A/N: Hey, sorry if that last chapter was a bit anticlimactic. Anyway, without (much) further ado, it's time to finally wrap this story up… (longer note at the end talking about some other stuff)

The day after the storm, the freak warm spell ended and the floodwater that had covered the lake territories froze over, leaving all the Clans displaced for the time being. Uncomfortable in the temporary camp that had been set up, and not wanting to hear her Clanmates' sympathy about Minnowleap's death for fear she'd accidentally blurt out the truth and be exiled for murder, Watersplash spent most of the first day recovering from the storm- psychologically as much as, if not more so than physically- in WindClan. She wanted to make sure Grasstail and the kits were going to be alright. At one point, Grasstail had woken up, and though Watersplash had longed to talk with him about everything that had happened, she knew he had to rest in order to recover, so she'd gotten him to fall back asleep.

Now, at sunhigh on the second day after the storm, Watersplash was listlessly rolling a fish scale back and forth on the roof of her mouth with her tongue. Her mind wasn't at all on what she was doing, and the half-eaten trout that lay at her paws had gone unfinished for almost half an hour. She was completely wrapped up in her thoughts, although she wasn't thinking about anything in particular. She was just thinking about… everything. It seemed that all her life had been built around the prophecy, and around Minnowleap. Now that Minnowleap was dead and the prophecy was fulfilled, Watersplash's life held no more purpose than any other cat. Who or what was going to guide her actions now?

Then, almost as if StarClan was offering her an answer, Grasstail came hobbling into the temporary camp, escorted by the WindClan medicine cat. He grimaced with each step, and he leaned heavily on Podtail, but his eyes glittered with determination.

As soon as she saw him coming, Watersplash jumped to her paws and ran over to intercept him. Podtail stepped back and let Grasstail leap forward to bury his face in Watersplash's chest fur. He let out a whimper of pain when his hind legs touched down on the ice again; Watersplash clucked her tongue sympathetically and gave him a comforting nuzzle. Grasstail rested his head against her shoulder and they sat pressed together on the ice, tails intertwined.

"I'd rather he wasn't up on his paws at this point, but he insisted on seeing you," Podtail informed Watersplash as she licked Grasstail's ear, purring loudly. "And let me tell you, once that cat gets an idea into his head, he's not going to back down on it."

Watersplash didn't need Podtail to tell her that; she'd seen with her own eyes how stubborn Grasstail could be. "I'm glad you came," she told him, pulling away for a moment to look him up and down. Grasstail's hind legs were both wrapped up in splints, and his pupils were slightly dilated- Podtail had probably given him a lot of poppy seeds so he could walk without it hurting too much. "You shouldn't have come, mind you," she added, brushing her tail-tip over his injured legs, which garnered another wince of pain from him. "…But I'm still glad you came."

"If you're glad, then it's worth it," Grasstail said. His voice was low, and his words slurred together slightly- he'd been eating poppy seeds, alright. "I don't mind the pain as long as I can make you happy."

"You make me so happy, Grasstail," Watersplash murmured, pressing her nose against his and closing her eyes. "Happier than any other cat could."

Grasstail purred with contentment. Then he licked Watersplash's muzzle and took a step back. Letting out a hiss of pain, he toppled to the ground, and a moment later Podtail was back at his side helping him to his paws.

Once Podtail had helped him stand up again, Grasstail blinked apologetically at Watersplash. "I keep forgetting my legs are broken," he muttered. "I'm totally drugged up on poppy seeds right now, so I can hardly feel them, but whenever I try to stand on my own or walk…"

"It's fine," Watersplash told him. "However badly you're hurt, it could never make me stop loving you."

She felt a pang of pity for him; Grasstail was such a proud, independent cat, and it seemed wrong to see him so reliant on the help of others. However, she realized this wasn't the first time Grasstail had been unable to stand on his own. When he had struggled with depression, she hadn't been seeing him during his lowest point, so she never found out exactly how bad things had been for him. Watersplash had gone through some hard times in her own life, and she wished that she'd had more support from her Clanmates during those times. In that way, Grasstail was and always had been much luckier than her. He had a degree of love from his family and friends that Watersplash, though she did value her friends a lot, never really had. In a way, though, Watersplash was lucky too- because she had Grasstail.

