Training Graypaw and Cloverpaw

[Yoko]

Puddlepelt arrived first to the hollow, casually glancing back to make sure Graypaw was keeping up. This place brought her so many memories. She and Shellclaw practicing their moves in unison. She, of course, being the better trained of the two. She shook her head. That wasn't quite it. She wasn't better trained than Shellclaw. In fact, her mentor had been a bit relaxed with her training. She had worked harder and trained longer. She wouldn't be half as good as she was now if she hadn't.

Shaking her head to clear the memories, she beckoned Graypaw forth with her tail. She had to teach him the basics of the move before he could practice properly with Cloverpaw.

[☆ Y e l l o w ☆]

Graypaw padded by his mentor, looking around as he tried to be the first one to spot the hollow. Puddlepelt seemed to see it first, because was already signaling for him to join her. He trotted forward and looked out at the clearing, recognizing it from the few times he had been there before. He had only been training for one moon, and his battle training was currently lacking. The first skills he had learned were how to hunt and scent, and he was still practicing those skills.

He bounded into the hollow, stopping in the middle and looking back at the other three cats. "
What are we gonna do first?"

[. s p o r e l e t t ♪]

Spottedfur followed Puddlepelt and the two apprentices out of camp and shadowed them to the Hollow, content to be left alone with his thoughts. Today would be busy, if everything went as expected, and it was up to Spottedfur to make sure that the day ended to everyone's satisfaction. He would push Cloverpaw hard, but if she was up for the challenge, it would signify strong progress in her training. The black and white tom walked silently, with nothing showing on his face or in his eyes, until the group reached the Hollow.

Graypaw was obviously eager to begin his training, noted Spottedfur as he took a position near the edge of the hollow. Puddlepelt could explain the move set that the apprentice was to learn to Graypaw, and it probably wouldn't hurt for the lithe tom to review the move with his own apprentice before they started as well. "Cloverpaw," he meowed, beckoning the apprentice with his tail. "Today you and Graypaw are going to be practicing the 'Leap and Hold.' Do you remember that move from our previous sessions?"

[Amber]

Cloverpaw followed behind the group, her eyes wide with excitement. Despite her friend not being here, she was determined to have a positive attitude. The orange apprentice padded closer toward her mentor, after watching Puddlepelt and Graypaw. It seemed her denmate was eager to start.

The apprentice smirked and her attention was caught by Spottedfur when he spoke. She listened to her mentor, knowing to keep her mouth shut while he talked. "I remember it, but I can always use a reminder about it. It doesn't hurt to see things more than once." she said with a slight smile.

[Yoko]

"I know we haven't been practicing much on battle training lately. But you seem to have a pretty good grasp on frontal blows for an apprentice your age. So we're going to do something a bit more tricky today. Are you up to it?" she asked really more to see if her apprentice had confidence in his ability than a literal question. If he wasn't sure of himself the training would be more difficult.

"The move we'll be working on is called the 'leap and hold,' she mewed. "Now of course, such a move requires you to crouch and aim for a few moments, so you'll be temporarily vulnerable. It's best to use this on an enemy with their back turned. Understand?"

She paused to take a breath and cast a swift glance at Spottedfur, who was a few tail lengths distance away. "How good do you think you are at aiming?" she asked Graypaw, turning back to him. "Here."

She walked a few tail lengths opposite Spottedfur, and dragged her claw through the soft earth to mark it. "See if you can leap and land here."

She moved further back.

[☆ Y e l l o w ☆]

Graypaw nodded quickly at Puddlepelt. When she began explaining the 'leap and hold', he tried to pay close attention, ignoring his excitement at training. He didn't quite understand the move and would prefer to be shown it before having to try it out. "I think I'm good at aiming, I guess..." He thought out loud. He was fairly good at fishing, which also required a skillful aim. Would this move be similar?

He watched curiously as his mentor drew a line in the dirt. "You mean I should just run and land on the line?" Graypaw assumed that was what she meant, and shrugged. He did a half crouch, measuring how far away the line was. Then he ran at it, stopping two foxlengths from the line and leaped, landing with his hind paws on the mark. He looked at his paws and then glanced at Puddlepelt. "Was I supposed to have my front paws on the line?"

