|
Post by Fawn on May 30, 2013 21:22:31 GMT -5
[smear:ff6f36] ❄Frostpaw & Icewhisker❄[/smear:acdde9] 12 Moons || She-Cat & Tom || LightningClan
|
|
Conquer the monster in your head, and then you'll fly |
| |
|
GaleClan Medicine Cat
INVENTORY
|
Post by BlooRey DVD on May 30, 2013 22:17:21 GMT -5
[smear:000000]Nightpaw[/smear:6f6f6f] ~~~~~~~~~~~~
A single figure trained alone in a clearing as the sun began to rise over LightningClan's territory. With movements that were dangerously precise, perfectly calculated as though he were striking at an enemy, and not the void air before him, a black and white tom cat thrust his paws this way and that. His body twisted in unheard of contradictions as he whirled and spun on his hind legs, rocking his weight constantly to keep himself balanced, and safe from any attack launched on the muscles keeping him upright. His breath hissed from his mouth each time he struck out, a reminder to the ten moon old apprentice to keep breathing, even in the heat of battle. Muscles with no oxygen might as well have been cut out of the body and left for the crows.
His hind claws left scores in the earth as he moved, an eerie foreshadowing to what might happen should anyone be caught beneath those claws. Beneath the ebony coat, muscles rippled. The tom had come a long way from the undersized kit he'd been born as. With strong, long limbs and shoulders that looked powerful, although not heavy set, he had the frame of a warrior, though his age placed him two moons short of breaking that barrier. Through his movements, the tom's tail twisted and flashed from side to side, acting as a counterbalance to whichever way he moved. There was even a moment when the LightningClan apprentice let his bizarre-colored eyes close. His movements never faltered as he tested the limits to his battling skills. Of course, it might be more effective against an actual opponent, however not many appreciated being awoken so early in the morning, simply to act on the whim of a mere apprentice. And so, he was alone. And anyway, he tended to be a bit too... Violent for others on occasion.
The whirlwind of movements stopped, and the tuxedo tom dropped back to his four paws. He stood in a slightly aggressive position, shoulders showing beneath his coat. Nightpaw's breath came in heavy pants, appearing in slight plumes of steam as the cold morning air froze the water droplets. His ear flicked suddenly, and he lifted his head, glancing behind him at a slight rustling. Upon opening his jaws, he thought he caught the scent of Icewhisker, but he ignored it. The other tom hadn't made himself known, so Nightpaw wouldn't force him to show himself. Let him enjoy the show if he wants.
Giving himself a moment to catch his breath, Nightpaw stretched out each one of his legs. His next self-training was once more a test, one that would prove to him just how far he could push himself. Bunching his muscles, he released the building energy in a backwards spring, watching the ground carefully to judge how high he went. He landed with a heavy thud, flexing his claws to hold his balance. With a slight narrowing of his eyes, the tom leapt again, testing his twisting ability. Nearly rolling in mid-air, the tom hit the ground on his shoulder without a sound.
Standing once more, giving his shoulder a roll to stretch it out, Nightpaw re-centered himself, shutting his eyes and evening his breath. Even the sound of approaching paw steps didn't cause him to break his focus. A slight bunch of his muscles... Energy building, pooling in his limbs... Release! His part-turquoise, part-yellow eyes snapping open in an instant, the tom pushed up from his front paws, bringing his head and chest up. As he stretched his body up, he released the power in his hind legs, thrusting his lower body into the air with his upper body. Stretching backwards, paws reaching over his head, he held his position a moment longer, before pulling his forepaws closer to his body, allowing his hind paws to continue their path.
His backflip ended with a heavy landing, his hind legs nearly collapsing beneath the shock, and the weight of his body. By some miracle, he remained standing, nearly two tail-lengths from where he began. Without a hesitation, he transferred the energy that had nearly crushed his hind legs into a swift, forward pounce, as though he were crashing into an invisible enemy he had just evaded. With another swipe, he finished his move, ears swivelling, his head following as he turned to face two figures who had emerged from the undergrowth.
