Briarlight and Dovewing were walking together, side by side. They were sent on the sunhigh hunting patrol by Lionblaze, who surprisingly added himself to the patrol when there were already four cats on the job. He had a brief talk with Bramblestar and Squirrelflight before he left; whatever he had told them didn't make the two happy at all. When Leafpool and Jayfeather were told the two went positively haywire. Whatever they were objecting about, Lionblaze didn't listen.

Now they had hunted and were waiting on the others, Bumblestripe and Ocean. The two she cat were sitting by a tree, where they had placed their prey. "Well, at least nobody is haywire anymore," Briarlight murmured. "The hype with Sakura and Mousewhisker has calmed down somewhat, though Luna acts like she's eaten a rat every time she get near the two."

Dovewing rolls her eyes. "Well Mousewhisker isn't every cat's favorite tom right now."

Briarlight hummed in agreement. "But agreeing to be Mousewhisker's mate is she crazy?"

"It's only until sunset," Dovewing mewed casually. "It's not like it's going to hurt anybody."

"It's going to hurt Mousewhisker," Briarlight hissed. "She's going to turn him into another Ashfur!"

"Don't say that!" Dovewing snapped.

A rustle was heard in the bushes behind them, both cats turned around quickly. "Ocean? Bumblestripe?" No answer. The two quickly buried their prey and followed the direction of the sound. Dovewing took the lead, using her sharp hearing and following the quick but light pawsteps. She reached the border between Windclan and Thunderclan and gasped. "Lionblaze!" she called, but the tom didn't turn around.

Briarlight looked troubled. "Where is he going?!"

"I don't know but we have to tell Bramblestar." The two went back to their prey, finding Ocean and Bumblestripe waiting for them. They then collected the food and ran to the camp.

~ooo~

"I know," Bramblestar mewed distastefully.

Dovewing and Briarlight gaped. "What?"

"He told us before that he needed to leave the area to do something important. I told him no, he said he was going to leave anyway. The audacity to defy my orders," he growled lowly. "Anyway no amount of Threats or persuasions was going to stop him anyway."

"Do you know why he left?" Briarlight asked. Bramblestar shook his head. The two she cats sighed, thanked the leader and left his den.

~ooo~

Outside in the camp Sakura saw the hunting patrol return but saw no signs of Lionblaze. Jayfeather made his way past her while murmuring to himself. If the entire camp didn't know he was talking to the dead Moonclan cats they'd think he'd finally lost his sanity. The medicine paused in his talking to hum in greeting to the she cat before he made his way to the elders den and met up with Dustpelt. Whitewing, Blossomfall and Ravenheart followed the two out. Sakura emptily noticed how good Dustpelt was getting at walking on his own. That didn't explain why Lionblaze hadn't returned though. At first she thought that maybe he was out trying to cool his head, but after a certain amount of time passed she began to worry.

Mousewhisker knew the reason for her current state and went around asking the cats on the hunting patrol where the deputy went. When he got to Dovewing and Briarlight they told him and he was puzzled. Lionblaze was seen running over the Windclan border and away from the clans, what for?

'Maybe seeing Sakura with me caused him to quit the clans and leave forever. That means I will have Sakura to myself, she'll have no choice but to stay my mate!'

He leapt with joy, then stilled and quickly shook the thought out of his mind.

'No, Sakura will be upset and start regretting her acting. Regretting her actions will mean she will start avoiding me, or worse yet start blaming me. Then she would run away to search for him after saying she hates me!'

Mousewhisker let out an unconscious whimper; he couldn't have Sakura hating him.

Longclaw walked over to him, hearing his whimper. "Are you ok?" she asked.

Mousewhisker nodded. "I'm fine, I just let my thoughts run away with me," he answered quickly before making his way quickly to his temporary mate. "They say that they saw Lionblaze running away from the clans," he told her.

Sakura's eyes widened in horror. "Is he really that mad at me?!" she nearly whined.

Mousewhisker's eyes widened, maybe he shouldn't have told her that much information. "Nonono!" he mewed quickly, moving close to her side when she started whimpering. "No he doesn't hate you, I'm sure he understands…"

"Understands that I would rather be a temporary mate for the cat he hates the most then stay with him!" Sakura retorted with a wail.

Mousewhisker growled. "Don't jump to conclusions!" he snapped. Sakura blinked at him with wide teary eyes. Mousewhisker spoke again, only quieter. "Maybe he just…I don't know… put himself on a secret mission or something?" His fur bristled in embarrassment, he didn't why Lionblaze ran away, and the only conclusion he could come up with was the one he and Sakura were dreading over. "I'm sure he didn't do this to leave you, he loves you too much," he assured quickly. "Come on, let's go training. I learned a move I'm sure is going to surprise you, it might even help me win!"

Sakura nodded slowly, though her wide eyes narrowed. "You aren't going to beat me, get that out of that thick skull of yours."

Mousewhisker smirked and trotted away. "Only one way to find out!" he called back.

~ooo~

Whitethunder purred in amusement as Mousewhisker was floored again for the third time. "Do you give up?" he rumbled. His amusement grew when the grey and white tom shook his head no. And so he proceed to watch Mousewhisker get beaten again for the next two times. While he had made exceedingly good progress, his movements being more precise and quick, he still had no chance against Sakura.

The black legged tom turned to the cats that were currently practicing battle moves. Whitewing had pinned Brackenfur to the ground after her first two attempts, Leafpool was expertly dodging and trading attacks with Foxleap (he was still not trusted by her sons and mate-to-be) and Blossomfall was just now rolling away from a pounce done by Toadstep. All in all the training was going well and smoothly. Cherry herself was basking in the sun; the air wasn't as hot as it once was.