[Yoko]

Puddlepelt nodded proudly.

"Excellent leap," Puddlepelt praised. Really her focus had been on how high the apprentice could jump for such a distance. It seemed like enough to get on the average warrior's back. Plus his aiming was good, so that made things a bit less complicated. She wouldn't have to make him practice leaping. Now for the more difficult part.

"When you use this attack you will be aiming for the center of your enemy's back. Once you have landed. You will use your claws to hang onto the enemy. It is an excellent position to be in. From that position you can grip your teeth around the enemy's neck scruff or bite their ears, or, if you are balanced well enough, rake their back with a claw."

Puddlepelt had been speaking slowly up until now. But she could see that her apprentice might get a bit confused with hearing all of this at once. Perhaps a demonstration would aid both apprentices.

"Spottedfur," Puddlepelt mewed, looking at him directly for the first time since they'd entered the clearing. Her whiskers gave a slight twitch. "Might we show them how the move is done before they begin.?"

[. s p o r e l e t t ♪]

Settling onto the grassy floor of the Hollow, Spottedfur motioned for Cloverpaw to watch Puddlepelt as she instructed Greypaw on the basics of the leap and hold. The black and white cat watched motionless as the two cats practiced the move together. "When you leap onto another cat," he said to Cloverpaw as Graypaw made his leap, "you want to make sure that you're just high enough to land on their back. If you aim too low, you'll just slam into them, which could be a good or a bad thing depending on the situation. If you jump too high, you'll give your enemy much more time to get out of the way before you land, making you much more vulnerable to attack. Try to be as fast as possible."

Graypaw made his leap: he had landed a bit too far forward. It brought another important tip to the forefront of the warrior's mind, but he said nothing more. Instead he watched with sober eyes while Puddlepelt lifted her attention from her apprentice and moved it to him as she asked a question. "We might," he agreed, continuing to regard the she-cat with steady eyes. After a few moments the spotted warrior rose to his feet with easy grace and sauntered over to where Puddlepelt stood. Turning his head, he looked back at both apprentices and gave them one piece of advice before he returned the remainder of his attention back to Puddlepelt.

"When you land on an enemy warrior, it's best to hit them with your front legs first, letting your weight fall on their shoulders. Ideally, this will result in their legs buckling and their face meeting the ground. Of course, if they're actually prepared you should still be able to keep your balance and deliver some damage while you're on top of them." With that said, Spottedpelt flicked his ears and returned his icy gaze to Puddlepelt. He waited, so still he seemed scarcely to be alive, for what would happen next.

[☆ Y e l l o w ☆]

Graypaw listened well enough to Puddlepelt's and Spottedfur's advice. It seemed like an interesting and fun move to do. He had never heard of it before, and was eager to see it with his own eyes and observe how it should look. He perked up when he realized the two warriors would be demonstrating to him and Cloverpaw.

While Spottedfur was looking at Puddlepelt, Graypaw took the opporutunity to trot over to where Cloverpaw was sitting. He seated himself next to the slightly older apprentice. His ears pricked and faced forward attentively, and he sat straight up. This would be interesting to watch.

[Yoko]

Puddlepelt nodded in agreement with Spottedfur. She turned to him to see that he was looking at her and her heart gave a slight jolt. Inhaling slowly, she gave a bright smile.

"Ready?" she mewed.

Despite the appearance of confidence, her heart beat quickly. Suppose she made a mistake. She hadn't had need of this move since apprenticeship. She mentally shook her head. focus.

Quickly she ran through everything she needed to know before the leap. Spottedfur was about three tail lengths away, he wasn't of abnormal height, and he was facing forward. That meant that she may have to turn in the air so her forepaws land on his shoulders, or she could simply land backwards. Backwards would be difficult for the apprentices to imitate though.

Forward it is then, she thought. You've done that before, Puddlepelt.

All of these thoughts ran through her mind in two breaths.

"Now," she mewed suddenly.

