HELLO! HELLO! HELLO! IT'S EPILOGUE TIME!

REVIEWS!

I want to thank all of you for your reviews and support, whether you reviewed once or every single chapter, I'm truly grateful to all of you! I have to hurry, so forgive me not answering individually this one time (gives you incentive to go and review on the spin-offs now?) More information on that on the bottom, but thank you all so much for sticking with me through this (very) long trilogy process!

Epilogue

"The mountains finally have peace."

Song lifted her head, ears pricked as that old, familiar voice resounded in her head. "Time," she sighed, turning around knowing she would find the ancient black tom. He was there, standing with his head raised and a glow in his red eyes that was unnatural and yet, suited him. Song noted that he seemed wearier than the last time she had seen him.

"It's good to see you, Time," she mewed warmly, walking across the starry meadow to her old friend. But he took a step back and shook his head. He was always like this, he never stayed in the starry hunting grounds like most long-dead cats. It was part of his curse, he had nowhere to belong, so he wandered around looking for others to share his gift and curse with.

Time turned and stalked away with his back toward her, but didn't make to leave. "So, after three generations-"

"Four," Song corrected.

"Four generations," he gave her an annoyed look, "You've finally corrected the path of the mountain cats." He didn't sound pleased, or impressed. Song knew why.

"I never forced them to take their paths," she objected as he gave her a disapproving look.

"You pushed them hard enough," he scoffed.

"You helped me," Song reminded him, walking up behind him, the soft moonlight glowing like silver on their black fur. But while hers sparkled with stars, his remained pitch-black like a moving shadow.

"Yes, because I respect you and it is not my concern," Time mewed gruffly, averting his eyes from hers. "Giving Scorch those powers and guiding Jay along when she started breaking your plans helped keep me occupied for a time."

"But now it's over," Song broke in abruptly, flicking her ears at the mention of Jay.

The tom rolled his eyes, "You still can't stand her?"

Song growled, "It was hard-hearted cats like her that led the mountain cats along the wrong path to start with. But she's doing an acceptable job for now."

Time looked around the meadow and with a flick of his paw a round surface, like a clear pool, appeared, and images moved inside it. "'Acceptable?'" he echoed.

In the pool was an image of Jay training a young group of cats on how to properly hunt as teams, working with a filed-out and able Adder to demonstrate the moves. "She's doing more than an 'acceptable' job if you ask me."

"Well, I didn't ask," Song mewed, fur fluffing up defensively as she viewed Jay through a slitted glare. "She rubs me the wrong way," the black she-cat admitted with a growl.

To her surprise, Time laughed out at that and she looked up to see his eyes glittering brightly. "Aren't you a little too old to hold such petty feelings?"

"And aren't you too old to tease me so?" Song shot back, but she was on the brink of laugher now. She knew she was a little ridiculous, but Jay was too wild and unpredictable, she didn't like the idea that the fate of the mountains was in her paws.

"And what would Ice say if she knew you were so suspicious of her mother?" Time asked, a little more seriously.

Song's whiskers drooped, her heart had broken when the young she-cat had died. To have to go and guide a young cat with so much life ahead of her to a place in the stars was hard enough. But to know that it was her fault, that was even worse. It was as Time said, she had set Rainstone, Scorch, and Ice all upon their paths. She wondered if it was karma that the one cat she passed up, Jay, was the one who saved the mountains in the end. Of course, if it wasn't for her, Jay never would have been born, but she wasn't splitting hairs.

"Let's leave Jay alone for now," Song interrupted, slashing her tail through the picture pool and dissolving it in a few seconds. She raised her head, taking a deep breath of the cold, mountain air. It tasted like frost on the tongue and burned deep in your lungs- but not one that hurt like in the deep cold season, this burn invigorated you.

Song closed her eyes, she could remember the first time she'd breathed this air. It was so long ago, before any other cat had come to call this valley a home. Bleary eyed and with bleeding paws, she and her family had found refuge here and together had made a home of it.

And now, after many trials and difficulties, so many lives and deaths later, the cats of this valley were finding their own refuge here. It warmed her through like no sunlight could. "You truly love this valley, don't you?" Song sighed at the rhetorical question. The answer was obvious, she had never loved something so much, and it was for that reason that she had gone through all the time, effort, and risk to bring the valley, and the cats living in it, to this peace. Even if it meant sacrificing Ice and hurting Rainstone, Scorch, and Jay, Song would do it all over again.

"Not that I don't enjoy your company," Song mewed, breaking off from her nostalgia to face Time again, "But you don't usually wander in here for a simple chat."

Time dipped his head, "I was passing through and I got an unusual request."

