[Katara]

BRIARPAW

SHE QUIETLY EXPECTED GREAT THINGS TO HAPPEN TO HER, AND NO DOUBT THAT'S ONE OF THE REASONS WHY THEY DID.

A fter what seemed like ages of being stuck in the nursery, Briarpaw was relishing her freedom even now, more than a couple moons after she'd become an apprentice. She'd attempted several times now to escape camp to go off on her own to explore the territory without being on a patrol, and hadn't been successful yet until tonight. She figured she'd get punished if she were caught, which she was semi-okay with, but her plan was not to get caught. After living on the moor all her life, she was curious when she was taken on one of her first border patrols and the open woods territory was pointed out to her as being on the border between them and TreeClan. She'd never been beneath the trees much, and as it was a new environment, she was of course, desperate to explore it. Her paws carried her straight there, her long legs pushing her faster and faster until she was a brownish blur across the moor. She didn't pause to hide in what sparse cover there was; she was fairly certain the patrol wouldn't come through here until later in the evening, so when she arrived in the woods, she felt quite sure she would be alone. She peered up at the trees, blue eyes wide. Her claws flexed, and with a little mrrow of determination, she launched herself at the trunk of one of them. With delight, she found her limbs knew exactly what to do as soon as her claws caught the bark, pulling her narrow weight up onto the nearest branch quickly, more out of adrenaline than anything else. She could feel with every ounce of her being that she didn't want to fall, but the danger of it thrilled her.  "So high!" she breathed, crawling along the branch and looking up at the sky admiringly. "Do TreeClan cats do this all the time?" She was nearly jealous of them, though she knew with certainty that she belonged on the moor, with the wind in her pelt and everything stretched out before her for as far as she could see. But, from up here, she could see all of the moorland and more.

tagged open!

366 words

[Ghost the Undead Goddess]

Minktoes

The way that she dances,
ain't afraid to take chances

"I don't think I've ever seen a Lightningclanner in a tree~" 

It was a raspy, near sheepish tone lace with obvious amusement, echoing softly among the trunks and branches of the large, sturdy trees. They were more sparely bunched upon the Open Woods portion of Lightingclan's territory, though grew thicker and closer together the farther away from the moorlands.

The voice belonged to a pretty she-cat laying comfortably upon a branch that hung over the invisible border though the tree itself was planted firmly upon Treeclan soil. 

A brown tail flickered back and forth over an exposed belly as the soft coated Siamese she-cat rested upon her back, paws sticking into the air as brilliant blue pools eyed Briarpaw from where the apprentice was perched within her own tree.

It wasn't uncommon to find Minktoes sprawled within a tree in such a display of pure relaxation. She rather enjoyed spending time within the branches above the ground, silently sneaking around through the leaves like a squirrel. Her moons of apprentice training had brought her lessons like hunting and battle practice from the elevated areas with her mentor. 

So, she lay there while examining Briarpaw who looked upside down from where she currently lay. Though, the image quickly corrected herself as Minktoes rolled over onto her belly with enough grace to keep from wobbling or falling off.

A smile graced the muzzle of the brown faced she-cat as an obvious friendly light flickered within the watery pools of the older feline. With perfected balance Minktoes rose to her nimble paws, using curled claws to dig into the bark and keep her steady. It helped that she had extra toes on her front paws, aiding with her swift treeing abilities.

"Not all Treeclanners hide within the leaves." She gave a wink as her response was given in a purr that rumbled from her throat. The cream and brown feline slowly waving her tail behind her as she padded closer towards the edge of her particular tree branch.


"What are you doing in one though?" Minktoes asked, lightly tilting her head to the side out of curiousity, forgetting to introduce herself for the moment. She was impressed that the apprentice had been able to climb so high with lack of proper tree training. Especially for one who was used to racing through the moors rather than the crowded undergrowth or winding branch network above the ground.

treeclaN

Katara & 416 words

[Katara]

BRIARPAW

SHE QUIETLY EXPECTED GREAT THINGS TO HAPPEN TO HER, AND NO DOUBT THAT'S ONE OF THE REASONS WHY THEY DID.

