Hideaway Strath Starfire

Elfie's heart was thrumming in his ribcage and he began to pant, to get more air, because it began to feel as if walls were closing on him. He closed his eyes, heard Towhee's instructions, but did not see, which rock she had been pointing at. When he finally dared to peek around, he did not see any ready solutions to his situation. All the rocks seemed the same.

Fear is a powerful tool. And though the boy was scared to move, he also realized that he could not possibly stay on his perch forever. No one would come to get him down. It was all in his paws now. Again he thought of Bronco and for a moment saw him standing there next to Towhee and sniggering at his cousin's cowardice. That did not make much easier, but that did give him a little spark of anger to prove the other boy wrong.

He got to his feet, shook his coat, cast a quick glance around, and decided that the more he thought about a route, the more afraid he would get, and therefore did the stupidest thing possible - he leaped. The fall was brief and with a thud he landed on all four feet, tucked beneath him to absorb the shock. The sense of the crush went through his whole body, it did not feel very pleasant, but he had done the otherwise impossible. This was all that mattered.