Rite of Passage

The following story is rated Moderate. _____________

''With the death of Lakewater, it is time for Mistwind to rise to her new position and become the next leader of Lakeclan. But first she must endure a grueling ceremony and a face the awful truth that she must continue on without her mate. It's time for a new chapter to begin.'' _____________  Mistwind inhaled deeply, her eyes closed in concentration. She could still catch his scent in this den, an earthy smell that had become indistinguishable from the musk of the forest, but stood out in the caverns where there was no foliage to mask it. It was entwined in her own smell, and it told the story of their life together - she could remember when they had first fled down here. Scared and vulnerable, Lakeclan had been on the brink of extinction.

But Lakewater had pulled them through it, like he always did. He had cast off his cloak of doubts and risen to the challenge, teaching them new ways to hunt and fight and make themselves unseen. Lakeclan had learned to become a part of the forest.

Mistwind’s ears twitched and her mind was pulled away from the memories when she could feel two new presences enter the room. It was her sons - she could catch their scent wafting in. She could just catch the whisper of breath on the air before they spoke.

“Are you going to do it tonight?” Pebblesplash asked.

“Yes,” she said evenly. “It’s a cloudless night, and the moon will reflect on the lake strongly.”

“And when will you choose the next deputy? The clan needs to feel secure. Everyone is shaken up over Lakewater’s death,” Wavestream urged.

“I want to ask for Waterclan’s advice first,” Mistwind said, blinking open her eyes. “Lakewater in particular. The choice is not obvious to me.” Pebblesplash’s muscles twitched in annoyance.

“Lakewater wasn’t perfect you know,” Pebblesplash pointed out. “He had his flaws.”

“Lakewater built this clan on his shoulders,” Mistwater said coolly. “And you’re hardly the cat to be criticizing him.” Pebblesplash’s shoulders grew taut and his eyes blazed.

“Why are you always so hard on me?” Pebblesplash snapped. “Lakewater made mistakes too. He wasn’t a perfect father or leader!”

“Please don’t fight,” Wavestream broke in, clearly distressed. Pebblesplash huffed and shot a glare at Mistwind, biting his tongue to hold in a scathing comment. Mistwind let out a long breath. She didn’t want to start a fight with her sons, not when they should be supporting each other in these hard times.

“I’m sorry,” Mistwind’s shoulders deflated and her gut curled a bit in shame. “That was uncalled for. I’m just…” She trailed off. “I miss him.” The fire in Pebblesplash’s eyes seemed to fizzle out and Wavestream curled in on himself as if he were wounded.

“...me too,” Pebblesplash replied. A sort of grieving quiet fell over the group for a moment.

“I’m heading out. The moon will be at its peak soon,” Mistwind shook out her fur and stood. “I’ll see you two before morning.” She touched her nose against each of theirs and smiled weakly.

They shared a moment of tentative hope, and then Mistwind split off and headed up the tunnels. She could never quite get used to the tight passageways, and so when she finally reached the surface she let out a quiet sigh of relief. Wriggling out of the entrance, she climbed into the undergrowth and let the scent of the pine forest wash over her. It was a cool, dry night, perfect weather for the ceremony.

Mistwind padded silently towards the lakeshore, brushing herself against brambles that combed out the knots in her fur. She could feel the lake drawing her in, and with each step she took towards it her anticipation grew.

She had only heard the story of Lakewater’s ceremony - a fuzzy recollection of his parents granting him lives and giving him strength and virtue to help him lead his clan. Lakewater had told her that the thing he remembered best was the pain each life had inflicted upon him. It was not a pleasant ritual, he had told her with a faraway look in his eye.

“The body is designed to hold the lifeforce of only one lifetime,” Lakewater had explained. “And so it was almost like they had to stretch me out to fit more inside.”

