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Post by tor on Apr 13, 2024 17:17:30 GMT -6
#s://i~ibb~co/W6DTX4p/elkpaw~png More than anything, Elkpaw wanted to hurry down to the RidgeClan border and find Leopardpaw so he could brag about the bird he managed to catch the day before. The cardinal wasn't as impressive as one of RidgeClan's hawks, but he caught it mid-flight, and was confident Leopardpaw would think that was cool. Instead, he was hanging with his claws in the Lightning Tree, trying desperately to teach himself how to climb to the next bough. It was his own fault he was behind on climbing, he knew. This was one of the things Hailstar thought Elkpaw could manage by himself. He trusted Elkpaw to practice climbing on his own terms, and for the first three moons of his apprenticeship, Elkpaw... hadn't done that. He was far behind most of the other apprentices, who seemed to have tree climbing in their veins, and he knew it. It hadn't been a problem before. Now, Hailstar wanted to test him on it, and Elkpaw only had until the next day to be much better than he was. So, despite how much he wanted to see Leopardpaw, he was stuck here, climbing the Lightning Tree over and over again. It was so boring. Weren't other apprentices supposed to be here? Why wasn't there anyone for him to talk to? Maybe that was okay - no one being here meant no one seeing how bad he was at climbing. "Ugh." He spoke to no one but the trees, arms shaking as he tried to pull himself higher. This wasn't going to work. He would fall. And tomorrow, when Hailstar tested him, he would fall in front of his mentor, too. |
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Post by shy on Apr 15, 2024 17:08:24 GMT -6
#s://i~pinimg~com/564x/20/47/f6/2047f68163bdded29c2852e07df23c08~jpg birchpaw, After so many moons of training, Birchpaw's assessment was drawing near. At least, that was what she heard. Weavers spent more time training than warriors, she'd gotten used to being an apprentice. As much as she wanted to celebrate the chance to earn her name, guilt tugged at her heart. Lichenflight had been the one who lead her through most her training, but she'd never let herself forget Pinestripe or his sacrifice. Her first mentor wouldn't get to see her named. Nor would he get to see his own son named. Nervousness and guilt lead to a sense of unease she couldn't shake. So Birchpaw found herself at the Lightning Tree, ready to polish up her climbing skills to perfection for the assessment. After everything that had happened to get her here alive, she couldn't fail. But the tree was in use. Elkpaw. Out of all the apprentices, why him? Why couldn't it be one of Hailstar's kits or Lilypaw or nobody at all? Even worse, it was clear Elkpaw was struggling. Hard. For what might have been a few minutes, but felt like hours, Birchpaw silently stared at the apprentice. Part of her wanted to help, but did she deserve to? It was her fault he didn't have his father to teach him to climb. But why hadn't Hailstar helped him learn more by this point? A nervous energy built in Birchpaw until she couldn't take it any more. She had to do something. So she approached the tree, and called out in a soft voice. " Do... do you need help?" |
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Post by tor on Apr 20, 2024 16:12:51 GMT -6
#s://i~ibb~co/W6DTX4p/elkpaw~png Elkpaw was trying to visualize how to get himself out of this situation when the soft voice startled him. He didn't fall, but his grip on the bark loosened, and an undignified yelp escaped his throat as he slipped half a tail-length down. Instinct kicked in, and he managed to regain his hold before disaster had him crumpled in a heap of bones and fur at the base of the three. "Scared me!" He called out, unable to twist his body to see who it was that startled him. Maybe if they spoke a little louder, he'd be able to recognize their voice. But right now he wasn't sure he'd recognize them anyway, with how loud the blood rushing in his ears was. "I, um... I dunno. Maybe?"It wasn't a maybe. Elkpaw knew he needed help, but he didn't know what the other cat could do, shy of climbing the tree themself and dragging him down by the scruff. That would be so embarrassing. "Give me a pep talk?" |
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Post by shy on Apr 24, 2024 17:39:14 GMT -6
