When they reached StarClan's Peninsula the following night, the upper edge of the crescent moon peeked out over the eastern horizon. Captivated by her awe, Larkwing stood on the shore and soaked up this special moment.

The cold waves lapped at her legs and each time her paws sank a little deeper into the pebbly ground. Her first time at Long Lake — and probably the only time she had the privilege of standing here. She had never expected it to be so vast. The forest on the other side seemed almost tiny, and if she turned her head to either side, she couldn't make out the shores.

No wonder it's called 'Long Lake', Larkwing realised. I've never seen so much water in my life.

"Keep an eye on the moon." Fruittail's voice sounded somewhat unexpectedly. "Until it is fully visible, we must not enter the peninsula."

Larkwing glanced at StarClan's Peninsula, an almost perfectly semi-circular piece of land that jutted out into the water. The edge was lined with tall reeds and bulrushes, growing so close together that it was impossible to see inside.

Even now, she felt a special power emanating from this place. The thought of coming face to face with StarClan sent a shiver down her spine. Surely she would be less nervous if she knew what to expect.

With her heart pounding so hard she could feel it, Larkwing trotted back to the higher ground. Again and again she cast a scrutinising glance at the crescent moon, which was moving very slowly. She slid back and forth impatiently. Hurry up!

She had the impression that half the night had already passed by the time the moon was fully visible. Unusually large and bright orange-red, as if it were on fire, it hung in the black sky.

Larkwing's ears flattened in uncertainty. "I hope this isn't another vision," she meowed, addressing Fruittail. "Like that cat in the lightning."

With ruffled fur, Fruittail jumped to her side and let her gaze wander across the sky in concentration. Then her posture relaxed again. "No need to worry," she purred, unmistakably amused. "You never see the moonrise in the forest because of the trees. But I can assure you that it always looks this red after the immediate appearance. Besides, it's actually impossible for you to recognise visions."

Larkwing allowed herself a soft sigh of relief. I mustn't see danger in everything. She turned to Amberhaze. "Look at that!"

To her disappointment, Amberhaze lifted her head briefly, only to turn back to her paws.

"She's probably too nervous," Fruittail said with an apologetic flick of her tail. "It's time to start. Follow me."

On shaky paws, Larkwing padded after Fruittail and Amberhaze. They slipped through a narrow gap in the reed wall and entered the island, which, to Larkwing's surprise and disappointment, was completely bare except for the grass.

I would've liked it to be... more beautiful. Larkwing let her tail hang down. She knew she had no right to complain. Still, she couldn't hide her disappointment.

"To make contact with StarClan, you have to dip your front paws into the water. Make sure your claws stay sheathed, that's extremely important," Fruittail reminded them. "Then step back again, lie down and go to sleep."

We're not allowed to unsheathe our claws? Larkwing looked curiously at the dark surface of the lake. What a strange rule.

"Are you going to speak to StarClan too?" Amberhaze inquired shyly.

Fruittail hesitated. "No, I think it's better if I stay awake and keep watch," she decided. "We don't know where the Shadowless are roaming. We can't be too safe here."

Larkwing's fur prickled as if numerous bugs were living in it. "You don't think they'd turn up here of all places, do you?" she whispered in horror.

A shadow passed over Fruittail's eyes. "Remember the vision from yesterday. The cat in the lightning is an extremely rare phenomenon. That's what makes it so dangerous."

That sounds really reassuring. Taking a deep breath, Larkwing immersed her paws in the lake. The cold felt unpleasantly stinging, as if she was being pierced by thorns. As instructed by Fruittail, Larkwing then curled up tightly, tail in front of her nose, and closed her eyes.

At first, it felt like it wouldn't work for quite a while. She felt the damp grass beneath her and heard the lapping of the waves. Nevertheless, Larkwing did not dare to move.

Her mind was racing. I should've asked Fruittail if there was anything else I should be aware of! And what if certain cats are denied access to StarClan?

Suddenly, panic slowly but surely rose up inside her like a creeper wrapped around her. Could it be possible that StarClan knew that she had once sworn an oath with Goldenstar, a cat from the Dark Forest? Goldenstar had been gone for many moons and the bond was broken, but did that matter to StarClan?

Perhaps they simply find me too tainted to ever wander in their hunting grounds. Larkwing couldn't stop herself from trembling.

Enveloped by her fear, she gradually slipped into a deep black silence.

But this did not last long. It felt as if barely a heartbeat had passed when Larkwing was rudely torn from her sleep. Gasping, she opened her eyes and jumped to her paws as quickly as if she were standing on a bees' nest.

It didn't work!, was the first thing that came to her mind.

"Fruittail?" she meowed uncertainly into the darkness. "Where are you? Why is it so dark here all of a sudden?"

Timidly, she took a few steps. Where was she? If her contact with StarClan hadn't worked, that actually meant that she was still on the peninsula. But it was so gloomy here that she couldn't see anything. Neither the moon nor the stars lit up the sky.

"Don't be scared."

Squeaking with fright, Larkwing flinched and whirled around. That voice was neither Fruittail's nor Amberhaze's. "Who's there?"

"You'll find out when you create light," the strange cat replied impassively.

Larkwing curled her muzzle. "What's that supposed to mean? How am I supposed to do that?" she meowed desperately.

