With a steady patter, heavy drops rained down from the cloudy sky, landed on the branch roof of the warriors' den and rolled directly onto Larkwing's snout.

Annoyed, she rubbed her fur dry with her paw. Newleaf rain, she thought sarcastically. How nice it is to wake up wet.

With a quick glance around the den, she realised that her denmates were all gone — really gone. She couldn't even hear meowing from outside. It looked as if she had overslept.

Groaning, she let herself fall back into her nest. This can't be true!

Why hadn't anyone woken her up? Larkwing poked her head into the other bushes of the warriors' den, but they were deserted too.

For a while, she wondered if it was even worth leaving the den and possibly enduring a reprimand. But for better or worse, she couldn't hide in her nest all day.

So Larkwing gave her pelt a quick wash, although there was no real point in doing so because of the rain, and carefully slipped outside. She seemed to be lucky at first. No one was to be seen in the clearing.

At least that's what she thought until she saw Fruittail coming out of the medicine cat's den. Frozen in shock, she took a step backwards and wanted to rush back into the warrior den.

"Oh, Larkwing! Are you awake already?" Fruittail meowed.

Larkwing flinched. What did Fruittail mean by 'already'? Surely she meant it ironically. "I'm sorry I overslept." Hot with shame, she didn't dare to look at the medicine cat. "But nobody woke me up—"

Fruittail's amused purr interrupted her. "That was on purpose. For the next few days, Amberhaze and you are excluded from patrols. And do you know why?"

As if it was a sign for the reddish-golden she-cat, she just slipped through the Birchtunnel into the camp.

Larkwing looked back and forth between Amberhaze and Fruittail with growing confusion. "What kind of games are you playing?" she asked. "Don't you dare try to have some sick fun with me!"

She pressed her claws into the ground while she glared at the two she-cats as disapprovingly as possible. What a nerve to take away my chance to be a dutiful Clan cat!

"Flying squirrels!" Fruittail snorted, a mocking expression in her blue eyes. "Why are you taking this so seriously? I've never seen you overreact like that before."

Larkwing's mouth stood open in astonishment. "That's not overreacting," she disagreed vehemently. "What would it look like if I just slept through patrols?" Her fur ruffled, she turned to Amberhaze. "And you, why didn't you even think of waking me up? Why didn't anyone think of that? Now no one will ever take me seriously again!"

Furious, she whirled around and stalked back to her den. This is hard to believe! Has the whole Clan decided to ridicule and expose me?

"Wait a moment!" Amberhaze shouted.

Forget it.

Amberhaze ran in front of her and cut her off. "We're exempt from patrols because we'll be travelling to StarClan's Peninsula."

"Please what?" All at once, Larkwing's anger disappeared like smoke blown away by the wind. Suddenly she was so terribly embarrassed to have accused Amberhaze and Fruittail of deliberately keeping her from her duties.

Fruittail came bounding across the clearing. "How did you even think of that?" she inquired, whiskers twitching.

Larkwing was at a loss for words. How am I supposed to justify myself now?, she groused inwardly.

Purring soothingly, Amberhaze licked her ear. "You're upset about everything that has happened," she stated.

"That's probably the reason," Larkwing murmured. "I worry all the time about what's going to happen to the Clan while I'm gone. That's why I want to do as much as I can for it before we go in search of the Skyden cats. I know I'm exaggerating and that I won't be gone until the next full moon, even though it's not even half-moon yet—"

Her torrent of words was stopped abruptly when Amberhaze stuck her tail in her mouth and she accidentally bit on fur.

"Your loyalty is in all honour, but there's no point in wearing yourself out like that when you have a journey ahead of you," Fruittail explained seriously.

On shaky paws, Larkwing stepped back and sat down. Fruittail was absolutely right about that. She needed all her strength and stamina for what lay ahead of her.

Then she remembered that Amberhaze had spoken of StarClan's Peninsula and asked what it was all about.

"As I said before, you and Amberhaze have been released from patrols because you'll be travelling to StarClan's Peninsula today." Fruittail's eyes lit up as if it was something really exciting.

Larkwing tilted her head in confusion. We're warriors. What are we supposed to do in a place that is only reserved for medicine cats and leaders?

Apparently Fruittail had interpreted her expression correctly, because she added somewhat incredulously, "How can you forget the most important tradition of all? It is obligatory for all cats to travel to StarClan's Peninsula no later than three moons after their assessments and speak to StarClan there."

