The cats of RoseClan had gathered in a semicircle around the Roserock. Larkpaw, together with the other apprentices, sat a little further back. She could feel their nervousness.

"At last there's some drama," Reedpaw hissed, whereupon Larkpaw would have loved to pull her claws over her muzzle. This was a serious situation.

Fortunately, she wasn't the only one who thought so. Elderpaw gave her sister a sharp look. "You don't joke about that. There could've been serious damage."

Reedpaw didn't react to this, but moved a little away from Elderpaw.

You can almost hear the air crackling, Larkpaw thought and shifted restlessly.

Mushroompaw swished his tail at her. "Now keep still," the calico tom hissed quietly, exasperated.

Larkpaw pressed her paws into the ground guiltily. Her gaze wandered to Palestar, Honeyclaw, Gooseleap, Heatherwing and Patternleaf. The Warriors' Council had met some time ago, apparently to discuss how they could best discuss the issue with the Clan.

Now they came over. Palestar scaled the Roserock, while Honeyclaw stood at its base and the cats-in-command joined their Clanmates.

"I'm sure you've all heard what just happened in the camp," Palestar meowed.

The cats looked at each other promisingly. The news had spread like a leaf whirling away in a storm.

"We can't really say why this happened at the moment, because Smallblotch has disappeared," Palestar said. "Could the cats who stayed in the camp tell us what happened in the absence of the others?"

Lilacclaw stepped forward on trembling paws. She seemed to shrink under the intense gaze of the RoseClan cats. "I had been working with Smallblotch to improve the apprentices' den," she said in a surprisingly firm voice. "At some point, I noticed that Smallblotch reacted irritably whenever I came near her. And then she suddenly hissed at me and swatted at me with her paw." At this point, Lilacclaw broke off and looked at the ground in front of her.

Palestar trotted to the edge of the Roserock. "Do you know if Smallblotch had a reason to act like that? Did something happen between you two in the past?"

"I don't know," Lilacclaw answered. "I never meant to hurt her in any way."

Palestar tilted her head. "But Smallblotch must have given a reason, right?" Her tone sounded questioning.

Now Pinefur spoke up. The long-furred she-cat trotted forward a few steps and meowed: "Apparently Smallblotch was angry about Cloverleaf's death. She claimed that someone had killed her."

"But that's impossible!" Duststripe protested. "I thought her cause of death was clear." His voice trailed off.

Larkpaw noticed how differently Smallblotch and Duststripe mourned Cloverleaf. While Smallblotch reacted aggressively, clinging with all her might to her claim that another cat was to blame for Cloverleaf's death, Duststripe barely showed his grief. But Larkpaw knew that his daughter's death didn't leave him cold. He was probably simply overwhelmed with his feelings.

Fawnpelt stood up. "You have to remember that it wasn't us who found Cloverleaf in the place where she supposedly died," the brown tabby warrior reminded his Clanmates. "A MoonClan patrol brought her to us."

His words immediately caused a commotion. Icefeather jumped up. "Are you saying that MoonClan could be to blame for Cloverleaf's death after all?" the creamy white she-cat asked challengingly.

"This is completely out of the question," Stormpool disagreed fiercely. "Have you forgotten what MoonClan's morals are? They would never do something like this."

MoonClan does not attack. MoonClan only defends. Shuddering, Larkpaw remembered the motto of her former Clan. Stormpool was right. MoonClan took peace seriously.

"I don't think they have anything to do with it either," Goldenshadow declared emphatically.

Larkpaw was grateful that Lakepaw's mentor was also against the idea that a MoonClan cat had killed Cloverleaf.

However, Flamedash raised her voice now. "I wouldn't be so sure about that," the tortoiseshell she-cat meowed. The eponymous red spot on the bridge of her nose glowed in the light of the setting sun. "Who says they don't want to weaken us with this? They know that Leaf-bare up here in the Forest Mountains is much colder, much harder."

Reedpaw nodded eagerly in support. Larkpaw hissed inwardly. Like mentor, like apprentice, she thought, rolling her eyes.

"That's mousedung!" This angry exclamation came from Kestrelpelt. Larkpaw's and Amberpaw's grandmother narrowed her green eyes. "I don't believe that Cloverleaf died at the paws of a MoonClan cat either. Besides, I think that hypothesis is the most mouse-brained thing I've ever heard. MoonClan has always been an association of peaceful cats."

