A Moment in the Woods. [JuncoxCrow]

[Glowy]

"Hmmm...what sort of adventure do you want to have? Shall we climb a tree? Take our chances with the river? Search the very outskirts of our territory? Make our way through the dangerous undergrowth to find herbs no cat has found before?" "I dunno. I'd rather not go swimming though. It's not very hot today." He shrugged and bounced up to his paws, smiling. Anything she wanted to do was fine with him. He just wanted to get out of camp right now. "Let's make the adventures come to us!" Crowflower took the lead as the companions traipsed out of camp, waving his tail in salutation to the warriors posted as guards. Ordinarily he would have stopped for a little chat, but he didn't think Juncopaw would appreciate that much. He was spending time with her, not the warriors. They could always talk later on, during the evening meal, or afterwards, when everyone was sharing tongues. He and Juncopaw did not speak at first. The silence was comfortable for him, as he worked in silence most of the time, although he imagined that the poor apprentice was jumping out of her skin with nerves. In observing her, she could hardly stand to sit still, or be silent for more than a few heartbeats. So, while his pawsteps carried him unconsciously toward the FogClan border, he decided that he would begin training her in patience. He would wait a while to start conversation between the two of them. That is, unless she simply couldn't stand it and started jabbering on about the first thing that popped into her mind. Wait. Wait, wait, wait. He was walking toward the FogClan border. Crowflower smiled at himself, shaking his head. Oh, he had travelled this route so many times in hopes of meeting Finchpaw on the border that his paws travelled it unconsciously now. He hoped that he had caught his mistake soon enough, hoped that Juncopaw didn't catch on. Distraction, distraction, distraction... where. WHERE? Ah! There was a pretty little pink flower being all perky and happy and conveniently placed right under his nose. He was glad to have found an excuse for his abrupt stop. She would buy the flower story. He was just being himself and examining a plant that had caught his attention. He did it all the time. Come to think of it, the flower really was quite pretty. It had no medicinal value whatsoever, but the color was pleasant to look at. It was almost the same shade as the little spot on Finchpaw's nose that was different from all the rest. When he stuck his nose in it, it had a sweet odor, quite different from the tang of herbs he was used to working in. Yes, he liked this flower. He liked it very much. So once he remembered that Juncopaw was there, he motioned for her to come over with his tail, still adamantly being silent. He gestured with his head, bidding her to smell the lovely little thing for herself. Although she liked leaves better than flowers, even she wouldn't be able to deny the flower's perfection. speaking [bg=5f8219][atrb=width,469,true] [atrb=border,0,true]

[Cloudbat]

Juncopaw began to realize how foolish she must look, next to this wise tom. In their peaceful solitude, at first she was bursting with energy to speak and laugh and love. Yet she began to simply appreciate the beauty around them, instead of just filling the air with her own words.

The silver tabby began to appreciate the value of serenity and solitude as they trekked under the tall, old trees, rustlings in the bushes and bird calls being enough noise for the moment.

How mouse-brained I was! Thought the apprentice. All along I worried about saying the right thing, how I looked. But it now came to her - perhaps she'd known it for a long time but hadn't wanted to admit to herself - that she had been shallow, remarkably so. Silence speaks as much as words. Yet pleased as she was with her new epiphany, she knew it only signified how much she had yet to learn.

But I will, she thought determinedly. One day I will be good enough for Crowflower, I will be wise enough and sure enough to win his heart. But she knew - reluctantly - that that day was far, far off, if it ever came at all.

Still, she tried to enjoy their moments now, and vowed she would focus on trying to be more grown-up.

She barely realized where they were going (she'd almost tripped over a tree root and stumbled forward) when he stopped. The PineClan she-cat stiffened, anxiously smelling the air and looking in all directions to see if there was danger.

But there seemed to be nothing...oh, look! Crowflower had found a flower! Was it a useful flower maybe? What was it for? Oh, she was bursting to know!

No, Juncopaw, she told herself firmly. You will impress him by shutting your mouth for once, not running it. When he looked at her and gestured to the flower, she resolutely kept her mouth shut and simply looked at the thing, savoring its scent as she smiled, her blue eyes sad and happy at the same time.

