𝙰𝚖𝚋𝚎𝚛𝚑𝚊𝚣𝚎

The moon hung bright white and perfectly round in the night sky. A few clouds drifted by, but they were so thin and delicate that they did not obscure the Silverpelt. The water lapped softly against the stepping stones, splashing up drops each time. Today the current of the river was calm, just like Amberhaze's disposition.

She was really happy to finally be chosen for the Gathering again, since she had to stay in camp last moon. Not that she was keen on talking to other cats. Actually, she only liked Willow Island because of its beauty. The huge, majestic willow with the hanging branches in the centre, the rock in front of it illuminated by the moonlight, and also the embankment, made up of a mix of numerous ferns, flower bushes and reeds.

A few cats from MoonClan had already been on the island when RoseClan arrived. No wonder, since they had the shortest route and didn't have to hike down a mountain first. In the past, Amberhaze would have headed straight for them, looking for Swallowfern. Even now, her soft, dark reddish-golden tabby fur tingled with an instinctive desire to see the black she-cat.

I can't think about her any more. Stubbornly averting her gaze from the MoonClan cats, she trotted along the bank vegetation. Swallowfern is gone. Forever. I don't need her anymore anyway.

Amberhaze ran her paws through the damp grass, ignoring the meows of the other cats. Lying to herself was a worse pain than the one caused by claws and fangs. Day by day, the likelihood that Swallowfern was actually dead grew greater. Nonetheless, Amberhaze never wanted to stop keeping her in her heart. Larkwing and I owe our lives to her. Without her, we would be in StarClan now, forever as kits.

With a soft, resigned sigh, Amberhaze slipped through a gap between two bushes. She tried to make her way through the undergrowth as elegantly as possible, but thorns and broken branches clung to her thick fur like little pests.

Amberhaze turned back and forth carefully, taking care not to hurt herself by accident. Oh help, this is so embarrassing! She would love to sink into the ground in shame. Or even better: throw herself straight into the river, sink to the bottom and stay there.

She had finally squeezed herself onto the other side — and immediately stopped in shock.

For, contrary to expectations, she wasn't the only one who had the idea of coming to the shore. Birchpelt crouched at the water's edge, his head turned to Amberhaze.

Her paws were glued to the ground. Come on, say something!

"Hello, Amberhaze," Birchpelt meowed unconcernedly and sat up.

His eyes were green. Light green, to be precise, not a dark shade in the colouring of dry moss in the shadows, as was the case with Larkwing's left eye. By StarClan, had she ever noticed that his eyes were green?

Wordlessly, Amberhaze continued to stare at Birchpelt. She had to say something to break this awkward silence. She was sure that if she opened her mouth, only nonsense would come out.

Shaking his pelt, Birchpelt jumped up the embankment. Involuntarily, Amberhaze took two steps back.

"Make sure you don't fall into the water," he warned. "Unless you want to become a block of ice."

Amberhaze lifted her chin. "Oh, actually... actually, I just got lost," she babbled.

Birchpelt's whiskers twitched slightly. "If you say so." He trotted past her and slipped through the gap without a problem.

Oh, what a clumsy mouse-brain I am! Overcome with shame, Amberhaze dropped onto her rump. Who gets lost on an island? Now he must think I'm really incompetent. Maybe I'll soon unlearn how to walk in a straight line.

With an uncomfortably hot feeling in her fur, Amberhaze turned her gaze to the black river. The desire to test whether it was really that cold overcame her. Without further ado, she stood up again and padded to the bank. Carefully, she held a front paw into the water.

Not even a heartbeat later, she backed away, gasping. Birchpelt had been right. The river was indeed ice-cold, even though some of the days were already warmer.

It was lucky that Birchpelt hadn't witnessed that too. There was no way Amberhaze would allow herself to be humiliated any further.

Why do I care so much what Birchpelt of all cats thinks of me?

At the same time, she could answer this question for herself. Birchpelt was one of the three kits of the deputy. Despite his still very young age, he already had a kind of reputation thanks to his kin. Although, to be honest, he hadn't done much yet. However, Amberhaze had once noticed that the cats of the other Clans recognised him, Mottletail and Mushroomfur immediately.

Surely Birchpelt wanted nothing to do with a warrior who couldn't even open her mouth at the right moment. Besides, she was nothing special. Of course, she was a good hunter and had an extremely keen sense of smell. She'd been told that often enough.

Still, she had nothing else to be proud of. Twilightwing was dead, Sunbrook didn't care about her. Nor was there anyone else in her family who could give her a similarly high reputation as Birchpelt.

Not that she wanted that. However, it seemed wrong to her that a cat from such a background would bother with her.

