Tigerstar's Leadership Ceremony

Tigerstar's Leadership Ceremony
Tigerclaw stared at the rock in the middle of the cave. Suddenly, he began to feel doubt creeping up on him. He quickly shoved it away. Of course Starclan would accept him, he was the strongest cat Shadowclan could get as a leader and Shadowclan needed someone strong to lead them right now.

Runningnose stood behind him. “Well,” he finally said, “Go on, I trust that Starclan will give you your nine lives Tigerstar.”

Taking in a deep breath, Tigerstar paddled up to the glittering stone. He put his nose against it and shut his eyes tight. It had been a long time since he had been scared and he hated the feeling, but now it grew, and he couldn’t stop the fear scent from forming around him.

Suddenly he felt a whirling motion around his, and the fear scent leaving him, as he opened his eyes.

What he saw was incredible; on one side of him was a starry night so bright that he could hardly see, and on the other side, it looked like night but there were no shimmering stars; just darkness that made it barely possible to see. He could see cats coming from the shadows and the stars growing at the same time.

He heard two voices, each of which consisted of several cats, “Tigerclaw, are you ready to receive your nine lives from Starclan and the Dark Forest?”

He finally understood why it looked so different. He doubted that most cats got their lives from the Dark forest. Trying to sound more confident than he felt he replied, “I am ready!”

One of the shadows grew until they took the form of a cat whom Tigerclaw didn’t recognize.

“I am Snowtuft,” the tom claimed, “One of the many residents in the Dark Forest.” Tigerclaw nodded excitement churning in his stomach as the cat stepped forward and put their noses together, “With this life I give you trust,” she whispered and pain seared through Tigerclaw’s body; pain unlike which he had ever felt before, “Trust your friends and your instincts. You don’t have to be the greatest cat to trust.”

Tigerclaw nodded as the tom pulled his nose away and couldn’t help feeling relieved that the pain no longer was surging through his body. As he slowly started to fade into the shadow, one of the stars started to grow and Tigerclaw recognized the body of Runningwind, a cat he had been responsible for the death of.

He approached Tigerclaw, and he could see hatred in Runningwind’s eyes. He had still not been forgiven by the tom. Not that Tigerclaw cared, he didn’t even regret killing him; it had been another blow for Thunderclan and the perfect way to get revenge on both Bluestar and Fireheart.

“With this life I give you regret,” he murmured as they touched noses, “Use it to change who you are, for the better.” The pain of this life was even greater and Tigerstar tried not to yowl in pain. When Runningwind finally backed away Tigerclaw panted hard.

The cat whom he had just got a life from glared at him, “You still don’t regret; I can sense it.” He spat, “Your destiny is dark and twisted, as it is for all monsters!”

Tigerclaw didn’t take his words to heart as he stomped back to his place in Starclan. The next cat was also a Starclan cat. As Tigerstar craned his neck, he realized that it was Spottedleaf, the cat whom Fireheart had mooned over for moons after her death. Tigerclaw had to admit that she was beautiful as the tortoiseshell approached.

“With this life I give you empathy,” she whispered, “Use it to help all cats, Tigerclaw.” Her voice was soft and sweet as was the life that she gave, “I believe that there is still a great leader in you. Please don’t fight it.”

Again, Tigerclaw didn’t take her words to heart as she faded back into the stars.

Tigerclaw couldn’t help feeling some relief when the next cat was one from the Dark Forest. It was a mottled dark brown tom, and with some thought Tigerclaw recognized him as Hawkheart, the cat that had killed Bluestar’s mother when she had been an apprentice.

He approached the new leader of Shaodowclan and touched noses with him, “With this life I give you instinct,” he claimed as another wave of pain crashed through Tigerclaw’s body, “Don’t hesitate o do anything your instinct is telling you to do.”

Tigerclaw nodded with thanks as he walked back into the place of no stars, where darkness engulfed him.

He continued to gaze at the intersection in between the two worlds and the next cat approached from the Dark Forest. This was a cat that Tigerclaw had worked with many times before; but the two weren’t very close to each other.

They didn’t greet each other. The Dark Forest cat just walked up to Tigerstar, “With this life I give you perseverance,” he claimed and this pain was like lightning, sudden and over in a second but completely painful; zapping all of his nerves, “Use it to fight cats who disagree. Be who you want to be, not what they want you to be.”

He trotted back into the Dark Forest, his brown pelt molding into the forest. The next cat was from Starclan and Tigerclaw felt himself ready to roll his eyes, at what else they would try to get him to be a good little warrior. Why couldn’t they see that he wanted power?

