Disclaimer: I only own the characters and plot. The Idea of warriors belongs to Erin Hunter.

Well, this is it people. This is the end. The last chapter. This fanfiction has come such a long way since it begun- Whitescar has come so far from a tiny kit to almost a leader, and I like to think that my writing has developed along the way too! But really, it's you that this is dedicated to. This story has become more successful than I could ever comprehend- almost 700 reviews, and you're the ones that I have to thank for that. So this chapter is for you. This story has been an amazing journey, so thankyou for sharing it with me. Without further ado, I hope you enjoy.

Storm

I woke up to darkness. That was all there was. No shadows, no movement, no light, just endless blackness that didn't move, didn't breathe, didn't talk, didn't feel. it was just... Dark. Suddenly, something flickered into life above my head, a single orb of light that bobbed and floated, before splitting in two, then in two again, each orb dividing into two new ones until the darkness was filled with twisting, spiraling stars, each one of them filling up the sky, blotting out the dark and causing me to flinch away from the blinding light, consuming the nothingness until the entire place was alight with silver fire, a flash engulfing my vision, sending me collapsing to the ground to hide from the scorching glare of hundreds of thousands of suns and stars, all filling my vision. When I opened my eyes once more, the glow was much softer, and I found myself standing in a forest clearing, the stars closer than I had ever seen them before, glinting through the treetops. A light mist writhed around my paws, small spots of light, like tiny fireflies, floating around the air, the grass dotted with silver flowers, the whole forest scented like liquid starlight. Bubbling at the edge of the clearing, a stream wound its way through the trees, the rocks at its bottom coloured duck-egg blue, small fish darting in the waters, the sounds of prey filling the whole scene, causing my ears to come alive, every single sense stimulated into wakefulness as I stood in awe.

Great Starclan, it was beautiful.

Letting out a sigh, I watched as my breath spiraled into the air as it did when icy, however the temperature was neither hot nor cold, the puff of breath joining the mist and writhing around my paws once again.

"Welcome, Whitescar." I whirled around in surprise as a voice sounded from behind me, and a sharp gasp caught in my throat. A sweep of cats, their fur peppered with stars, surrounded me, their eyes white and glowing, paws standing lightly as if they would float away with a single step. The gasp quickly formed into a sob as I recognized the cats; Sharpfang, Harewing, Petalpaw, and so many more. And the cat that had spoken. I found myself staring at the flowing, blue-grey pelt of Rivertail, standing at the head of the group, her tail swishing backwards and forwards softly, a kind smile decorating her features.

"I told you that you'd make it here one day." The former deputy took a step forwards to speak with me, the faces of so many starlit cats standing behind her, watching me with delighted expectation in their eyes. "Before you decide to take on leadership of Forestclan, Whitescar, I must warn you. The clan is in shock at Ashstar and Stormblaze's deaths. They agreed to take you as leader because they were scared of what you would do if they didn't accept. Very few cats trust you, and leading them will be a difficult trial." Rivertail spoke with a gentle warning to her voice. "There will be those who will never truly accept you. Some may even try and kill you. But you will gain their trust in time. It will be dangerous, but I believe that you can do this. Do you still wish to lead Forestclan, Whitescar?" The she-cat's words froze me to the spot, but I nodded weakly.

Forestclan needs you. You can't just abandon them... A voice inside of my head reminded me, and I swallowed, my throat dry.

"I accept Leadership of Forestclan." Rivertail bowed her head, then took another step towards me, closing her eyes and pressing her nose against my forehead gently.

"With this life, I give you the skill of Mentoring. Use it to train the young cats of your clan." A sudden jolt of pain sliced through me, and I slammed my claws into the earth, resisting the urge to scream out, my breath gasping in my throat as the pain faded into a sudden sense of youth and life, the thrill of running through the forest filling me, my mind young, filled with the excitement of being out of camp for the first time. Drawing in a shuddering breath as the sensation faded away, I blinked stars away from my eyes, watching numbly as Rivertail stepped away, a pitying look to her eyes. As the former Deputy drew back, a small, golden cat padded over to me, grinning widely, eyes wide with excitement.

