A TERRIFIC TAIL - CHAPTER FOURTEEN

"Woah! Ottie! What's up?" Silv and I ran to meet her. "Is something wrong?" Ottie shook her head, smiling brightly.

"No! The opposite!" She exclaimed, whiskers twitching with excitement. "I found a place to communicate with StarClan!" Nightleaf purred.

"You mean WE found it," he corrected. Silv gave me a look, and I read her gaze with ease. Ottie nudged Nightleaf's shoulder playfully.

"But you know what this means?" Ottie asked. "You can finally receive your nine lives! We'll be a true clan!" I gasped. It was hard to believe this was happening to me. Me, an ordinary girl transformed into the life of a fantasy cat to live her dream. What was happening?

-=+=-

"Moon, relax. You can do this, okay?" Silv consoled me. "Touch your muzzle to the water and let the sleep overcome you," she instructed. I nodded, shaking with fear. I didn't know why I was nervous but I was. I pressed my muzzle into the ice cold Moonriver knowing I had too.

I fought the urge to yawn. Darkness overcame my vision, threatening to swallow me. Remembering Silv's words, I relaxed and let it come.

It was cold. Shivering, I pressed my pelt into Silv's as the two of us stood side by side. Stars spiraled down from the dark, moonlit sky. They sliced through the blackness like a knife through butter. It wasn't a sight I'd forget, human or cat.

"Welcome, Moonbreeze," A soothing voice echoed from the ranks of stary cats appearing before me, the transformation from star to cat happening in a flash. "Welcome to StarClan," it continued. A blue-gray she-cat stepped out from the clan. "You know me, don't you?" I stood in stunned silence. I unrealisticism was closing in on me.

"Bluestar?" I asked. She purred.

"Yes. I am Bluestar of ThunderClan," she nodded. "And I give to you your first life. I give you judgement of character. You know as well as any that it hasn't always been my strongsuit," she pressed her muzzle to mine, sending a powerful feeling of strength and certainty coursing through my veins. I stood strong with the newfound gift.

"Thank you, Bluestar," I bowed my head. She curtly nodded in reply and turned to join her clanmates.

"Hello, Moonbreeze," a dark russet she-cat stepped out of the crowd. "I am Squirrelflight, and I shall give you your second life." I nodded. "With this life, I give you secrecy. Know when secrets are yours to keep or yours to share, as the future may rely on it," she continued. I dipped my head repectfully as a feeling of a large choice closing in on me threatened to crush me. I stood as strongly as I could.

"Thank you," I whispered.

"Of course," Squirrelflight replied. "It is an honor," she added before turning back to the ranks of StarClan. I watched as a pale brown tabby stepped forward after touching noses with Squirrelflight.

"Hello, Moonbreeze. I am Leafpool," she dipped her head. I dipped my own in reply. "With this life I give you a mother's love. You use it wisely to protect your clan, alright?" I nodded.

"Thank you, Leafpool," I said. Leafpool flicked her tail in reply before turning back to join her sister.

"I am Mistystar," a blue she-cat stepped away from her clanmates. "With this life I give you trust. Trust your clanmates with all your heart, and they will trust you to lead them down the right path," she advised. I nodded.

"Yes, Mistystar. Thank you," I replied. Mistystar nodded. She then padded back to her clanmates. I scanned the crowd to see who would give me my next life. The chill nipped at my paws and ears, sending a violent shiver through my body. Silv gave me a look of reassurance.

"Hello!" A small gray and white she-cat stepped away from Bluestar and Mistystar. At first I wondered who she was but it then came to me. I was about to speak before she cut me off. "I see you recongnize me. I am Mosskit." she mewed. How? How could she know me? I didn't know. StarClan cats were... magical. "And with your fifth life I give you courage. Use it to guide your clan through the darkest times," she told me. I nodded. Fire seared from my tail to my ear tips, and as I fought against it I felt strong. Brave. Courageous. Another cat stepped in front of me, stars lining his gray pelt.

"Do you know me? I know what you think of me," he said, light shining in his eyes humorously. I laughed.

"Stonefur?" I guessed. Not randomly, I knew who he was. He smiled and nodded.

"I give you your sixth life. I give you justice and the bravery to do the right thing. Lead your clan fairly, with bravery, and don't be afraid to do the right thing. The right thing can change the course of many moons, many seasons, if you only have the courage to act. Do you understand?" He pressed his muzzle to the top of my head as I purred.

"Of course. I will lead my clan with courage and kindness," I promise. But however my heart beat for him, I knew I had another one waiting my return at our camp. "Thank you Stonefur," I meowed. I vowed not to let him down. He smiled before returning to the ranks of his starry clanmates.

"Moonbreeze?" A group of three small kits step out from the crowd. I wonder if they will all give me lives, though there's at least another cat I wish to see. "Hi Moonbreeze!!!" A tiny ginger and white patched tom-kit stepps away from the group of three. "I'm Patchkit, and these are my littermates Larchkit and Petalkit!" I smile at the sight of the three of them. So young, so innocent. I know their story well, and they didn't deserve their fate. They should have become great warriors. "I'm going to give you a life from all three of us - a life for forgiveness. While our mother wasn't able to let go of the fact that we had died and felt she should have vengeance, we don't want the same to happen to you," he mewed. I purred.

"Thanks, Patchkit," I replied.

"Oh!" Petalkit shouldered her brother out of the way and stepped forward. "We also wanted to thank you for understanding our mother. If we could see her, we'd tell her," she added. Part of me didn't want to ever see Mapleshade or even hear about her, but I respected her, even if she was evil. The dipped my head to the kits and they scampered back to their friends as a lithe gray she-cat stepped out from the crowd, blue eyes kind.

"I am Ashfoot, former deputy of WindClan," she introduced herself. "I give you your eighth life. I give you respect and peace with the the other clans. You will be a good leader, I can see that. But you will need help along the way, and sometimes the other clans are the only route for help." I was a bit confused, as there were no other clans. But I nodded and thanked her anyways. I had eight lives, and only would receive one more before I became leader. I was half relieved - and half amazed - when a battle scarred silver and white tabby she-cat stepped before me. I gasped.

"I-Ivypool?" I was still in shock. She nodded and smiled.

"Yes, it is I, Ivypool.," she said. "And I will give you your final life. I give you a life for belief in yourself. When you feel down, when you feel you are defeated, when you feel unimportant, and when you feel excluded, remember that you are special and strong in your own way. Don't let others get you down, because you are the leader of your clan and should not only have authority and respect, but are brave, smart, and strong. Remember this, okay?" I nodded.

"I will do my best, Ivypool," I replied, still a bit starstruck. "Thank you so much."

"Of course. It's been an honor," Ivypool meowed. "We welcome you know as Moonstar!!" I smiled as the rest of StarClan chanted my new name - Moonstar. Did I ever really think this would happen? As a human, who would have thought I would become a true clan leader? Nobody, and look at me now.