Well! This is the epilogue! That means that this part of the Dark Fever story is officially over. I had my doubts about this story, I won't lie – the flak I got for leaving Leafpool medicine cat was surprising.

But, anyway, for those of you who decided to look over that and see what was actually going to happen in the story instead of just dismissing it, thank you so much for all your support and encouragement! I'll be working on updating Celestial Ascendance now, as I have a few chapters stockpiled, and I'll also be working on beginning the sequel to this story – not sure what I'm going to call it though. "Dark" something, for sure.

Anyway, enjoy the epilogue, and the bit of info that comes included inside!

Epilogue

"No!" Dovekit screeched. Crookednose found it amusing how her pale fur fluffed up so much when she was upset. The five-moon old kit looked like a blue-gray cotton ball, her yellow eyes blazing suns. Beside her, in the cool shade of the elder's den, was her sister Dawnkit, whose equally yellow eyes were drooping with tiredness.

"What's wrong, little kit?" Crookednose asked, licking his jaws. His nose had been nearly clawed off by a hawk when he was young – not much older than Dovekit – and he tasted air when his tongue passed over where part of his nose had been.

"You need to finish the story!" Dovekit demanded, slamming a paw on the ground. "You can't just leave it there!"

"I can, and I will," Crookednose chortled. "Dawnkit looked like she's asleep on her paws."

Dovekit snorted. "She is not!" she insisted. Turning to her sleepy sister, she asked, "Are you?"

"Uh, wha?" Dawnkit sputtered, blinking rapidly in the half-light. She shook her head, and then glanced at Dovekit. "Is… is the story over?"

"Crookednose won't tell the rest of it!" Dovekit complained.

Dawnkit yawned. "Oh?" she mumbled. "OK…"

Crookednose imagined fumes of smoke coming off of Dovekit's blue-gray pelt.

"Just finish the story!" Dovekit demanded. "It's not fair! You told Barleypaw and Alderpaw in a day!"

Crookednose wrinkled his nose. "I wasn't even told this story in a day, kit," he grumbled. It had taken three days, actually, and the elder who had told it to him had been so old and forgetful it was a miracle that Crookednose even had the story straight to begin with.

"But I wanna know," Dovekit whined.

"You'll know," Crookednose promised. "But how our Clan came to be didn't happen in a day… and neither will this story. It's getting late – Blueflower will be looking for you."

Dovekit spat. She didn't want to be dismissed so easily.

"I'm not telling you any more," Crookednose stated. "Don't make me get Twistedfoot to get you two out of here! She's already grumpy about not having her bedding changed today."

Fear flashed in Dovekit's bright yellow eyes. She nudged her fawn-colored sister and insisted, "L-Let's go, Dawnkit! We'll hear the rest tomorrow!"

"Maybe," purred Crookednose. "If you bring me a juicy minnow…"

"We'll bring you the juiciest!" Dovekit promised. "But you have to tell us about how Maple… uh… what was her name?"

"Maplefang, dear," Crookednose mewed. "Her name was Maplefang; but she's not Maplefang yet – she's still a 'paw."

"Yeah!" Dovekit mewed. "You have to tell me how Maplepaw learned the truth about Mapleshine, and… and how she and Hawk… Hawk… How she and that Hawk cat brought the Clans here!"

"We'll see how far we get tomorrow," Crookednose mewed. "No promises."

Dovekit grabbed Dawnkit by the scruff of her neck and began dragging her sister out of the elder's nest. Dawnkit, however, wriggled out of her sister's grasp and the two tottered back towards the nursery. Crookednose watched them and sighed.

"Kits!" he purred. "Getting more and more impatient with each generation!"

"I thought you'd never shut up," Twistedfoot grumbled. The dark-colored she-cat shifted in her nest. Crookednose turned and saw the she-cat adjust her broken, twisted leg so that she could comfortably face him.

"History is important, Twistedfoot," Crookednose mewed. "Dovekit and Dawnkit seem eager to learn it."

Twistedfoot ran her tongue along her age-flecked muzzle. "Well… I'm glad you volunteered this time. Barleypaw and Alderpaw were a pawful to take care of, and they never brought me rabbits."

"It was leaf-bare when you told them!" Crookednose chuckled. "There were no rabbits!"

"Anyway," Twistedfoot mewed, still washing her face, "just keep it down. And if those kits are going to bring you a stinky fish, the least they can do is bring me a rabbit so I can stuff my head in it and save myself from the smell!"

Crookednose purred, twitching his whiskers at his grumpy denmate. She had twisted her foot early into her warriorhood – it had healed then, but another accident sent her straight to the elder's den with a permanent break in her leg. She had always felt cheated by it, and that made her grumpy. Crookednose supposed that not being able to chase rabbits irritated her more and more every day.

"I'll see what I can do," he mewed.

"Good night," Twistedfoot growled, laying her head down.

"Good night," Crookednose told her. "StarClan watch over you."

"StarClan watch over us all," Twistedfoot sighed. Her eyes closed, and her soft breathing told Crookednose she was asleep.

Crookednose adjusted himself as quietly as possible in his nest. Outside, he could hear the good-nights of all his Clanmates – young and strong and capable of fighting, despite how few there were. Crookednose curled up in his nest and sighed.

StarClan watch over us all…