So, we all love our Cinderpelt, the poor medicine cat and the one who crushed on Firestar. Then, when she died in the badger attack, Cinderkit was born. She grew up as a warrior, had a bit of a turbulent time, and eventually was left by Cinderpelt's soul to pursue her true path as a warrior.

But before we go any further - let me just tell you this.

Cinderheart was not the reincarnation of Cinderpelt. She was possessed by her.

Wait, don't leave! Hear me out on this one - it's not as crazy as it sounds. Let's start with the basics of reincarnation.

Reincarnation is a term that pops up frequently in India's main religions - Buddhism, Hinduism, and Jainism. The word derives from Latin and literally means "entering the flesh again." The same word translated to Greek, then into English, means "to put a soul into." These two translations capture what reincarnation means - a soul re-entering the flesh of a body.

The definition and meaning can vary based on who you are talking to, but for the simplicity of this theory, we'll say that this is the definition we'll be looking at: The rebirth of a soul in a new body.

So, what matches up between the Cinderheart's "reincarnation" and common definitions of possession?

There are many types of possession, but the one we'll be looking closely at is known as 'spirit possession.' Basically, it occurs when the soul of an animal, demon, god, spirit, etc. takes control of a human's body. Since we're talking about cats, we can substitute 'human' for 'cat.'

This concept exists throughout many, many religions, most prominently in Christianity. Spirit possession happens when the soul of a demon controls a human's body, often to commit sin. A priest would usually have to bless the controlled human so that the demon would 'go away'.

Cinderpelt isn't exactly a demon, so let's look at another kind of possession.

Now, the Egyptians have an interesting set of beliefs about possession. For one, they believe that when an animal dies a violent death, it doesn't leave it's body - instead, it sticks around it. The game for the soul of a human who dies a violent death. Magicians in Egyptian lore use these remaining souls for incantations and whatnot.

Frequently the lost souls (even while being dead) eat parts of animals like moles or crows. After eating it, the soul will go into what remains of the animal and become a type of oracle for any magicians who are listening.

So, part of this is true. Cinderpelt died a very violent death, and Cinderheart was born nearly at the same time, so it's possible that Cinderpelt, staying close to her body, had possessed the kit.

But the possession definition still doesn't quite match up.

If you look at Indians believes of possession, you'll see that they think that it isn't always a bad thing. They say that the symptoms of it include emotional outbursts and loss of self-control. It definitely seems like Cinderheart loses control sometimes, when she seems to know things from her past life or when talking to Firestar. And she wasn't that prone to emotional outbursts, but there were a few examples, like her many talks with Lionheart.

Now, here is my final piece of evidence.

A reincarnated soul does not leave its reincarnated body.

A possessing soul can leave its possessed body.

This can only mean one thing - whether it was good or bad or benign, Cinderheart had been possessed by Cinderpelt.   

By Rio ⛈