Dear Reader,

Seasons come and go. Tides rise and recede. The moon has its phases, and even the stars don't last forever.

At the end of my own time, before the bridge between this world and the next, I write down the story of my life. My baptism in the rainforest was many years in the past, and as I have aged, I found that my memory has begun to slip. This helps me remember the lessons I have learned, the faces I've seen and places I've been.

My coat is streaked with white, now. My joints are old and creaky. But this old dog isn't done yet. Oh, no.

Did you think I was going to end my story there?

My legacy is longer than that, I assure you. What I have written so far is but a piece of the puzzle that my life became. Battles fought, sunsets watched, love won and lost...some call me a living legend for doing so much. I have other names, to be sure.

The Halfwolf.

Silent One.

Beta.

Ghostclaws.

Number 46.

Alpha.

Friend of the Family.

Student.

Father.

Ambassador.

Son.

Lover.

Friend.

The Dane's Bane.

Traitor.

Slave.

But you can call me Echo. It's my name, or at least the one I chose for myself. And if there's any lesson you should learn from me, it's this: don't let the facts get mixed up with the truth. But I digress. My bones are weary and these eyes aren't what they used to be. So before I forget...

Let me tell you the rest of my tale...

Author: Fear not! The sequel shall come! I shall be posting the link in a subsequent chapter once I've written the first few parts and had them sufficiently edited. Any information about it you can find HERE!

Don't expect it for a while, though.

I suppose I should say a few words, or something like that. It sort of feels like i'm losing a friend by wrapping this story up. It was a first for me, in a lot of ways. It was my first featured work, that I suppose brought me into the limelight as a moderately-known author. It's featured on Equestria Daily! Holy tits, was that the best day of my life when I saw it up there! Writing became a habit for me (both good and bad) thanks to this fic, and I must admit, I had a lot of fun writing it.

I'd like to thank anyone who ever offered me criticism. It was you who helped me develop this story better than I could ever have imagined.

I'd like to thank all of those who submitted fan art. I was completely blown away by it - truly, to the core. You guys gave my work a face, and something to represent it by.

I'd like to thank my Supreme Master Lord Chief Editor, Nathan Traveler, for being a total douche canoe, riding my ass about the terrible writing I dare create in hilarious and unpredictable ways.

And, I'd like to thank myself, for losing that ridiculous bet I took so long ago that resulted in my entrance to writing fanfiction.

Damn, I'm good.