The Art of Battle (SC Siblings)

[Yoko]

Lizardeye was not pleased. The two sets of trios had passed by a number of suitable places to train their apprentices because of hunting patrols or individual training sessions. The location Twistedclaw finally settled on, was far from dry and Dreampaw and Scorchclaw were also somewhere nearby. This was only more proof that ShadowClan was in need of more territory! And by his own will, they would have it soon.

The cold-eyed tabby leapt up a tree's roots, from where he could comfortably watch the training session.

Snaketail sighed. His long fur simply was not suitable for the amound of soft mud and water in the area. He was a ShadowClan cat through and through, but on days like this he wished he was better built for travelling the marsh. Keeping his tail aloft the muddy ground and his steps light he followed Twistedclaw.

This was an area in the apprentices's training that Snaketail and Lizardeye left almost entirely to him. No cat was surer of battle techniques and the strengths and weaknesses of a cat in battle than the small tabby. Snaketail honestly hoped that Honeypaw was up to this today.

THe tall tabby turned and noticed Lizardeye leap onto a tree's roots. Trees were few and far between in here, they were lucky to have one. Snaketail followed suit, looking himself over. He was mostly mud-free.

Twistedclaw moved forward, sure-footed and determined. He purposely splattered mud until it covered most of his short legs. He cared nothing for being dirty, and in fact knew of several instances in battle where being mud-covered would be an advantage. His eyes were glazed with desire to flex his muscles, to use his claws and teeth. He would whip these apprentices into shape.

He paused at the place, feeling it was perfect. Turning to face the apprentices with a wicked grin he mewed, "Today will mostly be sparring. I'm sure the three of you have noticed that this part of the territory is the largest area, and that it is not the ideal place to fight. Who can tell me why we are training here?"

[. s p o r e l e t t ♪]

Emberpaw followed her mentor without another word, not feeling the need to make idle conversation if there was nothing to say. Her eyes flickered around the swamp, questioning, when they headed away from the training hollow and traveled further out into the territory, but the young she-cat said nothing. Instead she continued to pace soundlessly behind the three toms until they reached their destination, a clearing in a remote region of the marsh. Standing to the left of Twistedclaw, she turned her gaze to him as Snaketail and Lizardeye moved aside to give them more room.

Ah, combat training. She hadn't practiced her fighting skills in a while... it would be good to refresh them. It would probably get her bruised and muddy as well, but she didn't care overmuch. A little pain and grime was a small price for skills that would serve her well throughout her life. Looking attentively at Twistedclaw, Emberpaw considered his question for a moment before venturing an answer. "To test our ability to fight on different terrain," she guessed, "where the ground makes it more difficult to maneuver."

[Amber]

Where were they going? Wasn't the training hollow back the other...nevermind they had to know what they were doing, they were her mentors. The golden apprentice followed silently, if no one else was going to speak, why should she? Honeypaw kept glancing at her sisters every now and then, hoping that her memory would be triggered a little more. But when they had finally stopped she didn't like the feeling underneath her paws, it was too mushy. She wasn't going to complain about it, not in front of this crowd of serious cats, but did manage a grimace or two.

Honeypaw's gaze shifted to Snaketail, well it looked like he wasn't going to be the one asking questions, it was Twistedclaw. She sat near Emberpaw and listened to Twistedclaw's question. She was still thinking when her sister answered. That seemed like a perfectly good answer to her, why would she need to speak now? "Either that or so we can start a battle here and know that we have an advantage over whoever comes at us. We can bring the enemy here and win with ease." she murmered. That was as much as she was going to speak, it was more than she thought she was capable of. She swallowed hard and looked back to the ground, not wanting to hear how horrible her answer was. Honeypaw did manage to glance back to Snaketail, what exactly was he thinking?

[Yoko]

www.warriorswish.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=512

ooc: I'm searching for more battle move sites. Or maybe I could just make a few up too

Eclipsepaw stood completely tensed, her eyes and ears alert in excitement. Double battle training, in her opinion, was the best order that Specklestar had ever given. She had to admit that she enjoyed seeing Twistedclaw this way. Muscular, powerful, harsh, everything she inspired to be. She waited patiently for her sisters to answer, and Twistedclaw seemed pleased by the responses, but then his sharp green eyes flashed at her, and she resisted the urge to smirk cockily.

"In the event of a counterattack, the other clans would not know where to strike, therefore the battle ground is most likely to be the marsh. Also, there are resources here, such as that tree," she motioned with her tail, "that we can use to our advantage also."

Emerpaw's answer had been good, and Lizardeye expected no less. Lizardeye looked down and was distantly paying attention to what was being said. Although he was concerned for the training of the three apprentices, he was also reviewing the events of the past few days. There was nothing more to set them back, and thus they could only move forward, but time would past slowly. He was patient, but would Specklestar be?