"It's so...delicious!" As soon as she said the words she wanted to shove them back down her throat as she blushed under her fur. "Uh, I m-mean it smells r-really g-good and it's pretty. Heh." She shot him a cheesy grin, trying not to shrivel of embarrassment.

OOC: Juncopaw will always, no matter what the situation, goof up.

[Glowy]

Crowflower had been basking in the beauty of the flower until Juncopaw decided to speak. It wasn't so much the fact that she had spoken that bothered him, but what she'd said. Why did she always do that? She would say something and then switch it around, go back on her true feelings to... he didn't even know. To do what? To dull her true self in the hopes of acceptance? To try and impress her clanmates? Why couldn't she just be herself, for once? Crowflower didn't want to be annoyed with her. He really didn't. She was like a sister to him. He did care for her. All he wanted was for her to be comfortable around him. That was really all he wanted from anybody, but they all seemed to want to impress him. Nobody in his clan talked to him just for the pleasure of talking to him anymore, not since Bluefur had vanished. He'd hoped for Juncopaw to be different, but apparently she was sucked into the PineClan mentality that he was better than the masses and therefore needed to be treated differently. "Why do you always do that?" He tried to keep his irritation out of his voice, but succeeded only marginally. Crowflower shook his head, looking up at the sky. "You always say something and then go back on it! If you think the flower is delicious, just say so and don't be embarrassed about it. Nobody's ever going to respect you the way you deserve if you're not confident enough to say what you mean without being all wishy-washy. "If somebody doesn't agree with your opinion, well, just forget about it and move on. Life isn't about pleasing everybody, Juncopaw. I tried it once. It's kind of impossible. No matter what you do, how hard you try, how well you perform, it's impossible to satisfy everybody. So do what brings you satisfaction." He sighed. "Just... just be you, and don't apologize about it. Yeah?" Crowflower swore that dealing with fully grown cats could be just like dealing with kits sometimes. You had to be firm. He preferred to handle others with care, but sometimes gentleness just wasn't good enough. You had to shock them. You had to be willing to hurt them, temporarily, for the healing to happen. It was like piercing an infected wound to let the sickness leak out. "I'm glad you liked it, though," he mewed, then bent his head down and gently snipped the stem at the base. A heartbeat later, the flower was lying on the ground at Juncopaw's paws, and Crowflower was smiling. "You'll bloom and be just like it, one day. Take it, so you can remind yourself of that, and look forward to it. It faces the sun unashamed, knowing it can't go back on what it is. It doesn't matter if it's smaller than another flower, or if all the other flowers are a different color, because the sun still warms it just as much, loves it just as much as it does all the others. Let yourself be like it, Juncopaw." His eyes closed momentarily as he wondered how much of that she would actually retain, and how long it would be before she became unashamed like that fragile little pink flower. speaking [bg=5f8219][atrb=width,469,true] [atrb=border,0,true]

[Cloudbat]

Ohhhhh...why? Just why? Why did every word out of her mouth seem to tick him off? How was it that even when she tried hard she failed? How could she explain that she didn't need to please everyone...no, she was lying to herself. She did want to please everyone, in a vague way. But most of all she wanted desperately to please someone, anyone, so they could love her because her parents hadn't. But it all went wrong. Maybe no one could love her.

What was her true self, anyway? She didn't even know. Was she the timid, cowering apprentice that most cats saw? Or was she the silly, fun-loving she-cat who jumped in leaf piles without a care? Perhaps she simply a doomed failure. She so wanted to voice her uncertainty, to figure something out. But Crowflower wouldn't care about that.

She looked at him, so lost, so very lost. He had it easy - Clanborn, gifted, medicine cat. He had no idea how hard it was to be so desperate to impress when you had no real family, when you had left them behind for a desperate dream.

"Do you know what it's like, Crowflower? You had it easy - you were born here, with loving parents, apprenticed even before you were six moons old, gifted. I was just a stupid, lonely kittypet who thought she could survive in the wild and bumbled her way to PineClan." She said it gently, but she wanted him to understand why she was so unsure, so nervous of everything.

"I take things back because I'm not even sure what IS the real me, or if there's a real me at all. I'm not confident because I never feel good enough to be a PineClanner, and who would respect someone who's still weak as a house cat, anyway?"

