"Two souls?" Larkwing's mouth was wide open. "Such a thing is impossible! That means that once you're infected, there's no saving you, right?"

Cirrus's gaze darkened. "If you're that unfortunate and come into contact with the disease, all you can do is hope that your body doesn't survive it. That is a terrible and very painful fate, but the only alternative is to become a soulless husk whose only instincts are to kill and infect more cats."

An invisible tendril constricted Larkwing's chest, making it difficult for her to breathe. Why did I insist on coming along? Anger flared up inside her. Anger that she had to be so stubborn and had begged Palestar to come. She should have listened to Dawnbreeze and Kestrelpelt. For they were absolutely right. It was mouse-brained of her to think that she was up to this mission.

If only it were possible to turn back time, then she would be far, far away from Sunray. She wouldn't have to worry about turning into a Shadowless. Crowshadow would never have to hurt her leg in an attempt to protect her either.

"Is everything alright? You seem so stiff all of a sudden." Cirrus's voice sounded like it was coming through a wall of fog in the far distance.

Larkwing flinched. "I'm fine, don't worry. It's just that a lot has been happening lately. I guess that makes me a little nervous."

Very nervous, actually.

Cirrus let out a sympathetic coo. "Come on now. It's time to get back to camp. It's not good to stay under the Tree of Protection too long or its strength will fade."

With a queasy feeling that she couldn't suppress, Larkwing padded after Cirrus. "Why do you insist that we should leave? You're in danger. When the Shadowless come—"

"They will not come!" Cirrus snarled tensely and her tail lashed. "Put it out of your mind that Sunray has the ability to infect souls. Where did you even get that stupid idea?"

Thereupon Larkwing remained silent. Fury boiled up inside her again. On the one paw, she could understand that Cirrus didn't want to believe her. Still, she couldn't tell her the real reason how she knew about the Shadowless.

So Larkwing had no choice but to keep walking, her jaws tense. Somehow she had to convince Cirrus that they needed the help. In their current state, there was no way they would survive the impending attack. What's more, half of the ruin cats had no fighting experience whatsoever.

Larkwing pushed a pebble away with her paw. If they absolutely want to hold on to old traditions that make no sense — fine! But they shouldn't complain when they're wiped out.

Nevertheless, she felt terribly uncomfortable at the thought. Even if Cirrus's stubbornness almost drove her crazy, the ruin cats didn't deserve such a fate.

When they arrived at the entrance to the camp, Larkwing stood right in front of the grey and cream she-cat, blocking her way. "Think about it carefully. If you refuse to do anything, the deaths of the ruin cats will be your fault alone. You still have the chance to prepare them all for battle. Not only toms, but also she-cats. Last time the Shadowless won, but this time it will be you who emerge victorious."

For the first time, uncertainty flashed across Cirrus's expression. "We can't throw our principles into the abyss at a moment's notice," she interjected. "Our ancestors have lived by them for countless leaf-changes. They would not approve if they learnt that we were changing our way of life."

"Times are changing!" Angrily, Larkwing twitched the tip of her tail. "With all due respect to your ancestors, but if they knew what kind of conditions prevail here right now, they would also be in favour of you all learning how to defend yourselves. They certainly wouldn't have wanted you to give your lives unnecessarily just because you're too stubborn and proud to accept help!"

At the last words, her voice involuntarily became louder and shriller, causing her to flatten her ears. Pleadingly, she turned her eyes to Cirrus, waiting for her to finally say something.

At that moment, the leaves of the bushes next to them shook and Cherry and an unknown, light brown tabby and white she-cat with amber eyes almost collided with them.

"Sorry, I wasn't paying attention to my surroundings!" the brown and white she-cat squeaked. Immediately afterwards, she froze, her gaze fixed bluntly on Larkwing.

The tips of the tortico she-cat's ears were hot with shame. "Stop staring at me like that," she hissed harshly. "Yeah, I know, there's this scar right through my face now that looks like a real lightning bolt, so do me a favour and stare at something else!"

