Warriors: Shadows Triumph ~Book 1, Series 3~

Chapter 27

Flamefur's POV:

The half moon shone high in the sky, so bright it even managed to provide some light in the poorly lit prison.

Around Flamefur, everyone was asleep. She listened silently to the murmurs of discomfort, starvation and nightmares as her fellow prisoners rested.

But this is all about to end. Flamefur could take no more, she had to do something before the clans perished forever. She just had to wait...

At last, the guard sitting by the den entrance fell asleep, his head lolling into his thick-furred chest. Flamefur smirked and rose from her spot, shuffling towards a small hole she had created in the back of the den that led right out of camp. Pushing her head through, she used her shoulders to spread the leaves and branches more, making the little tunnel wider to let her pass through with limited noise. For once, she wished she were a smaller she cat. It would've been a whole lot easier to escape that way.

Once she was freed from the den wall, Flamefur twisted around and peered back inside the den. Everyone was still asleep, undisturbed by her rustling. Even Silvershy, who was curled right by the hole, didn't notice her escape.

"I will be back." The orange she cat promised. "I will save us from the Dark Forest. We will be free once more." With that, she turned back around and set off at a fast tort towards the Starstone

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Flamefur made it to the Starstone just as the moon struck its highest point. It seemed Starclan had blessed her journey, lighting her way to her destiny. So Starclan really was still up there, watching over them silently. It would've been nice if they helped.

Flamefur glanced up at the starry sky as she approached the towering tree, that let the cats on the ground connect with their ancestors. The sky was dark, but also lit up greatly by the countless blinking dots of the stars above. The moon cast beams of cold light on Flamefur, somehow warming her pelt with a non-existent heat.

"Starclan, I am here for my nine lives." Flamefur murmured. "Grant them to me."

The great tree let out a groan in response, the wind pulling at the branches and rustling the leaves. Flamefur took in a deep breath of air before lifting up her forepaws, resting them on the wide bark of the giant. Carefully, Flamefur eased her way up the tree. The ginger she cat sank her claws into the surprisingly soft bark, climbing higher and higher until she lost sight of the ground; everything below her swallowed up in a sea of leaves.

When Lightclan joined their new territory, the other clans had explained how the Starstone worked. The medicine cat meetings were held at the base of the tree, but the future leaders climbed to the very top of the tree. Journeying up was almost like a test for the soon-to-be clan leader and it brought them even closer to Starclan.

Flamefur ignored the fear itching at the back of her mind, pushing herself even higher up the tree until she reached the tallest branch that could hold her weight.

She paused, looking up. Starclan was so close from where she was. No wonder they chose this spot as the meeting place for Starclan. It was breathtaking how high up, and close to the sky she was.

With a shaky breath, Flamefur nestled herself into the little cat-sized dip at the base of the branch and pressed her muzzle into the bark of the tree. She immediately felt a slight hum around her body and darkness took her for a heartbeat before she awoke in a wide clearing.

Around her were Starclan cats, their pelts shimmering brightly. "Welcome, Flamefur." They all greeted at once, their voices a tranquil song.

"We've been waiting for you." Stormstar's voice whispered from the crowd, his ice blue eyes visible near the front of the cats. His fur was a dark blurr, almost invisible around the other Starclan warriors.

"S-So now what?" Flamefur asked, forcing her voice not to tremble as she eyed her great ancestors.

"Now it's time for you to receive your nine lives." Cheetahpelt took a step towards her, smiling faintly at her.

"Cheetahpelt!" Flamefur gasped, her eyes widening at the sight of her brother.

He smiled at her silently, and pressed his nose to her head. "With this life I give you patience. Don't always rush into battle without thinking it out."

Once Cheetahpelt left, Tinykit bounded up to her. "With this life I give you bravery!" Flamefur's kit grinned up at her as the life was given, and then pranced back to her littermates. "Did I do it right?" Flamefur heard Tinykit squeak once she had rejoined the group. Her heart ached as she looked at her kits. They were happy in Starclan, safe and watching over her.

Stormstar made his way towards her. "With this life I give you loyalty. Don't ever abandon your clan like I did."

Flamefur opened her mouth to argue, but the black tom had already left, being quickly replaced by Dawnheart. The grey she cat smiled at her as she touched her nose to her head. "With this life I give you wisdom." She then padded away, her tail flicking. Flamefur watched her, looking down at the she cat's forepaws. The scars were still there, from when they had been shattered by the foxes, but her paws moved perfectly now that she was in Starclan.

Next came Sunpatch, giving her the life of strength. Then Trueheart, with humor. And Watersplash and Fawnpaw with trust and mentoring.

Finally, for Flamefur's ninth life, came Hazefang. The former rogue smiled at the orange she cat. "With this life I give you hope. Let it guide you even in the darkest of times." She touched her nose to her head. "Now go give NoName what she deserves, Flamestar."

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