[ti]Private[/ti]Whimsical Adventures

[Miss Tactical]

It was unusual for her to be out so late.She was normally an early riser, but she had decided to try something different. Life was too short to get into a strict routine, day in and day out. Life was meant to be enjoyable,a challenge, exciting, THRILLING even. The sun was high over the forest, heading west, she knew this due to the cooler temperatures in the thick forest. Shadows danced and played from creatures, plants, and all sorts. It was still light enough for her to see of course, but within a few hours dusk would be upon them, and the moon would rise.

There was a call of an owl in the distance, hooting, perhaps calling out to another bird. Who knew. The she-cat delicately placed her paws, as to not crush anything under her weight. She walked with dance like movements, elegant and smooth as if she were gliding almost, then she froze. Normally home guards were paired with prey hunters to ensure they came home safe after each patrol. It was not unusual for a prey hunter to have one or two escorts. Her whiskers twitched slightly, how silly of her to forget such things.

In all actuality she wasn't out for a hunting mission exactly. Sure, she would hunt and bring back prey to her family, yes they were all her family, each to-be, each prey hunter...that is what she considered them kin or not. She paused, listening to the rippling water. Had she really strayed that far? Ears forward she looked slightly downstream, tilting her head. Perhaps a patrol would be along shortly. Yes...yes that sounded about right. She sat down, long tail wrapping around her paws. She would wait.A home guard would come to be her escort. She had been foolish to forget to ask one to come.

Snow closed her blue eyes, almost in a meditative state. Not many had the same thirst she did. Asking such silly questions, why does the river flow in the direction it does, why the clouds were they way they were, questions about their ancestors, the knowledge she sought was intense, she was an oddball out perhaps that's why she was often alone, or tried to be. That and her whimsical actions made others question...how could one be so happy even in the darkest of times?

The she-cat flicked her ear as she heard heavier paw steps, yes it was a home guard. Home guards were not trained to be light on their paws like Prey hunters were. They were trained to be silent...hardly making any noise where as, Home guards were trained in combat, and perhaps weren't as light as prey hunters were. She turned her head, eyes blinking slowly, her tail gave a friendly pat. She didn't even look to see who it was before she parted her jaws to speak. "Would you mind escorting me home guard," her tone was as smooth as honey. She gave her chest a quick look, before blue eyes fell on the cat in front of her.

[M'Lady]

Sun loved to stay up late. To listen to the quiet sounds of the night, feel the cool gentle breeze wrap around him. It was a simple existence, to be awake while the rest of the world was asleep. To watch the stars and wonder if they're watching you in return. There were still a few up and about, but they were still quiet as can be, with hushed conversations or simply keeping to themselves. He stopped by the nests of the kit mothers, where all were asleep, and deposited his loot for the day. Various feathers of multiple types, though his favorites were the bright startling ruby of the cardinals. A few shiny looking rocks from the upper part of the river, big enough so that the kits wouldn't swallow them, but smooth enough to surely delight them. And his personal favorite, pinecones! He'd spotted some smaller ones scattered on the ground, not fully opened up yet, and was sure that the kits would like them just as much as he had when he was their age, ready to be a home-guard and to see the world.

He exited quietly, well, as quietly as he could, and moved towards the more open part of Stonehome. He smiled softly, blue eyes flickering with their familiar warm hearth of flames as he made his way towards the entrance of the territory, wondering if he could relieve one of the current guards of their duties. He was surprised, however, when a voice caught his attention. He turned, and face a she-cat that sat pale among the darkness of the night, her pelt so stark against her surrounding, he had a brief moment where he wondered if she was from the Tribe of Endless Hunting. He blinked as her scent washed over him, and sighed in relief as he recognized her as one of their prey-hunters. "Snow," He greeted warmly, his voice deep and rumbling, a great contrast to her own honeyed words.

"Of course, you plan on hunting? Or perhaps just a walk in the night?" He mused. It was his duty to accompany the prey-hunters, whenever they asked it of him. He'd rather die himself, then let one of the most important cats in the tribe be hurt. They were central to everything, being skilled enough to silently hunt and feed them all. Though kits were the lifeblood of the tribe, it was the prey-hunters that served them all so diligently. It was his honor to accompany them. He stepped closer, towards her and the exit into the territory.

[Miss Tactical]

Snow purred in greeting she stood up and gave a firm nod of her head. Sun was a unique tom. After he got home from his patrols, he always brought back surprises for the kits. When the kits were well behaved he sometimes brought back feathers, stones, and pine cones. She let out a soft mew of amusement as she pictured the small kits running up to him. In fact, she did recall earlier he had brought back some toys for them. She came out of her dream like state, dipping her head in apology for dazing. It was a horrible habit, and because of this she was often clumsy, but still good at her craft.

