"Are you sure you want me to go with them?" Larkpaw stepped from one paw to the other. She had just heard that Dawnbreeze and Gooseleap were travelling to LaurelClan to get some herbs from them that were missing in RoseClan.

"Why not?" Silversky meowed, his ears twitching. "After all, you can't always stay in the same place. Besides, you won't get to see LaurelClan territory that often. You should take advantage of a chance like this."

That made sense to Larkpaw. She liked her own territory, but the idea of seeing a foreign forest was tremendously exciting for an inexperienced cat like her.

Silversky nudged her with his muzzle. "Now go, or you'll be too late."

Cheering inwardly, Larkpaw jumped towards the Birchtunnel to join the herb cats there. On the way, she passed the apprentices' den, where Reedpaw and Elderpaw were sitting and watching her with puzzled faces.

"That's so unfair," Reedpaw hissed loud enough for Larkpaw to hear. "Why does she get to go and we don't? She's basically still a kit!"

Although Larkpaw tried not to let Reedpaw's meanness upset her, she felt her fur bristle with anger. I don't even look like a kit anymore! She shouldn't behave like this just because others are worried about her safety.

Now Larkpaw's motivation and anticipation had been blown away like a leaf in the wind in a heartbeat. However, the prospect of putting a huge distance between herself and the light brown she-cat for at least half a day calmed her down.

"You look like you slept on a thorn bush today."

Larkpaw winced and tensed her shoulders. Dawnbreeze looked at her with a mocking expression in her green eyes. Embarrassed, she licked her chest fur. "Shall we go now?" she asked in a slightly impatient voice, hoping to distract from the little incident.

"As soon as Shrubtail is here," Gooseleap informed her.

Larkpaw scratched behind her ear, uncomprehending. The name didn't mean anything to her. Concentrating hard, she waited for some image to pop up in her mind, but to no avail. Shrubtail had to be a cat she had never had anything to do with before.

Somewhat panicked, Larkpaw realised that there were still some cats she had never really interacted with. There are just too many cats in RoseClan. She wondered how Palestar, or any other cat for that matter, could keep track of them all.

A light brown tabby tom with blue eyes appeared from behind the Roserock. Since he ran straight to the cats at the Birchtunnel, Larkpaw assumed that this must be Shrubtail.

She studied his appearance as unobtrusively as possible, memorising the swirled pattern of his dark stripes, the right ear with the missing tip and the long tail with the hairs sticking out like branches of a bush.

Gooseleap turned one ear slightly forwards. "So?" he asked expectantly. "What did Palestar decide? Has it finally been decided?"

"It is." Shrubtail twitched the tip of his tail excitedly.

Confused, Larkpaw looked between the older cats? Does someone want to let me in on it or is it such a top secret?

She exhaled softly as the three warriors left the camp through the Birchtunnel and hurried to follow them.

Today was a warmer day for once, and Larkpaw enjoyed the faint rays of sunlight shining on her pelt.

She looked around and discovered that some of the leaves were already turning orange. The older cats had been talking about the green treetops turning red, orange and yellow before the leaves fell to the ground, signalling the beginning of Leaf-bare. Larkpaw was fascinated to witness this with her own eyes.

For a while, she just trotted along behind Dawnbreeze, Shrubtail and Gooseleap, listening to the rustling of the trees, which reminded her of the flowing of a small stream, and the occasional chirping of various bird species. For fun, Larkpaw tried to identify them, but unfortunately her knowledge wasn't enough.

In moments like these, it's hard to believe that the forest has become a deadly place. Larkpaw's heart began to beat faster as she remembered what it was like to walk alone through the territory and explore it without a care on her first day as an apprentice. Even though it was only a short time, she missed feeling safe in her own territory.

The four cats reached the tree trunk that lay above the ravine. Now Larkpaw felt a little uneasy. It had been a long time since she had travelled through the River Ravine.

Pressing her ears to her head to muffle the loud noise of the river, Larkpaw crawled over the tree trunk. The bark felt soft under her paws, almost brittle. Larkpaw held her breath and only dared to breathe again when she had reached the other side.

