Nine Lives

Nine Lives
Author: Leopardclaw
Status: Started
Series: Leopardclaw's Short Stories
Allegiances: None
Preceding: None
Succeeding: None
Spellcheckers: None
Nine lives of a leader. Nine chances to live. Nine chances to die. The thing Webstar least expected in his life was to be deputy, let alone leader. He never aspired to be powerful. He just wanted to be like his idol and lookeed up to his mentor. Then StarClan told only him a prophecy. Nine lives are nine chances to live and die. Nine lives you will need to endure the nine pains of your destiny... Webstar is epic enough to get a super edition. Yesh. Now we return to the past, where Webstar is but a dream...

Prologue

A pink-grey she-cat raced over the moors over StarClan, to reach where a grey and black tabby she-cat sat in wait.

"Greetings, my friend. I sense you wait in anticipation, yet trepidation. What is wrong?" The grey and black tabby raised her head, and had an almost humorous look in her eyes.

"Why, Heatherstar, can you not sense it? Can't you feel it? WindClan is about to have a great cat born. I know it in my bones." Heatherstar gasped in realisation, happy realisation.

"Yes, Larkwing, I sense it! But, however I see great pain and suffering aroung this kit. He will need the strength of nine lives to face the pain I see ahead." Larkwing nodded, briskly. As a pool formed, images of cats formed and faded. Nine cats formed, and nine faded. An unspoken thought was in the air.

An Omen! Nine deaths!

As the two WindClan cats turned and walked away, a small, grey tabby kit rippled and wavered in the pool. He looked up, then the image shattered into thousands of tiny raindrops, like tears falling on StarClan's moors.

Chapter 1

"Webkit? Webkit, are you awake? Webkit? Oh, look!" A small, squaking voice whispered in Webkit's ear before breaking off into high pitched giggles.

"Heartkit? Why are you chasing that feather? Wouldn't you rather be out on the moors and catch a rabbit, or bird?" Webkit was curious as to how his sister could want to play with feathers, when they could be learning about the world.

"Webkit, don't be silly! When you're a warrior you can't play with feathers and you have to hunt! Being a warrior sounds boring! I'd rather stay a kit!" Heartkit tumbled back into random giggles, batting and biting the feather.

"Maybe, Webkit, when you become an apprentice, you will see that being a warrior is great responsibility. Have fun while you are still a kit." Heartkit squaled again, and raced into the cat who was standing in the nursery.

"Father! Father!" The great cat meowed a deep meow of laughter.

"Greetings, my daughter. And greetings, also Webkit." Webkit nodded his tiny head respectfully to his father.

"Greetings, father. How are you? And, I was wondering, what are we going to do about the lack of prey? I, well, I heard that we might all be moving to another place, far, far away! How could we ever make such a journey?" Shatteredheart just smiled.

"There will be no journey, nor will I ever let anything harm my precious kits," He raised his voice slightly as his mate, and Webkit's mother, Whisperweb cam into sight. "Nor my mate. No food shortage will harm this Clan, and especially not my family." He smiled, but Whisperweb had a worried, panicked look on her face.

"I'm sorry, love, but the journey will take place. We set out next half moon. Tallstar has confirmed it."

Webkit thought hard about this matter. I wonder if we will become apprentices before we leave?"

Chapter 2

Great, stone hills rose above the horizon. Webpaw's thin legs ached. The had been travelling for the last week, and, now he was an apprentice, he had to learn what Tallstar had to teach, as well as trek on every day. It was tiring, but Webpaw enjoyed having the leader as his mentor. He remembered what Tallstar had said to him during his first training session,.

"Webpaw, you are inquisitive! You don't seem like the other apprentices, you don't aspire to be leader or great. You merely seem to want to learn all you can to be the best and most loyal warrior you can be. I sense a great destiny in you, Webpaw. Your willingness to learn will make you a greater warrior some day. I can sense it"

Webpaw did only want to learn and be a great warrior. If I am ever leader, I will be the most loyal leader ever!

"Webpaw?" Heartpaw padded over. She seemed a lot more serious now she was an apprentice. Her mentor was the cat Webpaw looked up to most wthin the Clan, other than Tallstar, of course.

"Heartpaw! How are you? How is your training with Iceslash?" She purred at her brother.

"Why bother about training now? We're on a journey to somewhere no cat has ever been before! Let's play with the other apprentices!" Webpaw was relieved that she sounded like her old self again. Reluctantly, he agreed to go and play, less because he wanted to, but because he loved his sister and wanted her to be happy. And, just for that time, she was, they were.

For it was after the journey that the real journey would start.

The journey to survive.

Chapter 3

Crossing the mountains was hard going, and it would be even if it had only been a few cats travelling. Only one cat had perished so far, Smokepaw of ShadowClan. Another ShadowClan kit, one Webpaw did not know the name of, had almost been taken away by an eagle.

How many more cats will die before we reach our new home?

Webpaw blankly watched as Barkface went over to Tallstar. The leader was getting more frail every day of this perilous journey. Webpaw sighed and sat dowm in the cave. The day before the last, the journeying cats had met the Tribe of Rushing Water. They seemed kind cats, and were hosting the Clans before they moved on to their new home.

Webpaw had heard talk of moving on from the mountains in the next day or so. For the most part, he was pleased, he found the cave suffocating and boring, but he would also miss the friendliness of the tribe. Tallstar rose dramtically to his paws and called a meeting.

"Cats of all Clans, and the tribe, I must announce four new warriors to you today. They have worked hard, and now are ready to take up the role of warriors. Crowpaw, Heartpaw, Wildpaw and Webpaw, please step forth. I have talked with your mentors, and they assure me that you are ready to become warriors. Crowpaw, from this day forth you shall be known as Crowfeather, in memory of one that was lost here, and in honour of your courage."

