Oddball Training [Mintpaw]

"Mintpaw? Time to get up." Beechfang sat just outside the apprentice den to wait for the new apprentice. It was quite early still... But there wasn't anything wrong with getting an early start. Not when the clear greenleaf skies promised another scorcher of a day.

"Hey, ready?" She greeted Mintpaw briskly when she appeared from the den. Beechfang had been thinking about this assignment, and while part of her wanted to growl at Wolfblossom for giving her an apprentice... She was determined that Mintpaw learn everything she could teach her. Her luck with apprentices as a warrior had... Not been the best. Mountainkit had been an embarrassment, Blizzardpaw had vanished before his training could really begin. Muddythorn had been the best luck she'd had, but that was as a medicine cat and not a warrior. Mintpaw's training would be quite different from that, and she wanted to do this properly. Wolfblossom had given her something to prove, something to work towards. Beechfang wasn't going to disappoint if she could help it.

She thought back to her own training under Wolfcall, remembering their first sparring session. He'd given her the option of what to do on her first day of training, and her answer had been quick and unwavering. Sparring first had made hunting and the inevitable predator encounters easier, in her opinion.

"Come on. We'll tour the territory a bit. And we'll work on sparring first." Beechfang had seen many, many hunts interrupted by predators. It seemed particularly common for apprentices on their first outings to have the good luck to find any goose or hawk while trying to catch their first prey, and Beechfang was determined that was not to be the case.

Adjusting to the new den had been a lot harder for Mintpaw than she had anticipated. Thankfully, in the wee hours of the morning, they had managed to drift off, sleeping soundly--

"Mintpaw? Time to get up."

Oh, stars. She would have to catch up on sleep later. Not that it was much of an issue. If anything, it was probably for the best that she rose early and tired herself out during the whole day. Would simply make coming back to her nest that much easier, appealing, and overall just... nicer. Stretching, the apprentice made her way out of the den, her awkwardly-proportioned form having a harder time than she would have liked not stepping on any of her fellow apprentices. She at least made it out successfully, giving her mentor a sleepy blink in greeting. "Mmmmhm, I'm ready!" Mintpaw's voice certainly betrayed the 'I'm totally awake' facade she attempted to put on, the a loud yawn following her confirmation.

Giving her fluffy pelt a large shake, the silvery apprentice looked towards her mentor as she physically swept away her exhaustion. Sparring? She'd heard most apprentices began with hunting. Already, she liked her mentor for changing things up a bit. "That sounds good to me, Beechfang. I'll be able to protect everyone easier if I learn how to properly fight first." While her sleepiness still tugged at the edge of her words, she was much more resolved. Drive fueled her awkward steps as she followed her mentor, the just-slightly-too-long limbs unbalanced with her slightly-too-short torso. Such was an unfortunate woe of growing up, especially with a body that seemed to be destined to be rather large. Perhaps she'd be able to see eye-to-eye to Birdstar one day!

"What's your favorite part of the territory, Beechfang?"

Beechfang allowed herself a small smile as Mintpaw's yawn betrayed her tiredness. She didn't comment on it, though. She could recall her own excitement the first day of training, having woken early and been outside the den before Wolfcall could get her. She'd been so excited to begin training... And falling into her nest after her first training session had been worth it.

Beechfang nodded at her words, "And defend yourself, too." She added, leading the apprentice out of camp and heading toward the eastern edge of their territory. "My favorite part of the territory is probably the creek... But that's not where we're headed first." She intended to move counter-clockwise through the territory, starting with the great ridge. Knowing the territory was important, but knowing where the territory ended and gave way to other territory was even more important for a new apprentice.

The rocky forest floor led up to a ridge that overlooked twolegplace, somewhere Beechfang hoped to not have to set her paws again. The fenceline lay below, and Beechfang turned back toward her apprentice. "The great ridge isn't traditionally a hunting spot, but prey can be found here. The fence there marks our border with twolegplace - you shouldn't need to go past it for any reason. Twolegs do come into the forest sometimes, and the land beyond the fence is owned by no clan, so it's best to be careful." She began, "As far as our own territory goes, this is where the medicine cats find much of their herbs. And sometimes prey that like the plants, too. Though it's not the best spot for hunting, with the noise that drifts from twolegplace and the lack of the creek to provide water for prey." Beechfang continued, "This is our only border that doesn't border one of the other clans, but that doesn't mean it's not important to defend and keep an eye on."

Mintpaw gave a slightly-more-awake nod at what her mentor had added. Yes, she would have to protect herself. How else could she be able to protect those she loved if she wasn't there to protect them in the first place? Though, a look of pure surprise registered on the apprentice's face as her mentor noted her favorite place. The creek? Really? "You like the water?" As a Skyclan cat, she'd always heard that the trees was where they called home. Not the water. So to hear that her mentor enjoyed it was a little off-putting, to say the least. Giving a simple, "Huh," in self-response, she continued on from where she had paused in surprise.