A s Briarpaw admired her surroundings from up high, she hadn't exactly been expecting company above the ground, except maybe for squirrels, so she nearly jumped straight out of the tree when a voice sounded near her. "I don't think I've ever seen a LightningClanner in a tree." The tone wasn't unkind or mocking, even as Briarpaw practically clung for dear life to her branch as she tried to compose herself. It was plain in a moment that she wasn't used to being up high. Even before the other cat's voice had sounded, she'd made sure all of her claws were unsheathed and dug deep into her branch, her whole body quivering with tension. She certainly wasn't the picture of relaxation as the other she-cat was, who Briarpaw could just see now curled between the branches of a tree near hers. She assessed the other she-cat with wide blue eyes, at first in awe because she looked so much like her. The same Siamese markings, the rich blue eyes, and slender body; the older cat could almost be her kin! "How are you doing that?" she meowed, impressed as she watched the she-cat sprawl luxuriously across her branches. "This might come as a shock to you," she went on, her voice dripping with dry humor, "but this is my first time in a tree. I know I'm handling it pretty well." As if on cue (or perhaps, knowing Briarpaw, for dramatic effect), her hind paw slipped on the bark, showering a thin spray of dust to the ground below before she corrected her grip. "You look like you could make a nest and sleep in that tree!" The young apprentice wasn't even bothered the other she-cat was surely TreeClan (why else would she call her a LightningClanner with such directness?), and was only fueled by her intense curiosity... as usual. "Oh, really?" Briarpaw snorted, a teasing purr rising from her throat. "Not all TreeClanners, then... just you." Her whiskers twitched with amusement as the other she-cat strode across a branch closer to Briarpaw's own tree. She really had to admire the TreeClan cat's confidence; if it were Briarpaw where the other she-cat was, she'd be trembling hard enough to shake and split the branch! As it was... she was determined to learn how to do exactly what the other she-cat was doing. After all, the danger of all this thrilled her to no end. "I know LightningClanners don't really climb... so I wanted to learn! If no cat in my Clan was going to teach me, I was going to teach myself! Plus, I wanted to know what it was like up here. I can almost see what all the fuss is about in TreeClan." Her eyes danced teasingly as she looked back at the other cat. "I'm Briarpaw," she offered her name.

tagged Ghost the Undead Goddess

472 words

[Ghost the Undead Goddess]

Minktoes

The way that she dances,

ain't afraid to take chances

It was quite a sight to see, even from the older feline who was far more comfortable within the narrow branches of the high trees. There were two, practically identically looking she-cats perched across from each other. Had they been in the same clan they could have possibly been kin.

Whiskers wriggling with amusement upon the dark mask of the elder Siamese as her pretty blue pools flickered with curiosity as she continued to eye the Lightningclanner, though hardly showed any ounce of caution or aggression. 

A soft, raspy laugh parted the slender molly's jaws, unfortunatly well aware just by watching that this was Briarpaw's first time venturing into the bare canopy of the bare trees. It wasn't often, if ever, that a cat suited to racing through the moorlands ever ventured into the Open Woods in an attempt to climb. 

It'd be cats of Stoneclan venturing off to swim in the river. 

"I love being in the trees, and I've definitely taken many naps among the leaves." Minktoes purred as if it were just a natural thing, like padding along beneath in the dense undergrowth or prowling through the pine forests of their more, dark-hearted neighbors. 

Though she was comfortable and impressive with her treeing skills, she wan't completely aware that her skills rivaled those of older and more experienced warriors. There had been a reason why Graywing explicitly training her while honing those abilities. 

