CFB: I love epilogues....but this one made me a little sad. And what's this? A double-update? That hasn't happened since Guardian Towers! MY GOSH.
This time: The epilogue. And a preview for the sequel at the end!
Disclaimer: I do not own Hamtaro or any of it's characters. I own all concepts and characters presented in this story not related to the original Hamtaro franchise.
Sorry this is late....my computer's on the fritz and I have to fix some more things with it...so I'm running it in safe mode and transferring the data to another computer, but that gets tedious so I hope I can fix it...
For the last time (in this story)....Enjoy!
Epilogue: Shooting Stars
It wasn't long before the seasons changed, and splashes of gold, red, brown, and orange decorated the ground of Oak Tree Park, images of fall displayed in the windows of local shops and the crisp, comforting smell of autumn lingering in the air. Sugar cookies sat on windowsills, and shorts were traded in favor of jeans. And, as the air began to chill and nights grew shorter, life resumed as normal for the ham-hams once again, and, despite having two nearly back-to-back harrowing adventures, they were enjoying the peace and quiet as if none of it had ever happened...not saying that they wished to forget their dangerous liaisons, but they were glad for some much-needed rest and relaxation in the calm aftermath, meeting every day for fun and games and laughter, as usual.
One brisk November morning, Hamtaro headed for the Clubhouse as usual, to meet up with his very best hammos. Only this morning, he wasn't walking alone - instead, he walked paw-in-paw with Bijou, a routine he had begun upon their return to Dreamland. On a romantic level, things between the two hams were developing slowly, as Hamtaro was still unsure of what he was doing, but they were enjoying the time they spent together and figuring things out at their own pace. Their time spent together in the mornings, walking together to the Clubhouse, laughing and chatting, was time both held very dear in their heats.
"I may 'ave to borrow one of Pashmina's spare scarves...ze weather keeps getting colder and colder! Pretty soon, we are going to see snow on ze ground!" Bijou commented as they traipsed through the discarded leaves, shivering slightly as the cold autumn wind ruffled her pigtails.
"And then we can build ham-ham snow angels!" Hamtaro suggested brightly ears perking forward at the mention of snow.
Bijou was about to reply, but her blue eyes flickered to the sky distractedly, and her face clouded over with a look of confusion. She abruptly stopped walking, and Hamtaro, not noticing that she had stopped until her paw was yanked free from his, turned around to peer at his companion quizzically. Seeing the pure-white hamgirl staring up at the sky intently, the orange-furred hero implored, walking back to stand beside her,
"Heke? Bijou, what's the matter?"
The hamgirl merely pointed a paw toward something in the clear blue sky and replied in a murmur, voice somewhat distant with a hint of awe, "Zat...zat looks like a shooting star!"
Hamtaro's brow furrowed for a moment as he absorbed what she had said, before he let out a chuckle and remarked, brown eyes twinkling, "Bijou, there can't be a shooting star! It's daytime, and the stars only come out at night!"
Bijou merely kept her paw pointed in the air, and insisted, blue eyes mesmerized, "Look!"
Skeptically, Hamtaro did so, but was immediately spellbound as his wide brown eyes caught sight of what Bijou had called a 'shooting star'. Hurtling toward them, like a flash of the aforementioned snow against striking blue, was a bright streak of pure white, rocketing toward them so fast that they couldn't discern what shape or size it was supposed to be. The two ham-hams were so caught up staring at the 'star,' they didn't have time to move out of the way as it hurtled through the canopies of the trees, closer and closer until it stopped in midair right in front of them, and a sudden gust was picked up, causing Hamtaro and Bijou to shield their eyes as multicolored leaves were sent flying in all directions.
Only when the wind had died down did they have the courage to open their eyes, and see what it was that had fallen from the sky. And, recognizing it instantly as it stood expectantly in front of them, their eyes widened in surprise and disbelief, smiles spreading wide across their faces, their hearts jumping for joy when they saw the message tube attached to the thing's leg.
"Hamtaro! Ees.....ees zat what I zink eet ees?"
"It sure is, Bij! And a dove landing in Oak Tree Park can only mean one thing...or one place, I guess....Dreamland!"
Dear Ham-hams,
All is well with our cloud kingdom once again, thanks to you! Things have continued to operate smoothly - sleep is back to its natural balance for good, the Stone of Slumber has remained untouched since its return, and happiness has been restored to the streets of Dreamland. We can never thank you enough for all you have done! The artisans are working hard on statues in your likeness, to be placed in a new, special room of the Chamber of Peaceful Rest - it shall be named, appropriately, 'The Brave Heroes.'