"Brightpaw!" I let out an exclamation of surprise, and the apprentice bounced on her paws joyfully.

"They're letting me give you a life, Whitescar!" She tried to jump up to touch my nose, and I realized how much time must have passed since her death, she had been just smaller than me when she had been found strung up in the tree, and now the young cat barely came up to my chest fur. Leaning down, I let her press her nose clumsily to mine, as she tried to speak the words of the ceremony without laughing or falling over.

"I give you a life for the small things in life! Use it to appreciate every leaf, every item of prey, every butterfly and every ray of sunshine." I felt a rush of awareness overwhelm me, every star suddenly sharply defined, the rustle of the leaves, the scent of the water, the path of a small bee darting between the silver flowers, the rush of beauty and life causing pain to echo through my head, my eyes squeezing shut as I waited for it to fade out again. Brightpaw stepped away from me once more, and was replaced by Petalpaw, also grinning as she pulled my muzzle down towards her with her brown and silver paws.

"I give you a life for tireless energy! Use it to lead Forestclan with the speed of the wind!" This life brought no pain, only a surge of exhilaration, the feeling that I could run for moons filling me, a breathy laugh escaping me as the energy faded, leaving my heartbeat racing. The next cat to approach was Sharpfang, her tail curling around my spine in greeting, her warm, honey-smooth voice purring a greeting into my ear.

"I've missed you so much Whitescar. You were like my own kit." Her scent wreathed around me, and I closed my eyes, almost able to believe that I was still in the nursery, curled up asleep by her side.

"I give you a life to love the clan like a mother loves her kits. Let it sharpen your claws and grant you strength beyond comprehension." I was unprepared for the jolt of ferocity that followed, pain unlike anything I had ever felt before gripping into me, my legs buckling, almost crashing me into the ground, the pain seemingly endless, the fire of battle and the will to fight till the very last breath overcoming me before it faded away, leaving me shaking and breathless. I swallowed heavily, my throat dry and burning, watching as Sharpfang tapped me gently with her tail, and Harewing moved away from the crowd, her pelt sleek and unmarked as she wordlessly leaned down and pressed her nose against my forehead.

"I give you a life for Peace. You have brought it to the clan by ridding them of Ashstar and Stormblaze- may you do the same for seasons to come." This life was a harsh contrast to the ferocity of the previous, a lightness overcoming my limbs, my body feeling as if it was suspended in the clouds, the light of dawn washing over me. A small sigh huffing from my jaws, I descended slowly back to the ground, eyes fluttering open to view Skyheart, his eyes casting a faint glow upon his grey fur.

"I died without the chance to apologize to you for my cruelty. I see now how I was manipulated, and I give you this life in the hope that you will forgive me and my siblings." The tom pressed his nose to mine, his voice low and hushed. "I give you a life for Justice, so that you may give to others what I was unable to give to you." This life came as a sharp jolt of pain that sent a gasp escaping from my jaws and into the air, then the pain was gone, replaced with a serenity and sureness of judgement that let my mind rest, healed of all its doubts. I nodded my head to Skyheart as he stepped away silently.

"T-thankyou... You didn't deserve to die the way you did." The grey cat merely blinked sorrowfully towards me, his tail flicking slightly, eyes white and empty, before he joined the ranks of Starclan without another word. By this point I was shaking violently, my mind whirling, body aching as if it couldn't hold the lives that were being poured into it, unable to handle the burden, overwhelmed by the responsibility and power that was coursing through my veins and flooding my mind. Attempting to force down my doubts, I looked up to where the next cat stepped forwards, a small she-cat, no older than five moons, skipping over to land at my feet, her unfamiliar spiky tabby pelt raised in excitement.

"My name is Fernkit!" She squeaked at me, small tail sticking up into the air like a twig. "I lived in Reedclan many moons ago, and I was just like you, my parents and sisters didn't think I deserved to live, so they lead me out to the river and drowned me when I was almost five moons old." I felt claws of anger that felt like ice sink into my heart as the kit explained her death, then leaned down as she tried to press her nose against mine, a stab of wonder coursing through me as I saw how excited she still was, despite the conditions of her short life. "I give you a life for Courage! Don't let anything hurt you, and fight with the bravery of Lionclan!" I felt a warmth like fire consume me, and suddenly I was running, the forest burning around me, cats of the ancient clans following me into battle as the embers flung upwards from my paws and danced in the air like stars. Then I was back, standing shaking in front of Fernkit, her eyes pitying as she whispered to me.

