Faustian | warrior cats

v | painted purple

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THE forest was different from the way she had left it. Gazing at it now, after being held a hostage in heaven and finally returning her paws to the earth, the forest was everything she dreamed about. Seeing it again made her forget about the nightmares of never returning- Larkmoon was awake in all of its beauty.

The oak trees towered on for what seemed like forever, even though they were rooted to the ground they still reached for the sky. A ceiling of leaves covered over the she-cat's head and allowed the pale sunlight to trickle through the gaps. As her eyes traveled down, Larkmoon noticed the shadows in intricate patterns were sketched on the floor like an outline to a masterpiece. She pressed her paws to the ground and inhaled a long, much-needed breath. A delicate gust of wind tenderly kissed the woodlands, causing the leaves to rattle in pure bliss. It swayed Larkmoon onward.

The chestnut tabby swiftly moved through the uncovered pathways. As she hastened onwards, the undergrowth would bend into the pathways and tangle around her legs. Everywhere she stepped, Larkmoon noticed that nature would come alive. The plants would lift their heads as she walked by, curious about where she was going, they would try to come along.

"Larkmoon!" The squeaky voice of Redpaw called. Out of breath, the red-furred apprentice lumbered forward to catch up to her mentor. With her sides puffing up and down the apprentice expressed hotly, "Where are you going with that pace? We're supposed to be hunting, remember?"

Larkmoon withheld her smirk and simply shook her head. "Try to keep up." As the words fell from her tongue, the she-cat hit the path with an animated run. Her legs propelled her off the soil with such a force, it was as though Larkmoon had grown wings and started flying. Larkmoon soared through the forest, the wind howling against her face and the trees turning into a green haze.

Oh, the feeling of being alive again. Every piece of her felt alive: the lungs swelling with air in her chest, her heart flying with the pace of her rapid paws, the wind racing alongside her. Larkmoon charged forward.

A happy outcry stung the air. Redpaw! The apprentice was chasing after Larkmoon, and after each paw-step, erupting with loud laughter. It sounded as though Redpaw hadn't been that happy in moons and hearing her only pushed Larkmoon onwards.

Through the winding paths, the she-cats prevailed. The dust floating from their hind legs rose up and powdered the once-green trees. Still, they carried on, dodging the bony roots that shouldered from the ground. To Redpaw's surprise, the path took a sudden left and disintegrated into the forest carpet, looking as though not many had passed through here.

While Larkmoon lingered on, Redpaw slid to a stop. She pricked her ears forward, fear causing her voice to quake. "Where are we going?" She shouted, still following her mentor with her dark eyes.

"Somewhere!"

The fear of being left behind was much greater than the fear of what was right ahead, so Redpaw carried forward. As the trail of leaves ended, the path suddenly elevated. Rigid rocks poked out from the short hill, creating a staircase for the felines. Redpaw glanced up, seeing Larkmoon elegantly pounce from the first stone onto the next, climbing higher with each dainty leap. The apprentice followed at a slower pace, her legs not quite as long as her mentors.

Finally, reaching the peak of the long rise, rested a stone throne which settled above the lake. It jutted outwards in a circular motion and sat high enough to where the entire lake was visible.