Then she remembered again how Birchpelt had looked at her. Although his choice of words and the rest of his body language had expressed something else, there was no scorn, no mockery in his light green eyes. Rather, it had been... curiosity, and somehow interest.

When she realised this, her fur began to prickle with embarrassment again. This time, however, excitement also joined in. Birchpelt is interested in me, her heart seemed to sing.

There had been a few cats who had approached her in the past. Like Mottletail and Yellowthorn, for example, who had tried to be her friends but had given up after a few days.

It was different with Birchpelt. It simply had to be different. Amberhaze herself was surprised by her sudden emotional chaos. So many different emotions were flooding her at the moment that she couldn't even organise them properly.

A cat who was interested in her. Who loved her just as she was, with all her faults and weaknesses.

I just want someone to love me. I want to be someone's first choice. Longingly, Amberhaze lifted her muzzle to the sky.

Besides, Birchpelt didn't look too bad. He was a brown tabby tom with dark, almost black stripes, with white front paws and white hind legs, white chest and belly fur and a partially white muzzle. With him, Amberhaze could certainly be seen.

There was a yowl, the sign that the meeting was about to begin. And as if that had woken her up, Amberhaze suddenly felt terribly embarrassed by what had just gone through her mind. She had acted far too hastily. Birchpelt had simply been nice to her. No reason to immediately imagine a future together.

Gnashing her teeth, Amberhaze made her way through the undergrowth. Perhaps she was just too obsessed with the desire to be someone's mate. Besides, she was only fourteen moons old. She still had enough time to analyse her feelings.

Unless you die early, a voice whispered in her subconscious. Amberhaze tensed. There was no way she was going to let that happen. She wanted to survive.

The cats of RoseClan, MoonClan and SnowClan had already gathered in a crescent moon shape around the large willow. Worried, Amberhaze realised, as she carefully made her way to her Clan, that she could only count six MoonClan cats at most. Among them was Dashfoot, whose blue eyes shone conspicuously.

As if she could see her with all the cats in between, Amberhaze gave her a dirty look. Then she turned to the willow — and widened her eyes in shock.

Hailstar was missing.

Palestar and Specklestar were standing on different branches. But in the place where Hailstar had usually settled was now Nightblossom.

Is Hailstar... Amberhaze shuddered. No, that can't be. Surely he's just unable to attend.

Whispers came from beside her. "Where is Hailstar?" Gooseleap murmured, just as confused as Amberhaze felt.

"I ask myself that too," Dawnbreeze replied with an agonised sigh and pointed with a paw to the roots of the willow.

A dark grey tabby she-cat with white markings had settled there next to Honeyclaw and Mossnose, the new deputy of SnowClan. Her green eyes scrutinised the numerous cats with uncertainty.

Just as Specklestar rose to her paws, Nightblossom interrupted her with a meow. "Wait!"

Not particularly pleased, Specklestar twitched the tip of her tail. "What do you have to say that's so urgent, Nightblossom?"

"Star," the black MoonClan she-cat clarified gruffly. "I'm Nightstar now."

Around her, Amberhaze could feel her Clanmates getting nervous. It was obvious now. Hailstar was dead and Nightstar had taken the lead. But what had happened in MoonClan?

"Sorry, Nightstar," Specklestar replied coolly.

Nightstar skilfully ignored her hostile tone and addressed the three Clans directly. "I know that I'm far from the most experienced up here. However, there is something you need to know about." Her chest puffed out and she let out a long, slow breath.

Somehow the uncertainty didn't suit her at all. Amberhaze had always perceived her as a level-headed and fearless she-cat, so she noticed Nightstar's changed behaviour immediately.

"Is it about Hailstar?" Palestar asked sympathetically. "What happened to him?"

A little late, Nightstar turned an ear in the direction of the light grey and white spotted she-cat. Yellow eyes met blue ones, and for a tiny moment it looked as if gratitude was creeping into Nightstar's buttercup-coloured gaze.

Down at the foot of the willow, Mossnose let her bushy tail sweep across the ground. "He's dead, of course, what else?" the light brown tabby she-cat emphasised just loud enough for at least the first few rows to hear her.

Fruittail grimaced at her words but didn't say anything herself.

Much to the surprise and astonishment of the other cats, Nightstar shook her head. "Oh no. Hailstar didn't die. He became a Shadowless."

No voices were raised. No one dared to question Nightstar's words. Instead, a veil of silence fell over Willow Island.

"But..." Palestar almost whispered, her shoulders hunched in fear. "How can you be so sure?"

Dawnbreeze let out a snort. "I'm curious," the plump, tortoiseshell she-cat murmured. At the same time, horror gleamed in her pale amber eyes.