"It's nice to meet  you Briarpaw!" The easy going she-cat meowed in a greeting, suddenly remembering that she had yet to introduce herself to her younger neighbor. Somewhere in the back of Minktoes' mind she could just here her mother lightly ridiculing her for lack of manners. 

"I'm Minktoes!" The blue eyed she-cat purred happily, lifting a front paw which was chunky in shape to show the point of her namesake: an extra toe subtly hidden among her others until she wriggled them in a silly show. "They help me keep balance."

Returning her foot to the branch below her, the whole time managing to balance seemingly perfect as her poofy tail wavered behind her nearly in a straight line. 

"I can help you learn to climb if you want, though i'd start with finding a large branch to rest on so you don't hurt your claws." Minktoes offered softly as she nodded to one just above Briarpaw's ears. It could get tiresome clinging to the side of an tree-trunk with just the use of your claws. 

treeclaN

Katara & 425 words

[Katara]

BRIARPAW

SHE QUIETLY EXPECTED GREAT THINGS TO HAPPEN TO HER, AND NO DOUBT THAT'S ONE OF THE REASONS WHY THEY DID.

T o Briarpaw, who'd lived and slept on the moor her entire short life thus far, she'd never heard something as crazy as sleeping in a tree. She'd be too afraid of falling to ever even attempt it; plus, she was a light and restless sleeper - she'd stretch out once or twice, roll over, and plummet to her death immediately. She knew herself well.  "And you've never fallen out of a tree once while napping in one?" the apprentice asked disbelievingly. She was wide-eyed, curious, drinking in the other she-cat's words eagerly. Briarpaw brightened as she said it was nice to meet her, glad at least that in neutral territory, cats from other Clans could certainly get along. She'd not had the honor yet of going to a Gathering, so she hadn't ever experienced this strange friendliness with another Clan cat before. She leaned forward as the she-cat, introducing herself as Minktoes, displayed her front paw. With shock, Briarpaw saw she did indeed have an extra toe, and was immediately incredibly impressed with this. "That is so cool! I've never even heard of that before." The younger she-cat stared at her own much smaller paws, envious for just a moment, before looking back up at the TreeClan cat. Her ears pricked, excitement flowing through her. "You'll teach me? Really?" Surely there'd be no better way to learn than from a TreeClanner! Her paws tingled with anticipation already, imagining how impressive she'd look on her next patrol when she launched herself up a tree to catch something.  The apprentice looked up, eyeing the branch above her for a moment which was much thicker as Minktoes had indicated. It was definitely higher, which made Briarpaw's instincts scream at her, but she'd never been in the business of listening to her instincts anyway. Without letting herself think too much about it, Briarpaw rose on her haunches, her muscles bunching briefly before pushing herself up toward the next branch. She clutched on with her front claws before hauling the rest of her body onto it with her momentum, but it was overall quite clumsier than anything her new TreeClan friend would be able to manage. "Oh, this is much better," Briarpaw remarked, now having plenty of room to sit a little more normally on the branch. Though her claws still sheathed and unsheathed reflexively, she did feel a little more comfortable, even though she was up higher. "Do you ever chase prey into branches?" she asked Minktoes curiously, wondering how that worked. Prey around this border was often lost to the trees that they scurried up, moving far faster than a normal cat would be able to keep up with.

tagged Ghost the Undead Goddess

445 words

[Ghost the Undead Goddess]

Minktoes

The way that she dances,

ain't afraid to take chances

A rumble of amusement rose within the form of a purr in the elder Siamese she-cat's throat, whiskers twitching upon her dark muzzle. 

Most of the cats within Treeclan spent some time within the tall branches of the forest within their territory. It was often woven into their training as apprentices, learning to hunt, battle and escape should they be in need. 

Minktoes had to remind herself that this young she-cat  was from the wide open, rolling moorlands of Lightningclan's territory. They hardly had a sparse of trees on their space of the Open Woods. There was generally no need for them to even heed attention to the massive formations.

