lucky you // stuck in a tree

[honeymoon]

sweet like honey
———— ( ☀ ) ————

Summer was slowly giving way to fall, and with it the grips of tense heat were starting to lessen as well. The marshes were never terribly hot for Honeypaw, at least not in a way that left her stuck in camp and panting. But the air became thick and difficult to breathe in the warmer the days were. Muggy, had it been called? Not that it particularly mattered now! It was much cooler now. Fall air was crisp in her lungs as the sun was exiting its apex, slowly starting the process of falling back down the sky to set. Amber paws streak across the soft earth, shoulder brushing shoulder with another apprentice as the two sprint in a race. Honeypaw had challenged a Clanmate to a race - up the great sycamore. Speed was far from a specialty of hers, and her clumsy paws made it all the more a challenge to put herself into action. Whether through luck or perhaps her Clanmate's pity, Honeypaw had just managed to pull ahead as she sank her weight briefly onto her haunches, springing forward and grappling the aged bark of the burnt sycamore. Milky white claws whined against the tree as they struggled for grip before Honeypaw was able to tighten her grip and hold on, casting a quick glance down to see the other apprentice mid-air onto the tree. Honeypaw lashed her sunkissed tail into their face, watching them slide down before losing grip and dropping to the ground on their paws. Hah! She had this race in the bag! There'd been no rules against sabotage, so clearly she couldn't have been cheating.

Honeypaw scampers clumsily up the tree, paws slipping and losing grip as bark flaked off beneath her. She passes one, two, three, branches as she ascends. Copper eyes are fixed upward, unable to see just how far from the ground she's growing. A voice calls down from the ground, and Honeypaw can't make out what their saying, just that its the denmate she had been racing with. Honeypaw grunts tiredly, scooting to her left to catch her balance on a branch that had grown... hm. Much thinner than the ones she'd passed. Honeypaw carefully leans over the edge to look down and call to her Clanmates and -

... Woah.

She was really freaking high up!

Honeypaw's chest is heaving to catch her breath, slowly crouching to press her belly against the tree. She leans forward to peer over the edge down at the loser of the race, who she'd thrown off the track of the tree. "I win!" Honeypaw calls out with a huff of air, pausing again to catch her breath. Geez! She needs to get her legs moving more. She liked her mentor well enough, but she was tired of sneaking everywhere. She wanted to be able to GET to places too! "You owe me ONE frog!" She gloats, waving her tail off the other end of the branch in a victory dance of sorts. She drapes her paws off the branch with a groan, tufted ears leaning back. Her eyes flutter shut as her adrenaline wears off, allowing herself to settle in on the tree. She was a bit hungry after the workout, and talking about her earned food only made her hungrier. Her meal would be even sweeter with a side of victory. Now all she had to do was just- wait a minute. Her eyes snap open. Honeypaw carefully collects herself back onto the branch and rises to her paws, turning her head toward the trunk of the tree. Um. "How do I...?" The fluffy apprentice murmurs to herself. Looking down at the ground was almost making her dizzy now, and a slight sting of fear soured the back of her throat. Man, that'd ruin the taste of her frog too, wouldn't it?

Honeypaw hunkers her belly back to the branch again, stubborn to not let her nervousness show. She couldn't get around admitting defeat, of course. "I'M STUCK!" She calls out. "HOW DO I, UH... GET DOWN?" What was she supposed to do, just jump? She'd break a leg! Honeypaw fidgets in place as she waits for the apprentice below to help... or for someone else to find her in her predicament.

// feel free to be the apprentice she challenged! she would've bet a fresh piece of prey to run from camp up the burnt sycamore - otherwise the apprentice is an npc! she's not very high up either (probs like 15 feet) she's just dramatic <3

​

 

[clearheart]

━━ι═══════﹥ Most of ShadowClan's warriors do not climb; unlike SkyClan, it is not one of their strengths that have earned a reputation among other clans, and while Clearheart himself was once a loner who moved quite freely, he did not often find himself...vertical. He can climb, and he learned how to free himself from a tree's height, but it is without the easy grace he is certain SkyClanners possess. He had not thought it would be a skill of much use within the marsh, and so the last time he dug claws into bark, it was merely to sharpen them.

