Wolffang's eyes blinked open. It had seemed as if all of the pain had disappeared in the instant her eyes had closed. Everything had turned to black and now she was here. She cast a glance around to see the vast, lush forest. Everything shimmered as if made from the stars of Silverpelt themselves. The sight was truly a beautiful one. She glanced around for anyone, but it appeared as if she was alone for now. Mudfoot, Redpaw, and Flamestrike were nowhere to be seen. A strange feeling crept into her stomach. It was as if she knew exactly what had happened, but couldn't quite place her paw on it. The former rogue stood up on all four paws. All of the fire in her shoulder was gone. She looked down to see a clean patch of fur. Her whole pelt looked like it had never bore the wounds of many battles. Any trace of Reno was gone. There was no evidence of Flamestrike's claws. Everything was gone.
She wanted to panic. There was so much to be confused about, so many unanswered questions, and the fact that she had no idea where this place was. But Wolffang was too overwhelmed by a sense of peace to yowl. Even though the former rogue was beyond confused, everything finally seemed alright. The grey she-cat sat down on the sparkling earth. Her tongue lapped over her untouched pelt. For once, it wasn't rough and matted. Cleaning herself felt soothing instead of aggravating. After a moment of this, she closed her eyes and simply enjoyed the feeling of the space. It appeared she was alone here. In the afterlife. She took a bit to come to the conclusion, but it all made sense. Unsurprisingly, she had not made it into the ranks of the warrior ancestors. A sigh escaped her chest at the thought, however, it was quickly interrupted by another voice.
"Welcome to Starclan, Wolffang, we've been waiting for you." A long-furred grey and white tabby purred as she padded over and pressed her pelt up against the new arrival's. Wolffang blinked. She was not only shocked by the warm welcom, but also the fact that this was supposedly Starclan, "You're safe now, my kit." Despite the fact the strange she-cat looked slightly younger than her, there was a sense of age and wisdom that radiated from her. Instead of protesting, Wolffang found herself pressing into the starry cat's warmth. It felt like being a kit again, snuggled up with all her littermates. There were no worries about finding her next meal or fighting off attackers. She was safe. Suddenly, another pelt pressed up against the pair. Her head snapped up and her jaw nearly dropped.
"Puddlepaw?" It was a question more than a statement. She could not believe her eyes.
"Did you think I would miss the chance to welcome my own sister into Starclan?" A happy purr rumbled from the tiny Starclan apprentice. There was no doubt in her head anymore who it was. For moons she had not known of Puddlepaw's fate, and now here they were, together at last in what was supposedly Starclan. A small spark of sweet sadness welled up in her eyes as she looked at her young sister. She had done so much wrong over the moons. Trying to take her sister's mentor had been a mistake. Maybe, if she had stayed in Shadowclan, Puddlepaw would have seen her training through and not ended up here.
"I... I'm sorry, Puddlepaw. I screwed up. I don't know how I'm here, I just-" Wolffang was silenced by a fluffy tail over her mouth. The motherly Starclan cat sent her a silencing look, before softening up. It was like she was quietly being reassured that everything would be alright and nothing needed to be said. Puddlepaw simply chuckled at the whole scene. The knot in her stomach instantly subsided and all the calm returned. Another tiny pelt pressed up against them all. Mosskit was here too. And Badgerpaw. For what seemed like the first time in forever, Wolffang found herself purring happily. Everyone was here. Her whole family that she had lost over the moons. There were no worries about clan origins. No separation of borders. Nothing. She looked up at Puddlepaw with tears of joy in her eyes.
"Like Grasswhisker said, you have nothing to worry about anymore." Puddlepaw promised. Her tone was serious, but there were hints of joy underneath it. Wolffang managed a smile, a genuine smile. It felt strange on her maw, but the feeling was amazing. The past moons had been filled with the same neutral expression as she simply survived. But now everything was more than okay. Just before she could settled down for good in the pile of her loved ones, and the so-called Grasswhisker, Puddlepaw's eyes lit up as she focused on something behind her sister. Wolffang's head whipped around. There he was. A muscular, dark tabby shimmered just like the rest of the ground. Her heart leaped. Eagleheart had come for her too. After moons of being separated by borders, she could be in Starclan with her father! She jumped onto her paws and rushed to him. Her cheek nuzzled against his for the first time ever. He had no complaints. The tom let it happen, and even nuzzled her back.
His amber eyes bore into hers as the Starclan warrior managed a crooked grin. When he finally spoke, the words were as gruff as she remembered them, "It is good to finally see you after so long. You have finally come home to me." Next to him, she felt small. However, in a similar way to the Starclan queen. There was a feeling of comfort standing next to the great warrior. Eagleheart had waited for her in Starclan, along with the rest of their family. Her father had never forgotten her. With her pelt pressed to his, the pair padded over to join the pile of other cats. They all settled down together in a mess of warmth and sharing tongues. For the only time ever in her life, Wolffang had found her family.
