[Phoenix]

Jaws parted in a large yawn as the she-cat exited the warrior's den, snapping shut with an audible click a moment later. Instantly noticeable, the temperature change between the frigid air and comfortable warmth of the den made it very hard for the warrior to not give in to her strong desires and turn around. But she had her duties to attend to, as did every other warrior in StoneClan. Prey was scarce and the biting wind, which had momentarily ceased to exist, made it hard for any cat to stay out for long. Besides, she now had a new responsibility, one that she prioritized far above the rest. Fallingstar had asked her to take over the training of one of StoneClan's promising apprentices, Swiftpaw. With Owlface out of action due to a rather nasty cough, Honeynose was more than willing to train the somewhat amicable tom.

Deep yellow eyes glanced around camp before paws carried the warrior toward the apprentice's den. It was still rather early in the morning, and the she-cat found it safe to assume that Swiftpaw would still be asleep in the den. Tail flicking as she crossed the clearing, Honeynose idly considered what she should try to cover. Having never really talked with his other mentor, she did not know where the tom was in his training; perhaps the best course of action would be to ask and find out. Swiftpaw might have something that he wanted to work on in particular, and until she saw more of his skill set, Honeynose thought that she might improvise most of their lessons, as opposed to planning them out meticulously. Besides, sometimes she felt that improvisation was what she did best.

Ducking her head, the warrior called into the den, "Hey Swiftpaw! Let's get going, shall we?"

[Deleted]

Swiftpaw jerked awake, his heart racing faster than time itself. Lifting his head and slowly blinking open weary, pale amber eyes, he discovered, to his relief was Honeynose. Jaws parting in a yawn, he guessed it was time for training. His mentor, Owlface, rather unfortunately, had gone down with a nasty cough, so Honeynose was to take over his training. Despite being an apprentice for 3 moons, Swiftpaw had barely done any training at all, due to rather unfortunate circumstances.
The apprentice shook the clumps of moss from his tangle of long, dark grey fur and ambled over to the grey she-cat, his pale amber gaze weary and his eyelids almost covering them. It wasn't that he didn't like training, he just hadn't slept well last night, or the night before. In fact, the to-be warrior had a moon of almost sleepless nights behind him.
He acknowledged the warrior with a shy dip of the head, "Sorry," he mumbled apologetically, "I didn't sleep much last night."
Glancing over at the measly fresh-kill-pile, he found that he wasn't hungry. At last, he seemed to have numbed himself of that awful feeling of hunger.
Sitting on his back, he briefly drew his tongue over his pelt and tidied himself up a little, after all, he couldn't go out looking like a mess.

[Sorry, short post!]

[Phoenix]

Swiftpaw did not look particularly ready for training as he rose from his nest, his movements carrying a listlessness reminiscient of a feline half asleep. In fact, the hooded eyes and his short, mumbled explanation only confirmed her suspicion. "I wouldn't worry about it," Honeynose grinned, brushing away the apology without a second thought. "We all have those nights, don't we?" Though Swiftpaw's obvious exhaustion did not appear as though he had had only one night of sleeplessness; it was far too obvious, too extreme for just a single night of no sleep. He had the look of a cat who had had little sleep for the past moon, at least. "I'm sure you'll sleep well tonight, in any case."

Flicking her tail as a silent gesture for him to follow, the warrior began to lead the way out of camp. Lightly, she continued the conversation with ease, completely unbothered by the fact that it seemed mostly one-sided. "Now, can you tell me what you and Owlface have covered so far?" She paused and looked back at her apprentice, wondering if he would be able to wake up enough to learn anything that she would teach him, before offering an explanation to her question. "I plan on continuing training from where he left off, but first I just want to get a good sense of where you are and what you know." They had reached the edge of camp, and Honeynose stopped, turning to face her apprentice. She would decide their next course of action based on his answer.

