Sunstar's Rise

Epilogue

(Cries, sobs, dies). This will be my first book completed, ever! (Not counting school projects....) Thanks guys for your support and for voting, sharing, and commenting. This book was my very first book, and if you've noticed, it's really bad, especially the beginning. I have changed multiple events in this book to make my (horrible) story plot come together. I haven't had a single soul comment and say this was a piece of crap, or none that came from any good people. I do not want people yelling at me for killing off Lion'star' and Stormheart, but again, who could bother to separate them?? She would've gotten nine lives, while he didn't even live a full one. And sometimes, the main character isn't invincible, and I think that's a good point of the story. Thank you all for reading this far, and if you voted, I think I'd wet myself with joy. (Not really....)

Now, I give you, the epilogue!

Liontail's P.OV. 

It was a mistake, she thought. She hadn't chosen Brambleclaw to lead ThunderClan. She had been foolish to think her son could do it. Give a brand new warrior leadership. What was she thinking? He had never even led his own patrol before! He didn't know anything about being a warrior, let alone a deputy, or even a leader! She hissed at herself. "He'll be fine," She murmured, her golden pelt dappling in the StarClan sun. 
"Yes, and he's here." Liontail perked her head up.
"What do you mean, he's here?" Stormheart purred at her question. 
"He has come to us through the Moonpool, to receive his nine lives." Her mate murmured. She stood up and nuzzled his neck fur, which was, as usual, all messed up and ungroomed looking. "Come on, StarClan is gathering!" He meowed, racing her past the marshes and the caves and the forests of StarClan's territory. 

Sunclaw's Point Of View

This was it. He was going to become the leader of ThunderClan, and he hadn't even been a warrior for a moon. He would mess everything up. No, I won't. My mother chose me, and she knew what she was doing. Besides, all the senior warriors agreed to help me along my path. Brambleclaw is the best deputy I could have hoped for, and I have to believe I can do it. My Clan looks up to me now. I have to show them strength. 
Sunclaw stared at the approaching paws. They weren't gray or golden like he'd hoped. They  were a fiery orange. Firestar!  Sunclaw nearly leaped to his kin when he remembered he was ThunderClan's leader. 

He smoothed his fur to look strong and peaceful, and he thought he noticed Firestar hide the amusement in his eyes. "Welcome, Sunclaw. We've been waiting..." The former ThunderClan leader whom Sunclaw had thought invincible for so long now stood in front of him, along with several other rows of StarClan cats. Their fur was glossy and kept, all for except his father's, who smiled at him from beside his mother. 

Liontail seemed a bit uneasy, but once she met her golden son's gaze it faded into wisdom and determination. He saw her murmur into Stormheart's ear quickly before his father laughed slightly and murmured something back. 
Sunclaw dipped his head to Firestar and looked around at StarClan. Lionheart, Frostfur, Speckletail, and Goldenflower were some of the cats he recognized from the battle that he had heard names of. All past warriors of ThunderClan were there. There to see him take over their beloved Clan into his paws and care. 

He blinked and realized *Exactly where the story deleted* that a she-cat was padding forward. It was definitely a cat he knew. But he never actually knew her... The silver and gray she-cat purred. "Hello, Sunclaw." Feathertail meowed, standing before him. "I give you a life to cherish every moment, no matter who it's with, from the smallest kit to the grumpiest elder," Sunclaw looked back to see Firestar's eyes shining at the mention of an elder, and he guessed that he was thinking of Sandstorm and Graystripe, who weren't the youngest. 

The pain swallowed him whole until it stopped, almost jerking him off his own paws. He hadn't noticed that he had closed his eyes during the river of pain, and when he opened them, Hollyleaf, a black she-cat that had risked her life several times for so many cats, stood before him. "I give you a life to remember that the nicest decisions aren't always right. Just because you think that it will benefit one cat, does not mean it will benefit all of the clan. But remember, your kin still need you. " This time, he saw memories flash through his mind, some his own, sitting in the nursery, another one where it was all black, and finally to when he had to announce his deputy. "Brambleclaw," He meowed, his voice almost faltering. He saw his brother look away from his gaze as cats congratulated the tabby warrior. Brambleclaw nodded as Squirrelflight purred beside her mate, and Oakleap walked away while Edgeheart and Stormriver padded over to him as he leaped off the Highledge. "You two seem happy," He purred. Stormriver smiled at him before the pair wandered off, but Oakleap padded towards him only to his, disappointment? "I understand. You aren't even ready to be leader, why would I be your second in command?" And those words nearly tore him apart. Brambleclaw appeared beside him, "I'll serve you as the most loyal cat you've known. You aren't alone; I'll help you along the way." Brambleclaw's warm gaze on him fascinated him, until he remembered he had mentioned Hollyleaf as a brave warrior that wouldn't have let her clan suffer, and that Brambleclaw must have been showing gratitude. Meanwhile, Oakleap looked broken inside as he padded away, tail dragging in the dust behind him. Then he saw Rosepetal dart after Oakleap and Sunclaw smiled a little more as the two disappeared into the warriors' den. 

Pain pierced through him like needles and lightning. It wasn't as bad as his first life, but it definitely had hurt him. He noticed Liontail had a small smile, and he flexed his muscles so he could tense for the next life and he would look stronger in front of these cats that needed him to be strong not for them, but for their own kin that lay beside the lake.