"You didn't say anything about us having to go through the ravine!"

Larkkit crouched down carefully. She stared down as she cramped her claws into the ground. Down there was a narrow but roaring, ice-blue river that meandered foaming between boulders. The water splashed upwards, but Larkkit was far enough up for it to reach her.

"We didn't mean to frighten you," Patternleaf meowed softly. "However, this is the quickest way to camp."

"Won't we crash?" Larkkit whispered, her eyes wide. There was a path halfway up one of the cliff faces. It looked narrow and uneven. In some places the rock hung over, so that a cat had to shimmy along the stone wall underneath to get past it.

"It's dangerous if you're not careful," Heatherwing explained.

That's very encouraging. Larkkit refrained from making this remark. "A-all right, let's go then." At the same time, her paws froze to the ground. There was no way she was going to take another step. She didn't care if it made her a scared mouse.

Amberkit stepped out from behind her. Surprisingly, she seemed much braver than Larkkit, which disturbed her. I have to be brave too!

Palestar took the lead again. "Stay close to the rock," she meowed over her shoulder. "And watch where you put your paws."

Larkkit held her breath as she carefully groped along the path. Amberkit was in front of her, Gooseleap behind her.

On the opposite cliff, waterfalls cascaded into the depths. She wanted to take a closer look, but she was afraid she would be distracted.

The path was still a little wet from the rain, but the sun was already shining brightly again. But not for much longer. It seemed to get darker with every step. It's sunset. My first night in the forest.

Palestar slowed her steps. "We have to climb over the rocks here."

"Over the rock?" Larkkit repeated in a bright voice. She felt as light as a feather with relief when she realised that she didn't have to get past the rocky outcrop as she had imagined.

"Find a pawhold in the cracks with your claws," Palestar explained and jumped onto the rock. At the top she turned round. "It might look risky, but you'll be over there quicker than it looks."

Amberkit had already sunk her small, sharp claws into the rock and was climbing up. Palestar rushed forward and pulled the dark reddish-golden tabby cat up the last bit.

Larkkit didn't like the fact that Amberkit was pretending to be a brave, intrepid she-cat. She had to react quickly so as not to appear weak next to her.

Careful to keep her fur smooth and in a relaxed position, Larkkit also jumped up. For a moment, she feared she would land too hard and hurt herself, but luckily her pads seemed sturdy enough to withstand the hard ground.

Larkkit quickly pulled herself up before Palestar had the chance to grab her by the back of the neck like a kit. She didn't need any help, and certainly not from a leader.

"Well done." Palestar purred. Her voice was full of warmth and pride, like a mother's.

That's over now. MoonClan was never our home. I belong here in the forest.

After the rest of the cats had crossed the ledge, they walked on. They were all silent until they reached the end of the River Ravine.

Now Palestar pointed up a narrow path with her nose. "If we follow it, we'll soon arrive at camp."

At last! A feeling of relief spread through Larkkit. But when she realised how she had to reach the path, a chill ran down her spine. It was on the other side of the River Ravine, and even though the cliff was lower here, she shivered at the thought of walking over the fallen tree that would take her to the other side.

"Just imagine, we'll have to walk this every day soon," Larkkit whispered into Amberkit's ear. "I never thought that RoseClan cats lived in such a dangerous place. But you know, as the territory goes, so goes the Clan."

Amberkit seemed to be focussing intently on an unknown spot between the trees. Her nose twitched. "I smell a lot of cats."

Larkkit tested the air. "Of course you smell cats," she meowed, confused.

"No, that's not what I mean," Amberkit contradicted. "There are lots of cats in one place. I think that's the camp."

She can scent that from here? Larkkit tried in vain to find the scent. Then she thought she had spotted it, but it was as faint as haze and she could barely focus on it.

"Are you coming now?" It was Heatherwing who had called out a little impatiently. "You can sleep as much as you want in the camp. Now hurry up!"

Larkkit bit her tongue. She was embarrassed to be huddled like this. At the same time, she didn't like how unfriendly and impatient Heatherwing was.

"We're coming!" Larkkit called. She balanced on the tree trunk. The previous events seemed to have hardened her, for she hardly felt a trace of fear. Numerous cats had already run over here. Besides, she was a RoseClan she-cat and would be afraid of something as pathetic as a tree trunk hanging over a deep ravine.

Still, she was glad when she had mud under her paws again.

Then she suddenly noticed a movement between the tree trunks. Are we being watched? Or worse: being attacked? Larkkit was about to yowl a warning when a group of three cats appeared.

Larkkit jumped backwards and arched her back, snarling. "Stay away!" she ordered. I won't let you attack us!

"Larkkit!" Palestar's voice barely got through to her. "Those are our Clanmates."

Clanmates? Larkkit tensed with shame. Why hadn't she paid more attention? Now she realised that the strange cats smelled of RoseClan. No one will ever forget that.

A snow-white she-cat trotted towards her, her pale blue eyes narrowed in concern. "We were worried," she meowed, "We thought something had happened to you."

