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Post by Hellion on Apr 10, 2018 2:03:32 GMT -5
Gullswoop & Swanfeather
Pulling at the stubborn thorn in his thick coat, Gullswoop barely noticed Swanfeather's arrival. Perking his ears forward toward the medicine cat he dipped his head in respectful greeting as she took a seat across from him.
"Could you come with me and give Dewpaw some defensive training?" She asked, voice cold to the point Gullswoop felt uncomfortable with her request, but he didn't let it show.
"Sure, let me just finish my grooming," He replied, expecting Swanfeather to leave and wait for him to find her but instead her icy blue eyes settled on him and watched as he pulled the thorn out. He wasn't embarrassed but he wasn't pleased with being watched by her.
Unsettled as he was, Gullswoop managed to finish his grooming and rise up to his full height. A towering figure over the aging she-cat. Flicking her tail as a signal for him to follow, Swanfeather lead the silver tabby toward her awaiting apprentice.
"Dewpaw, Gullswoop is going to train you in defensive battle maneuvers and I'll watch over you both," She told the she-cat with an additional flick of her tail. "Let's go to the sandbar before it gets too hot and the Newleaf sun becomes stifling,"
Gullswoop nodded in approval of Swanfeather's suggestion and quickly set off behind the medicine cat. He didn't dare lead the way, still timid around the black pointed she-cat. Dozens of moons of bad blood didn't go away with a few moons of peace. Gullswoop couldn't trust the she-cat and remain distant. The trip was quick and their arrival at the Sandbar was uneventful. Most other cats were out hunting or playing in the stream, it seemed Swanfeather was the only one with training on her mind.
"I'll watch from over here," She told them both before retreating slightly to a shaded spot. Her tail neatly tucked over her tail. Dipping his head at her departure, Gullswoop returned his attention to Dewpaw.
"What do you know about defending yourself?" He asked, as he remained standing.
words: 340
tag: williams
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| thanks for the two years <3 |
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INVENTORY
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Post by williams on Apr 10, 2018 2:47:06 GMT -5
dewpaw,
With Swanfeather's instructions, Dewpaw waited patiently by the camp's entrance. Her mentor left with no further explaination than they were training today. She flicked her tail nervously over her paws, watching Swanfeather walk off to gathering what Dewpaw assumed would be herbs or perhaps a warrior to accompany them to some far corner of Rainclan's territory. Maybe we'll climb trees today! Or go into a rabbit's den! Do rabbits have special things we would need? I'll have to ask Swanfeather. Dewpaw let her mind wander as she waited.
"Dewpaw," The young she-cat snapped out of her thoughts at the sound of her name. Gullswoop is going to train you in defensive battle maneuvers and I'll watch over you both. Let's go to the sandbar before it gets too hot and the Newleaf sun becomes stifling." She looked up at the large warrior, eyes widening at just the sheer size of Gullswoop. Her limited experience around the warriors of Rainclan made him seem especially large. But she didn't back down from it, and gave the tom a wide smile as she trotted after Swanfeather. "I can't wait!"
The walk was quick and uneventful, Dewpaw doing her chatterbox duty of filling in the warrior on random bits of her training that weren't exactly relevant or particularly interesting to anyone but to herself. The medicine cat apprentice assumed he tuned it out, which she respected. It felt wrong to go somewhere in complete silence, a lesson that would be learned more with age than outright teaching.
"What do you know about defending yourself?" Gullswoop asked, Dewpaw also giving a wave to her mentor as she stood off to the side. "You use your claws!" She started, hunching into what she thought was an aggressive appearance. It wasn't very convincing, cheeks still full of kit-fat, fur soft with a halo of herb dust. There was a hint of an otherworldly appearance to Dewpaw, one her mentor carried like a heavy crown. As if she was starting to connect with their world deeper. "And you don't kill, even if they're trying to kill you because that's against the code. It's even worse if they're attacking me though right? You're not supposed to attack a medicine cat. You gotta-have to fluff up, 'cause Rainclan pelts are slick-the fish do that right?- we slip out of cat's claws. Fern-Fernpaw says you gotta fluff up, and swipe and, uh. stuff." She ended lamely, realizing her sister's words hadn't stuck as well as her mentor's did. Dewpaw wasn't detered but felt the sheepish feeling creep up. Hopefully it was enough of a base for Gullswoop to build from.
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Post by Hellion on Apr 10, 2018 3:11:04 GMT -5
` Gullswoop: 
Normally Gullswoop would have attempted to fill the walking void with chatter, but Swanfeather made him uneasy. One wrong word could end up creating unneeded tension. The last thing he wanted was to be at odds again with the Clan's healer.
