the sky is falling! [tansy]

CRICKETPAW

They were right, he could see everything from up here! Shifting his weight on the tree branch, Cricket craned his neck forward. A cluster of pine needles was poking his side, causing the tabby to wince. Porcupine? More like pincushion. Pale green eyes flashed with awe as he took in the sea of green and white that surrounded him from all sides. He was currently positioned at the very top of a tall tree, his sparse coat partially hidden from view. People who were walking underneath him would have no idea that the tom was there, unless they squinted at a certain angle. You see, one of the other apprentices had dared him to climb up here, and ‘become one with the squirrels’ until further notice. Which really meant until nighttime, but how was he supposed to know that? No, he was going to take their words very seriously, and remain on this branch until someone told him to come down. And while that could take a very while, he didn’t mind waiting. At least, until he looked down. The ground was abnormally far away from his paws, and Cricket could feel the world spinning around him. Why… why did he feel so dizzy all of a sudden? For a minute he forgot how to breathe, and after what seemed like an eternity, he forced his eyes shut. Okay, what were his options? Well first of all, he had to regain his breath. It took a couple of tries, but the apprentice finally managed to steady his lungs long enough to start thinking clearly. He was in control. There was nothing for him to fear. Except falling, and gravity in general, and- Oh, who was he kidding? Cricket was doomed to die. Like the weirdo that he was, nervous laughter began to bubble in his throat, and not knowing what else to do, he let it all out. The young male laughed and giggled until his sides hurt, afraid of what was soon to come. It was amazing what hysteria did to you.

[Ahh, I wasn't sure how to start their thread, so hopefully this is alright!

tansystar ]

CRICKETPAW

Just as he was beginning to settle down and think rationally, a voice rang out through the forest, causing Cricket to stiffen. Oh great, now death was calling for him. You would think that an entity that can specializes in harvesting souls, no matter where they were, would have no problem killing him. But no, for some reason they were demanding that he get down from the branches this instant. Wait a second- death sounded awfully like Tansyface, and the tom was pretty sure that she wasn't dead. Reluctantly glancing down at the ground, which sent a wave of nausea and fear down his spine, he found that the voice indeed belonged to Tansyface. She was standing directly below him, and didn't sound all too happy about his predicament. Did she even know that he was in trouble? Judging by her irritated tone, probably. Yet again, she always sounded that way. Like someone had forced her to eat a particularly sour lemon. "If I was capable of coming down at the moment, I would." He called back, his words slightly quivering. Not unlike his limbs. "For one, I was dared to climb up here. And if I were to back down now, they would surely make fun of me. And that's an experience I wish to avoid, for insults like mouseheart and mange pelt- while foreign to me, still wound my pride considerably." He stopped to take a breath, and would move his eyes from Tansyface to something closer by. Anything that would prevent him from panicking again. "Second of all, I uh... don't exactly know how to get down from here." This last part was said quietly, though it was still audible to feline ears. His face flushed with embarrassment. "You see, climbing to this branch was rather easy, but now that I look down and see the distance between me and an untimely fate... well, you get the point. High places aren't really my strong suit."

CRICKETPAW

Wait, what? He lifted his muzzle to sniff the air, searching for any trace of the apprentices that he had been hanging out with, and much to his surprise, there was no sign of them. Tansyface was right, his so-called friends had abandoned him. Disappointment was an old companion of his, constantly following him around during his daily interactions with others, but in this moment, it seemed to bring him in for a hug. His parents had constantly let him down as a child, but for his newfound buddies to do that? Well, it admittedly hurt. A lot. "I... I guess you're right." If possible, his voice became even softer, a heavy sadness weighing down his words. "It didn't even occur to me that they were just-" He paused mid-sentence. It hurt to say it out loud. "...just pretending to be my friends." Something vaguely familiar filled his gut, hot and consuming. The nerve of those- those fiends, thinking that they could get away with this! His fear momentarily forgotten, Cricket followed the warrior's advice and leaped down to the next branch, ignoring the way that it slightly swayed underneath him, sending out a small shower of pine needles. There was a slight clench of fear in his stomach as this happened, but it was soon drowned out by anger. "Well, I hope they enjoyed making fun of me." He growled, jumping once more, this time landing a few feet below his origin. "Because I'm going to get the last laugh. Thinking that they can target me just because I don't know any better... Oh I'll show them. No one messes with me and gets away with it. Absolutely no one." Almost as if he had turned into a different person, the small tabby glanced at Tansy, who had gotten a lot closer over the last few minutes, with narrowed eyes. "Say, what's the best way to get revenge on someone? It should be something memorable, but discreet. I don't want anyone tracing it back to me." His fear now long forgotten, Cricket was ready to go on the warpath.

[I feel like this is going to end badly, but for who, I'm not sure. Anyway, once Tansy gives him a suggestion or something, I'll probably make a public thread of him pranking them just for fun.]

CRICKETPAW

He hit the ground with a heavy thump, momentarily at a loss for breath. It wasn't long before he recovered though, and ignoring the adrenaline that was now coursing through his veins, Cricket would listen to his clanmate's suggestions. Her last couple of sentences had hit their intended mark, and had stoked the fiery need for revenge that was burning inside of him. However, the idea of severely injuring- or even killing people did not appeal to the medically inclined feline. His eyes slightly widened, and letting out a huff of disbelief, he would shake his head. "What? No- I'm not going to lure anyone out onto the Thunderpath, whatever that is! Nothing that will cause them bodily harm, no matter how minor it may be!" He said this assuming that she was referring to the road nearby their territory, which supposedly was named after the noise it made as a car went by. An appropriate name, but one that he had a hard time remembering. "Hmm, but I like where you're going with the berries." It didn't seem fair though- for him to go through a terrifying, somewhat emotionally scarring experience only for them to get off with just a minimally stained pelt? "Why not step it up a notch? Instead of berries, let's say I put mouse bile in their nests. With a foul-smelling scent that's hard to remove, and a slimy texture which is unpleasant to the touch, it's perfect! Wait, no- hear me out. What if I allow the bile to freeze, and then set it out? Not only will it dig into their fur and skin, but it'll begin to melt as soon as they touch it, which will surely lead to a large mess. Then they'll get in trouble and be ordered to clean it up, hopefully all by themselves. Oh, that'll show them!"