At the last words, Larkwing choked so hard that she thought she would have to cough her entire organs out of her body. "W-we can speak... speak to StarClan?" she croaked with great effort.

Fruittail twitched her ears in amusement. "We'll leave at sunhigh. Be prepared not to see RoseClan camp for more than a day, because we'll be spending the following night in MoonClan's camp."

***

The time until sunhigh dragged on like a snail, and the rain was still falling so that the grass had turned a bright green colour.

"It's about time to leave." At the sound of Fruittail's voice, Larkwing looked up from the dove she was sharing with Amberhaze. The medicine cat's long, dark, spotted and tabby fur stuck close to her body due to the wetness, making her look much thinner than usual.

Shaking the remnants of feathers from her whiskers, Larkwing stood up. With one last glance into the camp, she followed Fruittail outside, Amberhaze beside her.

Under her snow-white paws, the muddy forest ground, softened by the moisture, squelched. Disgusted, Larkwing stalked onward on stiff legs, trying to ignore the dark brown colour of the fur tips between her toes.

Meanwhile, Fruittail had no aversion to getting dirty. She trudged ahead cheerfully, her heavier weight dragging her deeper into the mud than Larkwing with her small, light stature.

By the time they reached the River Ravine, the dense cloud cover had darkened the sky so much that it almost felt like night. To make matters worse, a thick fog was gathering.

Fruittail pressed her ears to her head. "Watch where you put your paws," she warned.

"Can't we go downstream and from there to the border?" Teeth chattering with fear, Larkwing stared down into the foaming water, the surface of which was constantly being pierced by raindrops. The rock of the cliff was dark from the wetness and no doubt dangerously slippery.

To Larkwing's dismay, Fruittail shook her head. "I'm sorry. I would've preferred to take the safer route, too. However, the last time we met, I promised Finstrike that I'd bring him wood sorrel, and there's a big patch of it growing right at the other end of the ravine. Well, assuming it's survived the leaf-bare," she added with a concerned tone.

So we all have to put our lives on the line for herbs. Larkwing rolled her eyes sarcastically, but refrained from saying anything. What the medicine cats did was none of her business.

She carefully climbed onto the ledge that ran through the entire River Ravine and pushed herself forward, pressing the left side of her body tightly against the stone wall. Due to the wetness and the fog, their progress was very slow.

It felt like an agonising eternity until they reached the other end. Immediately, Fruittail leapt up a small slope, her hind paws unintentionally splashing the wet dirt onto Larkwing's soft, white chest fur. She hissed indignantly. "Be more careful!" she snarled.

Amberhaze let out a suppressed purr. Larkwing whirled round to face her. "Don't make fun of me!" she berated. "I can't stand mud! It feels downright disgusting!"

"Will you two come and help me carry it?" Fruittail meowed at that moment.

Her tail tip twitching with resentment, Larkwing followed Fruittail's voice. She found her older Clanmate in front of a patch of small plants that looked like clover. Larkwing lowered her head to sniff at it. The pungent, sour odour stung her nose.

"Unfortunately, less has survived the cold than I had hoped." Fruittail sounded muffled through the clump of wood sorrel in her mouth. "But what's left should be enough. Pull out a few stalks, and be careful not to bite down too hard. They taste horrendous."

Only now did Larkwing notice how many withered leaves were speckling the green bed. Almost half of the wood sorrel seemed to be dead. With the utmost gentleness, Larkwing grabbed a fresh clump with her fangs and uprooted it.

On the opposite side, Amberhaze gazed at the herb with interest. "Would it be bad if you accidentally swallowed it?"

Fruittail replied in the negative. "In my opinion, you won't be harmed if you eat a leaf or two. However, this plant is only used for poultices," she instructed the dark reddish-golden tabby warrior.

Good thing I'm not a medicine cat! I could never remember which herbs to eat and which not.

After Larkwing and Amberhaze had also picked enough wood sorrel, they walked quickly on to the MoonClan border. By now, Larkwing was so soaking wet that the cold penetrated her skin and made her shiver. It didn't seem to her that the rain had become weaker, on the contrary.

"If it keeps pouring like this, the forest might turn into a huge lake," she complained, careful not to lose the herbs.

With a worried look, Fruittail peered down at the river, a wide, grey expanse emerging between the trees. "I've seen more rainfalls than I can count, but this one is particularly heavy."