With ease she dropped into a deep crouch only to spring up more quickly then she had gone down. She was a little higher than she would have liked, but that gave her more time to twist. Curling her tail to her left, she turned so that her forepaws hit Spottedfurs upperback squarely. Unsheathing her claws to remain balanced she let her hindclaws fall naturally near the base of his tail.

It was nearly perfect. Excellent, considering she had not practiced beforehand. A thought crossed her mind, Now would be the perfect time for Spottedfur to demonstrate the "play dead" technique, which counters this move. But it was a bit late to ask him now, so she settled for staying balanced at the moment.

[. s p o r e l e t t ♪]

Puddlepelt smiled. Graypaw moved to join Cloverpaw. Spottedfur inclined his head in a slight nod to show that he was ready for the other warrior's 'attack,' and remained otherwise motionless. A wry grin flickered over his features in response to Puddlepelt's sunny smile, and then it was gone, replaced by an expression of complete focus. His eyes rested on the white and grey she-cat, anticipating her next movement. All was still for a heartbeat: and then she sprang.

It wouldn't have done for Spottedfur to dodge out of the way of Puddlepelt's leap. The point of the exercise was to demonstrate the move successfully, as one would use it on an unsuspecting opponent. The black and white tom tensed his muscles and took the weight of the other warrior's leap on his shoulders and back, careful not to unbalance and lose his footing with the added weight of a feline body on top of him. Small pricks pierced his pelt where Puddlepelt dug her claws in to stay balanced on top of him. All his senses fired rapidly as the swift move was executed, his instincts on fire and urging him to move. If the apprentices were going to get anything from this move's execution, they would have to pay attention.

A good lesson included as much useful information as possible. Puddlepelt had demonstrated her leap: now the apprentices would hopefully be able to practice it effectively. But since they two were already practicing battle moves, it might be a good idea to demonstrate a counter-move as well. Puddlepelt was still balanced on his back: she was smaller and lighter than him, and he had not been knocked down by her assault. Quick as a thought, Spottedfur tensed his legs and flipped to one side, risking the 'Belly-Up' maneuver in order to squash the smaller cat beneath him. He sprang away a heartbeat later, coming to rest on his paws and facing all three of the other cats.

"That was a good leap, Puddlepelt," the tom complimented her with an appreciative glance. "Flipping in mid-air instead of going around and jumping from behind was an inspired idea, and quite skillfully done." He flicked his cool green eyes from the she-cat and rested them on the two apprentices. "Using the 'Belly-Up' maneuver to counter the 'Leap and Hold' is risky business, since it makes you vulnerable to attack," he mentioned to the apprentices. "It's best used against opponents who are smaller than you, though it can work against larger foes as well." With that said, Spottedfur paused for a moment so the two could make any comments they desired before receiving their instructions. Now that the demonstration was over, the training could begin.

[Yoko]

Puddlepelt felt Spottedfur shift beneath her. She knew what was coming, but it was so quick that she had no time to leap off (not that she would seeing as it was only demonstration). The next thing she knew, she was lying on her side and Spottedfur was rolling away.

Well, she thought, looking up at him with a light smile. I wouldn't expect any less in battle.

As she stood up she mewed, "Thank you Spottedfur. And that was an excellent show of the countermove."

Puddlepelt looked at Graypaw especially for a question or a comment. This was his first view of the move afterall.

"Alight then, which of you would like to try it first? Since you're about the same size, you'll be practicing on each other."

[Amber]

Cloverpaw sat down, her green eyes staring straight at her mentor. She had just nodded at his explanation, happy to have a refresh of the move. And now a demostration, this really was going to be better than usual. The apprentice was wide eyed as she watched the two warriors do the move.

"Front legs first." she muttered, taking mental note of what Spottedfur had said.
Cloverpaw smiled a bit as Graypaw came and joined her. She just nodded to the apprentice before glancing right back at the warriors, not wanting to miss a second of the demonstration.

Having a visual demostration, she had to admit, was much better than anything. It gave her a great picture in her mind of how to do it, and having it replay over and over would help. It wasn't just a bunch of words scrambled into her mind, it was pictures.

