A/N: NOOOOOO! This is the last and final (aren't they the same thing?) chapter of Nothing but a Monster. Yes, sadly, this story too has to come to an end at some point. This is the epilogue and it is around the time where Snow's and Fang's kits are going to become apprentices (a.k.a six moons). So, without further ado, let's do this.

Thanks to BronzeOakLeafWarrior Cats 101 Wings of Fire, and TheBlackCat223 for following and adding this story as a favorite.

Reviews

Featherfrost (Guest) – I'm sorry

Rowanflame- If you mean by a sequel then no, but a different book yes. I have plenty of other ideas aside from this story.

Guest- I don't know if I should say thank you or you welcome XD

Conspiracywolf (Guest) – Aww thanks

The random cat (Guest) – I wrote one other story that is complete called Mismatched Curse and I am currently writing two other stories named A Silver Curse and Stolen. Thank you!

TheBlackCat223- Yah but in order to make a sequel, I will have to make an antagonist, and nobody makes sense and a story line about them wouldn't quite fit.

Jaguarstar- I wouldn't have wanted them to do it either.

P.S: This chapter is in third-person POV

ON WITH THE FINALE

…

The moon was high in the night sky, casting light down at the camp. While everyone was finally falling asleep, unaware of the planned sneak away, three kits cracked opened their eyes, taking in the stillness of the night. "Cloud, you ready? Frost?" a black she-kit spoke, her fur standing out from her mother's white pelt, but blending in with the darkness of the night. Her siblings, slightly grumbling underneath their voices, carefully stepped out of the nest alongside her.

"What about Shade?" the white furred she-kit known as Frost spoke, her icy gaze directed to their sleeping brother. His flanks rose and fell evenly, indicating that he was in a deep sleep. "He's asleep, besides, he'll just tell on us," the black kit spoke, her tail twitching in anticipation. They were going to sneak out of camp, just to see the territory. They couldn't wait any longer to become an apprentice, even if the wait was just until morning.

With a small huff, Frost followed her sister out of the den. "Badger, how are we going to get past Stonestrike? He's on guard, remember," their only other brother, Cloud, spoke in a whisper, spotting the grey tabby tom by the entrance of camp. Badger simply stared at him before looking around camp, an idea popping into her mind when she saw the Leader's Tree. With a flick of her tail, she began slinking through the shadows of the other dens, tension causing their ears to flatten whenever they heard a noise from the warriors den. They froze slightly when they heard a grumble and ran behind the den.

The golden furred warrior known as Leopardclaw stalked out of the den, her green gaze on Stonestrike. As quietly as the kits had been, she padded over to him, her tail swaying behind her in the air. Once she was close enough, she jabbed her paw at his back, causing him to jump forward in surprise and whirl around, his fur bristling. His teeth were bared, but his snarl quickly disappeared when he saw who it was. With a roll of his yellow eyes, he smirked and sat beside the she-cat, their fur brushing against each other.

"Badger!" Cloud whisper-yelled, "come on, you're getting distracted." The she-kit shook her head before leading the way once more. They arrived at the tree, barely able to hear the soft snoring from the leader and his mate within. They stayed hidden in the shadows, their gaze up towards the branches. "How do you expect us to get up there?" Frost said, her eyes wide. Badger snorted slightly before walking up to the looming tree.

"We climb, how else?" she said with a playful smirk to her sister before digging her claws into the smooth bark. With a small grunt, she pulled herself up higher and higher, each pull making her fur bristle with uneasiness as she got to the first branch. She looked down at her siblings, slightly dizzy from the height. Cloud and Frost looked at each other before they attempted to climb as well, a close call coming when their brother slipped because his grip wasn't tight enough.

"You okay?" Badger asked both of them when they were at the tree, taking a short break from their little adventure. Badger cleared her throat before turning out towards the forest, determination shining in her grey-blue eyes. She remembered what some of the other apprentices and her father taught them about being on a tree. "Stay low, it'll be easier to get a grip and hang on if you're about to fall," she whispered to herself, imagining it was her father saying it to her before she took the first hesitant steps across the branch.

Cloud and Frost followed her quietly, their slightly shaky breaths the only thing heard from the pair. Badger made a leap towards one of the forest's trees, her claws digging into the rougher bark. "Come on," excitement edged her voice as she made space for her siblings.

The three kits had succeeded in sneaking out of camp, but failed to notice the pair of amber eyes, the owner of them hidden in the shadows of the nursery entrance.

