Leap of faith {Amberpaw}

[loki]

Long bushy tail swayed back and forth in an attempt to help him maintain balance while outstretched paws clawed at the thick bark of the elder tree. With narrowed dark yellow eyes stared intently at the branch that Rowenpaw was desperately trying to reach. He was moving swiftly and with confidence as he clawed his way towards his goal with no thought to just how dangerous his actions were. Rowenpaw spent very little time worrying about what could go wrong and instead he did his best to keep his focus in hopes of achieving what ever goal it was he was chasing after. 

In this current case Rowenpaw was trying to reach the top most branch of the elder tree. He had managed to climb his way to the half way point and was now hoping to reach the next branch that was only a few feet higher then he had been. He had yet to climb so high but was hoping that this would be the day that he conquered the elder tree! It was a silly goal that he would no doubt get scolded for trying to accomplish, not because of the danger but because he had been told to go hunting. Rowenpaw had even been hunting at first, the dead bird resting at the base of the tree was proof of that, but seeing the large tree taunting him in such a manner had made Rowenpaw begin his climb. Now that he was just past the half way mark Rowenpaw saw no point in quitting just yet which was he had started trying to climb to the top. He would have continued climbing if not for a sound from the ground that distracted him and made him pause in his climb at a flimsy branch that he balanced carefully on. Looking down, Rowenpaw was pleasantly surprised to see his litter mate Amberpaw sniffing around at the base of the tree at his fresh kill. She had not seen him yet and Rowenpaw tensed his muscles as if to jump down until he noticed just how high he had managed to climb and realizing that while he could make the jump it would not be very wise to do so. Rowenpaw had needed to visit the medicine cat one to many times since becoming an apprentice and did not like the idea of visiting the grouchy tom cat again just because he tried jumping from a tree.
"Amberpaw!" He cried out to warn her of his descent before he let himself start to fall down the tree trunk, his claws helping slow him down. When he felt he had reached a safe enough point, which was decidedly still higher then most would say was safe, Rowenpaw pushed off from the tree and twisted his small body around so that he could land on his paws. His body made a soft thumping sound as it made contact with the earth, his muscles able to absorb the impact safely enough that it only left Rowenpaw feeling tingly and slightly numb. He shook himself out though and walked gingerly over to his sister.
"What are you doing out here?" Rowenpaw could see no one else with his sister and wondered if she had also been told to go hunting like he had.

[Amberpaw]

Amber had been out hunting when after she had finished catching her second mouse she caught the sent of Rowenpaw along with the sent of fresh kill not to far away from were she was, looking her two mice she decided that it would be ok to go and see what her brother was up to. Picking up her to mice she padded off following the sent, her fluffy tail raised and her amber eyes looking for any sign that her brother was close by or the rustle of other animals whether it be more prey or fellow cat of Thunderclan. When she came to a tree with a dead bird by it that smelled like her brother she knew that he had to be close by and going to by her nose she was pretty sure that he was up in the tree. Upon hearing her brother call out her name she looked up in time to see him climb down and then push off of the tree to jump over her, with a soft thump he landed, shook himself out then padded over to where she was sitting by his fresh kill. Her tail twitching back and forth so looked at her brother and answered his question as to what she was doing out here, so she place the two mice that she had down by her front paws. "Well by the look of it I was doing the same as you up till you decided to climb that tree."
"Why were you up there anyway?" Amberpaw asked looking at her brother wondering if he been trying to catch another bird....but based on how high up he was she was not all that sure about it.

