Larkwing had fixated her gaze on the swaying tip of Cirrus's tail. They had been walking through the forest for quite a while, seemingly without a destination.

Surely the grey and cream she-cat wouldn't lure her into an ambush. Nevertheless, she remained vigilant. She had already experienced being betrayed once by a cat she had never expected. If such an incident were to happen again, she would be prepared.

Next to an old, gnarled tree, its heavy branches touching the ground, Cirrus stopped and turned to Larkwing. A serious expression could be seen in her blue eyes.

"This is the Tree of Protection," she explained, sounding reverent, but in a fearful way. "This is where we go when we surround ourselves with issues that have brought the world much, much sorrow and danger. We believe that the evil from the past and the evil that lurks around us cannot follow us under the branches of this tree."

Larkwing hurriedly slid to her among the roots. Her fur prickled. Don't behave like that, a reproachful voice whispered in her mind. I'm too old to believe in scary stories anymore.

She forced herself to stay relaxed and sat down, her bushy black tail tucked neatly around her front paws. Somehow, she already had a faint premonition of what Cirrus wanted to talk about, assuming the so-called evil from the past referred to the fire-and-suffering-infused event she'd seen in the world of the Ancient Stone. It seemed extremely suspicious to Larkwing that Sunray had reacted so aggressively when she had found out where the tortico she-cat had been. All signs were that she wanted to hide it at all costs.

Larkwing eyed Cirrus curiously. "Is it about the past?" she blurted out.

Instead of answering, Cirrus paced in a circle around the wide tree trunk while she drew a furrow with her right front paw. Her mouth moved slightly, she seemed to whisper something, but nothing could be understood.

Once she had closed the circle, Cirrus sat down in front of Larkwing. "I had to say a protection prayer," she explained.

"Oh, okay." Larkwing wiggled back and forth. She wasn't superstitious, but she did feel uneasy. If Cirrus had led her to a special place, that said a lot.

"I already informed the other Clan cats about this while you were sleeping," Cirrus began. "You've ventured beyond your borders to find answers. Not many cats have that kind of courage, and it's the least I can do."

Larkwing faltered. It was as if an invisible force was crushing her lungs. "The Shadowless... You're not seriously talking about them, are you?" she croaked in a soundless voice.

"Yes, that's exactly what I'm talking about." Cirrus's expression was serious. "You only joined us because you wanted to find out where they came from. But in the whole of the last moon, we barely let you get close to us. I'm sorry about that. That's why I've decided to tell you everything I know. Because you don't want to stay here much longer, do you? It's time for you to return home."

It is. Now that Cirrus had mentioned it, Larkwing felt that homesickness again. When they had set out, she had never thought they would be gone for so long. She missed RoseClan territory. She missed her Clanmates.

But do I want to leave already? Doubts arose in her mind. Actually, Cirrus was right. As soon as she had given her the information, the reconnaissance patrol should make their way back as quickly as possible. And what about Sunray? She and her followers will return, stronger and more ruthless than before.

A whirlwind of emotions raged inside Larkwing. On the one paw, she wanted to get out of here soon, but on the other, she feared for the future of the ruin cats. If at least half of them weren't able to fight, things would be bad for them. Besides, they owed Cirrus something if she was so forthcoming with information.

It would only have been nice if she had done so immediately. Then we would never have been dragged into this mess and would have been back with the Clans long ago. Larkwing exhaled in resignation. "Tell me more about the Shadowless, please," she pleaded.

"All right." Cirrus closed her eyes. "For that, we have to travel far, far into the past..."

Larkwing tucked her front paws under her body and turned her ears forwards, mesmerised. She had waited so long for this moment.

And Cirrus began to speak, quietly yet clearly. "Have you ever wondered why the ruins exist? I can tell you. They didn't come about naturally. Someone built them. A species that had dominated the world for countless leaf-changes.

"We cats had formed a bond with them for ages. There were times when we were worshipped and times when we were blamed for all misfortune and disease. But despite all that, we belonged together. We watched them and learnt everything about them. Eventually there came a point when we could understand enough of their language to understand their nature."

At this point, Cirrus broke off and purred briefly. "This is also reflected in our choice of names. I'm sure they seem unusual to you. Mine, for example, describes a kind of cloud."

