Batty Paws [Closed]

Maplepaw had taken a great liking to the Newleaf sun. It was a rather welcomed contrast to the cold that leafbare had brought during her kithood, even with her warmer pelt. A pep in her step brought her about the camp, as well as a purpose. She'd been learning quite a bit of new skills during her trianing, but it was time that she practiced outside of simply what her mentor was teaching her. As such, she poked her head into the apprentice's den, and excitement twitched the end of her golden tail. "If anyone wants to come spar, meet me in the Flower Field!" She called. Even if it rose some of her sleeping peers, it was about time they rose for the day anyways. The same joy that filled her step on her way to grab potential friends carried her out of the camp.

It didn't take long for her to arrive at the flower field. After all, it was a rather distinctive hallmark of Windclan's territory. So there she sat, with the hope someone would come to spar with her.

The thought made Lavenderpaw want to shy away further in the back of the nest. Instinct caused him to wrap his feathery tail over his maw and cover his eyes. However, Ashfall's voice in the back of his mind caused his paws to hesitate. His mother wanted to be a warrior, wanted him to be trained properly... and he couldn't do that from inside the apprentice's den. He needed to make his kin proud, even if the idea caused his throat to go dry. What an overwhelming thing expectations were.

After a moment of deliberation, Lavenderpaw finally rose to his pads and followed in pursuit. He only knew Maplepaw in name; the pair had hardly spent any time together. But she seemed like a sweet cat, true to her name, and the idea training alongside another apprentice felt way less daunting than before the scathing gaze of a warrior. His mentor was nice but still, there was an inherent pressure. Pausing at the edge of the field, he regarded her coat. The patterning was gorgeous and drew a bit of awe from the tom, who relished in such things.

Realizing he'd stopped, Lavenderpaw forced himself to pad forward, even though his head was ducked and his ears lowered, "I, uhm, I'm here for the spar. If you'll have me..."

With newleaf well on its way, the flowers around her were quickly blooming. It was a rather interesting site, the golden molly in the field of blooming flora. Her tail swished in anticipation, but slowly, her excitement was fading. It seemed that nobody wanted to join her. Given that it had taken her a fair bit of confidence to simply ask the rest of the apprentices, the fact that they didn't seem to want to show any tenacity or interest chipped away at the confidence she had built up. At the very least, her scenery was pretty...

It was the words of another cat that snapped her attention out of her slowly doom-filled thoughts. Green eyes settled upon the frame of a fluffy tom, and her ears perked enthusiastically. Her mind raked through its contents to attempt to recall his name. Lavenderpaw? It sounded right. She didn't know for sure.

Padding up to the tom, a smile was wide on her maw as she nodded. "Of course!" Her body was practically wiggling with excitement and joy, matching her otherwise sunny appearance. "I don't... really know how to start a battle. But I would love to spar with you! Claws sheathed and no biting too hard. Do those sound like fair rules?" She asked, tilting her head. She wanted to get better, but didn't want to hurt any clanmates in the process. The tom was rather pretty, after all.

"Oh, uh, me too." He let out a light laugh, whiskers twitching slightly to accentuate his feelings. The tom's head raised slightly, ears no longer pressed back. It was reassuring to know he wasn't alone in feeling lost. Training with someone who lacked experience proved to be much less pressure than a skilled warrior. Lavenderpaw let out a sigh that he hadn't know he'd been holding. At her explanation, he nodded, "I don't think I've ever unsheathed my claws in my life. I promise I won't start now." All it had taken was that simple reassurance; she was easy to be around.

A genuine smile touched his maw and his eyes lit up. Ashfall's training would have been much harsher, surely involving claws. And Scorchtalon's far more skilled. It was interesting to think about how different each cat was in their method. What would his be? Well, she said she didn't know what starting a fight entailed so maybe that was up to him. Lifting his paw to look at it for a moment, Lavenderpaw regarded it. He had to strike out, yeah? Gingerly, his forepaw brushed Maplepaw's right ear, "Like that, you think?"

Lavenderpaw used front paw blow, 'dealing' 4 damage and using 5 stamina.

Lavenderpaw
HP: 20/20
SP: 55/60

Maplepaw
HP: 16/20
SP: 60/60

It was quite reassuring to the golden molly at how the tom perked up as well. She was somewhat afraid at the idea that he'd been forced out here given his demeanor, but at the very least, it seemed her cheer was contagious enough they would be just fine. She gave a deep nod at his note of never having unsheathed his claws. She had, but only for hunting sake. She took a defensive position as best as she could, watching with anticipation as he would strike out with his paw. It'd hit her ear, just enough to be a mock strike, but definitely with no intent to cause damage. It certainly was the type of tone they'd set for their sparring session.

"Yes, exactly!" She reassured.

Maplepaw would then shift to a more offensive position, moving with a small hop to Lavendarpaw's side to bat at his shoulder. She gave it enough force to attempt to push him over, but that was it. Her paw was still rather light, and it was hard to keep down a bit of a smile as she almost was playing with the tom. Sure, they could get more serious as they went along... but this was just for practice. Besides, he was rather cute and seemed shy, so she didn't want to go all-out on one go..

Maplepaw used front paw blow, 'dealing' 4 damage and using 5 stamina.

Lavenderpaw
HP: 16/20 (-4 hp)
SP: 55/60

Maplepaw
HP: 16/20
SP: 55/60 (-5 sp)

She encouraged him as she reached out with her own soft paw. Lavenderpaw couldn't help but let out a small laugh. It caught in his throat as he darted about, pale fur flickering with the wind and almost giving him and ethereal presence. The sound that left his maw was more akin to a happy chirp than anything. Hearing it only made him feel all the more joyful. Maplepaw was easy to be around and she made battle seem a lot less intimidating than before. With paws light, the tom pounced to the side and surged forward to butt his head into her shoulder.

"At this rate I might actually beat you!" He took a few steps back, creating a slight distance between them before finding her gaze. Behind his eyes, there was a light, a moment of joy. Were Dark Forest cats not lurking through there territory, Lavanderpaw would have felt much more comfortable being himself and enjoying the world; he would have felt less small and unsure. For these fleeting moments now, the apprentice could feel that within himself, "I'm grateful for your help, Maplepaw. Battle training was really intimidating but this is okay." There was a dreamy smile across his maw as he looked at her, causing him to pause for a second.

Lavenderpaw used headbutt, 'dealing' 4 damage and using 5 stamina.

Lavenderpaw
HP: 16/20
SP: 55/60

Maplepaw
HP: 12/20
SP: 55/60