"We were held up by the rain," Honeyclaw replied simply. "Is everything all right in the Clan?"

The white RoseClan warrior nodded in confirmation. Then she suddenly noticed Larkkit and Amberkit, who had carefully stepped back in the meantime. "Are those the kits?" She purred delightedly and rushed forward.

Larkkit ducked down. This she-cat might be her Clanmate, but at the moment she was still a stranger.

"It's so nice that you're finally here again," the white she-cat meowed. "I'm Frostshade and you must be Amberkit and Larkkit, right?"

"I'm Larkkit," Larkkit confirmed.

Shuddering, she ducked away when Frostshade licked her head. Not here in front of everyone!

Frostshade turned round. "Dawnbreeze! Brownnose! Are you going to stand around back there all the time?"

The two cats mentioned trotted forwards. Without much effort, Larkkit could guess who was who. The brown and white tom had a brown spot on his nose. That had to be Brownnose. Dawnbreeze, on the other paw, was a tortoiseshell she-cat with white paws and white chest fur.

"Don't keep us here any longer," Palestar urged. "Thank you for coming to look for us."

While the now larger group walked along the fern-lined path, Dawnbreeze stayed by Larkkit's and Amberkit's side.

What does she want from us? It hadn't escaped Larkkit's notice that the warrior seemed nervous and kept glancing quickly at the kits. Is it because of my eyes? She gritted her teeth. "Is everything alright?" she asked as friendly as possible.

"Yes, of course," Dawnbreeze replied hastily. "You... you've grown into pretty little she-kits. You were so tiny and fragile back then. No one thought you would survive."

"We've heard that often enough," Larkkit mumbled in annoyance. "Now tell us what you want!"

If I have hurt her feelings now? But Dawnbreeze didn't seem to be bothered by her tone. "We're related," she whispered.

"We're really related?" Larkkit opened her eyes wide. Suddenly she felt so happy like never before. "Can you believe that, Amberkit? We have a family!"

Amberkit, however, didn't share her happiness. She didn't say anything, but she held her head low and looked away.

"Don't care about her," Larkkit meowed to Dawnbreeze. "She still thinks she's a MoonClan cat."

"Understandable," Dawnbreeze replied. "Well, I'm the littermate of your mother Twilightwing."

Littermate? Dawnbreeze is the sister of our mother? Larkkit opened her mouth and closed it again, unable to say anything. And the name of our mother was Twilightwing. Suddenly she realised that they were only told now. This is such a beautiful name! I think I'm almost jealous. It's just weird that her and Dawnbreeze's name are so extremely similar.

"I still miss her," Dawnbreeze sighed. "She used to be my best friend. But at some point, when she became mates with Sunbrook, she treated me as if I was air." She sounded bitter. "This is what love does with cats. It blinds them and let them forget about the important things."

Larkkit jumped over a root she barely noticed before. "That's sad."

Dawnbreeze purred. "It's alright." She sniffed. "The camp is behind that hill," she announced again more cheerfully.

Larkkit also checked the air and was pleased when she recognised the scent.

She would have liked to rush down the path, but she knew it was better to stay calm.

When she reached the highest point of the path, she saw a large cluster of tall bushes and dense undergrowth in a deep hollow about a tree's length away. That's the camp, she realised with growing excitement. "Look at that, Amberkit," she breathed in awe. "This is our new home."

"I don't like it," Amberkit hissed.

Larkkit sighed. "You'll have to accept where you really belong at some point," she meowed as she followed the others down the path. "It's better if you forget about Swallowfern."

"You don't understand me." Amberkit flattened her ears, her eyes shining with sadness.

Larkkit decided to stop arguing with her. We both have our own way of dealing with this.

They picked their way through a dense patch of undergrowth. Larkkit immediately noticed the pervasive scent of numerous cats hanging from the branches. This had to be the entrance to the camp, Larkkit surmised on a hunch.

Then the cats stopped. Larkkit cocked her head curiously and discovered a fallen, hollowed-out tree trunk protruding from between the bushes.

There seemed to be a small cliff behind the bushes, because the trunk led downwards instead of straight ahead.

Palestar jumped up into the opening and disappeared into the darkness.

"Now you." Dawnbreeze unexpectedly grabbed Larkkit by the back of the neck and lifted her into the tree tunnel.

Larkkit slid down carefully. The bark felt soft under her paws.

When she reached the bottom, she crawled out of the tree trunk and stretched her legs. It's pretty tight in there!

"They're back!" a delighted yowl suddenly sounded. A dark reddish-brown mottled she-cat pushed her way out from under the spreading fronds of a patch of ferns, her tail stretched joyfully upwards.

Gradually, more cats appeared from all directions and surrounded the arriving cats.

Larkkit flattened her ears. She hated being hassled like this.

"They scare me," Amberkit whispered, trembling.

This time Larkkit shared her feelings. "Me too," she said grimly.