"Sakura that's enough," the Moonclan deputy murmured as he watched Ivypool fail at once difficult move. What made that hilarious was the fact that Jayfeather was the one teaching her the move. 'I believe it is still throwing her off, being taught how to fight by a blind cat,' Whitethunder mused silently.

Mousewhisker walked over to Whitethunder with Sakura and the two waited for him to speak. The white tom looked at them with heavy amber eyes. "Mousewhisker, go help Ivypool before she twists her paw," the tom orders, and Mousewhisker quickly obliges and runs to his clanmate's rescue.

Sakura blinked at her father, looking at the scar across his face. It made her immensely proud that she had put that mark there, that she had Marked her father. A thought struck her, making her grin.

Whitethunder was watching her the entire time. "What?" he asked, dreading what she had to say. There was that look in her eyes that promised disaster to another for her own amusement, much like the look Cherry always gave him when they were apprentices.

Sakura gave him a smug look. "I Marked you," she purred.

Whitethunder growled in irritation. "Yes, and?"

"So you have to do whatever I say." Whitethunder went quiet. Sakura stood. "I just needed to clarify that is all, nothing else." Whitethnder narrowed his eyes, suspicious. Sakura just walked away.

~ooo~

After the training the hunting patrol was sent out, as well as the border patrol. Mousewhisker and Sakura spent the remainder of the time left cuddling and purring like love sick idiots. Mousewhisker looked up at the sky, the sun was beginning to set and Lionblaze had yet to return. Sakura slipped out of the camp and the tom followed.

Together they walked, pelts brushing and tails occasionally running over each other. They came to a stop at the border of Windclan. There they sat in silence and watched the sun dip slowly out of the sky. Mousewhisker panicked inside, to him the sun was sinking to quickly. It was as if the ancestors above wanted the day to end, as if they didn't agree with Sakura's decision in being his temporary mate. The thought saddened him.

"It didn't help, did it?"

Mousewhisker looked at Sakura, who was staring at the steadily sinking sun. He sighed. "I don't know," he answered. "I didn't want this day to end."

Sakura blinked slowly. "You know I can't be your mate. We can only be friends." She fixed him a look.

Mousewhisker nodded quickly. "I know, I guess I just need time…" His ears flattened. "Why won't you be my mate? What don't I have that Lionblaze has?"

Sakura sighed and rubbed her muzzle against Mousewhisker's. "Well its not that I don't like you, you would make and excellent mate, that much you have demonstrated to me today." She pulled back with a small smile. "I just like green eyes."

Mousewhisker blinked. "Um, come again?"

"I like green eyes," Sakura repeated, this time letting out a full blown grin. "Blue just seems too sad for me, not fierce enough."

"So the real reason I wasn't chosen is because I have blue eyes," Mousewhisker says out loud in disbelief. He then chuckles. "You are lying."

"Well, that and the other reasons I have mentioned before," Sakura added. She shrugged. Mousewhisker huffed when Sakura leaned against him. The both kept their eyes straight.

"Lionblaze hasn't returned," Mousewhisker noted quietly. Sakura nodded. The last rays of the sun dipped below the horizon and Mousewhisker felt his heart break. It broken even more when Sakura separated from him. He felt cold, alone and cold.

A tap on his shoulders made him look to sad green eyes. "Yes, blue is too sad for me," she muttered.

Mousewhisker closed his eyes and dipped his head. "I'm sorry."

"That's another reason," Sakura mewed as she rose. "I was taught that apologizing for something you had no control of is a weakness. If there was one thing I refuse to do it's take a weak tom as my mate."

Blinking slowly, Mousewhisker lifted his head. "Anything else you want to add?"

"Well," Sakura hummed. She shook her head. "No, no there isn't."

She turned and walked away, feeling a little upset. Mousewhisker was a good tom, a very good tom. Maybe a little bit too obedient to his mate's wishes, something that Lionblaze lacked, but still a very good tom. 'On top of that he is nice and romantic, his mate's feelings always go first and he is simply fun to be around.' Sakura licked her whiskers as her ears flicked. "I have made my decision, I can't go back on it," she told herself. She told Lionblaze that she would be his mate, a willing promise on her part. One she did not intending on breaking.

Sakura was so caught up on her musings that she didn't notice Mousewhisker until it was too late. The tom pounced on her and pinned her down with a growl. When she tried to move she felt claws rest against her neck. Her eyes widened in shock.

"Dead," Mousewhisker growled coldly. Then he grinned. "I did it!"

Sakura blinked rapidly in shock. "What?! No fair I wasn't ready!"

"Always stay alert to your surroundings!" Mousewhisker howled as he took off towards the camp. Sakura hissed and followed him. She quickly caught up to the tom and tackled him, causing them to tumble around on the ground like kits, squealing and laughing. The rolled tight into the entrance of the camp and nearly flattened Sunkit.

"Hey you two!" Sandstorm snapped. Sakura and Mousewhisker quickly separated.

"Sakura," Cherry reprimanded. "You are not a kit!"
"But-" Sakura began, but Mousewhisker laughed.
"I beat her!"

"You didn't"

"I did!"

"What do you mean," Cherry asked.

Mousewhisker purred and puffed out his chest. "She walked away, I waited a good while and I attacked her, pinned her down and won. My claws were at her throat, so she was dead!"

"I wasn't ready!" Sakura snapped.

"Always stay alert in your surroundings," Whitethunder told her as he walked towards them. He sniffed. "Sakura, you were dead."

"Haha! Told you!" Mousewhisker yowled. Sakura huffed and turned sulkily to the fresh kill pile. She glanced back at Mousewhisker, who was talking amicably to Poppyfrost and Sorreltail. Bramblestar called, "Who is going to the Gathering!" and a chorus of "I am's!" were heard.

Sakura smiled with a snort, but then her eyes darkened. Where was Lionblaze?