The ridge beheld the border between Skyclan and the twolegplace. Her eyes seemed to grow wide as she looked at the vast space it offered. "Woah... there must be like, over nine-thousand different things in the forest! I never realized it was so big!" Such was the delight of kittish wonder, having never seen beyond the walls of camp or tales of what older warriors had told her. Hopefully, it was refreshing for such an untainted life to be seen exploring everything for the first time. Though, at Beechfang's warning, she reeled herself in. Sitting like a well-behaved apprentice, curling her tail around her in some quickly-formed portrait of reverence as she listened. "Do not go to the twolegplace, but keep an eye on the border. I got it." She nodded firmly, getting to her paws as she felt she had gotten all of the information that she needed from her mentor for that specific location. "Have you ever encountered anyone from the twolegplace? Sorry-I.. I know I'm asking a lot of questions."

"I-" Beechfang blinked at the question, "What? Stars no!" She laughed, "It's a good place to catch prey. And find herbs." She'd drowned a cat in water, once. But that wasn't the creek, and she pushed the thought aside, instead trying to remember the good that had happened there. Her recent conversation with Bloodstrike, old hunting trips with Primroselight and Dawnfeather... Beechfang sighed.

"There's certainly a lot in the forest." She nodded, "And I've met a few cats from twolegplace. Fat, lazy kittypets, mostly. A couple rogues - mean things, but too cowardly to try anything with me." She mewed, beginning to lead Mintpaw away. "Anyways, highpine is this way. Feel the ground changing under our paws? Less dry, more damp? This is our border with Shadowclan. We own the territory, and they're more likely to be here at night. You can smell their scent markers along the border. They... Stink, to put it bluntly. And that's how you know the other clans are close, if you don't see them right away. Again, it's important to keep to our own side of the border, and they should keep to theirs. If they don't, though..." Beechfang let her voice trail off, and the pair continued to walk the territory. When they hit landmarks, she explained each of them, making sure that Mintpaw understood where each of Skyclan's borders were. The only one she didn't stray too close to was the river, of course, choosing to stay safely within the tree line and glare at the rushing water from a distance.

Finally, they came to a small clearing that was close to camp.

"Now that you know where our borders are, you should learn to defend them. Skyclan is neutral among the clans we aren't allied with, and I don't expect an invasion, of course, but cats are not the only things we have to fight sometimes. We aren't the only things to hunt these woods, and sometimes we can get mistaken for prey by eagles or foxes too." She began, then dropped into a crouch.

"You want your paws to stay evenly spaced, it helps with balance. This will be useful for hunting too. Anyways, what do you think an opponent might try and latch onto during a fight?" She could simply tell Mintpaw to keep her chin tucked and her tail close, of course, but she wanted the apprentice to think about it, too.

It had been mind-blowing to learn just how much Skyclan called their own. To then think about the fact that there were still four other clans, all who had at least the same amount of space? It simply blew the young apprentice's mind. Attempting to imagine such a large area of forest was nigh-impossible, so she chose to simply allow herself to be fully present in what she experienced instead. After all, it wouldn't hurt to allow her to expand her mind's eye one small patch of territory at a time. It was just her first day of training! Several reminders to herself that it was okay to take her time to learn were uttered, some quietly under her breath, some fully in her own mind. She was going to do her mentor proud, but it would take some time. She had time to grow up.

She had time to learn.

With a renewed self-confidence as they found a patch with sparse trees, she faced Beechfang with a taller stance. As her question came and her friend crouched in front of her, Mistpaw mimicked the position. "Well..." She studied Beechfang, thinking of what she would go for first. "If I wanted to kill... I'd go for your neck... but I don't want to go right for killing a cat..." The discomfort in her voice was quite strong, understandably. Her knowledge came from what she'd overheard of hunting from one of the other apprentices. If it could be applied to prey, it could be applied to a cat, too! The next thing her eyes snapped to was Beechfang's tail. A fluffy target, one that didn't move the same way the rest of her body did. "I'd also go for the tail. I've had my tail yanked once-it doesn't feel nice. But I could use that in battle, right?" Her own tail rippled to punctuate her thought.

"Yes, and that's why protecting your neck is important. This is a spar, so no killing necessary." Beechfang purred. It was rare for a Skyclanner to not want violence... Perhaps good sense was finally starting to win out in this clan of hers at last. She only hoped that it wouldn't swing to naive, dangerous extremes of peacefulness.

"Going for the tail is good. Your opponent will spend more time fighting their own balance rather than on trying to attack you. Some cats will recover from that faster than others, but buying time like that is always worthwhile." She nodded. Mintpaw seemed to have a good enough grasp of the basics. "Now... What do you think you'd do when faced with an opponent that is larger and more experienced than you?" Her eye turned toward Mintpaw again, watchful. "You can try your answer, rather than speak it." A hint of a smile crossed her face.