[loki]

Rowenpaw gave his sister a lopsided grin and sat down in front her before he started licking at his paw. His paws were still tingling from his landing though the tingling was starting to turn into a dull pain that throbbed in time with his heart beat. Perhaps jumping from such a height had been a worse idea then he had initially thought? Rowenpaw was not terribly concerned since his two moons as an apprentice he had gotten hurt plenty of times and was good at telling when he was truly hurt vs not.
"I was climbing," Rowenpaw purred to his sister as he looked up at the tree he had just been in. The light from the sun could be seen breaking through the leaves to create a kaleidoscope of colors. He had almost made it to the top before getting distracted by his sisters approach but he had still been high enough to see the majority of Thunderclan territory. It had been a rather exhilarating experience and one that he planned on experiencing again. To be able to climb so high into the sky as to almost be able to reach out a paw to touch the clouds and then fall back to the ground like a gliding bird. Rowenpaws heart was still pounding with the adrenalin from both the climb and the jump down.
"I think I could catch a flying bird if I tried," Rowenpaw confided to Amberpaw. He had jumped out of enough trees now to know how to land safely so now Rowenpaw figured he could try jumping out of trees while trying to catch flying birds. It would make hunting more efficient if he could continue chasing a bird even after it took flight instead of needing to accept defeat and letting the prey go. It was a slightly crazy plan but Rowenpaw pulled off crazy very well. Besides, even if he couldn't catch anything by jumping out of trees he could still enjoy the moment where it felt like he was flying before gravity took hold of his body again and pulled him back to earth.

[Amberpaw]

With a sigh and shake of Amperpaws head she looks at her brother and says, "well I can see that you were climbing, what were you climbing up there for though?" She paused and just looked at her brother when he said that he thinks he could catch a flying bird..... Was he crazy that skills takes a lot of time and training in order for a cat to catch a bird in flight. It took timing, patience, and all kinds of other things for one to be able to even think about trying to catch a bird in flight. But then again she had just seen how high up in the tree he was so maybe with some more time and a lot of practice he might be able to do it
"Maybe with some more practice and once you gotten better about being patient, then yes I think that you might be able to do it." She says with a purr to her brother.

[loki]

Rowenpaw loved his sister but sometimes how she talked to him drove him crazy! She did not mean to sound condescending but how she worded her responses sometimes made Rowenpaw think that she looked down on him at times. Both her question on why he was climbing and the comment on him being able to catch prey were good examples. Rowenpaw understood that she was just wondering why he would bother climbing so high in such a tree. He had clearly not been training or hunting which made her question a valid one. Her comment on him being able to hunt flying birds was also probably her way of encouraging him to do better. All of this Rowenpaw knew but still he did not enjoy how his sister talked to him. Perhaps it was the strange way she spoke? She was a shy and socially awkward kitten who had never really learned how to properly speak to other cats which explained why she sometimes said things in a weird manner. It was because of this quirk of hers that Rowenpaw didn't truly get annoyed with her because he understood that she meant no harm with her words.

"I was climbing because I enjoy it," He explained simply. There was no other reason for his actions besides that. It was thrilling to be so high off the ground and yet still feel something solid beneath his paws. Feel the sharp pull of wind that was trying to drag him from the tree the higher he climbed. Nothing could be heard but the loud roar of wind rushing through his ears and the occasional call of a large bird of prey that was gliding in the sky overhead. All of this became more intense the higher he climbed and Rowenpaw loved the sensations he felt as he scaled the tall tree. Someday Rowenpaw planned on being able to climb to the very top of this tree so that he could finally know what it felt like to touch the sky!

"And I do believe, dear sister, that you are the only one who is going to think that I can catch a flying bird," Rowenpaw teased playfully. While he had been serious when he said he planned on catching a flying bird, Rowenpaw also understood that it was a ridiculous idea. First of all, cats could not fly. That part made it all but impossible to catch a bird while it flew! With just a small shift in its wings the bird would be long gone before he even touched the ground. There was also the rather dangerous part of how he would even try catching a flying bird, which was by jumping out of a tree. Most other cats knew that it was dangerous to jump out of a tree, even if cats always landed on their feet. To willingly jump out a tree high enough to catch a flying bird was silly. It was especially silly since there were other ways of catching prey so there was no need to try catching a flying bird. Rowenpaw knew all of this but he liked the idea of walking into his clans camp with a bird in his mouth and announcing that he was the first cat to ever catching a flying bird.