Finally he made up his mind that he would have to leave this training session to Twistedclaw. Snaketail would need to comewith him. They had other matters to attend.

Snaketail's amber eyes caught Honeypaw's nervous glance. He gave her a reassuring smile. Her answer had been truly impressive. She may be missing a memory two, but her mind is still sharp as a thorn! She lacked her former confidence, but confidence wasat not very difficult to obtain. She would regain it as she learned more about herself...even if she had to relearn it. All the more certain and relieved that Honeypaw would be fine, Snaketail watched from the roots of the tree.

"Excellent!" Twistedclaw mewed to the three apprentices.

His sharp fiery green gaze landing on each in turn. He tried hard not to show favoritism. Afterall, his brothers had entrusted him with the battle training of all three and he had a duty to each of them. Just as Snaketail had a duty in teaching them to hunt, prey or information. And Lizardeye had a duty to teach them observance, especially on border patrol.

Twistedclaw began to pace. "Today, we review the more advance battle techniques. Each of you will demonstrate a proper drop-and-kick, a leap-and-hold, and a reverse-reared-srike. And then, possibly, we spar."

"Eclipsepaw, partner up with Emberpaw. Honeypaw, you can watch them before your practice."


Eclipsepaw smirked. She wasn't competitive with her sister. But she did love to have Twistedclaw's praise. And surely she would make him proud. She looked back at the roots of the tree, hoping that she'd have Snaketail's and Lizardeye's attention as well, but the two other tabbies had disappeared. It was not the first time they had left she and her sisters to train with one of them, but she was a little annoyed. Afterall, she and her sisters would be warriors soon.

Quietly, the small black apprentice made her way to an open area in the swampy marsh, across from Emberpaw who was now just a practice target, though Eclipsepaw would never harm her. Purposely...

"Do you want to go first, or should I?" she rasped.

[Amber]

Honeypaw was glad her mentor was there to support her. She would feel so lost without him at the moment, being surrounded by those she didn't really remember. Her attention was caught up in Eclipsepaw's answer. In the back of her mind she felt like she knew her sister would get the answer right. But how? She was glad for Snaketail's reassurance, it made her feel a little better about everything. She did however become more nervous as her mentor left, but he was leaving her with her sisters, so she would be protected. She just wished she could be a little more confident and not feel so out of place.

The she-cat was glad that Twistedclaw had allowed her to observe at first. Emberpaw and Eclipsepaw seemed to be good enough at battling as it was, she didn't remember what she was good at. She nodded and curled her tail around her paws. Maybe observing was what she was good at. Shrugging the thought away she returned her glance to her sisters. This would be an interesting session, no doubt about it.

[. s p o r e l e t t ♪]

Emberpaw stood patiently where she had stopped and listened to her sisters and battle-mentor speak. She noted that both Honeypaw and Eclipsepaw had also replied with astute answers, and thought privately that they had echoed her own sentiments. Twistedclaw seemed pleased as well, for he launched straight into the next portion of their session without any further explanation. Slight movement at the edge of the clearing attracted the small she-cat's eye, and she saw Lizardeye and Snaketail slipping out of the clearing together.

What could they be up to? Off to that secret place that she and Eclipsepaw had spied only a few days previous? She would have to keep an eye out for anything their mentors said in their presence, but she didn't expect to glean anything of importance that way. The only way to find out what they had been hiding would be to sneak back to that location without their knowledge, and that wasn't a step that she was prepared to take. Five moons of training had earned the three toms her loyalty and respect, or at least some manner of it. She wasn't ready to break that bond on a whim.

Emberpaw looked over at her sister and considered the instructions that they had been given. "I'll go," she said simply, sliding effortlessly into a balanced stance and angling herself towards the other apprentice. The dappled she-cat stalked slowly to the side, circling around her sister as she watched her consideringly.

The leap-and-hold was typically used on larger opponents, so it wouldn't be the best thing to use on Eclipsepaw, but she thought she would be able to manage it anyway. Drop-and-kick was one of her favorite moves, since it was quick and easy to execute and packed a powerful punch even for a cat of her size. The reverse-reared-strike was the most difficult of the three, in her opinion, as it was very complex and took absolute balance and focus. Turning over each of the moves in her mind, Emberpaw trained her eyes on the black apprentice she was facing and looked for an opening. She wouldn't decide what her move would be until she saw an opening.

[Yoko]

Eclipsepaw flexed her claws, thoroughly enjoying the mud that seeped between her toes, in a flash she imagined the dark murky brown as the brilliant shine of red. Her tail lashed and she licked her lower lip in excitement. Emberpaw claimed she would go first, but she was too cautious to move before Eclipsepaw did.

