Gracestar sat in the leader den, facing the back wall, paranoid as she tapped her tail on the flat grassy earth below. A sandy tom padded into the den slowly as he meowed softly "I'm here Gracestar..."

Gracestar looked over her shoulder and saw her nephew sitting down behind her. She looked at him a little angry as she meowed "You embarrassed the entire Brightclan when you spoke out last night..."

The tom lowered his ears as he mewed back "I know, Gracestar...but Greystar was the one who killed-"

Gracestar spun around to face the tom and cut him off "Brightmoon...I know Sunstreak...do you not think I know that?"

Sunstreak hesitated as he shifted his paws "He killed my mother, and he started talking fox dung about our clan!"

Gracestar stood to her paws with a hint of glow in her eyes from the sun "When he killed Brightmoon, you didn't just loose your mother...I also lost a sister."

Sunstreak looked away sympathetically as his heart seemed to sink lower into his chest. Gracestar took a step closer to him and tried to meet his gaze "Before she died...I made her a promise I would raise you as my own son...and I did."

Sunstreak looked back up at her with his tail lying flat on the ground. Gracestar finished softly "I just don't want to loose you to from picking a useless fight with another clan."

Sunstreak shot back quickly "You're not going to loose me, Gracestar..."

Gracestar sighed as she looked into Sunstreak's eyes "You have your mother's spirit."

Sunstreak smiled a little at Gracestar's remark, as he saw a white and grey she-cat poke her head in.

Gracestar dipped her head as she meowed "You're dismissed."

Sunstreak simply nodded as he stood to his paws and spun around to leave the den. Gracestar asked before he left "If you want to clear your head...you could help Dawnmist collect herbs?"

Sunstreak just sighed and nodded "Yeah...sure." As he made his way out of the Leader's den and towards the Medicine den, where a light brown she-cat was sitting.

Gracestar watched him go sadly, as the white and grey she-cat with blue eyes entered her den and dipped her head. "Greetings Gracestar...is this a bad time?"

Gracestar watched Sunstreak enter the Medicine den then she looked back at the white and grey she-cat "Your my deputy, Featherflight. It's never a bad time when you enter my presence."

Featherflight smiled a little as she asked looking back towards the clan "Do you want me to send out a border patrol now? There have been rumors of the rogues growing nearer towards our territory."

Gracestar nodded as she replied "Go ahead. If Dawnmist doesn't need Sunstreak's help, could you take him with you?"

Featherflight dipped her head and closed her eyes "Of course." She spun around and padded out of the den as she began calling cat's names to join the patrol.

~*~
The day went by quickly as it soon turned to night, amd the entire Brightclan began making their way into their dens. Sunstreak waited in the warrior den until everyone was sound asleep except for the two guards out front. I need to get past them somehow...

Sunstreak quietly crept out of the warrior den as he saw a twig lying down on the ground. He picked it up and threw it across the camp until it landed loudly on the other side.

Right as both the guards were about to turn around, Sunstreak leapt behind the nursery den and looped around behind it, as it edged closer and closer to the exit, until he was right beside it, still hidden.

One of the guards went to follow the noise, while the other one watched curiously. Sunstreak quickly dashed out behind the guards and managed to escape.

~*~
Dawnheart quickly made her way through the dark and warm forest as she padded nearer and nearer towards the Brightclan border. After a few minutes of walking, she finally saw the border.

She came to a halt right in front of it while she waited for Sunstreak to appear. Is this wrong? To meet him like this? For a split second she questioned whether she could turn back or not, but her paws remained in the same spot.

She then saw Sunstreak come into view as he ran through the flat, grassy field. Dawnheart smiled as she greeted "Hi Sunstreak."

Sunstreak came to a halt on his side of the border until they were facing each other. "Hey Dawnheart."

They stood awkwardly in silence for a few heartbeats before Dawnheart asked "So...what did you want to tell me?"

Sunstreak looked towards where the moon was rising, as he glanced back at Dawnheart smiling "Not tell you, show you. Follow me."

He purred with amusement as he ran past Dawnheart and began racing along his side of the border. Dawnheart tilted her head confused as she quickly followed him.

