Maybe the birds might teach me how to fly(Moss)

[Flurrypaw]

(Mosspaw)

I tend to be a bit of a wanderer. I guess it all comes down to me and my curious mind. That and the fact that I have too much energy and what to know more about the territory. Either way, for whatever reason, I'm an apprentice now, and this being my third day as one, I want to explore. To see the world. Or more specifically, the other clans. Seeing as I haven't learnt to hunt yet, and managed to persuade the guards with giddy smiles, the fact that I'm an apprentice, and a whole bunch of bouncing around, to let me out of camp on my own. Generally from my perspective, apprentices have to have an escort, usually a warrior. Especially the knew ones. I'm pretty sure it would have taken them a while to believe I was even an apprentice in that moment if it hadn't been for the ceremony just a few nights ago. Now I'm simply wandering around aimlessly, hoping to happen upon something, or someone, interesting.

I find myself edging closer toward the Treeclan border. I'm fairly certain my mentor, Spruceclaw, has a 'friend' over there. So to speak. I smirk at the thought because I'd certainly had a good time teasing him about that. I doubt I'm ever going to let that go with him, and he'll regret that longing glance and comment about separating love with borders. Like hell he will. At least I've been assured that my brother's assessment of these particular cats what's wrong. And that the distaste of them from both of them was merely that. Perhaps fear of the Unknown? I shrug because I don't really know, then smile because the sun is warm on my back, and I've found a nice big rock near a tree on our side of the border to sun bathe on. Bounding over, I double check that the tree and large rock are in fact on our side. They sort of seem to be exactly on the border, so I take that to mean it's a half and half thing. Who really cares for a rock and tree on their territory anyway, when we have several more of the former, and they of the latter. Shrugging, I Spring, albeit a little awkwardly with one blind eye and one fuzzy one, onto the flat sun warmed surface of the rock, and lay down. Smiling, I splay myself out on Rockclan's half with a purr, reaching up to bat at a leaf on the branch above me.

Pawsteps and a fresher hint of Treeclan scent alerts me of a new presence, and I lift my head to give the other cat a smile. He seems about my age, certainly an apprentice by my calculation. "Good afternoon."

[Mosspaw]

Mosspaw, being one of the taller apprentices, was pretty good at sneaking out of camp. Plus, there was the fact that he was, sort of, one of the older apprentices? Maybe it was just because there weren't many threats in TreeClan these days, so warriors weren't worried when apprentice's went wandering off on their own.

Maybe I'll go climb some trees again, he thought, heading towards the RockClan border, since he hadn't been there in awhile and even if there weren't any good climbing trees around there, there was bound to be some nice warm rocks he could sunbathe on. I wonder what my warrior name'll be, he thought as he walked towards the RockClan border, Moss...blaze? Nah. Mossflower? It sounds pretty but I dunno if Spiderstar would use "flower" in a boys name. Maybe... Mossclaw? Pffft. No. The tom-cat was pulled from his thoughts as he finally came upon the RockClan border. The trees thinned around here, and the ground became rockier. This was the first border that his mentor had brought him too on the territory tour.

The pale gray-and-white apprentice was about to leap into a tree when he heard the sound of another voice coming from across the border. Curious, he abanonded the tree and padded towards the border, stopping on his side of the scent line. His eyes widened when he spotted a young apprentice on the RockClan side of the border. "Oh, hello!" he chirped cheerfully, seeing no reason as to why he shouldn't talk to the she-cat, "good afternoon to you too."

[Flurrypaw]

Good. He's friendly. My warm and greeting smile widens into a grin and I shuffle myself round into a better position for speaking to the other cat. I don't get up, however, because why should I do that if he certainly seems no danger to me? "I'm Flurrypaw. What's your name?" I tilt my head in joyous curiosity, peering at him with my one seeing eye and examining him slightly. It's not hard seeing as he's taller than me, and older by my calculations. He's certainly not hard to look at either, and his eyes I swear match the grass and leaves on his side of the border. Or maybe moss? Either way, I have a feeling my brother's former assumption of these cats was wrong. "You certainly don't look like you eat kits." I offer an amused purr and stretch forward on the rock so that I've shuffled closer to look at him.

