A/N: Well, here it is. The ending. I apologize profusely for taking so long to put it up, but I hope you enjoy it. Thanks for reading, and please review!

Chapter 11--New Beginning

Firestar sat still, his shoulders slumped in exhaustion. The fight had taken so much out of him, and then to have Skyheart taken from his Clan seemed like a cruel trick of StarClan. He knew in his heart that everything StarClan did was for a reason, for some greater good, but he did not know what that greater good could possibly in this case. Another apprentice of his, lost.

Flattening his ears against his head, Firestar looked up at the sky. Dark gray clouds clung to the blackness of the night, veiling the stars from view. Even their brightness would not shine now. He closed his eyes, every beat of his heart crying out against the cruelty of the world. He had seen comrades fall, had watched friends be taken from him, and every time, every time it felt like a piece of him had been taken with. He himself had lost lives, but he would come back, come back to lead his Clan. Skyheart would never be back; her blue eyes would never shine in this world again. And that was what was so cruel about it, that he, already now an old cat, would keep coming back, while she would never again feel the earth beneath her claws, would never smell the scent of the forest after a rain fall.

Firestar closed his eyes, lowering his head to press his muzzle into Skyheart's cold fur. He breathed in her already fading scent, then laid his head upon his front paws. His eyes closed again, slowly, as he sank into slumber.

His eyes opened, but he was no longer in the ThunderClan camp. Instead, he was in a clearing that he recognized from his dreams, which was fitting, since he was dreaming. A pretty tortoiseshell sat in front of him, gazing at him with kind amber eyes. "Firestar," she meowed warmly, though a hint of sadness flashed in her eyes.

"Spottedleaf," he responded, though his eyes narrowed slightly in suspicion. "Why am I here? What more do my Warrior ancestors want from me and my Clan?"

Spottedleaf looked hurt at the tone of accusation in Firestar's voice. "Firestar, you know that what happened with Skyheart wasn't about you, or your Clan. It was about Jaypaw."

"Who is part of my Clan," interrupted Firestar, his eyes flashing. "What if he never returns? What if he forsakes StarClan, all because of this little game you have been playing?"

Now it was Spottedleaf's turn to be angry. "This is not a game," she hissed, her amber eyes glowing with fury. "If we had not done this, if Skyheart had never been a part of Jaypaw's life, then he would never be able to be the best Medicine Cat that he will be now. This was a test for him, this sacrifice that he has had to make. It is a part of being a Medicine Cat, something that you would never understand. You have never had to make the sacrifices that Jaypaw has made—that I have made."

That statement took the wind out of Firestar's sails, and he visibly deflated, his shoulder fur flattening back into place. "You're right," he meowed, lowering his eyes. "I have made sacrifices, but never the kind that you or Jaypaw have had to make. However," he added, an air of caution in his tone, "it does seem that Jaypaw's sacrifice was worse than any I have ever witnessed."

Spottedleaf bowed her head. "Yes, his sacrifice was grave," she mewed softly, "and his healing will be even harder. His most testing lesson in healing lies ahead, as he must learn to heal himself."

"Will he be able to heal himself?" asked Firestar.

Spottedleaf twitched her whiskers in amusement. "You know I can't tell you that," she meowed. "Even we do not always know what the future holds. But I believe that with love and encouragement, Jaypaw will find his place in the Clan, and will be one of the best Medicine Cats ThunderClan has ever seen. But it will take time," she cautioned. "And he has to find his way back. No one can force him, or he will never return."

"I understand," meowed Firestar solemnly.

Smiling at him, Spottedleaf announced, "And now, I believe that there is someone who would like to see you." She turned and looked over her shoulder.

A shining form padded across the clearing, her eyes glowing. "Firestar!" Skyheart meowed excitedly, breaking into a run. When she reached Firestar, she stopped, looking up at him happily. "I didn't expect to see you here so soon," she meowed.

"Well, I couldn't bear to be away from my favorite apprentice for long," meowed Firestar, bending down to touch her nose with his.

Skyheart rolled her eyes, but her whiskers twitched in amusement. "Well, I'm not your apprentice anymore," she reminded him, her blue eyes smiling. "I'm a big, tough Warrior now; you named me a warrior yourself."

Firestar's amusement faded quickly, and his whole demeanor drooped. "I only wish that you'd had more time to enjoy it," he mewed quietly, his eyes downcast.

Skyheart became solemn as well, but her eyes were strong, full of steel. "Look," she meowed, brushing his shoulder comfortingly with her tail. "I knew that my time in ThunderClan would not last forever, and while it was unfortunately brief, I experienced more in my lifetime than many cats do, and for that, I am thankful."