Mistwind felt a sharp pang at how clearly she could remember his voice. She thought back to a night they had spent in this forest, walking side by side. If she concentrated hard enough, she could almost feel his fur brushing against hers again. She stepped over a patch of thorns and clung to the memory as tightly as she could.

It wasn’t long before Mistwind was on the shore of the lake, staring out at the water. The moon lit up the water so it almost looked ethereal. She waded into the water, a bit unsure of what she was supposed to do. Silent ripples emanated from her movements, breaking the perfect reflections.

“Mistwind.”

Mistwind nearly shrieked. A ghastly form rose out of the water, casting a soft light on the waves. It was the as if the moonlight had come into the form of a cat, it’s white eyes glowing in the darkness. She scuttled a few paces backwards and arched her back as the starry cat hovered halfway above the surface of the water.

“Dustbreeze?” Mistwind gaped.

“You’re trying to reach Waterclan,” Dustbreeze said in a stoic tone. “Follow me.” The tom waded out further into the water until he disappeared beneath the surface. Mistwind hesitated for a moment, then nervously trailed in after him. She went in deeper and deeper, until it was up to her neck and she had to tilt her head back to keep it above the water.

“Dustbreeze? Dustbreeze!” she called out. “I’m here!”

“Follow me,” Dustbreeze said, and Mistwind looked down to see him staring up at her from under the water.

“You want me to go under?” Mistwind squeaked, panic starting to set in.

“Let yourself sink,” Dustbreeze commanded. Mistwind took in a ragged breath. Oh stars, this was crazy. She was actually going to drown. Against all better judgement, Mistwind sucked in a long, shaky breath, then plunged.

Her heart was racing and everything became muted and distant. Dustbreeze glimmered dimly in the darkness as he approached. Mistwind made a muffled cry in the back of her throat and tensed all her muscles in preparation for flight.

“Follow me,” Dustbreeze repeated, and then his eyes lit up like two stars. The world started to spin and shift, and Mistwind lost all sense of direction and balance. It was like she was being tossed through an abyss. Mistwind couldn’t help herself - she let out a screech, bubbles flying out of her mouth. Her eyes bulged and her paws began to churn wildly for a grip on something, anything to ground her.

Then, as quickly as it had started, the world re-oriented itself. Mistwind swam up in a panic, desperate to get out of the water. She broke the surface, sputtering and coughing. Looking around with wide eyes, Mistwind came to the jarring realization.

She was in Waterclan.

The pool she had emerged from was filled with stars that drifted about with the ripples in the water. In all directions, a vast golden field stretched as far as the eye could see. The soft tinkling of pleasant voices rang like music to her ears. Starry cats roamed the fields, peacefully parting the waves of grain and speaking in soft tones. A galaxy filled the entire sky, stars swirling in milky swathes of purples and blues.

“Come out of the water,” Dustbreeze said, already standing on the shore. Mistwind waded out of the pond in a daze, her eyes flitting around to try and take it all in. By the time she had gotten out of the water, nine other cats had emerged from the grasses to stand by Dustbreeze.

“Mistwind, it is time for the ceremony to begin. Are you ready?” Dustbreeze asked.

“Yes,” Mistwind nodded, blinking the stars out of her eyes. “I’m ready.” Dustbreeze nodded and the ten cats formed a circle around her. She glanced around at their faces, but found that she couldn’t focus on any of them - and therefore none were recognizable.

“Mistwind,” one said, and she turned to face them. The cat stepped forward and all at once was in focus. It was little Cherrykit, who had died of dustcough many moons earlier.

“Mistwind, with this life I grant you endurance. When the clan becomes weak, you must not. You must hold on to your values, to your strength, and to your spirit. When the clan needs you most, you cannot falter. Be the rock that they will cling to in hardship,” Cherrykit said solemnly. The stars in her pelt danced off and gravitated towards Mistwind. Then in a sudden movement, the stars struck her in the chest and disappeared into her pelt. Mistwind staggered backwards, gasping for breath.

