Muriel's Swing
by tannim
December 17, 2009
Muriel stretched, squatting low on the grass and standing up, one leg bend, then the other. She arched her back and twisted left then right. Another squat and leg stretches for both legs. Her tail swished and twitched rapidly behind her. Her shorts and custom top allowed free movement without constriction of pants or a normal shirt.
The squirrel finished her warmup by lifting each leg high. She touched her nose with a toe from each foot, one then the other, keeping herself standing stiff with the other leg. A quick shake of her her head, making her cheek ruffs swish around where her shoulders would be, and she was ready.
Muriel looked at the tree and the swing hanging on it. Her parents had built the swing for her to exercise with. Since she had to do everything with her feet they had to find a way to strengthen her toes and leg muscles. Her father had come up with the idea of swinging, and they had all enjoyed it.
She climbed the ladder on the side of the tree and sat on top a good foot higher than she stood on the ground. Reaching up with her feet the squirrel gripped the three quarters inch diameter metal bar with her toes. For the first few years after she was born, it had been much thinner and even then she hadn't been able to grip it. Now though, she squeezed it with her well worked toes and feet, clamping them tightly and squealing with delight as she pushed away from the platform.
Muriel swung out into the air upside down. She didn't try to swing further, just to let the ropes steady from the initial falling swing. Her legs stayed bent, muscles clenched to absorb the falling motion and extend outward to slow the shock of the bottom arc and keep her from flopping onto the ground from a broken grip. It was always quite a rush and she loved it. Especially in the nice cool autumn air. Her cheek ruffs trailed behind her while she swung back and forth until finally coming to a steady state where they hung down to tickle her ear tips. Her tail helped speed up the slowdown. Flicking in opposite directions to the swing.
When Muriel was sure her position was stable, she clenched her toes harder and pulled up with her legs to brace herself as well as to add extra distance. The squirrel swung her chest forward, her head swinging forward further, and held her tail still. When she reached as far as she could lift her torso she thrust herself back the other way, this time pushing with her legs at the right moment in the arc to push herself further up.
She pushed herself forward again, face first, at the top of the backwards swing to propel herself back down faster and build up momentum. Her toes held the strain of keeping her body from slipping off so far, but it got more difficult the faster she swung. Her legs clenched and pulled into another bend near the middle of the arc forward and again pushed out on the swing back.
The air rushed through her fur and ears. It felt quite invigorating with each swing. Her tail hung loose for several seconds and slowed her down. The squirrel let it go stiff under her after she got some speed up. It was her only real cushion if she slipped.
Her long cheek fur swung opposite direction to her and she loved turning her head to make them brush over her face. She couldn't do that too much though, as it added a destabilizing spin to her swing. The spin could be fun, but it could also rip her feet off the bar if she wasn't careful.
Back and forth, swing after swing, her leg muscles and feet working heavily to keep her up. Her muscles were visible under her fur each time she pulled herself into a bend. Her abs got a good workout too helping her push herself forward and backwards. They absorbed much of the torsion from the spinning motion when she swished her cheek ruffs around.
The squirrel laughed happily in the swing, though her legs felt the burn of the workout after just a couple minutes, even a little burn before she'd fully gotten up to speed. Muriel's tail flicked a bit this way and that also working to reduce spin but she felt herself lose control suddenly when she whipped her face to the left to fast. Her right foot slipped, her other hanging on long enough to move her tail under her left side better.
Her left toes held on long enough to put her in mid arc before letting go. She pressed her tail to her head and rolled with her momentum. The girl's bushy tail absorbed most of the impact and she rolled to distribute the rest throughout a longer period. When she stopped she lay in the grass laughing again.
Muriel smiled to herself as she lay on the soft cool grass. It was such a good workout and always left her relaxed and happy with fond memories of her parents.