"I've been watching you Whitescar. I wish I could have been as strong as you..." Standing shocked, I was unable to reply as she trotted back to stand beside Petalpaw, who swept her tail around the kit protectively. Looking up, I found myself staring towards a huge brown she-cat, tabby pelt criss-crossed with scars, her eyes blank and white yet still filled with emotion as she looked down on me.

"My name is Oakstar, the leader before Ashstar." She stooped down to press her nose to mine, her long, plume-like tail sweeping side to side. "I give you a life for Acceptance. Use it to treat all cats the same, and never discriminate against others, no matter who they are." This life was once again calm, taking me over with a sense of understanding and equal-mindedness, my body staying routed to the ground with a wonderful sense of security and trust. Oakstar dipped her head, and stepped aside, revealing the cat who would gift me with my final life. I let out a small sob as I was met by wide, formerly crystal blue eyes and sleek grey pelt, Ripple standing in front of me, a warm smile in place on his features as I stumbled towards him, collapsing against his side, burying my nose into his fur and drinking in every last breath of his clear, airy scent, his fur soft and star-speckled, glowing faintly as he pressed his nose against the top of my head until I drew backwards, my eyes wide with joy.

"You didn't think I'd miss this, did you?" He chuckled softly. "When I told you I'd always be there, I meant it." I let out a sob as he curled up against me, his breath warm by my ear. "Never once have I left your side. Just because you can't see me, it doesn't mean I'm not there." Ripple pulled away once more, then pressed his nose to mine.

"I give you a life for Love. Give to your clan what you gave to me. Learn to trust, learn to be happy, and learn to move on. I'll be waiting for you, Whitescar. I don't care how long I have to wait. I promise you, I'll be the first to welcome you into Starclan." With every word, I felt lights surround me, whirling faster and faster, my eyes wide as they danced and sung in my ears, then crashed into me, leaving me shaking, scared, but so, so alive. Ripple stepped back, opening his mouth to speak.

"I name you Whitestar, leader of Forestclan. Your old life is no more; use those you have been granted to help your clan in any way you can." He blinked his dazzling eyes. "You are the Light, Whitestar. Shine brighter than the stars." With those words, a quiet murmur began, rising upwards and upwards into a cheer, the ranks of Starclan calling out my name to the sky, the ground reverberating with the noise, the fireflies dancing in the corner of my eyes with the beat of the voices, leaving me dazzled and breathless.

"Whitestar! Whitestar! Whitestar!" Ripple stepped towards me once again, and pressed up against me, his voice lower than the others, barely a whisper, yet it filled my ears and my heart.

"Go and look after your clan, Whitestar. I'll be waiting..." The stars around me began to dissolve, pulling into one another as the light faded further and further away, until only Ripple was left, standing before me in a sea of blackness.

"I love you."

Then he was gone.

The next night, I lay awake in the starlight. Shifting slightly from where I lay in my nest in the leaders den, I padded outside, then sat down in the middle of the camp, the night air chilling me as I tilted my head up towards the star-scattered night, my breath whispering from my jaws and curling up into the cold, still sky, tendrils of smoke stretching their fingers up into the dark.

"Ashstar, Stormblaze," I spoke up to the stars, my voice calling out to my brother and Father. "I don't know where you are, or if you can even hear me, but if you can, you'd better be listening. You thought that you could destroy me. You beat me down into the dirt until I was little more than the earth beneath your paws. But look at me now. You made one mistake. You underestimated me. I am the Light that the prophecy spoke of, and there was nothing that you could ever have done to stop me." I blinked slowly, watching as my words trailed up into the sky, twisting and expanding to become one with the thousands of stars that crowded its depths.

"My name is Whitestar, and I'm more than you think."