[Deleted]

Swiftpaw tried to get a grip on himself, Wake up! Your going training for goodness sake! Shaking himself a little, he faced Honeynose with rather forced open pale amber eyes.
"I wouldn't worry about it, We all have those nights, don't we? I'm sure you'll sleep well tonight, in any case."
Swiftpaw tried to be a little more enthusiastic at Honeynose's mew, but it was hard when he was so drained of energy. Smiling weakly at the grey she-cat, he followed her out of camp without another word.
The apprentice was usually a rather shy and timid character, but he always tried his best when training. Today, though, he felt like he would fall asleep on his paws. His jaws parted wide and yet another yawn seeped out. Muttering a sorry to himself, his gaze explored their surroundings. It seemed leaf-bare had dropped off yet another delivery of fresh snow fall last night as everywhere Swiftpaw's pale amber gaze looked was covered in a thick layer of the white stuff.
Shaking a snowflake from his feathered dark grey paw, his gaze returned to Honeynose.
"Now, can you tell me what you and Owlface have covered so far?"
Swiftpaw nodded wearily, swallowing the yawn that was rising in his chest, "Owlface didn't get to teach me much because of his cough," he explained, his eyelids drooping a little, "But he showed me the territory. My first mentor, Nightscar, who died"- he paused, swallowing the grief that was welling up inside him. Nightscar had been like a father figure to him. Noble and brave, he had mentored him for a quarter-moon, until he was found dead on the NightClan border. No cat knew how he died, but Swiftpaw had a feeling NightClan could have something to do with it. Feeling a little better, he continued where he left off, "Nightscar taught me a little battle training.
He was about to finish, when he remembered something else, "Oh! And Granitepaw taught me to catch hawks. We caught one together." he sat a little taller now, despite feeling tired and withered, rather like a dead tree.

[Phoenix]

Honeynose nodded, mind churning with the new information. She remembered vaguely remembered Nightscar; the tom, like almost any other StoneClan warrior, had a good heart full of nobility and compassion. While she had some trouble recalling the warrior himself, the she-cat could easily recall when he had been found dead by NightClan territory. As always, the passing of any feline shook the clan, but the loss of such a valuable, capable one had rattled StoneClan to its core. Though the cause of his death remained unknown, the general suspicion throughout the clan was that NightClan had had something to do with it. Right around Shadeclaw's betrayal... A chill spread down her spine at the thought. It was almost too weird to be a coincidence.

Giving herself a little shake, the mentor redirected her thoughts. In any case, it sounded like Swiftpaw could hunt; the combined success with the hawk was only proof of the apprentices' ability, and the she-cat was confident that the young tom before her had done his share of work. "That is really great, Swiftpaw," She acknowledged his accomplishment with a smile, her words genuine. "Really. To catch a hawk at your age and with just the two of you... It's almost unheard of. Really impressive." Yes, he could hunt. At the very least, he had practice in that area, and he could always go out and work on it on his own. With that in mind, she decided that it would be best to go over battle training.

But a closer look at Swiftpaw had her hesitating. The apprentice did not not give her the impression of a healthy, young tom. Exhaustion all but shone throughout every part of his stance, from the weary gaze and too-wide eyes that indicated a forced awareness. "I was going to say that we could go over some battle moves today," Honeynose started. "But I'm not quite sure you're up for that until you get a good night's sleep. However, we could go off on a tangent, if you will. Instead of launching ourselves at each other, I think it would be better if we talked tactics." The she-cat nodded slightly to herself, satisfied with her compromise. "After all, tactics are just as important as the moves themselves, and we have time to cover those another day. How does that sound, Swiftpaw?"

[Deleted]

Swiftpaw nodded; pale amber gaze clouded a little at the thought of Nightscar, "That sounds great," he mewed. He was feeling rather relieved that Honeynose had suggested they do battle moves another time and instead talked tactics. Nightscar had been one of those mentors with a 'do', not 'think' attitude to training so Swiftpaw had never actually discussed tactics with him other than a quick brief over it. Forcing the yawns down his throat, he fixed the grey she-cat with a little more alert gaze.
He silently vowed to himself that he would go to his nest extra early tonight in an attempt to get some sleep, because until he did, he would be stuck discussing tactics. Not that he disliked it or anything...
For once, Swiftpaw was glad of his long silky, dark grey fur, at least he didn't get too cold in leaf-bare. A little unsure of what to say next, his gaze flying around camp restlessly.
The dark grey to-be-warrior found his eyelids dropping again and quickly blinked them wide open. Shifting his weight from paw to paw, he managed to look up at Honeynose again, though he found himself hunching shyly.