Dawnbreeze turned to her and gave her a scrutinising look. As an experienced warrior, she had crossed the abyss with ease and without any signs of fear, just like Gooseleap and Shrubtail. "Are you all right?" she enquired. There was a slight worry in her voice.

"You really don't have to worry about me," Larkpaw quickly affirmed. Just don't treat me like a helpless kit in front of the others!

Dawnbreeze paused for a heartbeat or two, then turned around without saying another word.

Larkpaw allowed herself a soft sigh of relief. She could understand that Dawnbreeze was worried about her, but she preferred it if she didn't blurt it out like that.

"If we're lucky, we'll reach the border shortly after sunhigh," Gooseleap said with a glance at the still dawning sky. "We'd better not linger here too long."

Now it's off into the ravine. Larkpaw felt the excitement rising inside her like a fire. She pushed along behind Dawnbreeze along the long ledge that ran halfway across the gorge. Meanwhile she tried not to look down at the river thundering between the rock faces, fearing that it would make her feel dizzy.

They had reached the end of the River Ravine when Shrubtail suddenly meowed, "I don't like it that the apprentices have to learn to fear the place where they should feel the safest. What sense does it even make to train Shadowkit - or just any of the other kits - if they'll grow up with a completely wrong view of the territory?"

Even though Larkpaw knew it was bad manners to eavesdrop, she listened intently. So that's what's going! Looks like Shrubtail has been selected as Shadowkit's future mentor. I wonder if he knows who is going to train Mistkit.

"It shouldn't be like that," Gooseleap agreed. "But what can we do against this? We have no clues."

"The best thing is to hope that it will be over soon," Dawnbreeze added. "Or wait for a sign from StarClan."

Involuntarily, Larkpaw felt anger rising inside her. She shuffled along the ledge with her head down, letting small pebbles fall into the river. StarClan, always StarClan! How could they help us? They are dead cats, nothing more. Besides, if they knew who was responsible for the attack, they would surely send us a sign.

Suddenly, Dawnbreeze stopped without warning and whirled round to face her. "Stop that!" she hissed. "If you fall into the river because of your carelessness, no one will be able to help you."

Larkpaw's ears perked up in fright. Dawnbreeze's change of heart came out of nowhere. What's wrong with you? Larkpaw's tongue was burning with the question of what this was all about, but she was careful not to upset Dawnbreeze any further.

"I could ask you the same," Gooseleap intervened, but without turning round. "I can understand that you're nervous right now. But you don't have to take it out on Larkpaw."

Larkpaw felt light as a feather when she heard that. At least Gooseleap wasn't in such a bad mood.

Growling, Dawnbreeze ran on. "Just make sure nothing happens to her."

No cat said another word for the rest of the way. Larkpaw didn't even dare to look at a single hair on Dawnbreeze. Her outburst of anger was so unexpected. Could it really be that she was so upset because of the attacks? But there hadn't been any in RoseClan for ages. Maybe they've already stopped.

It was unbearable, not knowing how much longer they had to look around every step they took, terrified of being badly hurt on their own territory.

With a heavy heart, Larkpaw remembered Shrubtail's fear. She, too, didn't want Shadowkit, Mistkit and Bramblekit to never feel truly free.

When the four cats reached Willow Island, it was, as Gooseleap had predicted, sunhigh. Larkpaw's stomach was stinging with hunger and she regretted not having asked for a hunt earlier. So she had no choice but to suppress her need.

That's good training for Leaf-bare, Larkpaw thought sarcastically.

Seeing Willow Island by day was a surreal experience. The bushes at the edge of the island looked like normal plants instead of long claws swaying in the wind, and the willow did not cast any threatening shadows. The faint odour of each Clan still lingered everywhere. In some places where a cat had sat, the grass was still flattened.

"What do we do if LaurelClan won't give up any of their plants?" Shrubtail padded around in circles. The tip of his tail twitched nervously back and forth. "They refused to give it to us last Leaf-fall, which is why Ivyheart had to die. I definitely don't want to have to experience something like that again."

Larkpaw listened attentively. She had known before that LaurelClan grew their own medicinal plants, which meant that they had the largest supply of herbs of all the Clans. That was why it sounded natural to her ears that they would be so generous to share the herbs with the others. But apparently she had been wrong.

