On an ADVENTURE [Open]

[Willow]

"Goin' on an adventuuure, goin' on an adventuuuure!" sang a young, energetic voice. Even when alone, Blaze couldn't keep her mouth shut. There was just TOO much to say, too much on her mind. The flame-orange she-cat trotted through the reeds and ferns beside the river, trampling down the foliage without a care in the world. Prey ran from her loud paws, but she didn't care. She was quite happy and well fed. All she wanted to do was explore right now. And the river bank was a perfect place to do so.

The she-cat padded through the sand right up to the running water. She dipped her toes in and found the sensation to be quite pleasant. Most cats hated water. She didn't understand why. It felt great on such a hot greenleaf day. She wriggled her toes in the cool water before taking a step forward. Her feet sank a few inches into the wet sand. Blaze blinked. This was unlike anything she had ever felt before and she liked it.

With a loud purr, she raised her eyes to look around. Halfway across the large river she saw some trees, looking suspended in the water. Blaze tilted her head to get a better angle to see this strange island. She had found her destination. Of course it would take a swim to get to, but that was no matter. She was up for anything.

The orange cat kicked off with her hind paws and began running in the water. It came almost naturally to her. She was moving through the rippling water with apparent ease. "I should do this more often!" she exclaimed as her feet touched the mud on the island. She shook her wet fur out, leaving spikes all over her body.

Then she set to exploring the small island. But she was not alone.

[Otter]

Turns out the Island isn't as exciting as I'd thought, Tramp admitted to himself as he moved through the tall ferns and felt his paws sink into the soft, loamy soil of the river-surrounded land. He had enjoyed himself swimming across, enjoyed the feeling of the powerful current trying to pull him under, over, away from land and drown him. But once he had reached the fern-covered land, there turned out to be nothing here. Just foliage, bushes, and the occasional butterflies. How much fun were butterflies? No fun, that's how much.

"This island sucks!" he grumbled, kicking out at a loose stone and flinching as he stubbed his paw. He broke free of the ferns and placed a paw in the cold river water, prepring to cross back into a more exciting place...

"I should do this more often!"

The loud, cheerful call caught the bengal tomcat's attention, and Tramp turned his eyes to a spot several fox-lengths down the river. A small orange and white she-cat was pulling herself onto the banks of the island, and after she shook herself free of as much clinging liquid as she could, he watched her disappear into the foliage.

I should save that one the trouble of hanging around here, he thought, curling his tail high as he applauded himself for his selfless idea. With that in mind, he trotted off after the stranger, and as she came into view once more he mewed loudly, "No point in hanging around here! This place is as dull as a dead badger. No predators, no trees to jump out of...nothing to do." He puffed up his chest and pricked up his ears, intending to appear striking and handsome when she turned around. No matter that she was little more than a kit--he'd be willing to show off to a 20 year old tom.

[Willow]

Blaze trotted through the ferns, batting at butterflies and dripping water everywhere. "This is awesome!" she exclaimed, knowing full well that the stranger could hear her but not caring. She could totally take on a bigger cat. And anyway, Blaze was big and strong for her age.

"No point in hanging around here! This place is as dull as a dead badger. No predators, no trees to jump out of...nothing to do."

"WHAT? Are you mental?! This place is great! You swam over didn't you? Wasn't it amazing?" she spouted off her bewildered questions. How could any cat think this was boring. "What's sooo great about other predators, anyway? They just steal our prey!" But then she thought about her statement. "... okay, foxes are cool... but other than that..."

She stopped her rapid mouth to take in her companion. He was a younger tom, but still much older than her. He had the most gorgeous pelt she had ever seen. Not only that, he had obviously been a loner for a while as he was very lean muscled. AND he had bright green eyes. This cat was absolutely gorgeous. Oh I am probably STARING. But how can't I? her mind raged at her.

