Wait so none of the Clans believe in StarClan? How do their leaders get nine lives? Or how DID they...
none of them had a starclan, no. in fact, hemlockclan didn't believe in an afterlife at all!
in shoalclan, the new leader would swim out to the dark tides to prove themself worthy of nine lives. the dark tides are on the edge of the territory, and though the tides there are probably not strong enough for the average adult human to be in much trouble, they're fairly dangerous to a cat. most leaders drown here and end up with eight lives instead. willetwish, notably, did not do this- doing it would be admitting that everyone was dead and she was the only choice for leadership- but got nine lives anyways.
in hemlockclan, a deputy would become leader by proving they had nine lives. after the passing (or exile) of the previous leader, the deputy would consume some kind of poison, die, and come back to life. because of this tradition, the line of succession was way, way more important in hemlockclan than it is in the others. you can't just have all your cats dying trying to be leader, after all! after the leader came the deputy, then the oldest healer, then the next oldest healer, and so on.
in tangleclan, a new leader would spend a week underground becoming one with the earth. they chose a deputy before leaving, and spent all their time in the pitch dark with no real food to speak of. leaders would have to learn what they could eat and where they could drink. some starved during the week and most were irrevocably changed by the experience.
new surgeclan leaders had to eat an albatross. now, that may sound easier than the other methods, but there's a fair amount of skill and toughness that's needed for that. albatrosses aren't exactly easy to hunt; they only touch land once every year or two to lay eggs, plus they're horrifically giant with sharp beaks and strong wings. beyond that, the surgeclan belief is that albatrosses are the reincarnation of their dead kin, so eating one could mean that you're eating your parent or best friend. it isn't easy to do, physically or emotionally. the tradition is meant to make a leader understand the kinds of things they may have to put themselves through for the good of the clan.
