Warrior Training 101 (Closed)

"Thanks!" She replied happily, proud of her catch. The she-cat was a bit out of practice due to having been with her kits the past few moons, but she was glad to know her muscles still remembered the well practiced hunting moves. She noticed her apprentice's hesitation and nodded her head in approval.

"We're not on a hunting patrol, so it's okay. Besides, we will attempt to catch more on the way back," Grasswhisker meowed before bowing her head to take a small bite. A purr echoed in her throat as she let the taste of freshkill fill her senses. It was one thing to eat freshkill brought in by another cat, but it was even better to have something right after you caught it yourself. After eating enough to take the edge off her hunger, and patiently waiting for Leopardpaw to finish it off, she went back into lecture mode.

"You should practice crouching, like I just did," She said, trying to add the serious edge to her voice once more. But of course, it came out gentle and cheery as always. Thankfully I got a good apprentice. Any cat too headstrong wouldn't take me seriously at all... Grasswhisker thought to herself. It was true that she was too gentle most of the time, but her hunting and fighting skills still matched that of a fiercer warrior, even if she didn't know it. Quickly, she resumed the position she had taken up moments before when stalking the robin. Her weight was distributed evenly, tail off the ground, and claws still sheathed so they wouldn't scrape the forest floor. She glanced at her apprentice, waiting for him to attempt to do the same.

Leopardpaw purred his thanks as he tucked in to the juicy bird. Shifting to the side when Grasswhisker took a small bite, he quickly finished it off so they could continue with the lesson.

Pawing a few loose feathers off of his maw, he looked up and watched as his mentor demonstrated the hunting crouch. Nodding, he got to his paws and crouched down, making sure to mimic the she-cat's position the best he can. Shifting his paws and moving his tail, he looked up at his mentor for her approval.

"Nice job!" Grasswhisker purred as she looked over his form. It was genuinely impressive for it being the tom's first attempt. I got really lucky with this one! They had only been together for one day, but already she was looking forward to the moons to come with Leopardpaw. She couldn't wait to see him try out his fighting skills for the first time too. After checking to make sure he was doing everything correctly, she added softly, "Now, see that leaf over there? Move slowly forwards and pounce when it's in range." Her tail tip flicked towards a decaying, brown leaf on the frozen ground.

A proud purr radiated from Leopardpaw's throat as his mentor praised him; he was glad that his natural skills seemed to impress her. Leopardpaw had never been one to boast or hold his head high, but at this moment his heart and confidence soared.

He twitched his ear in response to Grasswhisker's command, and began to slowly creep up on the leaf, as she had done to the robin just a minute ago. He knew that the leaf couldn't really hear him, but he was determined to stay as quiet as he could.

Setting his paws done as light as he possibly could, he continued to stalk the dried leaf until he was in pouncing range. Eyes narrowing in concentration, he braced his shoulders and tightened his muscles before leaping forward.

He got the aim a bit off, and struck his paws down just beside the leaf; but he quickly corrected his mistake. Slamming his paw down on the leaf, he picked it up in his jaws and looked back at Grasswhisker, purring. It reminded him of games he played as a kit; alone. For a moment his spirits were dampened by the memory of playing by himself in the corner, but he was able to push the depressed thoughts away. This is not the time

"Wonderful! And I don't even need to tell you what to work on," She remarked as he landed. The warrior made note of his slight error, but thankfully the young tom noticed and fixed his mistake all on his own. Grasswhisker caught the slight distraction in his features. Not much got past her. Between her relationship with Blazestrike and having kits of her own, she would tell when something was wrong.

The she-cat padded over towards him and brushed her pelt lightly, comfortingly, against his. Her long coat fluffed up a bit as she settled down for a moment. While it was a bit cold out to not be moving, the warrior wouldn't just let her apprentice be trouble. She knew of his past and how he was not clanborn. In that regard, she couldn't relate. Thunderclan blood flowed through her. However, she could relate to feelings of discontent. Most of the clan saw her as happy, upbeat and caring. All of this was true, but there was more to Grasswhisker than the overzealous she-cat most saw.

"What's troubling you, young one? This is not the only time I have seen that look," She encouraged him to speak, empathy flashing in her bright green eyes. Her long grey and white tail flicked his pelt gently. Battle training could wait until later.

Leopardpaw's black-tipped ears flicked up at his mentor's praise, and purred his thanks.  After he spat out the dried leaf onto the ground, he gazed up at her for his next instruction; instead the bi-color she-cat sat down next to him and commented on his not-so well hidden emotions.  

Sitting down beside her, for a while he gazed down at his shuffling paws, not knowing what to say.  He had never been a cat who opened up to others, especially his inner thoughts and feelings; not even to Mottledwing.  