"It's only been a few days, half a moon at most," Nightstar remembered. Her voice was surprisingly firm and calm, even though she was clawing the bark. "The Shadowless have already invaded the camp again. There were far fewer of them than last time. We thought we'd have an easier time dealing with them, but... I don't know, for some reason they were different. They seemed smarter. They worked together. Some even communicated with each other using real words, though not full sentences."

Shivering, Amberhaze pulled her paws under her body. The Shadowless are evolving, she thought. If it develops in this direction, they will develop an infeline intelligence in the worst case, and then we will be doomed forever.

How she longed to have someone by her side with whom she could get through all this.

"They also seemed to have a specific target, because they went straight for the neck," Nightstar continued. "I told my cats to protect themselves at that spot no matter what. Nevertheless, sooner or later Hailstar became their target. He lost his last life in front of us all. I saw it clearly." Her tone became slightly panicked. "That's right, Violetwing, isn't it?"

The new deputy of MoonClan nodded in agreement. "There was neither breath nor a heartbeat." She peeked over at Finstrike and Motleycloud, who twitched their tails in confirmation. "And then, barely three heartbeats later, he came back to life as if nothing had happened."

Nightstar interrupted her. "Suddenly he was hostile towards us. Didn't seem to recognise anyone anymore. He bit Flowerpelt and then disappeared with the other Shadowless."

Startled, Specklestar bristled her fur. "Is she all right, at least?" she enquired.

"We're probably lucky that he didn't bite her deep enough," Nightstar replied. "At least Flowerpelt hasn't started showing those signs of blind aggression. But she's under observation at the moment, just in case something does happen."

It almost seemed to Amberhaze as if she were trapped in a vivid nightmare. But it was all real and there was no way out.

A few paces away, Bramblepaw and Blossompaw had snuggled close together, while Bramblepaw's mother, Lightshine, who was sitting behind them, was churning up the ground with her claws. Ravenleap, Starlingtalon and Mothspark seemed similarly upset.

After a short pause, Specklestar spoke up again. "I'm really, really sorry for you. This loss will be on our minds for a long time. Believe me, I knew Hailstar well and know that he would never have turned against MoonClan," the orange and white she-cat meowed. "But with all due respect, Nightstar, what evidence do you have to claim that he became shadowless himself through a simple bite? We know nothing about the biology of the Shadowless and how they came to be in the first place."

At that, Nightstar raised her chin resolutely and returned the SnowClan leader's sceptical gaze. "Then it's time to find out." She sounded energetic. "Hailstar's behaviour was identical to that of the Shadowless after his resurrection. If that doesn't mean he's a Shadowless, then what does?"

Meekly, Specklestar flattened her ears.

Now calmer again, Nightstar continued, "I'm in favour of us finally taking matters into our own paws and attacking the Shadowless wherever they are, when they aren't slaughtering us one after another. No more hide-and-seek, no more fear. I have a feeling that there's a place somewhere around here that they have to return to regularly."

Palestar tilted her head in interest. "I see," she meowed. "And you think that's where they're most vulnerable?"

"Okay, not the Shadowless themselves," Nightstar admitted. "It would be strange if they were weaker in this place in particular. No, I suspect there's something there — whatever it is — that's connected to the Shadowless, or they to it. Something that gives them orders and controls their behaviour, so to speak."

Wow. Despite the seriousness of the situation, Amberhaze couldn't help but admire Nightstar. She had only just become leader and yet she was determined to put an end to the Shadowless.

"That might work," Palestar agreed hesitantly. "However, shouldn't we wait until the reconnaissance patrol has returned with information?"

Larkwing! Amberhaze winced. Pain stabbed in her chest. It had been so long now that she could barely remember.

The endearing, slightly smoky and dark, yet clearly feminine voice. The very individual scent, paired with the smell of pine sap and moss that was typical of RoseClan cats. The soft, black fur with the numerous ginger speckles and mottles, remotely reminiscent of a lake of blazing flowers , on her flanks and back. The large, orange tabby patch on the right side of her body that looked like it didn't belong there. The long, bushy, black, elegantly curved tail, which gave her a soft and pretty appearance — ironic, when Larkwing actually tended to be wild and fierce sometimes.

All of this faded a little more every day. Sometimes Amberhaze caught herself thinking about the possibility that Larkwing might be dead. Each time, she herself was shocked by the resignation with which she accepted the worst-case scenario. Deep down, she simply felt that her littermate was well. She simply had to be.

I hope StarClan is watching over her this far out, Amberhaze thought anxiously. At the same time, she was sure that Larkwing was strong enough not to need protection. No matter where she was, she would surely be able to handle anything. After all, she wasn't alone.

Amberhaze then exhaled sorrowfully. More than anything, she would have preferred it if she could have accompanied Larkwing.

"Why are you just so narrow-minded?" Palestar's hiss sounded so loud and sudden that Amberhaze flinched.

