The clearing falls silent. Blood glistens on the grass as cold sunlight slices through the trees. Cloudtail struggles to his paws and staggers over to stand beside Graystar, looking down at Scourge's lifeless black body.

"You did it, Graystar," he pants. "You saved the forest."

Graystar gives the young warrior a lick.

"We all did," he meows.

He thinks back to the trouble his former apprentice had caused when he first arrived in the forest. In those days, Graystar would never have imagined he could feel so proud of his apprentice.

"Go and find Cinderpelt, and get yourself something for those wounds."

Cloudtail nods and limps off across the clearing. Looking around, Graystar sees that warriors from each of the four clans are gathering around their medicine cats at the edge of the clearing.

One has become four again; Lionclan is no more.

At first he can't see Sandstorm, and he feels panic welling up inside him. He is not sure he can bear it if he had lost her. Then he sees her stumbling wearily across the clearing. The fur along one flank is stiff with drying blood, but Graystar can see that her injuries are not serious.

"Thank StarClan!" he breaths.

He crosses the clearing in two bounds, and Sandstorm turns her head to look at him, her green gaze filled with relief.

"We did it," she murmurs. "We drove out Bloodclan."

Graystar suddenly feels light-headed, as if the whole of Fourtrees are spinning around him.

"Steady," urged=s Sandstorm, supporting him with her shoulder. "You've lost a lot of blood. Come and see Cinderpelt."

Graystar staggers the rest of the way, drinking in Sandstorm's scent in relief and feeling comfort by the softness of her fur. When they reach Cinderpelt he collapses on the ground, wondering if he is about to lose another life. Then he realizes he can still hear the sounds all around him in the clearing, and the pain of his scratches throb instead of fading as Fernpaw starts pressing cobwebs to the worst of his wounds.

"Is he okay?" That is Longtail's voice. "Hey, come on, Graystar—you can't give up now!"

"I'm not. I'm tired, that's all." Graystar blinks up at the pale gray warrior. "Don't worry; you won't have to be leader for a while yet."

"Graystar." Sandstorm gently prodds his shoulder. "There are more cats coming."

Graystar sits up to see a group of Riverclan cats padding toward him, headed by Leopardstar. The RiverClan leader dips her head toward Graystar. Claw marks cover her pelt, but her eyes are clear and she carries her tail high.

"Well done, Graystar," she meows. "They tell me you killed Scourge."

"Every cat fought well," Graystar replies. "We wouldn't have won unless all the clans joined together."

"True enough," Leopardstar concedes. "But now we must separate again. I am going to take my clan home. We must care for our wounded and grieve for our dead."

The Riverclan cats then vanish into the bushes and up the slope toward their own territory. It will be tough, after everything he has been through to give up his easy friendship with Riverclan and Windclan. But Leopardstar is right, they must separate again.

Graystar's gaze falls on the group of Shadowclan cats not far away; Blackstar gets up to meet him.

"Graystar." The Shadowclan leader narrows his eyes. "So we won the battle after all."

"Yes, we did," Graystar agrees, adding, "What will you do now, Blackstar?"

"Take my clan home. I'm their leader and I have much to fix. We also have much to do to recover, but life in the forest will go on as usual."

"Then I'll see you at the next Gathering."

Blackstar nods, "Yes. I hope there is peace for some moons to come, as we all recover from this."

Graystar nods in agreement, though with how close Riverclan, and Windclan have gotten on with them, there should be peace for more than a few moons. He purrs, unless of course Riverclan wants to fight over Sunningrocks.

The Shadowclan leader then rounds up his cats and led them out of the clearing. Runningnose, the medicine cat, brings up the rear with a glance at Graystar as he goes. Graystar hopes he has better luck with this new leader, after the trouble he has endured with Nightstar and Tigerstar.

Graystar turns back to his own clan and finds himself face-to-face with Barley and Ravenpaw.

"I wouldn't trust Blackstar," murmurs Ravenpaw, watching the last of the Shadowclan warriors disappear into the bushes. "He's a troublemaker if I ever saw one."

"I know," Graystar replies. "Don't worry. Thunderclan will be ready if he starts anything."

Though he doubts Blackstar will start anything, given how he wants to atone for his mistakes and not repeat those of his predecessors.

