a little lark, a big world [p]

[vellichor]

I. Freedom

How long had it been since Lark was on her own? Free to run through whichever part of the woods she desired, free to do what she wanted without asking permission, free to go wherever her paws decided to take her. The true answer was never; Lark had never felt this kind of blissful freedom before. She was away from her family, those cats that made her feel like she was drowning. Her half-siblings, who looked up at her with expressions varying from resentment to indifference. Her father's ex-mate, who Lark sympathized with but felt nothing else but pity for. Her father, who... Gods, she felt a small pinprick of guilt thinking about him. He seemed like an utterly broken cat. She felt pity for him, too, and maybe a bit of odd fondness. But it wasn't enough to keep her form running.

Her true siblings, however, almost kept her trapped there in ShadowClan. But ultimately, she had decided, she knew they would come to understand. They knew how close she was to their mother, and even if she tried, Lark couldn't explain that the longing for her mother and the hatred of ShadowClan outweighed the strings of fate that tied her to her siblings. Even if she didn't have all of them by her side anymore.

And so, Lark had spent the past moon trying to remember which way she'd come from. She was not a fool; she knew her mother had likely moved on after leaving her and her siblings with Darkfall. But trying to find familiar landmarks was a start. Plus, it gave the black and white cat all the more opportunity to explore her endless freedom. Her heart felt light as a feather.