Perchpaw was not good with having confidence in himself. This was a known fact. Under pressure he broke and trembled like a leaf, unable to move or stand when eyes were constantly watching him. But when he was on his own to chase a squirrel through the forest the apprentice seemed to forget all about that. At least he did so today as he was speeding through the forest running just as fast like a windclanner would have done. What he lacked in size did his long fast legs make up for. Of course, if asking him about it Perchpaw wouldn't agree.
A tree was coming in his way and the squirrel was aiming for it. He was not fast enough to stop it as the red furred prey started to take flight into the trees. Now, Perchpaw was left with two options. To contunie the chase and start climbing the tree as well or give up. The latest was always tempting, always there in the back of his mind to give him houndred of reasons to why he should quit. Everything that could go wrong...Perchpaw ignored these thoughts as he decided for the unthinkable. To contunie the chase.
He made the leap towards the tree, and with his claws graping the trees bark, he made his way up a bit clumsy and not as fast like he had been down there on the ground. But he was doing it, getting himself up there as he jumped to one branch to the other to catch up to the squirrel until both landed on the same branch. Perchpaw would make a move for it as he lunged for the red furred prey but...it slipt right through his grip and made it's escape to a different branch. Perchpaw who was out of breath and too tired to chase after it watched as the squirrel escaped. Another failed hunt, another reason to why he shouldn't have bothered himself to even try.
Before he could let his gloomy mood last for long voices could be heard from underneath him. Perchpaw took a step closer to the branch edge and to his own horror saw a crowd of his own clanmates down there. He couldn't hear what they were saying because his head was already spinning round and round while his legs became like worms. Oh no, no, no, no!. They had not seen him had they?!. The horror of his clanmates taking wittness to all of this, to know they where down there watching him. A whine escaped the anxious boy and Perchpaw would take a step back before he laid himself down on the branch and wrapped his fluffy tail in front of his face to hide himself behind it. A soft sniffle came from him. He shouldn't have come up here because now he couldn't get down. Too afraid to even move.
) "Jeez! That lil' guy is fast on his paws!" Bearheart remarked as he watched the escapade taking place above his head. To see Perchpaw chasing the squirrel was quite the sight, but served as a reminder as to what he couldn't hope to do himself. Climbing was just... it was just beyond him. Though if he continued to lose his fat then perhaps, just maybe, he would be able to learn the vital SkyClan skill.
Unfortunately it seemed as though the youth's hunt ended in failure, and judging from the murmurs from the other cats the consensus was clear. Pity. Bearheart sighed and he peered back up at the branches as he waited for Perchpaw to come back down, but it was evident that it wasn't that easy. Squinting his eyes, he took notice about how the apprentice laid down and was covering his head with his tail. "Oh no, is the kid in trouble?"
The round tom waded past the other cats in order to reach the base of the tree, and in a desperate act he tried to climb. Admittedly he got further than expected up the trunk, but ultimately gravity dragged him back down and caused his claws to leave long scratch marks behind. Well damn, that didn't work. But Bearheart was a determined fella. "Hey Perchpaw! Can you hear me? I need you to focus on my voice, okay?" He took a couple steps back from the tree so he could get a better look at the apprentice above. "You can keep your eyes closed if ya want, but I need you to turn around to face the trunk of the tree. Think you can do that for me?"
( ☼ ) "some of these apprentices move through these trees faster than a hare goin' down a hill!" huckleberry adds on with a small grin, watching as perchpaw threads between the pines rushing after a particularly tricky squirrel that immediately begins to scale one of the trees in attempts to lose the apprentice but he was hot on it's trail and continued the chase through the branches.
amber hues had lost track for a moment but when they found their way back onto perchpaw he noticed the kid had come out empty-pawed in the end, it is a shame the squirrel had gotten away but the blue tom put in an amazing effort nonetheless! "you were so close but good on ya fur thinkin' quick and followin' the critter up!" he hopes the compliment would ease any negative thoughts that may have come, it's easy to feel bad when something doesn't go the way you want.
bearheart is the first among them to notice that something is amiss after a few seconds and the smoke tilts his head to the side in slight confusion when his round friend attempts to scale the trunk to no avail. thankfully he doesn't take long to understand why when his gaze flits back up to see perchpaw unmoving and hiding beneath his tail. sometimes he forgets that hike up a tree is far more easier than the hike down.
huckleberry isn't sure what to do since tree-climbing isn't quite his forte either but for now he watches bearheart try to coax the boy to follow some simple instructions, if extra paws are needed he'll be ready to offer them up. "take yer time!"
( i hear the wandering streams and the song of the birds )
He stopped sniffling when he heard a familiar voice down there. Was that..Bearheart?. Slowly Perchpaw would lift the tail up so he could peek down to see who was down there and indeed he saw Beartheart along with Huckleberry. Oh no, had he watched them?. How embarassing... Perchpaw started to tear up again. Huckleberry's praise did not reach deaf ears it made the boy's cheeks blush up and shyly the tail would fall back in front of his face again to have a shelter to hide behind through all of the compliments. He was unable to comprehend all of this nice words they said to him. Too much positivity!.
After a moment of hiding in embarrassment he peeked out from behind his tail again to glance down and felt how his head started to spin. N-no way...there was no way he could do what Beartheart just had asked of him!. He was not that brave!. " Nu-nu-ah!." he shook his head multiply of times. There was no way he was going to close his eyes while trying to climb backwards down from here...No way. To make his point across Perchpaw backed further away from the branch edge until his back touched the tree itself. He then proceeded to hide underneath his tail. " I-i will live here now..." he decided through a mumble so quiet that the cats below hadn't even heard him beside maybe hearing a soft mumble from up there.
They would have to try a little bit harder than that if wanting Perchpaw to get down that was for sure.
Still distrusting of the patchwork 'healing' Dawnglare had plied to her weary shoulder, Daisyflight found her pace far slower than typical. Perchpaw's ascent was at it's climax as she rounded a wilt fern, his storm-cloud silhouette slipping between the branches. What rose as mild pride soon bubbled over to amusement at the apprentice's conundrum.
Bearheart's coaching and Huckleberry's patience may have tempted less way cats down the tree but it seemed Perchpaw remained still as a statue. At his declaration, of living up there now, the molly couldn't contain her good-natured laugh. "All night? It gets dreadfully cold. You managed your way up there, I've no doubt you can make it back down." While dry, her audible smile weathered the sterner aspects of her tone.
"Follow Bearheart's advice and you'll be on the ground before you know it. I promise." She wreathed the trunk, trying to meet the apprentice's gaze from the ground. All cats had had that moment- the regret of climbing higher than ever before. And they'd all overcome it. Perchpaw would too, even if it took a little encouragement.
) "Poor lil guy, scared out of his wits." Bearheart folded his ears back with a soft whine as he looked on helplessly from the ground. If only he were capable of climbing, at least then he could do something more directly. But was he going to give up? Hell no! Peering up again he then noticed that Perchpaw had at least reached the tree's trunk. "Come on, Perchie-lad! You're in the right spot, just turn around. You'll be okay, I promise! And... well, if you lose your grip at least you've got something big and soft to land on. Me!"
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