Startled, the light brown tabby and white she-cat ducked behind Cherry. Larkwing was already feeling sorry for having bossed her like that. Surely she had just been fascinated. After all, it wasn't every day that one saw a sight like that.

Still, Larkwing couldn't help but feel rather irritated at the moment. She didn't necessarily want to take her anger out on others, but at the moment it was simply too great for her to bear in silence.

"You'll have to excuse Sorrel," Cherry interjected with an apologetic blink. "She's never had that much contact with cats outside of our community before, and she's just way too curious. She can't be tamed in that respect."

Larkwing shook her head. "All right, all right. I just don't like it when cats pay too much false attention to me."

As she said this, Sorrel slowly broke out of her stupor and moved a little behind Cherry again. The admiring expression in her amber eyes didn't disappear, though, so Larkwing simply tried not to pay attention to it.

"Anyway." Cherry tilted her head. "You two were just having a rather heated conversation about something, weren't you? What's the issue?"

Before Larkwing had a chance to open her mouth, Cirrus stepped in front of her. "Nothing for you to worry about," she explained quickly. "Some cats—" she turned her head back, "—think they can order us around and tell us how to live."

Excuse me? I was only trying to help you! Larkwing sharply drew in the air between her fangs in disbelief. "Hey! That's not true," she protested. "A great danger awaits you and I just want you to be prepared for it."

For a heartbeat, Cherry and Sorrel looked unsettled. Then Cirrus hissed, "You see? She has no idea about our way of life and yet she tries to push her false views on us."

"But—" Cherry began timidly.

"Nothing 'but'!" Practically seething with rage, Cirrus bared her fangs, her back arched. "Not. Another. Word. Understood?"

Larkwing ducked her head. I'm beginning to think it's easier to teach a squirrel to fly than it is for her to change her mind!

Then something caught her eye. She had actually been noticing it for a while, but now that Cirrus was quiet again, she felt it very clearly.

The pounding of someone else's heart. Instinctively, she knew it wasn't her own. It was fast, like a hare fleeing from its hunter. A sign of suppressed fear.

"Under my leadership, I will not tolerate lies or attempts to change my mind," Cirrus meowed softly. Though her choice of words was threatening, her tone was not. Fear billowed around her like a huge cloud of mist, almost taking Larkwing's breath away.

Cirrus strutted down the slope with her chin up. Cherry looked questioningly at Larkwing. "What kind of danger is that?" she enquired, her voice low and anxious.

Relieved that at least the tabico she-cat wasn't so narrow-minded, Larkwing thought feverishly about how she should best teach these cats, traumatised by the Shadowless, what to expect. At the same time, she was painfully aware that there was no way around the harsh truth.

They would just have to live with it. Larkwing took a deep breath. "The Shadowless will come back," she announced.

Cherry gasped. "Impossible," she whispered. "They've been gone for moons. Why should they return now of all times?"

Sorrel pressed against her with trembling whiskers. "I only survived the last time because I hid while everyone around me died like flies. I never want to experience anything like that again."

Her smell of fear was overwhelming. Larkwing wished she could have said something to calm her down. But that would be wrong. The Shadowless were serious opponents, and now that she knew of their origin, which could regain its full power any day, they had to be prepared all the more quickly.

"If you learn to fight properly, there won't be a repeat of that time," Larkwing promised. "Your problem is that not everyone here learns to defend themselves. For whatever reason, you have to stop this. Otherwise it could be your undoing one day."

Cherry and Sorrel exchanged a long, thoughtful look. Finally, the latter meowed hesitantly, "And you really think we're capable of that? We've been told all our lives that it's simply impossible for she-cats to become fighters. Are you trying to tell us that was a lie?"

"Quite a bold one, actually." Larkwing flicked her bushy black tail. "I think I'm even a pretty good fighter. If I can manage that, so can you."

