"Come on!" Owlpool called softly from the shadows inside Mothermouth.
Poolpelt breathed the cold, mineral air flooding from the dark opening.

It reminded her of her trip there many seasons before, with Silverstar.
Now she had come to receive her nine lives.
When she returned to her Clan she would be Poolstar, leader of IceClan.

She remembered Icestar's death with a pang; she had been slaughtered by a fox before a patrol could come to her rescue.

Owlpool led her down to the cave of the Moonstone.
The darkness pressing around her still made Poolpelt uncomfortable.
It felt as though she were drowning in thick black water that she could taste but not feel.
At the end of the tunnel, the cave was filled with shadows.
Watery starlight filtered through the hole in the roof, scarcely penetrating the dark.

"Not long till Moonhigh," Owlpool promised.

Poolpelt padded across the rough cave floor and lay at the foot of the Moonstone.
It stood solid and dull in the center of the cave, untouched by moonlight.
But as Poolpelt rested her nose between her paws, the moon began to slid across the hole in the arching roof and the crystals began to shimmer like tiny trapped suns.
Dazzled, Poolpelt flinched away.

"Press your nose against it," Owlpool urged.
Screwing up her eyes, Poolpelt leaned forward and touched the Moonstone.
It was cold and smelled of darkness and old, old rock.

Instantly the cave rushed away and Poolpelt felt herself being swept through blackness, darker than night, tossed and swirled on an invisible river.

Panic seized her and she flailed her paws, until suddenly she felt soft grass beneath them.

Blinking open her eyes, she saw the Great Rock rising above her and the four great oaks marking each corner of the clearing.
She was at Fourtrees.
Alone.
She glanced up at the crow-black sky, speckled with stars.

Why were there no cats there to receive her?

Then the stars began to swirl like leaves caught in an edgy.
They gathered speed until they blurred together in a silvery spiral, down, down, down toward the forest, toward Fourtrees, toward her.
Poolpelt waited, her heart in her throat.

The spiral of starlight slowed, and the cats of StarClan stalked from the sky.
Frost sparkled at their paws and glittered in their eyes.
Their pelts shone like ice, and they carried the scent of all the seasons on their fur: the tang of leaf-bare snow mingled with the green scent of newleaf, the musk of leaf-fall, and the sweet blossom of greenleaf.
Countless cats lined the hollow—bodies shimmering, eyes blazing—and filled the slope in silence.
Poolpelt crouched at the center.

She forced herself to lift her head and look at the cats, and stretched her eyes wide when she realized that some faces familiar.

"Welcome, Poolpelt." One clear mew seemed to ring with every voice she had known and loved.

Silverstar stepped forward and touched her nose to Poolpelt's head.
It scorched her fur like frost and flame, but she could not flinch away.
Her paws were weighted like stones, her body frozen.

"With this life I give you selflessness," Silverstar murmured. "Use it well in the service of your Clan."
A bolt of energy, as fierce as lightning, searched through Poolpelt.
She stiffened against the pain, but it melted into a soft warmth that filled her from nose to tail-tip.
She was left trembling as the warmth drained from her, and she braced herself for the next one.

As Silverstar turned away, another cat rose from the ranks of StarClan.
Whiteclaw.
Poolpelt felt her throat purr at seeing her father again, she wanted to say so many things, mostly I miss you.

He pressed his nose to her head. "With this life I give you courage. You will know how to use it."
Poolpelt felt flashes of fighting battles with the bravery of a lion.
Thank you, Whiteclaw.

Bladewing was beside her now, touching her nose to Poolpelt's head. "With this life I give you humor. Use it well to lighten the burdens of your Clan and the spirits of your Clanmates when despair threatens."
Something dazzling and flickering passed through her, making every hair on her pelt stand on end.
"You will know when to use humor to help you," Bladewing told her, and Poolpelt blinked gratefully.

Another cat was weaving through the ranks and toward her, a familiar face she hadn't seen in a long time.
Icepaw!

The apprentice's eyes shone like stars.
Poolpelt wanted to greet her but she couldn't move or speak.

Her heart ached with joy as Icepaw stretched up to rest her muzzle on the top of Poolpelt's head. "With this life I give you protection," she announced solemnly. "Use it well to protect your Clanmates."
Fierceness fired through Poolpelt, the same feeling she felt over dying to protect her kits.

Icepaw padded away, and Feathershine took her place. "With this life, I give you hope. Even on the darkest night, it will be there, waiting for you."
Energy now fired through Poolpelt.
She was running through the snowy forest, her paws skimming the snow, with a bright light shining ahead of her.
Is that hope? I will never lose sight of it, I promise.

"With this life I give you determination." It was Flowertail's turn. Her gaze was lucid, her voice gentle. "Use it well to set your paws on the path of what you know to be right."
As her nose brushed against her ears, a fierceness flooded through her; a need to do everything in her power to defend IceClan.

Which cat would give her seventh life?

She scanned the ranks and purred when she saw that Sunkit was padding forward, his tiny paws sending up sparks of starlight where they touched the ground.

He had to rear up on his hind paws to touch Poolpelt's head. "With this life I give you pride. So that you may know your own worth and the worth of your Clan."
Heat seared Poolpelt's pelt, until she glanced down at her body, convinced she must be on fire.
It vanished with a hiss.
Would she ever have that much faith in herself?

"Sunkit." Poolpelt managed to find her voice. "I...I'm so sorry." ,
"It's okay, mom. I forgive you," Sunkit purred. "And I miss you."

Raindapple came next.

Poolpelt's heart ached as she felt her mother's nose touch her head as gently as she'd done when she had lived. "With this life I give you happiness. You will find it even in the most unlooked-for placed. Whatever happens, never forget how to be joyful."
Life and beauty fluttered to her, and she felt a need to always see the bright side of things.

Poolpelt knew her last life would come from Icestar. Her mentor had watched the ceremony through gentle, glowing eyes.
Now she stepped forward.

"You have sacrificed so much," Icestar meowed. "And our Clan walks a safer path now."

Poolpelt felt her breath stir her fur as her mentor touched her head and went on. "With this life I give you bravery, even when you are walking into shadows. There will always be light, even in the darkest night."
Courage flourished through Poolpelt's heart, like a will to face off any threats even if she was scared.

Icestar purred. "I hail by your new name, Poolstar. Your old life is no more. You have now received the nine lives of a leader, and StarClan grants you the guardianship of IceClan. Defend it well; care for young and old; honor your ancestors and the traditions of the warrior code; live each life with pride and dignity."

Icestar went on. "Use all your nine lives for your Clan. We will be with you at every step. If you need us, we will come. You were chosen long ago, and StarClan has never regretted it's choice."

"Poolstar! Poolstar! Poolstar!"