Epilogue

"Were we in the right to do this to them?"

"We were always in the right."

"But what if we are wrong?"

"You saw exactly what she saw, nothing more, nothing less."

"It could have been a fever dream."

"Unlikely."

"I guess."

"I know."

Linebreak

The grassy field left nothing to hide as the sun beat down on two cats, one white with scars along her sides and body, one on the top of her head and slicing straight to her shoulder. A wound like that would have hurt for days upon being inflicted, but by now, the wound had become moons old. Seasons old, even, and the she-cat who had the damage inflicted upon her had forgotten long ago where she had gotten it. It didn't matter, and she gentle groomed her own white pelt as she sat next to another she-cat. This one was only barely younger than she was, only by a few moons, and she had a short gray pelt and yellow eyes. Almost similar to the first she-cat's own father.

Nothing mattered more than this moment, these two sitting under the sun as everything finally felt right. Not a single thing could hold the she-cat back now, peace flowed through her veins and the warmth of her mate right next to her made her more than happy. To tell her where she was from would spell something disastrous to her own mind. Remembering events was hard enough sometimes, and to forget and be ignorant felt better than to remember all the blood and tears that would follow.

Sometimes she would remember, mostly in dreams, where they would haunt her every movement and the cries of the innocent wanted her back. She would not go, she felt happy here, beneath the sun with the second she-cat right beside her every step of the way. To the clans, they would be loners, those who didn't care about the clans and kept to their own business. An almost perfect life, even as the other she-cat spoke and broke the silence.

"Fallingsnow is a very beautiful name…"

The white she-cat laughed a bit as she looked up, blue eyes meeting the other's own. "As is Star," she replied as she listened to the other she-cat. Her voice was smooth, something almost out of a dream itself, but this was no dream. This was the same conversation they always had, complimenting each other every day, especially on the windy days and the rainy days. There was a pause and silence, Fallingsnow watching Star with a slight giddiness to her heart.

There was a pause at first, but Star finally spoke as she leaned against Fallingsnow, curling her tail around hers. "I know I have never once pushed to know where you came from, but your dreams haven't stopped… Is there anything you can tell me?"

Star's eyes closed now and Fallingsnow watched her for a moment, tears glistening the crisp and icy gaze of her own. To explain the clans - to remember - was hard. Her mind had pushed away the moments, the blood, even of Rowanstar's death. It was a life she would prefer to leave behind, leave it to dreams and cats of long ago. To be reminded hurt, both physically and mentally.

One thing she did remember was her father, something she would never forget was the time they had spent together training. And the training itself… Fallingsnow left that to muscle memory, defending herself only when she had to.

But to answer the question was a defense that Fallingsnow didn't know how to use, not once had she made an excuse to any cat she had met. Bramblestar never even knew her to be a liar, no one did. Not even Star knew her to be a liar, to use excuses. Now, as they sat underneath the sun, Fallingsnow couldn't help but sigh as she kept her gaze on Star's fluffy - yet short - gray fur, kept soft from Fallingsnow's constant grooming of the she-cat.

My littermates are probably protecting the clans, even now, when I am gone and Hollypaw felt no hope… I wonder what her medicine cat name is, Fallingsnow thought, but knew she would never get the answer. She would never return to Thunderclan, and had even forgotten where she would have to go. No mountains were in sight, and the moons of wandering and searching always continued to lead away from the clans. It would require more moons to return than it would to wander away further, to keep going away. She is far better than Jayfeather could ever be, and I remember how crabby that cat always was. Always hissing at those who got in his way… At least he remained restrained when it came to mentioning his blindness.

Nothing of the battles Fallingsnow had witnessed returned to mind, but one cat remained engraved to her vision permanently. A calico tom with amber eyes as soft as the leaf-bare snow.

Upon leaving the clans, Fallingsnow met him one more time, and the tom's face said everything. A father's pride lay behind his gaze, yet he was far from being a father, and close to the evil within every cat. He teased it out and pulled the wind of time and changed the direction to how he wanted it. Fallingsnow knew that he was also just a victim of time itself.

"I am happy to see your decision," he had said. Fallingsnow had ignored him, the rain continuing to drench her pelt. She had taken no travelling herbs, she would not need them, and hunger had stricken her. Sol. He padded beside her, they were heading away from the clans. "If not by choice, they would be forced to split eventually, and some know of your decision. I'm sure your precious Starclan will give one more vision, the stars show as such and everything will change for them."

"I made the right choice," Fallingsnow had mumbled with mud clinging to her sides and blood dripping off her face and paws. To watch the struggle… It consumed her from the inside.

Sol gave a soft chuckle, Fallingsnow remembering his face clearly. That of a victor, a victor who only watched as his subjects ripped themselves apart. In this case, it was literal, and Fallingsnow knew it. But she had enough blood on her claws that day, and adding one more may have destroyed herself.

"I'll leave the clans alone, they will disperse given time."

They will disperse given time, Fallingsnow thought as she closed her eyes finally, wondering if the clans really did disperse as she stayed quiet. Star didn't question her, nor did she speak for the moment as they sat beneath the sun.

They will disperse given time…

Even now, as Fallingsnow watched her mate, she remembered the words as clear as the day itself. If only I could tell you, Star... If only it didn't hurt to speak of the past and if only I could remember them as I look at you, wondering if what I did was wrong... No, I am in the right, Fallingsnow told herself, keeping her gaze on Star. "I come from a place of many, a place I didn't belong. A place that hurt me many times and so I left to find myself."

-AN-

One more story to wrap things up (may have felt I rushed the ending a bit but hey… wasn't as bad as the final story in Omen of the Stars, that was just a hard thing to follow). I've got one last story, a few loose ends (I know a couple I'm leaving to interpretation) and yes… Fallingsnow is female, she has a female for a mate. Things happen!

Happy New Years! This is the gift you all get for the New Year, as well as a new story, hopefully soon!

The next story is also going to take a very sharp turn right out of the start, the Prologue for it is already finished, I just have to make a few edits before posting.

Also… I hope you're enjoying yourself, Stormikat. I'm glad you followed along thus far, and I hope you continue to do so and critique my work, as well as tell me what I'm doing right! I've still got a lot to learn about writing, and I think that beyond the next Warriors story, I'm going to start writing original stories again. Hopefully.

Happy New Year!