[Phoenix]

A smile spread across her lips. "Glad you agree," She meowed, her attitude seeming all the more lively compared to the exhausted apprentice beside her. Now that she thought about it, it was probably better that they start out discussing tactics rather than trading blows right from the beginning. This exercise would tell her something about Swiftpaw's fighting experience, which sounded rather limited, and she could also infer the apprentice's fighting style from his answers. Every cat fought in their own way. If he preferred brute force to sly little tricks, then his replies would consist of more head on charges. Judging by his small stature, however, Honeynose strongly doubted that that would be the case.

"Before I give you an example, let's go over each clan," She started, figuring that it would be better to give him an overview before tossing him into a mock battle, even if it was only with words. "I'm sure you remember that we border LightningClan and RainClan. LightningClan cats tend to be lean and small, and they use their speed and agility to their advantage. Equally dangerous is RainClan; with their ability to fish, they have developed very dexterous paws and can strike with swiftness and agility." Pausing, she let him comprehend the information about their neighbors, which was, perhaps, the most important knowledge out of all the clans. They lived within close proximity of these two clans, and it was imperative that they knew how to defend themselves against any attacks. "Then there's NightClan. Quick to pounce, these cats are, in general, particularly skilled at using stealth to their advantage. TeeClan tends to be the most tolerant of all the clans, and chances are you can get them to talk before fighting. However, they're just as ferocious fighters as the rest of us."

Satisfied with her summary, Honeynose paused and leaned back slightly. Eyes on her apprentice, she gave him some time to sort through the wave of information that had just crashed over him.
The longer she watched him, however, the more worried she became about his lackluster appearance. If he was this worn out as an apprentice, then warrior duties would be too much for him. It was far too early in the young tom's life for him to resemble a battle-worn elder. After this, she would ask him about it, and if necessary, see whether Blackeagle could do anything about it. She would not have her apprentice nearly collapsing first thing in the morning due to insomnia. Not only would he be a danger to himself, but also a danger to the others around him. Yes, she would ask him later.

Feeling as though the silence had carried on long enough, she prompted, "Any questions before we begin, Swiftpaw?"

OOC: I am so sorry for the late reply T.T

[Deleted]

"Before I give you an example, let's go over each clan,"
Swiftpaw nodded wearily. He was trying to not let the tiredness get in the way of his training, but it was impossible. He silently vowed to himself that he would get a better night sleep that night.
"I'm sure you remember that we border LightningClan and RainClan. LightningClan cats tend to be lean and small, and they use their speed and agility to their advantage. Equally dangerous is RainClan; with their ability to fish, they have developed very dexterous paws and can strike with swiftness and agility."
The dark grey tom nodded to Honeynose to show that he understood what she was saying, though he didn’t speak.
"Then there's NightClan. Quick to pounce, these cats are, in general, particularly skilled at using stealth to their advantage. TreeClan tends to be the most tolerant of all the clans, and chances are you can get them to talk before fighting. However, they're just as ferocious fighters as the rest of us."
Swiftpaw shuddered at the thought of fighting a NightClan warrior, if his suspicions that they had killed Nightscar were true, then he wanted nothing to do with them.
"Don’t NightClan attack by night sometimes?" he asked the grey she-cat, remembering the tales he’d heard as a kit.

[Phoenix]

Pleased with Swiftpaw's quick comprehension of the new information and ability to make inferences from it, Honeynose smiled, nodding enthusiastically. "While I don't think it's a proven fact," She answered, voice fairly light, considering the subject matter. "I believe that it can be assumed that it is included in their plethora of battle strategies. At the very least, it fits their general fighting style." Pausing for a moment after giving the answer, she waited in silence, giving her apprentice the chance to ask another question before she continued talking.

