[fresh]

Originally Posted by Sagittarius

The next cat seemed to take a bit more time than usual. This gave the tan tom more time to wipe away the evidence he had been crying, and that’s exactly what he did. And as he took his paw down, emotions back in check, he saw another small cat emerge from the void-like blackness. This feline seemed hesitant... nervous? Oh, no. Her really didn’t want to make any cat nervous. If anything, Windygale should be the one with nerves. But that didn’t matter. He relaxed his stance a little, tried to flatten his poofy fur, so anything to ease the cat.

Okay, he thought he had it figured out. Perhaps the cat was nervous because this was a large task? If that, there was nothing he could do but watch and pay attention to ease the feline. Plumscorch walked very close to him, and he almost took a half-stap backwards out of surprise. He was even more surprised when the life happened to be one of punishment. Still, the tall feline listened and nodded, thinking things like ‘...Every day...?’ and ‘...but some clanmates may be innocent...?’. Before he knew it, the speech was over and his vision blurred. He saw cats killing, cats harming, and evil. ‘No...’ he thought weakly to himself. ’it... it could be a mistake... we don’t know!’

“No. Windystar, this is what happens when you let traitorous acts go unpunished. A Clan full of murderers, rogues, and evil.” A booming voice hissed in his ear, it was too loud. Everything was too loud. The screeching, the yowls of triumph. It was all too much. The stench of blood overwhelmed him. He squeezed his eyes shut, willing the life to go away. And it did. When he opened his eyes, he was alone once more. He breathed heavily, knowing that that was a life he needed.

@candy cane

Here we go.
Roaringpaw watched the ceremony through unblinking eyes, and when it was their turn, they stepped in front of the tom with a soft hint of a smile. They had been in StarClan a long time and seen countless leaders recieve their nine lives, but they’d never given one before. So, this was special, both for the new leader of ShadowClan and for them. The stocky feline simply gazed at Windygale for a moment before finally clearing their throat respectively. “I give you the life of forgiveness. Forgive your Clanmates, forgive your enemies, forgive your allies, but most of all, forgive yourself. Everyone makes mistakes, and everyone deserves a second chance. Know when to give them one.” Roaringpaw didn’t have to tilt up their head to touch their nose to Windygale’s. They were proud of the life they were giving him. It was a useful one. Many times they’d shamed themself for getting killed in the first place, even after they had forgiven the cats who had killed them. Sometimes, however, cats had to learn to forgive themselves.
That was one of the most valuable lessons of all.