IN THE ARMS OF THE OCEAN — climbing

[ROEFLAME .]

ROEFLAME — break the air to feel the fall.
Pale paws crashed against damp soil as she thundered after the flash of russet just a mouse-length away.
Only heartbeats before she had been concealed in the undergrowth, stalking the squirrel that she was now in pursuit with.
A leaf had brushed against her paw as she moved forward, and the squirrel was off. Normally, Roeflame would simply let it go with the knowledge it’d be scurrying up the nearest tree, but for the past moon she had been fine-tuning her skills, her hunting in particular only just meeting the criteria with her sloppy kills and the amount of meals she had missed from her lack of tree-climbing practice.
She felt prepared now, however, and as the trunk neared and the squirrel latched on she’d follow only a moment later.
Newly formed muscles flexed between her shoulder blades as she worked her way up the tree, claws fastening into damp bark.
The panicking squirrel veers at the last second, scurrying onto a branch in a desperate last resort.
Yet Roeflame is just as quick, and swings her forepaw to the side, sinking into the branch before the rest of her body is able to follow.
With only a lunge, her chase is over and she gives a clean killing bite to the squirrels neck.
She steadies herself, her panting muffled by the ringing in her ears. She knew the adrenaline would wear off in only a matter of time, and her body would be kicking and screaming at her for pushing herself so far- but for now, she’d look upon her kill with pride, taking a glance downwards to find how far she was above the leaf-cluttered soil.
"speech"

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[BLIZZARD FANG]

Two mice had so far been caught on his solo outing. Flycatcher had been generous and gave him few patrols today, but his old paws needed work to do, and the clan could always been fed. He had just finished burying the two mice and promised internally that he’d eat his next catch out at Sunningrocks before heading back to camp. His pursuit is interrupted by the sound of rustling overhead, he looks up only to have to dunk his head out of the way to avoid windswept leaves.

He spots the pelt of Roepaw, a squirrel clamped firmly between her teeth. ”Well done!” Impressed, the senior warrior praises. He’s never been one for climbing trees, it’s what made him a ThunderClan cat, not a SkyClanner. Still he could see how it’d be a useful skill for a few cats around the clan to pick up on… nonetheless, he preferred all four paws on the earth, not in the trees.

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[{Lilypad}]

❝ WE HAVE YET TO CRASH ✧°.☀ ————————————

"That's how you do it, Roeflame!" A cheer would call up to the cinnamon tabby and Lilypad would bounce out into the open, skidding to a stop beside Blizzardfang. She was looking up at her fellow tiny clanmates with admiration and awe glowing in her hazel eyes, tail puffed out to further express how exhilarating it had been to witness such a cool hunt.

It didn't occur to her that her shout, no matter how praising, had probably scared off the prey in the area and she still had her own hunting to do. But at this moment she didn't think about all that, only smiling up widely at her clanmate as she called again, "You've gotta teach me how to do that! It was so cool!"

[penned by zaeya - ☀]

———————————— ☀.°✧ BUT WE STILL MAY AS WELL ENJOY IT ❞ ​

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[HAWKSHIVER]

❪ TAGS ❫ — The tom pads toward where Blizzard Fang and Lilypad are praising Roeflame on her catch. Like the senior warrior, Hawkshiver doesn't fancy himself as much of a climber. He could if he needed to, but his strengths resided with him on the ground.

His neck is craned up toward where Roeflame is situated now, seeming to admire her kill. Hawkshiver would be lying if he claimed that he wasn't impressed by her sheer determination; even he wasn't sure if he would have had the patience to go after the fleeing squirrel like that. Roeflame was one of the clan's newest warriors, but she was already proving herself a fine member of the ranks.

The blue mink blinks, meowing toward the treebound younger molly, "Can you get down alright?" Hawkshiver doesn't know the extent of her climbing skills, but all he knows is that it's easier to get up than it is to get down. Hopefully she knows what she's gotten herself into.​

 

[ROEFLAME .]

ROEFLAME — break the air to feel the fall.
The sudden hollers from down below are a pleasant surprise, the praise something Roeflame could never get enough of.
She looks down to see Blizzard Fang, Lilypad, and Hawkshiver and shoots all three a radiant grin. "Thanks!" She calls, focusing on Hawkshiver as he asks if she can make her way down.
In all honesty, that had yet to be seen. She had never been quite this high before, but she surprisingly doesn’t feel all that nervous, even from the anxiety-inducing height she found herself at.
"Of course!" She assures him, not an ounce of doubt in her reply.
She gathers her kill up in her jaws, exhaling only once before she looks around her, not too keen on climbing all the way down via trunk.
A branch, only a tail length lower but an easy leap away, comes into view. She gives a mental nod to herself, and jumps a heartbeat later.
She is light as she makes her landing, the lack of weight her body holds barely shaking the branch.
It was a spiral pattern, she found as she gradually made her way from one branch to another.
Eventually, the branches became too sparse for her to continue with her hopping.
The last branch she landed was a little thin, but in a heel-to-toe manner she was able to maneuver to the trunk, where she’d finish her descent back to the comforting ground.
She drops the squirrel from what as an aching jaw by that point, and offers the trio in front of her a confident smirk.
"It actually isn’t so bad up there once you’re already there" she mused as she cranes her head to peer at where she was only minutes before.

