Brightheart and Cloudtail: our favorite moments
BY THE EDITOR
Throughout the many years of warriors, all of the generations of cats falling in love and starting their lives together, one pair has stood above the rest as one of the most beloved couples in the series – Brightheart and Cloudtail. Their tender devotion to each other, the warmth and love that radiates from every interaction between them, and the heartfelt tale of Cloudtail helping Brightheart rebuild her life after the dog attack and reassuring her of his love for her and her strength and value, are iconic staples of the series. But what are some of the best moments between this adorable couple? Today, we’re counting down the five sweetest moments between Brightheart and Cloudtail!
5 – No mentor left behind
Brightheart’s desperation to prove herself a capable warrior after losing an eye partly manifested through a particularly strong desire to be a mentor. So when Cloudtail was chosen to mentor one of Willowpelt’s litter and she wasn’t, she couldn’t help but feel a twinge of jealousy, though she did truly feel happy for her mate as well. In a show of his typical sensitivity to her worries, however, Cloudtail picked up on the problem right away. He immediately offered to share the mentoring duties for his new apprentice with Brightheart, perfectly willing to share the pride of this moment if it would make his mate happy. It’s hard not to love how devoted these two are to each other, how much they want to give to each other and make each other happy – and it’s clear Rainpaw couldn’t have asked for two better mentors!
4 – Reassurance and trust
Another moment from the gorgeously-illustrated A Thief in ThunderClan, this scene featured Brightheart expressing frustration over not being able to help wtih Rainpaw’s training as much anymore because of her pregnancy. She stressed how important proving herself just as able as any other cat since losing her eye was to her, and her fears about not being able to contribute well enough anymore. Cloudtail reassured her that she’d more than proven herself, and tried to tell her it was okay to let herself rely on others now, on him and her Clan. Their vulnerability and honesty with each other is deeply touching, as is Cloudtail’s attempts to reassure her to let herself trust in the Clan again, while also not pushing too hard and supporting her at wherever she is in her journey.
3 – Finding a new way forward
Throughout those early days after the dog attack, Cloudtail was the loudest voice in supporting and defending Brightheart. He was the one who demanded Bluestar use the dying apprentice ceremony to make her a warrior, he refused to use the cruel name Bluestar had chosen for her, and he got Firestar to give her a proper name as soon as he had the power to do so. But while she may have needed others to speak in her defense while she was still recovering from the trauma of the attack, she has a voice and a power of her own, and no one appreciates that more than Cloudtail. After she finally got her true name, Cloudtail and Brightheart immediately set to work on training together, finding ways for Brightheart to hunt and fight with just one eye. Despite the doubts of those around them, Cloudtail wasn’t going to let Brightheart be spoken over and have her fate decided for her, and as long as Brightheart was determined to be a warrior, he was determined to help her get there. Their perserverence and trust in Brightheart’s strength paid off, and Brightheart was recognized as a true warrior from the BloodClan battle onward.
2 – A light in the darkness
In the very first field guide, Secrets of the Clans, we got a look into Brightheart’s perspective of the dog attack and the aftermath. The part talking about her relationship with Cloudtail is very short, just a small paragraph, but is so heartfelt and impactful that it is often quoted, and bears repeating here: “I would not have survived that dark time if it weren’t for Cloudtail. He gave me another destiny, and I knew that no matter what I looked like, I would be all right. As long as Cloudtail loved me, I was no longer Lostface, but Brightheart.” The force of his love for her, and his belief in her strength, helped her survive an unbelievably painful ordeal, and helped her to rediscover that strength within herself. Truly one of the most heart-warming glimpses the series gave us on one of its most beloved couples.
1 – Still beautiful
We already included this iconic moment as the winner in another top five list, but it’s just too perfect and beautiful not to include again. Cloudtail’s unwavering gentleness and patience with the freshly-injured she-cat when she finally saw the state of her own face helped keep her steady through the pain of what she was dealing with. His insistence that she was still beautiful no matter what she looked like may have sounded insincere out of any other cat’s mouth, but Cloudtail meant every word. He always saw the true beauty shining from the heart of the cat he loved so dearly, and no matter what she felt about her new appearance, however long it would take to deal with the pain and trauma of her attack, Cloudtail intended to be by her side every step of the way, and he would continue to be by her side for all the moons to come.