“Are you trying to kill me?” Mistwind wheezed in a panic, looking down at where the stars had struck her in the chest.

“Did you think earning ten lives would be easy?” Cherrykit stepped back and the cat who had spoken came forwards, into the focus. It was a gray tom that she didn’t quite recognize.

“I am Lakewater’s father, Smoky,” he said. “I have watched my son create this clan, and I am here to ensure that his legacy continues. With this life I give you responsibility. You have been passed the mantle of leader for these cats. It is your job to ensure that this clan continues, that our traditions and our values are passed on and that Lakeclan will continue to thrive through the ages. You will be tested time and time again, so always remember that your clanmates lives are in your paws.”

The stars peeled off his pelt and Mistwind braced herself, eyeing them fearfully. They scattered across her pelt and sunk in slowly, like a claws digging into her back. She winced and let out a small whimper at the painful sensation.

Rabbitkit stepped forwards - the kit who had drowned in the tunnels. Mistwind felt guilt clawing up at the sight of the innocent kit standing in front of her.

“With this life, I grant you selflessness. The clan will ask many things of you, sometimes things that come with a price. And you must pay it. I died for my sister because I knew I could save her. It is your duty to do the same for your clan,” Rabbitkit meowed.

The stars came off Rabbitkit’s pelt and attached themselves to Mistwind’s legs. Then they began to induce a burning sensation, that crept through her skin to her very bone. Mistwind cried out in pain, her legs threatening to buckle. The stars slowly faded and so did the burning. Mistwind’s legs trembled but she bravely stood to face the next cat who stepped up - Viperfire.

“You?” Mistwind asked in pure shock.

“With this life I give you integrity,” Viperfire said without acknowledging her. “Do not let pride or greed blind you to what is important. Always find the center of your heart and let it guide you to what you know is right. When you lose your integrity, you can make enemies of even the people closest to you.”

The stars came off his pelt and whizzed into Mistwind’s pelt like thorns, causing her to yelp and jump in fright at the terrible sensation. Viperfire stepped back into the blur and in his place a familiar face from Mistwind’s past stepped forwards. It was Crane, the old tom who had joined her in her travels when she had first left home.

“With this life I give you adventure,” Crane smiled. “Don’t be afraid to try new things and new ideas. It is what makes the clan grow and flourish. Never lose your sense of adventure Mist. That is what will guide you to great things.”

The stars came off Crane’s fur and swirled around Mistwind like a hurricane until she couldn’t even breathe the air anymore. Colors danced in front of her eyes and her heart strained to be let loose from her chest, before the stars all scattered across her pelt in constellations. Crane disappeared into the circle and from it a small tabby she-cat came forwards. It was her older sister, who she had idolized back in her younger days.

“With this life I give you self worth. When you are confident in yourself, other cats will learn to be confident in you as well. Remember that you are strong the way you are, and there is no need to imitate others to find strength,” her sister lectured.

The stars came off of her pelt and crawled up Mistwind’s legs, making her shudder. They then tightened around her throat, choking her and making her wheezy. When they finally disappeared, Mistwind’s legs were trembling. She looked up to see two cats had stepped forwards - the young siamese twins she had sheltered for a time in the twolegplace, Yin and Yang.

“With these lives we give you harmony and balance,” they said in sync.

“Two things that are very similar, and yet both very important,” Yin hummed with a smile. “Harmony can only be achieved when the clan stands together. A divided clan is a weak clan.”

“And balance helps maintain that harmony,” Yang chimed in. “Good times are what your clan will strive for, but it is the hard times that define us. You must balance the dark and the light inside of yourself.”

The stars flew off the two twins’ pelts and exploded like fireworks, sending searing hot sparks raining down on top of Mistwind. She yelped as they burned against her flesh, eating away at her fur until she thought that they might pierce her bones. The two twins disappeared back into the blur and from it Dustbreeze stepped out.