She sighed. "I know, I sound all oh-woe-is-me. And yes, I know pleasing everyone is impossible. But I can't even please the cats I want to please." Like you, she added in her head. I can never seem to please you.

"Agree? Who cares if anyone agrees with me, I hardly have opinions at all. Why bother, when I'm probably wrong? And the only thing that can satisfy me is if I satisfy others. Well, no...I lie. Leaves make me happy, dreaming makes me happy, flowers make me happy. But what use is being happy if I'm useless?" She looked at him desperately, willing him to understand.

She blinked, still frowning, brows narrowed, and then her face transformed like a flower coming into bloom, like she was opening up the possibility that maybe, just maybe, something good could come from her.

The silver tabby reached, and grasped it gently with her paw, eyes lowered.

"I can't be it yet, Crowflower. But I can hope. I can hope in the love of flowers."

I can hope in the love of you.

[Glowy]

Crowflower hardly reacted as she spoke, only nodded in the appropriate places. His face held a constant expression of sympathy, though, until her words stopped. Then his brows knit together as he struggled to pull his thoughts together into a semblance of a reply. He'd had no idea that she had so much pain locked up inside. Her fun, bouncy side sure did a good job of masking it, if you could overlook the insecurity that stuck out like a wild rose in a patch of ferns. He should have figured it, though. Every cat was covering up some kind of pain- even Gingerstar, he bet. "No, I don't know what that's like," he admitted, shaking his head, "But do you know what it's like to be me?" Sadness stole into his eyes as he continued, ears and tail drooping. His voice lowered too, both in pitch and in volume, and he seemed to have difficulty getting the words out. "My 'loving family'? My 'lucky apprenticeship'? Right. Sure. My sister hates me, my father was never there, and my mother... I haven't even seen her in moons. Literally. My mentor did so much as show me what the herbs were, tell me their names and uses, and he only did that once. I was pretty much left to myself. Do you know what it's like to have a mentor, one who's supposed to be caring and want to heal, and have him want nothing to do with you? Especially after he chose you himself. "I'm not some super special cat with powers from beyond this world just because I heal. I'm not gifted by any means. I've worked my tail off to get to where I am now. I don't think I would have even been made a medicine cat yet if it wasn't necessary." He wasn't angry or bitter about his experiences as an apprentice. Don't get me wrong. He didn't hate his mentor for being busy all the time- too busy to train him as much as he should have. He was confused and hurt more than anything, really. Juncopaw thought he was gifted, huh? Well, he hoped that she would see things a little differently now. If he'd been truly special, his mentor would have had time for him. If he really was amazing, his sister wouldn't hate him. No, he wasn't anything spectacular. He was just himself, and he was content with being himself. That was all he could ask for in the end, right? "The real you ought to be pretty easy to figure out. It's who you are when you're not worried about being anything else. And don't you worry about being good enough. If you weren't good enough, you wouldn't have found us in the first place, wouldn't have survived. You wouldn't be here, talking to me, if you weren't good enough to be part of our clan. Your past doesn't matter- it's who you are right now that counts. If anybody judges you for your past, you just tell them to come to me. I'll set things straight," he said grimly, fully intending to do whatever it took to help this poor hurting soul. He would help his... friend. Yes. She was a friend. He could safely call her a friend now. "Juncopaw," he said firmly, looking her in the eyes, "Now you listen to me. You are not by any means useless. Nothing is useless. If you were useless, you wouldn't exist. There is a purpose for everything. I mean, who would have thought that a simple leaf could be used to cure a deadly cough? Most cats would look at it and say that it was worthless. It takes somebody special to see the potential inside." He smiled. She said she could hope. Hope was one of the most important things in the world. It let you see different sides of situations that most cats were blind to. "Oh, you always have hope, Juncopaw. It's one of the few things that is constant, if we make up our minds not to let it go." He nosed the flower closer to her. She hadn't picked it up yet. "Who do you want to please, Juncopaw?" speaking [bg=5f8219][atrb=width,469,true] [atrb=border,0,true]

[Cloudbat]

Juncopaw half hiccuped, half sighed. So selfish. So limited. Even though it had occurred to her not five minutes ago, it hit her in the face now. If she really loved Crowflower, she would've realized this. I don't really love him, not yet, she reluctantly admitted. When I can understand him, and help him, and be everything to him, I will love him truly and freely, like the love of flowers.