No sooner had the words left her mouth than doubts arose. Was that really true? She had already been told several times that she was good, but what exactly did that mean? Of course, she was nowhere near the same level of experience as Honeyclaw, Heatherwing or Reddapple, for example. However, she never thought of herself as particularly great. She knew the necessary tactics, and that was about it.

Maybe I should seek advice from Lakepelt soon, Larkwing mused. Didn't Fernpool or some other cat once say that he was the best fighter in the Clan?

"But who's going to teach us all this?" Cherry now enquired, clear interest in her tone.

"Me, of course." Larkwing stretched her tail upwards and bent the tip so that it pointed to her back. "And my patrolmates. Well, at least most of us," she added, thinking of Cloverdapple and Crowshadow. "You'll see, you'll be able to take on the Shadowless in no time."

That this couldn't possibly be true was something Larkwing kept from the ruin she-cats. If Sunray didn't change her mind at short notice, the attack of the new Shadowless would happen during the upcoming new moon — and the recently full moon had already lost some of its shape. It was doubtful that they could give the she-cats enough battle training in this short time.

Larkwing pressed her lips together. Then they would have to train extra hard, she decided. And if I have to supervise the training myself.

Timidly, Cherry stepped from one paw to the other, her blue eyes wide, like a shallow pool bathed in sunlight. "I'd like to do something to defend us."

Satisfied, Larkwing purred. "That's what I wanted to hear." She turned to descend into camp. "Now we just have to hope that the others are willing to be trained as well."

"Wait a moment," Sorrel meowed promptly. "Cirrus is our leader, and she has clearly spoken out against the training. If you go ahead with your plan, she'll kick you out."

Very slowly, Larkwing turned her head towards her, staring at her long and insistently. "I won't let that happen."

Oh yeah, if Cirrus actually objects to me not leaving her cats to their deaths, I'll just lie down on the ground and refuse to go anywhere.

With that smug thought in mind, she slithered down the slope into camp and made her way straight to the medicine cat's den. Even from a distance, she could sniff the scents of Cloverdapple and Redleaf. Crowshadow's lay beneath a thick scent of medicinal plants.

Larkwing found the former medicine cat and former deputy of LaurelClan in front of the den, where she could make out the outline of Crowshadow. Apparently they had been engrossed in a quiet conversation until now, but they stopped as Larkwing approached.

"Good to see you, Larkwing," Redleaf purred friendly, but still with a certain distance. "Are you feeling better now?"

Before Larkwing could answer, Cloverdapple stuck out his muzzle. "That healed pretty quickly," he realised in surprise.

Only now did Larkwing really realise that she no longer noticed the injury. It was still there, as she had just realised from the way Sorrel had looked at it. However, it was neither painful nor had it been torn open again. It was almost as if the scar tissue had formed overnight, although that was unrealistic. It hadn't been a small wound from an embedded thorn. The pain she had felt was pure agony, as if a fire had broken out in her face. So how could it be that only a day later she no longer felt anything?

"I don't know." Larkwing licked her nose uncertainly. "I'm sure it happens sometimes, doesn't it?"

Cloverdapple tilted his head. He didn't seem to buy her feigned cluelessness. "How did you get it in the first place?" he demanded to know. "Something like that couldn't possibly have come from another cat."

Under his scrutinising green gaze, Larkwing seemed to shrink in size. She knew she was obliged to tell the truth, but it sounded more like a lie than a real lie. Besides, she had no proof, and the thought of being seen as a liar made her nauseous.

"Maybe? I don't know." She rambled on helplessly. "I was mostly unconscious. It probably happened during that time."

That seemed to finally satisfy Cloverdapple, though he still eyed Larkwing as if she had two heads.

The tortico she-cat took advantage of this moment and she pointed her muzzle into the cave. "How's Crowshadow doing?"

"She's still alive," Cloverdapple answered. "Whether one can still speak of luck is questionable, though. The nerves in her hind leg are irrevocably damaged, which means that she can no longer feel anything there. Of course, that makes the whole thing even more difficult, as we have to rely on the intensity of the pain during a possible healing process to know whether the treatment is successful."

