Wolf Tracks [Wolfcall]

Beechpaw, still groggy from sleep, sat up in her nest. Dawn, and already the day promised to be a hot one, with the warmth in the apprentices' den. Gingerly, so as not to disturb sleeping denmates, Beechpaw carefully smoothed her fur and flicked off a stray scrap of moss that clung stubbornly to her shoulder.

Beechpaw silently slipped from the den, and immediately stopped, ears flattening as a look of disgust came over her. Greenleaf, why did it have to be greenleaf? She wasn't even fully grown, and her fur wasn't fully grown into what it's full length would be, but the heat was stifling.

The silver tabby and white she-cat shook out her pelt, then cast her eyes around the clearing in search of Wolfcall. He'd said training started today, and the thought of that was enough to dampen the disgusted look on her face to something more pleasant as her dark eyes finally found her mentor.

The heat was almost enough to make Wolfcall consider calling off his first training session with Beechpaw. The blazing sun overhead penetrated even the thickness of the tree cover, leaving fiery patches of barren earth, hot enough to burn paw pads, wherever it managed to slip through. The deputy had done a quick sweep of the area surrounding the SkyClan camp before returning, and was pleased to see Beechpaw waiting for him near the apprentice's den. It was still early, and the fact he hadn't had to wake her himself was promising.

"Good morning," he said as he approached, trying to keep the heat-induced grumpiness out of his voice, and sound cheerful for the apprentice who would be leaving the camp for the first time today. "Let's get at it, then," Wolfcall turned towards the camp entrance and padded steadily in a straight line, allowing enough time for Beechpaw to keep apace with him.

"What would you like to do today?" he asked her. "Hunting? Sparring? Something else?"

"Morning, Wolfcall." 'Good' morning? Not in this heat. Beechpaw surely couldn't be the only one this affected? Definitely not, judging by Wolfcall's tone of voice. She followed her mentor out of the camp eagerly, anyways. Heat aside, the forest was new territory, unfamiliar territory. Even in the shade it was uncomfortable, but Beechpaw noticed the earth wasn't as painful on her paws when she wasn't in the sun. That made it a bit more bearable, at least. Which really wasn't saying much.

At his question, Beechpaw blinked up at Wolfcall, slightly taken aback. He was asking her what she wanted to do? "I'd say sparring but... it's gross out. I suppose I will have to get used to this heat eventually, though. Might as well start today." And since he was her mentor, they might as well start training. She wanted to learn, not sit around and complain about the heat.

Wolfcall's lips twitched in amusement as the she-cat deliberated their plan of action for today. He liked to let his apprentices choose which path they followed first. Some cats, like Bloodstrike, had a natural inclination towards combat. Others, like himself, preferred hunting and scouting. If he knew which was which ahead of time, he was better able to come up with a lesson plan of sorts. Beechpaw had chosen sparring, which didn't surprise him given the way he'd seen her and Dawnpaw go at each other. Both siblings were naturally combative, and he suspected that Blossomstep would be having a similar conversation with her own apprentice.

"Sparring it is then," he told her with a nod. "Follow me."

He led her towards the training hollow, sinking his paws into the sandy terrain and turning to face her. "Alright, I'm going to stand here, I want you to come at me as if I were an enemy, okay?" Wolfcall half-crouched, staring her down with intense but kind amber-gold eyes.

((ooc: beech isn't the only one who needs practice with the battle system, please tell me if I'm fudging numbers by mistake lol))

Beechpaw followed her mentor to the training hollow, tail twitching. At his instruction her eyes narrowed as she watched him. How best to approach this? Wolfcall had the advantage of size, speed and experience over the new apprentice. He was almost certainly stronger than she was. That meant Beechpaw wouldn't be able to just run in and slash at him; he'd be able to bowl her over fairly easily and wouldn't that be a way to start her first day of training? She didn't have the advantage of surprise, so that left Beechpaw with few options.

Beechpaw began to circle her mentor, sharp eyes watching his movements just as he watched hers. When she'd fight with Dawnpaw (which was often, to the annoyance of just about everyone, Beechpaw was sure) the objective was to pin the other before she could be pinned. Usually, their parents or Wolfcall would break them up before that happened, but it seemed like the best strategy for now. Muscles bunching, Beechpaw leapt for her mentor now, careful to keep her claws sheathed. This was still training, after all.

Beechpaw used Leap and Hold on Wolfcall, 6 damage for -10sp. Effect Dice: 1,2,3: lasts for 1 turn. 4,5,6: lasts 2 turns.
Effect dice: 4, Wolfcall is pinned for 2 turns.

Beechpaw:
20 / 20hp
70 / 80sp (80 - 10sp)

Wolfcall:
94 / 100hp (100 - 6hp)
280 / 280sp

Beechpaw hadn't been expecting to land on Wolfcall's back as... securely... as she did. Either way, she would take advantage of that opportunity by battering her mentor with sheathed paws for as long as she was able to do so.

The member 'kjSage' has done the following action : Dices roll

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'Effect Dice' : 4

He had to admit he was impressed with the calculated way Beechpaw circled him, eyes keen and watchful, as if looking for an opening, some sort of weakness, to give her the upper hand in the fight. Not wanting to make her effort for nothing, he dropped a shoulder, but he didn't need to, because just as he shifted, just as he went to move, she leaped at him.

Her weight was atop him before he knew what was happening, and he felt the pricks of tiny claws as they scrambled for purchase against his pelt. He started to move beneath her, but her shifting weight made him lose his footing and he collapsed, forcing the air out of his lungs with a wheeze. "Good job,"

Beechpaw fumbled a bit as Wolfcall collapsed, and made sure to keep her claws sheathed as she shifted her weight to keep him pinned for just a bit longer. Once he'd gotten his breath back, she was sure that this wouldn't last. "It worked on Dawnpaw and Dustpaw, I figured it was worth a try here." She commented, tone light. Of course, she wasn't the one who had been pinned, so she wasn't the one out of breath, yeah.

Beechpaw:
20 / 20hp
70 / 80sp

Wolfcall: -pinned for one more turn-
88 / 100hp (94 - 6hp)
280 / 280sp