Honeypaw's shouting draws Clearheart's attention, guiding him to the base of the tree beside another apprentice. He peers up at her, dark eyes warm even while the rest of his expression is stoic. Later, a lecture on the dangers of climbing will need administering, but now is a time for assuring her safety. "You must go backwards," he calls. "You will descend the same way you climbed, but in reverse. You will lose your footing if you attempt to climb down headfirst." He hopes that is a clear enough explanation for her. "You have bravery to get that far— use it to return." ​

══════⊹⊱≼ ɪɴꜰᴏʀᴍᴀᴛɪᴏɴ / ᴛʜᴇ ᴀɪʀ ʜᴀɴɢꜱ ʜᴇᴀᴠʏ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴛʜᴇ ɪɴᴄᴇɴꜱᴇ / ᴏᴜᴛ ᴏꜰ ᴄʜᴀʀᴀᴄᴛᴇʀ ≽⊰⊹══════

• — CLEARHEART / / 40 moons old / / amab and uses masculine pronouns but will also accept the use of neutral terms.
  — a warrior of shadowclan / / currently mentoring dragonflypaw / / excels greatly in combat above most all other skills.
  — former loner who wandered great distances & rarely remained in one place for long / / arrived after the great battle.
  — devoted to starclan above all else (aside from his idea of the common good) / / not prone to enter battle mindlessly.
  
  — of a height slightly above average / / trim and athletic with a sense of immovability about his posture/stance & size.
  — chocolate sepia w/ low white / / fur is quite short for the most part / / tail is naturally bobbed // full-body reference.
  — fairly warm demeanor much of the time; there is a "softness" about his features so that neutrality doesn't seem surly.
  
  — lawful good, in the sense that he likes to maintain order and work toward bettering lives around him without cruelty.
  — often misunderstands figures of speech and may interpret them literally. as such, can seem to lack a sense of humor.
  — deeply genuine; dislikes lying immensely, and so (most of the time) he is wholly earnest, especially with compliments.
  
•  
•  

​

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[FERNDANCE]

Hearing the call of an apprentice from the low branches caused the Lead Warrior's head to snap upwards to the point where it looked uncomfortable on her elongated neck. Beneath her mud-flecked paws was a small mound of earth, recently patted down, a fresh mouse buried underneath for collection later. For now, the ShadowClanner had more pressing matters. She was no SkyClanner, whose entire personality seemed to be their ability to latch onto trees like squirrels. That was not to say that Ferndance could not climb, it was just a skill that served little purpose: her enemies could climb better. Spotting the orange form amidst the charred flora, the ticked tabby's emerald eyes squinted and she moved closer and closer to the base of the tree. She balanced her forepaws on the rough bark, slowly blinking up at the apprentice. The Lead Warrior moved the weight between her hind paws and forepaws, rocking almost, trying to gauge if it was worth jumping up and getting stuck with the melodramatic kid. It would normally be a situation she would guide them through, no one wanted to fall to death, it was twice as embarrassing as getting killed in battle or dying to the common cold

A large ear twitched as she briefly stared towards the apprentice who'd challenged her to begin with, a pleasant smile gracing the council member's wedge-shaped face. Just as soon as she began to pay attention to the challenger, she heard Clearheart's voice and twisted her head like an owl to listen to him explain to Honeypaw how to get down. She stared off to space as she recounted his directions to herself, mouthing each order in a near-whisper before giving a gentle nod of her head. Everything seemed accurate, except for the bravery thing. She knew it was not bravery that had dared Honeypaw to travel to parts unknown, but rather impulsivity, she knew it because she never felt brave when she licked a poisonous frog or ate a weird plant, in fact, she didn't know if she felt anything other than overwhelming curiosity. The situation out of her paws, Ferndance entered a meerkat's posture, emerald eyes settled back on Honey. "Oh... your life is probably over," she affirmed wistfully, expression contorting into a mournful frown. "Doomed to the ashy tree... we will remember you, little one." She traced a star with her tail gestures.
​

 

[lilacfur]

Hearing the familiar sounds of competition between apprentices brought about an air of nostalgia for Lilacfur. So many of her afternoons spent proving herself among her peers, paws aching and chest heaving in demand for air by the end of the day. She had loved it, though. Basking in the praise of her mentor, meeting the envious gazes of those who sought her skill, but she was careful not to let it get to her head. She would not soil her mother's name by acting like an insatiable princess who couldn't get her paws dirty or couldn't bare to lose a simple race.

Now as she lived in the dawn of her warriorhood, Lilacfur found herself more fond of fulfilling the mundane work and being regarded as 'helpful' over anything else.

Much like the others, Honeypaw's shouts had drawn her toward the burnt tree to assess. She recalled the times she had been given the advice of don't look down when it came to the sycamore and it seemed Honeypaw had either ignored or entirely lacked the input. The tabby didn't think she was so far into the trees that it would be dangerous, but her paws itched at the urge to help. Clearheart's wisdom was sound, but he had the comfort of resting at the base of the tree unlike Honeypaw. It looked much easier from someone who already had their paws fitted on the ground.

