[By climbing over the railing and calling Vincent's attention to his position on the wrong side of the guard, Kit had achieved exactly the reaction he'd hoped for and, with it, proof that the other boy was lying to him as much as he was to himself.
The joke should have ended there. A civilized person would have crawled back over to the safety of the landing and apologized for taking things so far. However, Kit had something else to prove, and after a few more moments of careful assessment, he lowered his feet down to the narrow platform on the wrong side of the railing and met Vincent's glower with an unfaltering stare of his own.]
Gray foxes are said to be capable of jumping five or six feet high off the ground, and they have also proven to be very powerful climbers.
[His point?
Kit surveyed the drop again. From where he'd been perched on the railing, feet still above the landing, it had been more like a thirteen or fourteen foot drop. But from a position with both feet firmly planted on the ground, the eleven foot estimate he'd first gauged was much more accurate. Still, it was a dangerous height to fall from, especially onto concrete steps where a roll would be impossible to soften his landing.
He could aim for the railing itself, and in better condition, he might have actually been able to pull off such an acrobatic feat. As he was now, however, a stunt of that nature was out of the question. The stairs themselves were his best bet. So long as he remained unwilling to fold.]
The gray fox clears such heights alone, of course. They're not pack hunters and don't rely on others for assistance.
[Just as he refused to rely on Vincent.
Evidently, while the implication that the other boy seemed to care had amused him, it also struck a nerve. He didn't need anyone to take care of him. And he would prove it precisely where he'd boasted earlier that knowing how to land would be all he'd need to survive these treacherous steps.
Holding onto the railing with one hand, he squatted down carefully and picked out a spot below as his target landing zone and then, taking a deep breath...let go.]
no subject
The joke should have ended there. A civilized person would have crawled back over to the safety of the landing and apologized for taking things so far. However, Kit had something else to prove, and after a few more moments of careful assessment, he lowered his feet down to the narrow platform on the wrong side of the railing and met Vincent's glower with an unfaltering stare of his own.]
Gray foxes are said to be capable of jumping five or six feet high off the ground, and they have also proven to be very powerful climbers.
[His point?
Kit surveyed the drop again. From where he'd been perched on the railing, feet still above the landing, it had been more like a thirteen or fourteen foot drop. But from a position with both feet firmly planted on the ground, the eleven foot estimate he'd first gauged was much more accurate. Still, it was a dangerous height to fall from, especially onto concrete steps where a roll would be impossible to soften his landing.
He could aim for the railing itself, and in better condition, he might have actually been able to pull off such an acrobatic feat. As he was now, however, a stunt of that nature was out of the question. The stairs themselves were his best bet. So long as he remained unwilling to fold.]
The gray fox clears such heights alone, of course. They're not pack hunters and don't rely on others for assistance.
[Just as he refused to rely on Vincent.
Evidently, while the implication that the other boy seemed to care had amused him, it also struck a nerve. He didn't need anyone to take care of him. And he would prove it precisely where he'd boasted earlier that knowing how to land would be all he'd need to survive these treacherous steps.
Holding onto the railing with one hand, he squatted down carefully and picked out a spot below as his target landing zone and then, taking a deep breath...let go.]