a stroll in the park [closed]

A soft white paw fell lazily over the edge of one of the pine's tall branches. It was always one of her favourite spots to be. ShadowClan cats could never climb as high as SkyClan, nor would they dare try to. No other clan was as brave as her own when it came to climbing trees.

With a small smile, Poppysong lazed comfortable in amongst the pines. There was a soft breeze that ruffled her long fur, earning a purr from the she-cat. Despite the unnerving disappearances taking place, even that of her mates, she felt the need to relax. No one could deny these past moons were stuffed with stress.

Stoneteller had only been in Skyclan's territory a few times since he led his tribe into the forest. It was always so strange to see so much greenery in one place, but it was growing on him rather quickly. As he strolled through taking in the sights, it didn't take him long to notice the she-cat relaxing in the trees. He had already been admiring their height, and the she-cat somewhat stuck out among the branches. At first, the Healer didn't even want to bother her, but as he looked, the more he recognized that she was the one who stood up for the tribe when things got heated between the tribe and clan. He had admired her for that despite what was going on, and that really stuck out to him. He had wanted to thank her for what she had done, but he had never gotten around to it. Now he guessed was no better time.

The only problem about getting to her was how high up she was. Sure, Stoneteller had leaped pretty high but he had never tried anything regarding climbing. He grew up only knowing how to become a Healer, so this was entirely new for him. Despite that, the tom still tried. Crouching down to get a start, he leaped as high as he could, closing his eyes and latching onto the tree with his claws as tight as possible. Only when he got a firm hold did he open his eyes again and look around. Already, he was higher off the ground than he had ever been. It was exhilarating as he clamored up the tree, his claws slipping every once in a while, giving himself a mini heart attack until he could reach the first branch. When he was up, he latched on tightly, glancing down before freezing and regretting his decision. Instead, he chose to look back up only to see that Poppysong was still a decent height above him. Hopefully he wasn't making too much of a racket. He didn't want to bother her too much.

The warrior's ears perked up as she heard the shuffling of grass beneath her. Without alerting the newcomer, she peaked down to look at them. There, bounding his legs and preparing to jump onto the tree she was so carefully perched on, was Stoneteller. Her head cocked to the side as she watched him clamber up the pine like a young apprentice. A smile crept onto her face as her hazel eyes stuck to his pelt. It was... cute, to say the least.

But the question still remained. Why was he climbing this particular tree? "Is there something I can help you with?" Poppysong called, sitting up and leaning over to catch his gaze.

So much for not causing a racket... "Uh... No, I don't think so," he called up, embarrassment suddenly weighing down his chest while his ears dropped awkwardly onto his head. "I think... I think I'm getting the hang of it. That first part wasn't too bad. I'm sure o can make it the rest of the way up." At this point, he wasn't even sure if he could convince himself that what he said was the truth, let alone Poopysong. His voice quivered slightly as he finally got around to turning to face the trunk of the tree once more, trying to find the best course of action to continue his climb. However, with his heart wanting to leap out of his chest, he couldn't quite get a clear train of thought going and instead settled for leaping to another branch, slightly higher than the one he was sitting on. Readying his haunches, the Healer, leaped for it, claws fully extended as he grasped the next branch only to have a hard time finding his balance. Tail extended out to catch himself, he clung onto the branch for dear life as he readjusted his slipping feet until he finally felt like he could settle on it.

"See? I got it," he said before a nervous laugh shook his body. "Totally up for this... this climbing thing..."

With a slight giggle in her throat, the tri-coloured she-cat leapt down from her spot and onto the next branch. With ease, she hopped down until she was dangling carefully on the branch above Stoneteller. Her tail flicked gingerly as she looked down at the struggling tom. "I think you're doing quite well. It's in your blood, after all."

Poppysong gave a quick nod upwards towards the next branch. "Watch me closely." The warrior bunched her leg muscles, tail stiff and ready to catch her if need be, bending backwards before launching herself to her destination, claws extended to catch the bark. When she felt her paws collide with the wood, she dug in, simultaneously dragging herself onto the steady branch while stopping the momentum of her jump. Her back legs followed suit and soon, she was standing tall on the next branch. "It's your turn now," she meowed, giving him an encouraging smile.

Something about his awkward fumbles and nervous personality reminded her of Crowstar. Her face would sadden for a moment with the thought of her leader, but she shook it away. The two were different. She was just being friendly. He was a cousin of sorts. A distant relative. It was her duty to act kindly to him.

Stoneteller watched the she-cat intently, making sure to observe every movement she made so that he could try to imitate her. However, he would be lying to himself if he said that he wasn't amazed by her grace as she leaped. Somehow, Poppysong made it look so effortless, almost as if the tree were simply an extension of herself as she jumped from one branch to the next. As she turned around and gave the Healer a smile, he couldn't help but stare in amazement. He always knew that the Skyclan cats were skilled in their craft, but it was a whole different experience actually watching them do it.

Blinking the surprise out of his eyes, Stoneteller shook his head to bring back his concentration before trying again to climb the tree. "Okay," he told her, trying to mimic the way that Poppysong prepared herself. Crouching and aiming for the next branch, he tensed up his haunches before leaping for the branch, claws extended and shoving them into the bark as he grabbed hold of the tree once more. As soon as his front claws were attached, he made a point to pull in his back legs, following the momentum until he was standing up on the next branch. Digging hard into the bark, he stopped short of going too far forward and pulled himself back to balance with his tail extended. In hearbeats, he was on the next branch. Standing in amazement at his achievement, he looked up to the she-cat with a excitement like a kit's lighting up his face. "I did it!" he meowed. "That was so much easier!"