Dawnheart raced along the Mistclan side of the border while Sunstreak dashed in front of her, on his side of the border. He panted "Almost there."

Dawnheart squinted her eyes as she noticed the thunder path approaching. Are we leaving the territories?

Soon as they came nearer to the thunder path, they both came to a halt beside each other, panting. Dawnheart looked at him "Once we cross the thunder path...we're no longer on the clan territories..."

Sunstreak laughed tired as he nodded "I know." He looked back at the path as he explained "The monsters are never out a night. We can cross safely together."

Dawnheart nodded as she looked straight ahead and lowered herself to the ground, getting ready to break into another sprint.

Sunstreak looked back and forth as he mewed quickly "Go!"

Dawnheart immediately leaped into the road as she raced across, with Sunstreak at her side.

The road seemed very bumpy and hot as they ran across, which made Dawnheart's pads hurt.

Once they finally reached the other side, she happily leaped into the soft grass. Sunstreak stood at her side smiling as he noticed the border was gone.

Sunstreak teased "We could claim this whole territory as our own!"

Dawnheart laughed in agreement, as she realized this is where Sandclan could stay for now...but that means they couldn't meet here anymore.

Sunstreaked pointed his tail towards a hill as he exclaimed "Once we reach the top of the hill, you will see what I wanted to show you."

Dawnheart looked at the hill and nodded as she quickened her pace and approached it, while Sunstreak followed at her side.

Soon as they made their way to the top of the hill, a large, glowing, and beautiful moon was shining.

Dawnheart sat down in awe as Sunstreak sat down by her "Beautiful isn't it?"

Dawnheart kept looking at it as she replied warmly "It's very beautiful."

Sunstreak cleared his throat awkwardly as he meowed "Do you know what else is beautiful?"

Dawnheart looked at him curious with her eyes widened, and sparkiling from the moon light.

Sunstreak laughed worried as he looked down at the grass "This soft and uh...lucious grass!"

Dawnheart laughed confused "What?"

Sunstreak blushed lightly as he purred softly "I don't know..."

Dawnheart tilted her head confused but changed the topic "So...why did you speak out at the gathering last night?"

Sunstreak hesitated as he opened his mouth, but no words came out. Dawnheart meowed quickly "If you don't want to talk about it, you don't have to."

Sunstreak shook his head "No it's fine..." He looked up at Dawnheart "When I was an apprentice, I watched my mother die in front of me when Greystar killed her."

Dawnheart lowered her ears "I-I'm sorry to hear that...I knew she was killed...but by that flea bag?"

Sunstreak smiled a little but continued "Hillclan was trying to claim part of Brightclan territory, and my mother, Brightmoon, was at my side defending it."

Dawnheart saddned at the familiar story of her mother's death. Sunstreak finished "She died saving me...and I never got a chance to say how much I loved her."

Dawnheart lowered her ears sympatheticly as she realised she was granted the chance to say goodbye to Dawnbreeze before she died.

Dawnheart mewed softly "I'm sorry that you lost your mother as well."

Sunstreak asked Dawnheart "What about your mother?"

Dawnheart mewed sadly "Same story as you...only my mother was killed by a rogue during a battle, when I was an apprentice."

He nodded somberly as he meowed "I'm sorry about your mother too."

Dawnheart forced herself to hold back a tear as she looked at the moon, which was now higher in the sky. "Can we stay until sunrise?"

Sunstreak nodded as he smiled "Of course but...don't let him see me around you."

Dawnheart asked surpirsed "Him?"

Sunstreak pointed out "That grey tom-cat you sat by at the gathering."

Dawnheart gasped with shock as she bursted out laughing "That was my brother!"

Sunstreak gasped as he began laughing as well "Oh! My bad."

Dawnheart laughed once more as she purred "You're a great friend, Sunstreak."

Sunstreak smiled as he purred back "You are too, Dawnheart."

After a few moments of silence, Dawnheart managed to ask "Can we meet tomorrow night as well?"

Sunstreak nodded as he lowered his ears warmly "Of course."