"Is this high enough, Metalwing?" Greystripe called down from the tree branch around a mouthful of bark.
"It'll do!" I called back, crouching down and glaring up at the bramble-covered stick dangling teasingly above my head. Ravenwing sat next me, and Al stood behind him. My brother's cat body had grown quickly, probably to match that of his human body, if he had still had it. I had tried to remind him of alchemy and of our adventures and adversities, but his kit-like mind had shrugged it off as stories. Still, he was just as clever as he used to be, claiming that if I could prove alchemy to be real, he would accept it as true. With any luck, I could talk him into thinking that seeing is believing, even if we both knew better than that.
After a moment, I pushed off the ground with my forepaws outstretched and my claws unsheathed, aiming for the end of the stick. Greystripe pulled it away at last second, though, and my paws clapped together. I tried to straighten out in time to bring them onto the ground, but I fell awkwardly on one side, creating a small sand cloud.
"Good try." Fireheart meowed sympathetically, earning a pathetic mewl from Al.
"You can't do it like that." the golden kit squeaked matter-of-factly. "You'll fall too quickly. Given your proximity to the ground, you could dislocate a hip or a shoulder, too."
"What do you suggest we do, Al?" Ravenwing asked gently.
"Climb to a higher branch." Al replied calmly, and I went dumb with a sense of foolishness. "If you both stand in the tree, then Metalwing should have enough time to straighten out. I'd say it'll give him at least two heartbeats, if you do it high enough."
"Can't argue with that." Fireheart chuckled after an awkward silence, turning to look at Greystripe. "We might as well try it. Greystripe! Can you climb a bit higher?"
"Sure thing!" Greystripe called down, scurrying father up. I glanced at the tree trunk uncertainly, suddenly feeling very...no. Not small. I'm not small.
Finally, I jumped onto the tree and dug my claws into the bark. I waited to make sure my auto-mail would hold (a habit I had picked up recently) before pulling myself up the tree.
The branch I picked shook under my weight as I crouched down, looking up at the stick. Doubt flicker in my mind for a heartbeat before I jumped, feeling my paws clasp thin air. I straightened my spine out so that all four paws were facing the ground, and still had a heartbeat to wait.
The sand shifted under my paws, and the wind ruffled my fur. For a sickening moment, I was afraid I had failed again. I looked up, though, to see a detailed archway of sand looming over me, with little sand flowers poking out of crevices. Al looked dumbfounded for a moment before his gaze cleared, and he gave me a nod that said he understood.
The bushes behind me rustled suddenly. I growled, arching my back and lifting a paw defensively. Ravenwing backed off a little, scooting Al protectively behind him. Greystripe and Fireheart flanked me, slipping into an alert fighting crouch. The rustling subsided for a moment before it returned again. A cat sprang out, her tail fluffed up and bottlebrushy with fear.
"Move!" she meowed breathlessly in a voice that sounded eerily familiar. A pink bandanna was tied around her head with two slits in it that allowed the tips of her pale creamy ears to poke out. Her pelt was a light blond, lighter than Al's or mine, with cream-colored swirls on her paws, ears, and tailtip. Her sapphire eyes were wide with fear as she skidded to a halt in front of us. She had a wrench clenched between her teeth, and I could see several bolts, nails, and screws pressing against the front of her bandanna.
"I said move. Hurry!" she whispered in that same voice that made my chest tighten in fear. She was undoubtedly the twoleg I saw every night in my dreams.
"Winry?"