For a long time they stayed out on the ice and talked. They spoke about the prophecy, they got into a silly competition over whose injuries were worse (Grasstail was obviously the winner, but the scratches on Watersplash's cheeks made her a close contestant), Watersplash filled Grasstail in on the situation with RiverClan, and Grasstail told her some of the things he'd dreamed about when he'd been unconscious for the past two days. All of his dreams had been silly, meaningless things, of course- things like rocks that grew on trees or rabbits that could fly. After so many moons of terrifying prophetic nightmares, a dream about chasing rabbits through the sky was just what Watersplash needed to cheer up a bit. She would have spent the whole rest of the day sharing tongues with Grasstail if she could have, but eventually he started getting tired out and Podtail decided it was time to take him home. Watersplash wished she could go with them, but as much as she loved Grasstail, she was a RiverClan cat, and that was what she had to remain.

—

Many more days passed before the frozen floodwater melted away and the Clans were able to return to their proper camps. A lot of things happened during that time. Flamekit and Heatherkit became apprentices; their mentors were Seedpelt and Berryheart respectively. Sandstar lost one of his lives to the cold, and shortly afterward Roseflower finally stepped down from the position of deputy and retired to the elders' den. Grasstail highly doubted that these two occurrences were unconnected. It was quite likely that Sandstar was on his last life now, considering how old he was, and the leader had no doubt realized how imperative it was to have a successor in place who would outlast him by a long time. Rabbitleap was chosen as the new deputy, and while Grasstail didn't necessarily think his father was the best choice for the position, he'd have been lying if he said he wasn't immensely proud.

A couple days after WindClan had settled back into their real camp, they received a visitor. It was a snowy day, and the snowflakes were falling in huge fluffy clumps against a pale, silvery sky. Grasstail was sitting outside in the middle of camp, breathing in the crisp leaf-bare air and watching his kits race around in circles after each other.

His legs had healed up nicely, and Ripplekit's injuries were fully healed as well. She and Sprucekit had bounced back from their harrowing experience the way that only a kit could, and Featherkit even seemed to be jealous that he didn't "get" to be abducted by a crazed RiverClan queen and nearly killed. Grasstail was slightly more haunted by the whole ordeal than his kits were, but then again, he also still shuddered every time he heard an owl screech in the night. He supposed that there were some experiences a cat just couldn't move past.

He and Watersplash were probably the only cats who would ever know exactly what had happened that night. All his Clanmates knew was that a RiverClan intruder had broken into camp, knocked out Appleshine, and abducted Sprucekit and Ripplekit. As far as they were concerned, Grasstail had simply ventured out into the storm, fought off the intruder (whose motives were entirely unknown to every cat but himself and Watersplash), and rescued the kits. His legs had been hurt in the battle against the intruder, but Podtail had located him on his own when going out to search for him the next morning. The kits themselves, of course, had tried to tell of their adventures, but no cat but their littermate believed them- mainly because they did exaggerate the story a fair bit.

As for what Watersplash's Clanmates knew… apparently the story was that she had gone back to the flooded RiverClan camp against Miststar's orders to try to save Minnowleap. The lightning bolt had struck Shale Hill, Minnowleap had been tragically killed, and Watersplash, traumatized by the event, had stumbled partway to the temporary camp her Clanmates had set up but had passed out on the way. Podtail knew slightly more of the truth, but he wasn't aware of every single thing that had happened, and Grasstail got the feeling Watersplash was happy about that. He didn't think she wanted other cats to know what a twisted cat Minnowleap really had been.

With all the worrying about prophecies and nightmares behind him, everything was so perfect for Grasstail now. And yet there was still one thing about his life- what he considered the most important aspect of all- that was out of place.

For moons, Grasstail had made do with only seeing Watersplash every so often, and they had made it work for all that time. However, to say that Grasstail envied other cats' relationships would be an understatement. Just look at Appleshine and Barkstripe- they saw each other every single day, and they never had to worry about getting in trouble for being mates. Once they'd been harassed a bit at a Gathering by a young ShadowClan tom who told them they were going to go to the Dark Forest, but that cat had gotten a talking-to from his leader and reportedly hadn't bothered them again. Grasstail would have gladly put up with such baseless, petty discrimination if it meant having his true love in the same Clan. Maybe he only thought that because he hadn't experienced such discrimination himself, but even so, he just wished that Watersplash wasn't from RiverClan…

Grasstail found himself daydreaming about Watersplash. He pictured her walking into the WindClan camp with a rabbit dangling from her jaws- no, two rabbits, because she was such a talented hunter. He smiled softly to himself as he imagined her adding her catch to the fresh-kill pile and bounding over to him. They'd purr and twine their tails together, and their kits would scamper over and ask Watersplash how her hunting trip was, and she'd tell them all about it… Later, as the sun sank low over the horizon, Watersplash would pull Grasstail in close to her and they'd watch the sunset from the top of a grassy hill. The wind would ripple gently through their fur, and it would be so chilly that Grasstail would need to retreat to his nest to warm up. Watersplash would lie down beside him, and after sleeping peacefully through the night side by side, they'd be the first thing the other saw upon waking up in the morning. While the sky was still pale and gray, they would go for a run together out on the moors, leaving twin trail of pawprints in the snow behind them.

