This is it. The final chapter of SCK. This is a very...touching moment for me...-sobs- Thanks all my wonderful fans for reviewing and my loyal readers for sticking to the story after nearly 5 long months of writing. And I know I said 20 reviews, but I'm so exciting about finishing this, I needed to put it up...

Chapter 19

The next day was nearly the saddest in Snowpaw's life. She remembered Gingersky's burial. Seapaw's burial. And brought even more pain as she helped dig her leader's grave. She knew deep in her heart ThunderClan would never forget Icestar, and her brave intentions for her clan. Snowpaw knew she never would.

And it made it all the more painful, knowing some of the things Snowpaw said to Icestar, and not moons before her death either.

After digging her leaders grave, the entire clan - Hollyleaf, Wolfwind, Oakstripe, Eagleflight, Yellowstone, Treeleaf, Spiceleaf, Firepaw, Redfur, Grassfoot, Runningsky, and Cinderfang - stood around the grave, mourning silently for their lost leader. The wind was blowing, and rain was falling in a sheet. But no one payed no mind. Snowpaw stared down at the lump of dirt where Icestar was buried and her eyes dropped. She looked over to Cinderfang, the new leader of ThunderClan, and saw Oakstripe pressing against him, the same look on both of there faces. She felt something press against her, and she looked over to see Firepaw pressing himself against her. Snowpaw sighed with sadness, and a few minutes later, the clan stood and returned to camp, silent the entire trip.

Once there, it was only sunhigh, and it was time for Cinderfang to go to Highstones for his nine lives. Snowpaw, Firepaw, and Yellowstone were chosen to go, and Snowpaw and Firepaw waited with Yellowstone by the gorse tunnel, trying to swallow the last bit of the bile taste of the herbs Spiceleaf had given them. Snowpaw looked around camp and saw the solitude hanging like a black cloud over the camp. It saddened Snowpaw, and she sighed, pressing her ears against her head. The rain had stopped, and a fine fog hung over the camp. Cinderfang appeared from the entrance of the medicine cats den, and the four cats turned to leave.

Firepaw and Snowpaw walked side by side, Firepaw occasionally casting glances at Snowpaw, who stared at the ground the entire trip. Finally, when the two were chosen to remain posted to guard outside, Firepaw sighed, pressing against Snowpaw and licking her shoulder.

"Are you okay?" he asked gently, cautiously. Snowpaw looked up from the ground and at Firepaw. She nodded, before she made a mewing noise and buried her head in Firepaw's shoulder.

"Icestar's dead," she meowed, nearly sobbing. "And I could've saved her. She died saving me." Snowpaw shook her head in Firepaw's coat. "It's my fault..."

Firepaw hissed, and Snowpaw nearly doubled back, lifting her head to look into his fierce gaze. His green pools were fierce yes, but they also showed sadness as well.

"No, Snowpaw. It's not your fault," he hissed, shaking his head. Snowpaw sat there, turning her gaze away. "Perish caused all this. It's her fault, not yours. Don't ever blame youself for her mistakes."

Snowpaw was silent, going over what Firepaw had said. He was right. It was Perish who killed Icestar, not her. But Snowpaw felt she could've still prevented it. She felt Firepaw's gaze, mirroring her own eyes, pierce into her flesh, her very soul. She looked back up, and the two said nothing, for a while.

"Snowpaw, do you know how scared I was when I saw you fall like that?" Firepaw suddenly meowed, looking at Snowpaw. Snowpaw was surprised at his sudden outburst. "I thought I had lost you. I thought you were dead. I was so scared." He pressed against her suddenly, and Snowpaw could do nothing but let him.

How odd is it when a cat loves you? How hard is it to admit to him you have the same feelings when he says from his own mouth "I love you"? For Snowpaw, it wasn't very easy.

"I love you, Snowpaw," he meowed, backing away from her. "I was so afraid I was going to lose you. You've saved my life many times before." Snowpaw just looked at Firepaw, her eyes shining with the feelings she felt; love, happiness, joy, every good emotion in the entire history of emotions. Her eyes showed all that needed to be said, but she knew she had to put it into words.

"Firepaw...I love you too," she meowed.

Not many minutes later, Cinderfang and Yellowstone emerged from the cave behind them, and Snowpaw turned around, realizing for the first time that Cinderfang was actually her uncle, not just another cat, and not just her new leader. It was odd to think that Snowpaw would be calling him Cinderstar now.

"Cinderstar.." the two apprentices nodded in respect, and purred accourdingly. The four cats returned to the camp, and arrived at moonrise. Snowpaw and Firepaw walked side by side, their eyes shining and secretly intertwining their tail when no one was looking. After they arrived at camp, Cinderstar jumped onto the High Rock, and all the ThunderClan cats joined beneath the boulder, looking up at their new leader, all eagerly wondering who the next deputy would be.

"Cats of ThunderClan!" he yowled, looking down on his clan. "I have decided who the new deputy of ThunderClan should be!" He scanned the group of cats, his eyes landing on each and everyone. "For their bravery, their strenght and patience, I've chosen Hollyleaf as the new deputy of ThunderClan!" Cheers of approval went through the group of cats. Hollyleaf was a well trained warrior, and a patient cat. She stood up and looked bewildered that she had been chosen. She took her place beneath Cinderstar.

