Heronfeather's Leader Ceremony

How does one put into words what she had witnessed over the last moon? Stars, even just the events of the previous night? Her head was still reeling, alabaster paws dragging as she attempted to rationalise anything that had occurred in recent times. Heronfeather was running on autopilot; desperately trying to put together her thoughts and come up with a way to explain what had happened to the clan- to all the clans, really. Who would believe her? Who could believe a story as impossibly far-fetched as the one that she currently found herself in the centre of? Her chest felt concave and a harrowing chamber of loneliness opened up deep within her, threatening to pull her in. Forcing her paws to continue carrying her as the stars glittered far above her head, she pondered what she would find. What was she even looking for?

Would StarClan have the explanation she so desperately craved? Her throat threatened to close up as anxiety washed over her in aggressive waves, there was so many questions she had. So much to say and so few words. There was never going to be enough time to form the thoughts, the explanations, the questions, the words she had. The molly wanted to wail like a kit, to stop right where she was and remain there for an undetermined length of time, screaming into the night air and begging for her father. The adrenaline had begun to wear off, and she felt the Leaf-fall night cold sink deep into her fur, chilling her deep down to the bone.

Heronfeather felt her mind being dragged back to what she had just witnessed and she quickly found she didn't have the energy to divert the course of her thoughts.

---

"Brindlestar?" her voice shook with an immense amount of fear, the barren landscape of the moor never seeming as ominous as it did tonight. The moon barely cast light down and the deputy found herself relying mainly on her sense of smell to follow after the leader. "Brindlestar, where are you?" It was almost as if she could see the gangling shadow of Brindlestar, one that appeared warped and distorted in a way the leader had never been. Heronfeather's fur stood on end as she took slow steps; she couldn't pin why she was so afraid except that... something felt wrong. Something felt very wrong and very off. The fog grew thicker, and her nose burned as the cold droplets settled upon her face, but she continued onward, desperate to find the molly she adored. "Brindlestar please, you need to come back. Please, this is- this is dangerous, you need to rest," the mottled she-cat pleaded with the dwindling scent and shadows that stretched around her, realising with a jolt she recognised absolutely nothing about the landscape around her. "Please," Heronfeather called again, voice cracking in a mix of terror and sadness.

The scent she was following came to an abrupt halt; her head turned frantically as she looked for the cat she had been trekking after, before realising there was nothing. As if on cue the fog began to lift, the moon shining a little brighter as she recognised the familiar landmark of Highstones to the left of her. "Brindlestar?" she whispered, before coming to the understanding that there was absolutely no sign of the she-cat. She was gone.

---

Her paws hit stone, and before long she found herself at the entrance to Mothermouth. They'll have answers, they have to have answers, Heronfeather repeated to herself, leaning against the wall of the tunnel for a moment as she regained her composure. This was a familiar journey, one she had undertaken numerous times and one she prayed would grant her the knowledge she needed. Taking a deep breath of the cold night air she followed the tunnel underground, briefly feeling as helpless as she had following after Brindlestar. She'll be there, the molly reminded herself, paws treading the last gentle slope upwards, a small bit of surprise rippling through her at how bright the cave was despite the size of the moon.

"StarClan I- I don't know if I should've come here, but I need answers. Please just tell me what happened," she begged the rock in front of her, touching her nose to the cold stone and hoping when she opened her eyes, she'd awake in StarClan.

A warm wind ruffled her mottled fur, a far cry from the deep chill that plagued the dark cave the molly had been in moments before. Hesitant to open her eyes, Heronfeather breathed in the scent of a Greenleaf moor, smells of heather and freshly rained on grass meeting her nose. Another scent met her that made her heart ache, and she opened her eyes without a hint of the same reluctance that had plagued her moments before.

"Dad," Heronfeather rasped, throat constricting painfully once more but immediately feeling waves of relief crash over her, momentarily overpowering the confusion and terror that had rapidly become her new normal. She stood on stiff legs, brushing against the jut of his chin like the last time she'd seen him, and let out a weak purr. A familiar sense of dread filled her as the deputy realised he wasn't purring, and she stepped back, finally taking notice of the grim look plastered on his face. "What's wrong?" the molly managed after a few moments of silence, her heartbeat ringing in her ears. "She's here right? Grayfrost, she's here right?"

Silence. The wind carried itself over the crash, creating a faux sound of waves crashing upon a shore, and a faint bird call echoed from far away.