It was quite a while before she got an answer, and when the she-cat spoke, she sounded clearly surprised. "It's your dream, Larkwing. You can control its properties."

Odd that she knows my name. Closing her eyes, Larkwing tried to concentrate on an image of the sun in the sky. Gradually, she felt herself getting warmer, as if the sun was actually shining. Blinking, she looked again. And indeed: the surroundings were as bright as day.

It seemed that she was in an endless meadow where neither trees nor bushes grew. Above her, the sky was blue and cloudless.

"So you see, you can do it after all!" the strange she-cat purred.

Larkwing looked around curiously for the source of the voice. She could hardly wait to find out who the StarClan cat might be.

There she was, standing a few steps away from her. Tiny dots of light shone like stars in her slightly transparent fur. She was petite and small, with a bushy, red and black striped tail. Most of her fur was dark, partially with large, clearly defined red and black patches, partially speckled. Her paws and her chest and belly fur were white, as was a tiny spot on her forehead.

From her pale green eyes, the she-cat who looked so much like Larkwing gazed warmly at her.

Stunned, Larkwing was at a loss for words. Could it really be true? An aching longing filled her body until she felt as if she could hardly breathe. She had waited so long for this moment.

"Welcome to StarClan, little warrior," the star-speckled she-cat meowed. "My name is Cloudwind."

At that moment, Larkwing's joy disappeared as quickly as it had come. "H-hello, Cloudwind," she managed to mumble, trying not to show her disappointment. I thought I'd meet Twilightwing!

But Cloudwind saw right through her. "Oh, you were expecting someone else, weren't you? I'm really sorry." She blinked. "Twilightwing really wanted to see you, too. Unfortunately, the StarClan Supreme Council was against it. They said she was still far too attached to her kits. A reunion so soon would be too painful for her."

"I understand," Larkwing murmured gloomily, although she didn't even know if that was true. "The StarClan Supreme Council? I've never heard of that."

"An association of eight cats — four of the most influential leaders and four of the most influential medicine cats," Cloudwind explained. "They decide, for example, who the living cats will meet at their first StarClan encounter."

Larkwing scrutinised Cloudwind with interest. "Why did they choose you, of all cats, to meet me?"

Cloudwind let out a short purr, her eyes shining. "It's typical that cats from the kin are chosen for this task. And I'm Twilightwing's mother," she revealed.

Surprised, Larkwing meowed. That's why she looks so much like me!

"Seriously? I... I mean, that's great," she stammered. Suddenly she felt terribly insecure now that she knew Cloudwind was related to her. "Please forgive me if I say something wrong now, but can you tell me how Twilightwing is doing?"

Cloudwind tilted her head a little in bewilderment. "She's fine," she replied. "Of course, she only talks about you and Amberhaze most of the time, but she also spends a lot of time with Ivykit."

"Ivykit?"

Widening her eyes, Cloudwind paused guiltily. "Right, you wouldn't know that if no one told you. But Twilightwing has a third kit that died at birth. He only got his name in StarClan."

Larkwing refrained from pointing out to Cloudwind that she already knew about her second littermate. Her heart warmed. Even though she missed Twilightwing, she knew that she was better off where she was now than in her last moments of life. After all, she had her kit and he had her. Neither of them would be lonely.

"In StarClan, all kits can see and hear, no matter what age they died at," Cloudwind continued. "Somehow, Ivykit has a talent for tracking down medicine cats and then clinging to their tails. I think if he had survived, he would undoubtedly have become a medicine cat apprentice."

If he had survived... Another wave of grief washed over Larkwing and she lowered her gaze to the ground. How could it be that she missed cats she had never seen so much? And yet her feelings did not lie.

A gentle touch made her look up. "It truly is a tragedy that Twilightwing had to leave you and Amberhaze far too soon," Cloudwind sighed sorrowfully. "I couldn't watch my kits grow up either."

Larkwing bristled her fur. "What does that mean?" she whispered.

"When Twilightwing and Dawnbreeze were only two moons old, I succumbed to greencough," Cloudwind remembered. "And my mother, Voletail, died of diseased prey just a few days before my littermate Riverfur and I were appointed apprentices."

A dark premonition crept over Larkwing. They had all died before their kits became apprentices. By my tail and whiskers, that couldn't possibly have been a coincidence!

"Listen to me carefully, Larkwing." Cloudwind's tone was serious. "Even if you don't believe in the existence of curses, I do. Voletail, Twilightwing and I died horribly far too soon. Be careful when you have your first litter. I have a feeling that Twilightwing wasn't the last of our family to have to leave her kits too soon."

Larkwing scratched with her paws. Don't worry, I don't even want kits. This retort was on the tip of her tongue, but her throat seemed tight.

Then she noticed how Cloudwind seemed to gradually fade. "Our time together is over," she announced. Her voice sounded strangely distant and echoing. "Remember my warning well."

Eyes wide, Larkwing took a step forward. "No, wait!" she mewed weakly before everything around her suddenly went dark and she stepped into the void.

With a shriek, she jumped up — and collided directly with Amberhaze, who was crouching in front of her, trembling and with bristled fur. "Sorry!" she meowed hurriedly and blinked. "Uh... Is everything alright?"

Amberhaze's expression was distorted with unbridled fear. "They're back!" she howled in horror. "The Shadowless are back!"