(I thought this chappy deserves a title! I'll try to make it as powerful and detailed as possible, but I'm no professional author so....)
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The late Greenleaf sun beat down through the trees and dappled the forest floor like a calico pelt. A few leaves drifted lazily to the ground, pushed around by the gentle breeze which was growing chillier by the day. A doe and her almost fully grown calf bounded gracefully across the path Raven and Amber were walking on, a small fox following close behind. The fox was young and hardly big enough to take down any of the two deer, so it was most likely following them because of curiosity.
Raven relished the sound of crackling leaves under her paws, but also worried about it. Because even though she loved the sound it made it meant leaf-fall and eventualløy leaf-bare was on its way, promising slow going and hard hunting. The easy-going Amber how ever didn't seem bothered and was rather excited for his first leaf-bare outside the field where he grew up. Raven thought the dappled brown tom looked thinner than before and his fur more ragged but she figured living as a loner took its toll on both of them. With the constant traveling their muscles had grown lean, but their pelts lost its glossiness because of a lack from grooming. The short supply of food didn't help either!
Raven cast a glance over her shoulder to peer at the silvery white mark on her right flank, by the base of her tail. The circular symbol covered almost her whole hip and was split down the middle by a wavy line; creating two identical tear drop shapes. In one half, the white one, was a faint outline of a black cat with a necklace, herself. In the black half was the outline of another cat with glowing amber eyes, Amber. Looking at the mark reminded Raven of her ivy and raven claw necklace, and she cast her mind towards it, trying to read some of the memories captured inside. She hadn't yet had the time to fully check out all the wolf memories she had picked up when the pack ran by, so she took one wolf every day. She was saving the pack leader for last, wondering about his thoughts and hostility when he saw them.
Despite the magnificent feeling of freedom she felt whenever she delved deep into the wolves' beings, she felt disappointed when none of the wolves so far revealed anything about their lives other than the thrill of hunting, the safety of the pack, and the fun of play. In fact, their life reminded Ravn of Clan life, just with different rules and traditions! The wolves didn't have gatherings at full moon but rather howled to the moon, contacting other packs that way. They hunted together like a patrol, trained the pups like apprentices, and lived with the harmony any Clan would have within its boundaries.
She was jerked back to reality when she crashed into Amber, who had suddenly stopped in front of her. she tumbled to the ground, releasing a cloud of dust that rose up to the sky and stung her eyes. Raven tood up and shook her coat, muttering grumpily to Amber,
"What was that?"
"I think I smell something." Amber replied. Raven stopped her grooming and lifted her muzzle to taste the air. She couldn't pick out any distinct scent, only traces of prey and fox, but she knew Amber had a much more sensitive nose than she.
"What is it?" Raven asked quietly.
"I'm not sure." Amber replied with a shrug. "I think it's a cat but... It smells different at the same time."
Raven tilted her head in confusion. Cat yet different? What is he meowing about? She wondered. She tested the air again, this time catching the faintest trace. It certainly reminded her of cat, but not like she was used too. It also had a mix of wind, rock and trees that she couldn't quite place.
