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Never before had a forest seemed so threatening, so nightmarish to Larkwing. She had spent most of her life under the high treetops. They had always been protective.
But now, as she stood on the shore of Willow Island and looked across to the former territory of LaurelClan, this was not the case.
With a queasy feeling, Larkwing felt carefully for the first stepping stone. Only when she was sure that it was stable did she jump onto it. It was a welcome coincidence that there were also stepping stones towards LaurelClan territory. In no time at all, Larkwing had reached the opposite bank of the river.
Her nose twitched. No imaginary wall of scents hit her. Normally, scent markings were strongest at the borders of territories. Here, however, they were completely absent.
Larkwing couldn't help but snort disparagingly. Of course they don't think it's important to mark their borders. They're probably far too busy planning their next attack.
As carefully as if she were sneaking up on prey, Larkwing slipped into the shade under the branches of two neighbouring bushes. She barely dared to breathe for fear of being spotted as she checked the air and listened for any sounds.
Luckily for her, there didn't seem to be any Shadowless around. Still, she couldn't allow herself to become careless for one tiny moment. All the time, she had to remain on alert.
Let's go. Ignoring the nervousness that was making itself felt in the form of nausea, Larkwing trotted on. Every now and then she turned her head in all directions and stopped if necessary to get a better view of her surroundings.
Although it was also a forest, the LaurelClan territory seemed very different from that of RoseClan or SnowClan. The trees all stood further apart, but their trunks were wider and their tops were overhanging, usually starting far below.
Involuntarily, Larkwing felt a small pang in her heart. She had been here before. Why hadn't she realised how beautiful it was here? What must it be like to be a LaurelClan cat?
She realised that she hardly knew anything about this Clan. It was always said that they had figured out how to grow medicinal plants, making them an important partner in times of illness, but other than that, they seemed to have been reserved — almost a little secretive.
I'll have to ask the older cats what their impression of LaurelClan was when I get a chance, Larkwing decided. It filled her with deep sadness that if LaurelClan ever returned, it would never be the same again.
She straightened up resolutely. Now was no time to worry about the past or the future. Her first duty was to find out information about the Shadowless.
But as Larkwing sniffed again, she realised that something was terribly wrong.
Had she made a mistake? Panic rose in her and she checked the air again and again until she felt dizzy.
There was absolutely nothing there. The forest was devoid of any cat scent.
