Amberleaf led the way, leaping neatly over the smaller rocks and climbing the boulders. Fernwhisper was hard on her paws, scrambling up the barrier. On the other side, the slope grew steeper. The best way looked like staying right on the stream's bank.

The sisters climbed on, sending loose pebbles and stones down once in a while. The sound of running water soothed Fernwhisper. It reminded her of the river back home in the gorge.

By the time the sun was setting, the she-cats had gotten to a fork in the stream. One continued straight. The other was small and it disappeared. Fernwhisper could hear the soft sound of a slow waterfall, much different than the roaring one at the Tribe's cave.

"Emberfoot didn't say anything about a fork in the stream." Mewed Amberleaf doubtfully.

"Let's follow the one toward the sound of a waterfall." Fernwhisper mewed, setting off.

Sure enough, the shorter stream led them to a waterfall that fell into a pool of moonlit water. They leaped down into the hollow and walked slowly up to the pool.

Fernwhisper felt her paws slide into smooth paw prints left by ancient cats. She felt as if the whole world was silent. The only sound was whispering, the whispering seemed to be chanting her name.

Fernwhisper! Fernwhisper!

She looked at Amberleaf, who looked as if her thoughts were spinning. Fernwhisper knew this must remind her of the Whispering Cave back home. "Do you hear the whispering?"

"What whispering?"

"I hear whispering chanting my name..." Fernwhisper answered, a little scared now.

Amberleaf shrugged, "Emberfoot also never addressed how to meet our ancestors here but I'd guess it's a lot like the whispering cave. So just lie down and touch your nose to the water. Oh, and close your eyes."

Fernwhisper nodded. The whispering had vanished so she focused all of her attention on lying down and touching the water. She closed her eyes and settled on the smooth, spiraling stone and stretched out her muzzle.

Fernwhisper urged herself not to flinch as the cold water hit her nose like the slash of a claw.

Suddenly, she felt as if she was falling. She flashed open her eyes to find she in the air, plummeting toward the ground. With a thump, Fernwhisper hit the ground. She looked around and realized she was in the gorge. Fire obviously hadn't scorched through here though.

Bright light spiraled down from the sky, reminding her of the gathering. The starlight faded and figures of cats began to appear. She recognized most of the cats. She had seen all of them at the gathering. The sound of paws behind her made Fernwhisper whirl. She saw cats from all of the clans, coming to welcome her into leadership.

"This is amazing!" She gasped.

"Indeed it is." Mewed a voice Fernwhisper thought she'd never hear again.

"Skyheart!" She squealed like a kit as she turned back around. "It's so good to see you! I've missed you so much!"

Skyheart nodded. "I have come to give you the life of courage! Al leaders need to have courage, but you need it very much. There'll be challenges in your new territory. You need the courage to ask other leader for help and the courage to complete some tasks on your own." Fernwhsiper's mentor rested her chin on Fernwhisper's head.

Lightning shot through her. Instinct told her to flinch and protect herself but she pushed past it. She swayed slightly as the electricity began to ease. She let her clenching jaw relax and shook her head to clear it.

I hope not every life is like that!

Fernwhisper opened her eyes, expecting to see another Starclan cat to give her her next life. Instead, she saw no one. Then there was a small squeak below her.

"I'm down here!"

Fernwhisper gasped as she looked down. "Frostkit!"

"It is I." He squeaked back. The little gray-white tom stretched up on his hind paws to touch his nose to his sister's. "I give you a life for proper judgement. Some cats will be bad, others good. Do not get that mixed up!"

Fernwhisper closed her eyes and clenched her jaw expecting the bolt of lightning to shoot through her. Instead, there was a soft wave passing around her paws. This isn't so bad. She thought. Instantly, she regretted that thought. The wave around her paws surged higher and higher until it was covering her head. It wasn't water but it was making her feel as if she was drowning.

Suddenly, she understood. The small, soft wave was the good cats, and the tidal wave was the bad cats.