Palestar trotted towards a large, flat rock. Only now did Larkkit take a good look at the camp. It was gigantic, much bigger than her old one. They were in a kind of small, elongated gorge, whose dark grey rocks were covered in shiny moss and lichen. At the top, the bushes that Larkkit had seen from the path grew close together and formed a safe barrier. In addition, parts of the treetops in the surrounding area towered over the camp.

It definitely looks like a safe place, but I still don't like that it's so enclosed.

"May all cats of RoseClan gather around the Roserock for a Clanmeeting!" Palestar meowed loudly.

"This is probably for welcoming us in the Clan," Larkkit murmured.

Palestar waited a moment until all cats looked up at her before she starts to speak. "Two of our Clanmates have returned. As you all know, Amberkit and Larkkit were brought to MoonClan to ensure their safety. But now it is time for them to return to their true Clan."

Some cats turned around to the kits. Larkkit felt a bit uncomfortable because they were all staring at her intensely.

"I want you to make sure they feel welcome here," Palestar explained, letting her blue gaze wander over the camp. "Lakepaw, Mottlepaw, would you be so kind and show them around camp tomorrow?"

Almost at the same time, the mottled she-cat jumped to her paws. Another apprentice, a tom with black fur, white paws and chest fur and creepily ice-blue eyes simply twitched an ear, visibly listless.

As his gaze lingered on Larkkit, she shivered. She already knew that he was different from the others, for he didn't seem to be pleased with her presence at all.

"Of course!" the she-cat exclaimed cheerfully. "It'd be an honour for us."

Palestar lowered her head in satisfaction. "Thank you. It's close to moonhigh now, so make sure you don't stay up to long to be fit for your training tomorrow. The others — go in your nests as well."

The cats returned to their dens until only Larkkit, Amberkit and Palestar were left in the clearing.

Palestar trotted over to them. "Are you all okay?" she asked softly.

"Of course we're fine," Larkkit replied, trying to stifle a yawn. At the moment, she just wanted to sleep.

"I'm sure everything will look better again tomorrow," Palestar promised.

Then Larkkit remembered something. "Where should we sleep anyway?"

Palestar tilted her head. "In the nursery, of course. Wait here, I'll let Lightshine know. I'm sure she won't mind if you sleep in her den."

She then ran to a cave under a rocky outcrop that was shielded from the rest of the camp by vines and undergrowth.

Meanwhile, Larkkit took a closer look around the camp. At about mid-height, a small, narrow stream flowed under the camp wall, fell down the cliff as a waterfall and ended in a pond shortly afterwards. It must be practical to have water right in the camp, Larkkit thought.

In front of the stream, on a hill right next to the cliff, were multiple large bramble bushes. Larkkit guessed that this was the warriors' den, as that was where most of the cats had gone.

On the other side of the stream was a cluster of rocks that formed a cave, next to it was a smaller bramble bush, and next to that was the rock overhang. Behind Larkkit were the fern bushes where Mottlepaw, Lakepaw and some other cats had disappeared, so she assumed that this must be the apprentices' den.

After a few moments, Palestar returned to them, followed by a pale, cream-coloured she-cat with white paws and amber eyes. "This is Lightshine," she introduced her.

Lightshine tilted her head. Her nose twitched. "So you're Twilightwing's kits," she stated. "You look a lot like her."

At her words, Larkkit puffed out her chest proudly. Of course! Twilightwing must have been the greatest cat in the forest. After all, she is our mother.

"You'll have to keep sleeping in the nursery until you're made apprentice," Lightshine remarked dryly.

Larkkit twitched her ears disapprovingly. "Where else are we supposed to sleep?" she asked challengingly, inwardly annoyed by Lightshine's behaviour. Amberkit and she were still a long way from their apprentice ceremony. Of course they would and wanted to continue sleeping in a nursery.

But Lightshine only purred in amusement. "Well, come along, you two," she meowed, "and be quiet. My kits are already asleep. Especially Shadowkit hates being woken up." She let out a sigh.

There are kits! The prospect of new playmates lifted Larkkit's spirits.

It seemed that the nursery was under the rocky outcrop. Larkkit could smell the familiar scent of nest pads and milk. Even though it was a completely foreign, intimidating place, she felt a little more secure now.

She crept through the undergrowth behind the others and slipped through the curtain of vines. Her paws literally sank into the many layers of moss. The den seemed to be quite narrow, but deep. However, it was definitely bigger than the MoonClan nursery.

In a hollow padded with leaves, Larkkit discovered three small bundles of fur curled up close together and sleeping. Disappointment gripped her. I thought they were older. Lightshine's kits were at most the size of mice.

The cream she-cat had probably realised Larkkit's disappointment and whispered, "These are Shadowkit, Mistkit and Bramblekit. They were only born five sunrises ago, so please give them some time first and don't overwhelm them while playing."

Larkkit nodded. "Of course." While Lightshine joined her kits in the nest, she found a hollow for herself where she could sleep from now on.

This will be my first night in a new place, she thought anxiously. Her gaze fell on Amberkit, who had built her nest about two steps away. Larkkit was glad that she wasn't alone here, but to be honest, she would have preferred any other cat.