OakClan~ Heart of a Tree~ part 1 (OPEN)

"You never know when they come over their side of the border again" Brackenleap growled. "Why would they cross the border?" Faithpaw asked, kicking a rock. "Oh, Barkstar loved them. They didn't eat him or anything. Most cats would call him crazy if they say. And i saw, when I was Brackenpaw." He said. "So, how long till-" Faithpaw was broken off as she ran for a bush. "Err...." Brackenleap said. He stared. Faithpaw came back with a big rabbit. It wasnt dead or anything. "You have to kill it." he said. "Oh, but why? Its so harmless..." Brackenleap tore it out of her mouth and killed the rabbit. Tears started to swell in Faithpaw's eyes. "Why did you do that?" she sniffled. "All aboard the train for rabbit attack land." Brackenleap said.

Branchflight mewed in amusement, and shook her head slightly. "I guess we can stop to hunt right now. The first part of hunting is to master your clan's special crouch. Here in OakClan, we tend to climb trees, so we'll have to teach you how to do that first. After a while, it's easy as mice."

She bounded up a tree standing nearby, and when Hopepaw blinked, she was almost at the top. "Wow . . ."

Branchflight called down to her. "Now you try!"

Hopepaw scrambled for the tree gripped into the rough flesh and eagerly making her way up to Branchflight. She used the branches for support, and at first, it was pretty easy, but as she got higher, the branches grew smaller and harder to balance on. As Hopepaw prepared to leap up onto the next branch, she slipped, and fell to another branch down below, screeching. She had barely missed it, reaching out with her paws to grasp it and clung on for dear life. "Help me!"

Faithpaw had begun to climb, and was a little ahead of Hopepaw. "I'm coming! now, how do i get out?" She looked below her. Boy, this oak tree was tall. There was a swish-- Brackenleap was already at the top! "Don;t worry, you can be masters." he said. Faithpaw slid down onto a lower branch, next to Hopepaw. "Hopepaw, quick- This branch wont hold me longer!" she grabbed Hopepaws paw.

Hopepaw scrambled back onto the branch with Faithpaw's help. "Thanks. I guess I'll go a little slower this time." With that said, she leaped for another branch, and this time, she didn't slip. She repeated the maneuver again slowly with each new branch, and after what felt like a moon, she was at the top with Branchflight and Brackenleap.

"What do we do next?" She asked her mentor with wide eyes.

Branchflight cuffed her over the ears. "Slow down, Hopepaw. I know you're excited, but you should take a break before we do anything else. You had a long climb."

Faith paw was swinging by her tail. "Hey, you shouldn't play like that on trees!" Brackenleap called down. Faith paw shrugged. "Not happening now, is it?" she teased.

~~~
Fierystar stopped. He had forgotten why he came to OakClan. he drew back his lips in a snarl. "Well, whatever." he said. "OH! Ruby and Skull!" He ran back to his camp.

~~~

Ruby looked aroud. "I smell Fierystar." A voice behind her said. Barricade was sniffing the air. "I know that!" she snapped back. "You know, just because you and Skull are Sol's offspring, that doesn't mean you have to be so unfriendly." he said. "Well, why don't you leave?" Skull had spoken too quick for his sister. "Fine!" Barricade turned away and ran into the forest, towards the rumbles of thunder.

"Okay time's up!" Branchflight mewed cheerily. "The first part of this crouch is balancing on the branch with your back paws. Then, you swing forward with your front paws, like this." She wrapped her back paws around the branch. Then, she wrapped her front paws in front of her back paws, swung forward silently with her back paws freely, let go, and landed on the end of the branch.

"Awesome!" Hopepaw yowled, and she swung forward like Branchflight. All of a sudden, time seemed to slow, and Hopepaw felt a new sensation as she sailed through the air. As if . . .she belonged in this moment, not touching anything but the air. And then, she landed right behind Branchflight and the moment was broken.

"Wow," Branchflight breathed. "I've never seen someone do that so perfectly on the first try. You're a natural!"

"Woah!" Faithpaw exclaimed. She wrapped her tail tighter. Faithpaw thrust herself forward into a squirrel hole. "Hey! I don't think you—" Brackenleap began,but Faithpaw did fit. She was so small that she wasn't seen for a moment. "Ow! It's so cramped in here." A voice cane from in the tree. "How in the name of StarClan did you even get in there?" Brackenleap asked, pulling at her tail. "Ow!" Faithpaw growled. Brackenleap got pushed off by a sudden force and landed on a branch below. " I can get myself out." she said, glancing down. The branch below Brackenleap gave way, and he fell. A dust cloud was seen for a moment. "You ok?" Faithpaw called down. "Ow... I feel dead." a faint voice came. "Don't die!" Faithpaw jumped down the branches.

Branchflight sprang down the tree as soon as she saw Brackenleap fall."Brackenleap!"

She landed safely beside him and gave him a quick inspection. Branchflight gasped. "We had better get you back to camp right away!"

She gripped Brackenleap's scruff in-between her teeth, and bound towards camp. She motioned with her tail for Hopepaw and Faithpaw to follow.

Hopepaw groaned at the many branches she had to climb and prayed she wouldn't fall like Brackenleap had. She carefully sprang branch to branch, telling herself over and over again to "don't look down". But as Hopepaw alighted on a branch about six fox-lengths from the ground, she did look down. She shook at the distance she had yet to cover, and shook so much that her hind claws slipped off the branch. She yowled, and then her front claws slipped.

Down . . .down . . .down. Just like Brackenleap, only it would be much worse for her more fragile body. Hopepaw reflected on the best moments of her short life, and sifted through them until she found the memory of belonging in the air above the tree . . .and just before she hit the ground, Hopepaw did the impossible for a cat. She flew.

"err...." Brackenleap mumbled. "It's just a leg." And the one I use for climbing best, he thought. The three legged-cat stumbled a couple of times. Faithpaw ran over. "I'm so sorry!" she said. She ran to the side of the Brocken leg to keep support to her mentor. "Never. Have. I. Ever. Fell. Off. A. Tree." he said. Faithpaw looked up just to see Hopepaw fly. She knew how she fit in the squirrel hole. She didn't control the power— it just happened. Probably why she had always gotten her owners mice.

Hopepaw was so shocked, she almost fell again, but she managed to stop herself in time. There was a flapping sound near her ears, and she glanced to her side to see blurry shapes in the form of wings.Through them, she saw Brackenleap, Branchflight, and Faithpaw. She turned, and lookedat Hopepaw.

Oh no.Hopepaw couldn't control herself, and the next thing she knew, she was laying sprawled in a bush.

"Ughhh," She muttered. How, why? She shouldn't be able to fly. And if anyone found out, she would be cast out of the Clan. In her mind, she saw the image of Faithpaw staring at her. What could she do? Her body ached, and she was reminded that she needed to catch up with everyone. With a groan, she rolled out of the bush, and stood up. She ran up to Branchflight who glanced down at her.

"Are you okay?" Branchflight mewed. "Oh, I hope you didn't fall out of the tree, did you?"

Hopepaw shook her head, and said just a bit too readily, "No, no. I'm fine!"