trees to fall down and trees to climb!

[val]

it's getting colder out. he used to say he couldn't feel it, but icicles hung from the crevices of his rib cage. cold inside. cold outside. warm days are few and far in between. it felt like they never existed, but he knew they did, he knew, yet it never visited anymore.

with a tired sniffle, he scrubbed a heavy paw down the scarred side of his face. a frigid sigh. alright. time to get up. warrior duties. he worked hard for this, after all. it'd be silly to slack off now. though he probably hadn't ever worked as hard as his sister. figures. she was always better than him. annoying little sister -

a second sigh. up now. and out. he emerged from the den and wearily let his gaze wander over the clearing. what to do, what to do... hunting? no, the pile was okay. oh, there's an apprentice. well. training?

"hey, kid," he muttered. oh. his voice wasn't supposed to sound like that. an ear flicked with irritation. Sagechaser cleared his throat and tried again, shoving something artificial into the tone so he could recognize himself. "hey, kid, wanna go do something? like - training? i can, uh. ummmm. hunt? fight - no, no, i'm not good at that - stealth? climbing? swimming - oh, uh, wait i can't do that, hahaha..." he cut off his laugh. his heart wasn't in it. though the smile didn't reach his eyes, he hoped it was inviting enough that the apprentice didn't think he was a killer or something of the sort.

@fade

[wilt]

Hollowpaw
‘The Hauntress’

Shadow Fiend: Inactive
[ black and white cat, blue and amber eyes. face and shoulder scarring. | she/they ]
[ #VGCHollow ]

➢ Hollowpaw had been drifting through the shaded areas of camp moments prior to the strange Warrior's question, her attention gripped by he even stranger way they spoke. Hollowpaw tilts her head in amusement as the chilly air cuts through her rip, sending a shiver down her spine. Training was always welcome, she could get a paw ahead of the rest of the Apprentices that she had her ceremony with. A list followed the inquiry (which in itself was another question).

Amber and blue eyes stare at Sagechaser with a distant curiosity, mind tumbling through the offerings. Aiming to avoid taking note of the eerie laugh that left their throat. Hunting, no. Battle? Sleepysunrise had that covered. Climbing? Now that was interesting! Hollowpaw's eyes had wandered off the Warrior and to her paws as they stared off into the space within, neck snapping her head back up so swiftly she thought they broke it. "Climbing." They gave a short reply, her voice void of emotion unless they listened closing for the flicker of excitement that lit the fire inside.

[ @val ]

[val]

oh, good, climbing was fun to teach. he used to laugh when Batpaw tried to scramble up a tree. that was way back then, though. really long ago, it felt like. "'kay," he chirped like a dying bird. maybe he should stop crying all the time, and he wouldn't sound like that.

the warrior turned and led the way out of the camp. he didn't know the apprentice's name. was it - he felt like he should, maybe he'd seen her before, but he didn't know. he felt like he should know an apprentice scarred like that; she wouldn't be easy to miss, but she's missing from his memory, so he must've never known her. she fit into that big gap between then and now. "so... what's your name again?" hopefully he was well-known enough as an idiot to be pardoned.

finding a strong, old elm suitable for their folly, Sagechaser paused by its roots, which he sharpened his claws upon. the wind tugged at his whiskers as he glanced up at the topmost branch, swaying in the autumn breeze. he knew it'd be cold up there. never as cold as the first time he'd climbed a tree, though. he sighed heavily and waited for the apprentice to sharpen her claws as well.

@fade

[wilt]

Hollowpaw
‘The Hauntress’

Shadow Fiend: Inactive
[ black and white cat, blue and amber eyes. face and shoulder scarring. | she/they ]
[ #VGCHollow ]

➢ Hollowpaw doesn't reply to the comment made by Sagechaser, no important words come to mind. It was okay, they preferred silent walks better anyways. Liar. Her mind barked in reply to the breeze that whispered in her ears. The cat forced any other self-deprecating thoughts to crumble as Sagechaser thankfully filled the emptiness. Ah, who would know her name, it wasn't important until a meeting ago..

"Hollowpaw, or Hollow. I do not have preference, use which of the two is easier." They mewed back swiftly, sure it would be forgotten as soon as the session was over. As the tom stopped Hollowpaw watched closely. A tree, it had to be older than majority of the Clan, if not all of them, at the very least. The Warrior was sharpening his claws? Were they not already good enough?

