Rook leapt down from the ledge, landing in the water with a splash, the offshooting droplets splattering the sleek fur of the calico cat on the bank.
"Watch where you're splashing!" the she-cat exclaimed as Rook emerged from the water. "You were already wet!" Rook retorted, watching as the calico shook out her fur.
"That doesn't mean I wanted to get even more wet! I was just starting to dry!" She responded indignantly, fixing an annoyed glare at Rook, albeit a half-hearted one.
"Oh come on Clove, we both know that's not true." Rook addressed the she-cat as he emerged onto the bank, coming up to stand beside her.
"You don't know that." Clove muttered, glowering at the ground. Rook ignored her comment and shook himself off, purposefully splattering Clove with water in the process. Clove let out an indignant yowl at this and hopped back, trying to dodge the droplets.
"Come on, we have to keep moving." Rook mewed starting off towards the woods that lay beyond the lake.
Clove was quick to follow and take her place next to Rook, leaving sandy paw prints in her wake. "Yeah yeah, I know." She responded, briefly pausing to sniff the air.
There were a few fading scents of other cats who had passed through, as well as numerous prey scents that were very tempting; however, faintly she smelled another cat, the scent unknown but unnerving, making her hackles spike briefly before she forced them flat.
Rook looked back at his friend, confused after having just noticed that she was no longer beside him. "Are you coming?" He called, more to bring her attention back to the present than anything, already knowing that she would be coming with.
Clove quickly shook out her pelt, seemingly regaining her focus, and bounded back to Rook, who was looking at her with slight concern in his gaze.
"Are you okay?" Rook questioned once Clove had reached his side, laying his tail on her shoulders comfortingly.
"Yeah I'm fine, just smelled another cat in the distance." she replied, her tone still slightly distant as though not fully refocused on the present.
"There are a lot of cats around aside from us, you know that." Rook meowed, worry lacing his tone. Clove didn't usually react like this to anything and it unsettled him.
"This one was different though." Clove said, stepping over an exposed root in her path "It smelled unfamiliar, dangerous."
"Well yeah, that's how most cats smell, we don't exactly know a ton of other cats." Rook reminded her, pushing a branch out of his way and holding it there as Clove passed.
Clove gave a quick nod of thanks and then responded "Most cats just smell unfamiliar, maybe defensive or angry if two meet and start an argument, but this one was just aggressive, dangerous."
"You keep saying that, but that doesn't explain why it set you off like it did." Rook said, hoping to get a further explanation out of her.
"There's no other way to describe it!" Clove suddenly snapped, catching Rook off guard "All I know is that we have to avoid that cat."
The way she said it left no room for argument, they we're going to avoid that cat, whether Rook liked it or not.
"Okay, avoid the aggressive, dangerous smelling cat, got it." Rook replied, choosing to trust Clove's judgement on this, knowing her instincts had yet to lead them wrong.
Clove visibly relaxed at this confirmation, glad her companion was taking this seriously. Glancing up at the sky, she suddenly realized how late it was getting. "I bet you I can find a better camp for the night than you." She challenged mischievously, trying to change the tense mood that lingered in the air.
Rook glanced at her playfully, amusement sparkling his gaze. "You're on." he replied, grinning at the challenge. A moment later they took off, each determined to beat the other.
