Moon 2

It was shortly after sunrise and the camp seemed empty. After she had turned in a circle once, Larkkit realised that she couldn't see any cats.

"Everyone's on patrol now," she said disappointedly. But inside she was relieved. The longer she thought about it, the more frightening it seemed to her that she would have to get to know her whole Clan anew.

"Larkkit! Amberkit!" The call came from the elders' den. Kestrelpelt stood in front of the bushes and twitched the tip of her tail.

Larkkit suddenly remembered that she was related to Kestrelpelt. The idea still sounded crazy to her. A strange cat that I've never heard of before and we belong to the same family.

Larkkit assumed that Kestrelpelt wanted them to come to her. But Kestrelpelt relieved her of this task by running to them.

"This is your second day here, if I remember correctly," the dark brown she-cat stated.

She was right about that, even though it strangely felt like an eternity. The rock walls around them, the widely spaced dens, the water - all of this was still new to Larkkit. Nevertheless, she had the impression that she had lived here for much longer.

Kestrelpelt tilted her head. "What are your plans for today?"

"Erm, we don't know yet," Larkkit replied in a brittle voice. She scolded herself inwardly. There was no reason to be so cautious. At least she hoped so.

Perplexed, she looked around. What could we do anyway?

Then Kestrelpelt groped past them to the pond. Larkkit exchanged a quick glance with Amberkit. "Does she want us to follow her?" she hissed.

In response, Amberkit shrugged her shoulders unsuspectingly.

After all, Larkkit thought it was right to follow Kestrelpelt. To be on the safe side, Larkkit trotted after him. Kestrelpelt had stopped on the bank of the pond and dipped her muzzle into the water. When she looked up again, the elder had a few small pebbles in her mouth, which she dropped on the bank.

Larkkit scratched helplessly behind her ear. Surely Kestrelpelt hadn't brought her here to dive for stones.

"It's a game that all RoseClan kits play," Kestrelpelt explained as she used her tail to draw Larkkit and Amberkit closer to her. "You just have to find any pebble and throw it as far as you can. Or you can choose a specific spot for it to land on. The only thing you have to remember is that it has to be on the other bank."

Hesitantly, Larkkit touched the surface of the water with a claw. The water rippled slightly. Even though the pond was small, she didn't think she would be able to get a stone to the other bank. I'll probably only throw it as far as the centre.

Kestrelpelt pushed a brown, smooth pebble towards her. "You try it first."

With the pebble in her mouth, Larkkit stepped to the edge of the pond. There should be no doubts now.

She swung her head back and forth a few times before letting go of the stone. At the same time, she fell onto her hindquarters and from there onto her back.

Giving a startled squeak, Larkkit picked herself up again.

Amberkit sniffed at her. "Did you hurt yourself?" she meowed with wide eyes.

Larkkit got hot under her fur and she shook Amberkit off. "It's all right." She almost hissed. That was the truth. The grass was far too soft for her to hurt herself.

The spotted and speckled she-cat stretched her head and peered for her stone.

"It fell into the water," Kestrelpelt explained with a slightly pitiful tone. "Didn't you hear?"

My meowing probably drowned out the splashing noise. Larkkit crouched down and tried to look for her pebble, but that was as successful as finding a certain leaf on a tree.

Kestrelpelt stepped to her side. "No cat makes it to the other side of the pond the first time," she comforted her, "but will you give it a try, Amberkit?"

Larkkit turned round to her littermate, not very expectantly. Surely Amberkit would refuse if Larkkit hadn't made it.

As expected, Amberkit shook her head and added a mumbled "No, thank you".

"Then start at the stream," Kestrelpelt suggested.

At the same moment, Heatherwing, Frostshade and Brownnose came into the camp through the Birchtunnel. They must be one of the border patrols that Honeyclaw must have sent out, because they weren't carrying any prey in their jaws.

