Conquer the monster in your head, and then you'll fly |
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GaleClan Medicine Cat
INVENTORY
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Post by BlooRey DVD on Jan 14, 2015 17:49:42 GMT -5
[smear:f3e471]Fallenleaf [/smear:f8c56a] ~~~~~~~~~
The older she-cat sat calmly in the Sandy Plateau, pale eyes partially lidded as she took a moment to bask in the warmth of the sun. She could feel it dancing over her coat, easing into her stiff shoulder. It truly was a pleasant feel, and she wouldn't trade it for the world. She would have loved to spend all day just lounging in the warmth, but she knew she had work to do. Skunkpaw was growing up fast, and it wouldn't be long now before the black and white apprentice was granted her warrior name.
Because of her accident, Fallenleaf had been confined to the medicine cat den for a while. Though Skunkpaw's training had been dealt out to various others during that time, it was difficult to get good, constant training that way. Sure, it wasn't uncommon for mentors to collaborate, to ensure the apprentices were exposed to a wide range of ideas and techniques, but their true mentor tended to be present. It could be difficult on the apprentices when someone familiar wasn't before them to walk them through their training. ...Or perhaps that was just an old fashion way of thinking.
Smiling softly to herself, the senior warrior stood and stretched carefully, expecting Skunkpaw's approach at any moment now. Regardless of whether Fallenleaf's absence had caused Skunkpaw any troubles or not, there was still one thing the mentor wanted to teach her apprentice. Pale ears pivoted at the sound of approaching pawsteps. Her weight shifted slightly as she relieved the pressure on her damaged shoulder so that she could turn to glance over her other shoulder. When she spotted the familiar shape of the younger she-cat, she offered a warm smile. Though still a little unsure as to what Skunkpaw thought of her (the younger she-cat didn't seem to voice what she was thinking often), Fallenleaf had really enjoyed being her mentor.
Padding forward a few steps, with the fractionally shorter step that was now common for her to make, Fallenleaf met with Skunkpaw a little ways into the Plateau. "Ah good, you made it! Not that I had any doubt at all you'd find your way. I just figured you would rather get here at your own pace, rather than being stuck at mine." An easy grin crossed her face as she laughed at her own joke.
"Now then, as you probably assumed by the location, today will be another battle training day. After some thought, I had an idea pop into this old head of mine -" She paused briefly, grinning almost mischievously. "Dangerous, I know - and I came to the conclusion that I had one more important lesson to teach you. Much like me, you aren't huge. But, as I'm sure you've noticed, cats come in a variety of shapes and sizes. You've trained against some of the other apprentices, and competed in the Apprentice Games. In both cases, you were paired with cats who were close to your size."
Her tail curled behind her as she caught another sound. Right on time. "But such will not always be the case in a real battle. Today will focus on what to do when your strength is no longer all that useful. Today you'll learn to fight an opponent who is slightly... Larger than you." Just as she finished, a broad shouldered shape pushed onto the plateau. Powerful muscles bunched and extended as a tom made his way towards the pair of she-cats. Sand colored fur shifted with ease over his body as pale amber eyes met with Fallenleaf's briefly, before slipping over to Skunkpaw.
"Greetings, Fallenleaf and Skunkpaw. My apologies on being a little late. I hope I didn't miss anything important." With a slight inclination of his massive head, the leader of StoneClan came to a stop before the mentor and apprentice pair, awaiting a reply.
Featuring
Fawn
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Post by Fawn on Jan 14, 2015 18:21:17 GMT -5
Skunkpaw 13 Moons. Apprentice in case it wasn't obvious. She-Cat. StoneClan.
After her loss at the Forest-Wide battle competition, Skunkpaw had always figured Fallenleaf would arrange some way for her to get more battle training in; truth be told, it wasn't her strongest subject, but she had tried, and someone had once told that that counted for something. Her mood was in its usual place, when she went to meet with the limping senior warrior; a state that hovered between contentment and discontent, as if she could find something to complain about if she wanted to, but was choosing to be a little more optimistic about this than was normal.
It was the kind of mood easily sullied, however, if Fallenleaf's words were to grow critical, Skunkpaw felt unsure if she could truly handle getting any kind of negative feedback from her mentor, whom she had unintentionally started to look up to as a mother figure. She had always thought it was kind of an unspoken agreement, not to point out each other's flaws, but to acknowledge their strengths instead; Skunkpaw, who at first had been uncomfortable and downright resentful of a mentor who had gotten themselves injured, had found it difficult to ignore Fallenleaf's spirit in such a depressing time. She had recovered as best as she was going to, and even the little black and white she-cat, with all her snippy little comments and snide little judgments about others, actually felt admiration for Fallenleaf after all they had been through.
