Nightheart and Sunbeam: our favorite moments
BY THE EDITOR
Throughout the mystery, betrayal, and loss of A Starless Clan, the love story between Nightheart and Sunbeam has served as a beacon of light. Their respect and admiration for one another, their willingness to listen and understand each other, and their love and faith in one another are what any couple could strive for. But what are some of their best moments in the series? Today, we’re counting down the sweetest, the most memorable, and the overall best moments between Nightheart and Sunbeam!
5 – Understanding each other
This moment from the journey to find catmint in Sky isn’t sweet or lovey-dovey at first glance, but at a closer glance, it truly shows the level of understanding these two had for each other even this early in their acquantaince, which hinted at how truly compatible they were and the strength of the relationship to come. In the scene in question, Sunbeam got trapped under a fence, with a monster bearing down on the half still stick on the wrong side of the fence, and she became too panicked to listen to the rest of the patrol trying to get her loose. But where all the other cats failed to get through to Sunbeam in the midst of her panic, Nightheart succeeded. He reminded her that Lightleap, whose friendship with Sunbeam had soured due to jealousy and harsh words, was watching and not to let her old-friend-turned-rival see her panic. Through the conversations the pair had shared about the percieved betrayals from friends and family and the loneliness they felt within their own Clans, Nightheart had come to understand Sunbeam so deeply that he understood exactly what she needed to hear to break her out of that panic. And when the ordeal was over and the other cats asked what Nightheart had said to calm Sunbeam so easily, he knew better than to reveal something so potentially embarrassing for Sunbeam. It would be their little secret, and the start of a deep understanding and connection between the two.
4 – No matter how far
This isn’t really a singular moment, and doesnt involve the pair together, but lends itself so well to showing the deep love and faith Nightheart and Sunbeam have in each ther that we just had to include it. When Nightheart left for his journey with Frostpaw to the park in Thunder, his greatest regret by far was leaving Sunbeam so soon after she came to ThunderClan to be with him. Throughout the journey, Nightheart’s thoughts were frequently on his mate, and he balanced his faith in her ability to pass the trials while he was gone and faith that she would still want to be with him after having to leave with natural guilt over having to leave without a word. Meanwhile, Sunbeam focused on passing the trials and finding a home and family with ThunderClan, but her beloved Nigtheart was never far from her thoughts. Thanks to Squirrelstar speaking with StarClan, she knew why Nightheart had left the way he had and why he’d had to go, and her faith in him returning to her was strong. Her chance to complete the trials alone and make her own connections with ThunderClan separate from just being there as Nightheart’s mate actually made their relationship stronger – it allowed them equal footing as warriors of the same Clan, each confident in their own place and ability, together because they choose to be together rather than either feeling depeendent on the other in a strange Clan.
3 – For you, not for them
This scene from Wind shows the pair’s devotion to each other is strong enough to overcome their adversity with others. When Nightheart was in ShadowClan trying to pass his trials, Berryheart made his life as difficult as possible. She confronted him in private, trying to dissuade him from being her daughter’s mate, and she made his trials as difficult and dangerous as she could. There’s certainy no love lost between Nightheart and his mate’s mother. But no matter his feelings on Berryheart as a cat, she was Sunbeam’s mother, so when Sunbeam wanted to help her after she became injured as a rogue, Nightheart was immediately ready to put them aside to help his mate help her kin. He voiced some concerns about Sunbeam getting in trouble or Berryheart being unwelcome if Sunbeam tried to bring her to ThunderClan, but despite his worries he helped Sunbeam sneak out to meet her mother and steal herbs to treat her wounds, even sneaking out to meet her kin himself to help them, though they refused to show their faces to the tom Berryheart disliked so much. Their love for each other is stronger than any dislike they may harbor for any other cat, and their support for each other is unwavering, which this situation with Berryheart shows very effectively.
2 – Loving him, loving his Clan
This scene in the latest release Star shows both some of Sunbeam’s strength and confidence in herself, and her confidence in her relationship wtih Nightheart. When the Clan is arguing over letting some of the scattered RiverClan warriors join, Sunbeam is initially worried that the Clan may be turning on Clan-swappers like herself, but she finds her courage to speak up anyway and relate why she belongs there, because so much of what she loves about Nightheart are things she now loves about ThunderClan. She shows the confidence to defend herself and her loyalty, earning the respect of her ThunderClan Clanmates. Afterwards, Nightheart pulls her aside for a more private moment of showing confidence. When he begins lightly teasing her about loving all of the ThunderClan-y things about him, it’s easy to be reminded of a similar scene in River where Blazefire was teasing Sunbeam and she had some unease about not always being able to tell when he’s teasing or where she stands in their conversations. But unlike with Blazefire, here there’s no unease or awkwardness. They understand each other well enough to tease and play with no hurt feelings or misunderstandings, and what might have been an awkward moment between different cats is one of warmth and affirming love for these two.
1 – What comes next?
Between all the Clan-hopping, trials, Nightheart’s journey to the park, and the drama with RiverClan, these two have hardly had a moment to just breathe and enjoy being together. Our favorite moment between them involves them doing exactly that, at the start of Wind while they’re enjoying a patrol together after Nightheart’s return from the park with Frostpaw. After reassuring Sunbeam that she wasn’t alone even after her family’s exile, and that her kin would survive no matter what, the pair took a moment to discuss their future together in ThunderClan. They discussed having kits eventually (which has now become a reality as of the allegiances for The Elder’s Quest), and basked in the moment of warmth and love, for each other, for the family they planned to build, and for the future laid out before them. The amusing interruptions of a WindClan patrol may have cut the moment short, but it remains one of the softest, sweetest moments between this pair.