"I...I never even thought about that. I'm sorry. I feel selfish. But that's awful. Maybe it's worse having family and having them not pay attention to you than not having them at all. I never thought about it like that. But..." She realized he'd mentioned that Willowpaw hated him, and that didn't make sense. She frowned. "Willowpaw hates you? How can that be? Why would she hate you?" Sure, her brothers had annoyed her sometimes, but she'd never hated them. At least, not that she could remember...

"It stinks about your mentor though...how he just disappeared." She added sympathetically. But she shook her head at his next words.

"You are special, Crowflower, whether you believe it or not. And I know you've worked hard-" The silver tabby meowed warmly but firmly "-but still, you're gifted."

Then she laughed.

"Not worried? But I'm always worried about being something else, because I can't be happy the way I am."

Her head tilted with curiosity as he said she shouldn't worry about being good enough. Why? If she didn't worry about it, she'd never be good enough because she wouldn't be working for it, which she was bad enough at anyway. Yet she smiled sadly as he told her not be judged for her past. "Yet aren't we the sum of our past mistakes, because that's what we're judged for?" She mewed, her face long with sorrow.

Still, the apprentice dipped her head to the medicine cat, trying to hide how much his words meant to her. "Still, that means more to me than you know. And I'll be there for you, too. I might be lazy, stupid, and overly emotional but I know I can be loyal."

Could he be right? Could everything truly have a use? She so wanted to believe it...but what if even he was wrong? "I hope you're right, Crowflower. I hope that you're right." She felt flattered at his words about potential, even though she knew he wasn't really talking about her. But, Juncopaw realized, I want to be his friend for a while longer, and that's what makes the most sense anyway. One day, I will be ready to be his mate. But that day is many moons off.

"If hope is constant, is love?" It slipped out before she could stop it, and his next question gave her pause, for how could she be honest without spilling her secret? Technically she wouldn't be lying if she just didn't say his name...

"W-well, G-gingerstar obviously, and A-aspenheart t-too, cause he's my mentor of course...a-a-and I'd l-love to impress W-w-willowpaw...." Curses. Would her stuttering give her away? She'd been trying hard not to do it, but now that she was all jittery inside it slipped out again.

[Glowy]

Crowflower said nothing as she spoke, only felt his heart swell with that oh-so-familiar feeling that he knew so well. He had no name for it, but he knew what it meant, and it meant that his heart was reaching out to his companion to comfort them. All he wanted was to show Juncopaw how valuable she was, to show her how loved and treasured she was by everyone around her, and namely those who knew her well. He wanted an instant solution that would fix the breaks in her heart right then and there. Unfortunately, nothing comes unless you wait for it. Crowflower was not a fan of waiting. In his den, he could mix up a few herbs, give them to a cat or apply them to a wound, and then he could trust that he'd see their effects within a day. But when dealing with mental wounds, time more than anything had to be applied. Time, patience, and understanding. "Why would you feel selfish simply for not having thought of something? Bit of an odd way to feel," he said with a small smile, hoping that she didn't think he was being patronizing. "I don't know why Willowpaw hates me, or why my mentor left, but, yes, it does... stink." He laughed a little bit. That was one way to put it! Why he found it amusing, he hadn't the slightest idea. "You're the way you are for a reason, Juncopaw. You shouldn't be ashamed of that. And if anybody is judging you solely based on your past mess-ups, their opinion isn't even worth your consideration, because there's something wrong with them. You are more than the choices that you've made, Juncopaw. They have shaped your circumstances, yes, but circumstances aren't who you are. You're training to be a warrior, but you also love leaves and flowers, and you're bright. If anybody can't see that, and only sees the actions you do, it's their loss." He meant every word of it. Oh, he was trying to hard to put everything he felt was right into words. "I believe that love is constant. It's why everybody searches for it- they need something in their lives that they feel will never change, that they can trust to always be there. It has to be the right kind of love, but yes. Love is constant." Crowflower nodded to affirm his own statement. Yes. Love must be constant. If he believed in something that wasn't constant, what credence could he give himself? And then Juncopaw started to stutter. She was nervous, and he made her nervous. It couldn't be any other reason. When she'd done this before in their conversations, there had usually been someone else around, or some sudden noise that she could blame it on, but now... it was just the two of them. He made her nervous? Why? He was just being himself. He honestly tried to be as nonthreatening as possible. Maybe he'd been too intense with his assurances or something. "I'm sorry, did I do something?" Crowflower injected extra tenderness into his voice and smiled a little wider, trying his very hardest to help Juncopaw feel comfortable. speaking [bg=5f8219][atrb=width,469,true] [atrb=border,0,true]