The elder's comment seemed to have made some cats meek. Larkpaw watched with a strange sense of satisfaction as Flamedash, Reedpaw, Duskfrost and Flareblaze ruffled their fur, visibly nervous.

"Enough now!" Palestar intervened. "We should continue talking about the issue with Smallblotch."

Following their leader's order, the cats stopped hissing. Larkpaw sighed soundlessly. Suddenly she wished that Cloverleaf would have never run away.

Palestar twitched her tail tip. "Did anything else happened before we arrived?"

"No," Shrewstalk replied, then hesitated. "Well, she said that a cat had Cloverleaf on their conscience."

"And she probably thought it was Chestnutstripe," Palestar concluded.

All the cats immediately turned to look at the dark brown tabby tom. Larkpaw noticed a tightening in her chest and she felt sick. It was impossible that Chestnutstripe was responsible for Cloverleaf's death. She thought of how angry he had been when Cloverleaf and Smallblotch had misbehaved during the hunt the other day.

But... No, that couldn't be. You don't kill someone just because they behaved unruly.

Reedpaw snorted softly. "The longer I think about it, the more sense it makes to me. We should act as quickly as possible and rid the Clan of this dirt."

A burning hot flash of anger shot through Larkpaw. Without paying attention to the other cats, she swatted at Reedpaw with her paw. She jumped away with a startled squeak.

"How dare you support such accusations?" Larkpaw hissed. She crouched down and bristled her fur. A river like in a stormy tempest seemed to rage inside her, so overwhelming that she could barely keep her emotions under control. This... She slowly bared her fangs. You won't get away with this.

Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through her spine. Lakepaw had bitten her tail and was pulling her away from Reedpaw. "What's got into you?" he wanted to know. His voice was muffled by the fur and he let go of Larkpaw's tail.

As quickly as it had appeared, her anger vanished and gave way to regret instead. Under the reproachful gaze of Lakepaw and Elderpaw, she felt even more terrible. I attacked their littermate over some trivial matter. Lakepaw was absolutely right. What is wrong with me?
Larkpaw painfully realised that the whole Clan had heard her outburst of anger. Her gaze wandered over to Amberpaw, but she had backed away and was looking at Larkpaw with an expression that could almost be described as disgust.

I didn't want that. Larkpaw felt herself freezing and couldn't make a sound or move.

"Maybe you should solve your personal problems in a different way," Palestar meowed now. "Fruittail doesn't need any more unnecessary injuries."

At that moment, Larkpaw wanted nothing more than to simply disappear. Oh, earth, please open up and devour me.

She crawled backwards meekly and avoided eye contact with any cat. Fortunately, Palestar didn't respond to her any further.

"Do you know how Smallblotch came to this assumption?" Palestar asked in a calm voice. It was remarkable how the grey and white she-cat kept herself under control in this situation and how much trust she placed in her cats.

Chestnutstripe tilted his head. "I'm not sure if I'm right with that assumption," he said. "But when Smallblotch, Cloverleaf, Larkpaw and I had been assigned to a hunting patrol, the first two had not behaved according to the rules and thus made the hunt more difficult. I had intended to report it, but it didn't happen."

"Can you confirm that, Larkpaw?"

Larkpaw winced. "Yes, that was the case." She spoke so quickly that she almost feared she hadn't been understood, but Palestar nodded.

Then Fernpool trotted to Chestnutstripe's side. Larkpaw was pleased to see how much better her actual mentor was doing. "It sounds to me like Smallblotch had some kind of anxiety that made her unable to think clearly," the dark reddish-brown she-cat suggested. "In any case, I think the possibility that Chestnutstripe would have killed Cloverleaf is completely out of the question. A cat was banished once before because lies were spread about her. I never want that to happen again."

The RoseClan cats exchanged glances with each other. Larkpaw noticed that Sunbrook was beating the ground with his tail and stirring up the ground with his claws. Had he had something to do with this cat?

Larkpaw shuddered. Could it have been Twilightwing? She shook herself. That's mouse-brained. My mother had been an honourable she-cat.

