Tree Climbing Training

Raccoonstar sat in the SkyWind territory in front of some small trees. Today she was going to teach her clan how to climb trees, they needed this skill to use the new territory to it's full extent, and if Shadowclan tried to attack then they would have an advantage. The leader sat patiently waiting on her clan to arrive.

Crowclaw padded over, tail flicking from side to side. "I don't see why we have to do this. Windclan is supposed to have a speed-advantage on the ground. We don't need to climb trees." He grumbled to himself. He looked up to greet his leader, however, with a slightly less annoyed expression. "Hello Raccoonstar."

Twistedfoot limped after Crowclaw, a slight look of fear on his face. He wasn't up to learning how to climb; mostly with his twisted foot but he figured he might as well try. At least he wanted to be able to support his Clan. He quietly sat off to the side, waiting for more cats to arrive so that they could get the lesson started.

Following after Raccoonstar, Crowclaw, and Twistedfoot, Lavenderheart felt perfectly comfortable in the trees. Looking over to the WindClan leader, the blue she-cat was curious as to why they needed ro start practicing tree-climbing. She was wondering if she should go over and help, but she decided to stay by the back. Going over to Twistedfoot, the WindClan warrior weaved her tail into his and mewed, "It should be fine - as long as you try your best." It should be a bit of an exception for him, considering his... Twisted foot. She didn't care what others thought about it, but she didn't mind it so much.

Looking around for Bristlepaw, Snowpaw had just stayed close to the tom almost all the time now, not wanting to speak with any other cat around. She'd grown quiet and self-centered, and her voice had grown grown really soft until the point she spoke in whispers only. Having low self-esteem, she was hoping Bristlepaw would be around to help her. Turning her gaze up towards the trees, she padded around before tripping over a rock. The trees were so... tall and she couldn't see the sky. The white she-cat shrunk down, wishing she was back out on the open moorland.

Shadeheart arrived after Lavenderheart. She wasn't here for the training, but to treat the cats if any of them got hurt falling out of a tree. It is always better to be safe than sorry. It is probably best that I am here, just in case I am needed, she thought to herself, it also might be a good idea to learn how to climb trees as well, just in case. Again, better safe than sorry.

Falconfang finally padded his way onto the territory - a part of the territory he admittedly did not visit much - and greeted Raccoonstar. He would've arrived earlier, but he had had to make sure his kits had stayed in the nursery. They must've heard about the tree climbing exercise, so they had tumbled over each other to try and follow him out of the territory, and it took awhile to get them back in the nursery. Now the deputy had to crane his neck to see up to the tops of the trees. He had to suppress a shudder as he forced himself to look away. They were so much better on the grass: why deal with trees? This might not go well.

Th Windclan leader looked at her clan before turning to a tree and jumping up onto the lowest branch. Raccoonstar had been practicing since her first lesson with Lavenderheart. She hoped it would be easy for her clan since they already had strong back legs from running. "Today you all will be learning how to climb trees. When you going to a tree you want to start on the lowest branch, and try to jump to it. Once you have all done that we will move on." The Windclan leader mewed before moving higher into the tree to gain sight to her clan's activities.

Ivyfur, joining late, sped up to a tree and launched herself into the air, snagging a branch with her claws. She hauled herself up onto it. Before she finally had gotten here, she had heard what Raccoonstar said. She was amazed on how high she had gotten. She hadn't jumped to the lowest, but one right above it. Her blue eyes looked happy as she felt like an apprentice again. Because of her small size, she could easily dodge branches in her way, and she seemed to go higher. But that was an observation, her clan may jump higher than her, but she didn't mind.

Crowclaw yawned, steadying his back legs. He had strong legs from running so much, always trying to 'train' himself. Plus, like Ivyfur, he was small for a Warrior. The tom launched himself up in the air, hooking his claws in the bottom branch and hauling himself quickly up, sitting down to wait. He looked up and observed the higher branches, wondering how far up they would go. Some of these branches would definitely be more difficult to navigate, while the bottom branch really wasn't a big deal.

Twistedfoot sighed to himself as he made his way to the bottom of the tree, looking up at it. Part of him wanted to ask his mother of he could be let off with skipping out on the training due to his paw, but he looked at Lavanderheart. No way was he letting her down! With a huff, he crouched down and hopped toward the lower branch, managing to hook the branch with his good claw while throwing his twisted foot over the branch, keeping himself hanging on it. He kicked out with his back leg and manged to scramble onto the branch, letting out a happy sigh. Oh StarClan, he had done it. Of course, the fact that they were going to keep going high didn't thrill him. Perhaps he would go up two or three more branches, but that would be it. He would hate trying to climb down all of them with his twisted paw.

As her clanmates sort of struggled to climb the trees, Lavenderheart had already gone up a number of branches, about six branches up. Leaping up one more time, she had gotten up easily. Looking down at Twistedfoot, the she-cat quickly went back down, leaping from the height, grabbing on to the fourth branch to slow down her falling, before swinging off, landing smoothly on the ground. Jumping on the same branch as Twistedfoot, which took a little effort, mainly because she usually jumped about two branches, thanks to her small size, she mewed, "Come on, it's not so hard! I'll come with you - every branch of the way."

Disappointed that Bristlepaw hadn't shown up yet, Snowpaw looked up the tree, before shrinking away. It was so... high. Gulping, the apprentice steadied her legs before leaping, hooking her claws on the bottom branch. Letting out a sigh of relief, she tried to keep her balance, keeping her claws unsheathed, sort of digging them into the branch to stay put before taking them out for another branch. She just saw Lavenderheart up branches higher, going down so gracefully to help Twistedfoot. Sighing, she wished that Bristlepaw were here to help her.

Bristlepaw pelted towards the former SkyClan territory. He had chased after a rather big rabbit, and had failed to catch it. Mostly because of his lack of training. Coughgreycough So, the apprentice was hurrying after his clanmates. His paws thundering as he made his way into former SkyClan territory. The young tom wasn't even paying attention when the terrain shifted from the wide open moor to the tall trees.

Soon enough Bristlepaw made his way through the bushes to the others. "Hey, sorry I'm late there was this huge rabbit I ran after..." WherehaveIseenthisbefore?

Patcheye padded over toward her mother, being around the last to arrive the calico licked her maw, looking around at the trees, giving a glare at Crowclaw before putting her weight onto her back legs, leaping up she leapt at the lowest branch, scratching as she just missed it but managed to finally get onto it from digging her claws into the bark, sneering triumphantly.



Longpaw stuck his tongue out 'How am I supposed to do that?!' he grumbled, adjusting himself to leap, having to give a few jumps to reach the branch, laughing lightly feeling a thick feeling of accomplishment.



Mistpaw smiled, she had done this before with Lavenderheart. She purred gladly, she got her first prey here and she also gotten really high! jumping up with ease she grabbed onto the first branch, only to leap to the second, then the third, sneering as she felt she was the best tree climber in Windclan!

Falconfang looked up once more towards the tops of the trees and gulped. This was something he had never particularly thought he would have to do, and he certainly loathed the thought of having to do said activity, particularly in front of all his clanmates, but he was the deputy of the clan, after all: he had to, right? Moving closer to a tree trunk and preparing himself, he pushed his body closer to the ground before leaping up and grasping at the lowest branch of the tree with his paws. He was able to hold on, but he wasn't able to get enough leap or balance to fully situate himself on the branch, so he had to struggle to clamber onto it. Finally he was up, breathing a bit heavily more out of relief than anything else. Forcing his fluffed-up fur to lie still, he licked his chest fur in embarrassment as he made sure to be in a place where he would not be falling off of that branch.