#s://i~pinimg~com/564x/20/47/f6/2047f68163bdded29c2852e07df23c08~jpg birchpaw, A pep talk? Birchpaw shifted from paw to paw nervously. Nerves were eating at her too much to feel comfortable speaking enough to give a pep talk, but if that was what Elkpaw needed, how could she deny him? It was her fault his father wasn't here to give him one. " You got this!" She tried to cheer, though her voice was croaky. She cleared her throat and tried again. " You can do it, just put one paw after the other over and over and then you'll be up on branch before you know." Even she knew it was a sad attempt to rally the other apprentice. " Your claws will do a lot of the work, grip with your front paws and kick off with your back legs." Climbing was instinct to some, including herself, but there were times when even instinct failed and advice was needed. Was that what Elkpaw needed? |
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Post by tor on Apr 27, 2024 19:06:25 GMT -6
#s://i~ibb~co/W6DTX4p/elkpaw~png Elkpaw felt like he was straining to listen for his clanmate's small voice, desperate for whatever pep talk they might give him, but also terribly curious to know who stumbled upon him in this predicament. It was sort of embarrassing, wasn't it? He hoped it wasn't another apprentice. That would make gossip spread too fast, and last thing he needed was one of Hailstar's kits mocking him. Cloudpaw and Swanpaw were mean. Finally, the other cat spoke. Their confidence in him was nice, but felt a little flat. One paw after another - duh! His problem was he couldn't even move one. "Grip with your front paws and kick off with your back legs."Hm. Could he do that? His arms shook as he tried, but after a moment, he was able to kick as his clanmate said. And then he did it again, and again, until his front paws were able to pull the rest of him up onto the branch. He did it! "You're a life saver," he said, turning to finally see who it was. "Thanks, Birchpaw!" Dang. It was an apprentice. He hoped she wouldn't gossip - Birchpaw was quiet, right? "Please don't tell anyone I suck at climbing?" |
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Post by shy on May 4, 2024 18:57:18 GMT -6
#s://i~pinimg~com/564x/20/47/f6/2047f68163bdded29c2852e07df23c08~jpg birchpaw, As Elkpaw struggled in the tree Birchpaw rocked back and forth on her paws. What if her advice wasn't helpful? What if it made it worse? What if he fell? And then got hurt? Could she physically carry him back to camp from here? But thankfully her worries passed unfulfilled as Elkpaw managed to climb up to a branch on his own. She let out a sigh of relief. Though of course going up was only half the work, going down was harder. To her surprise he thanked her, seemingly unaffected now that he'd noticed who it was that helped him. Why wasn't he upset with her? Or at least upset by her presence? Didn't he know what her foolishness had cost him? Oh Starclan, what if no one had told him? The gray apprentice felt sick. " Ah... uh.. I won't tell anyone. I promise." Well maybe she would tell Lilypaw or Aspenrain. They were her siblings after all. " Umm... h-how much climbing have you done? I mean... you've been an apprentice for a few moons." As soon as she spoke she regretted the words. How rude of her! Here he was probably pretending to be nice and here she was questioning that! " Ah, um, sorry that was rude! I'm sure you've been very busy! You're Hailstar's apprentice after all." Part of her wanted to ask him to forgive her for being rude, but she couldn't form the words. His forgiveness was something she'd probably never deserve, much less earn. Even asking for it over something like this was too much. |
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Post by tor on May 7, 2024 13:10:10 GMT -6
#s://i~ibb~co/W6DTX4p/elkpaw~png Birchpaw's question made his ears go flat in embarrassment. She was right, he had been training for a few moons now. He should be way better at climbing trees! Especially being from MistClan! Yet, he and Hailstar had really never gone over ever the basics. Sometimes, he wondered if because they were MistClan cats, Hailstar assumed he was a natural climber. So many of their clanmates were. "Ah, um, sorry that was rude! I'm sure you've been very busy!" Aw, now he felt bad, looking annoyed at Birchpaw when she spoke. He did his best to shake away the expression, reassured by Birchpaw's promise not to tell anyone. "You're Hailstar's apprentice after all."Wait- Did Hailstar send her? To check on him? Oh no. What if this was part of the assessment? "Yep, super busy!" Oh no. Now Hailstar would know he couldn't climb well even before he got the chance to spend the day practicing. "Hailstar keeps me so busy. We do everything together." Except... he hadn't seen Hailstar in a few days now, save for quick glances, and one meal that a few other cats ended up sharing with them, too. "I- aw, no we don't. You know that. I dunno why I lied." He sighed. "Hailstar's a great mentor, but he's really busy. We haven't done much climbing practice and I'm so bad at it. Like, now I'm stuck in this tree, because I don't know how to climb down."
