Shadow sniffed the air. Nothing. But she saw one thing; paw tracks. She followed them until she saw a pit in the ground. My housefolk dug that. Those filthy Nofurs, they wouldn't know the difference between catnip and wolfsbane! she thought. She sniffed the air again. A pale scent of cats and frogs lay ahead.
Bingo! That's where I'll find them! she thought. Determination lay on her brain. She followed the tracks until she reached a rotting bridge. The wood was falling apart, so she was careful when she crossed it. She followed the tracks again, and the scent of cats was strong. But the scent was strangely familiar. She followed the tracks until she realized there were two different cat trails.
Shadow sniffed the ground, checking which one was oldest. She thought if she followed the oldest one, the group of cats would be there. But before she could make a move, she heard a rustle in a bush. She crouched to the ground, curious on what would come out. Out came a tortoiseshell tom with jade-green eyes.
Guthrie?! What is he doing here? she thought.
"Okay, the bridge is this way," Guthrie told someone; or something. Behind him, the same group of cats from yesterday appeared. "And here's the bog and here's - Shadow!?" Guthrie shouted.
"You again?!" Shouted a silver tom from the group. He charged towards her and attempted to slash her side. But Guthrie barged into him right before that happened.
"Leave, all of you. You never wanted the Juniper. Get out before you make the entire environment vomit in disgust," he ordered.
"B-But lives are in danger!" The silver tom protested.
"Yeah, because of you," Guthrie replied harshly. His peg was crooked because of a twoleg monster. "Shadow, Are you- Shadow? Where are you?"
"Alright, no more distractions," Shadow told herself. She continued her search for the cats.