Right as she felt as if her head was going to explode because she couldn't breath, the wave disappeared. Fernwhisper opened her eyes to see a light brown-and-cream she-cat standing in front of her.

"Who are you?" Fernwhisper asked.

"I'm Leafstar." the she-cat replied. "I was the first leader of the new Skyclan. I am here to give you the life of farsightedness. Know that not every problem will show up on the tip of your nose. Look passed you nose, seek guidance from other leaders if you have to. Remember, some things you must seek."

Cold shocked Fernwhisper as the life surged through her. She felt as if she was in the mountains once again, buried under snow in a blizzard.

This life didn't last as long though. She could relax and open her eyes after only a few moments.

In front of Fernwhisper was a Tortoiseshell-and-White she-cat that she had missed so much since the fire. "Cherrytail!" She breathed.

Cherrytail dipped her head. She looked young and strong again, not old and frail like the last time Fernwhisper saw her. "I am honored to have to opportunity to give you the life of patience. This will come in handy when training new apprentices and even with your own kin and mate."

Fernwhisper nodded and closed her eyes. This time, the life was a whispering breeze. It flowed through her confidently, ruffling her fur and letting her breath in sweet, New-leaf scents. She opened her eyes and whispered a "Thank You" to Cherrytail.

As Cherrytail stepped back into Starclan's ranks, a dark ginger tom stepped out.

Blazestar!

He padded up to Fernwhsiper and dipped his head. "I never got to thank you for coming with me into that fire. If you hadn't, Meadowlark would've died with me."

Fernwhisper nodded, emotion flowing into her eyes. "You're welcome." She choked out.

Blazestar rested his chin on her head, "I give you a life for bravery. Bravery against not only the challenges of battle, but also the challenges of arguments and lost loved ones."

Fernwhisper tensed as the feeling of razor-sharp claws pierced her pelt. She was abe to relax quickly though as the next cat stepped out.

The mottled gray tom bounded over and touched noses to Fernwhisper. "Greetings Fidgetfoot."

"Greetings Fernwhisper. I give you this life for wisdom. Use it wisely when facing hard decisions and challenges."

A spark on her nose set chills running down her spine and through her veins. She shivered and shook it off.

A Tortoiseshell-and-White she-cat was waiting for her when she relaxed and opened her eyes. "I am Brightsky, your mother's sister. I am here to give you the life of motherly love. Now every one of your clanmates is your kit. Love them and treat them well."

Pure heat spiked through Fernwhisper. It reminded her of the fire in the gorge. She felt that if she opened her eyes, she was see flames dancing around her paws. Until then, she had never understood that a mother's love was so strong. It made her feel lonely and gave her the urge to raise kits of her own.

The heat of the flames seared off and Fernwhisper blinked open her eyes to see Firestar.

"I am here to give you the life of honesty. Always be honest with your clanmates. Dishonesty leads to distrust and distrust leads to a terrible leadership."

A sharp wind tumbled right through Fernwhisper. It nearly knocked her off her paws. As the wind eased, Fernwhisper realized Cherrystar was standing there with an amused look on her face. Though when Cherrystar spoke, she mentioned nothing of it.

"I am here to give you your name and a life. Your last life. The life I give you is discipline. The life of discipline is for training young. Teach them the warrior code and don't let any of them stray. A mistake I had was I forgot about the warrior code for a brief time as I was pushed farther away by Sol. Don't make the same mistake as I did.

Instead of a feeling, Fernwhisper saw all of the events in the last six moons fly by her eyes. Except all of this was Cherrystar's view. She saw what happened after Cherrystar was carried away by the eagle. She saw her leader plummeting to the ground, getting buried in the snow. She saw what had happened after Fernwhisper had been attacked by a dog. How Sol persuaded Cherrystar to leave for Twolegplace. After that, the stream of visions ended. She opened her eyes to see the nine cats that had given her lives standing in front of her.

Cherrystar lifted her muzzle to the sky and started the chant. Everyone there joined in.

"Fernstar! Fernstar!"