Dewpaw however, was an interesting she-cat that vaguely reminded him of his own daughter Owlpaw. Curious about the world but Dewpaw had a strange source of energy. If he didn't know any better he'd call her a flower and say the sun-powered her.
Arrival at the sandbar brought back memories of training his first apprentice Coldrush. A tom he was proud to say he had a part in his life. Once his question was answered in the apparent usual overzealous, long-winded reply he smiled.
"You are on the right track," He praised easily, offering her a smile. "Any cat who attacks a medicine cat on purpose is vile and suffer the consequences but I will not give you those details. The Clan will protect you and warriors will always be willing to lay down their life fore you" Gullswoop told her, paying no mind to Swanfeather watching from the shade. He could not name a single warrior that would risk anything for her, but Dewpaw didn't need to know that. Instead, he focused on what she knew, likely from her sister Fernpaw. It was endearing to know that they had remained close despite their different paths. Gullswoop's own relationship with his siblings had struggled for some time not that he made much effort to fix things. Fatherhood came first, his siblings would understand.
"When I fight I am trying to chase away the other cat but when you fight you only need to fight until someone comes to help you or you are able to escape," He explained to her, taking a few steps back with a signal for her to stay put.
"You need to be quick with swatting with your paw," He showed her a mock version of a swipe, his forepaw larger but the point was made. "You'll also need to be quick to tuck and roll away, get out of any sort of hold an enemy might put you in. Going limp and letting an enemy think you have given up is smart as well. Trick them into thinking you can't fight than when they let go run for it," He added. "When you attack go for the eyes and nose, ears are helpful too. Use your claws to dig into those areas to disable your opponent and give yourself enough time to get away," He explained taking a stride toward her to point with his tail the areas he mentioned, on her own body. "There are only two of you in the Clan at one time and a dozen warriors or more. We can't lose you so getting back to safety is your priority during any sort of fight," He stressed again.
"Do you have questions before we practice?"
`ooc notes; type notes here. |
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| thanks for the two years <3 |
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INVENTORY
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Post by williams on Apr 10, 2018 3:31:18 GMT -5
dewpaw,
“ The Clan will protect you and warriors will always be willing to lay down their life for you"” She swelled with pride at the thought of her clan protecting her, knowing already that the path she had chosen was setting her up to do that for them in return. Dewpaw listened intently to his response, the new information being saved away. Gullswoop’s demonstrations were mimicked as best she could while still standing, brows furrowed in concentration. It was not the same fighting her sister was learning, but the basics were there and that’s all she needed to defend herself. Against who? Dewpaw thought as the tom stressed getting to safety again.
She nodded. “I will work hard to stay safe,” Came her promise, though she did not know the depths of what that promise meant. “Who attacks medicine cats? Why would- what benefit does that have? Don’t all clans need healers? What happens if a clan doesn’t have a medicine cat?” Dewpaw stopped herself, shaking her head. These questions needed answering but Gullswoop wouldn’t be able to answer all of them. She was supposed to be learning the moves instead. “I don’t have questions about the moves specifically,” She continued instead, glancing at Gullswoop with an up and down examination for her next question. “But, is there anything about size differences I need to know before practicing, or does that matter?”
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Post by Hellion on Apr 10, 2018 4:07:05 GMT -5
` Gullswoop: Pleased with her promise to work on staying safe, he gave a nod of approval. While he prepared to answer he question, it was Swanfeather who spoke first.
"Aside from the very rare attack by another Clan cat. You are in danger of being attacked by badgers and foxes more often. That is why I encourage you to take someone with you if you go further then a quick walk from camp. Sometimes a rogue will attack if they feel they are in danger or just out of pure hatred. I'll explain to you later what happens to a Clan without a medicine cat, for now focus." She told Dewpaw with a flick of her tail.
Gullswoop watched the exchange between mentor and apprentice with silence but with Dewpaw's additional question he was prompted to reply quickly.
"Bigger cats will always have the upperpaw. They are usually stronger, so you will need to be faster. They will try to hit you harder but if you stay out of their range they won't be able to get you. If they do manage to catch you, claw for dear life. Big cats mean bigger targets. He told her, attempting a bit of humor to ease her worries. "One last bit of advice. Trust your gut. You will know when something isn't right, the air feels wrong or a scent is off-putting," He added before taking two strides back.
"I'm going to attack you with my claws covered but I will not hold back. Defend yourself with equally covered claws, don't worry about hurting me," He added, winking the eye that had a set of heavy claw-marks that formed a scar.