Cloverpaw opened her mouth, asking questions had never been a fear of hers. If she didn't understand something, she would always speak, completely unlike her sister, Ivypaw.
She looked at her mentor and thought about what she would say before asking.
"You said the move you just did would be a good counter-attack for smaller opponents, or sometimes larger ones. What would be a good counter-attack for someone that is the same size? And how would it be effective on larger cats wouldn't they just be able to knock you off easily with their larger size?" she queried.

[☆ Y e l l o w ☆]

Graypaw kneaded the ground as he waited for the demonstration to begin. As soon as Puddlepelt began to move, his eyes darted to her. She crouched, and just as quickly leapt into the air. In the time it took him to blink, she was on Spottedfur's back. His fur pricked with excitement. He wanted to try out the move himself. He wasn't sure if he would be able to get the flip right, since even though he got to see the move, it would still be hard.

But wait, they weren't done. He had thought the demonstration would be over once Puddlepelt did the "leap and hold". Not expecting Spottedfur to do the counter-move, he almost missed it. Thankfully, his attention kept up and he watched the warrior go on his back and flatten Puddlepelt underneath him. Graypaw watched, wide-eyed. What a perfect move! He probably wouldn't have thought of doing a move like that if he was in a real battle. With Puddlepelt at a disadvantage at the moment, Spottedfur would be free to prepare for another attack, and be ready by the time she got back up.

However, Spottedfur just got up and commented on Puddlepelt's leap. Graypaw's tail-tip twitched with sudden impatience. When would he be able to try it for himself? When Spottedfur spoke to the two apprentices again, Graypaw struggled to sit still and listen. The information was useful, and he wouldn't want to forget it just after the lesson. He nodded when Spottedfur finished speaking, and looked curiously at Cloverpaw as she spoke. He slightly cocked his head, realizing she had a good question. Graypaw looked to the two warriors, to see who would answer. He was interested in the answer as well.

[. s p o r e l e t t ♪]

Spottedfur's heart beat rapidly, stimulated by the quick bout of battle-training with Puddlepelt. He liked battle-training, liked the order of it, the skill involved. It pleased him to keep his skills sharp, though he derived no particular pleasure from using them on the battlefield. The feeling of intense satisfaction he got from sinking his claws into the fur of another cat came solely from the knowledge that he was protecting his Clan as he did so. That being the case, Spottedfur was quite at ease for the moment. Outwardly he was still calm and collected, as he always was, but he was still mildly enjoying himself.

More-so because he was with Puddlepelt. Oh, he enjoyed the company of all Clan cats to some extent. They were his Clan, after all, and one didn't grow up in a Clan without feeling some kind of bond with them. But though he generally liked his Clanmates, Spottedfur also appreciated his privacy. So it wasn't often that he really interacted with other cats, excepting his apprentice or the leader and deputy. But Puddlepelt was an enigma, and Spottedfur enjoyed picking apart puzzles. He would find out more about her, amuse himself for a while, and end-up a little better-informed for it. Certainly there was nothing wrong with knowing more about one's Clanmates, and it was an engaging pastime.

Which was exactly why he was feeling so damn good, and not doing a single thing about it.

But that's neither here nor there. Spottedfur turned his forest green gaze, mild and direct, to his apprentice in order to answer her queries. "So many questions from such a small cat," he remarked mildly. "Flipping over on your back is best used against small foes because, of course, if you're heavier than them, you can knock the breath out of them more easily. It can be used on enemies the same size as you or even slightly bigger, but once your opponent gets much bigger than you it starts to become ineffective. If you've been jumped on by a larger cat, you've probably already been knocked over. Pretending to be defeated is a good way to trick them into loosening their grip in that case, allowing you to escape their grip."

He leveled his gaze intently at his apprentice as he continued. "But you will learn about executing counter-moves later. Right now you are supposed to be practicing the 'Leap and Hold.' Since you're so curious about counter-moves, you can take the first turn as target while Graypaw leaps on you. Why don't you come stand over here, where you'll have plenty of room?" Spottedfur stepped gracefully to the side, flicking the grassy ground in the middle of the Hollow with his tail. He moved back a few paces and waited to observe how the apprentices would do.