He could maybe just jump it. Elkpaw didn't think it would be the worst leap. "I could jump. D'you think I'd sprain something?" He looked at the distance again. Was the tree getting taller? "Maybe that's not so bad. I have an assessment tomorrow, but if I sprain my paw I can get out of it." |
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Post by shy on May 10, 2024 19:34:58 GMT -6
#s://i~pinimg~com/564x/20/47/f6/2047f68163bdded29c2852e07df23c08~jpg birchpaw, Ah, he was busy! How rude she'd been to doubt Hailstar and Elkpaw! Oh stars would he tell the leader she'd been so rude? What if he held back her naming? Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to train more but it would be so embarrassing if word got out. And then Elkpaw admitted his deceit and Birchpaw visibly relaxed. Her muscles ached and her heart raced from the stressful situation. And then the stress started up again as Elkpaw suggested jumping from the tree. " No no no!" Birchpaw's words stumbled out of mouth in a rush, sounding more like a a cry than coherent speech. " Please don't jump! Climb down backwards." The silver she-cat took a deep and shaky breath before continuing. " Look at your claws, you can't climb down head first cause you won't be able to grab in that direction, you'll just fall. Climb down like you climbed up, face up towards the branches. Take it slow, it's harder getting down than going up." As she spoke she tried to remember how Lichenflight had taught it to her. Instinct often made a cat want to climb down head first or to jump, but it never worked out well. |
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Post by tor on May 12, 2024 10:04:31 GMT -6
#s://i~ibb~co/W6DTX4p/elkpaw~png Elkpaw was seriously considering jumping, like he said, until he heard the panic in Birchpaw's voice. It made her seem sweet, caring so much when they barely knew each other. He blinked as she explained the proper way to climb down. It seemed so complicated but... she was right. His claws weren't shaped right for just climbing down. And as tempting as it was to sprain his paw to avoid his assessment tomorrow, he also didn't want to be stuck in camp for a few days. That was worse than not getting any training! Besides, maybe if he was able to do this with Birchpaw watching and telling him how to do it better, he'd be able to recreate some of his climbing for Hailstar tomorrow. Determined to prove himself, Elkpaw followed Birchpaw's instructions perfectly - he moved slow, scooting down the trunk like molasses, claws sliding in and out of the bark with ease - mostly. Toward the end of his descent, one claw stuck in the bark, and in his panic to get free he lost his grip on the tree. Luckily, the fall was brief, and he landed on all four paws with some grace. "Thanks, Birchpaw!" He said, shaking out the stress from his fall. "You're right. That's way harder. I'll have to keep practicing." Such as right now, while she was still here to watch. But, first... "Whatcha doing out here, by the way?" He had to make sure she wasn't busy before he bothered her too much. |
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Post by shy on May 22, 2024 16:40:52 GMT -6
#s://i~pinimg~com/564x/20/47/f6/2047f68163bdded29c2852e07df23c08~jpg birchpaw, Birchpaw watched as Elkpaw slowly made his way down the tree, her own paws furiously digging into the ground below. What if she hadn't explained it well and he fell? But while he did fall it was when he was close to the ground, though watching the experience left her feeling drained. " Ah, it was no problem." She gave an uneasy smile, surprised at how nice Elkpaw was acting. " I uh, came here to practice climbing as well. But I can leave you to it and find another spot, wouldn't want to distract you." The gray she-cat couldn't help but assume he was still only acting nice. Surely he hated her and would want her gone now that he was safely back on the ground. |
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Post by tor on May 31, 2024 7:52:50 GMT -6
#s://i~ibb~co/W6DTX4p/elkpaw~png Oh, awesome! Elkpaw brightened when Birchpaw said she was here to climb. That's was perfect. It really was the best spot for it. "No, no," he said in a hurry, not wanting her to walk away. "I want to keep practicing, too! We can help each other?" And then, embarrassed, his ears flattened, but he kept a smile on his face. "I mean, you'd mostly be helping me. I'm not good at this. You saw that." He laughed, then shook out his coat, trying to calm any nerves and soothe his own embarrassment. Birchpaw seemed nice. He would just keep reminding himself that — she wasn't going to go gossip about him, later. He hoped. "So, what's the best way to start?" He positioned himself back against the base of the tree, raising himself up on his back legs to press his front paws to the trunk. "I just sort of ran at it last time. It felt fine at first! And then I got stuck on the branch." |
