𝗪𝗔𝗥𝗥𝗜𝗢𝗥𝗦ᶠᵃⁿᶠⁱᶜᵗⁱᵒⁿ 一 𝔅𝔩𝔞𝔷𝔦𝔫𝔤 𝔓𝔞𝔰𝔱 [𝟑]

❆☾𑁍𓆱ᥴhᥲρtᥱr 𝟹𝟸𓆱𑁍☽❆

Larkwing looked upwards. In the darkness above her, she could make out a narrow pair of eyes. The pupils were so large due to the low incidence of light that the iris around them was only visible as a thin ring. Nevertheless, she could make out the colour with ease. It was an unusual icy blue colour, like nothing else she had ever seen.

That could only mean one thing.

When Larkwing realised this, relief washed through her like an unexpected wave. Lakepelt had found her. How, she had no idea. However, it didn't matter right now.

"Hey there, Larky," Lakepelt meowed down to her as he shook out his paws. Only then did he seem to take notice of the tendrils and he pressed his ears to his head. "What have they done to you?"

The sudden coldness in his tone made Larkwing shiver. "Nothing," she hurried to answer.

But that was a lie. Even though the ruin cats hadn't hurt her with claws, they had still tormented her. Her whole body was cramped from standing still for so long. Sharp pains had made themselves felt in her stomach and her dry throat was crying out for water.

Weakened, she waited for Lakepelt to come down. Everything will be fine now. We'll be able to escape. For sure. We'll leave this place behind us and never look back.

Stubbornly, she repeated these positive affirmations, thinking of nothing else. She pushed aside any hint of doubt — of realistic thoughts.

The next moment she became aware of the smell of blood again, which hung over her like a blanket of fog. As quickly as it had disappeared, her panic returned.

He has killed her! Her heart was working at full speed. He has torn her throat out just like that, like it was nothing.

"Why... why did you do that?" Larkwing's mouth moved and words came out without her really realising it.

Lakepelt tilted his head. "Too bad, isn't it?" he purred, his voice sounding oddly darker than usual. "What else was I supposed to do? They're holding you captive here. They've tied you up. Were you seriously going to let that slide?"

Larkwing was at a loss for words. Of course she was angry and horrified at what had been done to her. Nevertheless, she would never go so far as to give up her future place in StarClan.

With a tight feeling in her chest, she looked down at Lakepelt, who was sniffing at her paws. Which side of him was the real one? There was no denying that he had changed since Reedclaw's death, and it worried Larkwing. Suddenly, vengeance seemed to be the only thing he cared about. Vengeance on the Shadowless for the death of his littermate and his mentor, and now vengeance on the ruin cats for kidnapping his best friend for no apparent reason.

"They really look way too tight," Lakepelt noted, beginning to bite at the first tendril. "If you don't get them off soon, your blood circulation will be cut off and your paws will fall off."