"So, can you climb trees? My mentor can. I think some cat taught him though." I grin at this because if my assumptions are true, he has, or perhaps had, a Treeclan girlfriend. I flicker my tail slightly because heck, if I wanted to keep it still, I'd have to sit on it. So why not just let it do as it wishes? I glance up at the tree because I'm curious what it'd be like to climb up there. I've climbed onto the lowest branch once, but not much further than that. I suddenly switch my gaze back to the other apprentice with a hopeful look. "Could you teach me? We both technically share this tree so...it couldn't hurt right?" I give him a persuasive grin for good measure. If he says no, I'll probably just pretend to sulk for a while before going back to enjoying the sunshine on my warm flat rock. What's the harm in asking?

[Mosspaw]

"Mosspaw," the pale gray-and-white tom introduced, dipping his head slightly to Flurrypaw, as was the custom, "nice to meetcha. I don't think I've every met a RockClan cat before," he smiled brightly. He couldn't help but laugh when the she-cat said he didn't look like he would eat kits. "Well, if I looked the type I'd never get away with it," he mewed mischievously before bursting into another fit of giggles, "just kidding. Although I'm pretty sure FireClan cats actually eat kits," the tom-cat felt the fur along his spine prick uneasily, "my mentor told me that their leader will eat cats from her own clan if they disobey her." He glanced uneasily toward the direction of the Fireclan territory. Sometimes he had nightmares about Darkstar.

"Yup, climbing trees is actually one my favorite things to do," he mewed with a bright smile, "I don't know why other clans don't teach their cats to do it--it makes hunting squirrels and birds so much easier," he guessed that it was probably just because the other clans didn't have as many trees as TreeClan, but it was still fun to do regardless of whether it was a useful skill or not. He looked over the tree Flurrypaw had pointed out. It wasn't exactly the ideal tree for a beginner, but as long as the two were careful Mosspaw thought it would be fine. "I don't see why not, you just have to promise to be careful, okay?"

[Flurrypaw]

Mosspaw. I grin at the older Tom, waving my tail slightly behind me. I guess his name makes a lot more sense with his eyes, mine goes more for my personally and the fact I've so much energy I can't stay still. "I like your name. What do you think your warrior name will be?" I prick my ears out of curiosity and excitement. More so the former. I've always wondered what being a warrior is like, but everyone seems to want me to figure it out for myself. I guess it depends on the cat, perhaps? Oh well. Who cares? I twitch my ears in his direction and my eyes widen at the prospect of being the first Rockclan cat he's met. The thought of first impressions crosses my mind, but I feel I've probably not only aced, but surpassed that. "Me neither! I mean...I've never met a Treeclan cat before." I twitch my ears slightly at my lapse, but don't really care as I'm still happy as a kit being taken into the territory. Thinking of such....so much for super duper promises. His next comment is met with a decent shrug. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone." I top off my sentence with a wink, then join him with my own fit of giggles, glad this cat isn't so hostile as I'd thought some might be.

"Really?!" My eyes widen in an uncanny mix of astonishment, curiosity and terror at the mere thought of being eaten by my clan leader. I shudder slightly, the fur pricking along my spine. "The Warriors too?" My mentor hadn't seemed to like Fireclanners much either. I think we must have done something to them at one point to make them angry, but even he wasn't around yet. Maybe they want to eat us! I try to force myself to relax as my eyes follow his own quick glance toward Fireclanners. It's a long way off, which eases my tiny soul just a tad. Enough for me to return my attention to my new friend and let my fur settle.

At the topic of climbing, I'm back to my grinning because I really want to learn to climb trees. I'm certainly glad when he says it's one of his favourite things to do, and my pricked ears and still hopeful look show this. As he speaks, I nod, before giving a slightly shrug. "I guess we climb rocks, sorta." I blink, because I don't really know why either. I cast my gaze over the barren, rocky terrain that is my home. Practically all sun rocks and nothing else other than that water fall by Iceclan. "I guess cause we only got those tall scraggly trees that you can't reach the branches on." I say with another shrug, nodding toward one of the pine trees. It's a little disappointing to be honest, but oh well. I turn my smile back to a grin and look at him. Clearly I was certainly persuasive enough, as I'm soon bouncing to my paws and bounding toward the tree I pointed out, peering up from the foot of it. At his request, I give him a mockingly appalled look. "Me? Careful? How boring!" Then I smirk slightly and chuckle. "Alright. If you insist."