No need to waste the entire day! Let's GO!

And in a burst of energy, she dug her claws into the ground to stay steady, pretending to attack head on. Her plan was to veer left then hook around, sheathe her claws, and slash Emberpaw's side. Her stormy eyes hid the whole intent of her plan, while the wild smile on her face suggested that she meant to do no more than charge directly.

Her vision faultered for a moment and the forest seemed to swirl. Emberpaw's form shifted before her and Eclipsepaw saw Acornsquash before her.

Show me what you've got!

Eclipsepaw blinked. She was too close to Emberpaw now and as she turned to circle around a few clods of mud shot upfrom under her paw. Mouse-dung! This wet terrain is slowing me down. And in fact she found herself slowly coming to a halt. She attempted to run, and flung up more mud, but she knew it was too late, now she really was just a target.

[. s p o r e l e t t ♪]

Emberpaw tensed with readiness as soon as she saw her sister begin to move, and ducked nimbly to the side when the black apprentice charged. Twistedclaw had told her that she tended to overthink her moves, and she tried to let instinct govern her actions rather than her thoughts as her body moved and the session began. The lithe tortoiseshell felt her paws being sucked into the mud and struggled to keep her footing despite the slippery surface, but she saw also that Eclipsepaw was having difficulty in the terrain as well.

When the other she-cat slowed her charge, perhaps in preparation for a paw swipe, the tortoiseshell did a half-turn and leapt agilely into the air, aiming so that her jump would take her just far enough to land squarely on her sister's black-furred back. Emberpaw's claws were sheathed to prevent any injury to her sister, but they would come out if she started to lose her balance; being too careful had never been the focus of Twistedclaw's sessions, and it was inevitable when they returned for the day that some cat would suffer light wounds from a hasty battle technique.

[Yoko]

Eclipsepaw gritted her teeth in frustration but braced herself all the same. She did not see or hear Emberpaw leap, but she did not have to. Her sister might be slow to act, but accurancy was no problem, so there was no doubt it was coming. Eclipsepaw shuddered heavily under her sister's weight, though Emberpaw herself was not that large either.

She snarled in her mind, You aren't getting off that easy!

It had to be quick though. She leaned threw herself heavily to one-side, then continued to roll, purposely slamming her back against Emberpaw's belly, then rolled off. Eclipsepaw was on her paws, granted that she was damp with clots of mud in her fur. Then, she reared onto her hind-legs, lifting her paws up and preparing to slam them down on her sister.

With a smirk she thought, Nothing personal.

[. s p o r e l e t t ♪]

Emberpaw gripped onto her sister's back with all four paws, her claws pricking into Eclipsepaw's fur but not scratching the skin beneath. Though her target was small, she still managed to keep her balance fairly easily on the black apprentice's shoulders. Gripping the short, dark fur with her forepaws, the dappled she-cat raked her paws down her sister's back just because she could, although she made sure her claws where sheathed. She wanted to prove that she could have done some damage while she was up there if this had been a real fight.

Suddenly Eclipsepaw hurled herself to the side, rolling over and squashing the petite apprentice beneath her before Emberpaw had the chance to evade the attack. Emberpaw grunted as the breath was pushed forcefully out of her body, stunning her for a moment as she struggled to suck air back in. By the time she was recovered, her partner had disentangled herself from her hold and was rearing up in preparation to bring all of her weight down on her.

Not if I have anything to say about it. Knowing that any attempt to get up before she was hit would be doomed to failure, the slender she-cat simply twisted her body around until she was facing Eclipsepaw and her legs were tucked into her belly. Eyes flashing with triumph and the excitement of battle, she pistoned her legs upward in a powerful kick that was aimed directly at the base of her sister's ribcage. There was no way she could avoid this attack; she was already beginning to come down to meet it. Too slow, Emberpaw thought, and sent her sister flying.

OoC// Hope that wasn't g-modding. I didn't really see any other way for it to play out, and doing that move was the objective of the exercise. x3

[Yoko]

Eclipsepaw was shocked at the speed of her sister, but not at all supprised by the move that followed. Unfortunately, she was stuck in a vulnerable position and to move sideways would probably do more harm than good. The full force of Emberpaw's blow slammed into her rib-cage and the smaller of the apprentices was sent flying backwards. With a simple twist she did at least manage to land on her paws, but the force of it left her shaky.

Eclipsepaw squinted her eyes, feeling the blood roar in her ears. She was a tougher opponent than Eclipsepaw had given her credit for. Perhaps the cloudy-eyed apprentice had taken for granted that she was the best battler of the three. She glanced side-ways at her short tabby mentor. What if he thinks I'm losing my edge.