…

"I can't believe we did it!" Frost exclaimed once they were safely on the ground. All three of the kits eyes were wide, each of them taking as much new sights and scents as possible. They could hear the distant sound of a cricket and other nocturnal bugs, but no sounds of prey. It was a soothing kind of quiet. "Now what?" Cloud grumbled, upset that he had to skip his sleep because of his sister's plan.

"What do you mean now what? Let's go exploring!" Badger said before walking forward, taking the lead of the journey. The sister's pawsteps were quiet, but Cloud sounded like a wild badger lumbering around noisily. The she-kits shot him a glare and he stopped walking.

"What? It's not my fault," Cloud murmured and lashed his tail. Badger shook her head slightly and glanced behind him. An unfamiliar and foul scent entered her senses, and by the wrinkling of the other kits noses, she could tell they sensed it as well. "Gross, what is that?" Frost was the first to note it, her head shaking slightly. Badger and Cloud shrugged, not knowing what the strange scent was.

"Come on, quiet down Cloud," Badger said, shooting her brother a glare before turning and continuing down the unknown path. The shadows of the night stretched far across the ground, only patches of moonlight seeping through leafless spots in the trees. They stopped short when they saw a patch of heather; its purple flowers turned a blue color because of the moon. But it wasn't the sight of the flowers that stopped them. It was the growl they had heard, and by how loud it sounded, the creature was very close by.

Without warning, the bushes behind the patch of heather rustled loudly, and a streak of russet fur dashed out of it, crushing the small flowers. The kits stared into the strange brown eyes of the fox, seeing their own reflections in it as if it was a pool of water. The fox let out a growl, foam surrounding its mouth. The kits were frozen in place, their bodies not reacting with their minds. Every one of the instincts told them to run, but they couldn't.

Badger, Frost, and Cloud held their breaths, thinking that just breathing softly would make the fox snap them apart. The fox let out a bark-like noise before charging at the kits. The three only had time to take a step back, their eyes shutting out of fear.

But the impact didn't come. Badger was the first to peek open her eye, seeing the fox snapping at another creature. She blinked open her eyes and they widened when they saw who it was. "Dad!" she gasped.

Fang was standing between the fox and his kits, his teeth bared and claws unsheathed. The fox shook its head before letting out another growl and lunging at Fang. He simply leapt backwards, landing a tail-length in front of the kits before lashing his claws out. Since the fox let out a yelp, Badger guessed that her father had hit its eye.

"Come on, you wanted a fight, now you have it," Fang taunted the fox, his claws flexing and tail lashing wildly. Even from her place behind him, Badger could see his torn right ear. A permanent scar from a battle he had fought. Before she could even utter a word, Fang snarled and lunged at the fox, slashing and biting wildly wherever he could come in contact with.

The fox tried snapping at him, but it was as if the tom was liquid, smoothly dodging and attacking in swift motions. When he had clawed at the fox's muzzle once more, the creature had had enough. It let out a whimper before turning and running back through the bushes, the heather flowers trampled underneath its massive paws. Fang cleared his throat, his claws sheathing and fur flattening almost immediately after the fox had left.

He walked over to the patch of trampled heather, gently nosing some of them back up so they were standing. Fang turned around, his eyes settling on his kits. "Now, may I ask, what are you three doing out of camp when we specifically told you not to, exactly for that reason?" he tilted his head towards the bush the fox had ran through, his gaze stern.

Cloud and Frost lowered their heads. "It was my idea dad, I just… wanted to see the forest already," Badger mumbled, lowering her head as well. "And you couldn't wait until tomorrow? Because of this little adventure, I may have to tell Toadstar," the three kits lifted their heads quickly at this. The four cats heard a small sound of a twig snapping nearby. "Come out Shade," Fang said in a sigh, and the kits final brother stepped out of his hiding spot.

The dark grey tom-kit had a slightly mischievous and smug look on his white-striped face, a sight not usually on the timid kits face. "Thanks to your brother here, I was able to come here on time. Imagine if he didn't tell me? You would all be a small meal for that fox," Fang continued and let out a heavy sigh. Shade sat beside his father, and despite his smug look, concern was evident in his light amber eyes.

"Now, let's go home before your mother wakes up," Fang said, waiting for the kits to walk first. Badger, Frost, and Cloud stood up, quickly padding in the direction that Fang was facing. Shade followed close behind, his usual distant look in his eyes now. Badger, despite having been scolded, lifted her head and looked around the forest once more. It just seemed so beautiful at night that she didn't want to wait to see it again.