"My love," he began quietly, meeting her eyes with a sorrow that was beyond anything she had seen before. "There is no good way to say this. I don't even know where to begin myself; but it's best you hear this from me," Grayfrost seemed to be dragging out his words a little, his unwillingness to continue clear in the way he now refused to meet her gaze. He took a deep breath, steeling himself against the onslaught of emotions that were bound to escape the young molly in front of him, "We saw what happened with Brindlestar and... Heron, we don't know where she is. She did not return to StarClan, and she has not gone to the Dark Forest. We... we made sure."

His words carried across the moor for a moment as Heronfeather stared at him blankly, almost as if she hadn't heard him. A sharp ringing made itself known in her ears, and tears fell without control from her eyes, staining her cheek fur with the numbing pain tingling in her chest. Disbelief ran its course for a few heartbeats, before a deep and overwhelming loneliness set in, and her mouth went dry before she could even attempt to speak. Brindlestar was... she was kin, she was the mother figure Heronfeather had lacked her whole life and was the best mentor and leader one could ask for. And just like that, she was quite literally gone with the wind. How could you leave me like this? She desperately wanted to wail, bitterness at the circumstances and sadness at the loss of one she loved so dearly hitting her with the force of a monster.

Her father stepped forward weakly, touching the tip of his tail to her shoulder in an unusually tame display of affection; a solemn look now lay on his face. The moon knew not of the heartbreak she was facing, and as such wouldn't be patient when it came to the time they had.

"I know how much you loved her, we all did. And I hate to be the bearer of bad news once more, but WindClan cannot be without a leader. You know this as well as I, right now more than ever we need to remain unified and strong. My love, you can do this. I will be with you every pawstep of the way, never forget," he murmured, motioning for the other eight cats to step out of the shadows.

No, no no no, I can't do this, I can't-

"I will be giving you your first life. With this life I give you courage, use it to make difficult decisions and stand up for what you believe is right," Grayfrost's voice had returned to a serious tune, one befitting of the ceremony. She had been unable to voice her protests before it began, and all she could do was submit. The tom pressed his nose to her forehead, and immediately she felt pain surge through her body, a want to cry out bubbling at her lips that she refused to let out. As it subsided the molly felt a little taller, and she met the next cat with more confidence than she'd met her father.

The next cat was a black and white molly, with some of the most piercing amber eyes Heronfeather had ever seen. It was almost intimidating really; she felt herself a little shy under the intensity of her stare. Though, beneath that, there was a tiny hint of sympathy for the mottled she-cat who had found herself thrust into the ceremony. "I am Gray Sky after Dusk, a member of the tribe who chose to stay behind," her voice was raspy, sounding somewhat like she had a nasty cough, but she betrayed no signs of illness. "With this life I give you the gift of compassion. The ability to feel empathy for those more disadvantaged than you is an important trait of leadership, and one that will often put you under emotional duress. I chose to stay to provide for our elders; I can only hope you would make a sacrifice of similar value for those who require assistance." With that the tribe cat bestowed the life upon the deputy, and she winced as a spark of pain travelled through her heart, tracing its way to the base of her skull. Swaying a little, the mottled she-cat looked up in time to see a new face replacing Gray Sky.

An orange tabby sauntered her way to the front, a look of such sincerity in her eyes that it made Heronfeather feel warm inside. Whatever life this cat was about to bring certainly couldn't be painful. "My name is Redwing, and I was a warrior of WindClan during the time of Windstar. With this life, I give you hope. Even when things seem completely lost and irreparable, hope will guide you through and give you the strength to lead our clan to better times." As she received the life, sadness similar to what she had been feeling before the ceremony began filled her bones, followed by a warmth that seared her from within, quickly proving to be the most painful of the lives she had received. Shaking her head, she looked up once more.

A mottled tom who was shockingly shorter than Heronfeather now stood in front of her, and she realised with a jolt that the cat was a young apprentice. "Wipe that look off your face, it's unnecessary," the apprentice stated, voice stern but eyes filled with amusement. "My name is Leafpaw, and I was killed by a fox, the Leaf-bare before you were born in fact," he began, seemingly reminiscing, before the tom winced. "With this life, I give you humour. Even in the most bleak of times, sometimes all that's needed to lift spirits is a poor joke," he winked, and she craned her head down to receive the life, feeling a split second of unbearable terror and pain before an almost itchy feeling flowed through her. Well, that certainly wasn't the worst one, Heronfeather thought, steeling herself for another life.