"Hello Sun, It's nice to see you!" She mewed. She was often escorted by other home guards. She didn't always choose, sometimes whoever lead the patrol did. She could not recall the last time she had patrolled with Sun. It was a shame, he really was talented.

"Of course, you plan on hunting? Or perhaps just a walk in the night?" Snow hesitated for just a moment. She had done two hunting runs today already. One mid afternoon and one just a few hours prior. Prey was plentiful right now, and it was a blessing to eat as much as they were. She didn't want to test her luck too much. She took a thought for a moment unsure of what to say. She didn't want to seem overly excited for just a casual walk, but the thought of a break from training and hunting was rather pleasant.

"I have done two hunting runs today, I do not want to over hunt my welcome."She mused. "How about a walk. If I run into anything I will catch it." Sometimes it was nice just to walk, she stood up and headed out, tall trees and thick brush greeted her. She tilted her head towards the sky, blue eyes sparkling. Snow was an adventurous one, she often strolled out of her patrol route, sometimes she stuck to it, other times she wandered way to far, further than she should have, but she came back with prey so no one ever questioned it. "Do you ever wonder what is beyond the waterfall?" She mewed.

It was incredibly hard to climb, and the forest got incredibly thick it was often too difficult to navigate. She supposed a to-be could navigate more easily. "Could you just imagine. I bet the prey runs thick up there. There's no prey hunters to get to it." She chuckled.

[M'Lady]

"And it's a pleasure to see you as well," He hummed in response to her words, and paused briefly as she pondered her answer to his question. It was a bit late in the day for a hunt, unless she particularly enjoyed the dark. His gaze flickered over her pelt. Although, that was unlikely. Her pelt was rather pale for hunting in the moonlight, just see for yourself! She shone like the stars that flickered above them. He rose his head to meet her gaze when she spoke once more, and he nodded in response. He didn't know much about hunting, except how to help take down an eagle or hawk, but he would take her word for it. He stood up, and followed close as she left, ears pricked on alert for any sort of danger or unexpected visitor.

The night was cool and quiet, with the gentle chirp of cicadas and the soft distant hoots of an owl. The breeze was light, just enough to keep them at the perfect temperature as they made their way through the dark forest of tall trees. His ears swiveled at her question, and sapphire eyes settled on the prey hunter. "The waterfall, hm? I don't think anyone has ever been all the way up. But, my mother used to tell me a story," He hummed warmly, eyes gleaming with flames in the night. "One of the greatest home guards of all, was named Pine that Breaks Clouds. She was rumored to be so strong, she made it all the way up to the very top of the river, where the land was flat and prey ran as quickly as the waterfall itself. It was said she could see over the whole forest, a view of the sky with no leaves breaking the blue. She said it stretched for so long, it would take seasons, maybe countless of them, to see all of it." Sun mused, a sheepish tone to his voice. "I always liked that story, I suppose it stuck with me."

[Miss Tactical]

Snow listened with intent as they walked. Occasionally she paused to look at the tom, eye contact was polite, and respectful. She on the other paw, heard of famous prey hunters. Her eyes widened with wonder. Was flat lands really up there? She had studied the waterfall plenty of times, looking for rocks, looking for a way to scale to the top, but every time her eyes failed her. Perhaps because many moons ago there were more rocks and places to put your paws. She was certain that over time rocks eroded into the river. She blinked slowly trying to imagine a cat up there.

"She must have been so brave! One to take such a risk is highly respectable! She closed her eyes for just moment picturing perhaps a tall brown she-cat...Pine had green eyes. She focused for just a moment picturing her running through flat lands where prey ran like crazy. She purred warmly. "I can see why this story stuck with you. I too had a similar story passed to me by prey hunters." She mewed. She sat wrapping her tail around her paws looking up. Above her a thick line of canopy.

"His name River of Crashing Waterfall. He was a prey hunter, one of the best, he had ventured off on his own, like me I suppose, to the falls. He found a place to cross over the flowing waters." She paused for just a moment, taking pride in her prey-hunter ancestor. It was amazing how stories get passed down from Elder to Kit, to mother, to to-bes...it was incredibly fascinating how the stories of their ancestors got kept alive.

"He found special stones, one with deep claw marks in them that made it good for footing. He was able to climb to the top as well. They too said you could see for moons, and prey running so freely you could eat for moons. Even in time of frozen water." If only they could get up there, to see if the stories were true. Could they really see for miles, did these stones with claw marks exist. "They even said he caught many eagles alone...not sure that is true, but it's neat to think about." She stood up again, heading further away from camp.

"Perhaps River and Pine were friends." She mewed. She didn't know how long ago this happened. In her time, and her mothers, and many generations Pine and River didn't live, perhaps it was in ancient times, when their tribe was first created...who knows when that was. She huffed for a moment. She pictured two cats hunting together, going on an adventures. "Perhaps we are their kin. That would be fun to say. Perhaps I'll pretend that is the case!" She mewed with excitement. No other cat would know otherwise. she chuckled for a moment.

