Greenleaf was coming to an end. It was slowly getting cooler and a few individual leaves were already turning red. That was the first thing Larkpaw had noticed when she set off for the Pineglade together with Silversky, Sootfeather, Amberpaw, Heatherwing, Aster and Fennel to do the first battle training there.

Larkpaw thought back to the last few warm moons. During the prey-rich times, she could always go to her nest with a full belly, but now that the forest was adjusting to the cold leaf-changes, she had to get used to going hungry, for better or worse.

Our territory is large, but if the elders' words are to be believed, it won't be enough to feed everyone, Larkpaw thought as she entered the Pineglade. It had been a while since she had been here, so it took her breath away when she could see the vast landscape with the mountains behind the tree line. I wonder what there is outside the Clan borders. Would I ever get to see it?

"Well, do you know what we're going to start with?" Silversky's question tore Larkpaw from her longing-filled thoughts.

"Um, no," she stammered. Should I have known? Inwardly, she wanted to curse herself, but to her amazement, Silversky showed no signs of annoyance.

Instead, he simply meowed, "With the code of combat."

Larkpaw tilted her head in confusion. She thought she had misheard him. "I didn't know anything about that!" she protested, while panic slowly rose inside her like a small plant growing. What if she had to take a test now? She didn't know anything about this ominous code of combat.

Silversky purred with amusement. Is he making fun of me? Larkpaw flattened her ears. "I didn't know about it for a long time either," the silver-black tabby warrior explained.

It reassured Larkpaw that she hadn't made a mistake. "What does this code say?"

"Well, they're simply moral rules that are supposed to help ensure that every fight remains fair and is fought in the Clan way, unlike-" Silversky broke off briefly with a glance at Aster and Fennel, who were standing at the other end of the clearing. "So the code of combat is almost as important as the fighting techniques themselves."

"Am I going to learn fighting techniques today?" Larkpaw thought back nervously to how she had watched her older denmates train. To her taste, even mock battles seemed too fast and too hard.

To her relief, Silversky replied in the negative. "Not really," he explained. "But we'll get to that later. But let's start with the code now."

Larkpaw turned her ears forwards, determined not to miss anything.

"The first code says that you must never take revenge. That's also connected to the next code, which is that you can't kill an enemy unless there's a really, really good reason."

"Who would want to do that anyway?" Larkpaw shuddered. That is an unforgivable act. I'm surprised there's a code against it. There must be a reason for it.

Silversky twitched his whiskers. "No one sensible enough. Do you have any idea why the first code even exists?"

Larkpaw pawed thoughtfully at the pine-needle-covered ground. "Because it's simply unnecessary?" she suggested.

"Yes, exactly," Silversky confirmed, which made Larkpaw's heart warm. "There's no point in avenging a deceased Clanmate. It won't bring them back and it will only lead to more hostility."

Are there really cats who think differently? "It won't be difficult for me to stick to it," Larkpaw promised.

Silversky curled his tail upwards. "Most cats don't have any problems with that either."

Larkpaw saw her littermate out of the corner of her eye, but she didn't dare to look any closer. She could find out later what Sootfeather had taught her. Now she had to concentrate on other things. "What is the third code?"

"Don't reveal any weaknesses," Silversky answered. "But this does not mean that you should overestimate your strength because that will cause you nothing but unnecessary problems. Your opponent will look for your weak points and attack them. If you don't give them a chance to find your weaknesses, there won't be a risk of you getting fatally wounded."

"That sounds hard." How am I supposed to know what my weaknesses are?

Silversky sighed. "It is. You can only find out your weak points over time, and until then you just have to endure."

Larkpaw didn't like the fact that she had to go into her first fights with so little knowledge about herself. In her opinion, fighting was the most intimidating thing in the world, and she wondered why some cats chose to become battle strategists of all things. Like Heatherwing. The dark grey she-cat, who was currently training with Aster and Fennel, was even their she-cat-in-command.

"What's going on?" Silversky's face appeared in front of Larkpaw's. A worried gleam could be seen in his light green eyes.

Embarrassed, Larkpaw turned to the side. She didn't want her mentor to know what doubts she had about herself.

But Silversky didn't let up. "Listen, Larkpaw," he began gently. "You can't work properly when you're so distracted."

Larkpaw gritted her teeth. "I know." Her reply was so quiet that not even she had understood herself.

Silversky flicked an ear. "Is it because of Fernpool?"

Larkpaw looked up in surprise. In a different situation, Silversky would have been right in his assumption. Although Fernpool was now fit enough to leave the medicine cat's den again and get used to life with one-sided vision, Larkpaw was still plagued by doubts and feelings of fear almost every night, which clung to her like annoying burrs. But it was something else that was bothering her.

"Not really," Larkpaw finally replied. "It's much more about the fact that I..." Suddenly she realised that she was stiff with stress. She didn't feel comfortable telling Silversky about her fear, because what if he didn't take her seriously? After all, he was a RoseClan tom.

"What is it?" Silversky still didn't sound impatient or annoyed.