Giving his body one last stretch, in order to relieve himself of the tension it had built up, the LightningClan apprentice gave a slight dip of his head as he padded towards the brother-sister pair of Frostpaw and Icewhisker. "Greetings Icewhisker, Frostpaw." As he spoke their name, he made eye contact with each one, not flinching back in the slightest at the sight of Frostpaw's damaged eye. "Coming for a little extra training? I was just finishing. I can get out of your fur if you'd like the terrain to yourself." His voice was steady, almost warm as he spoke, fully prepared to step out of their way at a moment's notice.
|
|
|
Post by Fawn on Jun 1, 2013 2:24:11 GMT -5
[smear:ff6f36] ❄Frostpaw & Icewhisker❄[/smear:acdde9] 12 Moons || She-Cat & Tom || LightningClan
|
|
Conquer the monster in your head, and then you'll fly |
| |
|
GaleClan Medicine Cat
INVENTORY
|
Post by BlooRey DVD on Jun 1, 2013 10:52:11 GMT -5
[smear:000000]Nightpaw[/smear:6f6f6f] ~~~~~~~~~~~
The tuxedo tom's attention flicked back to Frostpaw as she spoke up, his dual colored eyes fixed upon her exactly the same as how he looked at anyone else. He gave her a dip of his head as she asked him if training with Whiteshade was going well. The white LightningClan warrior could be a tough mentor at times, but look at him now. What he was, the powerful, growing LightningClan apprentice, it was all thanks to Whiteshade. He'd been a pitiful kit, but now he was a tom to make his father proud. It was then that Icewhisker spoke.
Blinking his eyes and turning to face the tom, Nightpaw listened with something akin to interest. Icewhisker was asking him to train his sister? How interesting... She has a mentor, does she not? Perhaps said mentor does not take her injury into consideration... The fact she is half-blind shouldn't affect her ability to be a warrior. Frostpaw's outburst caused Nightpaw to flick his ear. He stared at her for a moment, as she finished speaking, telling him he could leave if he pleased. The thing was, after this whole conversation, he didn't want to leave. He wanted to stay, to find out what was troubling his cousin so much. Perhaps he could teach her something after all. Fighting without sight in one eyes was different. He'd been blinded by blood before, but he'd still won the fight. Or would have if it hadn't been for that pesky tortoiseshell tabby. Of course, the apprentice he'd been fighting was incredibly inexperienced compared to him.
"And I'm a tuxedo tom." Nightpaw replied, turning his gaze on Frostpaw. This comment was to contrast with her rather aggravated statement that she was half-blind. It was to show her his thoughts on her injury, and his belief that she could be a phenomenal warrior, even without sight in one eye. He continued, not allowing either of them to interrupt him. "Don't be silly. I'd be more than happy to offer some of my morning. I'll offer my whole day if need be." He focused on Frostpaw just then, flicking his ear. "I don't mean to cause any offence when I say this, but in battle, others will underestimate you. Have you ever considered using this to your advantage? Underestimating an enemy is the deadliest thing to do, though I'm sure you both know this."
He rose to his paws trotting away from them a little distance. He sat down in the center of the training hollow, eyes lifting to focus on the brother-sister pair once again. With a flick of his tail, he called back to them, his voice raised just enough for them to hear him clearly. "Before we begin, I want to do a bit of assessing. There's a stick to my right." He said, flicking his right ear to show them just where it was. "Frostpaw, if you don't mind, stalk up towards it and pounce on it when you're about a tail length or two away." His odd eyes narrowed slightly as he waited for her to perform his request. He wanted to get an idea of how her movements and balance were before he began anything further. If there was anything off about her balance, it would be the first thing to correct. Fighting was impossible without it.
|
|
|
Post by Fawn on Jun 2, 2013 18:02:39 GMT -5
[smear:ffaa68]❄Frostpaw❄[/smear:ffffff]
12 Moons || She-Cat || LightningClan
|
|
Conquer the monster in your head, and then you'll fly |
| |
|
GaleClan Medicine Cat
INVENTORY
|
Post by BlooRey DVD on Jun 2, 2013 20:38:27 GMT -5
[smear:000000]Nightpaw[/smear:6f6f6f] ~~~~~~~~~
The black and white tuxedo tom's eyes were completely focused upon his cousin as she stalked forward. He noticed her dragging tail, but didn't comment on it, instead allowing Frostpaw to figure it out on her own. He gave a slight nod as she pulled it up after startling herself with the dragging noise. Watching in silence, Nightpaw's examination continued, taking note of her weight distribution, her overall position, and her balance.