"Make your way to Swanfeather to be safe, I'll try to block you each time," He told her, as he flexed his shoulders and rotated his neck, stretching out his body a bit more.
Exhaling a few times, Gullswoop sprang forward, his stride longer then most because of his height. He was over her in a heartbeat, teeth bared and hackles rasied, a prime example of an agressive cat. He attempeted various swipes at Dewpaw, manuvers to try and pin her down. No attempts were made to hold back, he wanted her to be able to make it on her own for some time and practice made perfect.
`ooc notes; type notes here. |
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| thanks for the two years <3 |
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INVENTORY
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Post by williams on Apr 10, 2018 18:17:53 GMT -5
dewpaw, Ears turned towards Swanfeather as the older she-cat spoke, eyes widening with interest. Dewpaw had forgotten about foxes and badgers. She had heard stories of them, long and cruel teeth and lumbering paws that could break a cat’s back. Suppressing a shiver, Dewpaw nodded at her mentor’s words. When Fernpaw is a warrior, She thought as she returned her attention to Gullswoop. I’ll ask her to go with me.
His responses did cool some nerves, pleased that her small stature could be useful. She flexed her claws into the sand, “Trust my gut, use my size, be fast. Got it.” With a nod she tucked her claws back in, wiggling her shoulders as the final instructions were given. Dewpaw didn’t smile, her normal care-free approach to situations lost under determination to do well. She was terrified underneath. This wasn’t her skill set and now that she was sizing up Gullswoop, she was glad for the path she had chosen. She couldn’t fight another cat, couldn’t harm someone. He’s a badger, Dewpaw decided, flattening herself to the ground as the tom sprang. He’s a big mean badger that got between me and Swanfeather while we were out herb gathering.
Image in place, Dewpaw reacted. Her parentage allowed her to be fast, but her steps were sloppy. If one watched the young she-cat walk through out the day, they knew she took many little steps, back and forth waving like a frantic fish on the shore. It matched her active mind and constant flow of speech. It almost helped here, allowing Dewpaw to get out of the way of his first attack. His paws swung wide, catching Dewpaw’s hindleg with a startling for. It didn’t hurt but still sent her sprawling into the dust. Paws all akimbo, Dewpaw inhaled and exhaled quickly. A little light-headed now, she scrambled up to her paws right as Gullswoop bore down on her again. She had paused too long trying to catch her breath, and it was going to cost her again.
C’mon he’s bigger than you, use that! She hissed in his face, frustration at herself flowing through the sound. Before another swipe could connect, she curled up small, slithering underneath his large frame like a snake. She got to his back paws before suddenly the tom sat. Her breath left in a rush, but her size was still working here. Feeling much like a kit playing with her family, she wiggled out, escaping the thick fur with a triumphant yowl. She had made it to the other side! Swanfeather was right there!
you can decide if she actually makes it or not 450 |
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Post by Hellion on May 9, 2018 4:49:18 GMT -5
Gullswoop & Swanfeather
Swanfeather watched with carefully focused eyes. She knew based on Gullswoop's words that he had been the correct warrior to choose. It was beyond important that Dewpaw be capable of defending herself and in the rare cause in defending others. Swanfeather knew old stories of a legendary medicine cat that sacrificed herself to protect a new queen.
While Swanfeather had a feeling she lacked the strength to fend for herself she knew that in the moment she would lay down her life for a Clanmate. Wincing slightly when Gullswoop landed a seemingly harsh blow to Dewpaw, she nodded in approval when her apprentice got up again. Don't give up She wanted to call out but instead she remained as stoic as ever.
The tussle that resulted in Dewpaw pinned down for a brief moment, Swanfeather felt an old hint of panic spur within her. Would Dewpaw be able to escape? Preparing to call off the mock fight, the elderly she-cat was surprised to see Dewpaw escape Gullswoop to be on the other side! She only needed to travel a few tail lengths to be truly safe and for a heartbeat, pride shone in her eyes.
Hearing her triumph yowl had Gullswoop pivoting on his hind legs. Lunging forward he attempted to grab at her hind leg as she escaped him. Barely missing the she-cat, she had won!
Realizing that Dewpaw was victorious, Swanfeather rose up to her paws and took a step toward Dewpaw and offered her a gentle touch to her forehead. A subtle congratulations. "You did well," She praised in her usual cold tone, but there lingering under the surface was a hint of warm pride.
Gathering himself up and shaking off the bits of dust that had collected, he allowed the apprentice a moment with her mentor before clearing his throat.
"Congrats on besting me Dewpaw, just remember what I said and you will be fine." He praised, his tone much warmer than the older she-cat.
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