"Perhaps we could try to climb the waterfall like Pine and River...just to see..." She mewed. Her adventurous spirit was starting to kick in, something that often got her in situations that were hard to get out of, but she couldn't help but wonder, what Pine and River saw so many moons ago.

[M'Lady]

"I'd like to think that, that they were friends." He spoke, his voice deep and rumbling with the warmth that seemed to exude from his being. "They must've gone on those adventures together then, right? I couldn't imagine doing it alone." He paused, blue eyes flickering with the glowing earth that always seemed to be contained within them. "What's a view like that worth, if you're seeing it all by yourself?" Sun wondered aloud, tail flicking aimlessly from side to side as they walked, his ears still swiveling back and forth on a constant alert for danger.

At her next words, though, he felt his heart jump with a brief sense of excitement. It was quickly smothered by his sense of duty and seriousness in being a home guard... But not for long. A grin came to the cheery tom's features, and he glanced towards Snow with sparking eyes. "I bet we could do it, or at least throw in a fair shot." His pace quickened, though he didn't really notice it, with a little jump in his step due to the sudden energy that infused his being. "A home guard and a prey hunter, if it's been done once before..." It could surely be done again. With her thought out and decisive steps, with his strength and quick reflexes.... He wondered, if they could get to the top. to look out over the forest of pine trees with bark too slick to climb.

His grin turned wild, as he held his head up high and looked over at Snow. "Want to go to the waterfall?"

[Miss Tactical]

Snow added a hop in her step and quickened her pace when the tom mentioned the waterfall. Surely it was doable. "Yes let's go! Then the tribe can tell a story about us!" Snow thought that would a good thing, to have a legacy all their own, just like Pine and River. She couldn't help but get excited at the thought, oh boy would the other prey hunters get jealous. She didn't think any of them had attempted to climb the waterfall due to the roaring waters beneath it. One missed paw step...and you could potentially be swept away.


"I bet Pine and River found a way up." She walked quicker as the crashing became louder, and the temperature cooler. It wasn't much longer until the falls came into view, her heart thumping loudly in her ears. Her eyes adjusted slightly to the dimming light, this was perfect, no one would suspect anything of a prey hunter and a home guard paired, and it was also dark enough, that they probably wouldn't be seen if a cat was specifically looking. Her tail lashed with excitement. They were about to relive Pine and Rivers Legacy!


"It can be done again." She mewed finishing the toms sentence. Nothing was impossible, difficult but not impossible. They were used to hunting large prey, among many other difficult tasks that were quickly solved. This was just a matter of finding dry stone, or less slippery stone, or heck even getting to the other side. She looked at the waterfall in awe. Imagine what they could see from top. Snow was willing to bet Fish pooled in the water up top as well.

"In my story, or at least River's story, they mention stone with claw marks..." She mewed. She moved with haste, searching for stones that had deep marks in it. To her disbelief she couldn't seem to find any. There were small scratches, but those were clearly fresh from to-bes who were brave enough to play near the water."I need a second pair of eyes, we need to get to the top!" She mewed excitedly. This was her first adventure in a long time! She couldn't wait to share her story but at the same time...the mystery behind it all...that was the magic behind it all, so perhaps she would keep it a secret until she retired...telling the tale to young kits.

[M'Lady]

The sound of the falls roared in his ears, not unlike the thudding of his heart with excitement. When she spoke, her voice louder to accommodate for the noise, he studied the rocks with practiced azure eyes. He hesitated. Sun wasn't used to this. He could tell the next move of an enemy by the flick of an ear or the adjustment of weight, but he wasn't good at picking out details from the inanimate objects of nature. That was a prey hunter's job, they were the trackers.

"It won't be that easy," He suddenly spoke, ears flicking forward. "If there were claw marks, juts deep enough, then it wouldn't be difficult getting to the top, someone else would've gotten it by now. The story has to mean something else." He hummed, eyes glancing around, for something, anything. Pine was rumors to have gotten up with her pure strength, was there anything here that could form a semblance of a paw hold? Maybe...
He took a few steps back, away from the rock face and making sure Snow was out of his trajectory. He steeled himself. One bound, two, and then, with adrenaline fueling his movements, he launched himself into the air with a powerful kick of his hind legs. Claws scrabbled for a hold, but found none. He almost caught a glimpse, with wild blue eyes. A ledge? A hold? Something, a bit further up. His claws slowed his fall somewhat, but he still landed on his feet with a loud THUMP, paws stinging from the force, but otherwise unharmed.

