[BlooRey DVD]

[smear:999999]Feathercloud[/smear:ffffff]

~~~~~~~~~

Sharp blue eyes stared straight ahead, meeting hazel eyes dead on. Her silver flank rose and fell slightly as air was drawn in, and pushed back out. A single ear flicked as the wind rustled through the trees, but she never dropped the other she-cat's gaze. She was aware of another presence nearby, taking the shape of a large white form sitting near the side of the thicket. Normally, the two she-cats trained and fought side by side. They'd learnt each others techniques, how each of them moved. They knew each others strengths and weaknesses. Under normal circumstances, Skyfall would have stood as the opponent, and the pair would determine the best strategy at taking down a larger opponent.

But the tom was still healing from a recent fox attack, and it had been decided that he shouldn't push himself too much so early on. Still, the tom was always willing to share insight and knowledge, and nothing was more thrilling to him than teaching. And this was sort of like teaching. Feathercloud only had a basic idea of why the large white tom had decided that they would fight one another, instead of simply picking a different opponent for them to fight.

Sprucefur could have done it. The silver feline thought. Her tail shifted slightly as a warmth passed over her with the thought of the pale furred tom. Pushing the strange feeling aside, Lionstar's former apprentice did her best to focus on the task at hand. She had to find a way to take down one of her best friends in all the Clans. Wouldn't this be quite a feat... Brokensong was fast, and light on her paws. Though there wasn't much raw power behind the dainty feline's movements, Feathercloud had still witnessed how the tortoiseshell could use her speed to more than make up for her lack of sheer strength, and turn into a rather devastating force.

A slow exhale just barely made it out before the peace that had settled over the Hidden Thicket would be interrupted by the sounds of the mock-battle. "Begin."

[smear:000000]Broken[/smear:ff6633][smear:ff6633]song[/smear:ffffff]

~~~~~~~~~

Skyfall's voice broke through the tortoiseshell's thoughts, and she watched as Feathercloud's hindquarters bunched, how there was a slight shift in weight, and the silver feline was quickly closing the distance between them. Hazel eyes widened slightly as she sidestepped, her plume-like tail just barely managing to avoid being pinned by the other she-cat. Spinning as quickly as she could, Brokensong was just in time to meet Feathercloud's strike paw for paw. With their claws sheathed, there was no danger of ripping skin, though a solid blow could still leave you sore.

Silver paws were shoved back to the ground by Brokensong's as her haunches bunched beneath her. When she sprang, she leapt sideways, paws skidding as she landed and tried to push herself back towards the silver feline. Feathercloud seemed to just collapse then, her shoulders sinking and providing no resistance as the tortoiseshell crashed into her. This sent the pair of them in a messy roll, with Feathercloud recovering more quickly. Before the mute she-cat could think of getting up, a silver streak was hurtling towards her, springing up with the intention of pinning her to the ground.

With no intention of letting the silver feline win so easily, Brokensong rolled slightly so that she was on her back. Although it was never recommended to expose your stomach in a battle, there were occasions when she figured it was acceptable. Like when you used your hind legs to shove upwards and kick your opponent in the stomach, effectively catapulting them off of you and onto the ground nearby. There was a grunt from the silver she-cat as the air was shoved out of her. Quickly scrabbling to her paws, the mute warrioress caught sight of her friend in a mound of dirtied silver fur, dragging herself up.

Feathercloud was incredibly tenacious, with an instinctive mind. Often times, Brokensong followed the silver she-cat's movements in battle, because she always seemed to just know what to do, and Brokensong had a tendency to over think. Even now, Brokensong's mind was churning, trying to come up with some sort of plan that could take her opponent down, whereas Feathercloud was already purposefully moving towards her again. Stepping back slightly, the tri-colored she-cat prepared to be met with the silver force once again.

[smear:4e91dd]Skyfall[/smear:000000]

~~~~~~~~~

Bi-colored eyes watched the match ensue critically. Other than the single word he'd spoken at the beginning of the match, he hadn't said a word since. Instead, he chose to see how the two of them would react in a situation so radically different to the one they were accustomed to. For all intents and purposes, they were evenly matched. For a moment, it would seem as though Feathercloud had the upper paw, but Brokensong would find a way to flip the acorn back on her side. And the same was true for the other way.

He did notice one thing. "Stop fighting with your strengths. Fight instead for your opponent's weakness." The sentence may have seemed ludicrous, and he could tell that it was momentarily confusing for both she-cats because their steps faltered slightly. It took them a heartbeat to recover, before their attacks returned to the same ferocity. He could see the tortoiseshell trying to think through what he had said, her moves all on the defence as she ducked out of the way or blocked a strike with her paw.

Speed was on Brokensong's side. For all the hits that Feathercloud launched, very few managed to strike the agile tortoiseshell. Feathercloud's power lay in very specific muscles along her shoulders and flank, strengthened by frequent climbing and usage of trees. Had there been more large tree-cover here, then it was likely the advantage would lay heavily in Feathercloud's paws. There was a reason he'd chosen this specific area. They were on relatively equal ground here.

What they weren't picking up on was the weakness they should be targeting. Brokensong's mind, as formidable as it could be, was also an element that caused her to hesitate fractionally before her attacks. She spent too much time thinking through things. Feathercloud, on the other paw, had a tendency to charge forward without thinking. He watched patiently as the pair rose up on hind paws, matching each other blow for blow, one step back for every step forward. And he watched as something just seemed to click.

During one attack, as Brokensong's haunches swung out slightly, before condensing in preparation of a leap, she hesitated, and Feathercloud's silver ears snapped up. The silver feline barely moved as her opponent seemed to pick an attack and started in her direction. Not quite expecting the speed of Brokensong's movements, the silver she-cat suffered a blow to the side that had her staggering slightly. But it was here that the battle was won.

Using the momentum of her stagger, Feathercloud's hind paws swung out from beneath her as her forepaws planted firmly to support the extra weight. Brokensong had only just landed, and her hind paws were still in the air. Kicking out at Brokensong's forepaws, the silver warrioress knocked away her opponent's only solid contact point with the ground. The effect was immediately felt as the tortoiseshell crashed heavily into the ground. Silver paws were quick to turn and leap, shoving the tortoiseshell's shoulders firmly into the ground trapping her beneath.

Rising to his paws, Skyfall made his way towards the pair of she-cats. Both were panting from the effort, but grins were apparent on their faces as Feathercloud helped Brokensong to her paws. "Impressive, both of you. Brokensong, your speed is remarkable and the way you were able to outmaneuver most of Feathercloud's attacks was commendable. Feathercloud, your instincts are impeccable. You react efficiently, and very frequently in the right manner to get you out of tight spots. But Brokensong, you think too much. You hesitate before launching an attack or initiating a defence, something that Feathercloud picked up on just before she brought you down."

The tortoiseshell was watching him intently, nodding her head in understanding and appreciation. Slowly, he turned his focus back to Feathercloud. "Feathercloud, you have the opposite problem. When you launch attacks, you don't think enough. Although your instincts seem to serve you well on the defence, your offence might benefit from a little bit of thought. I can see, however, why you two so frequently choose to fight alongside one another. Your strengths and weaknesses balance out those of the other. Over all, it was a very fascination battle to watch." He was about to continue with some suggestions and even some exercises when a noise caught all their attentions. Three pairs of ears and three pairs of eyes turned towards the opposite side of the Hidden Thicket in near perfect sync...