Greenleaf had came. The sun was hot and burning. 

Adderblaze retired. Hollypaw, Hazelpaw, and Hawkpaw became warriors: Hollyfern, Hazelfeather, and Hawkclaw. Kestrelstripe had kits with Stormflight: Lionkit, Firekit, and Smokekit.

Nightstrike continued his warrior duties. And Skyflight had always tagged along with him. 

"Hollyfern, Nightstrike, Skyflight, Cedarfoot, and Fawnmist," Lightfire meowed. "You're going to be on hunting patrol.

"Rainfire, Hawkclaw, and Branchfrost are going to go collect bedding, as there are no apprentinces in the clan."

Hawkclaw muttered something unhappily and Branchfrost cursed. Only Rainfire seems fine with the work.

Nightstrike had to fight the urge to stick out his tongue at the brown warrior. Branchfrost's arrogant personality did not change.

~

The cats entered the forest. 

"Me, Cedarfoot, and Hollyfern will hunt on the right." Fawnmist meowed. "Nightstrike and Skyflight, hunt left."

Skyflight looked happy to be alone with Nightstrike, while the tom himself mentally sighed.

"Come on!" Skyflight meowed cheerfully.

Nightstrike paddled next to her. They hunted in silence, as Nightstrike had not motivation to talk.

Nightstrike stalked a mouse, then pounced, landing squarely on the prey. Skyflight hunted near him, chasing a squirrel in a tree.

She drove the prey downwards, towards Nightstrike's direction. The young warrior caught it.

Skyflight purred. "Let's go catch more prey." Nightstrike buried the squirrel to collect later.

They continued to hunt. Sometimes hunting in pairs, sometimes hunting individually. At last they caught a thrush, a squirrel, three mice, and two voles.

As they headed back towards camp, Skyflight twined her tails with him. "I love you." She meowed, her nose touching his.

"I love you too." Nightstrike lied. But somewhere inside the black warrior's heart, a small ember of love pulsed.

Maybe it wasn't a lie at all.

~

"Smokekit's stuck!"  

All of the cats who were sharing tongues stopped at Kestrelstripe's yowl. 

"What's wrong?" Stromflight, Kestrelstripe's mate, asked.

"Smokekit was climbing our camp's walls, but now he's stuck!"

Sure enough, Smokekit was stuck on a ledge, only small enough for a kit to go on, and too far up for the warriors to reach him. 

"Smokekit." Dappleleaf meowed. "You have to be brave, you're the only one that can get yourself back down."

But Smokekit stayed frozen, terrified. "I-I can't get down."

"One paw at a time." Flutterwing meowed, trying to help the stranded kit.

The tiny kit started sobbing. "I can't... I'll slip."

Dappleleaf flicked her tail impatiently. "Come on, MOVE. It's the only way to get down!"

"Don't worry." Stormflight added. "I'll catch you if you fall." Nightstrike knew that what his former mentor meowed wasn't true. No cat can stop the kit from falling, judging by how high the ledge is.

As if reading his thoughts, Smokekit wailed, "You'll miss and I'll crash."

The cats began muttering to each other, finding a way to get the stubborn kit back onto the solid earth.

"I'm sure you'll be able to think of something." Skyflight whispered to Nightstrike.

Nightstrike could have snorted. "I'm not very good with kits."

But then as he thought of it, could he... move the kit, like how he moved the mouse?

I'll be risky, Nightstrike thought. What if I mess up and flung Smokekit out of the camp?

But as more and more ideas were dismissed, the young warrior came into a conclusion. Using his powers were the only way to get Smokekit back.

Mentally taking a deep breath, Nightstrike concentrated on the grey kit, his eyes staring intently. Move. He thought, Move.

The kit was lifted from the ledge, now floating midair. 

The ThunderClan cats gasped, their eyes all focused on Smokekit, who looked scared out of his life and ready to faint.

Still concentrating, Nightstrike lowered Smokekit to the ground carefully.

Soon the cats began gathering around the small kit, thinking that StarClan must have helped him.

Except for Skyflight, who figured it must be Nightstrike's work. "Did... Did you do that?"

Nightstrike blinked a few times, looking dazed. "Huh?"

"Did you save Smokekit?"

The jet-black warrior snapped back into reality. 

"Yeah." He replied, licking his chest. Would she think that I'm weird?

"How in StarClan did you do that?"

Nightstrike purred. "I have a lot to tell you." He meowed. "Let's talk in the forest."

Skyflight nodded her agreement and bonded forward.

Halfway across the camp, their walk was interrupted.

"Nightstrike!" Sunheart's cheerful meow sounded behind Nightstrike. "What happened while I was on border patrol? Something about Smokekit?"

"I'll tell you later." Nightstrike told his littermate. "I'm going hunting with Skyflight." Kind of. 

"Again? You already did this morning." Sunheart meowed. "I wonder why you two like to spend time with each other so much..." She narrowed her eyes playfully.

"Nothing." Nightstrike felt heat coming off his pelt.

"You sure?" Sunheart let out a mrrow of laughter. "See you later then."

"Yeah." Nightstrike turned, entering the thorn tunnel.

But as Nightstrike bounded through the forest to catch up with Skyflight, he knew that he must have fallen for the sliver she-cat.

Blossomflower... I'm so sorry... He thought, feeling guilty. Nightstrike felt himself slowly losing his grasp, slipping away from the white-furred warrior. But you were right... we'll never be together.

With a heavy heart, Nightstrike let Blossomflower go.