What use would it be if I lied to him? But I also don't want to appear like a scared mouse. Gathering all the mental strength she had at the moment, she meowed, "I don't know if I will ever become a good fighter. It's just too much for me and there are so many rules and dangers I have to remember." Her voice grew more desperate as she let the words flow out of her like a waterfall. "But that's what expected of me, right?"

Shakingly, she dropped to the ground, not daring to make eye contact with Silversky. Those doubts had been plaguing her since many moons and she had often enough asked herself if she would ever be accepted as a full RoseClan cat despite her great fear of fighting.

Silversky purred and nudged Larkpaw's head up with his muzzle. "No one expects anything great from you. The only thing you have to do is being able to remember the basic techniques, and until you have mastered them perfectly, you will not be sent into battle."

Larkpaw swallowed uneasily. "I still feel like it wouldn't be enough", she whispered in a hoarse tone.

"You don't need to become the very best at fighting if that's not your talent," Silversky meowed. "I mean, I'm not that good at it either, unlike my sister. No one will rip your head off if you're not absolutely perfect."

Larkpaw purred with amusement. Yes, Reddapple is a battle strategist and Silversky a hunter. They both chose opposite ways.

"Okay, Larkpaw," Silversky said suddenly. "What are the first three parts of the code of combat?"

"Don't take revenge, don't kill anyone without a good reason and don't reveal any weaknesses," Larkpaw recited quickly. She was amazed at herself for being able to react so quickly. The conversation had pushed the code completely out of her mind, but now the memory was back.

"Great," Silversky praised her, blinking. "And the last code says not to overestimate yourself, which basically means that you shouldn't start any fight with a cat that seems to be more experienced than you. Did you understand everything so far?"

Larkpaw twitched her black tail. "Yes, I think so."

Silversky stood up and trotted a few steps away from her. "Actually, I shouldn't tell you that now, but I guess it's better for you."

What does he mean by that? With a crushing feeling in her chest, Larkpaw got tense. Would they already start with the battle training? I'm not ready yet!, she wanted to yell out.

Turning around again, Silversky explained, "Now pretend to be... a stone. Or a tree. Whatever. Just stay firmly on your paws and don't fall. When you're thrown to the ground, your opponent has an easy game with you."

Imagining herself to be as resilient as possible, Larkpaw pressed her paws into the ground and additionally unsheathed her claws for more support. "Is that alright?" she wanted to know.

However, Silversky didn't reply. Instead, he leapt forward and knocked Larkpaw over. Surprised, she staggered around a bit, trying to withstand the weight of the warrior who was pressing her down. In the end, she was so exhausted that she couldn't help but give up.

Silversky shook himself. "Well, you didn't fall immediately."

"Is that good?" Larkpaw was still trembling.

"It would be better if you don't let yourself getting thrown to the ground at all," Silversky replied.

They repeated the exercise a few more times until Larkpaw believed that every bone in her body hurt. But at least was it now a bit easier for her to stay on her paws for a longer time and slowly she was getting used to the procedure.

"How are you feeling?" Silversky asked as he trotted around Larkpaw and eyed her closely.

Somehow he didn't seem the least bit exhausted. While Larkpaw was so exhausted that she wanted to fall asleep on the spot, the silver-black tabby warrior looked as if he still had enough strength to take on three opponents at the same time. "I didn't realise it would hurt so much."

Silversky twitched his whiskers in amusement. "That's normal, but tell me in case it gets too bad."

Larkpaw paused for a moment and concentrated on the aching parts of her body. They didn't seem to bother her much, though. "It's all right... I think."

"Are you sure?" Silversky asked. "Just don't get ahead of yourself."

"I'm fine," Larkpaw confirmed once more, hoping that she was right. "By the way, what did you just mean when you said that you weren't allowed to tell me what I was supposed to do?"

Silversky let his gaze wander first to Sootfeather and then to Heatherwing. Both were fully focussed on training. "In fact, I would have just attacked you without warning. Would you have known what to do then?"

Larkpaw hesitated. "Not right away."

"In a real fight, no one will tell you when and how you'll be attacked," Silversky explained. "That's why we start teaching you this as early as possible. But since you've told me what doubts you have about yourself, I thought it best not to take you completely by surprise so as not to confirm your expectations."

It made Larkpaw happy to hear that Silversky was being so lenient with her. Fernpool would definitely have found fault with her again.

Her fur began to prickle. She wasn't supposed to think like that. But still, she got along much better with Silversky. I wish he'd become my official mentor. At the moment, Fernpool was still considered Larkpaw's mentor.

"Are we going to do something else today?" Larkpaw asked, although everything in her was against it.

To her relief, Silversky shook her head. "No, that's enough for now. It will take much longer later."

Larkpaw bowed her head gratefully. She could hardly wait to return to camp and get her well-deserved sleep. It was already close to sunset, as the days were apparently shorter in the cold leaf-changes. The temperature had dropped a little and a light breeze made Larkpaw shiver. It was always a little colder up here than in the lower part of the forest. They were lucky that the camp was so low. The high camp wall protected them from most of the wind.