Of course you haven't, because you know they don't care anyway.  Though his outside face remained perplexed, a war began to wage in his mind.  That voice that had plagued him through his kithood was back again, and he always seemed to fall prey to it's wishes.  

Maybe the others don't but Grasswhisker seems different.  Like she actually wants to help me....  

Are you daft?  Who would want to help you?  You're just an outsider, and you always will be!

Leopardpaw's eyes hardened, and his body went rigid.  The fur along his spine prickled, and his ears flattened.  All the while though, moisture damped the fur around his eyes and his tail, previously  held high, now lay limp on the ground.  

Turning his eyes, he glanced helplessly between Grasswhisker and the ground as words began to form on his tongue, but he couldn't find the courage to utter them aloud.  

(ooc: Leopard isn't schizophrenic or anything like that, his depression just takes the form of a separate voice and thoughts in his head.  Just to clarify c: )

occ: I totally get that lol

"It's okay," She said softly, "You can tell me." Her fluffy tail ran gently over the length of his pelt. Grasswhisker saw the conflict in the young cat's eyes. She wouldn't push, but she did try to let him know he was safe with her. After only one afternoon out with the tom, she felt as close to him as she was with any of her kits. He wasn't hers and he wasn't even clanborn, but that didn't matter to her.

Leopardpaw shivered as Grasswhisker's tail swept over his back in what should have been a comforting gesture; in reality it only stressed out the young tom even more.  The conflicting voices inside his head continued to battle, each depressing truth making his fur bristle more.  His face portrayed his anger and desperation as he gazed helplessly down at his spotted paws.  

What if she's lying?  What if she doesn't really care?  She could just be saying this stuff to taunt you for your weaknesses, for your past!  His eyes narrowed aggressively, and he whipped his head around to tell off his young mentor.  And what if she does care?  This could be the moment that turns your life around, for the better!  You could have a friend, a comrade! You won't be alone anymore!

Slowly, as the weight of his realization sunk in, Leopardpaw's squinted eyes that once blazed with anger opened wide.  Rounded in a vulnerable, kit-like expression, his gaze gave away the deep sadness and hopelessness in his soul, and he could no longer hold back his emotions.  

"I..I don't think I belong here!"  The force behind his opening sentence shook the young tom, and it seemed as if the floodgates opened.  He continued his tearful explanation, letting the words flood out of his mouth without limit.  

"E..everyone here in this clan has a family, kits, a mate...they're happy!  I've never felt that!  Mottledwing is so nice and caring to me....but it doesn't feel the same!  All of you clan cats know that there is someone there you can rely on, someone you share an unbreakable connection with.  I don't have that!"  

Leopardpaw rose to his feet, his voice evolving into a shout.  "The only thing I have here...is a debt!  A debt to ThunderClan, for saving my miserable life!  I have to pay them, you, back by becoming a good warrior; by providing prey and protection to these cats!"  Breathing hard, he finished his rant in a whisper.  

"What is that worth though, when you play and hunt and fight...alone?"  Hanging his head, he muttered his finishing statement; "It's my choice I guess....I know that everybody is going to leave me someday, like my mom did.  So why get close at all?   Don't get close enough to let them break you......"  

"I should have just died in the snow."

Leopardpaw's outburst surprised her. The she-cat had not expected that all of this would come out their first outing together. Sadness clouded her thoughts as she recognized the pain and loneliness he felt. She couldn't relate to coming from outside of the clan. Grasswhisker's first thought was to try and sooth him with some comforting words, claiming all of that was wrong, but she knew better than to patronize him. That wouldn't help and her more spirited side came out.

Grasswhisker leapt up to her feet, facing him and meeting his gaze. The intent to come out soft, faded into a harsh, raw honestly, "Don't you dare think for one second that the clan would send you away if you weren't enough. There is no truth to that. It is ridiculous. You could be the most worthless hunter in the entire forest and you would still be my apprentice. Your job is not to be perfect. That is not the point of clan life!" Her sides heaved as she panted from yowling at him. She matched his wild enthusiasm.

"You want to know the reason why we always have someone? Our bond does not come from family connections or so-called precious clan blood. No! It comes from being a part of the clan. What makes you Thunderclan is that you believe you are Thunderclan. Not because you were born into it. You ARE one of us!" She growled, almost finished. Her voice softened as she added, "I won't leave you Leopardpaw. And neither will the clan."

Leopardpaw's melancholy gaze jolted up from his paws as Grasswhisker raised her voice to a reprimanding shout. Golden eyes wide with shock, he watched and listened to her speech quietly, extremely surprised. I didn't think Grasswhisker was capable of sounding so angry! He had always saw her as a kind, calm cat. This sudden outburst was very astonishing, and for that reason it seemed to resonate with him more. It felt.....real, and honest. Not like the soft coddling he usually received, but he didn't resent it at all.