"I don't intend to repeat that either," Palestar meowed, her gaze sadly directed into the distance. "Before I dissolve the gathering, we have to clarify what will happen to Smallblotch."

Heatherwing jumped up immediately. "We'll look for her and get her back, of course!" she growled so fiercely that Larkpaw flinched out of reflex. "There's still a chance that this... this something that attacked Fernpool and the cats from MoonClan and SnowClan is still up to mischief in the territories." The dark grey she-cat's tail sank slowly. "She's my kit," she added in a broken voice. "I could never forgive myself if I knew that I could have saved her if I hadn't."

Larkpaw listened in surprise. Until now, she had seen Heatherwing as a strong and ambitious warrior who didn't care about such things as kits and a mate - after all, she was the cat-in-command of the battle strategists.

Palestar twitched her ears. "I know. I'd act the same way if I were you. The whole Clan has to vote on it, though." She broke off and seemed to think. "All cats who are in favour of looking for Smallblotch will stand by the Birchtunnel. Those not in favour will go to the pool."

Overwhelmed by the situation, Larkpaw couldn't react. Her thoughts were racing. I want justice. No cat should suffer a fate they don't deserve. But Smallblotch accused a Clanmate and attacked him. Is that enough to call her a traitor and forget her?

Larkpaw realised that she was one of the last cats who still had to decide. She took a deep breath. Her voice was unlikely to make a difference. Ignoring her surroundings, she padded towards the pool.

She briefly considered running to the other side, but by then it was already too late. Palestar and Honeyclaw counted the respective cats.

"Oh, Heatherwing," Palestar murmured. "I'm sorry. I really am."

With horror, Larkpaw had to realise that there were far more cats gathering at the pool than at the Birchtunnel. No. She held her breath, shuddering. Do so many cats not want to look for Smallblotch?

Her gaze fell on Heatherwing. What will she do now? Larkpaw almost feared that she would attack Palestar in her anger. But instead she didn't move, just stared at the grass in front of her.

Larkpaw could hardly breathe properly for pity. She didn't want to imagine the feelings Heatherwing was struggling with. Even if Smallblotch had made a bad mistake, she was still Heatherwing's daughter - and a Clanmate as well.

Growling softly, Larkpaw unsheathed her claws. This vote was cruel. It shouldn't have taken place.

None of the cats seemed to dare to say anything. Some beside the Birchtunnel gave those by the pool sharp, accusing looks. Larkpaw tensed when she saw Dawnbreeze. It was as if her trachea was tied in a knot. Please forgive me. I...

Why had she chosen this side? Suddenly Larkpaw felt like a living fire, even though a cold breeze was blowing. She couldn't remember what had made her decide against the search. What thought she had when she went to the pool.

Then, after what felt like an infinity of regret, doubt and anger, a cat started moving. Shrewstalk.

"You can't seriously want that, can you?" he meowed in a trembling voice. His eyes were wide, green pools as deep as an abyss.

Smoketail padded towards him. "I wish it had turned out differently too," the dark grey tom explained. "But that's the way the rules are, and that's the way they've always been. We can't just change them at will."

Shrewstalk bristled his fur. The tip of his tail swirled through the air. "Why does it always have to be by the rules?" He backed away slowly, keeping his eyes firmly on Smoketail. "Apparently the Clan isn't the most important thing in life after all."

"Now calm down," Smoketail meowed, but it didn't sound as if he was calming down himself. "I'm sure Smallblotch is safe. She can take care of herself."

In reply, Shrewstalk shook his head slowly. "I won't accept that." With every word he said, he took a step closer to the Birchtunnel. "If Smallblotch isn't here, I don't see the point of staying here any longer." Now his hind paws touched the bark. "I love Smallblotch, even if you don't understand. That's why I can't stay with a Clan that gives up on someone so quickly."

With an exasperated mew, Rabbitcrawl leapt forwards.

But instead, Shrewstalk turned round and dashed through the Birchtunnel.

Rabbitcrawl ran off. "No!" she screeched, "Don't do that! Come back here!" The cream-coloured she-cat stopped, trembling.

Starlingtalon and Ravenleap stood close together, their ears flattened. They made no sound, but it was clear what they must be thinking.