The grey and white she-cat had jumped to her paws, lashing her tail and glaring angrily at Specklestar. The SnowClan leader had backed up to the trunk again and fluffed up her fur, making her look even bigger than usual. Nightstar crouched on a branch above the two she-cats, visibly nervous and unsure how to deal with the situation.

"Understand this!" Palestar sounded desperate. "We haven't done anything about the Shadowless for moons. If Nightstar hadn't suggested it, I probably would have done it soon. We haven't done anything for too long. It's time to get to the root of the problem."

Amberhaze listened with newly awakened interest. This plan was new to her, though that could be because she had only discussed it with Honeyclaw and the Warriors' Council so far. And it must not have been that long ago, otherwise she would have informed RoseClan of her plans.

"You're both stupid if you seriously think you can walk in there and defeat the Shadowless with nothing." Specklestar's voice quivered, dripping with disbelief and disdain. "The Shadowless cannot simply be defeated in an afternoon. We don't know how many of them there are or what kind of place they're in. But one thing is clear: they know their way around much better than we do. You don't stand a chance there."

Despite her tough, gruff demeanour, Amberhaze had to agree with her. She also had the feeling that entering a potential hideout of the Shadowless was tantamount to a death wish.

Visibly annoyed, Palestar groaned. "That's not what I meant."

Nightstar jumped in. "Of course we realise that it's risky," the black she-cat explained. "That's why I think it would be better if we sent patrols to scout beyond the Long Lake in the next few moons-"

"Behind the Long Lake?" Violetwing interrupted her, confused. "Why there?"

Nightstar looked down at the dark grey and white tabby she-cat at least as perplexed. "Because I assume that's where the Shadowless come from?" she meowed slowly.

"Really?" Violetwing twitched her torn ears. "But you haven't said a word about that yet."

"I haven't?" All at once, Nightstar had fallen back into her newfound uncertainty. "Then I must have forgotten, I'm sorry."

Whispers sounded around Amberhaze, criticising Nightstar. Her fur prickled with discomfort. The moon had already moved a considerable distance across the sky since they had arrived here, and the leaders had spent most of the time discussing. If this continued, they would have to stay here until dawn.

Raising her tail, Palestar silenced the cats of the three Clans. "Scouting sounds good, as long as we're careful about it," she agreed to Nightstar's suggestion, giving Specklestar a haughty look at the same time. "However, I would prefer to wait until the reconnaissance patrol is back. Maybe what they've found out could be useful."

A disbelieving snort sounded. "You don't really think they'll ever come back!" Specklestar hurled at her. "They've been gone a whole moon by now just because some dying Shadowless told a stupid little she-cat that they could find answers outside the Clan borders. But I'll tell you one thing, Palestar. This so-called mission was always doomed to fail. We should resign ourselves to the fact that they will never return."

Protests were loud among the cats, especially MoonClan.

"You can't say that!" Finstrike stared up at Specklestar in horror. "Surely you're not seriously of the opinion that they're no longer alive?"

Now Fruittail rose to her paws as well. "As far as that's concerned, StarClan has been shrouded in silence the whole time," the mottled tabby she-cat meowed. "However, I believe that they will send us a sign if it's true."

At this, Specklestar's expression became strangely tense. A shadow passed over her eyes. "StarClan, huh?"

Amberhaze's ears twitched in surprise. That's right! Have the medicine cats ever sought advice from StarClan?

Her hopes vanished when Motleycloud regretfully answered in the negative. "What do you think we do every other halfmoon?" the tortoiseshell and white medicine cat apprentice wanted to know with a hint of aggression. "StarClan says nothing about any of this. Whenever I've tried to ask them about it, they've just ignored me."

"They don't want to tell me anything either," Finstrike confirmed.

"Then they must have let us down," Specklestar growled. "Hollytail?"

But the grey-brown tabby medicine cat of SnowClan only lowered her head. A sign that StarClan was ignoring her too.

Nightstar flicked her tail. "They will help us when the time comes. I am firmly convinced of that. But you must remember that they are not necessarily omniscient either."

True words, Amberhaze thought. After all, StarClan is nothing more than a bunch of dead cats.

"I suggest we stop this discussion now," Nightstar meowed. "We'll never reach a mutual conclusion like this. How about we meet here as soon as possible — before the next Gathering — and continue working on a solution?"

Palestar and Specklestar hesitantly agreed, although it was clear to see that the latter was happy about it.

Amberhaze was also relieved that she no longer had to listen to this aimless conversation. It could be so easy if all three leaders were of one mind.

Perhaps it really was time to get to the bottom of the Shadowless' secrets. And for the first time since they had appeared, Amberhaze felt confident.

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this chapter is so weird and nonsensical 🥲 hope you don't mind