"At least with Scourge dead, the cats from Twolegplace will have the chance to live in peace," Barley remarks with feeling. "They might have a better life now."

"You wouldn't go back to Twolegplace yourself?" Graystar inquires.

"Not on your life!" Barley's tail shoots straight up. "We're heading straight for home."

"But it was good to fight with Thunderclan again," adds Ravenpaw.

"Thunderclan will always be grateful to you," Graystar tells them warmly. "You're free to come into our territory anytime."

"And you must visit us at the farm whenever you make the journey to Highstones," Barley mews as they turn away. "I expect we'll be able to spare a mouse or two."

With Riverclan and Shadowclan accounted for, Graystar wants to check in with Windclan before he gathers his own cats and heads back to camp.

There is a small group of Windclan warriors clustered around Barkface, their Medicine cat, but nowhere near as many as there should be. Tallstar himself is missing. A prickle of fear runs through Graystar's gray-colored pelt.

Then he sees the Windclan leader emerging from the bushes on the far side of the clearing. Mudclaw and Morningflower and a couple of apprentices are with him. All five cats are panting hard, as if they have been running.

Graystar bounds toward them, expecting to see enemy cats burst into the clearing in pursuit.

"What's going on?" he demands. "Are Bloodclan chasing you?"

Tallstar lets out a satisfied purr.

"No, Graystar. We chased them. We followed them as far as the Thunderpath. They won't be back here in a hurry."

"Good," Graystar meows with deep appreciation. He sees a similar glow in Morningflower's eyes, and realizes that at last she feels avenged for the death of Gorsepaw.

Taking a deep breath, Graystar dips his head toward Tallstar and meows, "We have no further need for Lionclan. There are four clans in the forest again."

He can see that the older leader understood what he is saying. They are no longer allies, but rivals, who can meet in friendship only at Gatherings, even though he wants things to be different. But the clans will always remain separate, rivals that can only be allies in crisis because of the rules that govern their lives and the differences between them.

"We owe you our freedom," meows the Windclan leader.

He dips his head and heads toward the rest of his warriors at the far side of the clearing.

Alone for the first time, Graystar scrambles up to the top of the Great Rock. The sickening stench of blood rose around him, but up here he can look out over the forest and dare to believe that soon the battle will be no more than a distant memory. He imagines the spirits of Starclan all around him, sharing the leadership of his clan. They will be beside him every pawstep until he gives up his last life and goes to join them.

"Thank you, Starclan," he murmurs. "Thank you for staying with us, fifth clan of the forest. How could I ever have thought that I faced this battle alone?"

Suddenly he smells a familiar scent and feels the soft touch of Fireheart's pelt brushing against his fur. His breath is warm in Graystar's ear.

"You are never alone, Graystar. Your clan will live on, and I will watch over you forever."

For a moment Graystar feels all the pain of loss afresh, as if his beloved friend had not died many moons ago, but in this very battle. Then his ears prick at the sound of claws on rock, and as Firehears's scent fades, Graystar sees Longtail and Sandstorm climbing toward him, with Tawnypaw scrambling up behind.

Sandstorm presses her flank to Graystar's.

"Bluestar was right. You rose from the ashes of the fire and saved our clan."

"And now there are four clans again," Longtail adds. "Just as there should be."

No, there are five, Graystar thinks. He looks down over the clearing and the trees that stretched as far as he can see, and his senses filled with the sounds and the scents of his forest home.

A thousand secret whispers tell him that newleaf is stirring in the cold earth, shooting up new green fronds and rousing the prey from its long leaf-bare sleep. The rising sun breaks over the trees and floods the clearing with light and warmth, and it seems to Graystar, among the company of his friends and apprentice, that no dawn has ever been brighter.

Author's Note: And we have reached the end of this book. I do have a sequel planned for this Au called Gamble of Destiny, so look out for that when I publish it. This was a long ride and my second book that reached sixty chapters. First being my Kwamis and Lions Intro Arc book. This is a great accomplishment and I had so much fun exploring the world of warriors through Graystar's eyes and reworking some of the chapters to fit him. Basically I was an editor, and adding new scenes or dialogue because it fits Graystar more. Anyways I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and the whole book, and thanks to all of you who have made it this far.

~Leafbranch