…

The sun was shining high in the sky now, taking place of the moon that was there last night. Badger, Cloud, and Frost had woken up from their sleep, looking enviously outside. Shade was in there as well, not wanting to make the others feel worst about what happened. His striped tail was curled around his back paws while he slowly licked his front ones.

"What are you four still doing in here?" Frogkit, Stripesky's and Mudstorm's kit, spoke up from his nest, his dark green eyes wide with curiosity. The three kits that snuck out last night didn't speak, just sent the younger kit frowns. "Our dad told us we can't go out today," Shade spoke up, sending his siblings a sympathetic glance.

Frogkit blinked in surprise before standing up in his nest, his longer legs looking comical for his young age. "Really? Fang told you that? How come?" the kit began asking questions, stepping out of his nest easily. His dark brown fur was dotted with patches of grey. Shade flicked his ear and lowered his gaze. Speaking directly to others, especially those very energetic like his sister Badger or Frogkit, made him uncomfortable.

"Reasons, now can you go find him for us?" Badger spoke up, her eyes narrowed with impatience. Frogkit, nonetheless, gave her a smile and ran out of the den. "You didn't have to be so rude," Shade mumbled under his breath. His sister indicated that she had heard with a flick of her ear. He slowly stood up, stretching his legs out in front of him. If Fang did tell Toadstar and the others were forced to wait another moon to be apprenticed, Shade would request to wait as well. He didn't like doing things by himself, so he would rather take part of the punishment than go exploring with a mentor. Who would he get as a mentor? Stonestrike? Echoheart? Cloverwing? Shadestone? The options were plentiful, and all of them would make great mentors.

The sound of the rustling lichen hanging over the entrance of the nursery made Shade perk his ears up. Seconds after, Fang appeared with Snow by his side. Shade lowered his gaze once more after seeing his parents, just giving them respect. "So, I talked to Toadstar," Fang said and flicked his un-torn ear, his gaze settling on Badger, Cloud, and Frost. "He won't hold you back a moon, so you will be apprenticed today. However, your mentors will come up with the punishments for you, ones they thing is acceptable," Fang said, earning relieved sighs from the other three kits.

Shade looked over at them before looking back at his parents. "We know you don't like following rules," Snow specifically looked at Badger, "but you just have to follow them. Now, you need to get ready for your ceremony."

…

"Stormclan, gather here for a clan meeting!" the call from Toadstar sounded, and in a few short moments, the clan was mostly gathered around underneath the Leader's Tree. Frogkit looked over at the four soon-to-be-apprentices enviously. "You are so luck you're becoming an apprentice," he spoke, earning a smile from Shade. "Yah," he looked at his siblings with a knowing look, "we are."

"We have some kits that are ready to become apprentices," Toadstar said, sitting up tall on the outstretched tree branch. Fang and Snow began leading the excited kits outside, sunlight shining on their pelts and warming them up even more once they were out of the nursery. 'For the last time in a long time,' Shade thought to himself with a purr, looking at his father, who was leading them down the center of the clan.

Smiles, small congratulations, and purrs were sent in the kits direction. Badger raised her head higher, smiling at the praise. Cloud returned the smiles but kept his posture. Frost and Shade both lowered their heads shyly, nodding at the warriors. They stood in a line in front of the tree, their parents standing off to the side.

They stared up eagerly at the leader, his dark brown fur turning a red-brown in the sunlight. "You four have reached the age of six moons and are ready to begin serving our clan," the leader recited the words he have been saying for moons now. He swayed his tail before leaping down, standing in front of the white furred tom. Cloud shuddered nervously, but smiled anyways at the leader in front of him.

"Cloud, from this day forth, you shall be known as Cloudpaw," Toadstar announced, briefly looking at the clan behind the cats, "your mentor shall be Mossfire." The brown furred she-cat walked forward, a kind smile on her muzzle as she touched noses with the new apprentice. Toadstar took a step to the side, now standing in front of a certain, energetic black furred she-cat.

"Badger, from this day forth, you shall be known as Badgerpaw. Your mentor will be Leopardclaw," Toadstar announced, standing aside for the golden furred she-cat to touch noses with her new apprentice. Toadstar found himself smiling. It was about time it was their turn to become apprentices. He walked aside and stood in front of Frost.

"Frost, from this day forth, you shall be known as Frostpaw," Toadstar said and swayed his tail, "your mentor shall be Ashfall." One of the newest warriors blinked in shock before quickly padding up to his new apprentice, quickly touching noses with her. Ashfall and Frostpaw went to stand beside the other mentors and apprentices, pride shining in everyone's eyes.

