"Stop sleeping!"

When a paw poked her repeatedly in the flank, Larkwing curled up even tighter and tucked her nose under her tail. Why did her nest have to feel the cosiest when she had to leave it?

An impatient snort sounded. "Seriously, Larkwing, are you a rock or what?" Lakepelt complained. "No one else sleeps as much as you do!"

Larkwing jerked her head up in a flash and jumped to her paws so abruptly that she almost hit her head on the branches above her. "Are you saying I'm lazy?"

Lakepelt shook his head. "We need to arrive on Willow Island before sunhigh, remember?" he reminded her slightly sourly.

With a groan, Larkwing dropped onto her hindquarters. Of course she hadn't forgotten. Still, it annoyed her to have to get up so early just to have to walk such a long way.

Jealousy flooded through her as she glanced at her Clanmates. Great. They get to slumber peacefully while I take care of saving the world.

Suppressing a yawn, Larkwing slipped out of the warriors' den. The cold morning air immediately enveloped her and she fluffed up her pelt. Now newleaf was not far off, she felt it deep inside her, but the temperatures were still low.

Dew sparkled on the tips of the grass blades. Up in the sky, the Silverpelt still shone, although most of the stars had already been obscured by the light of the gradually rising sun.

There was a wonderfully peaceful silence and emptiness in the camp, so that Larkwing would have liked to just stand still and soak up the moment. But she knew that she couldn't afford to hesitate.

The two of them left the camp through the Birchtunnel and made their way straight to Willow Island. After a while, however, Larkwing became uncomfortable with the silence. She thought feverishly about what she could say. But Lakepelt seemed so strangely tense that in the end she didn't dare to utter a word.

I'm sure it's because of Rainsplash and her terrible, heartless words. Just thinking about the grey and white speckled she-cat caused a blazing rage in Larkwing. Gritting her teeth, she pushed the leaves in front of her. She still couldn't believe what she had witnessed. So far she had hardly had anything to do with Rainsplash, but by now she knew what a cold-hearted she-cat she was.

But what worried her even more was the fact that Rainsplash had apparently watched her kits trying to kill after all. A shiver ran down Larkwing's spine. She had no idea if there would be any consequences. After all, Rainsplash didn't seem to have told anyone about it yet.

They reached Willow Island just as the last stars disappeared. Somewhat clumsily, Larkwing hopped over the stepping stones.

To her surprise, they were the first, which Larkwing was secretly glad about. This way she could mentally prepare herself for the upcoming meeting.

How would it go? And which cats from the other Clans had joined the reconnaissance patrol? Questions upon questions whirled around in Larkwing's head and simply gave her no peace.

In search of relaxation, the tortico she-cat trotted to the shore that faced the LaurelClan territory and stared into the distance, lost in thought.

I wish I could have got to know LaurelClan better. Saddened, Larkwing thought back to the few moments when she had met the lost Clan. She would never have believed that one day they would just disappear like that.

A soft splash made her sit up and take notice. Curious, Larkwing padded back to the centre of the island. Who she saw there astonished her immensely.

"What are you doing here, Leafwind?" she wanted to know.

"Probably the same as you," Leafwind replied as he shook out his ginger tabby pelt.

A few drops landed on Larkwing and she stepped aside inconspicuously. "Is anyone else coming?"

Leafwind replied in the negative. "Hailstar said we couldn't spare that many cats, so only I came." Curious, he later passed Larkwing. "But you in RoseClan can get away with it. You could even have come with five cats!"

Is he making fun of the fact that RoseClan is so big? Larkwing narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "It's really nice to see you again after we couldn't talk to each other at the last Gathering," she meowed. "But there's one thing I'm really interested in. How can it be that you were chosen? Shouldn't it have been a more experienced cat?"

Leafwind twitched his ears unsuspectingly. "To be precise, hardly anyone volunteered for the patrol," he revealed. "Apart from me, there was Violetwing, but then she fell ill and was excluded from taking part."

Although it was common knowledge that MoonClan was extremely peace-loving, loyalty to their own Clan was just as important. Therefore, it worried Larkwing that hardly any MoonClan cats were interested in the reconnaissance patrol. After all, it would mean that they might find out what had happened to their Clanmates.

Immediately afterwards, however, Larkwing's fur prickled with unease. No matter how much she longed to finally unravel the mystery of the missing cats, she didn't know if she was even ready to find out the cruel truth.

"So... well, the others will be here soon, I'm sure," she murmured, trying to dispel the silence that had spread between them.

The nervousness inside her was growing, seeming to eat its way into her guts. After the last Gathering, Redleaf, Cloverdapple and Splashpaw had set up a temporary camp in the Foreign Lands behind the territories of RoseClan and SnowClan, as Larkwing had heard. And although they had the longest journey to Willow Island of all the cats, Larkwing was getting impatient.

She trotted over to the opposite side of the island and pushed her way through the undergrowth. Narrowing her eyes, she stared over into the dark shadows of SnowClan territory.