It had not escaped Larkwing's notice how he had emphasised the word 'possible'. It was as if he was trying to lull her into a false sense of security. "You don't have to fool me. I'm already aware that there's nothing to save," she explained with a tug in her chest.

This is all Sunray's fault, she thought irately. If I meet her again, she'll pay for all her offences.

Cloverdapple's white tail tip twitched. "I wish I could disagree with you there."

Resigned, Larkwing turned her gaze away from Crowshadow's motionless silhouette. With all her gloomy thoughts, she could no longer bear to see the once so robust and cheerful she-cat lying there half-dead.

She couldn't let anything like this happen to another cat. If another cat was hurt because of her, Larkwing would never forgive herself.

"What exactly happened before you were captured?" Redleaf suddenly asked. "It was agreed that you would go back to the Ancient Stone, but then you didn't turn up."

Larkwing felt the fur along her spine bristle. She had completely forgotten about it because of all the turmoil. She had actually wanted to tell her patrolmates about the disaster she had seen in the past, had Sunray not intervened.

In the shortest possible version, she recounted what had happened, from her experience in the Ancient Stone to her awakening in the pit. She also mentioned why it happened in the first place, adding that Sunray believed herself to be a Shadowless capable of creating new Shadowless.

All the while, Larkwing felt like a kit trying to explain why it had snuck out of camp. Still, it was best if Redleaf and Cloverdapple knew what things Sunray was capable of. Larkwing would have to teach that to the ruin cats later as well. Even if it frightened her to see their reactions, they had to know that their opponents would be their former campmates.

There were some things Larkwing left out of her report, though, like the fact that Lakepelt had killed four cats in the failed attempt to save her. In part, this could be considered self-defence, but she still preferred to proceed with caution. She couldn't risk the wrong cats hearing about this and destroying Lakepelt's reputation.

She also kept quiet about the tentacle and that Sunray had possibly turned her into a Shadowless as well. Larkwing was still terribly unsure about that. One moment she feared it was the truth, the next her reason prevailed and she told herself that nothing would happen to her.

When she had finished her story, she chewed uneasily on her lower lip. Now that she had said everything, she felt as light as a feather. Nevertheless, she was worried about the upcoming reactions.

"And you're really sure you weren't mistaken?" Redleaf followed up.

With relief, Larkwing noticed that he didn't sound quite as sceptical as Cirrus. As long as he believed her, that was enough. "Definitely," she confirmed emphatically. "Cirrus refuses to accept the impending danger from Sunray. I know what I've heard, and I don't think we should be too lulled into a false sense of security. Even if it turns out to be untrue in the end — which I doubt — it's still better to prepare for a fight."

Redleaf narrowed his green eyes. "I'd like to believe you—"

"Then believe me!" Larkwing interrupted him, forgetting who she was talking to out of sheer eagerness. "Trust me at least this once. As long as it's not impossible that an attack is imminent, I won't sit idly by just because I've been told to."

A fire of determination burnt in her heart. She had never felt such passion before. It gave her the strength to dispel any doubts.

Is this what it means to be a battle strategist?, she suddenly asked herself. To hold my nerve even in the face of danger and convince my Clanmates that they must fight to keep the peace. It's hard to believe I used to think I'd join the Hunters' Circle when this is my true destiny.

This time it was Cloverdapple who expressed his scepticism. "How do you imagine you'll convince the ruin cats? As far as I know, they only listen to Cirrus. Acting against her will would be extremely counterproductive."

"I'll be able to convince them all," Larkwing claimed.

Inwardly, however, she was panicking slightly. No matter how much she stood up for her convictions, she had to find the right words so that the ruin cats would share them too.

Searching for an idea, she let her gaze wander around the camp until she caught sight of a rocky outcrop jutting out of the cliff.

That's it! Larkwing straightened up. "I have to go," she mewed hurriedly.

"Wait, what are you going to do?" Cloverdapple asked, but Larkwing had already left by then.