[Cloudbat]

How was it that you could love someone and not understand them at all? Every time Crowflower spoke Juncopaw found herself growing more confused. Yet in a strange way, it delighted her, learning more about the tom she'd grown to adore.

"I guess..." She said tentatively. "...but it's more that I feel like I've been so wrapped up in my own problems I've forgotten that other cats have them, too. Ha, you must never feel like that, being a medicine cat and all." She smiled; Crowflower was the most caring tom she'd ever met.
More than her own mother...who had loved her, but hadn't understood her. More than her father...who'd left them when she was almost too young to remember him. More than the kind Twolegs that had taken care of her...and then she'd left them on a crazy dream.

The question was, would he care for her, too? Juncopaw had thought that she was entirely alone in her Clan...but she realized it wasn't true. She had Crowflower, even if he was only a friend, and she had Aspenheart, who truly was a great mentor. She even had Willowpaw, the best friend anyone could ask for.

Speaking of Willowpaw...her brow furrowed as he answered. "That's really very strange, Crowflower...I can't imagine anything you could have done to make her feel that way. I'd talk to her about it, but I have no idea how she'd react..." Juncopaw had no doubt that he was telling the truth, but neither did it make sense. And to be honest, she was a bit scared of asking Willowpaw. Lynxpelt was equally mysterious; it was true, he'd picked Crowflower himself as a kit - (it was before she'd joined, but everyone had still been talking about it) and then just up and disappeared. His body was never found.

Well, at least he was laughing! She'd been funny! How...she wasn't quite sure, but if he was laughing that was a good thing.

But she turned from delighted to anxious as she shuffled around in the grass (crunching a few leaves) and saw a bee go buzzing by as he spoke his next words.

She shouldn't be ashamed? She shouldn't be ashamed of abandoning kindness for an insane dream? For thinking she could be a warrior? For deigning to love him? For not working hard enough? It just didn't make sense.

But still, a tiny smile twitched at the corners of her mouth as she looked away for a moment, blue eyes taking the beauty of the forest, which equaled the beauty in Crowflower's soul.

What amazed her is that he believed what he was saying. He believed that she wasn't what she really was - a pathetic wannabe - that she could rise above her own flaws. As she smelled the freshness of the dew and the lovely tang of the pine needles, she even fancied it could be true, like a butterfly breaking free of its cocoon.

Yet it was no more than that, because reality was not forgiving. But maybe he could forgive her, in time. If she could earn that, then she was a better cat.

She listened on, and she felt her heart melt with adoration and wonder as she had never felt before. The silver tabby had thought she knew love - but it was no more than a pale reflection of what she felt now, of her awe of his strong faith in what she most desired and feared. As he spoke of it, she felt her heart fill up inside her like rain in a hollow stone, giving her purpose again.

Ah, the little bird so longed to simply rub against him, purr, laugh, play. But she restrained herself, and only smiled a bittersweet smile. "N-no. You've done nothing but give me a reason to live again."

Then, remembering why they'd come out here in the first place, she said "Now, how about that adventure?"