She still felt a bit guilty, for not being able to defeat her brother. It was common knowledge, or so she thought, that Ospreypaw was the better fighter of the two littermates, but just for a second, just for a couple of heartbeats, Skunkpaw had thought she could actually beat him. Her self esteem had had another little notch cut out of it, but it wasn't looking any less or any more battered than it always did; as usual, Fallenleaf's warm speaking tone pulled her out of her shell enough to wear a tiny smile and trot after her, listening. "So we're having battle training after all," she heard herself mewing, noticing her own tone wasn't as apathetic as it normally was. "Can we both promise not to talk any more about the apprentice games?" Discussing failures was never a good way to start or finish a lesson, in the apprentice's humble opinion...
At the sound of a nearby noise of approach, Skunkpaw's dark ears pricked, and her body grew still as she listened and watched, shock dawning on spotted features as she recognized the mountainous form of their leader, Hawkstar, as he cut his way over to them. What? Skunkpaw glanced from Fallenleaf to Hawkstar, at once feeling her confidence shrivel up like a wet leaf left out in the sun, her ears slowly rotating into a sideways, flattened position, skin prickling with discomfort. "You--You want me to battle Hawkstar? But I can't--Is this a punishment? No offense." She mewed that last bit sheepishly at the sand-pelted tom, and immediately scooted closer to Fallenleaf, just in case any distance between them would allow the she-cat's very good reason for this crazy idea to get lost along the way.
BlooRey DVD
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Conquer the monster in your head, and then you'll fly |
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GaleClan Medicine Cat
INVENTORY
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Post by BlooRey DVD on Jan 15, 2015 13:24:01 GMT -5
[smear:f3e471]Fallenleaf [/smear:f8c56a] ~~~~~~~~~
The pale she-cat cat heard Skunkpaw's request not to discuss the apprentice games any further, but had decided to let it slip by. Fallenleaf had previously voiced her opinion on the subject. Where Skunkpaw seemed to observe everything so critically, labeling her experience at the games as a failure, Fallenleaf saw it as an experience from which the black and white apprentice could learn. Pushing that ideology upon the younger she-cat abruptly would do neither of them any good. So, the mentor let no words on the subject escape her, though there was something in her eyes that could be easily read.
Fallenleaf watched patiently as the younger feline's reaction rolled over her. All the while, the massive sandy-brown tom stood politely, doing his best to take up the least amount of space he could. He chuckled softly, but didn't say anything, allowing the oldest feline amongst them to take the stage. Even though Fallenleaf was only two moons older than he was, he held her in high respects. And the pale she-cat didn't waste a moment. Purring softly and touching Skunkpaw's shoulder comfortingly with the tip of her tail, she glanced from Hawkstar and back to her apprentice.
"No, Skunkpaw, I don't expect you to battle him, and this is certainly not a punishment. Every opportunity is one for learning. The purpose of today is to take what you've learnt over the moons, and attempt to apply it to an opponent who's physical strength might outdo yours. Hawkstar happened to be available, and volunteered to help. Would you not prefer to learn on a patient stand-in like Hawkstar, rather than be forced to learn on the go when faced with, for example, Lionstar of TreeClan?" Her tail tip flicked as she nodded towards the StoneClan leader.
The pale tabby tom nodded his head before wandering a few steps away, standing in a fairly relaxed position. He kept his gaze focused on the ground before him, neck curved gently. His shoulders were defined against his pelt, linked to the way he wasn't standing at his full height. His ear pivoted as Fallenleaf began again. "Part of a battle is knowing how to assess your opponent, to look for weakness or to pick up on their strategies. Of course, in battle, they won't pose as wonderfully as Hawkstar, but it is important to walk before you run. I want to see what you've learnt, what you can pick up. So tell me... What do you see when you look at our leader?"
Featuring Fawn
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Post by Fawn on Jan 15, 2015 18:10:57 GMT -5
Skunkpaw 13 Moons. Apprentice in case it wasn't obvious. She-Cat. StoneClan.
"Would you not prefer to learn on a patient stand-in like Hawkstar, rather than be forced to learn on the go when faced with, for example, Lionstar of TreeClan?"