Spottedleaf smiled benevolently at both of them. "We also knew that Skyheart's time with your Clan would be short," she meowed, "but look at how much she done, how much she's changed your Clan forever."

An outraged yowl came behind them, and they all turned to see Jaypaw standing there, his eyes narrowed in pain and indignation. "You knew?" he hissed, his fur standing on end. "You knew that this would happen, and yet you did nothing?"

"Jaypaw—" started Spottedleaf, but Jaypaw shook his head, backing away from them, his eyes wide in horror.

"No," he muttered, "No. You told me that StarClan would be there for me, that you would always be on my side—"

"Jaypaw, we ARE on your side, we've always been on your side," protested Spottedleaf, taking a step forward, but again, Jaypaw cut her off.

"You lied to me," he meowed, his voice deathly calm. "You lied to me. All of you. StarClan has betrayed me." He took another step back, drawing himself up to his full height. "And because that, I will share tongues with StarClan no more."

Skyheart stepped forward, her eyes sad. "Jaypaw, will you really turn your back on StarClan? On me?"

Looking at her with all the love he had, Jaypaw shook his head. "I would never turn my back on you," he whispered, grief contorting his features. "But don't you see? StarClan stole you from me. They stole you, and now you and I will never be together, all because of StarClan."

"Jaypaw, if you believe that, then your heart is as blind as your eyes," meowed Skyheart calmly, though her eyes were full of tears. "Please, Jaypaw—you're breaking my heart."

A steely look came over Jaypaw's face. "I love you, and I will never stop loving you, but I will not, I cannot associate with StarClan, not after they've done this to you." Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath, and when his eyes opened again, Skyheart saw that his eyes were suddenly as blind as they were when he was awake. "I'm done," he whispered, already beginning to fade. "I'm done."

"Jaypaw!" called Skyheart, her voice rising in distress. "Jaypaw, please!"

But he was already gone, and Skyheart closed her eyes, tears streaming down her muzzle. "This was supposed to be a good thing," she whispered. "Jaypaw was supposed to accept his place in ThunderClan."

Spottedleaf opened her mouth to speak, but Firestar spoke instead, his meow soothing. "Skyheart, if you had lived, Jaypaw would have stayed with ThunderClan as long as you were there, because he loved you more than anything. But that was not the point. He needs to stay with ThunderClan because he loves ThunderClan, not because he was you." He paused, stroking her gently with his tail. "Don't you see?" he asked. "It was never your life that was the test. It was your death that is testing Jaypaw's love for StarClan and ThunderClan."

Nodding in agreement, Spottedleaf added softly, "Jaypaw will never fully abandon StarClan, because you are a part of StarClan. But he must learn that his loyalty is not to you, because his time with you awaits him after his time with his Clan."

"Do you think he will be able to?" asked Skyheart, her eyes doubting.

"If you believe in him, and if you hold strong to your love for him, I have no doubt in my mind or my heart that he will find his way back, and will even find happiness in his Clan," meowed Spottedleaf reassuringly. "You only need to remind him of that."

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Jaypaw crouched in a clump of moss, his eyes narrowed in unhappiness, dew clinging to his fur. He was thoroughly miserable, and he was thoroughly wet. Shaking with cold, he closed his eyes tightly, trying to block out the world and the memories of the warm Medicine Cat's den at the ThunderClan Camp. Suddenly, he lifted his head, smelling a scent on the wind that was vaguely familiar. His heart leapt with hope and he rose eagerly. "Skyheart? Is that you?"

"No," an unfamiliar voice answered. "I am not Skyheart, dear one."

Jaypaw sat back on his haunches. "Oh," he meowed softly, his face falling. "Who are you then? Your scent smells familiar, but I don't recognize it."

He felt a pelt brush his, and the voice purred, "Perhaps you would be able to recognize me if you saw me."

Laughing harshly, Jaypaw closed his eyes. "In case you had not noticed, I am blind. I cannot see you or any other cat."

"Hmm, yes, you are blind," said the voice calmly, in his ear. "But you are only blind because you choose to be. You've always been able to see StarClan before, haven't you?"

Jaypaw opened his eyes angrily, but he could see nothing. "StarClan?" he spat. "How dare you come before me! I have rejected StarClan, and all its members, including you."

"Well, then, it's a good thing that I am not just a member of StarClan, isn't it?" purred the voice with amusement. Jaypaw felt the cat brush over his eyes with her tail as she whispered, "Look, Jaypaw. Look, and you shall see."

When she took her tail away, Jaypaw blinked in amazement, for he could see. There standing before him was a pretty silver she-cat with blue eyes that were so much like Skyheart's that it made Jaypaw's heart ache. "Who…who are you?" asked Jaypaw, his meow uncertain. "And how did you make me see?"