Toadstar stood in front of Shade, whose gaze slightly lowered to the ground. "Shade," the leader cleared his throat before continuing, "from this day forth, you shall be known as Shadepaw. Your mentor will be Echoheart." The grey furred tom with yellow eyes rushed forward, kindness glowing in his eyes before he touched noses with the shy apprentice.

"Cloudpaw! Badgerpaw! Frostpaw! Shadepaw!" The clan cheered loudly for the apprentices. Toadstar announced the meeting complete and walked over to his mate, Duskcloud. He nuzzled her with a purr before they padded together to the fresh-kill pile. Wolfpaw, Mistpaw, and Snowpaw came up to their new den mates, talking excitedly and congratulating them.

The clan began dispersing, going into their daily patrols. Snow stood up, preparing to go to the fresh-kill pile, before a tail was gently placed on her shoulders. She looked behind her shoulder and gave a smile to Fang.

"Do you remember the cave I showed you? Meet me there in a few minutes," he said with a smile before nuzzling her, padding in the direction of camp and to the cave they haven't been to since they were on the run.

…

"Why did you want me to meet you here?" Snow chuckled when she arrived at the cave. Fang simply smiled and shrugged slightly. "I miss those days where it was just you and me talking, clan life is tough," he exasperated with a sigh, earning a small laugh from his mate. Moving the boulders aside with a push, Fang and Snow crawled into the tunnel, appearing on the inside of the cave.

It was, for the most part, the same. The grass was as green as ever, and the pond was still filled with clear water. What was different was the heather growing in separate patches all around the grass. Snow blinked and took in the beauty of the cave once more, breathing in the fresh scent gratefully.

Fang led her to the patch of heather that was growing close to the pond, their pawsteps light since they didn't want to crush the flowers. "Our kits are grown up now," Fang said with a proud, yet sad smile, looking around the place once more before settling his gaze on Snow. "Sadly, but they will always be with us," Snow murmured and smiled in return.

"They will always be safe. Because this is their home," Fang said in agreement, his smile growing. His fiery amber eyes met her icy blue ones. In a few short moments, they were nuzzling each other once more, purring with the thought of their kits being safe. With the thought of them being safe. With the thought of everyone being safe.

And safe they were.

At last.

…

A/N: *Sigh* I always hate doing the final a/n because it's so sad, but it had to be done. While this story may have come to an end (finally after two years lol), I already have a great idea for my next story. It'll probably, hopefully, be one of the biggest projects I ever do on here. I'm trying to step up my game XD, so that will end up being one heck of a journey, which I hope you guys can take part in as well.

QOTD: (The last one NOOOO) This one is mainly a two-parter. First, how did you like this ending? Was it good? Did it meet or exceed your expectations? I am trying to get better at epilogues, and considering this is my second one, I thought it was pretty good.

Anyways, second part of the QOTD: You know how I told you about my next story? Well, how would you like to have one of your characters in it? There's no guarantee I would add all of them, but if you review now, your chances are higher :D. Just pm me or leave it in a review, or even put it on the first chapters whenever the story does come out. For the purposes of the story, no grey furred she-cats please. The clan names are Marshclan, Capeclan, Valleyclan, and Glacierclan. No more spoilers though, so you will have to wait for the prologue XD.

Anyways, I just want to thank each and every one of you. I wish I could do it individually and go hug you, but that'll take too long and I am too lazy to travel around searching for you XD. Sorry, I make stupid jokes when I am kind of upset. Seriously though, thanks to everybody who stuck around, especially because of the super long hiatus. I promise I won't let that ever happen or, if I do go on a break, I will let you guys now and I will try to make it short. I am extremely sorry that this story won't get a sequel; I just view his as a one-book story. This marks the third story that I have ever written and finished on Fanfiction (there is only one online because I took the other one down to make it even better some time later on in the future XD). Anyways, enough of my rambling, I love each and every one of you, and I hope you really have a wonderful day/night/afternoon/morning or wherever you are in this fine world.

So, I guess this is goodbye, unless I see you reviewing on one of my other stories :D.

If you have time: it would mean a lot to me if you can check out my other stories as well.

Stolen: s/10699119/1/Stolen

A Silver curse: s/11181428/1/A-Silver-Curse

Once again, thank you everybody… and peace out.

~Wolfcreations16

#TheAlpha