Larkkit tapped stiffly across the meadow. Without looking, she was painfully aware that every cat in the camp was fixated only on her. Don't you have prey to hunt or borders to patrol? She glared angrily at Thornstripe, who stared at her as she was on her way to the medicine cat's den.

After they had returned, Hailstar had pronounced a punishment in front of entire MoonClan. Larkkit and Leafkit both had to do camp work. First it was Leafkit's turn with the nursery and the elders' den. Larkkit was assigned to the medicine cat's den. After a few days they would switch. Leafkit had quite resisted, with the bogus reason that he was forced to do it, but Hailstar was not impressed.

When she had heard about it, Larkkit felt incredibly humiliated, but at the same time she was also glad that Hailstar had not banished her, contrary to her fears.

Larkkit slipped through the tunnel that led to the medicine cat's den. For a brief moment, a pleasant coolness brushed along her fur before she was surprised again by the bright, warm daylight.

Larkkit looked around in amazement. Even though she disliked the life of a medicine cat, this place always captivated her. The branches of several closely spaced gorse bushes had grown together at one point so that they entwined like an arch over a tunnel that led down into a cave. Numerous daisies, dandelions and buttercups grew in the meadow, adding colour to the place. There was also a tiny pool, or rather a puddle, with tall tufts of grass growing on its banks.

Larkkit slid down the slope between the gorse. Countless leaf-changes ago, the first medicine cats of MoonClan had dug out a cave system. In order not to damage the roots, they had to dig around the bushes, which divided the cave into clearly separated parts.

Larkkit looked around indecisively. Finstrike's and Motleycloud's scent hung in the air more than clearly enough, but she couldn't spot them anywhere, so Larkkit used the time to look around.

Close to the walls, but still with enough distance to keep the den stable, were dug holes from which various pungent smells emanated, covered with large leaves. Larkkit remembered that they were fern fronds, plants not found on MoonClan territory, but in the forest.

Suddenly Finstrike and Motleycloud came around a corner, and embarrassed, as if she had done something here too, Larkkit backed away.

Motleycloud stuck her muzzle out and sniffed at Larkkit. "I guess we'll have to take care of you today," she announced with flashing eyes.

Certainly not! Larkkit withstood the medicine cat apprentices's gaze. "You don't have to do this," she replied with a hint of panic in her voice. The memory of the incident with the two of them was still clear and could not be shaken off. What had Hailstar been thinking? Every MoonClan cat should know what Larkkit thought of the medicine cats. I wonder if the medicine cats of the other Clans are as scary?

"You sure?" Motleycloud tilted her head. "You proved something quite different last night."

Stop reminding me! "I don't have to sort out herbs though, do I?"

Finstrike hissed indignantly. "No, I would never let you touch them."

For a brief moment Larkkit felt offended, but then she reminded herself that being a medicine cat was boring anyway, so she wouldn't miss out on anything. Finstrike and his beloved herbs.

"Good decision," Motleycloud murmured, gliding gracefully past Larkkit and crouching down next to a hole from which she gradually pulled out tiny, dark green leaves. "I'll take care of it then."

For a while Larkkit observed her, not knowing what else to do. It was a boring sight to watch Motleycloud pushing aside withered leaves and carrying the still good ones back into the hole.

Finstrike joined her and inspected the pile of discarded leaves. Motleycloud beat her tail impatiently on the ground. "I know how to do that."

"With you, one never knows," Finstrike replied impassively, pretending not to care about Motleycloud growling.

"I'm not a kit anymore!" Motleycloud defended herself fiercely and went on to the next hole.

Larkkit watched them listlessly. It looked like there was nothing for her to do here, but that was more than fine with her. She just had to survive somehow until sunset.

Motleycloud's fur pattern looks like fine, shredded clouds, and her chest fur and her paws are as white and soft as clouds, Larkkit thought as she watched the medicine cat apprentice cautiously roll around every berry and inspecting it. Her name fits her. But what about Finstrike? Which queen would give her kit that name? What even is a fin?

Before she could rethink her actions, Larkkit blurted out, "Why do you have such a weird name? What does it mean?"