[Glowy]

"Nope, can't say that I do," Crowflower replied with a smile, "Although sometimes it feels like I concentrate too much on everybody else's problems that I ignore my own. Ah well. I like being on this end of things. I'd rather suffer minor discomfort and help anybody I could than help only myself and leave everybody else in pain." On the topic of his sister, he was silent. She was... she was upsetting to him. He couldn't figure her out any more than he could figure out the laws that governed nature. Why did the sun rise every day without fail? What made the leaves turn colors in Leaf-Fall? What made cats hate each other? It broke his heart, that did. Hate... it was one thing he could not understand, no matter how hard he tried. Anger, yes. He'd felt that many times. But hatred was something else entirely. It burned worse than the bitterest cold of winter, and pierced straight to the soul, completely bypassing the heart. There was a period of silence, then, and Crowflower closed his eyes, breathing deeply. His mood had dropped significantly, and he needed something to bring it up again. What could he think about? Flowers. Think about flowers. Yeah, because flowers could solve everything. Why didn't anybody ever give him flowers? Didn't he deserve love too? Okay. Okay. He really needed to stop thinking like that. No. BAD CROWFLOWER. Juncopaw was there. She couldn't see him like that. Sakes alive, what had gotten into him? All he'd done was... what had he done? He'd just thougt. Nothing had happened. He hadn't even twitched a whisker, and still his thoughts had done a complete one-eighty and he was now on the verge of being depressed. He didn't understand it. "N-no. You've done nothing but give me a reason to live again." Crowflower tried not to let his shock show, but he failed. Miserably. His jaw dropped, his eyes snapped open, and there might have even been a teensy-weensy gasp involved somewhere in there. He'd... he'd done that? Really? It had been him? He'd helped her? He blinked a few times just to make sure he wasn't dreaming. Nobody had ever told him he'd helped them in so blatant a way before. "W-w-well. I'm. Um. I'm gad, Juncopaw. Living. It's nice," he spluttered, completely unable to grasp the fact that he'd had a deep impact on her life, and that it had been for the better. What. The. Heck. "Adventure? Oh. Right. Adventure! You lead." Crowflower couldn't believe that he was being so awkward. He never lost his cool. He was always calm and collected and his thoughts all came in a nice order, and he was dignified. What was this mischief? Until he figured it out, he figured that he ought to let Juncopaw take control. He'd probably end up stumbling into a beehive or something, what with his brain temporarily being a shambles. Fun. speaking [bg=5f8219][atrb=width,469,true] [atrb=border,0,true]

[Cloudbat]

She smiled; even his surprise was cute. She'd covered her slip, and now they could have fun. Maybe this would be fun, after all. Oo, she got to lead? Where should they go? Hmmm...ooh! She knew!

"I vote we explore the highest tops of the trees and then grow wings and fly away!"She said, grinning. "Or I wish. It'd be fun to fly, if a bit scary." That's what love was like, she reflected. Fun, but a bit scary.

"But we can still climb, eh?" She padded over to the nearest tree, a big spruce, and was surprised to find it wasn't as gigantic as she remembered. Still very tall - but perhaps it was her who'd grown, she was nearly an adult physically, if not mentally.

Whatever it was, she leapt onto the lowest branch, almost slipping off but managing to haul herself up the smooth, slippery bark and breathing in the pleasant, tangy smell of its needles. There were still a few dewdrops left on the tips of low-hanging branch, and she stretched, trying to lick them off. She managed to get one, but then she stumbled a bit and the others shook off onto her fur. The silver tabby giggled.

Then she remembered that Crowflower was nearby and giggling must seem of a low mental caliber to him. Ah well. It wasn't like his opinion of her could sink much lower, could it? And hopefully he wouldn't care and would just come and join her in this lovely tree.

[Glowy]

Crowflower smiled. Juncopaw wanted to fly, just like he did. How many times had he stared up at a pair of birds, wishing he could turn their pair into a crowd by joining them up in the high expanses of freedom? How many times had he imagined himself flying up there, playing with the wind and laughing with Finchpaw (because, naturally, his best friend would have wings as well,) and smiled to himself? Oh, how long had he dreamed of grazing the house of the stars with his ears? "I don't think it would be nearly as frightening as you think it would be, Juncopaw. I mean, birds do it all the time. Why not us, too?" What cruel power had decided, in the beginning of all things, to restrain cats to walk only on the ground? What was so dangerous about the sky that they had to be kept out of it? It wasn't fair. He flexed his shoulders, wishing with all his might that maybe this time, his wings might sprout and allow him to take to the sky. Alas, it was not to be so. Before he could be overtaken with his sorrow, though, Juncopaw was off and scampering up a tree. Not horribly adventurous, and definitely nothing like Rainpaw's tales of valor, but he supposed it was the best they could do at the time. Smiling, he padded over to the tree and stretched upwards, testing his muscles. He'd never climbed a tree before. It hadn't been necessary. Herbs didn't grow on trees, after all. A shower of dew drops hit his face, and Juncopaw crouched above, giggling her little tail straight off. He hauled himself up to the branch right next to hers- it was thicker, and would support his weight better. Seeing him climb the tree had been something of a spectacle; he slipped, slid, and bumbled his way up the vertical face of the spruce to end up panting on his chosen perch. "Okay. So now that we're up here, what do we do?" Surely they couldn't just sit here. He had not made a fool of himself by climbing a tree with no training for nothing. speaking [bg=5f8219][atrb=width,469,true] [atrb=border,0,true]