Shrewfoot strode forward, her mottled brown belt turning golden in the ever present sun; beauty clear in her green gaze. Despite her clearly stunning appearance, she held a serious look upon her face and seemed almost emotionless, much to Heronfeather's surprise. "Greetings Heronfeather, I am Shrewfoot, and I was one of the first rogues to join WindClan. It was no easy task, to prove my loyalty to a group of cats who had known each other for many moons and had made a perilous journey together, who had also fought other rogues like myself. However, Windstar was willing to take a chance on me. She gave me an opportunity to prove myself, to grow WindClan's numbers, and to make us stronger. Without her fair judgement, I would not be here right now." The molly shook out her pelt, face and voice still betraying no emotion despite the words she had allowed to hang in the air for a moment.

"With this life I give you the gift of judgement and justice; and with it the ability to discern between right and wrong, and what is fair. Use it to make decisions that benefit your clan, and that act in the collective's best interest." The molly pressed her nose to Heronfeather's ear, and a firey jolt passed through her. Momentarily it felt as if her ear had been ripped off, but the pain subsided as quick as it arrived, and she awaited the next.

Mudmask approached slowly. His sister had chosen well, he mused, thoughts flickering back to his time in the living world, running the moors alongside his sister. That seemed so far away now, she was beyond StarClan's reach now. How Brindlestar strayed so far, he would never know. The pale tom was surprised he'd been chosen to gift a life, yet here he was. Sighing, he lifted his neon gaze to meet Heronfeather's green one. "Hello, Heronfeather, I am Mudmask. In my life, I learned many things,"

Guilty, he moved his orange eyes after, staring at the starry field beside them. He'd debated this for a while, wondering if he could really go through with this. Get on with it! he scolded himself, shaking his muddy striped head. Turning to face the deputy once more, his gaze was intense, much like the life he was about to give.

"But the strongest of these things was love. In the living world, I didn't have enough of this. My ambition was too much, and I never got to meet the family that had been born to me. You know the feeling of a mother's love, and that of a mate. So, with this life, I'm giving you pure, unending love, the courage to have it, and the understanding of it." He broke his speech to touch noses with her, but he wasn't done speaking.

"Love for kin. Love for your Clan. Love for the moors. Love for your friends. Love for the other Clans. Love for the Forest. Love for the warrior code. Love for those who are different. Love for all cats. Loving isn't easy, but it's fulfilling. It gives a sense of clarity those with hate filled hearts lack. Use this life wisely, Heronfeather, never forget to love those who fail. Love knows no borders, I learned this in life. Love, and forgiveness, will build a strong Clan. Don't close your borders out of fear, but open them out of love. Listen to your heart, don't shut it out, no matter how difficult it is or how odd it feels, the heart is always right. I wish I would've listened to it more."

The molly had done her best to stay attentive to his words but found them growing faint in the face of her agony, a life she was expecting to be delicate ripping the breath from her lungs and leaving her dizzy. Who knew Mudmask had loved so much? Heronfeather mused, gritting her teeth against the desperate need to lay down and sleep for the next moon. Stubbornness quickly turned to resilience, and she awaited her next life, clueless to Mudmask's next moves.

Now Mudmask began to pad away, heart full of longing for his kits in which dwelled in SkyClan. He turned his head back to her and opened his mouth. Should he say this? No, no he shouldn't. Closing it, his ears flattened. "Go home swiftly, Heronfeather. Go safely," pausing, he thought harder. This was his one chance, his only chance.

Taking a deep breath, he turned and gave the molly one final look, an intense mixture of love and longing in it. "Say hello to my mate for me. You'll know when you meet her, she carries enough love to fill the entire forest, twolegplace, river, and moor. Be safe, Heronfeather, there are many cats who care for you, ya know."

She swallowed hard at his words, the strength of his emotions threatening to carry her off her already unsteady paws, and the molly manged a stunned nod. For a moment more he paused, a wistful look tinged with an unbearable sadness crossing his face and the deputy wondered what he was thinking about, though she wasn't given much of a chance to ponder on it as a familiar molly padded up to take his place.

Parting the way between the cats, a smaller frame arose. It was a lot fluffier than the typical WindClan cat, with an unusual white and cream colouring. The she-cat radiated warmth and gave a warm purr towards the new leader. "I'm so sorry Brindlestar could not be here to give you this life... I'm afraid I-- we haven't seen her here." The sorrow was momentarily heavy on her frame but quickly shaken off. "... But. With this life, I give you a level-head. Use it in times of devastation, loss, or simply the insanity of life." She pressed her nose gently against the new leader's forehead, before disappearing back into her starry brethren.

