Alannah felt like a cat who had seen a bird, climbed a tree to get it and promptly forgotten how to climb down.  The fire was spreading up the base of the Oak tree's trunk.  If she climbed downward she would get horribly burnt.  The only choice left was to see if there were any large enough branches she could climb out on and maybe drop down outside of the fire's range, if the branch was low enough.  

Franticly as the fire climbed the elven girl looked up and down the tree.  There was nothing going down that would take her past the fire.  But if she went up slightly there was a branch.  It wasn't very big or very strong, but it looked sturdy enough to hold her, and out beyond this branch there was another sturdy branch on a willow tree just beyond it.  

Alannah could climb out on one branch and then drop squirrel like, down onto the other tree.  At least she hoped she could.

Climbing up, and up, and then out and out.  Alannah clutched the oak branch she was holding desperately.  Inch by inch she crawled out onto the limb.  Down below the fire had spread and the oak tree she was on began to sway dangerously.  It would fall soon, it's trunk undermined by the flames.  Yet inch by inch Alannah crawled out on the branch.  

Then she let go with one hand and tried to grab at the branch on the tree below her.  When that was in her grasp she let go with the other hand, her legs still wrapped around the oak tree above.  With both hands tightly clutched to the willow tree, she let go with her legs.  

But Alannah had forgotten one thing.  Willows are pliable.  When the weight of her tiny body fully on the willow branch, the branch swung down at an amazing speed.  Alannah held on for her life, and at the bottom of her decent she tried to grab onto another branch and succeeded.  

This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

In the tree she found herself holding onto the first willow branch with her left hand and the second willow branch with her right.  The first branch wanted to snap back into place, the second branch wanted to take its turn plunging down towards earth.  And she was stuck in the middle.  There was nothing to do except let go with her left hand and try to go where the Willow took her.

Branch by branch she made her way down the willow tree.  Until finally she was close enough to the bottom to simply jump.

New Skill Brachiation +10

With both feet firmly on the ground Alannah ran back to the tree Timmus was hiding in.

"You can come down now little warrior, the monsters are gone." she said.

Timmus scrambled down the branch and jumped into Alannah's arms and kissed her.  "I was very scared. But will you tell the King I was brave and followed orders?"

"Of course Timmus.  Not only are you my brother but I know you were very brave and very quiet.  Come, let's go to the caves."

Hand and hand they ran to the caves where the last elves of her village had taken shelter.  The door was closed, and she and her brother had to shout and pound on the door in order to be heard.  Alannah was worried that her shouting would bring more terrifying monsters, but it was necessary.

Up above a window opened and an elvish face looked out.  Seeing Alannah shouting down below, the face that she now recognized as her mother's sister Sosha, Alannah yelled up, "The ones at the door are gone.  I killed them, can you let me in."