AN: Hoorah! This is the epilogue! And I'm very surprised at how many angry people replied to the last chapter. Makes me happy that I actually got more reviews. Perhaps I should make characters die more often? Oh well, please read on!

-Epilogue-

Stars glittered coldly in the night sky. The spirits of StarClan could only watch peacefully as another Gathering took place. This one would be filled with tension as the Clans came together. They'd seen what had happened in one Clan. It sent waves of chaos rippling across the lake. Other cats had noticed what state RiverClan was in.

RiverClan cats were already there. Mistystar stood on the branch of a great pine. Her blue eyes shone through the needles that grew from the branches.

The Clan had recovered since Willowshine's death. Duskfur's kits had arrived, and she gave them one name that would live on in the Clan. Willowkit, a little light brown tabby she-cat. The other kits were two healthy toms. Falconkit and Darkkit. Mistystar knew that her Clan would grow stronger, despite the loss of their medicine cat apprentice.

She sighed as she imagined what Willowshine would have been like as their full medicine cat. The young cat had been full of life. There was no reason for her to die. Except for the fact that she had been possessed by the Darkness.

Her Clanmates wandered aimlessly through the island's undergrowth. They cast nervous glances towards the shadows as the moon began to rise to its fullest height. More Clans were arriving as the night went on. She spotted Blackstar's white pelt amongst the undergrowth as the ShadowClan leader padded forward. His bones were beginning to stick out as age took over.

Once the large Clan arrived, Blackstar managed to scramble onto the branch. Mistystar grasped him by the scruff to help him up. He grunted heavily and sat on a branch nearby. She wasn't surprised to see Rowanclaw and Flametail pad towards the pine. The ShadowClan medicine cat gave her a look of concern before joining his own Clanmates.

"Where is your medicine cat apprentice, Mistystar?" Blackstar rasped when he noticed Mothwing was alone.

"All will be explained in time," she replied without meeting his gaze.

Does he know what Flametail did? she wondered as she watched the ginger form of Rowanclaw mingle with his son. She winced at the thought.

Flametail had felt grief when he killed Willowshine. Mistystar had seen the love that he felt towards the gray tabby. She wondered if he still had feelings for Willowshine. Or if he moved on like any other cat would have.

She shook her head and cast the thoughts away as ThunderClan arrived. Firestar's tail was raised as he led his Clan across the treebridge. For the first time in moons, she could actually see a silver lining across his muzzle. Faint streaks of white fur grew along his muzzle, sending signals that age was beginning to creep ahead of him.

Mistystar suddenly felt amusement flood through her as she saw the three Clans speak to one another. RiverClan cats were always a tad friendlier towards the ThunderClan warriors. Minnowtail and Otterheart had been chosen to stay behind, after they followed the Darkness. They seemed to recover well from the shock. Hollowstorm wasn't with the Clan either. He'd chosen himself to stay behind in the camp, where no cat would question when she made her announcement.

He regrets everything that happened, she thought with a wave of guilt. Because of him, Willowshine is dead.

Firestar was quick to join the other two leaders. His normally sharp green gaze was dark with curiosity as he heard the whisperings from both RiverClan and ShadowClan. She only shook her head when he met her eyes. The time to explain would come, but that time was not now.

Soon the warriors of WindClan arrived. Mistystar looked away when Onestar crossed the treebridge. The WindClan leader's entire attitude had changed the moment he became a leader. She knew that it was hard for him, especially since Mudclaw tried to take the leadership right under his nose.

The tabby leader ignored the other three leaders as he sat beside Firestar on another branch. Mistystar winced when she saw the hurt within Firestar's eyes. Didn't Onestar even care how offensive he was? Her tail lashed as she thought of him acting like a misbehaved kit.

Time seemed to move slowly. Mistystar was anxious to get started with the Gathering. She wanted it to be done and over with. Her mind was working furiously as she tried to figure out what would be said. Cats would want to know what happened to Willowshine. Others would want to know what the Darkness was, if she mentioned it.

Onestar suddenly gave the others a firm nod. Inside Mistystar knew that it was time for the Gathering to begin. After seasons of traditions and trials, she knew full well when a Gathering would begin.

"We are gathered here under the eyes of StarClan to begin another Gathering," the WindClan leader called. During this call all cats looked up at him expectantly. "Who would like to begin?" he asked after meeting the gazes of the other leaders.

Blackstar nodded slowly. The WindClan leader sat down when Blackstar stood on all fours. Mistystar's ears were pricked forward as she listened to what news he might have.

"I am sorry to announce that we have lost our medicine cat, Littlecloud," he meowed dully. Mewls of shock rippled amongst the gathered crowd. Most of them came from ThunderClan and WindClan. Mistystar had already known what happened to the old tabby. Flametail himself had made his own announcement to the Clan. "Which makes Flametail our full medicine cat."

