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With great effort, Larkwing struck her front claws into the soft bark of the tree. Only when she was sure that they were firmly anchored did she carefully lift her hind paws from the branch she was standing on and, groaning, pulled herself onto the fork of the branch above her.
A purr sounded above her. Annoyed, Larkwing turned her head upwards. "Don't make fun of me!" she grumbled, "Climbing is just not for me."
Lakepelt's dark grey face emerged from the branches above her. His whiskers twitched vigorously. "You could have stayed down."
"Never!" As quick as a flash, Larkwing scrambled further up the trunk. "I'm not a cowardly mouse!"
She would never admit to Lakepelt that she was afraid of heights at a certain point. Whenever she looked down, she had the feeling that her heart would stop for a moment.
But she loved spending time with Lakepelt. Ever since they shared a den again and had their nests next to each other, Larkwing felt as if they had their friendship back from their apprenticeship.
Eventually, she reached the same branch that Lakepelt was sitting on. Tensely, she tried not to pay attention to the height she was at.
At that moment, a breeze picked up and caused the branch to sway slightly. Frightened, Larkwing squeaked. Immediately afterwards, she bit her tongue. I'm not a cowardly mouse? What a lie!
She sat down carefully and wrapped her tail around the branch. Far below her, she could hear the sound of the river; above her was the grey, cloudy sky.
"Do you think the others are talking about who's going to join the reconnaissance patrol?" Lakepelt asked after a while of silence as he sharpened his claws on the bark of the tree trunk.
"I'd be surprised if they weren't," Larkwing replied.
"I kind of wish I'd been there yesterday."
Larkwing snorted. "That was definitely the weirdest Gathering I've ever attended."
Rolling her eyes, she thought of how Specklestar had led her Clan away from the Gathering early in a fit of rage. In the end, only RoseClan and MoonClan had been able to exchange news.
Larkwing had learnt that her foster siblings had also successfully finished their final assessments and were now called Dashfoot and Leafwind. Unfortunately, she hadn't had the chance to talk to them personally.
"I would like to join it."
Surprised, Larkwing lifted her head. She opened her mouth, about to ask if Lakepelt really wanted to expose himself to such danger willingly, when she noticed something.
There was something different about him. Had there always been that icy expression in his light blue eyes? Had he always been surrounded by this aura that sent a shiver down Larkwing's spine, as if she was being followed in a dark, gloomy place?