Oh, clouds have names? Larkwing refrained from making this slightly biting comment.

"At some point, there came a time when resources became scarce," Cirrus continued. "They had managed to turn the planet into a paradisiacal place, but that was partly to blame for their downfall. There were many more births than before, as they finally had the certainty of raising their young in a safe world. At the same time, their healing skills continued to advance. Suddenly it was possible to cure even the deadliest diseases and prolong life.

"But as a result, the earth soon reached its limit, and just as quickly as it was created, paradise was destroyed. It's said that there was a so-called mass panic. Conflicts arose, they cunningly killed each other in order to obtain vital supplies. No one could be trusted anymore. Not friends, not family.

"And as if that wasn't bad enough, an unknown danger appeared from outside. Huge machines descending from the sky, called extraterrestrial spaceships. This species had been wondering what was beyond the sky since time immemorial, sending probes to explore where they couldn't go themselves. But they would never have thought that the things that are out there would find them first."

Larkwing tilted her head in confusion. She didn't understand basically half of what Cirrus was saying. What are extraterrestrial spaceships? What are probes?, she wanted to ask, but Cirrus kept talking eagerly and the words poured out of her mouth like a waterfall.

"These spaceships scorched vast areas of fields and forests when they arrived, and the areas that were initially unscathed they pierced with their tendrils—"

"Tentacles," Larkwing whispered reflexively.

"—so that an unknown, dangerous disease spread," Cirrus continued unfazed. "It wasn't long before the first ones fell ill. The symptoms were always the same. Those affected could no longer speak or respond to what was said. Then the aggression set in. Seemingly at random, they attacked everyone they saw. The one attacked either died or the disease was transmitted to them.

"It all happened incredibly quickly. Everyone put their hostilities aside and worked together to find a cure, but because of the danger that surrounded them, it was impossible. That's why they decided on the last resort: killing everyone infected.

"Well, that is, they wanted to. However, they soon faced a problem. There were a few times when the infected did not die. For a brief moment, they seemed to have been incapacitated, then they came back to life as if nothing had happened."

At these words, coldness crept through Larkwing's fur. Just like the attack on RoseClan camp. "And did they find out what caused it?" she asked before Cirrus could continue her torrent of words.

Her heart was pounding with nervousness. If they knew which Shadowless were immortal and which weren't, that could certainly help them with the question of how to get rid of them.

But Cirrus just shrugged helplessly. "They didn't find out," she sighed. "The most common assumption was that it was purely random. Presumably each body reacted differently. Sometimes it even happened that the infected died just like that."

"Oh. I see." Larkwing tried not to let her disappointment show. At the same time, an emptiness of despair spread deep inside her. I thought we were finally one step closer to a solution.

At the moment, however, it looked like she was sitting at the bottom of a deep hole and there was darkness all around her.

"When everyone realised that, the very last spark of hope went out," Cirrus explained. "Those who were able to fled deep underground, to where the disease-carrying tendrils of the spaceships could not reach. Meanwhile, above them, the world sank further into chaos. You must know, Larkwing, that they did not fight their battles physically, as we did. Instead, they had built... well, tools that did all the work for them. You can't imagine their destructive power. No one could run from them, let alone fight them. And where they had done their damage, the area was so contaminated that it was uninhabitable forever.

"In short, the infected gained access to these tools, fired them all over the world and..." Cirrus faltered.

"And they exterminated themselves," Larkwing concluded.

Cirrus nodded.

I would never have thought... A shudder shook Larkwing. "How do you even know that?" she enquired. "It all sounds so... so... I don't know, so, uh, made up."

"It's the memories of our ancestors, passed down from generation to generation," Cirrus explained calmly. Apparently she didn't feel offended by Larkwing's accusation. "As I said before, cats developed the ability to understand this species. This is why I am now able to tell you all that."

Larkwing would have liked to believe her. But she couldn't help feeling suspicious. "That sounds like it was all a long time ago. Stories can change over time. Nowadays, it's impossible to say what really happened back then."

Cirrus's gaze darkened. "I'm aware of that, dear. However, I doubt there have been too many discrepancies. Besides, look around you! The ruins, the tendrils coiling around the skydens like oversized snakes. Isn't that proof enough for you that something terrible must have happened in the past?"

