Username: coolrat
Cat Name: Goatskull
Gender: Male
Rank: Warrior
Clan: Persevered ClanAge: 37 moons
Prompt:Goatskull watched the crowd of kits surround him, each with the parents that dragged them down to the lowest (safe) part of the canyon. They looked annoyed at first, but soon fell into silence with the others.
"What happens when you die?" Goatskull asked them once they were all still. He waited through the odd answers they all had to offer, before speaking again. "Good guesses, all of you. Look up, what do you see?"
"Stars!" they all exclaimed.
"Very good. Now, what if I told you that every single cat eventually goes up there, with the stars?" The kittens all fell silent as they looked up again. "You see, we have what are called
souls inside us, stuck inside of our bodies. When we die, our souls go up towards the stars."
"What if your soul tries to leave while you're still alive?" asked a kit that Goatskull couldn't see.
He smiled, glad that someone asked, "Good question. You see, our souls are completely stuck within our bodies, as long as they're intact, then our souls will never be able to leave."
He looked down towards the river raging below them, causing the bell on his old collar to jingle. "That's why, when someone from our clan passes, we put their body into the river. The water washes away their bodies, and their souls begin to climb out of the canyon." He paused, giving time for the kits to look down into the deadly river and shudder. "Sometimes, though, the souls aren't strong enough to make it out. Now, which of you kits were born here?"
Most said yes, and he continued. "You see, all of you come from old souls that couldn't make it out. They entered your body as you took your first breath, and now they're gaining strength to try again. That's why we teach you how to survive, otherwise your souls will have to keep trying over and over again. So, with that said, do any of you still want to sneak down to the river?"
"No..." the group mumbled, with a few sharp glances aimed at the other kits. Goatskull nodded and smiled, again causing his bell to ring, and the kits began the journey upward towards their den. Most of the remaining parents joined them, with a few staying behind to thank Goatskull for the lesson.
"Trust me, it's no problem, I'm always happy to teach," he said. "Besides, we need them to be prepared to hear the news... it'll be their first funeral, and I doubt they're going to take it well." He sighed, "At least this way, they'll understand what's happening."
[441 words]