached to see her even though he hadn't been gone that long. The soothing feeling kept his place, but he knew his last life would be the one that would hurt the most. Swiftstar walked up at a smooth pace, pride shining in her eyes.
   "Searingflame, it is an honor to give my successor his last life." she said. "I knew I made the right choice for you to be deputy. You escaped your past and proved yourself a worth warrior of Briarclan." she purred, and touched her nose to his.
   "With this life I give you compassion. Use well to care about your clan and put them first before all other things." Swiftstar said, her eyes glinting. He clenched his jaws as the life rippled through him like a waved, and it lasted what seemed like seasons, but eventually it subsided and Searingflame relaxed.
   "I hail to you by your new name, Searingstar. Your old life is no more, and you are ready to take your place as Leader of Briarclan, the heart of the forest." She meowed.
   "Searingstar! Searingstar! Searingstar!" the cats cheered. "The time of prophecy is over. But be warned, darkness will shadow to sun that enlightens you." She said, and Searingstar woke up startled. He exchanged a glance with Lilyfrost, and they headed back to the camp.

~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_
  
As soon as Searingflame got back, he leaped onto the Thickbranch. The moon was high in the sky.

"Will all cats old enough to catch their own prey join here beneath the Thickbranch for a clan meeting." he said.

"Many cats have died in battle, and we mourn for them. But if any Brokenclan cat lays a claw on any cat here, from the youngest kit to the oldest elder, I'll have something to say about it."

"Searingstar! Searingstar! Searingstar!" the cats cheered.

"It is moon-high, so I must choose a new deputy." he said.

"I say these words before starclan, so that the spirits of our warrior ancestors may hear and approve of my choice." he said, pausing. "Ravensoar will be the deputy of Briarclan." he said.

"Ravensoar! Ravensoar! Ravensoar!"

>Searingstar<

  
  
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