The Clans chanted, as loud as they could. Tallstar then gave Heartpaw the name Heartflower, and Wildpaw became Wildsmoke. Webpaw could not help but think how beautiful Wildsmoke was. She was a dark, grey brown tabby, with green eyes, and looked like a formidable warrior just like her brother, Crowpaw. Webpaw snapped out of his thoughts when Tallstar announced his name.

"Webpaw, you have worked hard. As your mentor, I say you have grown to be a warrior. From this day on, you shall be known as Webfoot, to honour your thoughtfulness, and your fighting skill." The Clans chanted, and Webfoot felt his ears go hot.

I'm a warrior!

Chapter 4

A lake glimmered with starlight. The long journey had come to an end. The Clans had reached their new home.

This is it! Webfoot looked to his sister, and she smiled back. A cough turned Webfoot's attention to behind him, to where Tallstar lay, dying on the ground.

"Tallstar!" Webfoot's old mentor looked up, and to the other cats there - Onewhisker, Firestar, Brambleclaw and Barkface.

"Don't tell me to shush. I know I'm dying. I can...see StarClan....They are coming for me. I... do not wish...Mudclaw. He cannot lead my...my Clan. One...Onewhisker. You...are...leader...now..." Tallstar looked into Webfoot's eyes, then murmered "I know I must join you now, my mother..."

Tallstar sighed, and he ceased to live as his journey to StarClan begun.

"No!" cried Webfoot. Firestar annonced the devastating news to the Clans. Webfoot sat next to his mentor, grieving his loss. Wildsmoke, the other she-cat who was made a warrior at the same time as Webfoot came and sat by Tallstar too. Webfoot looked up for a minute, but she did not notice, and then the whole of WindClan came to grieve their beloved leader.

No WindClan cat slept that night.

Chapter 5

Webfoot set off on a patrol. Just over half a moon had passed since the discovery of the lake. In a border battle, with ThunderClan, his idol, Iceslash had been struck down, and his mother, Whisperweb was now seriously ill in the medicine den. On the plus, Onestar had promised him Goldkit as an apprentice. He was Onestar's son, so it was an honour.

Webfoot caught two rabbits, but all the time was thinking about how he could teach hunting. He was deep in thought, and his expression must have shown it, because Wildsmoke came over to him.

"Webfoot, are you alright?" She seemed concerned, and she snapped Webfoot out of his thoughts.

"Yes, yes. Sorry. I'm just... Thinking." She smiled at him. Webfoot thought She's beautiful when she smiles.

As the patrol walked back to camp Webfoot lagged at the back, dragging Wildsmoke with with him. Wildsmoke had an expression of confusion on her face. She opened her mouth, probably to say 'What's going on?' but Webfoot spoke first.

"Wildsmoke... well, you see... The thing is... Wildsmoke. I, I love you. Will, will you be my mate?" Webfoot's whole body was quivering, and his ears burned. Wildsmoke looked at him with genuine surprise on her face. Her mouth twitched up into a smile. She licked the tips of his ears, and then whispered

"Yes."

Chapter 6

Barkface solemnly climbed the Tallrock. The whole Clan had gatherered around and the mood along with the sky had turned overcast and drab. The whole Clan stood, for a moment, as if time had frozen, before Barkface sighed, and his voice echo through the deathly silent Clan.

"It is, with the deepest regret, that the news I must announce a loss to the Clan. I'm sorry to announce it, but Whisperweb is...dead." His voice was hushed, but Webfoot had no trouble hearing.

A wail full of grief echoed through camp. The near white mottled body was brought out into the clearing, and laid down. Drizzle started to fall and Webfoot yowled his grief to the stars. Slowly the Clan dissolved, and Webfoot was left, sitting over his mother's corpse.

The moon rose and fell, and morning came, the drizzle never having gotten heavier or ceased. Webfoot slowly rose as the elders came to bury Whisperweb's body. He watched until they were out of sight, then noticed that his mate's tail had been on his shoulder for a while.

"Webfoot," she said, softly, but with and undelying trace of excitement. Webfoot turned around, puzzled. "Webfoot, I'm going to have out kits."

Webfoot looked at his mate, fear, happiness and love in his eyes.

He smiled.

Chapter 7

Wildsmoke had moved into the nursery. Barkface had said that she was only a few days from giving birth. Webfoot had just returned from a hunting patrol, and had returned just in time to hear a yowl.

"Wildsmoke's kits are coming!" Webfoot raced to the nursery, but was denied access by the young Whitetail, heavily pregnant with her own kits.

"No. You'll be no help. I'll tell you when you can come in."

After a wait of what seemed like forever, and many agonised sounds, Webfoot was finally allowed in. But he had been warned that he may be shocked at what he saw. He was.

His first sight was a lot of blood. He then turned his gaze to Wildsmoke who was licking one kit. He then looked at the other kit, who appeared to be being ignored. It had silky, sand coloured fur, with three round spots on her left cheek. When Webfoot looked closely, she was not breathing.

"Webfoot... Come look at our kit." It was only Wildsmoke and Webfoot in the nursery. Webfoot laid down next to his mate.

"Wildsmoke... I'm sorry. I-I... What should we call them?" Wildsmoke looked sadly to her still kit, and said

"I want to name her Leopardkit. She will watch from StarClan." The two looked sadly, then turned their attention to the brown-grey tom.

"Eaglekit," Webfoot whispered. "I think he will be a fine warrior." There was a moment of silence, and as Webfoot was about to leave, Leopardkit grasped gently in his jaws, Wilsmoke whispered back.

"I do too."