If only, Grasstail thought, but deep down he knew things would never be like that. It was never going to happen.

Then Watersplash walked into the WindClan camp.

—

Watersplash wasn't quite certain why she'd come. She hadn't given her Clanmates any warning; in fact, she'd said that she was going out to hunt. As she trekked over the snow-covered moors of WindClan territory, she briefly wondered if Miststar would be angry that she didn't bring back any fish- because she wasn't going to bring back any fish, obviously, or any land prey either. But then she realized how silly she was being. Miststar wouldn't be angry with her, because that would require her returning to RiverClan.

She didn't intend on returning to RiverClan.

It wasn't like this was a spur-of-the moment, half-though-out decision on Watersplash's part. She'd thought this through carefully. WindClan's numbers had been low for a long time now. Watersplash had been told she was a fairly good warrior, and she was certain Sandstar would accept her into the Clan if he knew how much she meant to Grasstail. RiverClan had plenty of skilled warriors; they didn't really need her. Minnowleap wasn't around anymore to dictate Watersplash's life. She was free to do whatever she wanted. And what she wanted right now more than anything- what she'd wanted ever since she'd been an apprentice- was to live in the same Clan as Grasstail so that they could be together properly.

Vague, undefined terms like "lovers" didn't suit Watersplash's wants and needs any longer. She wanted to be able to call Grasstail her mate. For that to happen, they had to be in the same Clan. Grasstail wouldn't want anything to do with RiverClan, she was sure, so the only logical course of action was for Watersplash to join WindClan. It was a well-thought-out, carefully crafted decision. Every cat would be better off this way, surely.

Watersplash had only ever tried to navigate WindClan territory on the night of the storm. Now, in non-stormy broad daylight, it was a much easier task. She simply tracked the cat scent to where it was the strongest. The camp was fairly empty at the time- most of the warriors must have been out on patrol. Grasstail was there, though, and Watersplash spotted him right away. A green pelt was pretty hard to miss, after all. A purr rumbling in her chest, she ran down the gentle slope into the camp, eyes trained on Grasstail.

He didn't notice her right away, but when he did, his ears picked up and his eyes went wide. Fur standing on end, he mouthed her name. She nodded, excitement pricking at her paws. Grasstail ran to her and practically tackled her to the ground; Watersplash let him knock her over and lay on her side, purring, as he covered her in licks. Their kits, who had been playing nearby, gathered around them and stared. Shortly after, so did the other cats who were currently in the camp.

"Looks like we're drawing a bit of a crowd," Grasstail muttered sheepishly, stepping away from Watersplash. She got back on her paws and shook her pelt out, her skin heating up under her fur as she took in the astounded stares of Grasstail's Clanmates. None of them looked happy about this development.

A white tom with spiky fur stepped forward, hackles bristling. "Grasstail, who in StarClan's name is this blue furball?" he demanded. "Have you got bees in your brain, bringing one of them fish-eaters into our camp? Don't you remember the last time one of those mange-pelts came here? Y'all could've got killed!"

The other cats nodded in agreement. "You act like you've known her for some time," a frail white she-cat pointed out. "Just how long have you been breaking the warrior code with this cat, Grasstail?"

Watersplash shrunk back, ashamed. Why hadn't she considered how the other WindClan cats would react? Of course not every cat would be as welcoming to her as Grasstail and his friends- she was such a fish-brain! Ears pressed against her head, she leaned up against Grasstail for support and addressed the gathered cats.

"I know you don't have any reason to welcome me," she said. "But the truth is, I don't want to be a RiverClan cat anymore. I'm in love with Grasstail- and he's in love with me; we've been together for moons- and I want to leave my Clan and join yours."

The reactions she garnered were shocked, to say the least, and none more so than Grasstail himself. He gaped, open-mouthed, at Watersplash, as she continued:

"I don't feel safe in RiverClan. I never really have; not since I've been old enough to understand the true nature of the cats around me. It's not that I have no friends there- I do, and I value them greatly- but they can't do for me the things that I need the most. I want to be with Grasstail. With him, I feel more at home than I do anywhere else."

The white tom who'd spoken out before hissed, raking his claws through the snow. However, Grasstail gathered himself up and, chin held high, stepped forward to stare his Clanmate down. "WindClan needs more warriors, Spikeear- we all know that," he meowed defiantly. "Watersplash is a skilled fighter and an excellent hunter. She'll be a blessing to our Clan; you'll see if you just give her a chance."