Wincing as it felt like a boulder had been slammed upon her head, Heronfeather attempted a small smile at Meadowgaze, similar pain gripping at her own heart. Brindlestar had been bitten by the same snake that had claimed the WindClan warrior's life, and the resulting sickness had lead to why she was currently receiving her nine lives. Her heartache quickly claimed the top spot of pain, numbing her to the unpleasant sensations that she found circulating through her body- a side effect of receiving her lives, she assumed.

Another molly strode forward, pelt matching that of a SkyClan warrior far down below. As Heronfeather weakly flicked her ear in greeting, Flamefur nodded in return. While not unusual, it was still rare for warriors of another clan to gift a life to a leader, but circumstance had lead to any cat who was available being brought in to participate. Such reasoning was why the SkyClan mother found herself here, but she held her head just as high as any cat, kindness brimming in her eyes. "My name is Flamefur, and I was a warrior of SkyClan. You may have met my son Lionflame before- he and his mate seemed to have caused a small bit of trouble between ShadowClan and SkyClan," she chuckled a little, before remembering they were not here to talk about the tom.

"With this life, I give you persistence. After the loss of my mate I truly believed nothing would ever be okay again, and while things changed, they did eventually get better. Use this life to navigate tough times, and to find the strength in you to lead the clan when it feels like you have nothing to lead them towards. I believe in you, Heronfeather. This will not be the end of the world," Flamefur murmured gently, giving the deputy a quick lick on the top of her head before pressing her nose against her, bestowing a new life. Shockingly the life didn't bring pain, only the feeling of hope and strength.

The last cat to speak was Thunderstar, a fit, black and white bicolored tom. His starry pelt shimmered like the others that stood around Heronfeather; each of their lives being taken by some unfortunate instance and now, they existed among the stars like their ancestors before them. StarClan was certainly a wondrous place and while some found themselves mourning their own deaths, Thunderstar had found himself content with this eternal fate that they all shared. He’d lived a good life below and now, he got to watch the clans from above.

Stepping forward, he gave the younger molly a nod of greeting, a soft smile resting on his muzzle. ”Greetings, young one,” he began, his stature proud and confident as he stood before the deputy. ”With this life, I give you patience, so that you may understand and except that not everything will happen in an instant nor will everything happen the way you desire,” Thunderstar began softly. Many moons ago, during his days as leader of ThunderClan, he’d been blessed with several kits, though some were admittedly more unruly than others…

No-cat today would even think twice about Lightningstar having been one of the more rowdy and troublesome toms in his younger days, but he sure had been; always itching for a battle whether it was with a neighbouring clan or a rabid dog. Of course, his impulses were of good taste, seeing as though he simply wanted to protect his clan, but it had taken Thunderstar every ounce of his strength not to throw him into the elders den to do apprentice chores. That much being said, Thunderstar had tried many tactics to deal with his son and of course there had been some unwanted conflict between the two here and there, but in the end, it was patience and understanding that kept him and Lightningstar’s relationship intact. Hopefully, Heronfeather would take to his teachers and put his advice to good use, as it was something that might just save her pelt in the future.

”Heronfeather, you've received your nine lives and have earned your title as leader of WindClan. From now until your last life is taken, you will be known as Heronstar. StarClan welcomes you as leader of WindClan and we pray that you lead your clan with the wisdom we’ve shared. Good luck and may StarClan light your path,” Thunderstar finished with a reassuring dip of his head. Stepping back so he stood among the others, he joined in their chanting of her new name.

Heronstar! Heronstar! The molly listened to the chanting, knowing that something that was supposed to bring strength and exciting, but it filled her with dread and terror. In a few heartbeats she would be back alone in the cave, having to stumble back to camp and explain what had occurred, and why she was now Heronstar. Grayfrost would know what to do. She just needed to speak to him before she left. "Da-" she began, although was abruptly cut off as the starry forms began to fade, and the warm wind transitioned to a chilling cold. Blinking rapidly, she found herself crouched on the floor, paws numb from the cold rock and fur lightly damp with dew. Heronstar stood, feeling her joints click and scream in protest, her stomach hollow and empty. That was nothing compared to the hole in her heart, but she knew she couldn't remain any longer.

Starting the slow travel back, she allowed her thoughts to dissipate and just focused on returning to WindClan. Everything else could come after.

(ooc: special shoutout to Stormy, Kitty and Ice for contributing to the ceremony. Feeling very grateful for the help guys! <3)