"Flametail! Flametail!" All of the Clans chanted his name in excitement. He was a popular cat to most warriors. Mistystar was surprised to feel a surge of pride when he lifted his muzzle.

"We also have a new apprentice, Archpaw." Blackstar's muzzle pointed towards a black tom with a creamy patch over his left eye. The youngest apprentice didn't flinch when all eyes cast upon him.

"All is well in WindClan," Onestar reported after Blackstar was finished. "The prey is running well, and our bellies are full for the moment. One of our queens has given birth to a litter of two healthy kits." Mewls of congratulations spread across the warriors, apprentices and elders. "We have nothing else to report." He dipped his head respectfully towards Firestar, whose tail was twitching impatiently.

"All is well in ThunderClan," he announced after rising to his paws. "We have two new warriors; Dovewing and Ivypool."

Two warriors stood in the clearing beside Lionblaze and Jayfeather. Both looked nervous and excited at the same time as murmurs of congratulations rippled through the crowd. Mistystar could already see the makings of a fine warrior in Ivypool. The silver and white tabby's muscles rippled beneath her thick pelt. A pair of sharp blue eyes stared into her own.

Suddenly Mistystar's heart skipped a beat when she saw the look that Jayfeather gave her. Even though he was blind, he seemed to know where she was sitting. A knowing look passed between them.

I don't trust him, she thought as the ache went away. Once Firestar was finished, he backed down so that she could speak.

Blood roared in her ears as Mistystar rose to her paws. Curious gazes were cast in her direction. Some already knew what had happened to Willowshine. She was certain that her warriors would have slipped.

"RiverClan is doing well," she murmured. "We have recovered from a fight that took place in our camp. Willowshine joined the ranks of StarClan during that fight."

Shocked gasps echoed across the island. Several cats looked up at Mistystar in dismay. Others looked angry that Willowshine had lost her life. Mistystar waited until silence fell upon them once more. She wasn't about to explain what happened unless every cat listened to her carefully.

"Something happened to one of our warriors," she meowed. "Reedwhisker almost lost his life because of that something. Several of our cats turned against us when that something came. That something was what killed Willowshine." She held back a nervous gulp when she felt the stares of all cats boring into her. "That something was called the Darkness."

Screeches of alarm suddenly spread through the crowd like wildfire. Several warriors were already on their paws and glaring at Mistystar. She didn't flinch when they called her a liar. She wasn't surprised that they didn't believe her. She herself had been skeptical at first when she heard the elders speak of it. But that skeptical nature had left the moment she watched Willowshine die.

"Enough!" Firestar's voice rang across the clearing, causing every cat to stop. "Mistystar, is this true?" he asked after he had every cats' attention.

"Every word," she replied with a nod.

"Would some cat explain what this Darkness is?" Blackstar asked in an annoyed huff.

Mistystar couldn't listen as one of her elders explained what the Darkness was. Mousefur and Purdy, the elders of ThunderClan, nodded in agreement. Even they seemed to know what the Darkness was. She was surprised that so many elders knew of the tale. Yet none of the warriors seemed to understand what the Darkness was. Or where it even came from for that matter.

"So this...Darkness, has been destroyed?" Onestar murmured. His gaze was filled with concern as he looked at the youngest cats of WindClan.

"We believe so," Mistystar replied. "Mothwing has not received any signs of it coming back."

She glanced back at her medicine cat, whose ears flattened. Surprise flared within her belly when she saw Jayfeather staring at Mothwing in a strange look. It really did feel as if he could see every cat in the clearing.

"Very well." Onestar didn't look as concerned about the Darkness. "This Gathering is over!" he announced after the leaders discussed what to do about it.

Mistystar watched through narrowed eyes as he and the other leaders joined their Clanmates. She waited until they were gone before joining her own Clan. She didn't want any cat questioning her further. Willowshine's death had been tragic enough for her Clan. They didn't need to relive it by telling the other cats what really happened.

She felt a pelt brush against her own. Mistystar suddenly turned when she realized that there was another cat standing beside her.

"You did the right thing." Willowshine's words spread across the air, sending warmth into Mistystar's fur. "Thank you for understanding."

With that, the presence left her. Mistystar looked up at the sky where Silverpelt lay. If she didn't know any better, she would have thought that there was a new star in the sky. Somehow, somewhere, Willowshine was up there. And Mistystar knew that she would never forget the gentle medicine cat apprentice. No warrior in RiverClan would ever forget.

AN: So what did you guys think of the ending? Was it a fitful one? Like I mentioned earlier, I won't be writing a sequel to this. Although I will be working on yet another fanfic that I posted a few days ago. Darkened Spirits is officially going to get started now that I can focus on it. Anyways, thanks tufted titmouse, Priceless Cat Lady, and Nightkill for reviewing!