[Mosspaw]

"Probably something simple," he mewed, he hadn't though too much about his warrior name, and truthfully didn't care all that much, "maybe... Mosslight? Or Mossfur," he smiled, "what about you? Got a name you're looking forward to calling your own?" He grinned, trying to think of something that would suit the she-cat. Flurry...storm? Flurry...flight? Nah, those don't sound right.

Mosspaw grinned as Flurrypaw joined him in his laughter, glad his joke hadn't scared her off. The pale gray-and-white tom-cat nodded at her questions. "Even warriors," he shuddered, "although I've heard she likes kits the best--softer meat 'n all," he almost gagged at the thought. Sometimes he wondered why the other clan leaders didn't run her out the territories, she seemed to be a danger to everyone. Probably 'cause she's the oldest clan leader around, he thought, she bound to pass away soon anyway.

Mosspaw nodded, figuring that made sense. Still, he thought it was a pity that other clans didn't get to climb trees. Then again, most of the other clans also always had access to seeing the sky, while TreeClanners had to climb up to the tree tops to get a glimpse of the sky. The tom-cat chuckled at Flurrypaw's response, although he hoped that she really would be careful. TreeClan cats grow up climbing the smaller trees in the camp, so learning how to climb trees was second nature to them, and even then there were TreeClan cats that fell from trees everyone in awhile and broke limbs. Mosspaw knew a few apprentices that wouldn't climb past the first few branches of a tree because they witnessed, or have had, a bad fall. "Alright then," he mewed, clearing his head and putting on a bright smile as he flicked his long tail towards the tree, "you ready to get started?"

[Flurrypaw]

I shrug slightly. I really can't come up with anything that suites him either. My ears twitch forward slightly, and I find myself curious however as he asks me of my own name. I don't really know, but it might be nice to try a few out for size. "I hadn't really thought about it. Flurrytail? Or maybe Flurrystorm?" I shrug, because I really have no idea. Oh well, I've only had one training session because my mentor is hopelessly slow compared to my leaps and bounds in life. I giggle slightly at the thought. Or maybe because his grin is making me happy too. I always like to make cats smile. I grin back at him for good measure.

I eye his nod and echo his shudder as he confirms my suspicions. I think if I ever meet this somethingstar of Fireclanners, I'll turn tail and run home like a startled rabbit. Or maybe not? I don't know, but I sure as hell don't want to find out. I'm not sure I'm looking forward to gatherings so much anymore. Unaware I'm mimicking his thoughts, I tilt my head at him slightly. "Why don't the clans just chase her out? I think she's gonna come after our kits if she hasn't already. I'm surprised she's got so many cats in her clan." And then my suspicions catch up with my mouth and I gasp. "She doesn't let them leave, does she? If they try, she'll probably just eat them too." I shudder again and almost gag on the thoughts because this woman sounds insane. I eye the border direction warily, like it's going to suddenly shuffle closer. Ever closer.

Wow. He really does look worried. Reminds me of mama when I said my eyes are funny. I'm certainly not going to tell this cat that I'm blind in one eye and Somewhere in between with the other. I really do t want to miss this chance. And so, I draw off his smile with one of my own. His seems a little forced through his worry, and I wonder if he's ever taught anyone to climb before. Maybe I'm the first. I grin at that thought and bounce slightly on my paws at the base, to antsy to wait much longer. I'll just have to be on my best behaviour then. Maybe after the first branch. My patience runs out, and bunching my hindquarters, I Spring for the branch with equal ambition as my first semi-lesson with my mentor. My front claws grip the branch, and I realise I could have aimed for a lower one. Oh well. I haul myself up with less grace than I'd prefer, and stand a little awkwardly atop the branch. I shuffle over to the trunk, closer to the border, and peer down at him with a grin, swishing my tail slightly. "How'd I do?"