It was Sunstar, the leader of Thunderclan before Bluestar. His father was leader before Sunstar, Tigerclaw though with disgust. He hated his father and would not accept it, if he had offered to give him a life.

There was a sad look in the former leader’s eyes, at the lost great cat that he could have been. Tigerclaw ignored it as he put his nose against his forehead, “With this life I give you judgment, do not let your stubbornness limit it; it is your greatest tool.” This life oozed through him, slightly painful but mostly uncomfortable.

Finally the leader turned around and marched back into Starclan, where his family and friends were waiting. He was replaced by two little kittens that bounded out of the same place. They were Nightkit and Mistkit, his sibling who had died at birth.

Suddenly Tigerclaw felt a sob choke in his throat. He had always wished that his siblings would have grown up with him; so that he might have had someone to turn to when they were abandoned by their father. He had always wished there would be somebody to share the glory of being leader with. That was supposed to be the two kittens standing beneath him.

Slowly a tear started to form at the corner of his eye. He didn’t try to push it away as more came down, spilling over his siblings. They began to cry with silent tears as well and they rubbed against their brother, “We miss you too, Tigerclaw,” they admitted, through tears, as the two finally put their noses against his chin, the hightest place they could reach while they were on their paws.

“With this life we give you love,” they claimed in unison and Tigerclaw could hardly feel the pain of this life, through the pain he felt at looking at his dead siblings, “Use it to make you the cat you should be.”

Mistkit turned to look at him, “Please, brother. Make us proud, be a great cat, not a monster! We want to love you too, but you need to fix your mistakes first.” Nightkit nodded and together the two kits bounded away. Tigerclaw looked after them sadly. You don’t understand, he thought sadly, you just don’t understand.

Their mother took their place and Tigerclaw looked at Leapordheart, longingy. It was true that he missed his mother, sometimes he bruised his heart thinking about it. Despite what his father did; Tigerclaw would always love and respect her, just as she had to him.

Her eyes shone with pride and sadness, and Tigerclaw couldn’t help feeling the slightest bit guilty that he had let his mother down. He pushed it away. This was what Starclan was trying to do.

“You are my son, whom I will always be proud, no matter what you do,” she murmured, “Always remember that.” He nodded and she leaned in to give his second to last life, “With this life I give you compassion,” this life was soft and Tigerclaw sucked it in, he liked the way it felt, “Use it to care for your clan, and for the whole forest.”

Tigerclaw dipped his head, “Thank you, mother,”

She nodded, “You’re welcome. I hope you make good use of the life,” she paused for a moment, “Tigerclaw, I know you don’t ever want to see your father,” seeing the scared look on her son’s face she quickly added, “Don’t worry he won’t be giving you your last life. But just try to remember that he loved you; he really did. I’m not saying that you have to love him back, I just wanted you to remember that when you think about him.”

Tigerclaw nodded. He wasn’t about to forgive his father, but this was the first lesson Starclan had tried to give him, which he had taken into his heart. He didn’t know why, perhaps it was because his mother said it, or maybe it was just the way how. He didn’t know, he just knew that he would do as his mother asked, and remember.

As she paddled away the final cat approached. Tigerclaw grinned when he saw his former mentor and the cat who should have become leader of Thunderclan.

“Well, my apprentice,” Thistleclaw purred, “I was hoping it might be me, but better you than anyone else.”

Tigerclaw purred, it was good to finally see his mentor, as he leaned in to give Tigerclaw his final life, “With this life I give you ambition,” he claimed loudly and overwhelming pain shot through Tigerclaw’s body, but he held on, sucking in every last piece of it, “Use it to take you to power and greatness. The nest way to get to high places is to aim there.”

The two cats exchanged a glance; containing agreement, share for hunger and pride. This was the cat whom Tigerclaw wanted to see the most, and he was glad to have been able to do so.

“We name name you Tigerstar. Your name Tigerclaw is your name no longer!”

Cats from both forests began to chant, “Tigerclaw! Tigerclaw! Tigerclaw!” he accepted their praise as the slowly started to disappear, and be replaced by Runningnose and the dark cave.

“So?” Runningnose asked, “Did you get your nine lives?”

Tigerclaw nodded, “I’m ready to go back.”

“Good,” he replied.

But, as they began walking back towards Shadowclan, Tigerstar remembered the shadowy forest as compared to the bright, lush one.He knew if he kept going like this, he would end up in the dark one, and there was no way he could prefer that to Starclan. Most of Starclan would be waiting for him if he took that path. Tigerclaw sighed, he wished he could go to the lush forest but he just couldn’t and Starclan would have to accept that.

They just don’t understand