“Mistwind,” he said warmly. “You have shown great strength through the ceremony.”

“Thank you,” Mistwind coughed out.

“I was the first cat to die for Lakeclan,” Dustbreeze continued. A haunted look filled his eyes. “And I will surely not be the last. With this life I give you courage. When you face an enemy, face them with the heart of a lion. Fight for your clanmates lives - no amount of honor or chivalry can make up for the loss of a friend. Do not let death become your legacy.”

The stars drifted off his fur almost lazily, before they shattered into tiny shards and stuck in Mistwind’s pelt, covering her. She let out an earsplitting scream. The shards were stuck in her body, and she was bleeding, being covered in blood. The pain was unbearable, and red clouded her vision. Just as she thought she might collapse, the shards suddenly exploded into little fragments of light and rained down on her, washing away the blood. As the red cleared from her vision, she saw a blue-gray tom standing in front of her, smiling longingly.

“Lakewater!” Mistwind gasped out. She threw herself towards him, burying her nose in his fur. Something swelled up in her chest and she let out a harsh cough, tears beginning to run down her face like rivulets.

“Mistwind,” he purred, and lightly nudged her away.

“Lakewater, I love you,” Mistwind blubbered out, her voice breaking. “I didn’t say it before you left that night and I wish with every fibre of my being that I could go back and tell you before you died.” She fought weakly against him as he pushed her away, hardly having the energy to fight anymore.

“You didn’t need to tell me,” Lakewater whispered. “You showed me, every day.”

“Why did you leave? Why did you go that night, when all the signs had been telling you that only danger awaited you? Cloudsky was given a vision, and you knew! You knew that a terrible fate awaited you out there!” Mistwind cried out in accusation. “Was your family not enough to get you to stay?”

“I went because Viperfire needed me,” Lakewater replied. “I had to bring peace to his soul. It was my last chance to save him.” Mistwind turned away, casting her eyes aside. “And I was blessed with the best life,” Lakewater continued eagerly. “I was given everything. I got to see my children grow up, I was surrounded by a clan whom I learned to love, and I lived long with a loving partner beside me. Mistwind, my life was complete. I died in peace. And I hope for you the same end.”

“How can any life be worthwhile or complete without you in it?” Mistwind sniffed.

“Don’t you see Mistwind?” Lakewater took a step back. “Completion comes from within. We loved and we laughed and we shared our days, but in the end you built your own life. And I want you to keep building it, until it is done. And so, with this life, I give you independence. Stand tall Mistwind. A clan is build on caring for each other, but we must all learn to make our own lives and our own stories. Make your legacy strong Mistwind. Only you can.”

The stars came off of Lakewater’s pelt and began to funnel around Mistwind, the wind whipping around her and the stars blurring into one cyclone of light. In the eye of it, Mistwind stood. For a moment the world was perfectly still and silent in the center of the storm. And then the light came down upon her so that it was all she could see. Blinding light in all directions, and pain coursing through her body. It seemed as if her very bones were rearranging themselves inside of her - she screamed at the horrendous, constant agony that made her writhe and curl in her herself.

“Long live Mistwater, leader of Lakeclan!” Lakewater’s voice yowled, the sound seeming to come from all directions.

And then in a heartbeat, it was over.

Mistwind gasped as she came sputtering back up from underneath the water, her fur drenched. The night was quiet. A few crickets sang in the distance, and the moon lit up the lake she was swimming in. Mistwind took in a few ragged breaths, then swam for shore. With heavy steps, she dragged herself out of the water and shivered, although it wasn’t from the cold. Finding a dry spot, she settled down and tucked her paws underneath her.

Her body ached, but when she looked up at the stars she felt a certain exhilaration from within. The distant stars glittered with a promise that their loved ones would always be a part of their life and their story. But it was time to begin anew, it was time to begin the next chapter.

She was Mistwater of Lakeclan, and she was going to lead her clan to great things.

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