Gooseleap nodded in agreement and a dark shadow settled over his eyes. "Ivyheart was just the beginning. I have never experienced a leaf-bare that was so hard and had claimed so many victims. And then the rogues attacked..."

But RoseClan is still pretty big now, Larkpaw thought. How many cats must there have been in the last Leaf-fall?

She could hardly bear the idea of having more Clanmates. The mere fact that she hadn't known that Shrubtail even existed until today made her nervous.

By the time I'm a warrior, I have to have memorised all the names, she decided. She trotted to the shore of Willow Island and stared curiously over into the territory of LaurelClan, hoping to see a cat. She had no luck. Nothing was moving in the sparse forest.

Disappointed, Larkpaw turned round again. She doubted that a LaurelClan patrol would arrive on time today.

When she arrived back at the warriors, Dawnbreeze whipped her tail and stood opposite Gooseleap, fur bristling and eyes wide open.

Larkpaw backed away anxiously so as not to get in the way. I was only gone for a few heartbeats. How could it be that Dawnbreeze was losing her temper again now?

She noticed that Gooseleap didn't seem as hostile as Dawnbreeze, but his fur was slightly ruffled.

Dawnbreeze bared her teeth. "And I say we shouldn't take it so easy on ourselves if they refuse us the herbs." Her voice was low and menacing, every word she said seeming to prick Larkpaw's ears like thorns.

Did Dawnbreeze really dare to treat Gooseleap, her tom-in-command, like this? Larkpaw scurried over to Shrubtail, who was crouching under a fern bush and seemed just as confused as she was. "What's going on here?" she whispered anyway. "Why does Dawnbreeze look like she's about to pluck Gooseleap like a bird?"

"She said we'd get the herbs by force if necessary," Shrubtail answered. His body was tense, but he didn't take his eyes off his Clanmates.

Larkpaw's pads prickled as if she had stepped on a thorn. Did that mean that Dawnbreeze wanted to fight? She rushed forward. She no longer listened to Shrubtail's warning hiss. The surroundings seemed to disappear around her until her focus was only on Dawnbreeze. I won't let you attack a Clan over herbs!

Absent-mindedly, Larkpaw leapt forward, right in front of Dawnbreeze.

At the same moment, Dawnbreeze lashed out with a paw. Claws shone in the sunlight.

Larkpaw could hardly react. The only thing she did was close her eyes tightly and wait for the pain that told her that Dawnbreeze's claws had hit her throat.

Then she felt herself being pulled away. The expected pain did not materialise. Larkpaw instinctively opened her eyes.

It seemed that Gooseleap had pulled her away at the last moment. Dawnbreeze stood there with her back arched. "How dare you!" she yowled wildly. "I almost had her!"

Gooseleap let go of Larkpaw. At the same time he meowed, "Get yourself and Shrubtail to safety."

Larkpaw hesitated.

"Quick!" Gooseleap nudged her with his muzzle. "I don't know what happened to Dawnbreeze, but you're not safe around her right now."

Larkpaw dashed off without looking back once more. When she passed Shrubtail, he jumped up as well and ran after her.

Her heart was pounding so hard that she could feel it. She only had one goal in her mind.

She jumped over the stepping stones, so quickly and carelessly that she slipped more than once and landed with a paw in the water. But she didn't let this put her off.

Back in RoseClan territory, she raced up the embankment and climbed the first tree she saw. It was the first time she had climbed, but she swung herself up between the branches, driven by her panic.

Only when she reached the last branch that could support her weight did she stop. She felt dizzy. When a light breeze came up, the branch she was on swayed slightly. Larkpaw let out an involuntary squeak and backed away. Her hind leg hit the trunk, which had split into two trunks at this height.

An idea came to her. As carefully as possible, Larkpaw turned round and jumped onto the area between the two trunks. It was just big enough for her to stand on with both hind paws. Clutching one of the trunks with her front paws, she peered down.

By StarClan, that's high! A shiver shook through her body and she almost lost her balance.

Larkpaw peered down intently and wondered if Shrubtail had followed her up the tree. Finally, she found the light brown tom on a fork almost half a tree length below her.

"You shouldn't have climbed so high!" he called to her.

