Keep your stance wide (Closed)

Snowfoot kneaded the ground with her paws. She was out on the marsh, waiting for someone. Leopardsun had asked her to spar, and Snowfoot wasn’t quite sure what to expect. She’d never been close to the spotted she-cat, but she was both her niece and, now, her deputy. This was going to be interesting.

Leopardsun hadn't spent much time with Snowfoot in a while. She had a lot of affection and respect for her aunt, dating back to her apprenticeship, but everything had been so busy and then they had been separated in the flood, and things were busy again in a wholly different way now that she was ShadowClan's deputy; so they still weren't as close as she would have liked to be. In an attempt to form more of a relationship, she had asked the older warrior to spar.

"Thank you for agreeing to spar with me, Snowfoot." The black-spotted warrior blinked, realizing something she hadn't quite considered until now. "How do we decide who goes first?"

Snowfoot blinked. “I seriously didn’t think of that. Why don’t you make the first move? Show me what you’ve got, and I’ll try to counter!” The warrior smiled, bracing herself for attack.

"That seems fair enough," Leopardsun nodded. She assumed a proper sparring stance, and considered her first move- Snowfoot was older and more experienced, so she had to approach this carefully. Whether she tried the direct approach or attempted to catch her off-guard, there was a good chance the older warrior had already anticipated her attack.

After a moment's deliberation, she leapt forward and attempted to tackle Snowfoot to the ground- claws sheathed, because herbs were precious and there was no point in wasting the medicine cats' time over something as simple as this. Nothing more than her own momentum would have to propel her forward. "Something like this?"

Leopardsun used Jumping Strike, dealing 8+1+3 damage and costing 7 SP!

Snowfoot
48/60 HP (-12)
140/140 SP

Leopardsun
50/50 HP
113/120 SP (-7)

Snowfoot didn’t know what move Leopardsun would pick, but she certainly knew how to counter once the move was made. The older warrior dropped to the ground and flipped over as soon as Leopardsun jumped. Her plan was to instantly counter by catching Leopardsun in the belly with her paws, but she found she had been too slow. Instead of the swift defense she’d hoped for, she simply got hit harder. Whoops!

Snowfoot tried Belly Rake and failed.
Snowfoot
43/60 HP (-5)
115/140 SP (-25)

Leopardsun
50/50 HP
113/120 SP

The member 'Nerd' has done the following action : Dice roll

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'Effect Dice' : 1

Though Leopardsun assumed Snowfoot opening herself up to a harsher blow was circumstantial, she wasn't about to complain about a sudden advantage. Something like that could happen just as easily on a real battlefield, after all. Furthering her advantage was her best bet in the moment, so she pressed on; swiping some mud toward Snowfoot's face to try and block the older warrior's vision. If it worked in her favor, it would keep her vulnerable a while longer.

Leopardsun used Mud Slap, dealing 7+1 damage and costing 10 SP! Snowfoot is Stunned for 1 turn!

Snowfoot
35/60 HP (-8)
115/140 SP

Leopardsun
50/50 HP
103/120 SP (-10)

Snowfoot gagged a little on the mud, having opened her mouth at the wrong time. “What wath that for?” she jokingly hissed through her new mud mask, trying not to laugh.

"Just pressing the advantage," Leopardsun purred with satisfaction. "Nothing personal."

And she continued to do so with a flurry of strikes, paws lashing out one after the other while carefully keeping her own balance. The fact that Snowfoot's counter had missed meant she'd managed to keep a solid lead so far, though she was sure that the older warrior was likely to recover at a moment's notice.

Leopardsun used Front Paw Strike, dealing 8+1 damage and costing 7 SP!

Snowfoot
26/60 HP (-9)
115/140 SP

Leopardsun
50/50 HP
96/120 SP (-7)

Regaining her composure, Snowfoot squared herself off against Leopardsun’s blows. She ducked and dodged, still taking the hits but making sure they landed where she wanted them to. Finally, she spotted her opening. Whipping around Leopardsun’s left side, she grabbed the younger warrior by the tail.

Snowfoot used Tail Yank, dealing 9+1 damage and costing 15 stamina.

Snowfoot
26/60 HP
100/140 SP (-15)

Leopardsun
40/50 HP (-10)
96/120 SP

Snowfoot grabbed hold of her tail, and Leopardsun willed herself to focus and push through the pain; allowing the adrenaline rush to overtake her. She held still for just long enough to let the warrior think she'd gotten the better of her, before swerving to deliver another flurry of strikes to her opponent.

Leopardsun used Random Recall + Front Paw Strike, dealing 8+1 damage and costing 12 SP in addition to overcoming the Stun!

Snowfoot
17/60 HP (-9)
100/140 SP

Leopardsun
40/50 HP
84/120 SP (-12)

Snowfoot was startled by Leopardsun’s quick recovery. Her niece was good. Between blows, she managed to work in a quick nip.

Snowfoot used Snap, dealing 10+1 damage and costing 7 SP.

Snowfoot
17/60 HP
93/140 SP (-7)

Leopardsun
29/50 HP (-11)
84/120 SP

Leopardsun winced at Snowfoot's blow, but kept pushing. If she wanted to win, she couldn't afford to slack off for even a second. She reared up onto her hind legs, an impressive height given that she was tall already, and brought her paws down on her aunt's head.

Leopardsun used Upright Lock, dealing 10+1 damage and costing 10 SP!

Snowfoot
6/60 HP (-11)
93/140 SP

Leopardsun
29/50 HP
74/120 SP (-10)

Snowfoot slithered out from under Leopardsun’s paws, shaking off the hit like the senior warrior she was. Suddenly, with Lightning accuracy, she lashed out in a series of blows that began with a head swat, ended with a tail grab, and would definitely pack a punch in a real battle.

Snowfoot used Experienced Steps, dealing 8+1 damage and costing 10 stamina. Leopardsun is stunned!

Snowfoot
6/60 HP
83/140 SP (-10)

Leopardsun
20/50 HP (-9)
74/120 SP

Though it was just sparring, Leopardsun was dazed by Snowfoot's lightning-fast movements; and despite the push she'd managed, this served as a reminder that Snowfoot was by far the more experienced of the two. While she was unable to move, she tried to recall exactly how she'd moved in case she ever found herself in a situation where she'd need to emulate her aunt's tactic.

Leopardsun is no longer stunned!