[Mosspaw]

"Probably," Mosspaw mewed, glad that they were a safe distance from the FireClan border, "I'm pretty sure no one wants to confront her about she--she's been a leader a lot longer than the leaders from the other clans, you know? She's on her last life anyway, I've heard. I think everyone's just hoping she'll pass away on her own." Still, he'd sleep better at night knowing she wasn't still roaming the FireClan prairie.

Mosspaw feels his heart beat anxiously in his chest as Flurrypaw leaps onto one of the branches. He lets out a breath of relief when she lands safely. "Make sure to keep your talk out for balance!" he called up to her, bunching his muscles up as he gets ready to jump up and join her, "and watch out for your claws--you'll have to keep them unsheathed to move around safely, but if you're not careful they could tear," his ear twitched at the thought. He tore one of his claws on his first day of climbing. He had thought he could run along the branches, but one of his claws snagged in the bark. Pushing the thought from his mind, the long-legged tom-cat pushed off the ground in a high leap, landing neatly on the branch just below Flurrypaw.

[Flurrypaw]

(Hmm, you've got to love their conversation though. I'm almost tempted to tag Darkstar, just for laughs)

Wow. What a worry wart. He doesn't even know me! I roll my eyes slightly with a huff, but obey his command merely because it feels a little safer anyway. I let my claws dig into the bark for extra support as I lean over slightly to peer down at him. I'm not that high up really, but my small size and the fact I've never climbed before still makes it a little unsettling to be above the ground. Imaging how Fireclanners cats would feel! They don't even have rocks! Oh well, they're so fast according to my mentor, so they'd probably just trip over the rocks and crash into trees anyway. Turning can't be easy if you're running so fast. Or jumping. I shove my thoughts away from Fireclanners because the thought of being eaten makes me have to refrain from shuddering lest I fall out of the tree.

My ears flicker forward at his other shouted command, and I take extra note to keep my claws unsheathed, but avoid snagging. So, don't run. Okay? I flick my tail once, carefully, and watch him as he bunches his muscles in preparation. I'm more of a visual learner than anything, and I know this well enough despite my bad eyesight. I guess attention comes with age? Oh well. I study him as he springs almost effortlessly onto the branch below me. I'm almost tempted to bat him from above with one fluffy white paw, but I know it'd be a bad idea for both of us. So I instead bunch my muscles for another leap. This time, I visualise in my mind exactly how he did it, adding my own little tweaks to suit me and my build as well as skills and strengths. He's rather leggy compared to me. I'm sort of just an all rounder in build, though a little on the lithe side. Latching my gaze onto the branch above me, I Spring onto it a lot more gracefully then before, and walk along it to the turn. At least I'm a quick learner, which makes up for my lack of patience and attention span. I grin down at him, holding my tail out as instructed. "Better?"

(They be friends now, live with it. Haha! xD)

[Mosspaw]

(lol :3 i'm sure these aren't the first cats to be scared of her)

"Yeah, that was really good!" the apprentice shouted his praise up to the RockClan she-cat. Mosspaw eyes the branches, trying to figure out which one he should move to. He didn't want to jump onto the same branch as Flurrypaw, since he didn't want to risk wobbling the branch and messing up her footing. Bunching his muscles, he made a clean jump to a branch that was nearby hers, and on the same level as the branch she was on.

He grinned at the she-cat once he was on the same level as her. "Not too hard, huh?" Mosspaw mewed. The tom-cat had caught on pretty quickly; which he was glad about since he wasn't sure how he would've explained climbing if Flurrypaw didn't.

[Flurrypaw]

(Doubtfully, but perhaps the first to not even met her, but have a whole conversation over the subject of her cannibalism. xD)

My ears perk in his direction, and I swear if I wasn't already grinning, I certainly am now. I wave my tail at him, not wanting to lose my balance nor bat him with a paw and make us both fall, so instead I just wave my tail and grin like an idiot, nigh splitting my face in half. "Why thank you. So glad you chose to humor me." I purr slightly, and is partially aware this could be a lot harder. This thought leads me to offer a nod and a murmur of agreement to his comment. I'm also aware this would be a lot harder for the both of us if I wasn't such a quick learner, and he had to explain it to me. Hey, for all I know he's good at explaining things. I turn slightly to offer an imploring look. "So, if I'd never climbed before, and wasn't a semi visual learner, how would you teach me to climb. How would you explain it?"