No sooner had she said this than thunder shook the ground. Larkwing jumped in shock. Oh great! A thunderstorm is the last thing we need right now.

"Hurry up, come on!" Fruittail urged them. "We have to cross the river before the thunderstorm is overhead."

Larkwing and Amberhaze didn't need to be told twice. Almost carelessly, they slid down the embankment and crossed the tree trunk, half sliding, half clinging to it.

On the other side of the river, the unmistakable scent of the MoonClan border markings hit Larkwing. Normally they waited here for a patrol to take them to camp, but due to the current circumstances, this rule was apparently cancelled, because Fruittail was already running ahead.

She's really fast for her size, Larkwing remarked admiringly as she struggled to keep up.

Suddenly a flash of lightning lit up the dark grey sky. Larkwing flinched reflexively. A few heartbeats later, another thunder followed.

"The longer the time between the lightning and the thunder, the further away the storm is," Fruittail called over her shoulder. "If we're lucky, it'll pass by."

But they had no luck. Soon after, the thunder and lightning occurred almost simultaneously. Fruittail stopped and turned round. "Come down from that hill," she warned with her ears flattened, "and find a hollow. Lightning usually only strikes high objects."

Shuddering, Larkwing did as she was told and crouched down. "What would happen if such lightning struck a tree?" she enquired as she stared fearfully at the Forest Mountains, a high, dark wall of bare deciduous trees and deep green conifers, partially obscured by the mist.

"Then it will catch fire," Fruittail replied. "The rain would probably extinguish the flames quickly if it's that heavy, but the tree would inevitably be damaged."

That sounds really scary. Larkwing tried not to assume the worst. This wasn't the world's first thunderstorm. Even if one tree started to burn, it didn't mean the end of the whole forest.

Amberhaze nestled against Larkwing's flank, trembling. "I think this is the first thunderstorm I've experienced," she mewed, her amber eyes wide open.

Larkwing turned her head to the side to lick her ear soothingly. "I'm sure it will move on quickly." She fervently hoped that she was right.

The three she-cats remained like that for quite a while until a particularly bright flash lit up the sky and Fruittail gasped.

"What's going on?" Larkwing asked with a growing sense of panic.

Breathing heavily, as if she had just witnessed something shocking, Fruittail turned her bright blue gaze on her. "The cat in the lightning," she murmured.

Confused, Larkwing wrinkled her muzzle. "What kind of thing?"

"The cat in the lightning," Fruittail repeated louder. "On rare occasions, you can see the silhouette of a cat for a very brief moment during a thunderstorm. For us medicine cats, this phenomenon has been considered a vision for countless generations, a harbinger that something fateful is imminent."

Even though Larkwing didn't understand any of this, she knew that Fruittail couldn't exaggerate. She, too, sensed that disaster was approaching. Maybe it was because of the many tragedies she had already witnessed that she got a feeling for recognising more.

Slowly but surely, the thunderstorm moved on and with it the rain. Just in time for sunset, the dense cloud cover broke, revealing fiery orange-coloured patches of sunlight in the sky.

Larkwing straightened up and shook out her tense limbs, heavy from huddling around for so long. "We can go on now, can't we?"

The three she-cats continued on their way, but they had barely travelled three tree-lengths when a small patrol, consisting of only three cats, appeared on a heather-covered hill in front of them.

Larkwing instinctively unsheathed her claws. MoonClan might be peace-loving, but that didn't mean they let intruders get away scot-free.

On approaching closer, Larkwing recognised who was part of the patrol: Puddlesun, Violetwing and Stormwhirl. Within a few heartbeats they were with the RoseClan cats.

"Greetings, Fruittail." Puddlesun bowed her head. Compared to the half-SnowClan medicine cat, the white she-cat, just like her Clanmates, looked merely the size of a newly appointed apprentice. Immediately afterwards, her green gaze wandered to Larkwing and Amberhaze, driven by curiosity. "Let me guess, they have their meeting with StarClan coming up."

Fruittail nodded in confirmation. "I hope you don't mind us turning up without being asked, but it was kind of a last-moment decision."

Suddenly Puddlesun's neck fur bristled almost imperceptibly. "Oh no, that's all right," she pressed out. "You won't be staying that long anyway. Follow us."