Finstrike was astounded. "You've been worryingly quiet for a while and this is what you've been thinking about?"

Larkkit swallowed. She shouldn't have asked that question. It was disrespectful.

"You know what a fish is? Wait, no, of course you do not. Except if I missed something and they could walk on land now. Seriously, I'd run if I saw a fish walking around. They're terrifying. Anyway, fish have fins. They move with them. You're satisfied now?"

The sassy answer of the silver-white tom put Larkkit off, but she was glad that he didn't get angry. It could have turned out worse. More confidently, she dug deeper, "How does a fish look like? Are fins the same as legs? Can you-"

Ruffling his fur, Finstrike put his tail over Larkkit's mouth. "Don't you get tired from meowing all the time?" he countered.

Motleycloud purred in the back. Be quiet! Larkkit gave her an annoyed glance.

"I have to answer these questions now, otherwise you'll never shut up," Finstrike sighed, while slowly seeming to appear actually annoyed. "Well... fish have mostly a long shape, and they're weird and slimy and smooth. Besides, they always make the dumbest face. And fins aren't like legs. It's difficult to explain, better you wait until you see your first fish."

"You forgot to mention that they live in water only!" Motleycloud yelled as she looked through a pile of leaves.

"I know!" Finstrike yelled back, then abruptly shaking his paw because of a fly landing on it.

Confused, Larkkit tried to visualise a so-called fish. But the pictures that came up in her mind made no sense at all. "You don't look like a fish, though," she stated.

"Well, you don't look like a bird either," Finstrike replied dryly, "otherwise you'd have flown away already."

Larkkit tilted her head in confusion. But my name isn't Birdkit.

As if he could read her thoughts, Finstrike murmured, amazed, "You don't know what you're named after? You don't know what a lark is?"

Highly upset by his amused tone, Larkkit hissed. "Of course not! Why don't you tell me then?" She didn't care that she was rude. Her anger had built up and now broke free, like a river that was once held back by a barrier. As if you knew everything when you were my age!

Finstrike not being bothered by her didn't make the situation better. "Oh great StarClan, you're almost as obnoxious as Motleycloud when she was a kit and held onto my tail and meowed at me that she wanted to be a medicine cat over and over again."

"I can hear you, you know!" Motleycloud turned her black and orange mottled head around and gazed at her mentor with flashing amber eyes. "Stop that, it's embarrassing."

Finstrike crouched down and wiggled teasingly his body. "Why, when it's true?"

Ashamed, Motleycloud licked her chest fur. "Don't pretend you were better."

"I don't," Finstrike replied. "But at least I didn't cling to Mottleheart all the time."

"I've heard something else," Motleycloud whispered and backed away quick as the wind when Finstrike leapt towards her and knocked her over. In a ball of legs and tails they rolled around.

Apparently they had forgotten Larkkit who watched them fighting. It's like they're kits, it came to her mind. Suddenly she could understand why Sandblossom and a few other cats doubted them. Seeing them like this, it was barely believable that they were actually good medicine cats who took their duties extremely seriously.

They aren't focused on me, so I can sneak away. Ducked, Larkkit moved towards the exit. She had climbed up halfway as Motleycloud dashed forward and blocked her way. "Don't you try to get away," she growled. There was a joyous spark in her eyes as she pushed Larkkit back in the cave.

Larkkit pressed herself to the ground, her claws leaving scuff marks in the earth as she slid down. Why did I have to sneak out of camp? She deeply regretted having this idea. Now she was stuck here with those two crazy medicine cats.

Bravely, she raised her head. "How about we go back to the really important things?" she meowed. "What was the thing I was named after?"

Finstrike shook his pelt. "Right, you need to be educated. Well, a lark is a brown bird. They usually don't get hunted here very often, which is probably why you've never seen one."

Larkkit knew that her fur was black, ginger, cream and white. Therefore she wondered how Swallowfern came up with that name when she didn't have the same colour as a lark.

"And why did I get this name?" Larkkit asked impatiently. "You were there when I was born, right? You must know it."

