hold your breath | open, stuck

Coyotecrest

sometimes I lose my way
Sep 7, 2022
244
65
28
I won't apologize for being who I am
Coyotekit sat just a little beyond the opening on the nursery, slowly inching away little by little to sneak away from the younger kittens inside. He was bored to death and wanted to do something, anything to eat away at his boredom. He dared not to ask the other kits to play with him, the last time he attempted that it was a disaster. Besides he was not blind to the subtle looks of disapproval, nor deaf to the whispers swirling throughout the nursery about himself and his sisters. With one final glance over his honeyed shoulder Coyotekit slipped out of sight from the others. Quietly he walked through camp, his mind replaying a conversation he'd overheard from two warriors about tree climbing. Suddenly his eyes lit up with determination and his lips curled into a smirk. Climbing a tree would be the perfect way to pass the time.

Cream dipped paws loped forward before finally halting at the base of a tree. Tipping his head back, he skimmed the length of overgrown plant as his tail twitched from one side to the other. He could do this. Sucking in a deep breath he wiggled in place just a bit to get his jitters out before releasing that same breath. Windclan cat's were blessed with a build meant for speed, but who said that it could never be repurposed? Tiny claws unsheathed themselves as they hooked into the rough bark of the tree in front of him, young albeit powerful shoulders hoisting him up. Slowly he made his way up the trunk, pausing momentarily to catch his breath before continuing on. The same familiar burn he felt in his limbs and shoulders when sprinting around the camp of windclan was present here and now. He needed a break.

His attention panned to the left, fixating upon a branch inviting him to rest within a cozy looking nook. Carefully he reached out, semi translucent claws seeking purchase upon the tree limb. Once he had a solid grip Coyote pulled himself up and nestled in, eyes of mint growing exceedingly wide at the gorgeous view. "Whoa..." He could see beyond the shelter of skyclan's camp and a patrol of warriors that looked like ants beneath him. "Wow, they look really tiny from up here." He chuckled, but that is when realization began to set in. Just how high had he climbed? An icy chill ran down the young tom's spine as he slowly looked straight down, the once magical view now shifting into nightmare fuel. Coyote's claws slipped from their sheaths, his forelimbs hugging the branch he perched upon. There was a moment of hesitation, he wanted to call out for help but at the same time he did not want to get into trouble either. Yet he knew it would be impossible to get himself out of this situation. "H-Help! I'm...I don't know how to get down!" He called aloud.
Tryna throw shade on me say a lot 'bout you
@churrodream @leopardcloud
 
LEOPARDS LAZE EACH ON PLUSH PILLOWS

Sometimes, mossykit wonders if she's going to die of stress before she's even an apprentice. Copper toned gaze stares up at coyotekit, watching passively as he climbs up the tree without thought or care for the danger of the situation - how is he even planning to come back down? It's not as though they can fly, and he's not graceful enough to jump she doesn't think. As she muses on this, it seems her brother has finally came to the same conclusion if his cries are anything to go by. Neck craned so far back it hurts her eyes go wide as she actually gets a good look at his face, her own anxiety increasing at the look of genuine terror upon his features. Maybe this was a bit more worrisome than she'd thought... "Should I go get someone-?" she asks, voice as loud she can make it without going hoarse, not wanting to tattle on her brother but just as worried that if she doesn't, he'll get hurt.
 

THERES MAGIC IN YOUR EYES, TEQUILLA SUNRISE
At first, it was jealousy she felt once more for Coyotekit. She was SkyClan born and raised, and even she was yet to make it to a branch in her climbing practices. Yet here he was, up high in a branch, looking at the territory from a birds-eye view. She had half the mind to begin climbing too, to prove not only that she could accomplish such a task to... but get even higher!

Yet then she hears him cry for help, he was stuck.

Satisfaction rose in the child, on the surface it seemed cruel but... in reality she didn't understand how dangerous this situation was. She knows a fall could kill you yet- that was just something cats said... She's never witnessed the danger herself and cannot comprehend it. For Figkit, it was just nice to see her self-claimed rival get knocked back.

She looks to Mossykit, his sister, a cat Figkit couldn't help but equally fear and despise for being WindClan. "No, if he's a true SkyClanner and not a WindClan cat as he claims, he can get down himself! It's not that hard..." Figkit in reality has never tried climbing downwards from such a height, but it looked easy to her when she watched the adults do it.
 

"Do not be mean, Figkit!" came her exasperated gasp as Churro stumbles upon the scene, kits crowded around a tree that was much too tall for someone like them to climb. Even if Churro has spent her life tree-leaping, she understands the dangers- heck! She had even come close to falling out of one when she was younger, back paws had missed landing on a branch and she had saw her life flash before her eyes like the clichés said. "It doesn't matter if they were once Windclan... They made the pledge to be Skyclan." she can't exactly fault Figkit, especially if it was someone older than Coyotekit, she had been on that patrol, had her very life threatened just by being there, saw Blazestars rage.

"I'm here, don't worry, i'll get him down." her voice is something akin to comforting as she speaks to Mossykit, but in all reality she was stressed. Any wrong move by Coyotekit could sent him plummeting to his death. "Stay up there! Don't move, okay? I've got you! Ay, caramba..." she calls up to Coyote as claws unsheathe, a deep breath in slight worry. Its the easiest part of scaling a tree and she makes it up there in ease with a few steadying breaths, perching on the part of the branch closest to the trunk.

"Ay, cariño, you think you can crawl towards me?" its soft, does not betray her worries. The branch feels flimsy beneath her paws, too soft, too young, she feels it would crack if she went any further. "It's okay, okay? Just come towards me and i'll get you down, and after i'll show you how to get down, okay?" she makes sure to add the last part- if he had gotten stuck again in a tree, and she wasn't around, nor any of the other adults, it makes her shiver.
"speech"​
 
I won't apologize for being who I am
His claws grip the bark for dear life as he wills himself to look down once more. When he does he notices the familiar coat of his dear sister, but what comes out of her mouth is of no comfort at all. "W-what? No!" He could not let her do that, Leopardcloud would kill him if she found out. "I-It's fine! I'll umm...I'll just..." He stammers over his words, looking from one end of the branch to the other as if that would somehow help him to formulate a plan. But before he could truly begin to develop one he witnessed Figkit wandering over, injecting herself into their conversation. An irritated scowl paints itself across Coyotekit's features. Heat burns in his ears as he dares to lean a bit further off the edge of the branch. "Are you out of your mind?! When did you ever hear me claim that?"

She was lying, she had to have been lying. There was no way she heard him claim himself as skyclan while she stood here antagonizing him again. Mossykit might have pledged her allegiance but Coyote was not won over just yet. Not after the encounters he keeps having. Cream colored jaws part to fire off another retort before he hears a scolding voice shouting at Figkit. A quiet huff of satisfaction fell from his nostrils at the reprimand. In his mind It serves her right for being so mean all the time. In no time Churrodream is scaling the tree and makes it up to him. Mint green eyes watch her cautiously and he is hesitant to move, but her soothing tone is all that was needed to move him. "Okay, promise you won't drop me..." Releasing his death grip from the branch he carefully, tentively makes his way to her.
Tryna throw shade on me say a lot 'bout you