Moon 5

Full of anticipation, Larkkit threw herself to the ground, then looked up at Kestrelpelt with the most pleading look she could muster. "Yes, of course we want to hear the story! Don't we, Amberkit?" She nudged her littermate encouragingly, whereupon she nodded in agreement.

It had been about half a moon since the incident with SnowClan's border shift. In the end, it turned out that some young SnowClan warriors had made a rather stupid joke, which left Larkkit speechless, but at the same time she had been glad that it wasn't serious.

Now Larkkit and Amberkit were sitting in the elders' den for the first time in a long time, and Kestrelpelt and Pebblefall had offered to tell them stories from the old days.

Larkkit had accepted, of course. She liked the idea of knowing what life was like before she even existed.

"What do you want to know first?" Kestrelpelt asked after she had made herself comfortable in her fern-cushioned nest.

Larkkit couldn't get a word out because of her excitement. Finally Amberkit answered for her, "How... how was Twilightwing?"

That was exactly the question I didn't expect her to ask. Larkkit's jaw dropped in shock. Until now, it had never seemed to her as if Amberkit cared much about Twilightwing. But maybe she's finally starting to accept that Swallowfern isn't our biological mother.

Pebblefall tilted his head. "That's difficult to say. What exactly do you want to know about her?"

Larkkit finally found her voice again. "What was she like as a kit?" That was the first thing she could think of, otherwise her mind was still blank.

"Well, if you had to describe Twilightkit in three words, it would be 'social', 'social' and 'social'," Kestrelpelt purred with a sparkle in her amber eyes.

For a heartbeat, Larkkit was confused until she realised that Kestrelpelt had said it specifically like that.

"Once she started talking, it was hard to stop her," the dark brown tabby elder continued. "She usually got lost in pretty trivial topics, which really annoyed the other kits, even Dawnbreeze."

"But on the other hand, she never excluded anyone," Pebblefall interjected.

Kestrelpelt nodded. "Twilightwing went to great lengths to make sure all cats were heard. She also had this trait as an apprentice and a warrior, and it soon led to her becoming the most popular cat in the Clan."

At these words, Larkkit grew warm with pride. Of course she was the best cat in the Clan, she thought happily. With this thought in mind, she scratched her paws in the ground as an invitation for Kestrelpelt to continue.

"It didn't take long for the other cats to see her as the next possible deputy," Kestrelpelt explained. There was pain in her voice. "Unfortunately, she left us far too soon, before she could even have an apprentice."

Suddenly, Larkkit felt a new wave of grief wash over her.

"If Twilightwing had still been alive, she would have gone far," Pebblefall murmured.

Larkkit realised that not many cats made it that far, so she could hardly believe that Twilightwing — her own mother — might have become leader. Twilightstar. Sounds good, doesn't it?

A meow snapped her out of her thoughts again. "It may sound strange, but we hardly know anything personal about Twilightwing. She was also a very mysterious cat," Pebblefall explained.

"I don't care about that." Larkkit shook herself. "Just knowing a little bit about her is enough for me. But... I still wish I'd met her."

Purring, Kestrelpelt stretched her head forward and touched her muzzle with her nose. "I'm sure she's very proud of you both."

Her words reassured Larkkit, although she also knew it was just wishful thinking. Twilightwing was in StarClan and therefore unreachable for her.

The leaves rustled behind her. Larkkit instinctively turned round and spotted Mottlepaw and Reedpaw.

"Time for new nest material!" Mottlepaw shouted and jumped to Watersplash's empty nest.

Reedpaw followed her example less energetically and made her way to Jayheart's hollow. "Where are the other elders?" she enquired. There was a bored tone in her voice.

"They went into the forest a while ago," Pebblefall answered as he glanced outside.

As discreetly as possible, Larkkit moved closer to Amberpaw and hissed into her ear, "Come on, let's get out of here. I don't like Reedpaw at all."

Amberkit bristled her fur. "Neither do I."

Inwardly, Larkkit felt a gnawing sense of guilt as she slipped quietly out of the bushes without saying goodbye. But she didn't want to attract Reedpaw's attention unnecessarily.

It was warm that day, even though there was a breeze. Larkkit closed her eyes in pleasure for a moment as she strolled across the clearing.

Suddenly, she stumbled over an unfamiliar obstacle. At the last moment, she managed to stop herself from making a rough landing. Blinking at the sun shining directly into her face, she looked around for the cause.

She promptly flattened her ears. "Do you want trouble or what?" she hissed in a high-pitched voice.

Lakepaw didn't flinch a whisker, which made Larkkit even more upset. I just got away from his annoying sister and now I have to deal with him.

"It's not good for you to get so worked up," Lakepaw declared impassively and then trotted on.

What? Larkkit had lost her tongue. "What's wrong with him?" she mumbled to herself.

"I don't know," Amberkit meowed, "but that was somehow... nicer than usual."

"Nicer?" Larkkit snorted in disbelief. "When was he ever nice?"

Still, she had to admit to herself that she hadn't even known this side of Lakepaw. Maybe he might be bearable after all. He has to be, otherwise the first few moons of my apprentice training will be unbearable.