Sandpaw's Battle Training

The trails under-paw were well-trodden, Reedstar noted as he led Sandpaw to the place where they'd be practicing her battle moves. The plants seemed to arch overhead like a tunnel of grass and reeds. It obviously wasn't just cats using the trail either; ahead there seemed to be tiny paw prints and the stale scents of voles and mice. He wondered what the world would look like to be as small as prey for a moment, when they reached their destination.

The clearing was large enough to host every single apprentice in the Clan and their mentors too, and the ground was slicked with mud. In the center it was cut in half by a creek with steep slippery banks. "This is where we'll be training today." he mewed to the young tom behind him.

I don't think I'll be catching fish today... Sandpaw followed in his leader's steps, nervousness causing his thick tail to twitch back and forth. His paws pricked with resentment towards fighting in general; couldn't the Clans just leave each other alone? He would have much rather been staring at the water that flowed around camp, though he'd only have the creek today.

"You might have guessed what kind of training we'll be doing today." Reedstar said as he turned to face the apprentice. "The other Clans cannot be trusted, and there will come a day when you must fight." He didn't bother to wait for any kind of response, immediately getting into a defensive position. "I want you to show me your best fighting stance."

Surprised by the sudden command, the little tom stared dumbly at his mentor for a few seconds. He didn't know what an attack position looked like, much less how to get into one. Hesitating, Sandpaw crouched low to the ground in what looked like a mixture of a submission pose and a land-prey hunting stance with his haunches waving awkwardly in the air. Oh StarClan, I have no idea what I'm doing!

Reedstar frowned slightly as he analyzed the stance. That didn't look right. Maybe I should have gotten Mapleclaw to help today... he thought to himself. "Flatten your ears or else you'll get them clawed off, and bush out your fur. Try arching your back a little too, you want to seem intimidating." he mewed. "Keep your weight distributed to all four paws. The enemy will try to get you off your feet if you can, so you must stay balanced."

He fixed his stance as he was given the instruction. Ears flattened, fur bushed, back arched, and weight distributed, Sandpaw looked up hopefully at Reedstar. "I-is this right?"

"Better." Reedstar mewed. "You'll want to practice often, so it feels natural. You do not want to put too much thought into your stance when you're in the midst of a battle." The position wasn't perfect, in truth, but it was good enough for now. "I want you to try to keep that position while walking. Try circling around me."

He felt very awkward in this position. How in the name of StarClan was this supposed to feel natural? The biggest problem was arching his back, and as he began to inch around Reedstar, his back started to straighten out. He caught himself and tried to correct it, but with each step he became looser and looser. Sandpaw was getting frusterated that he couldn't seem to get it right, wishing they could get to the slashing and biting already.

"In a fight, you won't be standing still." Reedstar said, his eyes following Sandpaw closely as the apprentice inched along, step by step. This was posing a problem. He was glad that ThunderClan had been calm these past few moons. If it ever came to battle... "Step with your paws closer together, or else you'll lose your posture, but do it quickly. You don't want to move too slowly."

Doing as he was told, Sandpaw sped up until he realized that his back had stayed arched for the last few steps. He was becoming more and more pleased with himself, now that he was getting the hang of it. He looked at Reedstar again, a small smile curling his muzzle.

OOC: So sorry I haven't posted in this lately. I don't really have an excuse; it just slipped my mind.

IC: Reedstar purred. "Very good. It'll become easier as you practice more." he said. Perhaps this wouldn't be as hard as he thought. Sandpaw was proving to be a fast learner. "Now, try batting at me. Sheathed claws. Aim for my face and ears."

Anticipation swept over him as Sandpaw thought about how to attack Reedstar. He kept moving in circles, trying desperately to not lose the form he was in. Of course, Reedstar had said 'try batting at me,' and thus it was probably safe to assume he wouldn't stand there and let the apprentice simply swipe at him. As quickly as he could manage, Sandpaw jumped forward and slapped Reedstar on the nose with his paw. It was neither fast nor graceful, but at least he had even plucked up the courage to do it.

Yet as soon as Sandpaw swiped his paw forward, Reedstar was already lashing out, batting a sheathed paw across his ears and then another across his cheek immediately afterwards. Reedstar stepped backwards, out of attacking range, and folded his ears back. "You'll have to act faster than that. Try again." he commanded. "Don't think on it too much; just go by instinct. It's like hooking a fish."

The apprentice pulled away in shock as he felt large paws lash at his ears and then his face. That wouldn't have ended well if he'd had his claws out! he concluded, and his tail began flicking in anxiety once more. He folded his ears back like Reedstar, remembering that they'd be very easy to shred if they were sticking straight up. Slipping quickly into the battle position with his back arched and fur fluffed, he lunged forward at his mentor and took a swipe at his chin, backing away several steps afterward.

Reedstar again swiped his paw forward to counter when he felt the hit across his muzzle, but missed by a whisker-length. "Very good!" he purred. The leader lashed his tail and took a couple of steps back, a smirk spreading across his face. "Hitting a warrior is one thing, but it won't get them running with their tails between their legs. Get me on my back and my stomach will be exposed. Do you think you can do it?"