"Okay, got that then? Good. I think a good way to start of our conversation on tactics is to give you a few scenarios that you might end up in and see what you would do." Not only would that give her a taste of his fighting strategy - whether would rush headfirst in to battle or preferred to dart in and out, striking quickly before retreating - and his general experience in the art of battle. Judging from his small stature, she felt it safe to assume that his battle style was the latter, rather than the former. Of course, to truly judge this, he would have to get up and fight her, but if she could get him in the same, or at least a similar, mindset, then his replies would probably be fairly accurate representations. She could correct mistakes he made and point out areas of weakness. The major difference in this was the time. Swiftpaw would have the time to think out a strategic answer when he would have to keep on his paws and think quickly in battle.

She gave herself a moment to think up the first situation, before her jaws parted and she explained, "You're in a one-on-one fight with another apprentice from any clan - let's say, LightningClan. You two are fighting over Sun Stones. For a LightningClan cat, he's rather brawny. He makes the first attack, rushing straight at you with claws unsheathed and jaws snapping. What do you do? How will you retaliate?"

[Deleted]

"While I don't think it's a proven fact, I believe that it can be assumed that it is included in their plethora of battle strategies. At the very least, it fits their general fighting style."
Swiftpaw nodded; taking in all the information Honeynose was giving him. The grey warrior gave him a little time to ask any questions; of which he didn’t have, before speaking again.
"Okay, got that then? Good. I think a good way to start of our conversation on tactics is to give you a few scenarios that you might end up in and see what you would do."
The dark grey apprentice smiled; that seemed like a good idea, considering right now he was too exhausted to actually fight.
Sitting up a little taller, he cleared his mind of all thoughts and worries; waiting eagerly for Honeynose to speak.
"You're in a one-on-one fight with another apprentice from any clan - let's say, LightningClan. You two are fighting over Sun Stones. For a LightningClan cat, he's rather brawny. He makes the first attack, rushing straight at you with claws unsheathed and jaws snapping. What do you do? How will you retaliate?"
Swiftpaw thought over the situation carefully first before responding to the grey she-cat’s question. A LightningClan apprentice?
He tilted his head to one side, pale amber eyes filled with concentration. When he’d made up his mind, he sat up straighter, before meowing clearly, "I would dodge them and perhaps try to unbalance them by going for their legs," though as soon as the young tom had spoken, he felt a little embarrassed at his reply. It had been so much better in his mind; speaking it aloud had made it seem a feeble attempt.

[Phoenix]

Dark yellow eyes watched as pale amber ones stilled in concentration. Patiently, she waited while the younger gray cat considered his options. LightningClan cats tended to stay on the skinny side of the spectrum, and she had said that the apprentice was brawny for a LightningClan cat. In her mind, that implied that the apprentice was still on the lean side, and therefore, relatively simple to overcome using brute force. However, the trick would have been catching the other apprentice, for LightningClan cats were known to be fast on their feet and agile. With that in mind, there would be little time to do formulate any plan. The LightningClan apprentice had already decided to rush forward. Since that was the case, she would--

"--dodge them and perhaps try to unbalance them by going for their legs."

Ears flicked, turning forward, as the now-familiar voice broke through the relative calm that had fallen in the absense of speech. In her mind's eye, she pictured the scene, watching as the small gray cat that was her apprentice jumped aside, dodging the LightningClan cat's swipe. The other tom would rush straight past, his momentum carrying him forward. Swiftpaw used this chance to aim a swipe of his own, down low to the ground and attempting to trip up the other apprentice. "It works," She responded, her head dipping in a slight nod. "He rushes by you, and you manage to connect with a paw just as he begins to turn around to face you again. He stumbles, though quickly rights himself. This time, however, he waits for you to make the next move, more wary and analytical than before."

[Deleted]

Honeynose seemed pleased at his first answer. At least he was doing something right.
“He rushes by you, and you manage to connect with a paw just as he begins to turn around to face you again. He stumbles, though quickly rights himself. This time, however, he waits for you to make the next move, more wary and analytical than before.”
Swiftpaw nodded, picturing the attack in his mind whilst Honeynose talked him through it. When she had finished, he tried to think of a reply. LightningClan can be very fast, he reminded himself, Which means I just have to be faster.
”I would dart to one side,” he began, ”Then quickly dart to the other and try to confuse him.”
He tilted his head to one side, trying to decide upon what to do next, ”And then I’d...” he broke off, ”I’d attack, he’d still be a little disorientated from my darting from side to side if that was successful.”
The dark grey tom spoke no more, a little unsure on what to say; instead waiting for Honeynose’s reply.