Larkwing had no objection to that. Uncertainly, she scratched the earth with her claws. The crumbs caught briefly between her toes before trickling down again.

She simply couldn't believe it. An unknown force had suddenly appeared and caused an entire species to wipe itself out? That merely sounded like an exaggerated horror story for kits.

And what if the same thing happens to us? Suddenly she felt as if the ground was making waves. "How can it be that this disease is now affecting cats? How did it even start?" she wanted to know.

"I wish I had an answer to that," Cirrus sighed, looking leaf-change older. "One day, the Soulless just turned up and poured into our camp in droves."

Of course, Lavender told me that her whole family had died in the attack. Larkwing bowed her head in silent sorrow. Even though she had never met these cats, it was the least she could do. Especially for Lavender. After all, she had no one left.

Then she remembered something that Cirrus hadn't mentioned yet. "Why do we only see the tenta—... the tendrils? Where are the... uh..."

"Spaceships?" Cirrus helped her out. "For some reason, they shed the tendrils. Nobody knows when or why that happened. However, there's an assumption that they're hiding where no one can find them and are slowly but surely regenerating."

Regenerating. The word made Larkwing's fur bristle. Sunray had used that too, if she wasn't mistaken. "So does that mean they're preparing again to wipe out another species?"

Cirrus flattened her ears. "It seems so," she confirmed. "Until they regain their full strength, the same thing that happened back then will not happen again. Nevertheless, they are already capable of spreading the disease and thus decimating our species."

She stood up on shaky paws. "Well, that's all I could tell you. You may return now." Without giving Larkwing another glance, she stepped over the furrow.

"Wait a moment!" Larkwing shouted and jumped up. "What do you mean we may return?"

Cirrus paused. "Leave," she pressed out. "The truth is, I only told you all this because I want you to leave immediately. I don't want you to be dragged any further into our problem."

"Yeah, but—"

"Besides, the truth is you're not a prophecy cat. Not a Guardian." Cirrus's tone was accusatory. "Topaz told me."

Oh, did she? Interesting, I thought that was my job. Larkwing stuck out her paw. "I'm sorry about that," she meowed, "but it was Sunray's fault. She has extraordinary abilities that she could use to manipulate you all. Even me."

Cirrus's body stiffened and hesitantly she turned round. "Where did..."

"That's also why your own campmates attacked you," Larkwing continued hurriedly, her gaze fixated firmly on Cirrus as if she could use it to keep her in place. "I know you won't believe me, but..." She took a deep breath. "I suspect Sunray, for some reason, has managed to make contact with the spaceships via the tendrils and make common cause with them. She wants to create new Shadowless and—"

A hiss interrupted her. "Don't lie!" Cirrus growled in a rage. "Yes, Sunray has betrayed us. But that will hardly be possible."

Larkwing would have liked to stamp her paws in frustration. At the same time, she could understand Cirrus. She herself wasn't sure what to believe. Nonetheless, it was best if she informed the ruin cats of what she had found out so far. She could leave out the part about the supposed vision. At least until she realised what it was all about.

"Please, just believe me!" Gradually, the despair in Larkwing took over. The worst thing was that she couldn't think of any better arguments. "They want to attack next new moon. You must be prepared by then."

Completely exhausted, Larkwing dropped onto her rump. She had no attachment to the ruin cats. Up to a certain point, Cirrus was right. Other cats' problems were usually none of her business.

Great StarClan, we were dealing with the Shadowless here! Larkwing's tail thudded on the ground. She couldn't bear to leave, knowing that the unprepared ruin cats would be met with another attack.

"If it really comes to that, we can handle it on our own," Cirrus asserted. With that, she turned back around and trotted off.

Larkwing hurried ahead and stopped just before the furrow. There was something else she absolutely had to know and she prayed that Cirrus had an answer ready.

"Can I ask you something?" she meowed.

"What is it now?"

"Has it ever happened that someone was infected but the disease never manifested itself?"

At these words, Cirrus bristled her fur. "Not that I know," she replied in surprise. "The disease corrupts the soul, after all, and to prevent that, you would theoretically have to have two souls."