Epilogue

Three moons seemed to pass by in a blur of hunting and training. ShadowClan recovered quickly, and soon it was Clan life as it ever was. Seedpaw and Kernalpaw became Seedwhisker and Kernalclaw, soon followed by Blazestorm, Cracklestep, and Darkwind. And only two months later, Darkwind announced that she was pregnant with Cracklestep's kits. The Clan was overjoyed; not only would they gain new members after losing so many warriors, but it was good to see the son of Sunstreak and the daughter of Flickertail getting along so well.

Winterpaw spent a lot of his time with Redpaw. After the ordeal they'd weathered together on the night of Flickertail's betrayal, the cousins became best friends. Though their duties were completely different, each was fascinated with the other's line of work; though not enough to want to have to do it. Winterpaw would amazing him with tales of his latest feats in battle, while Redpaw would brag about how well he did when bandaging a wound from the same battle. The two were inseparable.

Three Gatherings also went by, though Winterpaw was only accepted to go to one. There Shimmerstar announced that Burnstripe was the new deputy of RiverClan and Fragilestar reported that Eaglestar was dead. All four Clans were shaken by the depth of Flickertail's betrayal. Such ruthless treachery had not been heard of in the forest since the days when Tigerstar still lived. However, both ShadowClan and RiverClan insisted that they were as strong as ever, with new warriors and new apprentices to announce.

However, tragedy also came with the passing of these full moons. A small brush fire near the thunderpath gave Jaggedpaw, Lightfoot and Brightsong's son, severe burns and cost Copperstar another life. Winterpaw, however, was praised for his heroics during the fire, when he pulled Copperstar and Jaggedpaw from the burning bushes all by himself.

About a moon later an attack came from RiverClan. Copperstar sacrificed yet another life, while Winterpaw fought with 'the strength of ten warriors', according to Wildpath. The RiverClan cats were defeated and driven from the territory, but the victory was tainted when they found the RiverClan cat killed in the battle was Twigleg, one of the traitors. Could it be possible that Flickertail and his gang were still trying to overthrow Copperstar?

Though the battle raised some worrying questions, it was only two sunrises later that Copperstar decided she had nothing more to teach him. Winterpaw became Winterclaw under a bright leaf-fall sun. But it wasn't just becoming a warrior that made Winterclaw feel accepted; ShadowClan chanted his name like he was the greatest hero they had ever known. Finally, his abnormality didn't matter. He was a warrior now.

---

It was a familiar scene: A tom paced nervously across the clearing outside the medicine den, pausing only to glance up at the starry sky nervously every few steps. Winterclaw's white fur glowed dully in the darkness, illuminated by the stars alone on a moonless night such as this. He shivered slightly; leaf-bare was fast approaching, and once again his pelt showed no sign of thickening. But that was the least of his worries right now. Would his kits be alright?

Finally a ginger tom poked his head from the brambles and thorn branches protecting the nursery. "Winterclaw?" He meowed. His amber eyes were tired, but a glimmer of hope shined deep within. "Winterclaw, congratulations. A son and a daughter."

"Is Foxmask alright?" Winterclaw asked immediately. "She…She survived, didn't she?"

The medicine cat nodded solemnly. "She's fine for now. I finally got her to stop coughing, so I gave her something to help her sleep." He heaved a heavy sigh. "I'll have to move her to the medicine den tomorrow, though. Dreamstep says it's definitely whitecough, and wants to treat it before it becomes greencough."

Winterclaw gave the stars another long look before answering. "I understand, Redsun. But what about the kits?"

"Darkpaw only has two kits now, and still plenty of milk. She's promised to suckle your two while Foxmask recovers." A shiver went through his body suddenly; even with his thick ginger coat, the new chill in the air was still enough to make anyone long for a nice warm nest. Redsun shook himself, then added, "I'll take Foxmask to the medicine den in the morning. Good night, Winterclaw."

"Good night." Winterclaw watched his friend and cousin pad sleepily back to his nest and disappear into the medicine clearing. He had only just recently received his full medicine cat name. Redsun had been so proud to take his father's name and continue the Sun's name, even though he could not continue its bloodline.

After a few heartbeats, Winterclaw slipped into the nursery to see his new kits. There were two of them, as Redsun had said, nestled into Foxmask's belly. She raised her head wearily when he entered, and gave a rasping purr as greeting. "Aren't they beautiful, Winterclaw?" her voice was harsh, but beautiful to Winterclaw's ears anyway.

"Of course they are. They have a beautiful mother." Winterclaw touched his nose to her ear, purring as well. "Have you thought of names for them?"

"I don't know…" Foxmask broke off suddenly, coughing. Pressing against her comfortingly, Winterclaw couldn't help but worry she wouldn't make it to see her kits become warriors. Her coughing fit didn't last long though, and after a few deep breaths she replied, "I'd like to name the she-kit Fawnkit."

Fawnkit squirmed in her sleep, as if she knew they had been talking about her. She was much smaller than her brother, all brown with cream fur on her face, front paws and chest. "Fawnkit is a beautiful name." Winterclaw agreed.

"And…The tom…" Foxmask trailed off again, thinking. "He came out like a little thunderbolt, Redsun said. Started wailing as soon as he broke the sac, without even any help and then tried to stand up and run around." She laughed softly, nuzzling the big dark-ginger tom closer to her belly.

"So…What about Boltkit, then?" Winterclaw suggested. He hadn't really thought of names before.

Foxmask shook her head. "No. I like Blastkit better."

"Blastkit…" Winterclaw savored the sound of the word. "Yes, that's a good name, Blastkit. You'll be a powerful warrior one day."

Foxmask nodded slowly, her head dropping forward as the herbs Redsun gave her made her drowsy. Only a heartbeat later she was asleep, curled protectively about the two kits. Winterclaw gave her a loving lick, then went back to his own nest in the warrior's den. As he circled down to get comfortable, he started thinking about how lucky his kits were to not have his strange thin white coat. They could easily live normal lives.

But could the offspring of such a strange cat really have nothing outstanding in store for them?

---

Yes! Another full-length Warriors story completed! CHEER!

I'm definitely thinking about writing a sequel to this story. It'll be about Winterclaw's struggles as a father to a bipolar son, and the constant threat of Flickertail's return. I'd really appreciate it if everyone could review this story and tell me what they think of the sequel idea. I can't decide whose point of view to write it from either: Winterclaw, Blastkit or Fawnkit. So any feedback would be helpful.

And I hope you enjoyed the story!

KEEP WATCH FOR:

Warrior Disorders: Blast Off (sequel to Black Frost)

And

Black Frost: Flickering Flame (Flickertail's story after he left ShadowClan)