5th of Summer 514 AV The ally was empty, it was in a secluded unlike so many parts of this bustling university town and really Sarai didn’t want to look like a fool in front of people so she had been scouting for a place for what felt like hours. Finally she found the perfect spot. Taking a deep breath she let the air fill her chest before she pushed it out slowly again to calm her erratic heartbeat, her nerves on end for no reason apparent even to her. A small hand reach up and tried to rake through her unruly curls of sandy blonde hair that fell a few inches past her shoulders only to get stuck half way through and her have to wiggle free of the death trap that were her locks. Shaking her head she bounced on her toes eagerly staring up at a wall only a few feet taller than her short stature – she could do it! Another deep breath and a few hops later Sarai backed up giving herself as much running distance within the ally as she could before she pushed forward a few steps until she leaped at the wall with as much might as she could muster. Time seemed to slow as she reached out for that ledge, her feet tilting to dig into the wall as a grip. She was sure she was going to make it even as the wall came rushing towards her, or rather she rushed towards the wall, she was confident she could make it but just as quickly as time stopped it all sped up again and she felt her chest and thighs slam into the wall. The girl’s hands grasped at the stone surface, clawing at it as she would in her leopard form trying to scramble to the top but it was no use and she soon found herself back on the ground. Her feet hit the ground first but her knees buckled beneath her and sent her body backwards catching herself with her backside and her hands in an ungraceful moment of panic. A hard thunk sounded and she breathed out in a startled gasp of pain. Her backside was covered in dust now and her hands darkened with the dirt beneath them because of the fall. Sarai’s breath came out slightly labored as the pain in her tailbone made her eyes water and her teeth bite at the inside of her cheeks to keep herself from crying out. Who knew how much falling on ones rear could hurt when you weren’t expecting it? Deep breaths Sarai, in through your nose and out through your mouth … in through your nose and out through your mouth … in … out … in … out … She chanted in her own mind as she forced herself not to cry, crying would not help the situation and she was supposed to be a big bad predator – at least to the little mammals she hunted. A moment more passed before she took her final deep breath and straightened herself up raising to her feet in a fluid motion that belied the lack of grace she had when she fell to the dirt. Wiping her hands off on her already worn looking clothes she tilted her green and gold eyes back up to the ledge of the wall and narrowed her gaze in determination. It wasn’t going to win this fight, she’d beat it, she had to because well that’s the task she put her mind to so that was the task she was going to master. If not master then at least she would be content with at least succeeding … once… Okay you’ve got this … you can do this … if not you’ll just hurt you butt again and you don’t want that … Sarai bantered at herself trying to pump herself up for the task especially when the wall seemed so much taller now that she already fell once. Wall climbing … not her thing apparently, give her a tree in her leopard form and she was all over that like white on rice but city walls not so much. The young female shifted from one foot to the other almost wiggling her lower body like she would when chasing something as a cat and then again she was running towards the wall and leaping a little bit earlier this time hoping not to come up short. Unfortunately for her she was falling once more on her butt as well but she at least scraped the ledge with the tips of her fingers this time! The smart of the fall made her eyes water again and a huff to push out of her lungs in frustration, her hair bouncing like it had a life of its own as the curls ricocheted with the impact of the ground.“Come on …” she murmured to herself, verbal words not something she often uttered preferring to play the part of a mute but her frustration over rode her normal silence. |