𝗪𝗔𝗥𝗥𝗜𝗢𝗥𝗦ᶠᵃⁿᶠⁱᶜᵗⁱᵒⁿ 一 𝔅𝔩𝔞𝔷𝔦𝔫𝔤 𝔓𝔞𝔰𝔱 [𝟑]

❆☾𑁍𓆱ᥴhᥲρtᥱr 𝟺𝟸𓆱𑁍☽❆

The closer new moon came, the more Larkwing regretted not having killed Sunray.

A few days had passed since she had told the cats about the golden spotted she-cat's terrible plan, but it seemed to her that they weren't really making any progress in their preparations for the battle. While the ruin toms now regularly patrolled the border of the forest to their old camp to make sure Sunray and her Shadowless didn't show up prematurely, she and the other Clan cats were busy from dawn to dusk teaching the she-cats how to fight.

The first few training sessions were a disaster, to say the least. Larkwing couldn't even count on all her claws anymore how many times she had been on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Again and again she had to explain the simplest rules to the ruin she-cats, such as which parts of their bodies they had to protect at all times, or how they could dodge most effectively without losing their balance.

Part of Larkwing could understand that they felt uncomfortable. Not only were their opponents their former campmates, family members and friends, but it would also be the first battle of their lives that they would have to take part in. At the same time, the she-cats' unwillingness to accept the new reality irritated her. It was heartless, she was more than aware of that, and inwardly she was ashamed of it.

She had often wondered if it was because she was changing. There were moments when she felt as she always had. Especially when she was with Lakepelt, she felt nothing but happiness that drowned any doubts and fears. But every sunset, when she settled into her nest, she didn't find sleep for a long time, no matter how exhausted she was.

Then she felt as if something was wrong with her. As if she was stuck in a false body that gave her no freedom of movement. Sometimes she even had the impression that she was sharing her body with another soul, which was slowly pushing her away bit by bit.

But that wasn't the worst of it. Again and again she thought she heard a voice. It sounded whispery and as if it was coming from several throats. She hadn't been able to filter out any clear words yet. Nevertheless, one thing was clear: it was calling for her, wanting her to come to an unknown place.

Moreover, she was becoming increasingly belligerent. Or so she thought. During battle training, there were always moments when she had to resist the strong urge to unsheathe her claws. At irregular intervals, it became so extreme that she had brief, yet terrifyingly intense delusions in which she wanted to attack the nearest cat and slash their throat.

Sometimes it was almost unbearable, so she simply fled without warning and crawled away to a quiet place until she calmed down again. Like now. In the middle of a training session with Lavender and Topaz, she had almost injured the latter. If Topaz hadn't screamed in horror at that moment and kicked Larkwing's chin with her hind legs out of reflex, she would probably have ended up in the medicine cat's den with a critical wound.

Now Larkwing was lying high up in a forked branch that supported her back, staring motionlessly into the distance. How long she had been here, she didn't know. In any case, the sun had not yet set.