With wide eyes, Larkwing stared after her. There was something about Puddlesun's behaviour that bothered her. It was almost as if she was trying to hide something. Had something happened in MoonClan? Larkwing flattened her ears anxiously. They had already had to mourn a heavy loss once. Of the three remaining Clans, they were probably the worst off.

Stormwhirl dropped back and eyed Larkwing and her sister with narrowed blue eyes. "Don't tell me you have those plants in your mouths voluntarily!" the light grey tom sneered, but so quietly that none of the other cats could hear.

As annoying as ever. Some things — or cats — just never change. Larkwing suppressed a growl. "Those plants could save your life one day," she hissed. Stormwhirl didn't need to know that she didn't even know what wood sorrel was used for.

But Stormwhirl didn't let that bother him. "Do you want to join the herb cats? No normal cat would bother with such things."

Larkwing puffed herself up. "If you want to know the truth, I'm a battle strategist now and Amberhaze is in the Hunters' Circle," she countered brusquely.

With a contemptuous lash of his tail, Stormwhirl stalked off again without another word.

"I've forgotten what a nuisance Stormwhirl was," Amberhaze whispered.

Larkwing twitched her ears in agreement. "Let's just not worry about him," she decided. "We don't need to let such a mouse-brained piece of mousedung spoil our mood."

Amberhaze purred joyously.

Too bad we're practically permanent allies now because of the Shadowless, Larkwing thought snidely, glancing at Stormwhirl's dark grey tail tip. How cheeky of him to indirectly make fun of the work of medicine cats and herb cats! I'd love to pull my claws over his fur for that. And then he'll be glad when there are herbs to take away the pain.

The camp finally emerged from behind a hill and the MoonClan patrol led the RoseClan she-cats through the familiar Hilltunnel.

As so often, nostalgia filled Larkwing, but this time it was weaker than ever. What a supremely strange feeling to be reminded that she had once lived here, assuming she would one day become one of the best MoonClan warriors.

"Wait here, I'll inform Hailstar and Nightblossom of our arrival," Fruittail meowed and bounded off.

Larkwing used the time to take a closer look at the camp. The wet tips of the blades of grass glistened in the faint light of the setting sun and the surrounding hills cast dark shadows. One or two pawfuls of cats crouched in front of the dens, but Larkwing couldn't tell at first glance which cats were missing.

Shortly afterwards, Fruittail trotted back. "It's all done. Let's deliver the herbs now."

Larkwing tilted her head in astonishment. Wouldn't the leading cats come to greet them themselves?

On their way to the medicine cat's glade, Finstrike and Motleycloud were already coming towards them, probably lured by the wood sorrel scent.

Finstrike curled his tail upwards in delight. "So you've actually managed to find something," the silver-white tabby tom stated in a tone as if he couldn't believe it.

Larkwing put down her tuft of herbs and ran her tongue over her flews several times. I probably won't be able to get rid of this horrible taste for a moon!

Motleycloud lowered her head to sniff at the wood sorrel before carrying it to the medicine cat's den.

"Let's hope you won't need it too soon," Fruittail meowed.

Finstrike twitched an ear. "We shouldn't think too optimistically."

Meanwhile, Larkwing decided to look around for Dashfoot. She quickly found the silver tabby she-cat crouching under the overhanging branches of a wild thorn bush.

"Hello, Dashfoot!" Larkwing meowed, but when her former nestmate scowled at her, she flinched. She is acting as if I were a stranger.

"Oh... Larkwing," Dashfoot murmured slowly, peering past her. "And Amberhaze. What are you doing here?"

Her tone was so icy cold that Larkwing would have liked to howl with frustration and anger. Since the truth about their origins had come out, Dashfoot had changed. She was no longer the little dominant and determined kit that Larkwing had been so attached to and admired so much. Now she had a character as poisonous as yew berries. It was as if another cat had taken Dashfoot's place.

Snorting, Dashfoot turned away. "Whatever, it doesn't matter. Just leave me alone," she snapped.

Amberhaze was already taking a few steps back, but Larkwing wasn't so easily intimidated and chased away. Resolutely, she nudged Dashfoot. "We were once siblings! You can't just turn your back on us as if nothing ever happened."

Like a defiant kit, Dashfoot tucked her nose under her tail. "So what?" she replied petulantly. "In case you missed it, that was only the case for two moons. And two moons with you is meaningless compared to eleven moons without you."

"You miss Swallowfern, don't you?" Larkwing blurted out.