[Otter]

The little she-cat was crazy. What was so fun about batting at butterflies? Where was the excitement in this cat's life? She began to babble away about foxes and rivers and how great the island was, and Tramp rolled his eyes and flicked his tail dismissively. What did she know, anyway?

Finally, she stopped talking and he gave her a good look-over. She was practically staring at him, and Tramp's tail curled joyfully under her clear awe and innocent scrutiny. After hanging about with Jack for the past few days, he could do with some good, old-fashioned, real attention!

"Sure, this place is great...if you're a kit," he began, shrugging his shoulders and bounding effortless up to a nearby boulder. He practically posed, sticking one forepaw slightly before the other, tail high, ears pricked, as he looked back down at her. "But for someone who's tree-jumped, chased foxes, hunted adders, and swum rapids, well...it's not so exciting." He crouched down, bunched his muscles, and sprang straight at her; his paws brushed the air a hairsbreadth from her head as he came to a less-than-graceful landing behind her, nearly losing his balance and almost stumbling right into another rock. Recovering quickly, he flicked his tail at the young she-cat as if nothing had happened and mewed, "Interested in doing something that's actually fun?"

[Willow]

"A kit?! Oh please. I might be young but I'm no kit. Have you any idea how long I've survived out here alone? And besides, I'm nearly as big as you." Blaze's eyes well... blazed in outrage at being called a kit. She hadn't thought of herself as a kit in ages. Not since she was back at that strange, all-white, too-clean place with her brothers.

"But for someone who's tree-jumped, chased foxes, hunted adders, and swum rapids, well...it's not so exciting."

Blaze looked him up and down with a hint of scorn. Who was this cat to claim she had not done any of those things?

"Oh and I just happen to like foxes, eh? Oh I've had run-ins with plenty of foxes. A young one who shared her catch, in fact. You can't say the same, now can you? Hunted adders? Oh please. Those things aren't even that venomous! Try rattlesnakes further south! Now those things are vicious. I just happen to find thrill in other things as well."

Blaze found it surprising that her words weren't lies, usually she exaggerated but she had shared a partridge with a young vixen and she had wrestled a rattlesnake and won. Take that you ego-head!

She giggled as the bengal tom almost came crashing into her. "Smooth," she teased.

Then he asked if she was interested in doing something fun. She gave him a skeptical look. "That depends on what this "fun" thing is."

[Otter]

The sudden lack of admiration felt like a bucket of cold water being dumped over Tramp's head. He stood stock-still, eyes wide as the little she-cat went off on him. Her defensive remarks caused him to take a few steps back, and he half expected her to spontaneously combust or attack him.

Even so, he was moderately impressed with her words. Fighting rattlesnakes? Well, that was impressive. Sharing a meal with a fox? Well, it wasn't that exciting, but it was still pretty darn awesome. Not that Tramp would ever admit that he was impressed; he forced himself to keep an air of indifference, twitching his tail as if he were not impressed.

Finally, the crazy cat stopped talking and gave him a challenging glare. Slightly intimidated (something that never happened and that he never would admit), the bengal tomcat decided on something that made him exceedingly proud of himself. Well, chivarly was nice, right? It was honorable, gentlemanly...he could be proud of that, right? "How about you decide?" he challenged. "We'll see what other thrilling things you like."

[Willow]

Pride issued from Blaze in waves as Tramp stopped in his tracks and stared at her. He had obviously not expected her to be as tough as she was. Well, when you were orphaned at four moons of age, you grew up tough. And if you were Blaze, you grew up with a pelt of steel. She grinned at him challengingly as he said she could decide what they could do.

"You just can't think of anything yourself, can you?" she teased. "Well then. Have you ever been to the gorge?" Her amber eyes glittered as she looked at him and waited for an answer.

[Otter]

The gorge...yeah, he had been to the gorge before. Gazing down upon the dangerous, rapidly-flowing river many, many foxlengths below had been an adrenaline rush almost in itself. He had wished the gorge was jumpable, but even Tramp knew the gap was far too wide for any cat to leap.