"I don't think I deserve such an honor, but I accept," she meowed, nodding her head, and purring broke out before Cinderstar flicked his tail for silence.

"There are two apprentices that have earned - well over three times - their warrior names. Let us give them their names now." Snowpaw felt a lump of excitement jump into her throat, and her heart flipped over excitedly. She could hear it hammering as Cinderstar spoke.

"These two apprentices have saved no only one another, but the entire clan, and some of you a few times over. Without their brave and selfless attitude, FangClan may have ruled over the forest. And now, for their reward." His eyes turned to the stars, glittering above him, and Snowpaw wondered briefly which star held Gingersky, Seapaw, and now, a new one, Icestar. The thought filled her with a fresh pain, but also with courage, knowing they were watching her every pawstep. It gave her unwavering confidence, and she knew it was the two stars that held Gingersky and Seapaw that had kept her from death for so long.

"I call on my warrior ancestors to look down on these two apprentices. They have trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend them to you as warriors in their turn." Cinderstar's gaze first landed on Firepaw, and his shining firey pelt in the sun. "Firepaw, step forward." Snowpaw glanced over at the tom and saw his hypnotizing green eyes shimmering with mist of excitement. Cinderstar scanned the clan, and then looked down at Firepaw.

"Firepaw, do you promise to follow the warrior code and defend this clan, even at the cost of your own life?"

Snowpaw saw Firepaw, standing proud under the gaze of his new leader, swallow the knot in his throat. "I-I do," he meowed, shakily at first, then firmly. "I do."

Cinderstar nodded, his eyes twinking. "Then, by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name; Firepaw, from this day forth, you will be known as Firelight, in honor of your loyality, power, and knowledge of what's right and wrong." Cheers of "Firelight! Firelight! Firelight!" arose in the cats, and Snowpaw felt hers was the loudest of all. Firelight turned his melting green gaze on her, and Snowpaw saw a grown tom, yet still a kit at heart...like her. She purred, her own emerald eyes gazing back proudly. After Cinderstar nodded him dismissed, he looked at Snowpaw. She saw the pride wash over his features like a rainstorm. The clearing became quiet, and silence controlled for a moment.

"Snowpaw, step forward." Snowpaw felt as if her paws were going to slip from beneath her and turn to water. Shakily, but confidently, she padded to the front of the clan, facing her uncle with her own pride gazing in her eyes. "Snowpaw, do you promise to follow the warrior code and defend this clan, even at the cost of your own life?"

Immediatly, Snowpaw saw flashbacks of her own past. She saw Seapaw lying dead on the ground. She saw Gingersky, her throat torn out, staring lifelessly at the sky. She saw Pantherblaze, ever in his youth, slain on the ground. She knew that she wanted to be like those three cats; brave, loyal...and fearless.

"I do," she meowed confidently, gazing up at Cinderstar with blazing eyes. Determination filled her entire body. She would figure out the mysteries surrounded Crescentshadow's disappearance, the mystery of her 'siblings', and the mystery of Perish's betrayal. And Cinderstar saw this in her eyes.

"Then, by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name; Snowpaw, from this day forth, you will be known as Snowdream, in honor of you courage, your spirit, and your rightesno. I welcome both Firelight and Snowdream as full warriors of ThunderClan!"

The clan uproared into loud chants of "Firelight! Snowdream! Firelight! Snowdream!" and Snowdream felt like she were going to pass out as Cinderstar touched both their noses in congradulations. After several minutes of clamour and cheering, the clan settled down, and Snowdream and Firelight took their places at the side of High Rock, only silence between them as the rest of the camp scuttled to their beds.

Snowdream stared into the sky, her eyes reflecting the twinkling stars. Where were Seapaw, Icestar, and Gingersky? Were they cheering for her now too? Not just for her warrior name, but for fullfilling the prophecy? Her chest swelled, knowing how proud Gingersky would be. Perish was dead. FangClan was no more.

"All is not over, young one."

The whisper was mystic, mistified, mysterious. And it wasn't Firestar. Snowdream looked around, but saw no cat from StarClan. And yet the whispering continued in her ear.

"The death and fang still live on. Remember...

The shadow of the snow alone will save the forest..."

Snowdream nodded, her eyes blazing. It wasn't over. It was far from it. But she would make sure it would end. She glanced over at Firelight and her eyes grew starry. And with Firelight by her side, it would be a perfect way to end it.

Snowdream knew that the fight was won, but the war, not nearly. She would have to fight her hardest. And she would. She would have to know how to keep and let go of secrets. Secrets could be good. But they could also be bad. Snowdream looked into the sky, knowing what Perish, Cinderfang, Gingersky, Seapaw, Icestar, and even Snowdream herself proved.

Secrets really can kill.

---End of Story---

Ohh...I did it! I did it! Oh yeah, yeah, yeah! I really hoped you guys enjoyed this story, for it was very fun to write. In about a month - maybe a few weeks - the second book of Warriors Chronicles will be here. So look for to that and add me to your author alert so you can read meh other stories! Thanks for sticking with me for so long. And thanks for staying with this story so long!

Snowdream: -casts weird glance at Sol-

SoL: Thank you! Thank you!

Snowdream: -snickers-

SoL