A wave of guilt and shame came crashing down over the young tom, and he looked back down to the ground. She's right........Oh StarClan I've been so stupid! How could I not see that?! Heaving a heavy sigh, he looked back up and met the bi-color she-cat's gaze. I'm not alone; I'm not an orphan. I have family, friends, and a home. ThunderClan is all of that, and more. These warriors have taken me in and cared for me when my own kin wouldn't; they are my true family!

"I...I understand!" In the blink of an eye, Leopardpaw gained an almost giddy excitement that he had not felt before. A beaming smile stretched his maw as he took a small step forward, the intensity of his realization shining in his eyes. "I understand! Thank you! Thank you so much for helping me see....my mistakes." Dipping his head to her, he meowed respectfully "I'm sorry.....please forgive my outburst. I....I had been keeping all that bottled up for so long.... I couldn't help it."

"I thought you were understand. You're not a mouse-brain," She grunted, continuing to ease up a bit. Watching the realization cross his feature, Grasswhisker understood that he had genuinely gotten it. It had been a long time since she had to be anything other than the typical gentle queen she was known for being. Before becoming a mother and warrior, her energetic and spirited side had come out way more often. Leopardpaw had not even been born yet then, though. He wouldn't have known.

"Every cat has their moments. And it's not healthy to keep it all bottled up," The fluffy cat shrugged, smiling softly at the spotted apprentice. She had never imagined training another cat would be like this. Leopardpaw was different though. Not in a bad way, she supposed, in a good way. The young tom had a lot of potential, "Now let's not waste the rest of our day. Access that emotion. Use any anger or frustration you feel... and attack me."

She faced him, crouching down in a a defensive position, Grasswhisker braced herself for the slightly smaller cat to attack.

Leopardpaw nodded understandingly at her finishing statement, but jumped to attention at her challenge. Eyes narrowing in concentration, he crouched down and began to plan his attack. Unlike other kits, Leopardpaw hadn't had any siblings to wrestle with, so he was a bit more inexperienced in this area. Still, he would give it his best.

Remembering a trick he had seen while watching the apprentices train in camp, he dashed forward and made it look as if he was aiming for Grasswhisker's shoulder. At the last second though, he switched targets and aimed a painless blow for her head.

"Nice try," She growled playfully, partially in challenge and partially in praise. The she-cat ducked her head, following the downwards direction of his blow and allowed herself to be pressed to the ground. Grasswhisker used the opportunity of his closeness and her position on the ground to slide underneath the apprentice. Despite being young, he was just large enough for her to fit under. This was all done in one smooth motion. From her position underneath him, she pushed off against the ground and lifted him up, throwing him aside. Once he landed, she padded over and grinned down at him.

"Rule number one of battle, never underestimate your opponent," The grey she-cat remembered hearing that over and over again as an apprentice and thought it was only right she drilled it into his head, "There will always be someone faster, stronger, or smarter. You need to learn to find their weaknesses and predict their next move. Always try to turn your opponent's moves against them... like I just did." The warrior flicked her tail with the last comment. It was a pretty strong way to start off training, but Grasswhisker didn't want to waste time batting at each other with simple paw techniques. Besides, she knew Leopardpaw was capable of more.

Occ: so change of plans, Grasswhisker's birth/death topic is happening tomorrow or the next day. I gotta speed up my other plot stuff, especially with how complicated things have become with it. But we can still finish up this topic after she dies because it was during the time pre-death. Also, she'll come back in his dreams and stuff to guide him :) last note-also I believe you can count this as a "patrol" since you already know the battle system

Leopardpaw let out a startled mrrow when Grasswhisker bucked him into the air. Landing on his side with a thud, he looked up at her with narrowed eyes. I didn't see that coming at all...that was a great move! Nodding, accepting her advice, he jumped back onto his paws. His flank hurt a bit from the landing, but it was nothing too debilitating.

For a long moment he studied her position, and tried to make a strategy. I need to stay low to the ground, so she can't trick me with that move again, and use my speed to trick her? Leopardpaw had always been quite fast, with a lithe but strong body. Maybe I could use both to my advantage!

A daring grin on the tom's face, he crouched down and began to quickly dash around her and aim strong slashes, with sheathed claws, at her. While she was trying to follow his movements, he would try to swipe her back paws out from under her.

Grasswhisker thought again momentarily about how to next attack the young tom. He was a quick learner. There was no way she could fool him with the same thing twice. Thinking quickly, she leaped at him claws outstretched, but instead aimed for behind him and shot over his head. Once behind, she struck forward, grabbing his tail gently between her teeth. The warrior prepared to lash out with sheathed paws at his hind quarters, but hesitated.