[Cloudbat]

She had to hide a smile as she watched Crowflower get up; it was too funny. She was no princess of grace herself, but then, it wasn't a required skill for medicine cats. Still, it was strange how awkward he seemed; even back when she was little more than a kit, she'd been climbing up trees, fences, and...what were they called? Couches.

Ah, she wished. All her dreams of flying either ended, or more often, she crashed. That was life. "Maybe. But they're born to fly; we're not." She looked up wistfully, hearing the faint cries of hawks and the sharp calls of bluejays. "But then, they can't run, either, or climb, or swim. I suppose it's a trade-off. Still, it makes me wonder why who gets what talents." Why wasn't she more grateful? Why couldn't Crowflower see that all she wanted to do was learn how to love him?

Then the silver tabby brightened again, her tail swinging excitedly. "What, you've never climbed before?" She said in disbelief. "Don't you know all the games? Limb stretch, bird scare, height challenge, deep-marks..." Juncopaw trailed off, realizing of course he hadn't. He was a medicine cat, and therefore he did far more useful things than playing silly games. But hey!

"Sorry!" she squeaked, hoping she hadn't been offensive. "It's just...anyway. I can show you how to play?" She said, her breathing escalating slightly and the dull, slightly bitter scent of the bark and the tiny freshness of the water droplets filling her little pink nose, her tongue still damp from her drink. It was almost a question, as she hoped she hadn't offended the handsome tom beside her. But it would be such fun if he agreed!

[Glowy]

The view from up here was... not quite as spectacular as Crowflower had hoped it would be. It was difficult to see through the boughs of the tree, and even when he managed to catch a glimpse of the world beyond the prickly needles, it was nothing but a face-to-face view of more forest. Yay leaves and needles and nothing interesting at all. The view of the forest floor was a bit more interesting, if not dizzying at first. ... wait a minute. Crowflower was in a tree. This was not supposed to happen. Ever. He was a medicine cat, for crying out loud! Medicine cats did not climb trees. They simply had no cause to. A warrior might hunt in trees, or hide in them to surprise foes, but a medicine cat... it just didn't make sense for one to be out on a limb. They could fix broken ones, but not climb on ones that belonged to giant plants. Crowflower was a bit uncomfortable up where he was, although it was only the first ring of branches. If he looked down, his head began to swim. So he just wouldn't look down. Yep. That was what he'd do. He'd keep himself from looking down somehow. "Talents. Well. Yeah. Those things. Um," he muttered, attempting to get his thoughts in order. It was difficult with the state his mind was in, but he desperately wanted to keep the conversation going. Perhaps it would keep him from thinking about how high up he was. "I think that we've got certain abilities for a reason. We can't fly because... I suppose it's because we don't need to. If birds couldn't fly, they'd probably all be dead by now because they wouldn't be able to get away from us. Without meaning to, we'd destroy them. So the skills we have, we have for a reason. I don't think so much about the why though- it just is, y'know?" Crowflower shifted his weight, steadily growing more comfortable on his branch. Being in the air wasn't so bad... but if he fell, what would happen? Would he be able to land? He knew that warrior jumped and fell from places all the time, but sometimes he had to heal them. What if he fell and something bad happened and he needed to be healed but that couldn't happen because nobody would be able to heal him? PineClan would be without a medicine cat! And, and, and... and he could die! Oh, what was he doing in this tree? His eyes grew wide when Juncopaw listed the names of the "games" they could play. For sanity's sake, did the warriors value their lives at all? Limb Stretch? Bird Scare? Height Challenge? What was next, Death Drop? Oh, why was he in this tree? "Games? Um. Choose one, I guess." He shook. "Just... please, choose something safe." Crowflower closed his eyes and took deep breaths, trying to calm himself. He was fine. It was just a tree. He wasn't going to die. speaking [bg=5f8219][atrb=width,469,true] [atrb=border,0,true]

[Cloudbat]

The silver tabby looked curiously at her larger companion, sniffing his unease. Why would he be uncomfortable? This was an adventure!