"I think there's a ledge, maybe a tail length higher than I jumped." He hummed in confusion, a slight frown on his features. Home guards were usually the stronger ones, River couldn't have made that jump as a prey hunter. He glanced, across the river, his frown still flickering across his face. "You don't think, that River made it up from the other side of the water?"

[Miss Tactical]

Snow watched as the tom launched himself, her eyes wide with awe. Just like that he had jumped forward. "Be careful....the water splashing can make it slippery." She watched as he hit the ground with a thump and winced. That must not have been overly comfortable. He mentioned a ledge, squinting her eyes she nodded her head. "Yes there are shadows and indents, there must be a ledge." It would take a lot of strength to get up there, but it was certainly do able with effort. She had a bitter taste in her mouth, prey hunters weren't as strong to jump that high. She snuffed, but then a comment from Sun made her eyes light up once more.

You don't think, that River made it up from the other side of the water?"


Snow took a look across, the waters raging...perhaps she could find a log or shallow dip. "Keep trying, and I will look to see if there's a crossing on the other side."Snow disappeared into the thick brush leaving the tom behind. She wondered what the forest looked like in ancient times was the water as strong? Was it easier to get to the other side? Perhaps it was shallow? Or even deeper? All these questions floated through her mind. That's when she saw it! Her eyes lit up at a stripped log, it would be incredibly dangerous, and slippery but if River did it, certainly she could too.

Snow leaped on the log, digging her claws, one paw step, and she slipped nearly losing her footing. She had a long way to go, slowly, but surely she moved, an occasional slip but she managed to regain her balance. She took a deep breath she was almost there, the log was beginning to become very narrow. As she was about to place a paw down she slipped, she dug her claws into the tan log, her hind legs kicking in the roaring waters. If she fell in she would certainly be swept away.

Snow closed her blue eyes, kicking and thrashing with a final kick, her paw hit a rock, it was enough energy for her to pull herself up. She would remember to thank the tribe of endless hunting later. She crawled to the other side, she could hear her heart beating in her ears, there was a high pitched ring as well. SUN!!! She had almost forgot. Snow went at a high speed trot before she came to clearing, she was on the other side.

She peered across the water. "I MADE IT!" She called loudly.. barely....although he did not need to know she was almost a drowned pelt. She surveyed the area, going under tree roots, and moving shrubbery out of the way, no cat would have ventured over here alone. The ground wasn't flattened, no one had explored over here if at all in a very long time. That's when her eyes saw long deep groves in the stone. This was what River was talking about.

"SUN I FOUND IT. OH I FOUND IT!" She wasn't sure if he could hear her or not,but goodness she was excited! She put her paw on the smooth stone and looked around. She bunched herself up and jumped grabbing a hold of a small ledge. She pulled herself up and took in a deep breath.

"Sun I THINK I FOUND SOMETHING!" She walked very carefully along the edge, moving with a delicate pace. It was dark after all and she didn't want to fall. As she moved she could hear KERPLUNK noises as stones fell into the water below her. ALMOST...ALMOST THERE... the path was narrow, but she was back at Suns side. "If you can get to that high ledge there's way to where I am. I can see it!" She mewed, excitement in her eyes.

[M'Lady]

The river was wider than he thought it was, because it seemed to take Snow a ridiculously long time to get to the other side. He was aware the crossing was... Unstable, but she was quick and clever, she would most likely be fine. His pelt itched and bristled as he waited for her call from across the river, his paws twitched. He wanted to go after her, make sure she was okay. It was his duty as a home guard to make sure she was safe, and if something happened and he wasn't there...

His thoughts were interrupted by a faint shout from across the way. Blazing blue eyes whipped around to peer across the churning white water, and he grinned when he noticed that she was uninjured and well. His hunch had been right, there had been something on the other side, after all. When she shouted back to him instructions, his eyes focused back forwards on his own task. He could make that jump. He was a home guard, of the same blood as the heroes in their stories. Raised the same way, had the same home. If they could do it, he could do it.
He took a step back, and then another, and then a third. Muscles tensed, claws unsheathed, he gathered all his strength inside him, into his heart and into his paws. He could do this.

He burst forward, his movements hardly discernible to the naked eye... And then suddenly he was in the air. His claws struck stone, a whiskers width underneath the ledge. No! He refused to miss this jump, it was the most crucial. As gravity dragged him down, he dragged himself up, claws scrabbling on the smooth surface, until he got a paw hold. A sense of triumph powered his next movements, and he kicked with his hind legs until he made it onto the ledge, muscles burning. There wasn't much room here, he'd have to keep going. Blood singing like fire in his body, he continued his way up, searching for the path Snow mentioned. Pure and utter determination, it's what kept him moving forward in this impossible climb. "I found it!" He shouted back, as he got a sturdy pawhold on the slippery rocks and pulled himself up.