It has only been a couple of months since you departed, but Screech and Fury wanted me to deliver an important message to all of you. They are happily-married, enjoyed a honeymoon in the romantic Hamarin Isles, and have been doing very well....and, according to the Dreamland doctor, they have twins on the way! They're hoping for a boy and a girl, to be named Selena and Oberon. They couldn't be happier! Screech is already training to be a doting father, though he still keeps up with his duties as a knight. Fury is a bit worried that the children will contract the were-ham gene, but the doctor says if they do, it won't be as severe a case, as the blood of the were-ham is diluted over time. We shall see, in a few short months! When the children are born, you will have to come for another visit to see them!
Sprint also had a message he wanted me to deliver - and that is he will be coming along to visit Oak Tree Park in the near future. He simply couldn't stay away from his new hammos - one in particular! The residents of Dreamland have started to grow more accepting of Sprint's heritage, so things have been much better for him. Several local hamgirls have expressed their interest in him (and his battle-scars, which have healed) but he has spurned them all - so Siren, you can rest easy. Also, he has a special message for Siren...something along the lines of, 'Flo got fired.' Whatever that means!
Since the restrictive law on marriage has been revoked, Joy has announced her intention to marry Watcher Cumulus, whom she had apparently been seeing steadily for over a year, and no one knew! Imagine that - not even Fury or the other Watchers had a clue! And she wishes to extend an invitation to each of you, for the ceremony next month! They are both very happy together, and Joy has healed completely from her fall at Hamaustere.
Nikolai is doing quite well as an apprentice in his father's shop, and rumor has it that he's even grown a few inches. Once he's old enough, he'll take control of the shop and be Dreamland's exclusive hatmaker, though I still say he has enough bravery to make a splendid knight! Also, he said that next time you ham-hams come for a visit, he has a special hat he wants Cappy to have, from their new product line. And Skyla can't wait to make more cookies for you! She's developed a new recipe that she's been dying to try.
Soren is....better. It looks like he has chosen the right path....but the road is long. I just hope he can continue on, and become the Soren I once knew, again.
I can never truly express to you how thankful I am that you helped Dreamland in its time of dire need! We will forever be in your debt, and we will never forget your kindness - you will be known throughout Dreamland for generations, as the heroes who saved sleep from evil paws. We hope to see all of you soon! And we hope that all is well with you, and we hope that you are all happy and healthy! Don't forget to stay in touch, and know that you will always have friends in the clouds...and in your hearts!
Sincerely, your hammos from Dreamland,
Hamorette
Sprint
Screech
Fury
Joy
and Nikolai
"Fury and Screech are expecting?!" The hamgirls squealed once Maxwell finished reading the letter, written in Hamorette's flowing cursive script, aloud, their eyes glimmering with excitement. They had been thrilled to receive a letter from their hammos in Dreamland, and even happier once they found out what wonderful news the letter had contained.
"Ookwee! Ookwee!" Penelope contributed, jumping up and down with happiness.
"Expecting what?" Hamtaro asked, head tilted to the side. Bijou merely punched him lightly on the shoulder and giggled, finding his confusion adorable rather than irritating.
"Siren you're going to be an aunt!" Sandy remarked to the younger hamgirl, clapping her on the shoulder in congratulations.
Siren grinned, her cheeks glowing faintly pink. "Screech and Fury are having twins...that darn waitress Flo got fired...Steel isn't evil anymore...and Sprint's coming to visit soon! This is almost too much good news for me to handle all at once!"
"Nikolai has a hat for me?" Cappy marveled, touching a paw to his familiar swimming cap. "Wow, I can't wait to go and visit Dreamland!"
"And I want to try Skyla's new cookie recipe!" Oxnard stated, mouth watering slightly at the very thought of Skyla's mouth-watering baking skills.
"How can you say this is good news? Joy's been swept off her feet by another ham! And I thought I still had a chance!" Stan grumbled, glowering at the floor, while his twin, standing beside him, nudged him in the ribcage and snapped, though her eyes were smiling, "You never had a chance, bro! Like, dream on!"
"Sounds like everything is a-okay in Dreamland!" Boss commented with a sage nod of his head. "And I bet everyone up there will be glad to know that things are okay here as well! What do you say hams? How about we write them a return letter, so those doves don't go back empty-handed?"