She nodded as he talked about the birds. "It just is. Some things you just can't change, they just are. I guess life is knowing what you can and can't do." Juncopaw said, surprising even herself. Then she smiled. This was why she loved being around him - he heightened her mind and her senses and made things so perfect just by existing. So different from her.

"Oh, Crowflower!"She said, unable to quell her laughter. "I thought this was an adventure? Adventures aren't safe!" She purred. Dang, he was cute even when he was flustered. It was so unfair. "If the big bad tree is going to eat you, I suppose we should go higher up to escape it, nice and slow." Normally, she might've agreed with him. But she was so excited and crazy and hey, let's face it, in love, she wanted to dare him to match her, as he'd dared her to be better.

Looking around, her blue eyes roved over the gray limbs of various thicknesses, until she found one that wasn't too far away, nor too slender or brittle. Granted, eyesight alone wasn't always a reliable gauge, but still, it looked suitable. Tensing her strong back legs, she shifted, black-tufted tail waving, and leaped, scrabbling a little at the loose bark but regaining her balance as some pine needles fell off from the swaying buds. Oh, the thrill!

"Come on, Mr. Flower Power!" She called to him, as he was now about three fox-lengths away. "I'm getting old and lonely here." The apprentice grinned at him teasingly, almost flirtatiously. Oh, bad Juncopaw. Still, this was just so fun.

[Glowy]

It was settled. Juncopaw was insane. Since when were adventures about risking life and limb jumping around in gigantic plants? Crowflower lived in a world where all he had to deal with was leaves and, rarely, roots. The things he worked with couldn't stab you if you misjudged a jump! However, there was a very, very high chance that if he moved from his spot even a fraction of a tail-tip, he would fall and be impaled on some spiky branch. He wouldn't be able to heal himself! Surely he would die, and then who would heal PineClan? There would be nobody to train the new medicine cat. He shuddered at the thought. "Please... please don't do anything rash, Juncopaw," he begged. "I can heal you but I'd rather not have to. Adventures are all well and good, but... just don't die. Okay?" This was not supposed to be this stressful. Why in the world was he being this way? He was capable of playing games. Games were harmless. Nobody died. "The tree is NOT going to eat me!" He was most indignant, as a matter of fact, expelling his frustration in a huff. But he stayed glued firmly to his spot, terrified out of his wits at the thought of moving. So then what did she do? She jumped into a whole different altitude. This she-cat was determined to make him look foolish. "Getting old, are you? Now, that could be a problem," he purred, grinning up at the form of his friend, less distinct now among the copious pine needles and grayish limbs. Now he was crouching on the limb instead of clinging to it with a death grip. Maybe... maybe if Juncopaw could jump high up in trees, he could too? He still didn't like the idea very much, but he couldn't let her leave him behind. His paw batted experimentally at a limb just above his head, and after a quick glance around, he hopped straight on up, scrambling a bit to get a hold beneath the bark. He'd done it! He was safe! He'd jumped and he hadn't died and it was all so exciting! Juncopaw was still a level or two above him, but did he care? Not a bit of course he did! "I'll 'Mr. Flower Power' you!" He kept jumping on up, reveling in his new-found ability, not caring how awkward he looked as his claws struggled to find their places on the branches. He ended up a full two rings above Juncopaw, smirking smugly down at her. Oh, he was on top of the world, resting on his perch up... not very high in the tree, to tell the truth, but it was the highest above ground Crowflower had ever been. To his perspective, he was pushing the bounds of nature by being so high; in reality, he'd made it just below a third of the way up the tree. Oh well. speaking [bg=5f8219][atrb=width,469,true] [atrb=border,0,true]