Cinderheart stepped forward. Her eyes couldn't believe what they were seeing as she kept on staring. The more she stared, the more she had to keep telling herself this wasn't a dream. She knew she was awake, and this was all real. All the cats who surrounded her saw what she saw, but none of them would ever have the same shock present in her.

As other cats walked off, she forced herself to walk forward. Cinderheart screamed in her mind to not be scared. There was nothing to be scared of, even if she personally felt it. There was no threat. It was just her imaginary. She constantly yelled those two phrases at herself for being so afraid of nothing.

Cinderheart lifted her head, looking forward instead at the ground. The she-cat's gray fur rose up a little as her blue eyes looked up at who she wanted to. She stared at the black-furred she-cat for a couple heartbeats. Cinderheart soon snapped out of it. Staring was weird. She had to say something.

"H-Hollyleaf?" Cinderheart meowed.

The black cat turned her neck to look over at Cinderheart. Her green eyes looked into hers. "Cinderheart?" she meowed back as she stood up.

Cinderheart's heart almost skipped a beat as Hollyleaf said her name. She watched Hollyleaf pad over to her. The gray tabby she-cat kept her joy and excitement to herself. She didn't know if Hollyleaf would remember her, but she knew it was mouse-brained to think so.

Of course she would remember me. She remembers everyone else in ThunderClan after all, Cinderheart thought.

Hollyleaf walked to Cinderheart. "It's good to see you," she purred.

"I thought you were dead. I mean, we all did, but I did too. I just really thought you were gone," the gray she-cat told Hollyleaf.

"Yeah, I also thought I was dead," Hollyleaf responded, half-joking as she spoke.

"Well, I'm glad you're back. I'm really glad," Cinderheart purred to Hollyleaf.

Hollyleaf warmly looked at her. Her gaze was full of joy like Cinderheart's was. The two stared at each other with the same type of warmth. While both were awkward to see each other after all this time, the two ThunderClan she-cats were glad to finally be able to stand near each other. The two were together once again.

Hollyleaf and Cinderheart were frozen, not moving. Neither of them spoke. The two cats didn't know what to do or what to say to each other. They only stared at each other with warmth in their eyes for each other. Cinderheart was the first to make a move. She leapt forward, making Hollyleaf flinch in surprise. The gray tabby's paws cupped around Hollyleaf's neck, but it wasn't aggressive at all. Cinderheart's touch was soft on her fur.

"I'm happy you're back, Hollyleaf. I've just been missing you all these moons you were gone," Cinderheart meowed.

Hollyleaf looked over at Cinderheart. She gently nuzzled the she-cat, closing her eyes. "I'm happy to see you too after so long. I've missed you all this time I've been in those tunnels. I'm glad to see you once more."

"I hope it'll stay that way," she muttered as a reply, also closing her blue eyes as the two nuzzled each other.

"I'm sure it will, Cinderheart. I don't plan on going missing or dying anytime soon after all. We'll spend the next moons together," Hollyleaf excitedly told her.

"Promise?"

"Promise."

—

This one-shot has been written by Astral and edited by Mack.