I'd rather not be that poor dumb apprentice who keeps going up against Clan leaders! Skunkpaw bit her tongue, suppressing a biting retort; for a few seconds, she didn't hear her mentor's next words, simply stared at Hawkstar as if he were the definition of an immovable mountain, her frustration flashing before her eyes like a lightning strike. Would trying really kill her? Skunkpaw had been asking herself that question almost every time Fallenleaf got another harebrained scheme involving their training together, and sometimes it paid off, and sometimes she would flatten her ears from embarrassment and wish that StarClan would do everyone a big favor by getting rid of Skunkpaw quite a few moons before her time.
Fallenleaf is only trying to help you, venomtongue. Don't be such a bad apprentice. More often than not, that voice was enough to silence her vocal, acerbic defense mechanisms, but she was still very much smarting a little from the apprentice games, and somehow the idea of fighting Hawkstar seemed like a cruel joke the both of them were playing on her. Why else would he volunteer to assist in some lowly apprentice's battle training? So he could see just how much she sucked at this? But Hawkstar's not like that. At least, she didn't think he was. He was supposed to be kind, though she didn't know him personally - she usually gave the big sandy time a wide berth, because she was rather small, like Fallenleaf had pointed out, and getting within stepping-on-range was not in her best interests.
"So tell me... What do you see when you look at our leader?"
Skunkpaw turned a begrudging eye over the various points of Hawkstar's posture, giving it a halfhearted go as she muttered loud enough for Fallenleaf to hear. "Well he's not trying to rip my throat out." Alright let's see... He looked relaxed. Any other cat but him, and she would've said he looked potentially vulnerable, but Hawkstar was invulnerable, and she felt stupid for trying to pick out his weaknesses. Surely he didn't have any, and if he did, it was for the far more experienced eye to detect. Maybe he'd look a little less intimidating from a different angle? The pretty little black and white she-cat scurried to stand on the other side of her mentor, scrutinizing him again.
Nope. Still frickin' huge. Still deadly. Still no chance in StarClan I defeat him.
"Is there any chance you're kinda slow moving?" It was worth a try to just ask him what his weaknesses were, right?
BlooRey DVD
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Conquer the monster in your head, and then you'll fly |
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GaleClan Medicine Cat
INVENTORY
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Post by BlooRey DVD on Jan 15, 2015 19:12:05 GMT -5
He gave the young she-cat a moment to observe and assess, keeping his head down and his tail relaxed. Instead, he focused on the way the sun warmed his coat. It really was a beautiful day. StoneClan was fortunate today, it would seem. He kept an ear trained on the pair, listening to the way Skunkpaw appeared to be moving. She didn't move far, but she was still changing her vantage point, presumably to get a better look at him. Good for her. She's taking advantage of the situation. That wasn't the only sound he could hear, however.
There was some movement from Fallenleaf's position, and then he heard her tail brush along the ground. He'd seen her do that more than once in the recent days, and knew that she'd dropped her haunches to the ground. He could even see the way she sat with her weight ever so slightly leaning to one side, letting her damaged shoulder rest. He knew that she would never complain, even if she was sore. He just barely held his sigh back, knowing that the pale senior warrior would probably claw his hears off if she heard it. He was forced to hold back a chuckle then too.
And then Skunkpaw spoke. His head turned, pale eyes meeting with hers as he dipped her head. "Well spotted, Skunkpaw. It's a bit of a side effect of being a bit on the larger side. More mass means more weight to move. Though we train all our lives to accommodate and learn to maneuver ourselves, we will always have something else to learn. We make mistakes, underestimate an enemy. I've made my fair share of mistakes, as I'm sure you have too. It is a part of life." He paused in his speaking then, glancing towards Fallenleaf and letting her take over.
The pale she-cat purred approvingly at Skunkpaw's suggestion. "Very good. Now, on that same train of thought, think about what he'd be slower at doing. Are his strikes slower? Or can he match each of your blows if you try to fight him head on? Now that you've identified one of his weaknesses, how can you use this to your advantage? What can you do that will give you the advantage?" As Fallenleaf finished speaking, Hawkstar let his body drop into a slight stretch before padding over to join the pair once more. He was interested in seeing if Skunkpaw could think on her paws, and this was a good start.
Featuring [smear:f3e471]Fallenleaf[/smear:f8c56a]
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Post by Fawn on Jan 17, 2015 10:42:26 GMT -5
Skunkpaw 13 Moons. Apprentice in case it wasn't obvious. She-Cat. StoneClan.
"Very good. Now, on that same train of thought, think about what he'd be slower at doing. Are his strikes slower? Or can he match each of your blows if you try to fight him head on? Now that you've identified one of his weaknesses, how can you use this to your advantage? What can you do that will give you the advantage?"
