mothroar followed after brindlefur. the she-cat trotted lightly ahead of him, her tail stretched out for him to follow her scent as she navigated the dark tunnels. mothroar was bewildered with the lefts and rights in which brindlefur took. but, she knew this place like the back of her paw, so he trusted her to navigate him to the moonstone.

the darkness clung to his pelt, and a sense of dread clouded his mind... was starclan going to accept him as whisperclan's new leader?

brindlefur's figure shifted from his sight. he blinked to adjust his gaze, and stared ahead at the stone that stood before him. it gleamed under the faint glow of the dark sky outside and looked like a giant. it sat with an asymmetrical slant. small rocks and stones dotted the periphery like intricate adornments, having cascaded from the roof over the seasons.

mothroar inhaled the damp, heavy scent of the earthy aroma and let his thoughts linger. this close, he could feel an almost electric sensation, an unseen connection emanating from the stone. a gentle hum.

a nervous flutter pinged in his belly and he inched forward. slowly, he shuffled onto his stomach and dropped his head between his paws, awaiting for the moon to shift in the sky and cast a glow in and onto the stone.

a short time passed and brindlefur moved her paws quickly. the moon slipped across the sky and peaked into the hole, forcing a swell of light to extinguish the darkness. ❝ touch your nose to the stone, ❞ the medicine cat whispered from where she sat.

mothroar pushed his nose forwards and touched it to the cold stone he lay by. the world spun, and the cave vanished from sight. his body plummeted into a pit of darkness and panic coursed through his body.

the soft sensation of grass tickled his paws. mothroar blinked, his eyes darting around the gathering place as he stood in the centre of it. he wore a bewildered expression.

the sky above him was laced with glittering stars and mothroar found himself mesmerised momentarily.

blurred shapes pulled into view, vague in the bright starlight that danced on the blades of grass around him.

starclan.

stormstar was the first to approach. his eyes glowed as he brushed his snout against mothroar's forhead. the tom-cat smiled and spoke. ❝ i grant you the life of protection, so you may safeguard your clan from any harm. ❞

the vision of his father, longstrike, took his place as stormstar vanished from sight. a deep pain clutched his heart, but he steadied himself. ❝ i give you the life of courage, my son. fear no evil: no matter how great of a foe they may be, ❞ he muttered.

his father melted from sight, and a familiar pelt then appeared. the sight of clouddrop, an old friend of his in his earlier moons of life, caused mothroar to softly shiver and his eyes welled with tears.

❝ hello, dear friend, ❞ she mewled, leaned in, then pressed her nose to his head. ❝ i bestow the life of friendship upon you. use it wisely. keep your friends near, no matter the circumstance. ❞

his mother followed after clouddrop and mothroar's heart sunk shallowly into his stomach. he pushed his head into her fur and drew out a long and shaky breath.

how he missed his mother, how he longed to see her one last time.

❝ i miss you, my boy ❞ she said, eyes glittering with softness and love. ❝ you have come so far. i am so proud of you, ❞ she added before touching her nose to his head, and speaking out the life she blessed her son with.

❝ i give you the life of nobility. remain noble to your clan, for it will win the respect of your peers, and make you a great leader, ❞

mothroar shivered. all the while, with each life he gained, a ripple of pain shot through his body. each life bore with it a stinging sensation and he mentally noted down how many more he had to go through, how much more pain he had to endure.

the bright, fiery pelt of a tom-cat emerged. he was small, and young looking. he wore a toothy grin upon his face and threw his paw towards mothroar.

❝ nectarcall?! ❞ mothroar choked out. he felt his tears tug at his ducts, eager to fall. but he held on and swallowed the lump in his throat.

nectarcall's throat rumbled with a purr. the orange tom-cat embraced his comrade before walking around him, as if inspecting him.

❝ my brother, you have sprouted like a new bud on a flower! ❞ nectarcall chirped with a laugh. mothroar's ears flushed red with warmth and he folded them back in embarrassment.

