Early Morning Fun, Part 2

"Do you remember that move I used on the raccoon, the one where I shoved its face underwater? That is a move RiverClan likes to call the Underwater Clinch. It's a great way to surprise and stun your opponent so they can buy themselves some time to make another move on them." Sweetheart grabbed a long stick with a clump of dried, snowy leaves at the end. "Pretend the leaves are a cat's head. You grab the cat's scruff as tightly as you can between your teeth, then you shove their head under the water and use your paws to keep their head and shoulders down. Like so." She gripped the leaves' stems and shoved them into the river, letting go quickly and pressing her paws down on the now soaked leaves.

Sweetheart used Underwater Clinch on Leaves, dealing 9 damage and costing 10 stamina.

Leaves is Stunned for one turn.

25/45 HP
90/160 SP

Leaves
-9/??? HP
???/??? SP

Sweetheart pulled the leaves out of the water and shook out as many droplets from them as she could before placing it in front of Scorchpaw. "Now you give it a try. Again, if you fall in, I'll catch you. I'll be right there to make sure you stay safe."

"Yeah, I remember." Scorchpaw mewed. In response to Sweetheart's reassurance, he gave his ear a slight flick to show that he had heard. Although he did not say anything, he was glad for her words. He bit the stick at the base of the leaves, and clamped down as hard as he could. Some snow got in his mouth, but he ignored the chilling sensation. As he thrust the stick into the river, he quickly let go and pushed down on the leaves with his paws. He spat the snow out of his mouth, and then turned to look at Sweetheart. "How was that?" As far as he could tell, he had done it properly, but Sweetheart was way more experienced than he was. She was the judge, not him.

(OOC: So sorry for the constant late replies! College has just started its spring semester, and I'm immediately swamped!)

"Very well done!" Sweetheart meowed proudly, her tail swishing contently in the air. "You're very quick, and your paws and legs are very powerful. As a tip, be sure not to keep your claws sheathed when you push with your paws. That will make it harder for your opponent to escape. But now it's time for the ultimate test so I can see just how strong a cat you really are: I want you to use Underwater Clinch on me, and then follow up with any move of your choice."

Scorchpaw started in surprise at Sweetheart's announcement of the test. Quickly regaining himself, he nodded. "Alright." In his mind, he was already running through the list of moves he knew, wondering which one he should use on Sweetheart. They were few, as he was only just learning how to fight. He wanted to choose something that would adequately prove his worth and impress his mentor. A determined fire burned in his narrowed green eyes. "When can I begin?" He asked. It occurred to him that he could just leap at his mentor that very moment, but he decided against it as he wanted Sweetheart to be able to accurately gauge his strength.

OOC: No problem. Real life comes first. It's difficult to roleplay when you're really busy. Btw, is he allowed to use a move where his claws are unsheathed? Ex: Front paw strike

"I would like for you to begin with Underwater Clinch. While you have my head underwater, think of a good follow-up move you could use on me. This strategy is used by most every RiverClan cat at the beginning of battle."

(OOC: Well, Sweetheart already had less than half her HP from battling that raccoon, but at the same time to keep consistent she'll want him to use claws. So yeah, claws unsheathed. :3)

"I got it." After the words left his mouth, Scorchpaw charged at Sweetheart at full speed. When he was about a tail length away from her, he swerved sharply to the side to avoid her attack. He lunged at her side and closed his jaws around her scruff. This is way harder than with the stick...! The thought flashed through Scorchpaw's mind. He could feel his grip on Sweetheart slipping, and he fought desperately to hold on. Another thing was the weight. The stick was like a feather compared to Sweetheart! Although she was still a young warrior, she was much heavier than he was. Using his weight and the momentum with which he had lunged at her, he managed to move her a few paw steps and get her close enough to the river to perform the move. The apprentice put in all his strength into getting her head in the river. Claws unsheathed like Sweetheart had told him to, he pressed down with his paws and his weight on her head. It was not done very well, but it still worked. He was apprehensive about hurting his mentor, but he reminded himself that Sweetheart was the one who had asked him to do this.

Scorchpaw used Underwater Clinch on Sweetheart, dealing 6 damage and costing 10 stamina.

Sweetheart is stunned for one turn.

Scorchpaw
20/20 HP
50/80 SP

Sweetheart
19/45 HP
90/160 SP

Sweetheart had prepared herself for being dunked underwater, but she miscalculated the temperature of the water itself. With a full-bodied shiver, a few air bubbles rose to the surface as some air was knocked out of her, both from the chilliness and from Scorchpaw's sheer force and power. He must have known using momentum to his advantage would subdue her own strength and size, and she silently praised him.

However, this was a test, and she didn't want to make it too easy for him. After all, no warrior would just sit there with their head underwater. She began to violently thrash and writhe underneath him.

Scorchpaw struggled to keep his hold on his thrashing mentor, but the brown warrior was too strong for him. A few moments after Sweetheart began to struggle, the tabby apprentice was finally forced to release his grip. Any longer and he might have been thrown into the river. He sprung backwards as Sweetheart pulled her head from the freezing river, several droplets hitting his thick fur. He lashed out with a clawed forepaw at her shoulder.

Scorchpaw used Front Paw Strike on Sweetheart, dealing 6 damage and costing 10 stamina.

Scorchpaw
20/20 HP
40/80 SP

Sweetheart
13/45 HP
90/160 HP

Sweetheart took in a deep breath as her head pulled out of the water, and her coughing was interrupted by a blow to her shoulder so fierce she stumbled a little. Panting, then shaking out her wet fur, she smiled in approval at Scorchpaw. "Well done! You're very quick on your feet, and you used your momentum to your advantage when subduing me. You are a very clever fighter." She sneezed. "But... I think that's enough training for one day. Let's bring our prey back to camp and rest."

"Thanks." Scorchpaw mewed, proud that his mentor had given him such praise. It had been by no means easy, and hearing his mentor say such words to him made the young tom feel that all his effort had indeed been worth it. When Sweetheart mentioned returning to camp, he almost began to protest. He was not satisfied yet. He wanted to learn even more! However, upon second thouht and a more careful look at his mentor, he swallowed what he wanted to say. Sweetheart had been injured in her fight with the racoon, and the blow he had given her certainly had not helped. Even though her injuries were not serious, her head and neck fur were wet from being in the river. In the middle of leafbare, she could easily catch a cold. "Okay, let's head back." Trotting over to the spot where he had buried the fish earlier, he removed the snow covering them and oicked hem up in his jaws. It was a little difficult to cary both fish, but he managed to because the first one was quite small.

Sweetheart smiled in approval and padded after him, trying to stifle her sneezes all the way back to camp.