[Silver]

"There’s a lot of things you need
to get across this universe.
You know the thing
you need most of all?"

The sun had barely risen into the sky when Foxfern decided it was well passed time she learned just what her new Apprentice was capable of. So she'd gone and woken Cobrapaw and set out for an area where they could train. She didn't know much about the younger she-cat but she did know a good way to learn. Once they had reached their destination, she turned to her Apprentice and looked the younger she-cat over carefully before announcing her intentions. "Alright Cobrapaw, I want to evaluate where you are in your training. For today that means I'm going to test your battle skills. Now then, take your defensive stance and hold it. I'll look for weak points and help you where you need it. If you have questions or complaints, now is the time to voice them."

She looked calmly at her Apprentice, waiting to see if she'd ask questions, complain, or simply do as she'd been told. She had heard all about Cobrapaw and knew the younger she-cat wasn't going to be easy for her to train. Foxfern was certain though that once she settled the ground rules between them that things would go just fine. And if Cobrapaw proved to be difficult then she would just hold her back from becoming a Warrior. It was her right, after all, to decide when and if her Apprentice was ready to be in such a trusted position within the Clan. She felt that would be more than sufficient to curb any over the top rebellion should any arise.

"You need a hand to hold."

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[BlooRey DVD]

Fierce yellow eyes snapped open even before the NightClan deputy had said a word. Rising swiftly to her paws from where she had been curled up next to her sisters, the 12-moon old apprentice followed wordlessly behind her mentor. She studied the older she-cat from behind for the journey to their destination, ignoring the faint pin-pricks of morning hunger developing in her belly. There would be time for eating later; now was a time for training. Finally. She thought to herself, ruddy-brown tail tip flicking from behind her as she strode forward on confident paws.

Foxfern had been busy in recent days. The moons since the greencough outbreak had been littered with various pockets of chaos, requiring leadership's near-constant attention. Though she could understand the necessity, every moon she aged only succeeded in driving her into a more restless state. This wasn't to say she had been idle in recent moons. Her every waking moment was occupied; if she wasn't with Echobreeze, she was checking in on Shadowpaw. The remainder of her time was spent sparring with her sisters, Darkpaw especially, who seemed to be growing just as restless. They used one another to sharpen their skills, as well as burn off excess energy.

The deputy's slowing steps shifted her attention back to her mentor. Easing to a stop a short distance away, the apprentice lowered herself to a sit and waited. Foxfern began with an explanation of their purpose here, and the sharp-eyed she-cat's blood began to boil excitedly at the mention of battle training. What she didn't like the sound of was defensive stance. Cobrapaw was all about offense, just as her father had been. Their family's smaller build lent a distinct speed advantage, allowing her to duck and maneuver away from most defensive strikes.

Nightpetal had always yammered on about good defense, but Cobrapaw was more inclined to follow in Hollowcry's footsteps. Attack first, attack strong. Then you won't allow your opponent the chance to go on the defensive. Use that advantage to end the battle, and quickly. Her claws curled momentarily against the ground, a wave of boiling anger churning in her stomach. StarClan be damned for taking Hollowcry from us. She spat internally, her jaw tightening just a fraction. Almost without rising at all, the apprentice slipped into this supposed 'defensive stance' Foxfern so desired.

She was a battle-trained she-cat, which meant her instincts were sharp and her stance steady. As far as a defensive stance went, however, she was a little too... Eager. She looked too ready to move, to strike, not to stand her ground. Her 'get-them-first' mentality was clear in every curve of her body, from her neck to her tail tip.

Cobrapaw was good, but perhaps defense was one of the things that needed a little fine tuning.

Silver

Sorry for the wait ^^'

[Silver]

Amber eyes watched the young Apprentice carefully, taking note of the weaknesses inherent in the stance offered. Clearly Cobrapaw believed that offense was the best defense. This would be fine in some situations but it also meant diving into a fight without first considering your opponent. Such an attitude made Cobrapaw's body so taunt that her body would tell a seasoned opponent how she'd move if they knew how to look. Weight forward move forward or at an angle, weight back to dodge or jump, it was clear to a trained Warrior and Cobrapaw would have to learn this. "You hold your body much too tense Cobrapaw, it tells your enemies how you will attack them. Offense is all well and good, but think about what happens if  your first strike doesn't immobilize your opponent. As you stand  here now your defense has holes in it that are glaringly obvious to any seasoned Warrior. You'd be dead before you realized you needed to retreat."

To emphasize her point Foxfern suddenly went from still and calm to on the move and in three swift motions smacked Cobrapaw hard with her tail against her side, back legs, and chest. She pushed forward on the last movement and physically knocked her Apprentice off her feet before darting back just as swiftly as she'd begun to move and going back to complete stillness. Her body wasn't tense, and her weight wasn't centered in one way or another making it easier for her to move or dodge if needed. The stance made her look like she was at ease, but it was the focused look in her amber eyes that told of her readiness to fight or defend should the need arise. She watched her Apprentice now, and her words were still calm as if she hadn't just done anything out of the ordinary. "You focus too much on offense. Now then, get up and take your stance again. This time don't hold your body so tautly, it gives away your movements and makes it more difficult for you to maneuver. Relax into your stance and have your next move planned. If you are to move forwards, you don't want to hold your weight centered as if you plan to attack at any second. There is nothing wrong with holding your ground and often times you can make your opponent hesitate just enough to gain the advantage of a moment to strike with such a tactic."

She had no doubt Cobrapaw could fight, but she would need to work on not being so eager to do so if she was to make a decent Warrior. 

