The Learning Tree [Bubblepaw]

"Morning, Bubblepaw!" Wolfblossom chirped as she roused the apprentice from her nest, leading her from camp with a cheer that probably drove some of Skyclan's warriors insane for such an early hour. The sun had not yet crested over the tops of the trees, but a breeze cut through the humid air. The day was sure to be a scorcher, but the morning wasn't too terrible.

Wolfblossom led her granddaughter a short distance from camp, stopping at the base of a sturdy pine. "How has training been? Have you started to climb trees yet?" She asked, she had been keeping up with the apprentice's training as best as she could between the chaos and her other duties, but she wanted to hear how Bubblepaw was progressing by her own words.

As much as she loved her dreams, Bubblepaw was never unhappy to wake up. The sun was so warm and the day was so new and there was so much to do! However, there was very little she liked more than to be awakened by any of her beloved family. So when Wolfblossom roused her with a bright smile, Bubblepaw responded eagerly in kind. "Morning, Gramma!" she purred happily, following with quick and excited paws on their way out of camp. "It's been great! Uncle Rain is the best at teaching. I been learning to catch birds that are thi-i-i-i-is big!" Briefly the apprentice stopped in her trotting to make a gesture with her front paws, stretching them moderately far apart, before dropping back down onto all fours and continuing after the deputy. "Haven't gotten to do much climbing yet though! Are you gonna teach me? Canyoucanyoucanyou? That would be so fun!" A genuine grin showed Bubblepaw's tiny white fangs. "I'm sure I'll be great at it! 'Cause you're good at it and I'm related to you, right?"

A warm purr rumbled in Wolfblossom's chest at Bubblepaw's clear enthusiasm for training. She watched over the training of all of Skyclan's apprentices, and Rainfrost was a good tom, and there was little doubt in her mind that he was training his niece well. "That's good to hear!" She mewed, "And you'll have to show me your hunting skills some time." She added with a grin.

Bubblepaw hadn't started climbing yet, and the deputy nodded. "Of course I'll teach you!" She replied. Teaching the apprentices was always a joy, and though she hadn't exactly started out as one of Skyclan's more graceful climbers (and still wasn't exactly graceful), the deputy knew the lessons that her mentor had imparted upon her during her own apprenticeship. It was her duty to pass those lessons on to the younger Skyclanners. "Come here," The deputy padded up to a nearby pine, beckoning Bubblepaw with her tail.

"We'll start off slow and simple. Nothing crazy like jumping from branch to branch, though you'll learn that in time." She began, "You use your claws to hook into the tree bark, and your hind legs to push yourself forward. Or up, depending on how you look at it." Silverwing hadn't been wrong in her view on climbing, but it was a matter of perspective. Wolfblossom preferred to think of climbing as moving forward, towards what they faced in the trees. In demonstration of her words, the deputy dug her claws into the bark and pulled herself up, powerful hind legs used to support herself as she placed one paw in front of the other. "Your tail is also important. Like hunting, you use it to help balance."

Thankfully Wolfblossom wasn't one of those "be quiet, Bubblepaw!" warriors. On the contrary, she was usually happy to talk and to teach and to be awake early in the morning. So it was with a bounce in her step that Bubblepaw followed her Gramma to the base of a tall pine tree. Its sap smelled earthy, like home. She could remember times that Sunfire had come back with prey for them and his paws had the same scent to them. Probably 'cause he'd climbed a tree to catch birds better. Wide pale-green eyes watched the demonstration. Briefly she felt a swell of disappointment at the words "nothing crazy," but the feeling soon vanished when she realized that they would start slow and then learn the cool stuff. Of course this was cool too!

Her brow furrowed in concentration. Tiny pinprick claws unsheathed from soft gray paws, which she put up on the tree trunk, feeling them sink into the thick red-brown bark. Then, curiously, she withdrew a paw and put it higher--making room for a back foot to do the same. She was doing it. She was standing up sideways, her light form supported evenly by the weight distributed through the tree trunk. A delighted grin spread across her face. Gramma mentioned something about her tail? Bubblepaw craned her neck to glance behind at her fluffy tail, giving it an experimental wave. Sure enough, as it moved, she felt her head spin a little bit. Putting it straight would help her stay upright. "Got it!" she exclaimed happily. "I think!"

Wolfblossom smiled as Bubblepaw placed her paws on the tree bark, seeming to grasp the basics quickly enough, placing a front paw in front of the other, then doing the same with her back paws. "Keep your tail straight- There you go. You got it." Wolfblossom purred. "Keep going, slow and steady. Speed will come with experience." She added.