After a moment, the cat flicked her tail and announced, "I am Feathertail, formerly of RiverClan, but I run with two clans now: StarClan and the Tribe of Endless Hunting. Because I am not only of StarClan, I am able to visit your dreams, since you didn't think to block any warrior ancestors besides your own. And as far as making you see—I did nothing. You choose to see, and thus you can see."

Jaypaw shook his head, but said nothing, absorbing what she had said. Finally, he asked, "Why are you here? You won't make me go back."

"I am here because one who loves you asked me to come, to try and make you return," she answered simply.

Jaypaw snorted in contempt. "I doubt it," he meowed. "Skyheart understands. She understands that I cannot be a part of ThunderClan or StarClan anymore."

"I didn't come here on behalf of Skyheart," meowed Feathertail, her blue eyes narrowed. After a moment, she said softly, "I came here at the request of Leafpool."

"Leafpool?" mewed Jaypaw, flattening his ears against his head. "I don't understand. Why would Leafpool—?"

Feathertail flicked her tail, cutting him off. "Leafpool loves you," she meowed, her blue eyes narrowed. "You are her apprentice, and you are her nephew." As Feathertail spoke, a shadowy figure appeared behind her. It was Leafpool, and she sat next to Feathertail, looking at Jaypaw with pride in her eyes. "Firestar loves you," Feathertail continued, as Firestar's shadowy figure appeared on her other side. "He is your leader. Your mother, Squirrelflight, and your father, Brambleclaw, love you." They, too, appeared. "Your brother and sister love you, and all the cats of your Clan love you, because you are their Medicine Cat." Soon, Feathertail and Jaypaw were surrounded by the shadowy figures of cats, all looking at Jaypaw with love and affection gleaming in their eyes. "You see?" whispered Feathertail. "You are loved in this world as well as the next. And you must honor this love, not just your love for Skyheart."

With that said, she bowed her head in order to lick Jaypaw in between the eyes. Then she turned and walked away, leaving her spot in the circle open. Jaypaw's eyes filled with tears as another cat came to take her place. It was Skyheart.

"Jaypaw," she meowed, her pelt glowing with the light of the stars. "Jaypaw, I will always love you, and you know that. But life, life is for the living, and you must see that. Your life is full of living, breathing cats who love you just as I do, and they need you more than I do. You must tend to the living while you are alive."

He took a step towards her, his eyes wide with desperation. "But how?" he meowed. "How can I, when you are all I want and need?"

Skyheart raised her head. "Open your heart, Jaypaw," she whispered. "You will find within yourself enough love for all of ThunderClan, with more than enough left over for me, when we have our time together. But until that day, you must love with all your heart. You must."

"But how?" he whispered. "I miss you, so much. How can I live without you?"

"It will be hard," Skyheart acknowledged, her blue eyes sad for a moment. "But if you open your heart, you will not only be able to heal those who love you, but you will find in you to be able to heal yourself. It will take time, but you can do it, because I believe in you."

Jaypaw closed his eyes. "I love you," he whispered. "And because I love you, I will do as you ask, no matter how hard, and no matter the cost."

He opened his eyes and blinked. He was in darkness again, but as he raised his muzzle and smelled the scent of the dew warming in the early morning sun, he seemed to feel a tail brush against his, and he knew in his heart that he would never be alone again. He squared his shoulders and opened his mouth to taste the fresh air before turning and padding in the direction of the ThunderClan camp. His heart was full of love, and he had work to do.

Fin

A/N(part 2): Well, that's the end of the ride, folks. Thank you for all who have come on this journey with me, especially when I wasn't always sure where I was going. I hope you enjoyed reading this story as much as I enjoyed writing it.

A special thanks to all my reviewers: Mysterious Miracle, PearlaH.Sweden-Arigatou-, musicgoddess618, Cloudfire, Gladewing, TawnyLeaf, I Be Guest, Ghostfur, alice bo balice, Crystillianray, Pebblepaw, weirdnostral, Hawkflame, Stormfur's Sweetie, Reflection of My Tears, Cricketpaw, Crazed Authoress (AKA BrambleXSquirrel4Ever), SilverStar of Moonclan, bookstalker, Shadowed Horizon, Leafpool's Dream, leafpool-medcat, HCSBForever, Goldenfox13, twilight's reflection, Oceanwind, Loyalflame, Snowfur, rainstorm007, blue-eyes2014, Strangefur, Kitsune, Softfrost, and Moonlight0.

Thanks to everyone who read this story and who encouraged me along the way.