So it Came Back

A lanky cat sat in a small patch of dirt. His fur matched to ground, a light brown. Paws the color of night, as well as the stripe running down his back. This was Deernose, one of the oldest warriors in the forest. And now, he would be training one of the youngest: an apprentice named Swiftpaw. This would probably be the tom's last apprentice, as his muzzle was becoming flecked with gray hairs. His muscles were still strong, however. This cat wouldn't be going into the elder's den willingly. A rustle in the grass made him raise his head, and he spotted his she-apprentice. He smiled at her, and stood up.

Swiftpaw padded up with a smile on her face. "Hello, Deernose!" She said happily. "What will be doing today?" She asked.

His long tail swished in the soft, but chilly breeze. "For your safety, basic battle training," he meowed with a smile. He sank into a crouch, black paws just below his chest. "The very first thing is the battle crouch. Be sure you can move whenever you want, where you want. Agile, like a snake." Deernose bounced from side to side, forwards and back, as an example.

Swift paw nodded. "So.. Should I try that?" She asked. She was new to this, she barely knew how to catch a butterfly.

"Mhmm. It's the first position into which you can do many other moves. Not all, but many." He stilled himself, and kept his tail close to the ground. "Oh and be sure that whenever you practice spar with a clanmate to always keep your claws sheathed. Claws were made to harm, but never our friends and family."

Swiftpaw nodded. She got into the battle crouch. She did the hop from side to side, and from back to front. Smiling, wow, training is fun! She thought.

Deernose watched his apprentice, while still in his own crouch. "Good for a beginner." The tom took a step back and meowed, "The first and most basic move is (Front Paw) Strike. You use a single paw, to keep you balanced." He showed an example by slicing at the surrounding grass, and it was cut cleanly by his experienced claws.

"Okay" Swiftpaw said. She thrashed a paw onto the grass, making a leaf move. "Was that good?" She asked.

He nodded. "Keep your paw turned inwards, in case someone decides to bite your leg." Deernose scuffed away the cut grass, for they could be slipped on. "And never aim for any cat's throat. Though the code may seem limited to the Clans, no innocent cat deserves to die." His eyes were hard as he said this. Lightening up, the elder cat turned straight to his apprentice. "Now how do you think you should attack a cat like me? Larger and heavier than you, you can't exactly attack head-on."

"Okay," Swiftpaw said. She swiped her paw inwards. "Um... I can attack you like... If I leaped onto you from behind, or ran up to you, and... Try to be quick enough to escape you're swipes."

"Though those are some good tactics, they are best used by cats closer to my size. You would want to leap on to my back, where my paws can't reach you," he explained. "Try to attack me. No claws please." Deernose readied himself for Swiftpaw to attack.

Swiftpaw nodded. She made sure her claws were sheathed, and waiting for a moment, she leaped up. She landed on his back, using her paws as if she was clawing his back. She threw a fast paw by him.

"Good!" His instincts told him to throw the smaller she-cat off, but he shoved them down instead. "If you had your claws, it would be easier to grip." Deernose pretended to thrash about, 'trying' to throw her off.

Swiftpaw tumbled off, leaping onto a low branch of a tree. She pounced onto him from the branch, clawing at his back (sheathed claws, of course) and tail. She threw another swipe at his face.