"speech"

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[Sunfreckle]

"I'd save that for SkyClan really, you wouldn't catch me dead up there. Or maybe you would, cause that's the only way I'd ever be in a tree." Sunfreckle would climb if he had to, if his life depended on it, but no other time at all. He had done so once when the dogs attacked some time back and he would do it again as necessary but for the thrill or hunt it was a task best left to more deft cats than he. The three-legged warrior plodded forward on heavy steps, glancing down to Lily Pad and then Hawkshiver with a curt nod in greeting while Blizzard Fang was offered a slightly lower one in turn; a tom that old deserved a fair bit of reverance. He could only hope he'd age as gracefully and be able to serve his clan still in his senior years but Sunfreckle was not quite old enough to be concerned with such things.
"Getting down is probably very easy if you don't mind your bones hurting, but let's avoid giving Berryheart more work please!"
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[Goldenpaw!]

From the brush a golden tabby cat waltzed up to the group of cats with a flick of his feathery striped tail, "Puh-lease, anyone can do that. Cats are basically bred to climb things," Came the rather cynical voice of Goldenpaw as the striped tomcat lifted his head rather defiantly. It wasn't that impressive! He could've caught four mice by the time Roeflame got one squirrel, but that was besides the point. Climbing couldn't be that difficult could it? Skyclan did it all the time, and Roeflame made it look fairly simple regardless so to prove his point the golden tabby trotted up to the tree and looked up to where the smaller clanmate resided.

Goldenpaw had never climbed a day in his life. He had been up a tree before but not enough to reach the branches and it was only to get away from a dog that had been chasing him like some toy. Though he couldn't let anyone know that! That would tarnish his rather large record of being the best, even if it was just his list and others' refused to impliment it. He also couldn't look like a fool in front of Lilypad, he'd never hear the end of it from the tabby she-cat. Though Sunfreckle did have a point- they probably shouldn't make more time for Berryheart to spend on others'.

Still, Goldenpaw was stubborn and refused to let some little cat one-up him in something so simple! Like he had said, cats were born climbers! With a nod to himself in encouragement, the golden apprentice crouched down to the ground and leapt upwards for the trunk of the tree. Claws found purchase but not without him scramble to pull himself upwards- this took more upper body strength than he anticipated. Still, albiet rocky, he managed to pull himself up onto the lower hanging branches and stood on one panting heavily. Goldenpaw felt like his entire chest was going to burst into flames and his front legs ached as did his claws- but he did it! Barely.
Speech​

THUNDERCLAN APRENTICE ✦ A GOLDEN TABBY TOM ✦ 10 MONTHS ✦ TAGS​

 

[nightbird]

a group had gathered under the tree, necks craned upwards with shouts of congratulations. curiously, she joined, mimicking their actions to see the newly named warrior among the branches. she let out an amused huff at sunfreckle's words as her haunches moved and allowed her to sit comfortably.

roeflame climbs down, gracefully and without releasing the kill tucked in her jaws. it wasn't every day a thunderclanner plucked something directly from the trees, it seemed the ability to traverse the undergrowth did little to help the forest cats when off of the ground. it was an important skill, one she could hopefully instill in duskpaw. even if some would never learn to hunt among the canopy, everyone should know how to traverse it at the least.

an apprentice appears from the brush, chest puffed and walking with a confident swagger. cats are made to climb, goldenpaw says. it doesn't take long for him to almost prove the exact opposite. scrambling up, the golden thunderclanner makes his way to a low hanging branch with a fast moving chest. "perhaps you are something other than a cat. a mouse, maybe?" she hums nonchalantly, gaze turning to roeflame who now joined them on the ground. "impressive catch, roeflame," she praised. it was too, fatter than the squirrels that scrounged and scuttered during leaf-bare.​

[ ☾✩ ]​

 

[ROEFLAME .]

ROEFLAME — break the air to feel the fall.
Roeflame is still relishing in her praise when Sunfreckle joins in, quickly catching her attention with his harmless commentary.
In truth, she can no longer think of the kittypet-ridden clan without thinking about Snowpaw, how she discovered her hidden talent by simply wanting to be able to impress him.
In the present, however, she simply shrugs- still proud of herself. "I dunno, I think I’m pretty good at it! " She hums back towards him, "In leafbare-" she doesn’t have a chance to finish her second point before Goldenpaw pipes up, cocky as all get out.
Fire sparkles in pastel optics as Roeflame half scoffs, half laughs. "Oh yeah? Show us your moves, champ." She instigates.
Watching as he does just that, Roeflame lets an amused smile hang crookedly on her maw, suppressing the urge to poke juvenile fun at his struggle.
"Alright kiddo, c’mon down now!" She challenges with a coo in her tone. Cats like Goldenpaw were just too easy!
Nightbirds approval brings Roeflame out of her teasing with ease, and she beams at the lead warrior, nodding in thanks.

"speech"

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