At last, the Golden Heather epilogue is here! I can never thank you guys enough for reviewing my story and following it through all 15 chapters (whew!). I have much appreciation for the support I've gotten. Hope you enjoy the epilogue!Epilogue
Jayfeather sat in the middle of the stone quarry, his head bowed against the rising sun. His tail flicked lazily back and forth behind him and his ears twitched as he heard another cat approaching. The cat came up beside him and sat down, wrapping their tail around Jayfeather comfortingly.
"Hollyleaf," murmured Jayfeather, "why are you up this early?"
"I could ask you the same question," Hollyleaf purred. "You looked a little down, so I wanted to see what was going on."
The medicine cat apprentice blinked blindly as he lifted his head. He stared straight ahead, towards the camp entrance. "I'm just thinking about Lionclaw," he admitted. "I'm still worried about him."
Hollyleaf's green eyes glimmered in the early-morning light, her pelt shimmering with golden sparks. "Lionclaw was the greatest fighter in all the Clans!" she proclaimed. "He won't be harmed. And he'll protect Heathergaze with his life, too, you know that."
"I know," sighed Jayfeather, "I just wish he would come back. He's our brother, and I miss him. Leafpool keeps telling me that he's going to be fine, but I still can't help but worry."
Cuffing Jayfeather's ear lightly, Hollyleaf scolded, "you're beginning to sound like Squirrelflight. She worries about Lionclaw all the time."
Jayfeather lashed his tail impatiently. "I wonder how WindClan feels about Heathergaze," he wondered aloud. "I mean, the whole of ThunderClan misses Lionclaw, but what about WindClan and Heathergaze?"
"Listen, Jayfeather, let's just stop worrying about this," Hollyleaf suggested. She licked behind her brother's ear comfortingly. "I'm sure that wherever they are, they're happy together."
-x-x-x-
The mid-afternoon sun shone down brightly on the open moorland. Lionclaw glanced around, searching for prey. His golden eyes glittered in the sunlight, and his pelt burned like fire. He raised his head to the air and sniffed delicately. He could smell rabbit. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a rabbit exit its burrow and take off across the fields. Lionclaw burst off after it.
Running swiftly, Lionclaw approached the rabbit inch by inch. Muscles rippled under his pelt, and his powerful legs pumped harder as he at last caught his prey and sunk his teeth into its neck. Lionclaw slowed down expertly, holding his catch proudly in his jaws. He turned and trotted back towards the makeshift den that he and his mate Heathergaze shared.
"Heathergaze!" he purred, calling her softly as he entered, "I've caught a rabbit for you."
A pretty, light brown tabby was lying on her side among the tangles of gorse and brambles. She smiled as her mate dropped the rabbit in front of her. "You're getting really good at catching rabbits! I'm sure the kits will enjoy it," she told him, her smoky blue eyes sparkling.
At her words, three young kits stumbled out of the shadows; one of them was a tom, the other two she-cats. They scuttled over to their mother, eyes wide at the sight of the rabbit in front of them.
"Wow!" exclaimed one of the she-cats, a dark brown tabby. Her wide green eyes gleamed with hunger. "I'm starving!"
"It's for you three to share, Leafkit," Lionclaw explained, flicking his tail across his daughter's nose. His other daughter, Featherkit, whose pelt was a very light gray color, was hopping up and down excitedly.
The only tom, Hazekit, approached the rabbit warily. His pelt was a pale ginger, and his eyes were bright blue. "Are you going to eat anything, father?" he asked. "What about you, mother?"
Heathergaze nodded. "Yes, we both will," she told him, "but you three have to eat your fill first." She flicked her ears.
The three kits dug eagerly into the rabbit, ravishing it as if it was the last meal they would ever eat. Lionclaw and Heathergaze looked at each other, amusement glittering in their eyes. The kits were four moons old. The proud parents had named Leafkit after Leafpool, Featherkit to remind them of Crowfeather, and they had chosen the name Hazekit to set their only son apart from his sisters.
At last, Featherkit glanced up from her meal and mewed, "your turn!" She bounded towards Lionclaw and Heathergaze and poked her father's front leg.
Heathergaze sat up with a purr and stretched her limbs, her muscles stiff from sleep. Hazekit stepped back and watched as Leafkit and Featherkit play-fought near the entrance to the den.
"Be careful, or a hawk will come and sweep you up," teased Lionclaw as Heathergaze took a bite of the rabbit. "Kits are their favorite meal, especially ones like you." He smiled and flicked his tail back and forth playfully.
Hazekit's tail stood straight up. "I can kill a hawk easy!" he proclaimed, his fur bristling. "If one comes down and tries to hurt us, I'll roar at it and it'll fly away scared halfway to StarClan!"
Lionclaw realized how much Hazekit resembled himself as a kit. He purred and cuffed his son lightly around the ear. "I'm sure you will," he mewed, "and maybe then no other hawks will try at hurt us because that hawk told them all about you."
"Yeah, they'll all laugh to death when they find out their friend got beaten up by a scrawny little kit," giggled Leafkit.
"Hey!" Hazekit protested, his smoky blue eyes flashing. "No fair!" He tackled his sister to the ground and pinned her there.
Heathergaze sighed. "Come off it, Hazekit," she purred. "Play fair." She nosed his flank, nudging him off of his sister. Featherkit crept up behind Hazekit and poked him with one paw, mewing, "you're it!" She took off in a fit of giggles, Leafkit running beside her. Hazekit ran after them onto the sunny moors, laughter escaping from his mouth.
Lionclaw ate his share of the rabbit, leaving the rest for Heathergaze to enjoy. He sat down beside his mate, intertwining tales with her as they had done when they left the Clans. They rested in the peaceful shade of the den until Heathergaze finished her last bite and pushed the rabbit aside.
"Lionclaw," she murmured, sitting up and rubbing her cheek against the golden tom's muzzle, "are you still confident about our decision? It's been so long, after all."
"I'm still as sure as the day we left," Lionclaw proclaimed, his golden eyes sparkling. Those were the eyes Heathergaze knew she had fallen in love with. "And I was pretty sure of our future then."
The two cats sat in what seemed to be their own separate peace- the rustle of the breeze-blown grass, the kits laughing and playing outside the den, and the sound of their gentle breathing, which was slowly, yet steadily, falling into unison.