"Hold on, Honeypaw!" The warrior called before unsheathing her claws and scoring them across brittle, chipping bark. The pulled herself upward until she was beside the other tabby, flicking some of the scorched woodchips from her paw. "There, I'm up here with you, don't feel like you have to do this by yourself now. We'll go down together, just watch me and do as I do." Lilacfur instructed gently.​

[ sad hello's and mad high low's ]​

 

[honeymoon]

sweet like honey
———— ( ☀ ) ————

Help was on the way! Honeypaw carefully leaned over the edge to peer down at the approaching bobtail. The straight face of Clearheart looking up at her made her pelt heat with a sense of embarrassment, suddenly wishing she had just tried to figure it out on her own. Honeypaw could smell an upcoming chastising on the wind, whether from Clearheart or another warrior as Ferndance filtered in behind him. Her eyes flick to Ferndance briefly before returning to Clearheart, ears pricked forward to catch the instructions he gives her. Honeypaw blinks incredulously. He said go BACKWARDS? He was absolutely mad if he thought Honeypaw was gonna try to grapple her way down without seeing where she was going!... Ignoring the fact she climbed without looking where she was going! It was scarier having to go back down. Honeypaw tries to shield her disappointment from Clearheart by backing up along the branch to stare at the singed trunk of the tree. The same way she came up, but in reverse. Okay. Okay. If that was the ONLY way to do it, then Honeypaw simply had no choice. Clearheart speaks up again, this time commenting on her bravery, and Honeypaw's chest puffs with pride.

"Okay," Honeypaw murmurs, reaching out a forepaw to gently scrape at the bark of the tree. "Backwards. In reverse. Not face first. Gotta stay balanced. Okay. Okay. It's not that bad..." The apprentice tries her best to hype herself up as she places her other paw on the tree and grabs on tight. She sucks in a breath nervously as she moves her back paws off the edge of the branch to grab onto the tree. Not so bad yet..! She could do this! Honeypaw casts a quick glance over her shoulder, seeing how far up she was and to seek Clearheart's approval in her action. Front left paw... back right paw... front right paw... back left paw... Honeypaw managed to creep her way down the trunk to the next branch down before Ferndance's voice reached her.

Nope! Courage gone!

Honeypaw's fur chilled, standing on end as her tail bristled up. The apprentice shimmied to her left to scramble back onto a branch, copper eyes blown wide as she rests on her belly, stretching a paw down toward the Lead Warrior as if she'd actually be able to grab Ferndance if she tried hard enough. Her heart felt like it skipped a beat! Honeypaw's tail lashes behind her as she looks for Clearheart once more. "That's - that's NOT true, right!?" She cries incredulously. "Of course you'd remember me but, I'm not gonna DIE, right?" What a horrible thing to joke about! Very specifically because Honeypaw herself was the punchline!

While Honeypaw was fussing about her theoretical chances of survival, Lilacfur called up to her to hold on. The apprentice took the advice as literally as she could and withdrew her paw from reaching for Ferndance to grab tightly to the branch. Oh, she was never going to live this down, was she? That toad would be sour with the taste of embarrassment now. She'd be the joke of the den for the next moon cycle! Her life was over. So over. Honeypaw's crested ears fell backwards shyly. Lilacfur shook bark from her paws and Honeypaw was filled with a sense of envy. How cool! How incredibly nonchalant! How... how impossible to get stuck in a tree when you're Lilacfur! The apprentice scoots backwards, extending forward to headbutt the shoulder of the warrior that came to her aid affectionately. The fresh warrior offers to lead the way and Honeypaw pulls her head back to nod enthusiastically, peering over the side again. "Clearheart said go backwards," she repeats the advice given to her. Honeypaw straightens her posture, gearing herself up to attempt to impress Lilacfur on the climb down. "I just, uh... don't want to be doomed up here."
​

 

[mottlefox]

"You won't be doomed, mouse-brain!"Mottlepaw calls up the tree affectionately from her place firmly on the ground. In defense of the lighthearted insult, Honeypaw had been the one to challenge them to the race, and now she was paying the price of being stuck! Sucks to be the one who didn't immediately chicken out of climbing. Despite this, there's open worry in her voice as she regards the stranded tabby. On one paw, she's incredibly impressed that her denmate had made it up so high. But on the other, how correct is Ferndance in assuming she won't get down unscathed? It makes her worry a bit, paws shuffling nervously against the marsh that gives way to sycamore roots.

But it would be alright now that Lilacfur was up there too; strong and competent Lilacfur who could also climb trees competently. Between her up there and Clearheart on the ground, Honeypaw would be down safely in no time! Mottlepaw would be here for moral support, and Ferndance would make sure she was remembered if things went awry. Truly, a well rounded patrol to stumble upon them. A lot quieter, as if Honeypaw is at her side rather than perched precariously in the tree, she murmurs, "Get down safe."​