Embarrassed, Larkpaw flattened her ears. "I thought I was supposed to get to safety," she defended herself. She turned away and stared over to the LaurelClan territory instead. Now that she was used to the altitude, she could finally enjoy the view.

On the far horizon, she could make out the Long Lake - and, very small, StarClan's Peninsula. Larkpaw purred with excitement. She had never dreamt of seeing the world in such a way.

Her gaze automatically wandered over to the MoonClan territory. I wonder if I can see the camp? After staring intently for a while, she realised that it wasn't as easy as she thought. Although there were no trees on her old territory, the hills still offered enough protection from view.

Suddenly, Larkpaw didn't think it was so bad up in the treetops. If she ignored the fact that the ground was several tail-lengths below her and that a fall from such a height would probably end fatally for her, she felt rather comfortable up here.

A flock of birds flew close to her, causing Larkpaw to clutch the trunk tighter with her paws. She watched the birds as if in a trance. They have it good, they can fly. Larkpaw felt the envy clinging to her like a burr. Pretty ironic that my name is Lark but I'm a cat.

As soon as the birds had become tiny dots in the distance, Larkpaw suddenly remembered that she had to get back down at some point. She crouched down carefully, but when she dared to look down, it was as if the ground was disappearing into darkness.

Startled, she squeaked. What a mouse-brained ball of fur I am, she scolded herself.

The thought of calling for help made every single hair in her fur stand on end. She was not a frightened kit who always needed to be rescued.

I am an apprentice. Just... an apprentice. I can't come down here alone.

Larkpaw would have loved to hiss in frustration. Nevertheless, she knew that she wouldn't help herself. With an uneasy feeling in her throat, she bent down. "Can you tell me how to get down here?"

At first she didn't get an answer and she thought that Shrubtail hadn't heard her. Then the branches trembled beneath her. Shrubtail climbed onto a branch in her line of sight and blinked up at her reproachfully. "You're a cat, aren't you?" he asked unnecessarily.

No, I'm a slug. Larkpaw stifled this reply. Instead, she just meowed, "Yes, yes, now help me!" Her tone might have been a little too harsh to use in the presence of a warrior, but she was starting to panic.

Shrubtail scratched at the bark in a test before looking back up at Larkpaw. "You only have to climb down backwards. The bark is soft enough for you to claw your way down."

Climbing down backwards. He's crazy, isn't he? Larkpaw took a deep breath, sank her claws deep into the bark and slid down the trunk.

Luckily for her, her Clanmate was right. It was easier than she thought. At the same time, the apprentice kept realising the height she was at and she froze.

I must be quite a sight. Larkpaw reached a branch that could carry her and settled down on it to catch her breath.

"So now you're coming down after all," Shrubtail stated.

Larkpaw saw that he was always a few tail-lengths below her. She suppressed a growl.

As soon as she thought she had enough strength again, she continued her descent. The deeper she got, the more branches appeared around her and the safer she felt.

Only when she felt the familiar, leaf-covered ground beneath her paws again did Larkpaw breathe a sigh of relief. She was still a little dizzy.

Shortly afterwards, Shrubtail jumped down as well. He shook his pelt. "Do you think we should check on Gooseleap and Dawnbreeze?" His blue eyes gleamed with concern.

Larkpaw suddenly remembered. "That would probably be better," she agreed.

Hopefully nothing has happened to them, Larkpaw thought as she followed Shrubtail to the river. The light brown tabby tom stepped up as quietly as he had during the hunt.

Involuntarily, Larkpaw did the same. They didn't know what to expect. Larkpaw opened her mouth briefly to say something, then she changed her mind.

The river moved into her field of vision. With a hasty movement of his tail, Shrubtail signalled her to stop and hide. The two cats slid under the branches of a wide juniper bush.

"What's wrong?" Larkpaw pressed herself as close to the ground as possible.

"Be quiet," Shrubtail whispered back.

A little miffed, Larkpaw avoided making another sound. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw how Shrubtail's ears were turned forwards and he stared motionlessly at Willow Island.

Larkpaw did the same. She listened for the faintest of meows, but the only thing she could hear was the steady flow of the river.

She felt queasy. Hopefully that doesn't