We didn't go directly to the jumps. Instead, once we got close the other three stopped and scanned for something. Then Padfoot ran out and we all followed. They seemed to have this silent communication going on and I was left in the dark. Without talking they all seemed in step. I was envious of the magic like communication they had and at the same time I was anxious again because the tag team competition would be very similar to this I imagined.

Padfoot let us to a tall tree and started climbing it with an absurd agility. Her golden skin and brown and green clothing plus the black jacket started to meld into the canopy as she got higher up. Bay, close behind, took to the tree as well. His cat like grace was truly mesmerizing as well. I stood planted firmly on the ground.
     "Go on up Z, the tree should have the perfect view of the jump course. You've climbed trees before"
     "Never that high"
     "You're a cat at heart, once you've climbed one tree you can climb any tree. It's climbing rocks or a building that's tough"

I nodded. Now or never. Couldn't go on a mission if I couldn't climb a tree to watch my brother. I took a running start at the tree and jumped to the first branch. Pulling myself up and reached for the next. I was clearly slower and less graceful then the other two but definitely better than the average Were.
     "You made it!" Said Padfoot as she was sitting on to the very last mature branch on the tree. She could have likely touched the tip of the tree if she stood up. Just seeing her made me nervous. The branch barely looked strong enough to hold her.
     "Show off" Bay looked down at me "she always gets to go higher up then me because she's so light and small, always gets the better view"
     "Damn straight, you need to stop eating so much or soon you won't be able to climb a tree" she clearly teased back.
Never thinking that Bay was childish he proved me wrong by sticking out his tongue at her. All she did was laugh in return.
Neberu wasn't far behind before joining us. I was just settling on a tree limb taking in the fantastic view of everything.
     "So how did you guys do on your event?" Neberu asked.
     "Well lover boy down there wasn't taking it seriously at all. He stayed behind Mist the entire time and would conveniently show up when she needed a boost over a really tall wall or happen to be standing on the top of the platform to pull her up when she struggled even just a little during the climb. I had to stop him from killing a guy after he waded into the water to close to her and causing her to go under for like a second" Padfoot recounted.
"He was an asshole! He could have drowned her"
"Bay, you can't kill on castle property and you know it, plus I'm sure Mist would be much harder to drown then that" Padfoot seemed annoyed.
Bay simply looked to be sulking and dying to change the subject he asked us how we did.
"Well Mrs. Noir won first place of course, but Z got second so she's got a coin. I was third and got my jacket so really feels like I won the jackpot"

     "Hey look, the contestants are lining up, it's about to start"
All their eyes shifted to those of a cat in an instant and then I realized that they could likely see the match as if they were standing right beside the competitors. I, on the other hand, didn't have that ability yet and I grew really sad. I still had better sight then a humans but it wasn't as good as if I'd shift my eyes.
      "O, Z, I'm sorry" Neberu said out loud. He looked at me with his beautiful green eyes, far brighter and telling then when they were in his human form.
"It's ok, I didn't realize either. I don't want to miss anything. I think I'll go down to cheer him on like he did with me. Make sure he knows I'm there you know"

I started climbing down and shot them what I hoped was a way to make peace.
"I'll see you after for the Tag Team competition"
Padfoot and Bay waved goodbye and I heard Bay quietly tell Padfoot that he needed a break from the crowds and wanted to stay in the trees for a little while. Neberu stirred and was also starting to climb down.
"O it's ok Neby, you stay here for a bit. I'll see you after. I saw Edgar down there, I'll go join him in the cheering"
He looked a little hurt and hesitated. He seemed conflicted as to what to do.
"It's ok, really. I'll be fine. Meet up with me after"
"Ok" was all he managed to seem to choke up.

Climbing down was far scarier then climbing up the tree but I had to hurry. I didn't want to miss my brother compete. I started taking riskier jumps to speed up my decent and I felt something in me switch on. It was guiding me down. Felt like someone was almost telling me which branch to use and how. My limbs knew to grab the branches before I had even thought about it.

I made it to the ground in what felt like the blink of an eye. It felt weird but I had no time to think about it. I turned in the direction of the jumps and sprinted. I ran hard and fast, I barely thought about where to place my feet. They just knew where to land and I had this confidence swelling inside me that I knew I could trust my footing, that I would never trip again.
I got to the crowd around the jump competition and wormed my way in till I reached Edgar who was very vocal about the competitors it seemed.
"Hey Edgar, did I miss anything?"
"Just some boneheads attempting jumps that wouldn't get them anywhere" he said this teasingly. The crowd was made up mostly of wolves and warrior class members.
"Hey Edgar, are the competitors all wolves?"
"Most of them yes. It's kinda their thing but there's your brother and there's also two dolphins"
"Dolphins!?"
"Ya, there's only the one WereDolphin pod known in the world and they're Davidson's. It's how we keep our ports and water travel safe. They don't like to be on land often but a few of their more rebellious youths adventure to land sometimes to see how the other half lives. There's five that came out for today. See the other three over there"

He pointed to the two males and one female down the line of watchers. Now that he mentioned it I could spot them. They seemed overjoyed with what ever conversation they were having. Compared to the egos of the warriors and the gloomy indifference of the cats they stood out.
"They seem fun"
"Sometimes to much. They love to pull pranks so try not to attract their attention unless you want there's back"

"Next up for the high jump is Mr. Adrick. Please step up and whenever you're ready."
A very tall vertical wall was set up with three bells hanging off it. There was one on the left about three times Edgar's height then one hanging to the right about four times his height and the last was in the center and highest of all at about five times his height. The last one seemed impossible to get.

Edgar and I both cheered on Adrick and were joined in by some of his friends as well. He certainly had a loud cheering section.
"Wooohooo go Ady! Get the bell on the left! You can do it" cheered Edgar
He stood at his starting line.
"So Ady gets a starting run. If he rings the lowest bell it's 1 point, the middle bell is 2 points and the tallest is 4. Everyone gets to go then they get a second and third chance to increase their points. After the 3rd round if there's anyone that's tied only they get to go again until someone gets more points then the others"

I nodded.
"So if no one can get the highest bell and Ady keeps ringing the middle bell then he will definitely stay in the running"
"Exactly. It's a safe play. It only works if no one rings the highest bell. A couple have tried but failed already. It's a risk to get no points on the first jump but it's worth taking for 4 points and it's a competition, few wolves want to play it safe"

I got worried. No way could Adrick reach the highest bell. Hopefully no one rang it and if Ady can keep hitting the second bell of 2 points he could win.
I saw my brother taking his stance. His focus was on the middle bell. He ran at the wall full speed and then jumped to take a couple steps on the wall before hitting the bell.
"Whooooo!" I cheered loudly
He landed with cat like grace and clearly happy.
"Feet are allowed on the wall but no hands, it's not easy to do. Wolves seem to have that skill from birth, cats not so much. You tend to rely on your front paws too much to give them up. Adrick did really well though. If he didn't land like a cat you'd barely know he wasn't a wolf"

That's true. Adrick definitely seemed to blend in with the wolves better. He liked the packs and their intensity. He absolutely loved to spend evenings at their training grounds sweating it out with them. From the cheering squad he had here it seemed they were more than happy to have him in return.