So I know Shattered Sky has been out for a while now, but I really don't know if I want to read it. The first book of the new series was godawful, like I mean, horrendously trope-y, predictable and downright boring. The second book was surprisingly decent, but I'm not sure if I want to invest in another full series. I really wish Erin had stuck by what she had said when she announced 'Omen of the Stars' would be the last series, since it gave the fans room to make their own headcannons. Plus, F**k Leafpool. No really, I f**king hate her guts so f**king much and the fact that she is back and bossing my Jayfeather around makes me want to strangle a puppy(not literally). Ughh, I've said too much and apologize to all the Leafpool fans out there.

Anyway, let's look at the reviews for the last chapter.

Snowcrystal of ThunderClan You actually believed me?

Moonlight Talon of the Night Glad to see I still have some veterans from my old story. And speaking of veterans, I read you are starting down a new career path. Good luck friend!

darkwolf190 Thank you!

Mapleshade1018 Well it's not quite as cheesy as the last chapter, but still pretty cheesy.

lydia-chan You didn't have long to wait at all. With all the reviews I got, I felt compelled to pump this chapter out super fast.

RatScars I'm so glad you like my story. I would suggest you read some of my other stories too, but they are mostly old and meh. :P

Acorn. Leaf I'll try to add more fluff. I don't know if you read the original Jayfeather's Conclusion so I won't spoil anything.

The stones beneath his paws were cold and the air was still. Jayfeather sniffed Briarlight's unmoving body from head to tail, shivering more out of worry than the chill. "We'll stay here until she wakes up," he told Bramblestar, feeling his leader's concern. "She survived, but I can't know for sure if her legs are any better until then."

Bramblestar paced around the Moonpool, a mixture of emotions swirling in his mind that Jayfeather couldn't interpret. "I was scared there for a moment, but I'm glad she's still with us. Millie would have killed me if something bad had happened."

"She probably would have killed us both." Jayfeather agreed, remembering the elder's reaction when he had told her his plan."She might still be mad if it turns out Briarlight still can't walk." He ran his paw down the unconscious she-cat's spine but he couldn't feel any difference. They could only pray to StarClan that Briarlight could become a warrior again.

Bramblestar stopped his pacing for a moment and Jayfeather felt his warm gaze on his pelt. "Even if she still can't use her legs, you will have done your best. I would gladly give up any of my lives for such a noble cause- even if StarClan didn't approve," he added cheekily.

Jayfeather turned to his leader, glad for the distraction. "Did you see the look on Bluestar's face when I called you and Briarlight forward? I was facing the other way, but I could tell she was furious. And you weren't even there for Yellowfang. She hated my idea so much, she stormed off before it started."

Bramblestar purred. "Yellowfang was there? I remember she gave me a leader's life for confidence in making hard decisions. It's ironic that she didn't approve of this hard decision."

Jayfeather couldn't stop the tiny meow of laughter from escaping his lips. He still felt guilty for what he had said to the ancient she-cat, but at the same time, she got what was coming to her. Any cat that tried to get in between him and his patient would feel the sting of his tongue. He took his role as a medicine cat very seriously.

"Firestar seemed to support us," Bramblestar meowed thoughtfully. "He's the kind of cat who likes to do things unconventionally, sometimes. The idea of giving a leader's life to another cat... how did you do it, anyways?"

"It's complicated," Jayfeather muttered. "I took one of your lives, stored it inside of me, then passed it on to Briarlight. I don't think I can explain it any better than that."

The two of them returned to silence. The cold from the sandy floor seeped up into Jayfeather's bones and he entertained himself by flexing his claws into it and feeling the grains trickle between his pads. He had to guess it was almost sunrise at this point, but he couldn't be sure since there was no sound for him to hear or breeze to taste.

"I feel like stretching my legs for a little bit," Bramblestar announced. "I've never lost a life before, and I think my body is still in shock from the ordeal."

Jayfeather looked up. "Are you hurting?" he asked, about to stand up and make his way over to his leader's side. "Can you tell that you only have eight lives left?"

"It's a weird feeling that I haven't felt before," Bramblestar began. "I feel like I'm missing something but at the same time, I feel whole and fulfilled. I'm sure the feeling will wear of. Stay here with Briarlight, I'm going to see if I can catch us something to eat!"

Jayfeather's stomach rumbled at the mention of food as Bramblestar's pawsteps pattered away across the rocks. The traveling herbs he had taken had worn off and the idea of fresh-kill made his mouth water. They all needed the strength for the long journey back to the camp. He shivered again. Between the cold, hunger, and lack of sleep, I feel awful. Without thinking, he lay down beside Briarlight and rested against her side. At least we can stay warm. That's one problem solved. He lay there waiting, comforted by Briarlight's slow methodical breathing.

