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Larkwing's heart stopped for a moment. No... that can't be true. Not here, not now.
Stiff with fear, she stepped backwards until she bumped into the reeds. There they were, at least ten of them. Snarling and growling, the Shadowless roamed along the shore, casting such blank yet cold stares at the encircled she-cats on the peninsula that Larkwing shivered.
"What are we going to do?" It was Amberhaze who had asked this quiet question. Her ruffled fur made her look twice as big. "There are too many of them! We can't fight them."
That's the end of us. With all the strength she could muster, Larkwing suppressed the fear that wrapped itself around her like a treacherous creeper. She wanted to say something back, something that could calm Amberhaze. But that would be nothing but lies. They were inevitably trapped here, and even if they managed to escape, they would lead the Shadowless to the MoonClan camp and cause unnecessary suffering there again.
Fruittail pushed herself in front of Larkwing and Amberhaze like a protective barrier. The tip of her tail twitched and a strong, oppressive scent of fear emanated from her. "Something seems strange to me," she murmured slowly, as if she feared that every word she said would trigger the Shadowless' instinct to attack. "They're just standing there. Not attacking us."
A dark premonition crept over Larkwing. It sounded crazy, but the Shadowless had always been very mysterious. Tentatively, she peeked past Fruittail.
It was true, they were still creeping along the shore, some dangerously close to StarClan's Peninsula, but none of them stepped onto the small piece of land with so much as a paw.
"Just like back then," Larkwing murmured, "during the attack on MoonClan. They only attacked someone when they sensed hostility."
Amberhaze flattened her ears. "I still remember that! But I don't quite understand it. When they attacked our camp, they fought like normal cats."
"Shh!" Fruittail hissed in between. "Have you noticed their injuries? They were involved in a fight — again."
Larkwing wrinkled her muzzle in confusion. Now she saw them too, the dark patches of blood speckling the Shadowless's pelt. Some even had deep, long claw wounds.
"But who would they have fought if not one of the Clans?" Amberhaze speculated.
She and Larkwing exchanged a helpless glance before waiting for Fruittail to come up with an idea.
Suddenly there arose a long, agonised groan. Horrified, Larkwing pressed herself even deeper into the reeds. That sound... She swallowed hard to suppress the rising nausea. It sounds like a cat is suffocating!
"Did you hear—" Larkwing began. At the same moment another cry of pain sounded, more extreme than the one before.
Every single hair stood up in Larkwing's fur. Holding her breath, she searched the shore for the source of the sound. Her gaze lingered on a single she-cat standing slightly off to the side. Her small, petite body was covered in deep wounds. It was only faintly visible that she actually had an extremely pretty, blue-grey and cream speckled pelt.