Song pricked her ears and then lifted her nose as four distinctly different, but all foreign scents washed upon her. Although there was nothing to fear in this star protected haven, Song's fur instinctively bristled at the scent of strangers. Though they weren't that strange, for she recognized them almost immediately.

Out of the shadows stretched four shadows, all merging at a point to form a black spike angled at her. Song lifted her head proudly. Before she had met these cats with her head down, begging for their help as she followed Rainstone far away from her thousand-season home to try to fix the mess in the valley.

And now they all stood together again, and this time Song could look them in the eyes and be confident in herself and in her descendants. "Song, it's been a long time," Seedtail, an ancient ThunderClan medicine-cat mewed, stepping forward. He had always been a bit wary of aiding her, an outsider, but now his foggy blue eyes glowed with genuine warmth as he met her in her starry skies.

"I am honored that you have traveled so far to see me," Song mewed, dipping her head as she welcomed her visitors. She was happy to be reunited with the only StarClan cats that she could call friends, and particularly with Softpaw, a former WindClan apprentice whose death had united the Clans long enough to grant them peace for many moons.

The gentle pale orange she-cat was as delicate and friendly as ever, while Smokepool's ShadowClan humor amused her as they drifted through the stars all night long. Apparently things by the lake had become calm, calm enough for the four of them to venture out to visit her.

The black she-cat paused as they neared the top of one of the mountain peaks, the stone below her paws was smooth and cold and the clear, and above the ebony sky was smeared with silver stars and haloed the full white moon that rested on top of the mountain peak.

"Time left," she observed, finding that the black tom had slipped off somewhere along the way.

Rosewing bobbed her head, "He left on our way up, just before we were half-way up. I am thankful that he guided us on our way to the valley before he left though," Leave it to the former RiverClan deputy to notice the exact moment Time departed.

"I really am grateful that you all took the time to visit me," Song changed the subject, after all, they were all aware that Time had a habit of ignoring what was considered 'proper' goodbyes.

"It was a special occasion," Seedtail answered, nodding his brown tabby head, although his fur looked white in the full moonlight.

"That's right," Softpaw's blue eyes sparkled, "In the Clans they are celebrating their liberation from Nightwing and Pinefur. And we do have you to thank for that. If it hadn't been for you, Rainstone, and Scorch, I imagine the Clans would have had a much tougher time of it," Softpaw sighed.

"You came to us, ragged and desperate all those moons ago," Smokepool joined in, "And more determined than a cornered rat. We thought we were all being high-pawed and generous with you, being the only members of StarClan that were willing to give you an ear. But in the end, you and your kin were the ones who saved us."

Song was stunned as all four cats dipped their heads to her. "Thank you, Song."

The black she-cat could have wept with joy or hidden her face in embarrassment, but either way her chest was full of emotion as she nuzzled first Softpaw and Smokepool, and then surprising Seedtail and Rosewing with an affectionate cuddle as well. "You don't know how happy this makes me," the old black she-cat's voice rasped, "But I should really be thanking all of you. I can never repay what you did for me."

"Oh no! Don't speak of debts! We're trying to be happy tonight!" Smokepool mewed, nudging her up until the five of them stood on top of the mountain peak, the mountains rising and falling in peaks and ravines in one direction and in another, the green valley sweeping out like an oasis for life among all that cold stone.

They stood, gazing at the moon in rapture. It was so big tonight, Song could close her eyes and feel herself being dragged up into it. At this very moment, all was right in the world. Despite her being long dead. She was content with her friends around her and her family near to her. She had accomplished what she had dreaded was a fool's goal, and on her journey, had made new friends and helped many a cat.

"I think," Rosewing mewed quietly, "That this is the start of a propitious time."

Song's ears twitched as Smokepool snorted at Rosewing's choice of words and Softpaw whispered desperately to Seedtail, "What does 'propitious' mean?"

Song felt a grin spread to her face as she rested her eyes on the glowing white moon, "Yes, Rosewing, I think you're right."

...

HURRAY! IT'S OVER! But not really, 'cause spin-offs. Okay! So I know you don't need excuses, but the reason this epilogue took forever was because after the last chapter I didn't write again for a week, and then after I wrote the epilogue, I hated it, so I went and redid it (I've never done that before) And now it's better, though I would write it again a little differently, but I decided this is for the best.

Alright! For the spin-offs, or side-stories, whichever, I'm going to do both. The first will center on Rainstone and Scorch, so keep an eye out for Legacy: Unbroken (tentative title, just keep an eye out for a story made by me.)

Because of college and work, I am SO pressed for time. But I really enjoy writing so I'm going to find a way! I just have to figure out how... It may be awhile, but I'll be back!

Once again, thank you all for reading this. It makes me so happy that people enjoy what I write, even if it is just a little ^^ I hope to see you again, so long for now!