It could have been heartbeats or moons before the she-cat beside him took a deep breath.

"You're awake!" Jayfeather purred, breathing a sigh of relief.

"I've been awake for a while now," she meowed back, shifting slightly against Jayfeather's side. "I was watching you. Thanks for keeping me warm."

Jayfeather scrambled to his paws. "You've been awake this whole time? Why didn't you say anything?"

"Because you were so comfortable," she mewed back simply, her words a rumbling purr. "I was afraid you might get up if you knew I was awake- and I was right. Lay down with me again, the ground is freezing."

Jayfeather felt uncomfortable with how the she-cat was talking to him, but he was tempted to sit down beside her again. "If it's so cold, why don't you just stand up and walk away from it? Bramblestar will be back soon with fresh-kill hopefully."

Briarlight sniffed. "I can't walk remember-" she stopped, the memory of her dream flooding back to her. "Wait, did your plan work? Did I receive one of Bramblestar's lives?"

"There's only one way to find out," Jayfeather meowed, glad to change the subject. "Try standing up." Please let her walk again!

"Okay." Briarlight grunted with effort and the sand crunched as she moved her body. She let out a shocked gasp. "I- I can feel my hind legs! I'm standing!"

Jayfeather sent a silent thanks to StarClan and rushed over to her side. He felt like a huge weight had lifted from his chest as he sniffed her from head to tail to make sure her legs had indeed been fixed. He wasn't sure if it was StarClan's doing at all or if he had done it all on his own, but he didn't care.

"I can't believe it! Let me just walk around a little bit and- oh!"

He pricked his ears. "Briarlight, what's wrong?" He sniffed her urgently. "Does it hurt to stand?"

"I'm okay," she panted in surprise, the simple act of staying on all fours was obviously straining her. "It's been so long, my hind legs don't seem to work like how I remember. They will be fine if I exercise them. I'm just a little tired."

Jayfeather purred in shaky amusement. "Here, lean on me. Let's move you away from the Moonpool where the earth isn't as cold."

After a few tries, he managed to get Briarlight on her paws again. She gasped with effort even while relying heavily on the medicine cat's helpful shoulder. Though her injury was healed, her legs had gone so long without use that she needed to train them again before she could return to the full life of a warrior. But at least now she could have hope and a purpose.

"Thank you, Jayfeather," she whispered softly into his ear as he guided her away from the water's edge. "I will remember this for as long as I live."


;3


"Jayfeather, wake up. It's time for the half-moon gathering."

Jayfeather opened his eye, back in his nest with Briarlight standing over him. It had taken the rest of yesterday to get back to camp and deal with all the questions. The entire Clan had been overjoyed to see Briarlight on her paws again. Even though Bramblestar had ended up carrying Briarlight part of the way back, the young she-cat still burst with pride when she stumbled through the camp entrance all by herself. "You have brought peace to us, Jayfeather," Millie had told him when he had explained exactly what he had done. Briarlight's siblings Bumblestripe and Blossomfall had been there too and just hearing the pride and happiness in their voices as they spoke to Briarlight filled Jayfeather with joy. The whole Clan thought he and Bramblestar were heroes. Sure, blind cats could be heroes.

"You slept like a badger," came Briarlight's meow from close by, loud and rich with excitement. "I hope I didn't interrupt anything important."

"Of course not. I'm going back to the Moonpool for that." He yawned hugely, his legs not wanting to get up. All the walking and stress from the past couple of days had left him exhausted. Against his better judgment, he had slept through the entire day- only waking up for the Clan meeting that morning. Bramblestar had announced that Briarlight would train again to be a warrior, and that Thornclaw would be her temporary mentor until she was able to hunt and join patrols again.

"Aren't you going to ask how my first day of training went?"

He purred and forced himself to a sitting position. "Of course I was going to. I just wasn't awake yet." Stretching his paws out in front of him, he unsheathed his claws and braced his hindlegs against the back side of his nest. He felt stiff after sleeping for so long. "How was it?"

"It was pretty terrible," she admitted, disappointed. "But it was only my first day. Just walking to the training hollow was really tough. But I'm glad I have Thornclaw helping me; he was my mentor when I was an apprentice so we understand each other pretty well."

Jayfeather stepped away from his nest, shaking off the bits off moss that clung to his hindquarters. "I could come join you some time just to 'watch' if you want. I don't know anything about training a warrior, but I can be emotional support."

"I'd like that," she mewed cheerily, smacking him hard in the face with her tail. "Oops, sorry, I only meant to tap you on the shoulder. Still working on tail control."

Jayfeather rubbed a paw over his cheek. "It's alright, it woke me up. I needed that."