"You mean empty-winged! Ya know, 'cause doves ain't got no hands! Harhar!" Howdy joked.
Dexter rolled his eyes and stuck his nose in the air. "Is it just me, or are your jokes decreasing in humor each day? Not that they were ever funny to begin with..."
"Can it, four-eyes!"
"I think writing a letter to Dreamland is a great idea!" Panda, speaking loudly, so to silence the bickering between the two hamspars. "We can let them know how happy we are that everything is okay now, and tell them that we're all okay too! They took the time to write to us after all, and the least we can do is return the favor."
"Great idea!" Pashmina cheered. "Who has paper?"
Maxwell, already eager to get started on the letter, had already situated himself at his stool around the table, pen in hand, glasses on the edge of his nose, and blank sheet of paper on the table in front of him. Smiling around at his hammos, eyes shining, the book-smart ham said, "Gather round the table, hams! I'll write the letter, and you guys just tell me what to say! I figured we'd start with 'To our dearest friends in Dreamland'..."
The ham-hams eagerly flocked around the table, sitting down on their individual stools and chattering all at once to the furiously writing Maxwell, wanting their words to make it into the letter they would send off to their friends in the clouds. Hamtaro, however, hung back for a moment, and just looked around at his friends and smiled, as they recounted their adventure and spoke excitedly about what had been going on in the two months since. The hero sighed, and listened to their words, remembering the times, good and bad, he had spent in Dreamland, on another perilous journey, with an outcome he never could have imagined, not even in his dreams. He would always remember the adventure fondly, but he was glad now that he had time to relax, and not worry about anything even remotely related to heroism...
He was happy it was over.
But Hamtaro, as he joined his friends around the table, could also feel, sleeping somewhere deep in his soul, his heroic side was waiting, just waiting, for the next adventure to come along, and that part of him simply couldn't wait to see what thrills would be in store for him, and his friends in the future.
END
Special thank yous!: Awsomewriter123, dbzgtfan, sandyandmaxwellfanatic, Theta Jones, supercomputer276, Michaia, Deston, Macarov, and Cyndaquil255, the reviewers of this story. YOU ALL ROCK. And I am so grateful you read my story! Without you all, I probably wouldn't have finished Rain of Nightmares, but thanks to you, I saw it through to the end and even if I wasn't the most reliable updater in the world (not even close, haha), you stuck with me and my spaz-like tendencies (or at least stuck with the story), which isn't always easy to do, I know. So...thank you, thank you, thank you! :D
Preview for Forests of Eternity, final installment of the Guardian Trilogy: Beneath the shadowy canopies of a forbidden forest, dark secrets lie and an unknown evil lurks. A tribe of hamsters in the Hamalonian Forest need help to stop a savage beast that has been terrorizing the local villagers, sent by an unknown paw. Two warriors boldly venture out to find brave heroes...and that's where the ham-hams step in to lend a paw once again! One ham-ham needs a vacation and steps aside, giving the spotlight to the other hams as they take a trip deep into a forest that time forgot to cure a horrible imbalance between the reality and myth. Someham has summoned a terrible power to open a permanent gate to the spirit world - which could mean the end of all hamkind! One ham questions her destiny, another desperately seeks his, one realizes that maybe she wants something more out of life, and another contemplates giving up something important for the one she loves. Ancient secrets are revealed, and the ham-hams encounter their very first enemy who may be more than mortal - and the powerful ham who called him forth. It's going to take a lot to stop an undead High Priest, a master manipulator, and the powers of the spirit-realm! It may take a little magic, some comradery, flying feathers, and a mysterious melody...
AND THERE WILL BE NO PLOTLINE INVOLVING THE HUMANS, BECAUSE FRANKLY, I STOPPED GIVING A CRAP HALFWAY THROUGH RoN! :D
I'm really excited to work on this story! More excited than I was for GT and RoN, and you all should be too! This time around, I'm not the only one contributing to the story, either. FoE will feature two OC's and numerous ideas created by Theta Jones! Many thanks once again for helping me out!
I'm expecting FoE to be in posting shape by mid-September. If work permits it, that is...I've had to add on hours because I'll have less time to work (and earn money) once school starts. But I won't let stupid things (like immature boys, procrastination, trying to beat level 54, and complete lack of sleep) get in my way of writing this time around, haha! At least I hope not...you never know. Kay...bye-bye!