"I saw you getting born, yes." Finstrike purred. "You were named after a lark that was tweeting the morning after." He paused for a moment and twitched his whiskers. "Pretty strange way to name a kit."

Larkkit didn't think it was strange. On the contrary, she found it was a beautiful way of naming a cat. Looking at her kit's appearance and giving it a name based on its fur was something every queen could do, whereas Swallowfern chose another method.

"That's not strange!" Larkkit therefore protested. She liked her name and was afraid that Finstrike was making fun of it.

The tail of the tom twitched around. "Also, this lark disturbed my sleep so much because it just wouldn't be quiet, so I went out to kill and eat it."

Oh, Moon, please save me before it's too late!

"You can't just eat something because it's bothering you!" Motleycloud meowed, trying to sound dazzled, but it was clear that she knew the story like the pads of her paws. "Imagine if we did that with cats."

"Better not," Finstrike replied. "There are too many I can't stand."

Am I small enough to be eaten?, Larkkit asked herself, terrified. At the same time, she was annoyed that Finstrike and Motleycloud had forgotten her again within a few heartbeats. So she tried a second time to sneak away - and it worked.

Larkkit felt relieved when she stepped into the warming sunlight again. She closed her eyes, enjoying the fresh air without the intense smells of countless unknown herbs in it. That's it, I definitely won't become a medicine cat. Even though she liked that medicine cats were not affected by the rivalry between the four Clans and could therefore live a peaceful life, it didn't sound thrilling enough to her. And how would she ever be able to sleep with these herbs around?

But speaking with StarClan must be great. Larkkit walked through the tunnel and stopped shortly before the end. Carefully, she poked her head out to make sure no one was watching her. Around this time, most cats weren't outside in the camp, but she still had to be careful.

Larkkit headed for the fresh-kill hole not far away from the tunnel and selected a small shrew, which was rarely found in MoonClan territory.

When she headed back to the medicine cat's den again, she remembered that every cat must travel to StarClan's Peninsula shortly after becoming a warrior. There they would be able to speak with the founder of their Clan. It was forbidden to tell any cat what happened there, making Larkkit even more nervous at the thought of it. I'd meet the founder of my Clan! The founder of MoonClan, the second Clan that came into existence, and the reason why Larkkit was part of this wonderful, perfect Clan.

Maybe I'm even a descendant.

Larkkit slipped back into the medicine cat's den. It seemed that Finstrike and Motleycloud hadn't even noticed her absence because Motleycloud looked up in surprise. "Did you bring us something too?" Her eyes were wide and pleading.

"No." Of course not! Indignant at Motleycloud, Larkkit dropped her shrew. Why should I bring you something? Do it yourself.

Indifferently, Finstrike twitched his ears. "Whatever, I can still wait."

When he had turned around, Motleycloud rolled her eyes. "I'm going to get something now, too." The tortoiseshell she-cat slipped out of the den.

Larkkit watched her anxiously. I wonder what Leafkit is doing right now. I wonder if he's behaving.

She almost flinched as Finstrike trotted past her and sniffed her. "Do you have any other questions?"

Larkkit took a while to be able to answer him. "No," she finally said.

"Good." Finstrike sat down and stared up the entrance.

He seems kind of normal now. Larkkit nibbled at her shrew as she furtively watched Finstrike groom himself. Just like all MoonClan cats, he was small and slenderly built, with short, weather-repellent fur that was grey tabby like Dashkit's, but much lighter and with a more distinct stripe pattern. He also had small white paws, white chest and belly fur and a white tail tip. And then there are his eyes. In the dim light of the den, they looked even darker than usual, so that one couldn't even tell that they were actually blue. Like holes. He should've become a warrior, he'd just needed to look at another cat and it would already run away. We'd never have to fight again.

Larkkit snorted in amusement at the thought.

Where is Motleycloud? Just as she had asked herself this question, Motleycloud stormed into the den, without food. Finstrike looked up from his cleaning session in surprise and hurried to get back on his paws from his twisted posture. "Was there nothing left?"

"You won't believe who's here!" Motleycloud bubbled out, stepping from one paw to the other.

Finstrike checked the air. "LaurelClan?" He sounded incredulous.

