How to climb a tree

[calli]

Calli was in an adventurous mood. Actually, she was in an adventurous mood most days, but today she felt particularly wild and reckless. Fortunately or unfortunately, everyone seemed to be busy, so she had no-one to coerce into attempting her wild plans.

And so, she settled for a solitary climb of one of the trees in the Gardens.

Calli rolled a few pieces of rough bark paper and tucked them into her belt, along with a small piece of charcoal. Making sure there was no-one around, she snuck an apple from the orchard, polishing it nicely. Now she was ready to climb.

It didn't take her long to scale the first few branches of the tree, but soon she came to a higher branch, which presended some degree of difficulty. Or, as Calli prefered to say, challenge.

Judging the distance carefully, Calli made a calculated leap-

-and only just managed to scrabble onto the branch. Pleased with herself, Calli decided that the branch was a suitable perch.

She sat with her back against the trunk of the tree and took the bark paper and charcoal from her belt. Looking over the Abbey grounds, she began to sketch. Though she could see perfectly through the leaves that hung from the tree, they hid her well; only her foot which hung lazily off the branch could be seen from below. She smiled to herself and bit into her apple, munching away as she drew.

[Poisonsnarl the Vicious]

Poisonsnarl looked up at the small shape dangling from the tree and smirked.

"Quite a climber ye are, mouse."

She waited for a reply, taking a pear from a nearby tree and biting down into the juicy flesh.

"'Tis such a pitty that a fine apple had to be wasted. Then again, who am I to say such a thing? Thy apple theiving is none too far from my pear theiving."

The wildcat twitched her tail impatiently and took another bite of the pear, waiting for a reply.

[calli]

Calli was startled as she heard a voice call her. Her hand jerked and an ugly black line made it's way across her once beautiful drawing. She looked down from her perch in the tree, to see who had found her in this secluded spot.

She saw a wildcat, and watched as the wildcat took a pear from the tree. Calli raised her eyebrow silently as the wildcat went on about apples and pears, biting her lip to stop herself from interupting. Calli had a nasty habit of doing that, which got her in trouble alot.

As the wildcat talked, Calli swung herself off the branch and began to climb quickly down the tree. She landed with a soft 'thump' on the grass. She brushed herself off an looked up at the wildcat.

"Neither apple nor pear was wasted, 'twas all for a good cause, I say," she told the cat with a smirk, licking her lips cheekily.

[Poisonsnarl the Vicious]

"I suppose ye are right to say so. 'Twas delicious as a matter of fact."

She smiled cheerily at the mouse, taking another bite. She looked up at the great Abbey and sighed.

"Did ye ever notice how beautiful 'ole Redwall Abbey looks in this light? I just love looking at it. The only true home I've ever known."

She wiped a tear from her eye as the great Redstone house looked back at her, seeming to smile just as brightly as she was.