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Post by shy on Jun 29, 2024 16:05:30 GMT -6
#s://i~pinimg~com/564x/20/47/f6/2047f68163bdded29c2852e07df23c08~jpg birchpaw, " I want to keep practicing, too! We can help each other?" Oh Starclan. How could she say no? How could she say anything? All her thoughts felt like as words they'd fail her. Even some of her thoughts felt like a failure. Was it cruel to think he couldn't be of much help to her? But thankfully he spoke those words instead of her. " Ah, um, start slow. Look before you leap. Maybe try and see where there are already clawholds in the bark and aim there." Elkpaw hadn't given her much choice but to help, asking another question before she could think of a response. " It's kinda better to decide where you're going now when you're on the ground. Cause, like, if you have to stop and think while you're climbing it'll be harder... and you won't see all the options... and you'll wear yourself out." Maybe a demonstration would be better? Her knowledge was solid, she was fairly certain, but her actual speaking skills... Birchpaw glanced at the tree, remembering all her prior climbs, and quickly took an easy route to the lowest branch. She could've done it her sleep at this point, which should make it nice and simple for Elkpaw to follow. " If you're okay with a little thought exercise, try and think about where I should climb next from here. Then maybe try and join me here and we can take your path to the next branch together?" |
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Post by tor on Jun 30, 2024 15:13:00 GMT -6
#s://i~ibb~co/W6DTX4p/elkpaw~png Elkpaw scrunched up his face in concentration as Birchpaw spoke. He never liked starting slow with anything, like she recommended, but after getting stuck in the tree he could admit it was probably better to listen to a cat with more experience. Slow. He could do that. "It's kinda better to decide where you're going now when you're on the ground."That made loads of sense. He remembered being stuck on the branch, clinging with all the strength he had, and not having enough sense to find a path onward. It was impossible to see things from that angle. But if he had a plan before going up there? Face just as scrunched as it was a moment ago, Elkpaw studied the most obvious path up the tree. So focused, he only caught half of what Birchpaw said, and had to piece together the rest of it based on her actions. First, he joined her, scrambling up the same path she just took. And then, when he realized she was waiting for his suggested path, he dipped his head in embarrassment and slipped easily back to the ground. "Um, going forward..." He studied the tree again. "I think we should use that knot to get to that branch?" He flicked his tail at the knot and then the branch in question so Birchpaw knew what he meant, then scrambled back up the trunk so he stood next to Birchpaw once more. "Does that sound like a good path? Should I follow you?" |
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Post by shy on Sept 23, 2024 17:28:18 GMT -6
#s://i~pinimg~com/564x/20/47/f6/2047f68163bdded29c2852e07df23c08~jpg birchpaw, Nervous energy prickled under her pelt as Elkpaw joined her on the branch. The path she'd picked had been simple enough, and he'd made it up the tree without further issue. It was a small step, but hopefully it would help him look more adept when he had to show off his climbing skills at his assessment the next day. " Try it by yourself first, see how it goes. You'll probably have to pick and follow a path tomorrow." Birchpaw didn't know much about Hailstar or his teaching methods, but she could imagine how horrifying it would be to struggle in front of the leader. Birchpaw moved to a nearby branch so she'd not get in the way of Elkpaw's path. " Oh, and you picked a good path, it's not too hard. Just remember that the knot can't support you in the same way a branch can. Don't linger there any longer than you need, it'll be tiring." |
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