Nightpaw was glad to see that Frostpaw seemed to be reasonably balance. Though her leap had been off-target, something that troubled the tom slightly, it had been straight. Straight was good. He watched as Frostpaw sat rather stiffly, and Nightpaw immediately picked up on her utter sense of disappointment. Nightpaw's only reaction, however, was to nod his head slowly, the tiniest of movements as his eyes narrowed in thought. In his mind's eye, he played it over again, before shifting to a different image. This time, he pictured himself doing the same thing, with one eye closed. The first time was much like Frostpaw's demonstration. Each consecutive time, however, he was closer and closer to getting it right.
With only one eye, Frostpaw's depth perception was slightly off. This was understandable, the more he thought on it. Rising from his seated position, he met her gaze once more, no disappointment whatsoever. All that was present was interest. It was a rather fascinating lesson to him. "Frostpaw. This is no time to sit. Come now, stand up. We need to practice something, so that you can get used to the changed depth perception." He shut one eye, swiping a paw towards what he figured was her shoulder. All he struck, however was air. "All is not how it seems." He murmured, before opening it once more.
He took a step back from her, before crouching slightly, gathering the energy in his forelegs. With a shove, he released it, rising up onto his back legs with a practiced ease. Lifting his two front paws, and splaying his toes slightly, Nightpaw looked down at Frostpaw. "Up on your hind legs. I'll start by simply holding my paws in varied positions. Every time I move, I want you to strike at my paws with your own. Whether you hit or miss, I'll move. And wipe that disappointment off your face. It is quite unbecoming on your features." With a slight grin, Nightpaw waited for his cousin to make the next move.
|
|
|
Post by Fawn on Jun 3, 2013 9:22:43 GMT -5
[smear:ffaa68]❄Frostpaw❄[/smear:ffffff]
12 Moons || She-Cat || LightningClan
|
|
Conquer the monster in your head, and then you'll fly |
| |
|
GaleClan Medicine Cat
INVENTORY
|
Post by BlooRey DVD on Jun 21, 2013 11:05:09 GMT -5
[smear:000000]Nightpaw[/smear:6f6f6f] ~~~~~~~~~
The tuxedo tom balanced on his hind legs, waiting for his ginger and white cousin to make a strike. His tail twisted behind him, taking on the appearance of an adder as it snaked about, seemingly with a life of its own. The purpose of its constant twitching was to ensure that he stayed upright and as balanced as a cat could while standing up on two legs. His dual colored eyes narrowed slightly as the muscles along his body tensed, preparing themselves when he saw Frostpaw finally lift herself up into a position much like his own.
The first strike brushed the side of his paw. It was a soft, hesitant strike, but it had been a strike nonetheless. And almost a hit too. Just as he promised, his paw moved, slightly lowered compared to its previous position, as well as slightly more to the left. This would require her to make a wider strike. The black and white tom figured that this might be the extent of their training for a while. It wasn't that he was necessarily purposely holding back. No, the purpose of not moving past the stage of practicing strikes and other similar things was to make it easier for Frostpaw. You didn't take a new apprentice and hurl them into a battle, declaring them to learn for themselves. He wasn't implying that Frostpaw was daft, or had the skills of a new apprentice. Oh no, he knew Frostpaw could fight. There had simply been a change. A change you had to get used to, which meant back to some basics.
A smile twitched the side of his lips as her strikes began to hit his paws more firmly. His black ears pricked slightly, feeling the slight jarring of her hits. After a while, the black and white tom spoke up. "Good. Very good. You're getting better with that Frostpaw." Stepping back, the tom dropped back to his four paws, giving his shoulders a roll. "More confident with every strike too. That wasn't too hard, now was it?" He offered her a smile, and a dip of his head. "Take a breather now. We'll move on to something else." Dropping his haunches into a sit, Nightpaw gave his chest a few quick licks before refocusing his gaze upon Frostpaw's form. "Cats have never fully relied on their sight alone to function, correct? More often than not, we track and hunt with our noses and our ears. You don't always see your prey, in order to know its there. You'll have to become more accustomed to relying on your other sense, now that your sight isn't all there."
He glanced over his shoulder, assessing the area before turning back to her. "Now close your eyes, really focus your ears. Tell me what you can hear." As he instructed her, the tom let his own eyes close, straightening slightly and letting his breathing become shallower, to give room for him to hear more.
|
|