Hollowpaw shut down her mind again as they followed suit, extending the white hooks and dragging them through the bark until she deemed was decent enough for latching onto it. A breeze making the Apprentice shudder, despite how much she tried to hide it. They turn back to Sagechaser, a questioning following the glance. "Where do we begin, then?"

[ @val ]

[val]

Hollow. what a unique name. he hadn't heard that prefix before - at least, he thought so.

"well. i guess we start climbing - up you go!" a short pause. "ahahaha... that was a joke..." he coughed dryly to cover up how pathetic of a jest that was. "so! usually you use your backlegs to kick yourself up the tree, and then your front paws - " he splayed his claws, " - are there to hold on. ever seen a squirrel climb a tree? it's kinda like that. y'gotta shimmy up, 'n then... try not to fall..." the warrior blinked up at the tree and nodded at it. "easy enough, right? oh, and give yourself a jumping start."

that should cover it all. well, he wasn't liable for any falls, was he?

probably.

uh.....

"don't worry about falling, alright? just. fall on top of me, if you can," he gave the apprentice an assuring grin that felt awkward on his face.

@fade

[wilt]

Hollowpaw
‘The Hauntress’

Shadow Fiend: Inactive
[ black and white cat, blue and amber eyes. face and shoulder scarring. | she/they ]
[ #VGCHollow ]

➢ "Understood.' She spoke bluntly, an edge of unplaced aggression in the statement. Sagechaser got straight to the point, something Hollowpaw was thankfully for at the end of the day. The Apprwntice nodded at the instructions, get a jumping start. A simple enough task...or at least they thought. The shecat backs up steadily, counting roughly one tail-length of distance between her and the bark covered surface. Claws avoiding the dirt as she surged towards the tree.

Launching themself off the ground before colliding with the tree's base. Hollowpaw's claws dig into the bark, yet it's not deep enough...she loses the grasp they had and lose attachment to the tree. Managing to spin to the left and front paws slam into the ground before they tumble away from the tree. Ow. They wince silently, an unavoidable expression of pain and irritation on their face for a second or two. Hollowpaw scoffs loudly before barking at herself verbally, voice just above a whisper but slight louder than they expected it to be. "Get it together, climb the thing..." Words fading into some sort of muttering that (once again) Hollow didn't even understand after the fact.

They go back to where they began to start over, trying to avoid Sagechaser's gaze if he did look at her after the fact.

[ @val ]

[val]

Ah.

So. Not immediate success! But at least the apprentice had the drive to keep going. One thing that was hard about tree-climbing is that he couldn't exactly see what went wrong if someone didn't make it up at first. They're just a quick blur, and if they stick...well, there's a win. Otherwise, though. He couldn't tell. He didn't have the microscopic vision to analyze every movement of Hollowpaw's, so he could only offer his encouragement.

"Yeah, you got this," he cheered halfheartedly. Wow. World-class cheerleader. "Imagine your success in your, like, mind, 'n then do it!" he offered in amendment.

Sagechaser shifted closer, eye squinted carefully in hopes to find a flaw this time, though he hoped this time Hollowpaw would get on the tree. He guessed StarClan can't always grant first-time luck to everybody. But second time's the charm, right??

@fade

[wilt]

Hollowpaw
‘The Hauntress’

Shadow Fiend: Inactive
[ black and white cat, blue and amber eyes. face and shoulder scarring. | she/they ]
[ #VGCHollow ]

➢ Glancing towards the tom sparked a surge of energy in the shecat. Climb the tree. Run and grab. 'Act like this was life or death.' Mentally hissing at herself as they nods at his words, enjoying the eeling of confidence they give them. Having somecat in her corner was nice, even if he spoke oddly. They back away a bit further, claws releasing from the dirt they found themselves digging into. "Understood." They mew back quietly. She exhales loudly before surging forwards towards the bark.

Closer. Closer. Closer. Jump! Hollowpaw flings herself up, front paws landing on the rough surface and claws latching into the grooves. Move. 'You can't stop or you'll fall down again.' Her mind reminding her loudly. They force their back paws into action. Front legs shooting forwards and moving them up the tree. It wasn't perfect by any means but Hollowpaw climbed. They dragged themself onto the lowest of branches, breathes shallow as they caught their breath. Face failing to hide the distant look of shock that appeared in the grinning corner of her maw.

They call down to Sagechaser. "I did it! Ha, I actually did it!" Though her voice didn't convey the pride and excitement Hollowpaw was feeling, it was enough for them. They had done enough for now.

[ @val ]