Skunkpaw was still of the impression that this was rigged against her; again, it was difficult to imagine Hawkstar having difficulties with anything, even if by admitting he made mistakes he made himself seem more feline than god-like, Skunkpaw wasn't quite so sure. Hawkstar was old, almost as old as Fallenleaf, and their accumulated experience made her nervous, it put her in her place, and she didn't necessarily like feeling as if she knew absolutely nothing. Stop being so ridiculous, you're here to learn so LEARN. Apparently even that inner voice inside her head was getting tired of her. Great.
"I'm fast, I guess. I can move pretty quickly." Probably not quick enough to avoid Hawkstar's big huge frickin' paws, but quick enough to at least make it a little harder for him. Anticipating that they would make her demonstrate, the light and dark she-cat took a readier stance than before, already suspecting that she looked absurdly inept like this and that they were inwardly laughing at her, she grimaced, giving Hawkstar a suspecting side-eye glance. Her fears about actually fighting their Clan leader were confirmed, however, when Hawkstar walked over; he just keeps getting bigger and bigger, doesn't he? What did he eat growing up? Loners? She drew her eyes up along his form until they settled on his face, not going to mask the fact that she was, wholly, intimidated. Apprentices who failed the apprentice games, probably.
Her discomfort was in full force not only because he was large enough to be unnerving to a tiny opponent such as herself, but because Skunkpaw had always had difficulty with authority. She had grown up with the philosophy that adults would never try to understand children such as herself, and she shouldn't try to understand them either; but now that she was on the cusp of adulthood herself (not that she felt or looked different, she was sure), perhaps a little more of an effort should be made. Of course, Hawkstar was a special case; she respected him based on suffix alone, but that wasn't going to make this training session any easier. She still felt uncomfortable with him appraising her, seeing if she'd make a good warrior or not.
What happened if she didn't? Skunkpaw had never heard of anycat getting kicked out of StoneClan for being bad at the warrior lifestyle - but you never know.
Whatever. All Skunkpaw knew was that there was no way she was going to strike first. She didn't dare.
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Conquer the monster in your head, and then you'll fly |
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GaleClan Medicine Cat
INVENTORY
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Post by BlooRey DVD on Feb 10, 2015 19:24:33 GMT -5
Pale amber eyes watched as the older she-cat twitched her tail before nodding briefly. "Excellent. How about we see just how quick you are, hm?" Sandy brown ears pivoted towards the apprentice, knowing that Fallenleaf had just given them the signal to begin. His broad form rising into a standing position, the StoneClan leader let his eyes land upon Skunkpaw once more. She was a smart she-cat, but from what he could tell, she didn't give herself enough credit. He could see the doubt masked behind her steady gaze as she turned to face him as well.
For a moment he wondered if her doubt might be partially his fault. Her ceremony was a little overdue now, wasn't it? A sand-hued ear flicked slightly as he considered this. Perhaps he should have approached Fallenleaf sooner... With the older she-cat's injury, and the need to deal Skunkpaw's training out to other warriors while Fallenleaf healed, Hawkstar hadn't even thought about the delay in naming Skunkpaw a warrior. Though he mentally frowned at himself, he made sure to keep his face relaxed. He could just hear Fallenleaf's voice from somewhere behind him, a momentary interruption.
"It's always important to consider who you're fighting, as I'm sure you've heard me say before. Some opponents might try to make themselves look even more intimidating than they are. All sorts of animals do it. Adders draw their heads up off the ground, foxes snap their jaws, badgers swing their heads. Essentially, the thought process is always the same: to survive it's always best if you can win the fight without actually fighting. Some warriors may try similar techniques. One of the more upfront ones is using the hind legs."
As Fallenleaf finished, Hawkstar's muscles bunched and the massive tom reared onto his powerful back legs. His forepaws swatted aggressively before him as he lurched forward a few steps; on the underside of his stomach, the fur parted in a peculiar way, led by the scar that marred his skin. As he crashed back to the ground, massive forepaws supporting his weight once more, Fallenleaf began again. "But to every act there is a weakness. Rearing onto your hind legs leaves your stomach open to attack. You can use that to your advantage if your opponent rises up like that. Dart forward and aim for their only points of contact with the ground; a four legged opponent may stay standing on two, but one leg is impossible to stand on for more than an instant. Carry on."
He remained silent, gaze sweeping back to the black and white apprentice. He allowed her a moment to register what Fallenleaf had said before making an assessment of his own. She seemed perfectly content on the defensive, which left him to act offensively. Muscles rippled down his back as the huge tom dropped into a battle ready stance. Tail moving once from side to side, he released the energy that had been gathering and sprung towards the younger she-cat, claws sheathed as he aimed a forepaw at her left shoulder.