She laughed. "Come on, Jayfeather, you're going to be late for the medicine cat gathering. What are you going to do when I'm not around to remind you anymore?"

He followed her out of the den. "Why would you have to stop reminding me? You will always be welcome in my den. Who says warrior duties have to get in the way?"

"Alright then, I'll try to remember," she meowed, giving him a quick lick on the shoulder. "I need to go find Bumblestripe now and smack him for making fun of my hunting technique. Thanks for everything, Jayfeather, and I'll catch you later!"

She wobbled away across the clearing and he listened to her uneven pawsteps. He sighed, thinking about what the young cat could do with her life now. She was truly happy, more so than ever before. And now that I don't have to take care of her, I have even more reason to leave.

He padded towards the camp entrance, listening to the busy cats all over the clearing. Whitewing was discussing fighting techniques with Cloudtail, Cherrypaw and Molepaw were carrying what smelled like fresh moss to the nursery, and the three kits were racing around the camp getting under every cats' paws. His chest filled with warmth knowing that his Clan was healthy, but at the same time, he felt almost separate from them. His role in the Clan was only really important when times were rough. But now he was just there gathering dust.

"You headed to the Moonpool?"

His mother intercepted him before he had made it half way across the hollow. Her mew was dripping with longing. She obviously wished that she was still a medicine cat, but Jayfeather had made it clear that he was capable of taking care of the Clan without her help. "I am. You want me to say anything to Willowshine or the other medicine cats while I'm there?"

Leafpool let out a small sigh. "I guess. Just say 'hi' for me."

He knew she wanted to say more, he could feel the envy fluttering around in her head like a trapped butterfly. If anything, her regret had grown worse since Mothwing's death in the battle against the Dark Forest, but she had made her decision and stepped down. He dipped his head to her. "Will do," he meowed before dashing the rest of the way to the thorn entrance. He could feel her uncomfortable gaze following him out. Leafpool, you might get your wish if I leave.

The wind whirred in his ears as he raced into the woods, leaving the camp behind with all its familiar scents and sounds. The weariness in his paws dissipated as he sprinted and weaved between the trees, the whole time thinking about the old prophecy. There will be three kin of your kin who hold the power of the stars in their paws. His role as a medicine cat, and as a ThunderClan cat seemed to have less meaning than ever before and he craved something new- something different that could reinvigorate him. Like a journey. A quest to find who I am.

Something caught his paw as he jumped over an old log, and pulled him crashing to the ground. He had been so distracted by his thoughts that he hadn't noticed the rotten wood and bramble scents mixed together. Cursing, he pushed the troublesome thoughts out of his head and ripped his paw free from the prickly plants. He winced as the claw-sharp thorns pierced his skin, but it was only a couple of tiny scratches. He was more careful as he stood up and pressed on towards the WindClan border.

He hadn't run into any more plants and reached the stone path that lead to the Moonpool. The chill in the air told him the sun was already setting so he was late. The soreness seemed to return to his paws as they recognized the path from the previous day's journey. If he hadn't needed to talk with his ancestors so badly, he might have stayed asleep in his nest and not come at all.

"Jayfeather, over here!" He recognized Kestrelflight's call a couple fox-lengths away. The WindClan mediicne cat must have waited for him to arrive before heading up to the Moonpool."I was starting to worry that you weren't coming at all."

Jayfeather doubled his pace. "Sorry, I slept in and then I was held up by a bramble bush." He gestured with his nose towards the ripped fur on his hind paw. He wasn't going to say anything about Briarlight until he had spoken with StarClan. He knew his ancestors weren't completely thrilled about what he had done. "Are the others waiting for us?"

The WindClan cat touched noses with him in greeting after he had scrambled over the rocks to join him. "I don't know, I haven't been up there yet. I just thought we should go together in case TigerClan have something planned for when we arrive."

Jayfeather's eyes widened in understanding. After the mind-boggling events that had occurred yesterday, he had completely forgotten about the battle on the moors. He should have expected the other medicine cats would still be talking about that. His sides still ached from when Willowshine had tackled him to the ground. "Yeah, I think you are right. LionClan cats have to stick together."

The two toms meandered there way up the rocky slope beside the river, discussing that days adventures. Apparently, the WindClan cat had been captured by a ShadowClan ambush right after Jayfeather had escaped and fled towards the lake. "Those ShadowClan dogs almost didn't get away with it because on the way back to their side they ran into Gorsetail and her patrol. But that warrior, Tigerheart was too strong for me."

They padded over the final rise until the familiar trickling sound of the pool met their ears. The other medicine cats were already there when Jayfeather approached, and a patter of soft paws rushed over to meet him.