Spikeear didn't seem convinced, and Watersplash internally prepared another set of stronger arguments. However, no cat present got a chance to speak, as just then Sandstar hobbled out of his den, asking what all the commotion as about. The kits scampered over to him and filled him in, their tails sticking straight up as they babbled excitedly. Watersplash couldn't hear what the kits were saying, but once they were done talking, Sandstar padded up to Watersplash and Grasstail with his matted old pelt lying flat, and a serene expression on his face.

"I always wished that Watersplash of RiverClan could be one of my own warriors," the old leader murmured. "And to think that Grasstail is in love with you, no less…" Sandstar added, a scratchy purr rumbling in his throat. "I always thought that tom could use a bit more motivation- and here you are!"

Before he had even given her any definitive permission, Watersplash's whiskers were already quivering with emotion. She took in a trembling breath and pressed herself up against Grasstail, twining her tail with his. "…S-so you'll let me join your Clan?" she asked Sandstar, her voice barely a whisper.

"Of course I will."

"Th-thank you!" Watersplash cried, brimming with gratefulness. She stammered for a moment, unable to put her overpowering emotions to words, before simply gulping and repeating, "thank you."

For the next few minutes, Grasstail showed Watersplash around the camp and introduced her to everyone while asking her over and over if she was sure she wanted to join WindClan. Each time she assured him that she'd never been surer about everything in her life. Soon, the cats who'd been out on patrol came back, and Sandstar hoped up onto a tussock and called a Clan meeting. Watersplash sat next to Grasstail at the foot of the tussock, trembling with excitement.

"Cats of WindClan," the elderly leader said as they gathered around the tussock, "I'd like to draw your attention to the cat next to Grasstail. Some of you may know Watersplash- a RiverClan cat, up until now. This has come as a bit of a surprise to all of us, but Watersplash here has asked to leave her Clan and join this one."

Sandstar was met with shocked gasps from the cats who'd just arrived, and disgruntled muttering from those who'd been present upon Watersplash's arrival. Put off by the negative reception, Watersplash fluffed up her fur indignantly; Grasstail purred and craned his neck upwards so he could give her a lick on her cheek. Hs tongue ended up scraping the scars Minnowleap had given her on the night of the storm, but she appreciated the gesture too much to tell him.

"Watersplash, you really have made up your mind about this?" Sandstar asked; Watersplash nodded vigorously. Sandstar dipped his head to her before turning back to the gathered cats. "I will speak to Miststar about this at once, but I don't doubt he'll accept this development. From now on, Watersplash shall be a member of WindClan."

At the front of the crowd, Barkstripe and Appleshine sat side by side, the kits clustered around them. Next to them were Seedpelt and Berryheart, who each had a young apprentice sitting next to them. Once Sandstar adjourned the meeting, all four of them ran up to Watersplash, followed by the kits.

"I can't believe you're our Clanmate now," Berryheart meowed. "That's great!"

"Yeah, now Grasstail can finally stop sneaking off in the middle of the night to see you," Appleshine added with a purr.

At her paws, Sprucekit scampered around excitedly, while Ripplekit and Featherkit hung back, eyes wide in amazement. "So, what's gonna happen now?!" Sprucekit demanded. "Is Watersplash going to move into the nursery and raise us, or is that still gonna be Appleshine and Barkstripe's job?"

Watersplash and Grasstail exchanged a glance; Watersplash honestly hadn't thought of that. She was about to admit she didn't know, and had made the whole decision to join WindClan thinking only of getting away from Clanmates she wasn't too fond of- particularly Oakleaf- and being able to see Grasstail every day. The kits had been a factor in her decision too, of course, but she hadn't really figured out a plan… Then Grasstail spoke up and saved her from having to confess how unplanned the whole thing was.

"I don't think it matters who raises our kits," he said, turning to look lovingly at Watersplash. Warmth spread throughout her body when his eyes met hers, and she affectionately nuzzled his cheek. "Watersplash and I are together now, and we'll figure it out; we always have."

Watersplash purred. It was a good answer.

—END—

A/N (again): wow, I can't believe I'm finally finished this story! The events in this fic took place in the span of about a year, and even though it didn't take that long to actually write, it did take quite a few months…

I'm really sorry if you followed me for warriors content, because I honestly don't know if I'm going to write any more warriors fic in the foreseeable future. The next thing I upload will probably be DS9 fanfic (probably more Quodo) or maybe some Shakespeare stuff, I don't know. Or I could surprise everyone by writing about a couple of cute Japanese dorks in love. Anyways, um… bye!