[Phoenix]

"A good idea," Honeynose acknowledged lightly, tail flicking through the air behind her. "However, you probably will not be able to beat a cat at their own game. LightningClan is known for their speed and agility, remember. Chances are that this tom has fought against his denmates, which may be smaller, faster than him. If he is skilled enough, then he would have learned to adapt to that fighting style of darting from side to side, landing a blow and then retreating quickly." Pausing, she added, "That is not to say that disorienting your opponent like that will fail. Practiced or not, anyone can have trouble keeping up with an agile cat. Just remember that LightningClan specializes in those kinds of moves, so an attack like that may not end up being as effective and successful as you want."

But what to do instead?

"I would not have given him the time to right himself and turn around," She began speaking slowly and picking her words as she pictured the scene before her. An idea struck her, and though Swiftpaw might not appreciate the example, she believed that it was sometimes better to learn by experience than just by ear. Climbing to her paws, she gestured for her apprentice to do the same. "Stand up please, Swiftpaw." Yellow eyes locked on him, watching as she waited for the right moment. As soon as it came, she gave him a shove; it was not hard enough to hurt him, but she tried to put enough force into it to knock him off balance, make him stumble to the side at most. "A cat who's off balance cannot go on the offensive and retaliate very easily," She instructed, making her point known as she sat back down again. "Even if the cat attempts to, the blows are usually ineffective and weaker than they would have been, had the cat been stable. You're vulnerable when you're off balance, and the key is to take recognize when you're opponent is in that situation and use it to your advantage." Her tail flicked, and she gave a sheepish grin. "Sorry about that, but I felt as though it would make my point clearer. I didn't hurt you, did I?"

[Deleted]

Swiftpaw got what Honeynose was saying, If you're unbalanced you're much more vulnerable and as a result will find it difficult to retaliate. But what the silky-furred tom was not prepared for was being attacked by the grey she-cat; he had been drifting off again.
Letting out a yowl of surprise, he stumbled backwards, only then realising that she was just demonstrating an attack. Shaking a little snow off his dark grey pelt, Swiftpaw steadied himself a little.
I must stay more awake!
As Honeynose apologised, he simply dipped his head to the warrior, a little shy, "I'm O.K., just didn't expect that," he replied, pale amber eyes wide. The grey she-cat had only given him a little shove, but it had been enough to make him stumble. Perhaps if I spot my opponent is a little unbalanced I could do the same? he realised.
A little shaky on his paws, he sat down once more; watching the grey warrior much more attentively than before; he didn't want to be caught off guard again.

[Phoenix]

Though she had not intended for him to be perfectly balanced when she shoved his shoulder, she was admittedly bothered at how far he had stumbled backward. She hadn't shoved him that hard, had she? At this point in her life, she thought that she knew her own strength, but did she have less of a grip on it than she had originally thought? Even as her apprentice had shaken the snow from his fur, she had rolled her own shoulders, licking her lips, feeling slightly apprehensive. However, he was quick to respond her apology, in a somewhat reassuring manner. He hadn't expected it. Well, that had been the point, correct?

At the very least, he looked considerably more attentive than before. Idly, she wondered how long that would last, and out of the two of them, which would be the first to cave. Almost every ounce of her being wanted to dismiss the young tom and send him back to his den for some much-needed rest. However, she was hesitant to do so because it would be a nasty blow to his pride. If, she decided, he appears as though sleep would benefit him more than this conversation, then I will do just that. Pleased with her compromise, she inclined her head slightly in a nod.

"Alright," Honeynose meowed, tail flicking as she refocused herself on the training session. "I think you understand that point now. Moving on, let's try a different situation. You're alone, fighting two RainClan cats. Both are apprentices, and one is obviously inexperienced while the other seems to have some knowledge of what he is doing. Your plan of attack?"

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