Private Thread Overcoming Heights (1MW'21)

Garden's gem, in sunlight's blaze
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Merrypaw hadn’t appreciated being woken from her nap...not at first, anyway. She had blinked blearily at Coldgaze, grumbling under her breath as she stretched the stiffness from her limbs and trudged after him. But now as she stood at the base of the great twin trees her annoyance faded into curiosity.

She flicked an ear at his question, glancing from the sturdy trunks to her mentor. He wasn’t looking at her.

That was unusual.

Still, she wasn’t about to let that slip by without answering. She tipped her head, considering. “Because it’s unexpected..." She started with a yawn. "Most cats wouldn’t think to look for a RiverClan cat in a tree." Her whiskers twitched as she glanced up at the branches, noting the winding, almost absolute verticality of it all. It seemed imposing...but not impossible.

Garden's gem, in sunlight's blaze
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Merrypaw watched as Coldgaze scaled the tree, her sharp eyes tracking every shift of his muscles, every dig of his claws into the bark. It looked... deceptively easy. But she knew better.

Flexing her paws against the roots, she unsheathed her claws, testing their grip against the wood. It felt strange - even in places where she thought she could get purchase - but not impossible. Taking a steadying breath, she crouched and sprang upward, aiming for the spot where Coldgaze had first sunk his claws.

The bark was slick beneath her pads, and for a brief moment, she thought she might slide right back down. She started to slip, but she dug in, hooking herself in place, scrambling to mimic her mentor’s movements. Her tail lashed behind her, struggling for balance as she hauled herself up inch by inch.

Progress was going painstakingly slow and she stole a glance at Coldgaze, swallowing a huff.

Garden's gem, in sunlight's blaze
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Merrypaw grit her teeth, her muscles already burning from the effort. She flexed her claws deeper into the bark, adjusting her grip.

hifting her weight, she pushed upward with her hind legs, using the strength in her haunches rather than relying entirely on her forepaws. The difference was immediate - she wasn't just dragging herself up but propelling herself forward.

Bit by bit, she climbed higher, her tail lashing as she found a rhythm. When she finally reached the branch near Coldgaze, she shook out her paws. "Alright...That actually helped."

A moment passed, and she followed his gaze toward the camp below. "Y'know..." She mewed, tilting her head. "This is a pretty good spot to spy on everyone - or, uh, check for danger..." Her whiskers twitched with good humor.

Garden's gem, in sunlight's blaze
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She’d never really thought about it, but now that he mentioned it... She let out a quiet huff of amusement, her tail curling around her paws. It made sense, but even more impressive was her massive sire being able to navigate willowly boughs. "Good place to look important."

Settling into a more comfortable perch, she let her gaze sweep across the camp below. It was strange, looking down on everything like this - like she was watching a little world separate from her own. Her ears twitched as she took it all in.

Her sharp eyes landed on a plump white form near the fresh-kill pile. Cottonbright. The older she-cat moved cautiously, her ears flicking this way and that, her tail held tensely. Even from up here, Merrypaw could tell she was on edge. Then, suddenly, Cottonbright flinched - startling so hard she nearly tripped over her own paws as a piece of fresh kill moved down from the top of the pile. Merrypaw had to clamp down on a laugh. "Cottonbright just spooked herself..."

Her whiskers twitched as she watched the warrior hastily shake out her fur. Merrypaw smirked. "I think she's a good fit for Sturgeonpaw."

Garden's gem, in sunlight's blaze
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Merrypaw’s smirk faded slightly at the mention of Otterwhisker. Her gaze flicked away from Cottonbright, trailing toward the medicine cat’s den.

"She’s…" Merrypaw hesitated, kneading her claws lightly into the bark beneath her. "…Still coughing a lot." She tried to keep her tone even, but there was a flicker of uncertainty in her voice. "She says it’s just a little thing, nothing to worry about." And StarClan, did Merrypaw want to believe that.

She forced a small smile, glancing up at Coldgaze. "I told her that once the river melts, I’d take her to see it." She made herself a bit more comfortable on the bough. "She used to tell me all sorts of stories about how the ice cracks and breaks apart, like claws tearing through it." There was a hint of excitement in her voice now, pushing away the worry gnawing at her.

"I think it’d be nice. She’d like it, don’t you think?"

Garden's gem, in sunlight's blaze
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Merrypaw huffed softly, rolling her eyes. "Yeah, yeah. ‘Worrying won’t help,’" She ultimately relinquished with a meow. She knew Coldgaze was right, even if she didn’t like hearing it.

Still, his suggestion made her ears perk. "She’s always saying Sturgeonpaw and I need to be stronger swimmers. It’d make her feel important." Her whiskers twitched in amusement at the thought. Otterwhisker loved to give advice - half the time, Merrypaw was sure she just made things up to sound wise, but she knew deep down that Otterwhisker was a cat who could have lived multiple lives.