"What?" Dashfoot raised her voice in irritation. "I'm not a kit anymore! I don't need her. Besides, I'm sure she's long dead. There's no point in trying to look for her."

Appalled, Larkwing gasped, furious at Dashfoot's apathy over her own mother's disappearance. "Don't say that!" she protested, "Swallowfern loved you! Even if she—" Larkwing had to swallow hard, "—if she is indeed dead, I won't be able to find peace until I know the whole truth. No matter how terrible it might be."

Slowly, Dashfoot looked at her again. "I hardly think Swallowfern loved any of us," she muttered dully, then curled up again.

That was the sign for Larkwing to stop talking to her. "Let's go," she murmured, turning to Amberhaze. "She'll snap out of it eventually."

Their paws guided the two young she-cats to the nursery, which had been inhabited again for a long time. With a pang in her heart, the image of three tiny, lifeless kits appeared before Larkwing's inner eye. They had been Mapleblossom's kits, but just like their mother, they had been killed by a Shadowless.

Since then, there didn't seem to have been any more births in MoonClan. For this reason, Larkwing was glad to see that Carnationtail and Flowerpelt had moved into the nursery.

As the two RoseClan cats approached, Carnationtail looked up from her pelt wash. "What a surprise to see you here," the cream-coloured she-cat purred. "Are you here because of your visit to StarClan's Peninsula?"

Twitching her whiskers, Larkwing stared at the two queens. While Flowerpelt didn't appear to have been pregnant for too long, Carnationtail's belly was so round from her unborn kits that she resembled a beetle that had landed on its back and was now too clumsy to turn back onto its legs under its own power. That must be really inconvenient when sleeping, Larkwing thought. She can probably only lie on her side.

Then she realised that Carnationtail's question hadn't been answered yet and meowed hastily, "Yes, that's right, that's where we want to go."

"Enjoy every moment of it!" Flowerpelt advised. Her speckled tortoiseshell fur shone in the last of the daylight. "There's a very good chance you'll never experience anything like this again. My meeting with StarClan was many leaf-changes ago, but I still remember it like it was yesterday."

Driven by curiosity, Larkwing turned her ears forward. "What did you see?" she inquired.

"It's a secret," Flowerpelt explained disappointingly. "What happens between you and StarClan, you can't tell anyone."

The question of why this was the case burnt on Larkwing's tongue. She was supposed to keep such a noteworthy encounter to herself? What if she were given an important message or prophecy?

But then she put the thought out of her mind again. If this rule of secrecy was taken so seriously, StarClan couldn't possibly give a prophecy to a normal warrior like her. The medicine cats and sometimes the leaders were to be trusted with such stuff.

Unsure of how to keep the conversation going, Larkwing scratched at the grass. "Um... Congratulations on the kits, by the way."

Carnationtail's blue eyes glowed warmly. "I thought long and hard about whether I really wanted to have them. After all, we're living in a delicate time right now," she explained. "But MoonClan has lost a lot of members—"

"Sorry to interrupt you," Larkwing blurted out. "But who else has disappeared besides Swallowfern? I never found out."

Carnationtail looked surprised. "Oh, that'd be Caveshadow, Junipertail and Windheart." Her tone was sombre with sadness.

Junipertail is gone too? That means Stormwhirl and Firtail have lost their mother as well. I wonder how they are dealing with it...

"We pray to StarClan every night that they're okay," Flowerpelt added with a sigh. "Although the likelihood that they've ascended to StarClan themselves can no longer be ruled out. That's why I've decided to provide the Clan with new kits. Admittedly, it's comparatively late for my first litter, especially because I wasn't sure if I really wanted kits, but now I'm sure it was the right decision. Every Clan needs kits in order to survive."

Wise words, Larkwing thought. She herself had never thought about having kits before, and now that she was really confronted with the topic, she was convinced that she would love to leave this task to other she-cats. Just the thought of having to mate with someone made her shudder. And then she would become plump and clumsy! She could happily do without that.

"Well," Larkwing meowed and shook her fur, which was almost dry again. "Greenleaf lies ahead of us. The kits will surely grow up in a time without disease and cold."

And it's our job to protect them from the dangers out there. Even though she had neither a familial nor an emotional connection to the unborn MoonClan kits, Larkwing suddenly felt a strong desire to create a better world for all generations to come. These kits deserved to grow up and live long, fulfilling lives.