Legacy: Timeless (Book 2)

Chapter 16: Just A Game

Chapter 16: Just A Game

Scorch grunted as she pulled herself up by her forepaws. "Let me help you," grumbled Boulderpaw from where he was already standing on the branch.

Scorch stiffened in indignation as he grabbed her scruff and pulled her up. "I didn't ask for help," her voice was defensive and wary. She didn't like that she couldn't tell what he was feeling neither from his actions nor words.

Boulderpaw just stared at her unwaveringly, making her already prickly fur bristle uncomfortably. "Then find us some other way to move around then from tree-jumping," he, at last, answered.

Scorch flicked her tail. "ShadowClan cats prefer the ground, the branches are too high for them to climb quickly. So we're safe at the moment. We wouldn't be if we were on the ground," Scorch huffed in defense of her decision.

Boulderpaw yawned, "We're not moving very quickly though, how far are we from the ThunderClan border?" asked he.

Scorch looked up at him with narrowed eyes. It irked her that her head only reached the bottom of his chin, making her look up at him. It made it rather difficult to convey any authority even though he had submitted to her orders to some degree.

But as much as he made her feel annoyed and, yes, slightly frightened, sympathy and compassion to whatever had made him like this still swelled beneath those passing emotions. "At the moment, we're heading to the lake, so I can get a better idea of where we are and decide which way is easiest to go," Scorch told him, expecting to see a flash of impatience in his eyes, but nothing came. He just nodded slowly, his jaw set in a slightly harder line.

"Lets get moving then, its almost dusk and ShadowClan has the advantage at night," his voice was drained of all emotion so that it fell flat at her paws.

"Then, please, move along," Scorch mewed, covering her nervousness with impatience. She flicked her spiky red tail and looked down. She gripped the branch tighter with her paws as she felt the pull of an invisible force trying to knock her to the ground far below her.

In reality, they were only probably maybe twelve tail-lengths above the ground, a survivable distance to fall, but one that would still be injurious. Just don't look down, don't look down, she calmed her suddenly heavy beating heart and steadied the dizziness that rushed to her head.

I'm not scared, she told herself, I don't mind being up high. I just don't like falling. She wondered if this fear was a result of the nightmarish night she'd lived when she'd fallen down the cliff path into the water and been separated from her family.

She focused on walking behind Boulderpaw who navigated the tree with a nimbleness she envied. "We'll cross here, but we need to jump a little," she observed, judging how hard it'd be to make the tail-length leap. Most of the trees overlapped so they just needed a little hop, but this would be an actual jump, even if it was small.

"I'll go first," Boulderpaw mewed instantly, tucking his legs beneath him for a moment and then springing out, landing on the bouncing branch with room to spare. "Now come on," he demanded. Great, now I have no choice.

Scorch took a deep breath, steadying her nerves as well she could as she gathered energy into her shaky limbs. She inched forward to the end of the branch, making the shortest distance possible for her to leap. Now!

She leaped, mouth twisted anxiously and forepaws outstretched. For a moment, she felt herself soaring and she forgot to be afraid, and then she was falling and the fear rushed into her like a solid wall. "Enguh!" she reached out, trying to grab the branch beneath her.