Chapter 3: Dream

Lark found herself in the mountains, much to her disappointment. But something was different. It was unusually warm and a light breeze ruffled her fur, not in the harsh way it did at home, but gently. The scent of mouse was fresh, accompanied by many other unfamiliar smells. And the terrain was different and oddly smooth. Lark pricked her ears, catching the sound of running water. Over the smooth rocks she bounded until she reached the source of the sound: a small creek, clear and fast moving.

Tentatively, Latk stretched out a paw and let the cool water run over it. The water wasn't the ice cold water that ran in the mountains she lived in, but was pleasantly cool. Before she could try wading in, something pulled her back to where she had first arrived.

"Lark That Sings At Dawn, welcome to the Tribe of Endless Hunting," came a gentle mew from behind her. Lark spun around, and came face to face with a beautiful silver she-cat.

"Am I dead?" Lark asked, alarmed.

The silver cat purred, "No, my name is Feathertail, your father's sister. I've come to give you advice."

"Why?"

"You're my brother's kit, it's my obligation," Feathertail wrapped her thick tail over her paws. "Your pads will harden in time, and your nose with toughen. But there is another group of cats, one that you may be better suited for."

Indignantly, Lark protested, "Are you saying I am not a proper tribe cat?"

"No, only that you have a choice, and it's yours to make," Feathertail began to fade.

"But I am only a to-be! How am I supposed to do anything?" Lark exclaimed.

Feathertail's form became clear again, much to Lark's relief. She shrugged her silver shoulders. "So much for the dramatic exit. I really should talk to Yellowfang about that," she mewed to herself. "Anyway, finish your training, wait a moon, it's your choice." The silver warrior touched her nose to Lark's head. "And remember, I'll stand with you, with whichever decision you make. Although," she added as an afterthought, "I would like to see Silverstream again."

And the dream began fading in earnest, leaving Lark to wonder who in all the mountains Yellowfang was.

~The Distance Between~

Feathertail was right, Lark reflected as Snow's rough tongue rasped over her pelt. My paws have hardened, and my nose does not dry out as often. But.. there was something she couldn't explain, an empty space that needed to be filled.

It had been two moons since Feathertail visited her, and a little under that since Stormfur and Brook left to visit the clans. Lark begged to go with them, but they refused, saying she needed to finish her training.

"Stormfur! Brook!" the sudden outburst made Lark jump. She looked up to see Pine greeting their parents, who were standing at the waterfall entrance, forms blurred by the lengthening shadows. Purring, she left Snow to pad over to where Stormfur and Brook stood, a crowd already forming around them.

"Lark!" Stormfur touched his nose to the top of her brown head. A purr rumbled in his throat. Lark moved on to her mother, who seemed a lot smaller than she remembered.

"Lark, you have grown," Brook meowed fondly before nuzzeling her daughter. Feathertail's words echoed in her mind, and she wanted to tell them everything, but refrained from doing so. She waited until Stormfur was alone before approaching him. Even as a kit, Lark preferred his company to Brook's or Pine's. He understood her, and was supporting in the ways Brook wasn't. So it was natural that her instincts led her to telling him first.

"Stormfur?" she asked when they were in a secluded corner so as not to be overheard.

"Yes?

"The night I had a fever, just a quarter moon before you left, I had a strange dream," she started. Stormfur didn't tell her that the fever may have given her unusual dreams, or that it was normal for dreams to be weird, like Brook would have, but sat down and gave Lark his full attention. "A cat was there, she was silver. She said her name was Feathertail."

Stormfur's neutral look changed to curiosity at the name of his sister. "What did she tell you?"

"That I could leave, that I could live in the Clans if I wanted to. That Riverclan could be my home if I chose. And that I may be better suited for life there," Lark finished, feeling nervous about what her father would say.

The gray tom nodded, "If that is what you want, then go. We would miss you of course, but if you want to go, we have no right holding you back."

"But I am not sure whether I even want to go!" Lark exclaimed. "I need to think, without the pressure of training. What should I do?"

He shook his head. "I don't know, Lark. This is something you need to figure out. You could head down the mountains as if to visit the Clans, but spend some time as a loner. But I suggest you don't wait until you have been made a cave-guard.

"I know, I was not planning to," Lark said.

"Go to your nest, and get some sleep. You don't have to decide anything right now," Stormfur meowed gently, nosing his daughter away.

Too lost in her thoughts to pay attention to anything beside her paws, Lark didn't see Pine until he was right in front of her. "What are you doing? How could you think of leaving the tribe, your family?" he demanded. Lark opened her mouth to defend herself, but was cut off. "You are going to leave Moss, who has been training you to fight, and Gray, our teacher of the tribe's history? And me, I am your brother!"

Anger at Pine, calling himself her brother as if it gave him Healer status, rose up in her throat. "And your happiness is more important than mine?" she hissed. Their eyes met, each unwilling to back down. It wasn't until Snow intervened did they look away.

"Pine," the pretty white and gray she-cat said sternly. Pine's eyes softened, and when he spoke, it was obvious he was flustered.

"Uh, um, yes?" Pine said awkwardly. Lark rolled her eyes before escaping to the to-bes' den.

Stupid tom, she thought, clawing a patch of dirt. She hadn't even decided if she would go, let alone whether she would stay with the Clans. No, a voice in her head argued. You have decided, and nobody is going to change that. And Lark knew it spoke the truth; she was leaving the tribe, and would head for Riverclan. Lark wanted to see more than the dreary mountains she lived in, and if she had that choice, she was going to take it.

AN: Okay, I realized the timelines are slightly screwed up. But I don't think I can do anything about it. Stormfur and Brook just got back from visiting Thunderclan, after the battle with the Dark Forest. Lark is about eight moons old, which I know is way off, but that's how it's going to be.