▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
THE forest was different from the way she had left it. Gazing at it now, after being held a hostage in heaven and finally returning her paws to the earth, the forest was everything she dreamed about. Seeing it again made her forget about the nightmares of never returning- Larkmoon was awake in all of its beauty.
The oak trees towered on for what seemed like forever, even though they were rooted to the ground they still reached for the sky. A ceiling of leaves covered over the she-cat's head and allowed the pale sunlight to trickle through the gaps. As her eyes traveled down, Larkmoon noticed the shadows in intricate patterns were sketched on the floor like an outline to a masterpiece. She pressed her paws to the ground and inhaled a long, much-needed breath. A delicate gust of wind tenderly kissed the woodlands, causing the leaves to rattle in pure bliss. It swayed Larkmoon onward.
The chestnut tabby swiftly moved through the uncovered pathways. As she hastened onwards, the undergrowth would bend into the pathways and tangle around her legs. Everywhere she stepped, Larkmoon noticed that nature would come alive. The plants would lift their heads as she walked by, curious about where she was going, they would try to come along.
"Larkmoon!" The squeaky voice of Redpaw called. Out of breath, the red-furred apprentice lumbered forward to catch up to her mentor. With her sides puffing up and down the apprentice expressed hotly, "Where are you going with that pace? We're supposed to be hunting, remember?"
Larkmoon withheld her smirk and simply shook her head. "Try to keep up." As the words fell from her tongue, the she-cat hit the path with an animated run. Her legs propelled her off the soil with such a force, it was as though Larkmoon had grown wings and started flying. Larkmoon soared through the forest, the wind howling against her face and the trees turning into a green haze.
Oh, the feeling of being alive again. Every piece of her felt alive: the lungs swelling with air in her chest, her heart flying with the pace of her rapid paws, the wind racing alongside her. Larkmoon charged forward.
A happy outcry stung the air. Redpaw! The apprentice was chasing after Larkmoon, and after each paw-step, erupting with loud laughter. It sounded as though Redpaw hadn't been that happy in moons and hearing her only pushed Larkmoon onwards.
Through the winding paths, the she-cats prevailed. The dust floating from their hind legs rose up and powdered the once-green trees. Still, they carried on, dodging the bony roots that shouldered from the ground. To Redpaw's surprise, the path took a sudden left and disintegrated into the forest carpet, looking as though not many had passed through here.
While Larkmoon lingered on, Redpaw slid to a stop. She pricked her ears forward, fear causing her voice to quake. "Where are we going?" She shouted, still following her mentor with her dark eyes.
"Somewhere!"
The fear of being left behind was much greater than the fear of what was right ahead, so Redpaw carried forward. As the trail of leaves ended, the path suddenly elevated. Rigid rocks poked out from the short hill, creating a staircase for the felines. Redpaw glanced up, seeing Larkmoon elegantly pounce from the first stone onto the next, climbing higher with each dainty leap. The apprentice followed at a slower pace, her legs not quite as long as her mentors.
Finally, reaching the peak of the long rise, rested a stone throne which settled above the lake. It jutted outwards in a circular motion and sat high enough to where the entire lake was visible.
"Woah-" Redpaw mumbled under her heavy breathing. She clambered beside the ginger tabby, letting her eyes absorb much more than they could handle. "I never knew you could see the lake like this." The lake wasn't a perfect circle. Instead, it filled into an oval shape and was outlined by an oblong layer of sand. The still water glistened from beneath the sunshine like some sort of curse. It would surely blind the eyes of those who looked for too long, yet it was impossible to look away. The trees standing on the shorelines were reflected into the water, balancing on near-perfect symmetry.
"I always knew," Larkmoon admitted dejectedly. Her soul was jammed with guilt that she hadn't appreciated the sight earlier. How could she have known? Things only hold deep meaning when they're gone.
Redpaw removed her eyes from the water and into Larkmoon's, though she couldn't spot much of a difference between them. "Why are you showing me this now?" Her eyes flicked back and forth like her tail movements between the lake and Larkmoon. "Why are you acting like this?"
"Acting like what?"
"You were always so serious before. You never had time to run through the forest and gaze at lakes." Redpaw's murky frown loosened into a light smile. "You've changed."
Larkmoon let out a prolonged sigh, "Last night I realized, life is too short to take it seriously." The cat lifted her head, her eyes falling hostages to the lake. "I mean look at this!" She mewed in amazement. "Look at what we miss every day when we are serious."
Redpaw's face was full of unexpected happiness. She beamed brighter than the sun. "I don't ever want to leave." She cried in joy, not realizing the sorrow bringing by her words. Larkmoon felt the same way; she wasn't going to leave.
As silent time ticked by and the she-cats spent it surmounting the waves, a fluttering noise tickled the silence. On a thin branch beside them, relaxed a beautiful bluebird. He stretched out his ocean-toned wings while singing a little song. Larkmoon watched in pure wonder. Before she died, she only saw birds as prey, but now, she only saw another life. Everywhere she turned her amber eyes, they were filled to the brim with life.
Though, her vision was cut short when the sneaking image of Redpaw crept in from the sidelines. The red apprentice ached forward slowly, her hindquarters wiggling as she stored power to pounce-
"Stop!" Larkmoon's high screech scared both the bird and Redpaw. The winged creature took to the skies in horror of the sound, dropping some of its teal feathers as it left. It successfully escaped the silver claws of Redpaw though Larkmoon didn't.
The apprentice spun around, anger burning in her eyes. "I almost had it!" She spat while hunger dictated her tone. "Why did you do that?"
Larkmoon flattened her ears, wishing to block out Redpaw's disrespectful manner. "I don't like your tone." She chastised solemnly.
Her warning didn't stop her apprentice. Redpaw's bones were built on a fire that wasn't easily ceased. "Larkmoon!" She emphasized as her teacher was clearly missing the point. "You just scared away our prey on purpose."
"You were trying to take its life."
Redpaw laughed at how stupid her mentor was acting. Inside, she questioned where this confusion was coming from; whether it was some sort of test or whether Larkmoon had hit her head hard on the climb up. Redpaw couldn't really tell. "It's just prey!"
Larkmoon's fur rose into fiery spikes. Unlike her young student, she did not find this matter amusing. She loved life too much to end another's, even if it was considered prey. "And if a badger snatched you into its claws, shall I justify your death by saying 'she was prey'?"
Redpaw waved her head sadly as if she was shaking away the thought of death. She glanced down at the empty space between her paws, where a dead bluebird meant to lay. "I have no other choice, Larkmoon. If I return with nothing again, Hollowhawk will have my head." She began to wistfully walk away, a heavy heart contaminating her movements. "If you need me, I'll be hunting. On my own."
Listening to the small cat's paws gently fade away, Larkmoon found herself at intervals with two decisions. She was very much stuck. If she was between red and blue, she would be painted purple. Desperate to clear her clogged mind, the tabby cat wanted to bury her feelings in the sand. So, Larkmoon scaled down the rocky path and wandered onto the waterside.
There was a strong gust of wind that greeted Larkmoon as she stood beside the lake. It crawled through her tufts of ginger fur and slithered through the trees. The leaves shuddered and seemed to shout her name, "Larkmoon!" She drew closer to the lake, the nature convincing her forward. Unafraid of getting her paws wet, Larkmoon waded into the pool. She stared down at the moving tides and spotted her reflection rippling amongst the waves. In a sudden surge, the reflection changed form and Larkmoon no longer looked at the ginger tabby she knew. No, now she was staring right into the pale eyes of Deadrush.
"You and I are more alike than you think."
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