❝ i've missed you, so much has happened since- ❞

❝ i know, friend. i know ❞ nectarcall butted in and stopped mothroar mid-sentence. he circled back to his front, touched his nose to his head, and then spoke: ❝ i grant you the life of patience. patience is the best remedy for every trouble: life is too short for stupid actions. don't follow in my pawsteps, ❞

mothroar's maw opened. he wanted to say more. he wanted to beg for his friend to stay a little while longer, but he phased into the abyss.

an unknown feline appeared. she had a reddish coat, with white paws, and rounded features. ❝ i am cherryhop, ❞ she spoke calmly and her eyes held a mysterious shimmer. ❝ i grant you the life of selflessness. life is short, serve it with a generous heart. a selfless act is a strong one, ❞

mothroar huffed. the stippling pain that coursed through his body was almost unbearable. but, he pushed on.

three left.

a ripple of surprise surged through him as reedrain, a thornclan warrior, emerged from the cluster of cats. ❝ i am reedrain, and i grant you the life of trust. entrust in those around you. trust every flick of your whiskers, every prickle of your pelt - intuit doesn't lie, ❞

a second cat unknown to him stepped forward. they had a sand coloured pelt, ticked with dark stripes. they looked frail.

then, it hit him like a fast racing monster. his aunt. a cat in which his father talked of frequently, but wasn't present, having succumbed to the claws of another cat moons before his birth.

hornetfern warmly smiled, putting. ❝ oh how you have grown. you resemble your father in so many ways, mothroar, ❞ she whistled. the she-cat's nose touched his head then she breathed in and spoke.

❝ i grant you the life of determination. tackle each and every obstacle with determination, and they will become mere stepping stones, ❞

mothroar gasped for a breath. his legs buckled at the pain from the lives he had gained thus far.

one more. he could do it.

he squeezed his eyes shut and clenched his jaw. he held back the urge to drop to the floor, and cry out in pain, beg for it all to stop - but he had to continue, for his clan. he couldn't give in when he had come so far.

he opened his eyes and a sharp breath hitched in his chest, choking him in disbelief. mothroar's vision blurred with the brimming memory, standing across from his fallen clanmate, as he stood shrouded in starclan's celestial glow.

❝ l-lighttalon- ❞ mothroar stuffered out. there was no denial, just shock, and disbelief.

❝ yes, ❞ the warrior confirmed, meeting his eyes with a radiant glow. ❝ and i come with gratitude, ❞

❝ my life... has been given to the clan? it's nothing you need to thank me for, lighttalon, ❞

but lighttalon shook his head. ❝ it's not about the clan alone, but my son. you've guided him, protected him, nurtured his strength and taught him the ways of a true warrior... a way that i wish i could've taught him. and i am grateful, mothroar. you were there for him, as a father, when i couldn't be, ❞

lighttalon moved forward and pressed his head to mothroar's in a tender gesture. mothroar closed his eyes, drinking in the emotion, the knowledge that this life he was about to receive held much more weight than the rest.

❝ your ninth life, ❞ lighttalon whispered, ❝ i give you the life of love and understanding. the strength of a cat who loves and protects those near and dear to him. and the knowledge that sometimes, the family you make can just as much as the one you were born into, ❞

a rush of feelings flooded mothroar's veins. all was silent, and lighttalon left to join the ranks of the other starry figures who granted him his lives.

❝ i hail you by your new name, mothstar, ❞ spoke out stormstar. his chest fluffed out with a bout of great pride, and he dipped his head.

❝ your old life is now no more. you have no received the nine lives of a leader. defend your clan well, care for your young, elderly and old, and honour your ancestors and their traditions, ❞

mothstar's fur prickled. power seemed to flow like a crazed river throughout his body, and he stood tall in front of those who had given him lives, and those who stood beside them: familiar and unfamiliar faces of cats from moons and moons ago. the feeling soon amplified, and he shivered strongly.

❝ mothstar! mothstar! mothstar! ❞

the voices, at first, were loud, and resonated within the back of his mind, before eventually dying out and shifting into a whispered, distant hush.

one by one, the starry figures faded, traipsing up towards the blinking stars above him.

lighttalon remained behind, a vibrant glow showing from his pelt. he dipped his head at mothstar,

❝ thank you, ❞ lighttalon mouthed before he too ceased into the darkness.

mothstar's vision wavered and he felt his strength sapped. he collapsed, falling into the darkness once again.

with his limbs as heavy as boulders, mothstar rose to his feet after the familiar scent of brindlefur hit the back of his throat.

brindlefur bowed her head to her leader before she briskly walked towards the mouth of the tunnel that lead to the cave, ascending back the way they had came.