"I don't think i've ever fallen out of one..." The mostly cream feline tilted her head to the side as she tried to remember a moment such a thing might have occured. She had a puzzled look within her liquid pools for a moment before she shook her head and responded in a gleeful rasp. "Nope, I've never fallen out!"

"I actually prefer to be up in the trees rather than walking on the ground." Which wasn't a lie, as Minktoes could often be found within the branches during the day. Her border patrol-mates would often lose her upon entry into the forest from the camp, simply because she quickly darted up the trunk of the closet Oak.

Gentle blue hues watched the younger feline clamber somewhat awkwardly the rest of the way towards the branch above her. Despite the two mollies not sharing a clan, the elder of the two wasn't about to let an apprentice take a tumble from a tree.

She was rather delighted once Briarpaw was firmly settled before Minktoes slithered up her own tree to find a sprawling, wide branch that tangled with the tree the other she-cat happened to be carefully placed. Her well placed footwork, claws sinking into the soft bark to aid for grip, it took her but seconds to sneak her way towards the similarly featured apprentice.

"We try not to chase prey into the branches, but there are a pawful of us who are gifted enough to fly through the leaves like squirrels." She purred happily, a smile on her round face as her feathered tail flickered behind her in a soft motion before returning to a straight posture. "But, if one of us are in the branches then we can easily catch escaping prey, kind of like an ambush!" Wide blue pools sparkled as she recounted a memory of her first hunting ambush as an apprentice.

It had been a thrilling chase.

"I've seen Lightningclanners do something similar, when you circle and trap your rabbits." The warrioress mewed in her soft rasp, tilting her head as she recounted the few occasions she saw the swift footed clan cats workings well together as they raced like the hares they chased.

treeclaN

Katara & 493 words

[Katara]

BRIARPAW

SHE QUIETLY EXPECTED GREAT THINGS TO HAPPEN TO HER, AND NO DOUBT THAT'S ONE OF THE REASONS WHY THEY DID.

B riarpaw shook her head in awed disbelief at the fact Minktoes had, never once, fallen out of a tree while sleeping in one. Though she was well enough aware that TreeClanners likely had their tree-climbing instincts ingrained deep inside them, to the point where moving around in trees was as easy as breathing, she found it crazy that instinct extended itself to something like sleeping too. Maybe Briarpaw just tossed and turned so much she thought it was impossible. Even now on a safer branch, she felt she had to keep herself carefully under control or she might fall. Now that she was level with Minktoes' branch, she could see the other she-cat more clearly - it really was just like looking into a reflection. Finally found a she-cat as pretty as me, Briarpaw thought, vain and amused. "We try not to chase prey into the branches, but there are a pawful of us who are gifted enough to fly through the leaves like squirrels," Minktoes commented, and seeing the way she said that, Briarpaw had the feeling the warrior was among that number. She blinked admiringly at her as Minktoes went on, explaining how an ambush in the trees sometimes worked for hunters in her Clan. Oh. That sounded a lot like something LightningClanners did, she realized. One of the first hunting patrols she'd ever been on had involved the classic rabbit ambush, which sounded similar to what Minktoes was describing with a Clanmate lying in wait for their prey to land in their paws. The warrioress went on, and Briarpaw's eyes brightened. "You're reading my mind!" she mewed. "I was just thinking that sounds like something we do! Maybe that's something I'll have to try out on the moor," she added thoughtfully. Sometimes, birds flew for the relative safety of a nearby tree if one happened to be near while a cat was hunting it. The trees on LightningClan territory were sparse and spindly, but perhaps with practice, Briarpaw would be able to help create a new hunting dynamic with her Clanmates' help. There was nothing wrong with being inspired by other Clans, was there? "What would I do if I wanted to jump from my tree into yours?" Briarpaw asked, suddenly determined to learn this new skill. "How do I know which part of a branch will hold my weight and which part won't? Some of them have to be close calls, right?"

tagged Ghost the Undead Goddess

420 words