Pavlova could see the world from where she was perched. 

And this time, she was only metaphorically on the fence.

She sat on the window's ledge, leaning against the glass but gazing at her own home. There was a globe perched on the coffee table, colored a bright blue with large green markings stretching around. If she ran her paw over it, she could feel the bumps and ridges on the surface. Small black characters often were in the center of the green or blue areas—Pavlova's hypothesis was that they were markings to organize some sort of system, but her newest theory had taken up all of her brain power.

And that was why she was grateful to see the familiar figure of a grey-brown tabby padding up the front walk. Pavlova turned from the window, leaping downwards. Her tail brushed against the globe as she padded atop the coffee table. And with one final leap, she took a few steps out the door, meeting Eliza just as the she-cat started into the Twoleg den.

"Oh, hi there!" she squeaked, ears pressing against her skull. "I was just looking for you, Pav."

She shrugged nonchalantly. "What do you want?" she asked smoothly. 

"I'm—I'm going to be a warrior of SkyClan," Eliza meowed, ducking her head and giving a few licks to her chest. 

Pavlova's eyes brightened.

SkyClan lived nearby, in the gorge, as one large group of cats. One large, easily manipulable group of cats. The white cat made no effort to hide her surprise, but she concealed her excitement by licking her paw and drawing it over her ear. "Hm, what made you decide that?" she asked, tilting her head.

"I guess I'm just sick of staying ins—" began Eliza.

"Perfect, I'll come with you," Pavlova interrupted, tail brushing over the ground. "I guess we're going to be warriors now."

"Well that was rather quick of you," Eliza remarked, skepticism flashing in her eyes for a brief heartbeat. She sighed. "But I guess it's better to go with someone rather than being alone, right?" 

Pavlova gave a shrug.

Eliza wasn't the most adventurous cat. Sure, she would do anything for Pav, but the gray-brown tabby had always preferred a lazying chat atop her Twoleg's fence rather than a trip around the block. So, Pav knew there must have been something to inspire her new decision. 

What could leave you helpless? she thought, eyes narrowed as she stared at Eliza. What would inspire such a dramatic, strong decision in a not-so-dramatic, not-so-strong cat... 

"Pav, you're zoning out again."

She blinked her amber-green eyes. "My bad. Anyways, do you want to set off now? I'd rather not have to inside for a heartbeat longer than I have to, and I'm already feeling the call of the wild." Pavlova chuckled.

Eliza laughed with her, standing up and starting back into a walk. "I guess we already are starting," she meowed. "I said goodbye to my Twolegs this morning... you probably don't give a rat's tail about yours, but they do feed you and water you and keep you alive." She shrugged. "Not that we can't do that in the wild... right?" 

Pavlova detected a hint of nervousness in her friend's tone. "SkyClan's been out there for longer than we've been alive," she reassured. "There's nothing to be concerned about." The white she-cat paused, crouching and leaping up onto the fence. 

Literally, she didn't need to be on the fence anymore.

Eliza had made the decision for her.

Pavlova had a whole new collection of subjects for her whole new set of experiments, and with her morals more forgotten than her Twolegs, the cat leaped over the fence, landing on the soft grass with a glance tossed behind her only to make sure Eliza was following. 

But when she did look back, she saw her gray-brown tabby friend sitting atop the fence, head twisted and peering back at the rows of Twoleg dens.

"What are you sitting on the fence for?"

Eliza looked down at her. Her sky-blue eyes were wide, and as she tried to meow, her voice was choked by a quiet sob. After a few moments, the she-cat managed to get a few words out. "I—I guess I'm just going to miss being in the Twolegplace." Her posture wilted; her ears drooped. 

Pavlova paused.

Here she was, on the other side of the fence, looking up at the cat who had gave her this chance to experiment. And here she was, waiting for that cat to actually make their decision.

She had to resist letting out a small chuckle.

"I know you're going to miss your Twolegs and all the other cats, but don't you want a chance to start a new life?" Pavlova asked softly. "Don't you want to learn the ways of SkyClan cats? To become a warrior?"

"I suppose you're right," Eliza meowed. She leaped down from the top of the fence and gave her pelt a few rasps of her tongue. "But then again, you're always right."

And Pavlova didn't try to correct her. 

By Rio. ⛈