Will a SnowClan cat even join us? After Specklestar's so-called fit of rage, that seems rather unlikely.

Larkwing looked at the other side of the river for a while, then she wanted to turn around and go back. While doing so, she almost collided head-on with Lakepelt. Startled, she staggered to the side. I didn't even realise he was behind me!

"How long have you been standing there?" she squeaked, trying to hide her initial startlement.

Lakepelt tilted his head. "Do you know each other well?" he wanted to know. There was no suspicion or hostility in his tone, only mild interest.

"We used to be foster siblings," Larkwing explained. "Although I don't know if that's still true today."

"Yes, right, you used to be in MoonClan."

Sceptically, Larkwing stuck her muzzle out and pranced around Lakepelt as if about to attack. "Have you forgotten that?" She flattened her ears in mock rebuke. "Even though you hated me for it back then and wouldn't even admit that I'm actually a RoseClan cat too."

Lakepelt widened his eyes with equally feigned innocence. "But that was ages ago," he replied.

Larkwing pressed herself to the ground and wiggled her rump. "That reminds me, you never apologised for that," she explained.

"Is that really necessary after all this time?" Lakepelt mumbled dismissively, but then had to admit defeat when Larkwing shot forwards in a flash, knocking him over with her entire weight and pinning him to the ground.

"Yes, it is," she growled happily. "So meow for forgiveness, and if you're lucky, I'll grant it."

Rolling his eyes, Lakepelt turned his head away. "That's totally embarrassing," he objected, but it was clear from his twitching whiskers that he was taking the situation with humour. "And you're really heavy."

Stunned, Larkwing gasped for air. "Are you saying I'm fat?" she retorted. "Really, how can you say that to a poor she-cat like me? Haven't you been taught any manners?"

Lakepelt wiggled to and fro. "Manners, is that something to eat?" With these words, he finally pushed Larkwing away from him and jumped back onto his paws.

Larkwing purred delightedly. How much she loved being allowed to be so carefree! Sometimes she had had the feeling that her life as an apprentice and even as a kit had been far more serious. But now, as a warrior, she could finally enjoy life.

***

Admittedly, it was a strange experience to attend a meeting on Willow Island while the sun was shining overhead and not the moon.

With her paws tucked under her body, Larkwing had settled down in the flattened grass next to Lakepelt and gazed up at Redleaf intently. The orange and white tom stood on the rock where the new apprentices and warriors were usually introduced to the other Clans. Cloverdapple and Splashpaw, had moved a little to the side.

"Thank you for coming." Redleaf flicked his tail. "Honestly, I rather doubted it after everything that happened the last time we saw each other here, but it seems like you've realised how important this is for all of us. Not just for LaurelClan."

Exactly, every Clan is suffering from the Shadowless. Larkwing picked at the ground with her claws. Once again, she was reminded of why she had decided to join the reconnaissance patrol. She hardly wanted to imagine what it would be like if RoseClan was suddenly taken over and suppressed.

Determined, she thrust her chest out. I will do everything I can to help ensure that LaurelClan can return and the Shadowless are destroyed, she vowed inwardly.

Redleaf let his gaze wander briefly over the assembled cats, then looked over to the shore. "No one from SnowClan has come, though," he noted without actually addressing anyone.

"Why am I not surprised?" Cloverdapple added. "Specklestar has always been far too proud and stubborn."

"And most of all, she's too stubborn to accept or offer help," Larkwing whispered.

At least she thought she had spoken quietly enough for no one to hear her comment. Unfortunately, she seemed to have been wrong, because all pairs of eyes turned to her at the same time.

Hot with embarrassment, Larkwing wished the ground would open up beneath her so she could escape this awkward situation.

To say something like that about the leader of another Clan — what a mouse-brain I am! Furious at her unbridled tongue, Larkwing bit her lips. Still, she secretly stuck to her opinion.

To her relief, none of the cats present dared to respond further.

"Anyway, I'm sure we'll manage just fine without SnowClan's support," Redleaf declared, seemingly unmoved. Nevertheless, it didn't escape Larkwing's notice that he seemed somehow tense. "I think it's better to discuss what we already know about the Shadowless before we start making any new plans too quickly."

Next to Larkwing, Lakepelt turned his ears forwards abruptly. She, too, straightened up.

But before any cat had the slightest chance to say anything, they were surprised by the arrival of a seventh cat.

With her mouth open, Larkwing stared at the black she-cat, who had the unmistakable pine-like scent of SnowClan on her. "I'm too late, aren't I?"

Her meow was met with silence until Redleaf forced himself to say something, "Crowshadow? What are you doing here? We thought SnowClan wasn't interested in others' business."

No doubt his words were meant to be hostile, but Crowshadow kept her fur flat.

"Well, that's true. SnowClan is staying out of this whole thing," she explained. "But I'm not a SnowClan cat anymore."