Warriors: A Guide For The Ultimate Fan

Leader Ceremony

A leadership ceremony is the ceremony in which, when the leader dies or retires, the deputy receives their nine lives and their leader name with the suffix -star.

The new leader goes to the Moonstone (or Moonpool) with the Clan's medicine cat. After touching the stone (or drinking from the pool), the new leader cannot move for a short period of time, because their old life is being ripped away so they can receive nine new ones. Upon awakening, cats of StarClan come down from Silverpelt. Nine cats, normally ones who were significant during the new leader's life, although this is not always the case, give them their nine lives with these words:

Life-Giver: (Touches nose to the top of the new leader's head) With this life I give you (gift). Use it well (to, in, as, for, etc.) (use of gift).

When all of the lives have been given, normally the previous leader says these words:

Previous Leader: I hail you by your new name, _____star. Your old life is no more. You have now received the nine lives of a leader, and StarClan grants you the guardianship of ____Clan. 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.

Often, after all the lives are given, the previous leader usually conducts the coronation for the new leader. However, sometimes the previous leader does not speak at the ceremony, or it is unknown if they are actually present, and another cat will conduct the coronation for the new leader - often the last cat to give them a life, but it also can be performed by the entirety of the amount of StarClan cats known to be present in the ceremony.

Just as the forest-cats would call a warrior by their new name, the StarClan cats acclaim the new leader. After the ceremony, the new leader is not allowed to tell any cat what happened during the ceremony.

Each of the lives normally give the new leader a great deal of pain as a sign to ready them for the hard work it normally will be to lead their Clan. However, certain lives, depending on the gift, such as Spottedleaf's life with the gift of love to Firestar, do not and instead give the warrior a much better feeling.

Getting nine lives does not necessarily mean that a leader will live longer, but they can survive certain accidents or injuries that would claim the life of a cat. However, they cannot survive if they have major injuries such as the injuries Scourge gave Tigerstar.

If a leader no longer wishes to be the leader, they must go to the Moonstone/Moonpool to revoke all but one life, so their deputy may have their full nine lives. Sunstar only had eight lives because Pinestar never officially retired at the Moonstone.

Lives:

During the Leadership Ceremony, nine lives are given to the new leader. Those lives are virtues or traits that the leader might lack in and aims towards making their leadership fair to all cats they lead.

Appreciating medicine cat's companionship - Pinestar

Adventure – Tallstar

Bravery – Mistystar

Certainty – Firestar

Clear judgement of character – Bramblestar

Clear Sight – Brokenstar

Compassion – Bluestar, Brokenstar, Crookedstar, Firestar, Tigerstar

Confidence - Windstar

Courage – Bramblestar, Bluestar, Crookedstar, Firestar, Mistystar, Pinestar, Tallstar

Curiosity - Mistystar

Endurance – Bluestar, Leafstar

Exploring beyond the borders – Bramblestar, Tigerstar

Determination - Leafstar, Windstar

Duty - Brokenstar

Faith – Firestar, Leafstar, Tigerstar

Farsightedness - Tigerstar

Forgiveness - Tallstar, Windstar

Friendship - Windstar

Grace - Windstar

Happiness - Mistystar

Healing - Leafstar

Honour - Brokenstar

Honoring old Traditions - Tallstar

Hope – Bluestar, Crookedstar, Leafstar

Humility - Crookedstar

Humor – Bluestar

Instincts - Cloudstar, Heatherstar, Tigerstar

Judgement - Brokenstar

Justice – Bramblestar, Crookedstar, Firestar, Mistystar

Listening to Elders - Bramblestar

Love – Bluestar, Brokenstar, Firestar, Leafstar, Windstar

Loyalty – Crookedstar, Firestar, Pinestar, Windstar

Mercy - Tigerstar

Mentoring – Firestar, Tigerstar

Mother’s Love – Bramblestar, Crookedstar, Heatherstar, Mistystar, Tallstar

Nobility - Firestar

Offering second chances- Bramblestar

Patience – Bluestar, Crookedstar, Tallstar

Pride– Bramblestar, Bluestar, Tigerstar

Protection - Firestar

Putting their Clan above all others – Raggedstar

Resilience - Windstar

Selflessness - Leafstar

Strength – Brokenstar, Mistystar

Strength to act without fear or judgement - Tallstar

Stubbornness - Windstar

Sympathy and Understanding - Leafstar

Tireless Energy - Firestar

Trust – Bluestar, Crookedstar, Windstar

Truth - Brokenstar

Understanding not only warriors protect the Clan - Bramblestar

Understanding that size isn’t everything - Tigerstar

War and Peace - Pinestar

The Warrior Code – Brokenstar, Tallstar

Wisdom – Leafstar, Mistystar, Tallstar