Featuring [smear:f3e471]Fallenleaf [/smear:f8c56a]
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Post by Fawn on Feb 13, 2015 11:23:39 GMT -5
Skunkpaw 13 Moons. Apprentice in case it wasn't obvious. She-Cat. StoneClan.
Skunkpaw felt the ground tremor beneath Hawkstar's considerable weight and muscle mass, her ears pinning back in cynical discouragement; as nice as the Clan leader was rumored to be, Skunkpaw had a serious theory running in circles around her head that he quite possibly ate apprentices he didn't like. Either that or he had all his training sessions with rocks. Attention divided between talking herself out of doing this and struggling to pay attention Fallenleaf, she stammered out a hasty "W-What? Oh. Right." It had more to do with her trying not to appear disrespectful than her actually understanding just what message Fallenleaf was trying to convey.
So if a cat rears up on their hind legs to make themselves look bigger - she should target the stomach? Before the rather small-structured apprentice could hash out some type of battle strategy, a panicked brain rolling through every piece of defensive information she could recall Fallenleaf ever teaching her, Hawkstar suddenly aimed a swipe at her shoulder. It was instinct that saved Skunkpaw, the she-cat having dropped down onto her belly like a rock in water, feeling the whoosh of air as as a sand-colored paw rushed by, the breeze tickling the fur on her shoulder in a way that made her pulse race. That was too close.
In no mood to congratulate herself on avoiding decapitation a strike (especially since it was pure luck), Skunkpaw slunk sideways to avoid getting crushed (just in case that was Hawkstar's next strategy, considering it would probably end a fight pretty quickly), the black and white would-be warrior teased and prodded her brain for some kind of defensive strategy. Okay. Okay. Calm down, what do you know? I know that I'm... faster than Hawkstar. And that he outweighs me like a boulder does a pebble, but whatever. Besides being fast, what could she DO to protect herself and defeat him?
How does a smaller cat go about winning against a tom as large as him? Feeling her teeth grit together with a doomed cat's conviction, she attempted a small moment of bravery, certain it would be rewarded with defeat; darting forward with surprising speed, Skunkpaw aimed a short jab at Hawkstar's front paws, testing to see if she might be able to make him take a step back or raise it to avoid the blow.
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Conquer the monster in your head, and then you'll fly |
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GaleClan Medicine Cat
INVENTORY
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Post by BlooRey DVD on Mar 14, 2015 19:09:33 GMT -5
When his strike missed, whizzing through the air just near her shoulder, he worked as quickly as he could to readjust his position. Settling the paw back onto the ground, he just caught sight of Skunkpaw's retaliation attempt. With a slight adjustment of his body, his motion carried in the same direction as Skunkpaw's strike. This way, his own paw stayed just out of the way of hers as he made a trotting side-step motion. He grinned slightly to himself, briefly remembering that it was Eagletalon, back when he was Eaglepaw, that had suggested that sort of movement. It was far easier than trying to leap his bulk out of the way.
With a duck, he bumped his shoulder against her flank, with the intention of just knocking her off balance enough that he could turn once again to face her. It was here that Fallenleaf's voice cut in, tutting slightly. "Hawkstar, that was some dirty trick you pulled there." Despite the scolding tone, he could hear the purr behind her voice, and it had him grinning again as he glanced over at the senior warrior. She remained exactly where she'd sat down earlier, but it was obvious she had something to say.
He did, however, slip his own words in. "I can't help it. You've trained her well, and she's smart. Means I have to think on my paws!" He turned to look at Skunkpaw then. "The short blow was a good idea. Enough to get me to move, to test my reaction, to understand just how I move, without giving away too much of your ground." The soft clearing of Fallenleaf's throat had him falling silent, still in his battle ready stance. Their mock-battle wasn't over until Fallenleaf called it, or until some other circumstance ended it, so he remained ready.
"Despite his ever-eloquent ways, Hawkstar does have a point. You reacted splendidly, Skunkpaw. Now, you've seen one of his reactions, what will your next move be? What's your plan from here? Continue." As the pale she-cat fell silent, Hawkstar turned his full attention back on the black and white apprentice. Perhaps the real question was what he was going to do now. He realized he hadn't actually thought up his next move either. Getting sloppy with age, are you? He thought to himself. With a flick of his tail, he turned his bulk, claws momentarily flashing out to grip against stone as he launched himself into the air.
She'd have to think quickly on her feet again, or he would have some serious readjustments to make before he barrelled into her much smaller frame.
Featuring
[smear:f3e471]Fallenleaf [/smear:f8c56a]
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