Promise time! (closed)

Silverwing sat alone in the heart of Skyclan's territory, striped tail thumping against the hard earth as she thought about what was to come. She had finally asked Lightningbreeze to teach her how to climb these stupid trees, but if Silverwing was being honest with herself she really did not want to learn. Cats were meant to live on the ground, running fast and free! Not jumping off of trees like squirrels! It was unnatural, and even if it wasn't there was one problem that couldn't be solved. In return for teaching her how to climb, Silverwing needed to teach Lightningbreeze how to fly. It had seemed like such a fun promise to make when Lightningbreeze was a kit, but now... If I knew I'd end up here I never would have made such a stupid promise. I hope she doesn't hate me for not following through on my end. If she did, Silverwing would have to find a way to repay her friend. Maybe she could do Lightningbreeze's share of hunting for the next couple of moons? Yeah, she could do that. They could even race- er,  did Lightningbreeze even like doing that anymore? Stars, she's your friend and you know nothing about her! You're a bad friend, Silverwing. But that was something that could be fixed! She could learn more about Lightningbreeze while she learned to climb! Good idea, Silverwing! A triumphant smile appeared on the she-cat's face. Even if the climbing didn't go well, this would still be a good day!

The world of the Clans was small and often interconnected. Lightningbreeze had always known that, and never really questioned it- but she did question the coincidence of how she'd been lucky enough to have a friend she'd made as a kit join her own Clan as a warrior.

With that coincidence came realization: she'd promised, back when her mother had still done her best to herd her away from the trees, to teach Silverwing to climb in exchange for flying lessons. It was funny to think back on: she managed to fly through the treetops decently well already. It wasn't the same, but she thought it might impress the former WindClan warrior.

That said, first things first: the basics.

"Ready to get started?" Lightningbreeze's tail tapped her friend on the shoulder. "Don't worry, we'll start slow. It'd be risky otherwise!"

Not that she didn't love risk-taking, but that was when it was her risk-taking. She wouldn't drag Silverwing into danger if she could help it.

She scrambled up a nearby tree, perching in the higher branches- she was smaller than a lot of her Clanmates, and that meant she could get closer to the treetops. That, combined with spending far more time in the trees than she did on land, meant she was decently skilled at navigating them and keeping her balance.

"You don't have to come all the way up," she called down. "Actually, you probably shouldn't- but try to get up to the lowest branch! One paw at a time, where you can see my claw marks. It's low enough that you won't get hurt, even if you slip up!"

Lightningbreeze knew she wasn't well-equipped to teach. Her mentor had mostly left her to her own devices, letting her train on her own, and so she didn't know how. But she also wasn't one to break her promises.

Silverwing jumped at the touch, too ingrained in her own thoughts to hear Lightningbreeze sneaking up on her.  Don't worry, we'll start slow. She didn't need to go slow! Several of her own practice sessions as well as a single experience with Wolfblossom had given Silverwing a good basis for climbing. She was sure Lightningbreeze would be shocked at how easily she would be able to follow, though as the Skyclan warrior went higher and higher the spotted molly doubted there would be any shock. What was it with Skyclan cats climbing to the highest branches during her first training session? Well, it was her second, but Lightningbreeze didn't know that!

With a nod Silverwing started her ascent, clawing at the places she had been instructed to. Though tiring the climb was easier this time around, and Silverwing was able to make it to the lowest branch with only the slightest bit of exhaustion beginning to creep its way into her limbs. She didn't dare look at the ground, instead choosing to keep her gaze skyward to the cat that sat above her. "Looks like I'm a tree climbing prodigy, eh?" She called up with a wide grin on her face. Silverwing eyed the next branch up. It was a bit too far for her liking, but if she was lucky she might have a shot at that one too. The problem would be getting down. "Um... How do you usually get down from here?"

"Hey, cool! You're doing great!"

Then, as she reached the lowest branch, Silverwing asked how she was meant to get down.

"I usually jump," Lightningbreeze said easily. "Well. Not if the leader's watching. She worries, y'know. And only from the lowest branches! You'd probably have better luck climbing down like this," she mused, deciding a demonstration was a good idea. "Pay attention, 'kay?"

She scrambled down with a fraction of her usual speed, making an effort to slow down enough that Silverwing could actually pay attention to her movements.

"Personally, I just like being in the trees. It was safer when the Twolegs were everywhere- there weren't many traps in the branches- so I just got really good at navigating the trees. Made things easier for me, y'know? Plus, it's just fun! Closest you can get to flying, once you get good enough."

Before long, her paws were firmly on the forest floor again, and now she was looking up at one of her oldest friends.

"Your turn!"

Jump? Silverwing was used to doing that. Her usual method of dismounting trees ended in her jumping from branches or falling. She did a lot of falling, though thankfully she was able to land safely... Most of the time.

"Ah, so you're the tree cat Wolfblossom was talking about!" It all made sense now! Only kind of, but it was still making sense! Lightningbreeze almost seemed too nimble when it came to traversing the many branches, Silverwing could even imagine her sleeping soundly while perched somewhere high up just as a bird would. Wolfblossom's words had been met with skepticism, though Silverwing was starting to believe her now.

The silver molly held her tongue at the mention of fun. She didn't want to be rude, but there was nothing fun about climbing trees. It was a stressful experience that always left her feeling completely drained and dreading her trek back to camp, and even with her numerous training sessions it was still hard to get used to climbing. Before fatigue could set in and make the experience miserable, climbing could almost seem interesting to her. As long as she could tune out the rough feeling on her paws it was almost as if she were climbing the sky itself. Perhaps if she were able to climb as well as Lightningbreeze it would become fun for her too, but for now it was more of a chore than anything.

"Oh, we're taking turns now?" Though she appreciated the demonstration, Silverwing wasn't ready to try and find her way down the safe way. Instead she leapt from her perch, landing with a bit of a wobble next to Lightningbreeze. "Ta-da! Your turn now! What will you do?"

"Another demonstration," Lightningbreeze answered easily, swiftly ascending the tree once more. She settled on one of the lower branches, waving with her tail. "Don't try to do what I'm about to do until you're sure you're ready, though! I started learning when I was really little, so I'm probably better at being in the branches than I am on the ground. Which is saying something, since I'm pretty sure I'm still the fastest cat in all of SkyClan."

Lightningbreeze was nothing if not proud of her accomplishments, real or perceived. Self-confidence had never once been an issue for her.

"Watch how I move, and what I do," she instructed and only then did she start to move. And move she did, gracefully weaving her way up and through the tree and finally sailing through the air to land on one of the neighboring tree's thicker branches, all without even a hint of hesitation. "I'm smaller and lighter than a lot of the other SkyClan cats, so I can almost fly though the trees! That's what I call it, anyway, 'cuz it sure feels like it! You have to know which ones are safe to land on, though, or you might fall. Then it's no fun at all explaining how you got hurt in the first place."