Can love actually be so intense that it causes cats to do things like that?

Larkpaw had never given it a thought before. However, Shrewstalk's words still resonated with her. The despair they had radiated when he had expressed his feelings for Smallblotch hit her right in the heart.

Her chest rose and fell slowly. Where would Shrewstalk go now? Would he look for Smallblotch? And if he found her, would they come back?

Finally, Larkpaw was torn from her trance by Honeyclaw's meow. "What should we do now?" That was all he said. Apparently he was just as shocked and overwhelmed by the situation as everyone else.

A few heartbeats passed before Palestar finally forced herself to answer. "Shrewstalk left of his own free will. There's nothing we can do about that. The gathering is over."

Larkpaw watched, stunned, as the RoseClan cats went back to improving the den as if nothing had happened.

"Can I talk to you for a moment?" Suddenly Fernpool stood in front of her.

"Of course," Larkpaw mumbled automatically, not really noticing the she-cat's presence.

Fernpool scratched a white paw in the grass. She seemed to be thinking. "I know this isn't an appropriate moment to discuss this," she continued, "but I'm thinking about not continuing your training."

Larkpaw almost choked in shock. Surely she had heard wrong.

"I wish I knew what attacked me. But there's nothing. Nothing that I can remember. And now look what happened to me."

"Don't say that!" Larkpaw shouted. "You'll get used to it and then everything will be like it used to be."

Fernpool bowed her head with a sad expression in her yellow eye. "Do you think I would give up so quickly?" she purred almost a little mockingly. "I'm definitely not going to let you get me down. However, I still have to get used to... seeing only on one side."

Larkpaw gradually realised what she was getting at. "And that's why you don't trust yourself to continue training me," she advised.

The RoseClan warrior's expression was as emotionless as stone as she meowed, "Well, that's one way of putting it. But it actually has a deeper meaning. Do you remember how I told you that I thought Silversky was too inexperienced?" She let out a snort. "That was probably the most mouse-brained thing I've ever believed. Whenever you came back from training lessons, you always seemed so happy."

"Are you angry about that?" Larkpaw asked in a croaky voice as she was riddled with guilt.

Fernpool raised her head in surprise. "Not at all," she contradicted. "On the contrary: I'm actually happy for you. I've now realised that I've been a terrible mentor."

Larkpaw opened her eyes and rushed forward. That's not true, she wanted to meow. At the same time, she knew that she didn't believe it herself.

Looking at an unknown point, Fernpool meowed, "I grew up during the PrickleClan time, when all apprentices were trained with so much harshness and heartlessness that it would be a scandal nowadays. Even though that time is long gone and I've finally realised the dangers of PrickleClan, the training methods have remained in my subconscious."

Thoughts raced through Larkpaw's head. She had known before that Fernpool had once been part of PrickleClan, thanks to Reedpaw. Still, she couldn't believe that it had had such an influence on her.

"So," Fernpool said, now with her usual serious voice again. "Do you agree to Silversky becoming your official mentor?"

Larkpaw's body was filled with warmth. Her paws tingled and she felt like the happiest she-cat in the world at the moment. "Yes!" she squeaked like a kit. "Absolutely!"

"Very well," Fernpool purred. "Then I'll talk to him and Palestar later."

All at once, doubts arose in Larkpaw's mind. What if Silversky doesn't want to continue training me? After all, that was never the plan.

A light touch on her muzzle made her look up. Fernpool shook her head as if she had guessed Larkpaw's thoughts. "Everything will work out," she reassured her, "you can count on it. Now go and help your denmates."

Larkpaw started to run back to the elders' den. At the last moment, she turned round and called out, "Thank you!"

As she ran through the camp, the usually hard ground felt like clouds. At last she could be sure that she was getting proper training that she would enjoy and that would guarantee her becoming a warrior without further incident.

Filled with euphoria, Larkpaw made a small leap. Silversky was also part of the Hunters' Circle, which meant that she would be much closer to her dream.

When she arrived at the elders' den, she saw how Mottlepaw and Lakepaw were already busy reinforcing the walls again. The memory of how she had attacked Reedpaw and the shame she had felt afterwards came back briefly.

But then her joy about her new mentor was greater and she leaned towards her denmates. "Have you heard the latest?"