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The fur between Larkwing's claws felt unpleasantly sticky. At that moment, she would have much preferred to wade through the mud.
I just killed another cat.
This truth reverberated in her head like a nightmarish echo, over and over again, until she had to flatten her ears and dig her paws into the ground.
I've just done the worst thing imaginable. Not only have I broken the code of combat, I've also ended a life forever.
Lakepelt, realising she wasn't following, turned and ran the few steps back to her. "Are you all right?" he asked.
His casual tone made Larkwing want to scream. How could he pretend that nothing bad had happened?
"Can't we go to a water source first? I... I don't want everyone to see that right away..." Her voice trailed off. At the same time, her gaze involuntarily wandered to the ground.
"That's probably better." Lakepelt looked around. "I don't see any water here. Seems like we'll have to go all the way back to the cliff."
At a fast gallop, they reached the pool by the gigantic rock face in no time at all. Ignoring the biting cold, Larkwing slipped into the water and waded around in the shallow bank. Gradually, she felt the sticky sensation leave her paws. A light, bright red glow appeared in the water, which she tried to splash away.
Soon after, her paws were almost completely white again. It reassured Larkwing to see no more evidence of what she had done.
Then her chest tightened. But the memory will stay forever, whispered an accusing voice in her subconscious.
"Do you think there are more of them here?" Lakepelt was the first to break the silence.
A tingle ran through Larkwing's fur. "I hope not," she murmured, though her guts told her that was just a pathetic attempt to cling to a tiny piece of hope.
As if he shared her apprehension, Lakepelt turned his head and scanned his surroundings. Larkwing leapt out of the water and shook out her paws.
"Let's go find the others now," she meowed.
On the way, she did her best not to think about the vines-pierced she-cat. Nevertheless, at some point her curiosity was so great that she could no longer hold it back. She had a hunch what kind of cat it was. Admittedly, this guess seemed a little far-fetched, but what other logical explanation was there?
Nervously, she cast a sideways glance at Lakepelt. "Can I ask you something?" she began, her voice far too high and squeaky.
Lakepelt turned an ear in her direction. "Yes?"
Mousedung on crowfood, why don't I think about what I'm saying before I open my mouth? Furious at her rashness, Larkwing bit her tongue. Although she knew exactly what she wanted to ask Lakepelt, she didn't know how to phrase it.