She stretched out on the branch, casting her gaze toward the river beyond camp. "It’s gonna be a mess when it starts breaking apart..." The apprentice breathed as her eyes flashed languidly over camp. "All that ice and slush…"

Something in Coldgaze’s tone made her glance at him. He’d looked away, something distant in his expression. She blinked, considering, then wiggled a bit more definitively closer to the longhaired tom. "Worrying won't help..."She teased lightly, though her tone was more curious than mocking.

Garden's gem, in sunlight's blaze
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Merrypaw froze, her breath catching.

She blinked, ears tipping forward as she stared at Coldgaze, trying to process what he had just said. Otterwhisker… drowned? No, not quite—nearly drowned. But that didn’t make it any easier to hear. Her mother had never told her that.

Her claws flexed against the bark beneath her. "She never - " She cut herself off, shaking her head. Of course, Otterwhisker hadn’t told her. If she had, Merrypaw would have asked a thousand questions, and her dam… she always brushed off things that made her seem weak. That’s why she hated being in the medicine den so much.

And Boldstar… she knew that her sire had lost lives before, Otterwhisker had spoken as such. She exhaled sharply through her nose, trying to steady herself, to keep her thoughts from drifting. Her green eyes flicked up to Coldgaze, taking in his expression. Merrypaw wasn’t always the best at picking up on things, but she wasn’t dense.

"None of us would be here today, I presume. Even the most skilled cat can always fall by bad luck...If she was alone, had been a better swimmer, there could have been a hundred outcomes. I can't wait until the river thaws. I'm going to splash, swim, dive! I'm going to live." She proclaimed from her branch, fixing the concerned tom with a pointed look. "But I won't be reckless."

Garden's gem, in sunlight's blaze
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Merrypaw let out a short, amused snort, her tail flicking beneath Coldgaze’s. "Oh, she definitely would." She could just picture her mother’s face - half exasperation, half amusement - before she went on some long winded rant about gossiping warriors.

Still, the way he responded made something tighten in her chest. She hadn’t missed the way his voice wavered even slightly. She wanted to press, to prod at whatever was going through his mind, but before she could, Coldgaze was shifting to his paws.

Her ears flicked up at the look in his eyes, something sharp and knowing.

…Oh no.

Merrypaw sat up straighter, narrowing her eyes. "You do have a plan to get me down, right?" She asked, feigning suspicion. Not that she was worried.

Garden's gem, in sunlight's blaze
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Merrypaw watched Coldgaze descend with sharp, focused eyes, taking in every movement - every deliberate shift of his claws, every careful stretch of his hind legs. She knew, instinctively, that he wasn’t just showing off. He was teaching her, in that infuriating, silent way of his.

And then he dropped.

Merrypaw’s breath hitched, ears twitching as she watched him twist midair and land with the effortless ease of a cat who had done this a hundred times over. She huffed. Still, when he flicked his gaze up at her expectantly, she didn’t hesitate.

Bracing herself, she crept toward the trunk, planting her claws firmly into the bark. Slow. Deliberate. She tried to mimic the way Coldgaze had moved. Reaching down with her back legs first, shifting her weight carefully...until her stomach twisted with the uncomfortable sensation of going backward.

Her claws scraped against the wood as she inched lower, her tail lashing once to keep balance. She was doing it. She had it.

Garden's gem, in sunlight's blaze
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Merrypaw's ear twitched at his voice, sharp with tension. She knew that tone - it was when someone was being particularly mouse brained during training. It would have been funny if she weren’t currently hanging off the side of a tree.

Still, she adjusted her grip, forcing herself to slow down. She exhaled through her nose, easing her weight onto her back paws, letting her claws bite into the bark. One step. Then another. She was almost there...then the bark beneath her hind claws crumbled.

A sharp gasp left her as she slipped - her front paws scrabbling for purchase, back legs kicking at empty air - until with a final graceless thump, she landed on all four feet.

A beat of stunned silence before her eyes flashed over towards her mentor, her tail giving a dismissive flick as if to excuse the awkwardness of her dismount. "I'll need more practice. How about I join you up here every day to 'survey' the clan in the morning?"

Garden's gem, in sunlight's blaze
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Merrypaw eyed him, unimpressed. "Smaller trees?" She huffed playfully, puffing out her chest - though her still splayed fur and snow dusted tail somewhat ruined the effect.

She offered a half grin, flicking a bit of snow at him with her paw. "Fine. I’ll start with the saplings. But I'll hold you to it." She couldn't wait to talk to Otterwhisker and tell her that she didn't just fall from the first tree she tried to climb.