What would they do there? He gave Blaze a skeptical glance, ears angling in odd directions as he considered the young cat. Well, what could it hurt? If it's boring, I'll take her tree-jumping and show her what real fun is. He shrugged his shoulder, tail waving nonchalantly as he prepared to follow her. "Of course I've been to the gorge. Lead the way, little cat," he mewed cheerfully, glancing about the island with a bit of distaste. What a boring place. At least they would be able to have the thrill of swimming to get away from here.

[Willow]

Blaze nodded to Tramp and bounded away, ever a ball of energy. She threw herself into the churning water, paddling against the current strongly. Water seemed to simply slide off her ginger fur instead of soaking her to the skin. She was a natural at this. As she reached the shore, she stood and shook her fur, splattering the tomcat with droplets of water.

With a giggle, Blaze bounded off again, towards the treacherous gorge. That was somewhere she knew how to find. All you did was follow the river. "Is it possible to jump the gorge?" she called to Tramp as she ran. That was her plan, her thrill for the day. She would try to jump the gorge and see if he'd follow her. If it was at all possible, of course. She wasn't entirely stupid, after all.

[Otter]

((I feel like these are getting shorter and shorter x.x))

"Jump the gorge? Are you crazy? You'd-" Tramp began, but he slammed his jaws shut as a thought entered his mind. Always one to brag, the bengal tom mewed smoothly, "Actually, I have. It's really hard; I have never seen anyone else do it before."

A small part of Tramp knew he was going to regret this lie, but...well...he wasn't very good at looking ahead. He sprang into the river, charging powerfully through the current. He jumped out on the other side and immediatey took off at a run, taking the lead as he headed in the direction of the Gorge. What he was going to when he got there...well, he wasn't quite sure.

[Willow]

[[haha, yeah xD that always seems to happen with me]]

"Really? You've jumped the gorge?" Blaze shot him a skeptical glance due to the initial reaction he had had. He was doing the same thing she always did, Blaze was sure of it. Lie to make yourself sound more impressive. But maybe he really had. After all, Blaze really had shared a meal with a fox and fought rattlesnakes.

Tramp took the lead and the young, fire-orange she-cat bounded after him. "So you won't mind trying again, then will you?" she asked as they ran with a little devious grin on her face. She was wondering if the brown tabby would simply chicken out when they got there. She wondered if she would simply chicken out when they got there, for that matter.

[Otter]

Tramp's mind raced as he kept moving through the trees. He was glad to use the excuse of running to keep from answering her straightaway. Still, he came to a conclusion quickly and mewed before too much time had passed, "Jump the gorge again? Not likely. You see, no one showed me how to do it. It isn't fair if I show you, now is it?"

Well...it was kind of a good reason, right? It challenged her own courage and gave him an excuse not to make a fool of himself and drown in the river. Although, as he thought of it, Tramp's tail began to curl in excitement. Imagine flying through the air, falling well short of the edge of the gorge and plummeting into the water below. Then fighting, always fighting, to keep your head afloat. What an adrenaline rush that would give!

Maybe there is a way to get father down the wall. Then I could jump into the river and not, like, die, he thought eagerly, glancing swiftly at Blaze. What would she think of it? Would she think he was trying to get out of jumping the gorge? Only one way to find out.

"Something trickier than jumping the gorge would be riding the rapids," he commented, forcing his voice to remain as casual as possible when excitement was shooting through him like lightning. "I bet few cats have ever managed that."

[Willow]

"Jump the gorge again? Not likely. You see, no one showed me how to do it. It isn't fair if I show you, now is it?"

Blaze giggled. "You've so never jumped the gorge! That's just an excuse! You'd want to show off to me if you were actually able to do it," Blaze accused with a playful little glare in her eyes. Oh well, if he wouldn't do it, she wouldn't either.

But then she paused to consider his suggestion. Ride the rapids? He had to be crazy. "And what would we ride on. No way am I going in there without any support. We'd drown within minutes!"