Ash'eny's dream began as it usually did. There was a foggy feeling as he watched himself, over a full decade younger than he was now. His actions were never clear, the voices he should have heard with ease were muffled by confusion, perhaps a loss of memory. Eventually, however, Ash'eny would be able to focus, and as usual, it was Tolby there, tempting him with tales and ideas of adventure; today was different.
"Alright Ash'eny, I know you're still a little scared from that tree, but it's been long enough now that you need to grow a set and try again. You know I love you, but you won't last long without me unless you be better than me." Ash'eny wanted to curse at him, but there was a lesson in his words somewhere. Ash'eny knew Sunberth was a cruel place, and he knew Tolby knew better than anyone how to survive, even if his lifestyle wasn't exactly respectable. "We won't be climbing trees today. It's better than that, we're going to climb Sunberth!"
Ash'eny's confusion didn't stop the growing fear in his gut. He may not have understood what Tolby was trying to tell him, but he knew it was going to be hard, dangerous, and would probably end in a broken arm or two. Tolby wasted no time in demonstration. He moved from the middle of the vacant street, into the small alleyway between two houses, which were very crude and poor if you must know. The distance between the houses probably wasn't more than three feet, but apparently it was perfect for Tolby. he started off by stepping on various crates that were scattered throughout that small corridor, then carefully he began to actually climb the projected bricks in the wall. His motion was so quick and fluid that Ash'eny was merely so amazed that he forgot he was next. He had to climb up there next.
Tolby managed to weasel his way to the top and stand on the roof. He began to look around the city from that short building as if he was on lookout for something. "Alright Ash. Try it." Ash'eny's face turned grim as he slowly stalked towards the alleyway. He knew this was going to be a disaster. Tolby was taller, stronger, and more athletic than Ash'eny. The only advantage Ash had was that he was roughly twenty pounds lighter.
He started off in a perfect mirroring of tolby, climbing the crates with ease. That was painfully simple though, a child could have climbed the crates with ease. It was this next part, finding a hold for his hands and feet as he free-climbed up the wall. How disturbing. Ash'eny reached upwards and grabbed onto the top of the erect brick, he started to pull himself upwards as his leg managed to find a foothold. It was perfect so far, he was off the crate, suspended in the air, and he felt like he would fall if he so much as leaned back enough to peel his cheek from the wall itself. He was frozen in his unwillingness to move. "Ash'eny, keep climbing for petches sake. You'll tire yourself out just holding on by your fingers. Come on." Ash'eny tried to speak, but his voice only came out as a faint sigh.
Wearily the future thief reached up again with one arm, snagging another brick with his fingers. He managed to push himself a bit high with this brick as well. He probably wasn't even ten feet off the ground, barely three feet from his toes to the crates below, but he felt like he was in that tree again. And the worst part was that he couldn't reach the next brick. He needed momentum to grab it. He needed to... "Ash, push off with your legs and hold on for dear life." Did he have to put it like that? Holding on for dear life?
Ash'eny did as he was told. He pushed off the small protrusion of brick under his foot and somewhat jumped upwards, his hand reaching out upwards and actually managed to reach the brick! And then he lost it and fell. Ash'eny's climb may not have been extremely graceful, but his fall was even worse so. He tumbled backwards onto the crates, scattering the top from the bottom and he himself rolling off and to the ground. He was stunned momentarily, but actually quite happy to be alive, as if that distance was lethal. "You alive down there?"
Ash'eny saw Tolby's head poke out from the roof of the house as he peered down at his apprentice. Ash'eny could only offer a quick mocking 'thumbs up'. He was going to take a break. Tolby could wait. |
