feels like we only go backwards [ peach/snowy ]

She was comforted by the dark that night brought as the sun set behind the treeline, casting the foliage aglow with unearthly shades of fiery oranges and vivid purples. It was a certain calm that came with it as the forest became silent -- the birds flew to their hollows while mice skittered beneath the trees. Only the occasional sound of huge monster paws crashing against the thunderpath in the distance would shatter her reverie, breaking her from her dream-like trance. It wasn't often that she'd spend most of her day away from the hustle and bustle of the new Twolegplace she'd discovered in her travels although she was much more comfortable skirting through the tall grasses and twining her whiskers with the fragile stems of flowers. It was dangerous, she'd hear passing loners state, mentioning the threat of the wildcats hiding in the shadows and sharpening their claws. Thus far, she had been lucky enough not to be torn to shreds, but today, however, she had lost track of time nestled down along the roots of the great trees in the forest.

Pearl rose to her paws, careful to pad mindfully over bramble thickets and thorns before the distinctive scent of others clouded her senses. It seemed that she wasn't alone, but when was the forest ever empty? Her tail flicked dismissively, ears tilting forward in surprise as she gazed up a particularly large tree, its branches looking as if they could touch the clouds themselves. Her muscles would bunch beneath her as she sprung onto the bark, claws unsheathed and tearing at the thick trunk. She exhaled, taking a deep breath before setting her sights on her destination -- a low hanging branch. Even from there, she imagined she would able to see a great deal of the forest!

With strength that she wasn't aware she had, Pearl pulled herself upward until she was in alignment with her soon-to-be perch, tongue pricking from between her fangs as she gauged her leap. The jump was a stretch and Pearl's breath was stolen from her for a few heartbeats as her chest collided with the aged wood. Her hind legs sloppily dangled beneath her, kicking upward and dusting off the edge of the branch and grazing nothing but air. It wasn't until she found herself slipping that she caught her bearings, scrabbling for a grip as she forced her screeching muscles to pull her upwards. This was a fall that she didn't want to meet -- not particularly as exciting as her dreams of bounding from the mountaintops effortlessly. Finally, heaving herself up again, and finally catching a grasp with her hindpaws, Pearl would quickly climb up and exhale a breathy, "Whoa."

At least nobody had been around to see her embarrassing stumble -- or so she thought until she glanced downwards, catching the shadow of another cat, illuminated by the drifting moonlight. Her brows knitted together, lips pursing as the not-so-nimble feline would stand up, her legs long and lean beneath her as she attempted to get a view of the witness. "Things would be so much easier if we had wings, right?" Pearl's lips would draw upwards into a small curve, "Or maybe not, because then they might be too small to fly." Her nose wrinkled as another thought -- or more so, an image entered her mind -- "We'd look pretty funny too, huh?"

She could be talking to the air for all she knew, the stranger could be shy, even or simply it was just her wandering imagination, always playing tricks on her.

\\ @hawkpaw \\