Heatherwing's green gaze fell on Kestrelpelt. "Good to see you here!" she called out, "We have something to talk about."

Larkkit was briefly confused as to what the dark grey she-cat wanted from the elder. Then she remembered that Kestrelpelt was the former she-cat-in-command of the battle strategists. Heatherwing seemed like an experienced she-cat to Larkkit, but perhaps it was sometimes better to get her predecessor's opinion.

"You can manage on your own, can't you?" Kestrelpelt was already on her way to Heatherwing and the others.

What they might have to discuss?, Larkkit pondered, but then realised that there was no point in thinking about it. Kits like her wouldn't be told.

So she took the next pebble and threw it across the stream this time. This worked much better and the stone landed on the opposite bank. Larkkit stood up on her hind legs triumphantly.

Now Amberkit also padded to her side and flung a pebble across.

This game was kind of entertaining, but Larkkit still wondered if there weren't better games in RoseClan.

Is there any use in it?, she asked herself. But at least she had found something to do now and each time she tried to throw further.

Soon she was so absorbed in the pebble-throwing game that she forgot everything around her.

After some time, which was either a short moment or an eternity, Larkkit felt dizzy and sat down. Her gaze fell on the waterfall. By now she had become so accustomed to it that the sound no longer bothered her.

How would it feel to put her head under the water? Larkkit jumped forward curiously and looked at the narrow wall of water. Drops splashed up where the waterfall met the stream.

Larkkit carefully placed her front paws in the water. It was so shallow that one could see the bottom, but it reached almost up to her chest. The heat had warmed it up a little.

Larkkit squinted her eyes and stretched her head under the waterfall.

The next moment she hopped back almost a tail length. She almost slipped on the smooth pebbles. Cold! She shivered. She hadn't expected the waterfall to feel so cold.

Nevertheless, it felt great somehow and Larkkit dipped her head under water a second time. It was wonderfully refreshing, just what she needed on a warm day like today.

Just as she was about to summon up all her courage and put her whole body under the waterfall, she heard an amused purr.

Lakepaw and Reedpaw were standing there, looking at her with narrowed eyes.

Embarrassed, Larkkit climbed back to the bank and shook herself. She was sure that she looked like the ridiculousness of the moon with her dripping wet head and dry body.

"What have you done?" Reedpaw mocked.

Larkkit would have loved to dig a hole in the ground that she would never get out of. The light brown tabby she-cat seemed at least as bad as Lakepaw.

The dark grey tabby tom held out a paw. "Just make sure you don't say the wrong thing," he warned, though his tone didn't sound quite as serious. "Otherwise Amberkit will pluck your fur like feathers."

The red-golden she-cat froze next to Larkkit. She herself also knew what Amberkit was alluding to. Like gathering clouds, the memory came back of how Lakepaw had made a negative comment about Larkkit's eyes and Amberkit had put him in his place quite violently in response.

Larkkit puffed up angrily. She wanted to say something quick-witted, but her throat was tight.

Lakepaw was already turning away. "Leave her alone. I'm not particularly keen on having to listen to Goldenshadow preach at me."

Reedpaw hissed briefly, then followed her littermate. "Flamedash already has me on her tail. Maybe she won't let me go to the next Gathering."

"The older cats should stop treating the two of them like Clanmates," Lakepaw hissed. "I'll never accept them as RoseClan cats."

Reedpaw ruffled her fur slightly in response. "But... they are?"

The grey tom's words had hit Larkkit like lightning. Her parents were RoseClan cats through and through. Where did he get the right to regard her and Amberkit as strangers?

Deep inside her, it was burning. Nevertheless, Larkkit knew that she wouldn't make any friends if she let her feelings control her now.

Instead, she simply took a deep breath and meowed to Amberkit, "Look, a hunting patrol has come back. Shall we get something to eat?" Now she realised how hungry she was.

Sure that she could relax with a piece of prey, Larkkit ran over to the fresh-kill hole.