Without further hesitation, the lithe black apprentice sprinted forward, charging directly at Emberpaw. Only two tail-lengths from her sister, she planted her forepaws to the ground and swung her all her force and weight into her hindlegs, twisting so they, bundled up in preparation, aimed for Emberpaw's face. Then she lashed out with both hindpaws. Mid-attack, her eyes swiveled in the direction of her mentor, he was smirking.

[. s p o r e l e t t ♪]

Emberpaw got quickly to her paws after she heaved Eclipsepaw off of her, sliding in the mud but gaining her footing in time to see her sister land on her feet, her eyes narrowed dangerously. The tortoiseshell was running through the motions of the final move that she had been told to execute in her mind when the larger she-cat suddenly took off running towards her, fire in her cloudy-blue eyes.

Emberpaw saw Twistedclaw smirking out of the corner of her eye and knew that this had just turned from a battle move demonstration into a full out sparring match. Such explosions were inevitable with such a warrior as her teacher and Eclipsepaw for a sister. Accepting the turn as inevitable, she studied her sister's movements and was moving as soon as the other she-cat planted her paws.

Eclipsepaw was a skilled fighter, but she was not hard to read. This was especially true of Emberpaw, who, at the moment, knew her sister better than any other cat. Flattening herself to the ground, Emberpaw darted forward as her sister swung her legs around and promptly rolled into her sister's forepaws, taking advantage of the slippery ground to speed her momentum. She wasn't some useless know-it-all who couldn't think for herself in battle. She was a fighter trained my the fiercest warrior in the Clan, and she wouldn't be beaten so easily.

[Yoko]

Eclipsepaw's eyes widened as she could see her sister moving suddenly. It was too late to properly aim for the runt as she knocked into Eclipsepaw's forepaws. Peaceful it was, floating in midair for a few moments. There were no thoughts now. The small black she cat fell onto her side, rolling over in the slippery mud in a smooth instinctive motion to break her fall. No hesitation, no thought, she whipped around and charged her sister again, but this time she moved lower to the ground, almost a very sped up hunting crouch and shoved her sister's side with her forepaws. The force of it felt good.

Swiftly, she brought her sheathed claws in downward strikes to pummel the little cat. A few bruises wouldn't kill her after all. Thoughtless, easy movement. Instinct was nice to have, but it would not defeat her opponenet. Who was she fighting again? Some cat much smaller than herself. Some cat that was fast and would retaliate at any given moment. She would have to kill it quickly.

Not kill! she thought sluggishly. Defeat.

A slight hiss in her brain. Aim for the vitals. Tom voice. Rough. Dark.

Acornsquash!

And her claws unsheathed.

[. s p o r e l e t t ♪]

When Emberpaw rolled into her sister's forepaws, she expected the other she cat to latch onto her in a grapple, using her superior size and strength to overpower her. The tortoiseshell tucked her feet into her body in preparation, but Eclipsepaw did not attack her. The apprentice rolled away and sprang up farther away, immediately tensing her body to charge. Emberpaw rolled to her paws but couldn't get out of the way in time, and was knocked, sprawling, into the mud. She grimaced and saw her sister looming over her, following up with her charge with sheathed blows of her paws.

This wasn't just a sparring match; this was a training session during the last legs of her apprenticeship. Her goal now wasn't to simply do well; she wanted to impress her mentor, to prove that she was ready for warriorhood. Rolling away from her sister's blows, Emberpaw rose facing away from the other apprentice and kicked out with her hind legs. Following up, she continued to flow with her momentum, spinning around until she was facing her sister, her eyes assessing and ready to complete the tutored move with a brutal frontal strike.

What she saw was a she-cat who had been totally lost to the heat of battle, her claws unsheathed and her eyes ablaze. Had Twistedclaw noticed? Perhaps they should stop now. But she wouldn't be the first to stop if their instructor hadn't ordered them to do so. Rearing onto her hind legs, Emberpaw brought her paws down towards her sister's head.

OoC// Female mud wrestling! 8L

lol Kidding. x3

[Yoko]

Pain. A sharp force striking her her abdomen. Acornsquash had kicked her and she was now flung into the mud. She rolled onto her legs quickly. Not fast enough. Her opponent's shadow fell across her face. He was bringing his paws down.

No you don't! she thought with a fierce snarl.

She reached out with her claws and wrapped herself around the small cat before her. With all the force of her bundled back legs she tackled the other cat. The paws struck down on her in the process and she saw spots for a moment which only increased the black and white apprentices fury. Trying to get a grip on her enemy's fur she wormed her claw up to the cats neck scruff, trying to slash at it.