Introspection

Chapter 2 - The Commander

"No no, I got it. No worries!" He puffed, swinging his last leg up, he clumsily rolled himself onto the platform. "See? Totally got this." He tried to put a bit more bravado into his tone but it wasn't very convincing. She gave him a little smile; she wasn't sure if she was trying to agree with his faux levity or slightly pity him.

"Where's Xavier?" She questioned once Gunner's breathless pants had subsided and he planted his feet firmly on the platform. Without saying a word, he threw a thumb over his shoulder. Amy took that as her queue to look back over the edge, but before she could find her teammate, she almost knocked heads with the Bobcat female of Squad Yellow. The feline avoided the impact but cautioned the hedgehog with a growl.

"Watch it, Scrap." Her growl was different from Dimitris, it was higher pitched. But if that was due to her gender or her species, Amy wasn't sure.

"Sorry." Amy gave a curt nod, shifting her eyes to the floor. Once the female cadet found a railing to lean herself against, Amy resumed her search for Xavier. At the bottom of the wall, it was clear that he was having a hard time. The Secretary Bird and Hippo beside him were struggling as well; however, their height gave them an advantage, allowing them to reach the holds with slightly more ease than the owl.

How? She found herself thinking as Dimitri's order tumbled over in her mind. Staring in bewilderment, she kept searching for a solution. In the Freedom Fighters, it was just an expectation that another member with flight or strength would go back and collect any stragglers. Clearly she couldn't fly, but she was also never looked to for the "strength" role. That job always fell to Knuckles or Big, even. She examined Xaviers movements. Why would he reach there? Didn't he know that he'd have to completely shift his weight a few feet up if he started that way? They'd been running the same course all week. Surely he knew what hand and foot holds to use by now.

"Mother fuc-" Xavier's hiss was cut off as his hip and elbow hit the ground. His hand slipped at the pivot point and he was back to square one. Other cadets were starting to line up on the top platform by this point. She stared in amazement; there were other's still climbing, but he was the only one still on the ground. He really had no clue how to do this.

"Xavier! Keep your hips closer to the wall! When you go to move up, don't just use your legs! Can you use your tail feathers? Try pushing off against the wind to give yourself an extra boost, maybe?" Amy cupped her hands around her mouth trying to amplify her voice. At his name, his head feathers flared. He didn't look up, but she assumed he'd heard her because the feathers kept flicking as she shouted. Once he stood up, Xavier's narrowed eyes shot up to her. Clearly, he was hesitant about taking her advice, but Amy thought there might be an echo of contemplation in his expression.

"Oh com'on Icicle! It's worth a try!" Gunner had knelt down, planting himself besides Amy. When Xavier's eyes slid to Gunner, his expression seemed to shift with them. The glare was gone and in its place was his typical aloofness. Starting the climb again, he tucked in closer to the wall and reached the pivot point. Amy and Gunner watched as their teammate took a steadying breath, and with a deep flick of his long tail feathers, he gave himself an upward burst of momentum. Instantly, he passed the hippo and other avian who were at the ¾ mark of the climb. With a self-satisfied smirk, he mimicked the motion once again, now able to grip the lip of the platform.

"Don't worry Amy, I got'em." Gunner gave her a friendly wink, extending a hand down. "I don't want Feather Duster pulling you over-board." He chuckled.

"I appreciate it, Gunner. But I've got him; I've been up here longer than you so my arms are rested." she replied, a broad smile across her face. Her advice had worked, and if she was being honest, it'd worked even better than she hoped!