Heatherwing was just trotting to the centre of the clearing and called the other cats together with a wave of her tail. "It's about time we got back," the dark grey warrior announced as she shook bits of leaves from her thick pelt.

An icy cold, stagnant shiver shook Larkpaw. It didn't sound particularly inviting to walk through the forest in the dark when they still hadn't found Fernpool's attacker.

She joined Amberpaw, who followed the patrol with her gaze lowered to her paws. "How did it go with you?" Larkpaw enquired out of pure interest.

"I don't know if I understood anything," Amberpaw replied miserably.

Larkpaw nudged her slightly in support. "I had trouble too."

Then she distanced herself from Amberpaw again. Seems like we finally have something in common now.

***

When they reached the camp, it was already dark and most of the cats were in their nests.

Larkpaw's gaze automatically wandered to the medicine cat's den. Fernpool had been sitting in front of the stone den longer than usual today. Her silhouette stood out against the light-coloured background.

Larkpaw ran towards her. She had got into the habit of checking on Fernpool every day. It was the least she could do as her apprentice.

"How did it go?" Fernpool asked immediately after she noticed Larkpaw. Her single yellow eye glowed in the darkness. By now, Larkpaw had become accustomed to her new appearance. At first, the sight of Fernpool's scratched eye was intimidating, but by now her wounds had healed enough for it to be less noticeable.

"Pretty good," Larkpaw replied.

"I've heard you get on well with Silversky," Fernpool continued. The tone in her voice didn't show her feelings.

Discomfort spread through Larkpaw like fog. I hope Fernpool isn't upset about this!

Before she had the chance to start a defence, Fernpool let out a short purr. "To be honest, I had doubted Palestar's decision to give you such an inexperienced cat as a mentor until now. But it seems I was worrying for nothing."

Larkpaw was very happy to hear that. To be praised by Fernpool was truly a rarity.

She suppressed a yawn. It's time to start moving to my nest. "Is there anything else I can do for you? Have you had your share of prey yet?"

Fernpool nodded in confirmation. "Don't worry about me. You'd better make sure you're fit for training tomorrow. Good night." The dark reddish-brown warrior disappeared into the blackness of the medicine cat's den.

After Larkpaw had lost sight of her, she noticed that the kits were still playing outside and hurried to Flutter, who was watching with half-closed eyes.

"Isn't it a little late for them?" Larkpaw enquired as she joined Flutter.

The reddish-brown she-cat twitched her whiskers. "They still have far too much energy to go to sleep at the moment." She nodded towards Aster and Fennel, who were playing with the kits, throwing pinecones in front of their paws and knocking them over. Larkpaw watched them with amusement. It reminded her of the battle training.

Cautiously, she glanced at Flutter out of the corner of her eye. Unlike her mate and her eldest daughter, her injury wasn't completely healed yet, but Larkpaw knew that infected wounds took longer to heal. Flutter was really lucky that Fruittail was such a talented medicine cat.

"I never expected to live in a Clan camp one day," Flutter suddenly meowed.

Larkpaw sat down and put her tail around her paws. "And I forgot that you're actually rogues."

Flutter purred in amusement. "You know what? I did that sometimes too." Her green eyes were full of love and warmth as she was watching Nettle, Blossom and Owl. "I used to... I used to be told the most horrible stories about you when I was younger. I come from a community of loners who were attacked, seriously wounded or even killed by Clan cats almost every day in the past."

That sounds a lot like PrickleClan. "I'm sorry for you," Larkpaw murmured with genuine pity. "We're not like that - at least not most of us."

"I know that by now," Flutter replied. "To this day, I still wonder why they hated us so much. After all, we never entered their territory or even came close to it."

Now Larkpaw finally understood why Flutter had reacted so panicked when they first met. Her chest tightened with discomfort. She would never have thought that such a bad image of them existed beyond the Clan borders.

Flutter seemed to have noticed her behaviour. "Don't worry. I've finally found a permanent place to raise my kits. I've wished for nothing else. Of course, we still don't know who or what is up to mischief out there in the forest, but at least we are more protected here than somewhere alone."

That sounds as if... Larkpaw shifted restlessly. "Does that mean you're going to join us?" she blurted out.

"I've already thought about it, but I haven't discussed it with the others yet," Flutter admitted. "However, I don't think the kits will mind. Have you had a look at Blossom and Bramblekit?" She pointed with her paw at the two little she-kits, who were playing and squealing with joy and vigour despite the difference in size and age. "They are now inseparable. I wouldn't have the heart to break their bond."

"You're absolutely right about that," Larkpaw confirmed. I wish there was a cat I could call my best friend.

Flutter sighed. "Aster and Fennel even volunteered for battle training this morning. Maybe they'll be easy to convince if they're already so integrated."

Larkpaw glanced at the two. "Extra claws are always needed," she meowed and jumped up, shaking her pelt. "It would be really nice if you could stay."

"I hope so too," Flutter murmured.