"The brave courageous LionClan warriors have finally arrived," came Willowshine's cheery mew. She had always had an uneasy relationship with the ThunderClan medicine cat ever since day one, but it wasn't mockery in her voice today- only friendly rivalry. "Next time, I will be the one to drag you back to the border myself."

"It's good to see you too, Willowshine," Jayfeather meowed coolly, padding forward and touching noses with her. "I assume nobody ran into any trouble on the way here?" Leafpool wanted me to send you all her regards."

Littlecloud was standing in the back of the shallow cave beside the water and Jayfeather padded over to touch noses with him as well. He was careful not to step in the icy pool that lapped at the sand. The old ShadowClan medicine cat was still thin from the long leaf-bare.

"All is fine in the pine forest," Littlecloud replied, his husky voice dry and coarse. He was by far the oldest of the current medicine cats and Jayfeather wondered if he had found another potential apprentice yet. "ShadowClan is still furious about their defeat against LionClan, but that should be expected. Blackstar is a very proud cat." A light purr escaped his lips. "And I'm glad Leafpool hasn't forgotten about us. I'm surprised by how well she coped with Mothwing's death and not being the medicine cat anymore. I couldn't handle both."

"She'll get over it," Jayfeather meowed dismissively. He loved his mother very much, but it sting a little when he remembered that all of the other cats preferred her company over his. He knew they all wished she would become medicine cat again.

"RiverClan is doing well also," added Willowshine who was trotting circles around Kestrelflight. "Mistystar says she hasn't seen the Clans on such good terms for as long as she can remember." She turned to speak to the Thunderclan medicine cat, her tone deepening. "Mothwing died for a noble cause and I wish Leafpool the best of luck. I miss seeing her every half-moon."

Jayfeather shrugged. "Well you're stuck with me."

"You're not so bad," Kestrelflight replied.

Littlecloud padded between them until he stood by the pool. "It's already moon-high; we must share tongues with StarClan now."

Jayfeather nodded in agreement and took his place beside the water. Kestrelflight and Willowshine padded in on either side of him. A small flame of joy lit in his chest as he closed his eyes. With the Clans at peace, it almost felt like it made up for the seasons of turmoil and confusion the prophecy had thrown them all into. I'm glad StarClan isn't sending prophecies anymore. Now we can choose our own destinies.

"Greetings, Jayfeather. Where do you think your true destiny lies?"

He opened his eyes. He was in StarClan's territory, the moss and trees glowing like stars. He was in a small grove he didn't recognize with none of the other medicine cats in sight. The creature that faced him was so skinny his ribs were showing and he had patches of fur missing. His huge bulbous eyes stared blankly at the ThunderClan cat.

"Greetings, Rock," Jayfeather meowed to the old blind tom. "Of course you already know my destiny so why don't you just come forward and tell me." He searched the old cat's wide eyes for answers, but as he expected, all he could find was starlight.

"You are wrong. The stars don't show me everything." Rock fixed him with an intense and unblinking gaze. "Your destiny is whatever you want it to be. But I can tell you that what you are searching for you will not find by the lake."

Jayfeather narrowed his eyes in mistrust. "So you are saying I should leave my Clan?"

Rock snorted in annoyance his bulging eyes still fixed on him. "I just told you I don't have all the answers. It is your choice what you do now, and you deal with the consequences that follow." He flicked his furless tail. "You feel cheated by the prophecy and by all the cats that sent it. You seek to carve out a new purpose for yourself so don't let me get in your way. Your StarClan won't admit it, but they have lost the power to gaze into cats' futures. The stars are silent to all of us now that the prophecy is completed."

Jayfeather didn't know how to feel. He had always relied on his ancestors' wisdom, and even though he was glad they weren't in control of his fate anymore, he felt lost knowing they couldn't guide him anymore. He put on a confident face and sat up straight. "Is that all you had to say to me?"

Rock snorted again, clearly uninterested. "Do whatever you want. I've told you everything you need to know. My role here is complete and my soul can finally rest along with the spirits of all the other cats trapped in the tunnels. You will not see me again."

Jayfeather stepped forward urgently as the ugly cat's image began to fade. "Wait!" He still had so many questions to ask, but Rock was already gone. He stared at the spot where the old cat had been moments before. Great change really was coming to the Clans and to all the cats who shared their history. Would the Tribe of Rushing Water be effected too?

His ears picked up the faint sounds of voices and he recognized the meows of cats among the trees behind him. He would have time to dwell on what Rock had told him later, but for now, he needed to fulfill his role as a medicine cat and speak with StarClan.

And btw, I don't use the cannon nine lives for Bramblestar because they sucked. My stories Jayfeather's Conclusion, Nine Lives of Bramblestar, and Hollyleaf's StarClan all follow the same story-arch.