"Yes!" Motleycloud almost fell over as she pushed Finstrike out of the den. "No one has any idea what it's about, but I mean, LaurelClan hadn't been here in ages."

Larkkit wasn't oblivious to the nervousness emanating from her. Curious, she followed the two.

LaurelClan, along with RoseClan, were their neighbours. They lived at the foot of the forest, where the SnowClan territory was, in a more even, but occasionally slightly sloping, dense forest with many small lakes. Most of the time they kept to themselves and the other Clans therefore knew little about them, except that they strangely grew plants and lived in trees most of the time.

In the main camp, the cats of MoonClan had already gathered and were eyeing a small group of strangers.

Finstrike and Motleycloud ran over to Hailstar. Larkkit settled down and spotted Swallowfern and her siblings by the nursery. She raised her tail briefly in greeting, but the four of them didn't seem to notice her.

Although the LaurelClan patrol consisted of only four cats, there was a tense atmosphere in the camp, as uncomfortable as the air just before a thunderstorm. They're not going to attack us, are they?

Larkkit looked around for the nearest cats. She spotted Nutfur and Carnationtail and hurried towards them. "Do you know why everyone's so nervous?" she asked.

Nutfur twitched his ears. "I don't think any cat knows. A patrol saw them waiting at the border. Apparently it's something important. Even Eveningstar and Redleaf are there." He pointed with his muzzle at a dark greyish-blue she-cat and a red and white tom.

Larkkit grew hot with awe under her pelt. A leader of another Clan! Redleaf therefore had to be either the deputy or the medicine cat.

"But the odd thing," Carnationtail continued, "is that Cloverdapple is not among them." After seeing Larkkit's uncomprehending look, she added, "The medicine cat of them. On a patrol like that, he's supposed to be there. If they came with peaceful intentions, it doesn't seem that way at all."

This confused Larkkit. Cloverdapple was perhaps too busy to come along. Why would a battle patrol suddenly become a peaceful one just because the medicine cat was there? The LaurelClan cats didn't even seem particularly eager to attack.

"Greetings, Eveningstar," Hailstar meowed, relaxed. "What brings you here?"

A little relieved, Larkkit noticed that her leader sounded just as confused as she felt.

"We have come to talk to you about the RoseClan matter," Eveningstar replied in a cool and reserved voice.

Larkkit shuddered. She much preferred Hailstar. Although she had only known the she-cat for a few moments, she had great respect for her. I bet she's even stricter than Nightblossom!

"Why?" All of a sudden Hailstar looked irritated, almost panicked even. "Couldn't this have waited until the next Gathering?"

Eveningstar shook her head, Larkkit noticing the whitish hair on her muzzle. If she had remained a warrior, she'd be an elder now. "No, you know as well as I and everyone else that we have to do something."

"And what would that be?" Hailstar was visibly struggling to stay calm. Nightblossom took a step towards him and whispered something.

In the crowd, Windheart jumped to his paws. "What do we care about other Clans' problems?" The black and white tom looked confused, but Larkkit could clearly sense that he's nervous as well.

More cats followed his example. Violetwing twitched her tail quickly from one side to another, her green eyes narrowed to slits. Beside her, Thornstripe and Dragonflystripe stood up and stared with empty gazes at the LaurelClan cats.

Frightened, Larkkit crouched to the ground and slowly backed away towards the medicine cat's den. If a fight did break out, she would be safest there.

Larkkit tried to understand why LaurelClan wanted to talk with MoonClan about RoseClan. Why should they care about what happened there? Her claws were itching with impatience. Larkkit would have loved to ask the older cats what this was all about, but she knew that she wasn't allowed to intervene at such an important meeting.

"They still have some of the rogues in their camp," Eveningstar explained, seemingly unfazed by the fact that everyone was staring at her as if she was a piece of crowfood. "You know what they did to RoseClan. I can't believe Palestar would give them shelter. She of all the cats should know best!" Her voice grew louder at the last words.

What rogues? Larkkit looked over at Nutfur and Carnationtail, but they were following the conversation intently, so she didn't dare ask them about it.

"I understand your concern," Hailstar