My grin drops momentarily to a mere smile as I look around at the branches for somewhere higher, despite being level making it easier to converse. How boring is easy? I spot a slightly higher branch, and bit more of a spread from the one I'm on than the height of my last jump, though about equal, if not a little less than my first. Gaining purchase on my current branch, I Spring up before turning around to peer down at him for an answer to my curiosity.

[Mosspaw]

(maybe :3)

Mosspaw smiled, waving back at the she-cat with his spotted tail. He rolled his eyes at the other apprentice's words, "no, really, you're doing good. Especially for a beginner." That didn't mean he wasn't taking precautions though. Every once-in-awhile he would glance down at her footing to make sure she was doing okay, and any wobbling of the branch made him tense up.

How would I teach? he thought, tipping his head thoughtfully to the side, "well, I'd probably start with the more basic things, like how to climb up to a branch. That's usually what most new apprentices have a problem with, but that's usually due to their size and lack of muscle. Then, once they've gotten onto a branch, I'd teach them how to safely walk on before moving onto branch hoping and tree hoping," he blinked, realizing he hadn't actually explained anything yet, "well, I guess that isn't as much explaining as is it a lesson."

Mosspaw's eyes widened as he watched Flurrypaw jump to an even higher branch. Grinning, he bunches up his muscles and leaps up to join her. "Be careful," he warns. The branch he had joined her on was thick enough, but defiantly more narrow than the branches they had previously be perched on, "the higher you climb on a tree, the more unstable the branches are. I wouldn't recommend going much higher than this, okay?"

[Flurrypaw]

I laugh softly, but what he doesn't know is that I took the compliment to heart. I'm like that, I suppose. I brush everything off with a laugh and a roll of my eyes, maybe a little bit of humour, but what many don't know is that I take most everything to heart. I just bounce back so quick that no one notices. I sway him a grin, tail flickering slightly to show my thanks despite not truly thanking him for the complimapent, my gratitude is just the same though. From my perch, I gaze out at the landscape belong. No wonder these cats like trees so much, it's beautiful from up here. I purr softly as he joins me, and just my chin in the direction of my clan. "You can see my camp from here!" I point out with a happy grin, squinting funny to see if I can spot any cats. Not from this high and far away, everything are just sort of splodges. I twitch my ears back at his explanation and grin. "More a walk through, but I applaud you for your efforts."

I nod swiftly, peering at him from the corner of my eye and offering a soothing purr. What a worrier he is. Holding my grip, I peer up through the branches to test his theory. They do in fact narrow toward the top, just as one might suspect. My tail twitches slightly, my confidence slipping just the tiniest bit as I realise what part of our little lesson he's forgotten. I crouch on my branch and peer down toward the ground, and dizzying way down that makes me shudde. It's not like I'm scared of high ts or anything, I'd just rather have a path down as well as up, is all. I turn to him, eyes a little nervous now, though my tone is still light and airy if I speak, if not a little quivery. "Umm...So how do I get down?"

[Mosspaw]

"Really?" Mosspaw followed Flurrypaw's line of vision, curious as what her camp looked like, "where?" He had never seen another clan's camp before, and the idea of it was a little bit exciting, although he knew that they were probably too far away to get a clear view of anything. Curious, tipped his head to the side, "what's your camp like?"

"It's not too hard," he mewed, judging the distance between Flurrypaw and the ground. They were too high up to jump, by probably only needed to go down a few branches. "All you need to do is sink your back claws into the tree branch you own, and then lean down to the closest branch," he began to do as he instructed, "here, watch me." The next branch down was pretty close, just under a tail-length away. He sunk his back claws into the tree branch, then sheathed his front claws and let the front part of his body fall off the branch. He easily grabbed hold of the branch below them and sunk his claws in, "one you get a hold of the branch you want to get onto, sheath your back claws and swing the rest of your body over," he followed his own instructions as he did so, landing neatly on the branch. "It's easier to do the quicker you do, but I'd go slower since it's your first try... Oh! And try not too look straight down if you can help it."