--

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[BlooRey DVD]

In her defensive stance, she may have been lacking, but Cobrapaw's instincts were solid. The moment her paws were knocked out from underneath her, the dark-furred she-cat tucked herself into a roll by dropping a shoulder. By the time Foxfern told her to get up, she was already standing, a fact Cobrapaw took pride in. Her tail lashed behind her, jagged movements reflecting irritation. Not caring an ounce about the pine needles or dust now clinging to her pelt, Echobreeze's daughter tightened her jaw in an effort to hold her tongue. That, of course, did not stop her thoughts from sneering a sharp retort.

Maybe someone should have made sure Nightpetal wasn't as useless as foxdung before assigning her to be my mentor. Flexing her claws, she felt no remorse over harboring such condescending thoughts towards a deceased Clan member. Did that make her a terrible cat? Maybe. Did she care? No. Her yellow eyes blazed with impatience, hating this show-and-tell style of training. Battles weren't a comparison of who's stance looked better. Battles were a game of skill and instinct. If she were allowed to move instead of standing around slipping into stupid poses, Foxfern wouldn't have knocked her down so easily.

I was not tense. She snarled inwardly, though her muzzle showed no indication of the words. I was ready. Fluid. Just like dad. Perhaps a little exaggeratedly, Cobrapaw lifted her left fore paw and set it down a little ways beside her. Her right soon followed, as did both her back legs in turn. Her shoulder blades protruded slightly as she sunk into a second stance on Foxfern's insistence. The stance was certainly sturdier than her previous one, better suited to a cat much larger than the lithe apprentice. She stared pointedly as Foxfern, not saying a word.

After a moment, but before Foxfern could say anything, the she-cat adjusted herself. Her limbs tucked closer to her body, though she was mindful to keep them out further than she wanted to pull them in, into some semblance of a 'defensive' stance. One of her hind paws wasn't bearing all that much weight, positioned in a manner than gave no indication as to what her next move would be. Perhaps it was to leap forward. Perhaps it was to step back. She could do just about anything from the way she was standing.

Silver

[Silver]

Mild amusement flickered through Foxfern at the clear sign of agitation in the younger she-cat before her. Good, that meant she was learning. She watched the renewed stance and nodded her approval, this was much better. "You may be irritated with this lesson Cobrapaw, but you've actually shown me that you possess the patience needed to become a Warrior; something I wasn't sure about. I know it's easier to fight in order to show your skills, but that really wasn't what I needed to see today. What I did see, I must say, makes me proud to know the sort of Warrior NightClan will soon have among it's ranks. If you can learn to properly control that battle ready, always on the offense manner you have, I do believe you will be quite the formidable Warrior Cobrapaw." She wasn't just offering pretty words though, she meant them. Foxfern didn't believe in giving praise where it wasn't warranted, but her Apprentice really had done well. While it was obvious to her that Cobrapaw preferred action to reaction, her willingness to go along with what she was tasked was a good sign in Foxfern's mind. After all, a Warrior unwilling to follow orders; even ones they disagreed with, was a danger to their Clan in every sense of the word and was no better than a loner in her eyes.

Shifting her stance slightly and stretching out her body to let her muscles react, Foxfern turned to face off against her Apprentice, settling for the next part of her lesson; one she knew Cobrapaw was waiting for. "Alright, that's enough for defense, I want you to come at me as hard as you can. So then, we're going to spar and I won't go easy on you as that wouldn't be wise on my part. You fight well, I've seen you, so I'll fight you head to head." Basically she was telling Cobrapaw she'd face her as if she were already a Warrior in her own right. It was the highest compliment she could give the young Apprentice. Though really, she saw no reason to go easy on any Apprentice as they couldn't learn that way. Pulling her focus forwards once again on this Apprentice so close to becoming a Warrior. Her tail twitched with anticipation; this was going to be fun.

[BlooRey DVD]

An ear pivoted forward, pressing toward the older she-cat as Foxfern spoke again. Hearing the Clan deputy praise both her physical abilities, and her ability to listen... It was strange. Still standing her ground, not dropping out of the defensive stance the second in command had so wanted to see, Cobrapaw dipped her head in acknowledgement of the compliment. It was no secret Foxfern was a talented warrior; Pinestar likely wouldn't have picked her as deputy otherwise. That didn't mean Cobrapaw wasn't eager for an opportunity to judge the seasoned warrioress' abilities for herself.

Interest ignited behind fierce eyes as the Clan deputy issued out a challenge. Now this... This was going to be fun. The corner of her lip twitched into a smirk as the apprentice's body melted into a stance she was all too familiar with. She remained light on her paws, keeping her muscles neutral in appearance so as to mask her intent, just as Foxfern had told her earlier. Every vein in her body pulsed with adrenaline, ready to see some real action, to see just what it was that had earned Foxfern so much respect. This once, and just this once, Cobrapaw didn't care whether she won or not.

She wanted to see what made Foxfern tick, every little strength and weakness she could get her paws on. That means I'll have to get her moving. She thought to herself. Her mind had barely finished registering the statement when she shot forward, her body going from still to darting forward in the blink of an eye. Albeit not an overly large she-cat, the ferocity and determination in her eyes made for an intimidating charge nonetheless. Silent as the night air, she closed the distance between them before, at the very last bound....

She darted sideways and away from the deputy. Sliding easily to a stop facing the deputy once more, her eyes drunk in any movement from the older she-cat she could find. Reaction time was everything; if she could devise the experienced warrior's speed, she could find a way around her defense. And so, without more than a breath-long pause, she shot forward again, a decisive swipe aiming for the deputy's hind legs, though Cobrapaw's attention never diverted from Foxfern's body language.

Silver