The Climb

"Valgareth!" A small child bounded down the stairs outside of the castle, golden curls bouncing around his face. "Valgareth, wait for me!!" Another taller child stopped at the base of a thick tree, grinning. "Took you long enough! You ready?" He knelt down as the little child excitedly clambered onto his back, throwing his arms around his neck. "Ready!!" He gasped. "Hold on tight then!" Valgareth pulled his bandanna over his nose and mouth, unsheathed his claws, and threw himself at the tree. His claws, although still not completely hardened, sunk into the bark easily and he crouched, bunching himself up before leaping upwards, grabbing onto the trunk again as he climbed. The smaller child squealed in exhilaration, clinging to him closely. They leapt up the tree until they broke through the thick, waxy leaves and into the canopy. Carefully, he settled down on one of the thick branches, letting the child on his back crawl off onto a separate branch. Still panting from the climb, Valgareth pulled his bandanna back, grinning widely. "I think that was my fastest time yet!" "Yeah!! You were flying!!" The child burst out, his eyes a bright turquoise hue. He chuckled, the drew a small dagger from his belt, using it to cut off a thick-skinned, large yellow fruit. "Wanna dig in?" The other child didn't hesitate to nod vigorously, eyeing the fruit with delight as he cut it open and sweet juice burst from its plump, wholesome core. They both sunk their jaws into the slices of the cold, sweet slices of fruit, enjoying a respite from the humid heat far below. Above, wind wafted the leaves of trees. Valgareth grinned, watching the smaller child dribble juice down his chin and everywhere else. "You've got juice on yourself, little bro." He chuckled.