Light glowed ahead. The moon was already shining on the Great Rock. As Talltail turned the corner, the light blinded him. Fear flashed through him. Last time he’d been here, StarClan hadn’t shared anything with him. He’d been an apprentice, confused about where his path would lead, doubtful that he truly belonged in WindClan. What would his ancestors say to him now?
As he hesitated, Barkface padded past, no more than a dark shape against the dazzling rock. “It’s time,” he meowed, and his voice echoed around the unseen walls of the cave.
Talltail padded forward and settled beside the sparkling stone. Closing his eyes, he stretched his muzzle forward and touched the Moonstone. He twitched as the stone floor lurched beneath him, then blinked open his eyes. He was on the moor. Stars spiraled down until they sparked among the heather like silver flames becoming cats. Talltail stared, openmouthed, as countless starry pelts lined the hillside.
Mole stepped forward from the glittering ranks. “Welcome, Talltail.”
Talltail gaped at him in disbelief. “You’re in StarClan! But… but you weren’t a warrior.”
“I believed in StarClan.” Mole looked over his shoulder at the rows of glittering cats. “And they believed in me.”
“You never said anything while you were alive.” Talltail didn’t understand. “Why didn’t you join WindClan if you believed the same as us?”
“How could I abandon my companions?” Mole asked him. “They were like kin to me.” He leaned forward and touched his nose to Talltail’s.
Energy surged through Talltail at once, more powerful than a gust of wind. He rocked on his paws like heather.
“With this life, I give you courage, Talltail.” Mole’s mew sounded through the fury. “The courage to do what you believe to be right.”
Stillness enfolded him like the shadow from a bird’s wings. Talltail opened his eyes. Mole was gone. “Where is he?” Talltail cried.
“He is where he belongs.”
Talltail recognized his mother’s voice as Palebird stepped from among her starry Clanmates. Her pelt glowed with a warm light that made Talltail’s eyes ache. He narrowed them as she leaned close and touched his muzzle.
“I give you the love of a mother for her kits,” she whispered.
Talltail’s heart swelled, warmth surging through it. Suddenly he felt Palebird’s love for him more strongly than he’d ever known before—a burning certainty that he’d never doubt again. He felt weak as she stepped away, swaying on his paws. Palebird began to fade in front of him. Don’t go! He felt like a kit again.
“Talltail?” A young cat padded forward, her pelt shining brighter than any star.
“Who are you?” Talltail stared at her, wondering how any kit so small could be in StarClan. Then he realized. “Finchkit!” It was his sister, as young as the day she died.
“I have watched you,” she mewed. “And envied you so much for having the chance to live in WindClan.”
Shame washed over Talltail. Had he really wished he had died in her place, believing that Palebird would have loved her more than she loved him? How foolish he’d been. And how wrong to be so ungrateful for the life he’d been given. “I am lucky,” he agreed. “I will never waste another moment.” He gazed at her. “I’m sorry that I never had a chance to know you.”
“You will know me one day,” she purred softly. She reached up and Talltail had to stoop to touch her nose. “I give you this life so that you may seize every opportunity that comes before you, like a rabbit waiting to be hunted. I give you the strength to act without fear or hesitation.”
Excitement thrilled through every hair on Talltail’s pelt, shocking in its intensity. When Finchkit pulled away, he gasped. “Thank you!” The words caught in his throat as he watched Finchkit pad away and take her place beside Palebird.
A she-cat appeared in front of him next, her sparkling pelt no more than a shimmer on the grass. Talltail blinked in surprise. Why was she so faded? A breath of wind might blow her away.
“I am Mothflight.”
Talltail shifted his paws. He’d heard stories about this ancient WindClan medicine cat. “I am honored to meet you,” he meowed.
Mothflight’s eyes flashed. “I was once a cat just like you. I still am, even though I walk with StarClan. The only difference is that I have watched over all the generations that followed me, as you will one day.”
“Did you watch me?” Talltail felt the words sharp on his tongue. There had been so many times when he felt StarClan didn’t care. “You weren’t there when I first came to the Moonstone.”
“We were always there,” Mothflight replied gently. “But you weren’t ready to see us. You had to find your own path before you could walk ours.” Her eyes shone even brighter than her pelt. “You did well, Talltail, and we are proud of you. And you have only just begun your journey.”
Talltail blinked at her. What did she mean?
“You will discover something that will bring great change, not just for WindClan, but for all the Clans,” Mothflight warned. “You must have faith in your destiny, for only then can you lead your Clan to where it truly belongs. Never forget the time you spent beyond the boundaries of your Clan. You alone know that a Clan cat can survive anywhere.” She leaned forward and touched his muzzle.
Talltail’s body was wracked with spasms as power jolted though him like lightning. Gritting his teeth against the pain, he barely heard Mothflight’s final words. “With your fourth life I give you a sense of adventure so that you may embrace even the greatest challenge with determination.”
He struggled to stay on his paws as the starlit cat moved away and the surge of energy released him. Heatherstar stepped forward. Talltail’s heart leaped. She looked young and strong, her pelt glittering and sleek, with no sign of the illness that had taken her ninth life. She touched her muzzle to his.
“I’m proud of you and I know you will lead WindClan well. With this life I give you the power to judge wisely. You above all know how to see through the clouds that trouble our Clan, and you will always choose the best path forward.” A feeling of great joy and confidence surged through Talltail, his mind clearing until it seemed to sparkle with the crystal purity of the Moonstone itself.
“Woollytail!” As Heatherstar vanished, Talltail greeted the old tunneler with a purr. How had he not seen him glittering in the shadows?
“It is good to see you again, Talltail,” Woollytail meowed. “You know how the tunnelers have shaped WindClan’s history. We may not tunnel anymore, but you must never let the skills that once protected and fed your Clan be forgotten.” His gaze pierced Talltail like sunlight. “WindClan must never be afraid to seek out new places to shelter and to hunt. I give you this life for honoring old traditions on behalf of the future.” His nose touched Talltail’s with a spark. Talltail felt heaviness pull him down until wisdom seemed to sit like stones in his paws. He might struggle to carry this weight at first, but he knew it would give him strength and clear-sightedness for all the moons to come.
As Woollytail pulled away, Talltail relished the lightness returning, which turned to joy as Dawnstripe stepped forward. He leaned forward to greet her.
“I’m so proud of you, Talltail,” she meowed. “I always knew you’d be a great warrior. You were right to train as a moor runner and turn your tail on tunneling.” She glanced over her shoulder. Was she flashing a triumphant look at Woollytail? Talltail’s whiskers twitched. Even in StarClan, they bickered over who was best.