It was strangely comforting to hear that no killing was necessary. Sure, logic could have easily deduced that just as quickly, but to actually have it affirmed by a place other than her own mind soothed nerves that Mintpaw didn't even truly know were building. At least she had the right steps considered. Watch her neck, and watch her tail. Given her own larger, awkwardly-proportioned build, something told Mintpaw she would end up growing into a feline that would have a difficult time not being an easy target. Given most of Skyclan seemed to share her physique, that was at least some hope for the apprentice that she wasn't totally going to be at a disadvantage.

But while there were opponents who had the upper hand in size and experience? Her mind went to thinking. Sure, she could attempt to slip beneath, but when they were used to being bigger? That was an area her opponent would likely be thinking about. After all, Mintpaw would be considering it too. Her brow furrowed in thought as she considered, looking around beside her... yes. She was Skyclan. Her advantage was to get up higher. That would likely be a place her opponent wouldn't be keeping an eye on if they were used to being the tallest thing in the fight.

Suddenly taking off towards one of the trees and straight past her mentor, Mistpaw used that momentum to propel herself slightly up the tree. Soon as she felt it slip, she twisted, pushing off the trunk and right onto her mentor, her paws aiming to land on Beechfang's head. She wasn't aiming for real damage-only to get a good grasp on the molly and prove her point. Hopefully, it was the right tactic.

Mintpaw used Leaping Bound! She dealt 5 damage, and used 10 stamina!
Beechfang is pinned for one turn!
Mintpaw
20 / 20 HP
50 / 60 SP [-10]

Beechfang
60 / 65 HP [-5]
130 / 130 SP

Beechfang watched her apprentice's gaze narrow as she thought over her question. She could so clearly recall the first thing she had done when Wolfcall had sparred with her on their first training session so long ago, and wondered if Mintpaw would have a similar idea.

Perhaps not, as she darted past Beechfang. The tabby expected to feel teeth in the end of her tail, but instead Mintpaw used the trees. The sight made Beechfang bristle in alarm. She was no tree climber and never had been, not after... After a lot of reasons. It was unnerving. And astute, for such a young cat. Having not expected it, Beechfang went down under her apprentice's weight. Using the tree put more power behind the move, and the scarred tabby grunted. "Good."

Beechfang is pinned for this turn.

That single word of praise was the perfect platter of motivation for the molly to make note that she had done something right. It was visible in her gaze too, her eyes lighting up vibrantly in response. With her mentor 'pinned,' there wasn't really any reason for her to attempt anything too risky. She was too low to the ground to really justify attempting to go for her belly, so instead, she took the chance to go for the back of her mentor's neck. Mintpaw's bite was certainly nowhere harsh enough to break skin, but the pressure was there to prove her point-practically scruff the larger feline, and had it been a real battle, she would have held on tight.

Mintpaw used Snap! She dealt 6 damage and used 7 stamina.
Beechfang is no longer pinned.
Mintpaw
20 / 20 HP
43 / 60 SP [-7]

Beechfang
54 / 65 HP [-6]
130 / 130 SP

As she thought, Mintpaw's grip on her was short-lived, but the feel of teeth on the back of her neck - not hard enough to break the skin, but still there - made her twist quickly out of Mintpaw's grasp with a low, mock growl. Reaching out, Beechfang aimed a carefully sheathed paw at her apprentice. "You have good instincts... But remember that pinning an opponent doesn't work for long."

Beechfang used Front Paw Blow for -5 sp, dealing -7 damage.

Beechfang
54 / 65 HP
125 / 130 SP (130 - 5)

Mintpaw
13 / 20 HP (20 - 7)
43 / 60 SP

Hearing her mentor's growl, Mintpaw feigned a snarl in turn. The curl of her high-raised tail was sign enough that she felt pretty good about the situation at paw, and if anything, she was appreciative for the lessons she was learning. "Got it," Even if it didn't last long, it was still valuable enough for her to know that it could give her an advantage, even if temporary. Considering her next move as she shook off the blow, Mintpaw figured her mentor had raised enough for her to make an attempt at going for her belly. She managed to place her paws in just the right position to slide beneath, letting the pads of her paws run along the soft fur they then met. Using some pressure to push herself to the other side, Mintpaw flipped herself over, bracing for Beechfang's next move. "Neck... Tail... Belly. Weak points... Stuns can help but not long..." She panted out, recounting all of the lessons she'd been given so far.

Mintpaw used Belly Rake! Success! It did 10 damage and cost 25 stamina.
Beechfang
44 / 65 HP (-10)
125 / 130 SP

Mintpaw
13 / 20 HP
18 / 60 SP (-25)

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

---

'Effect Dice' : 6

The last thing Beechfang expected was for Mintpaw to slide beneath her, large paws pressing briefly at her belly before the apprentice rolled away. "Stars... You could've fooled me with that nice demeanor. You're a natural at sparring." Sparring was different than real combat, of course, but Mintpaw showed good instincts and good timing. Already, it seemed as thought she was more successful than any warrior apprentice Beechfang had trained previously.

Time to see how the young apprentice fared when the tables were turned. Beechfang darted past the apprentice, aiming to grab her tail and yank her backkwards before letting go. She was careful not to break skin, but the move was still rough enough that it would leave the apprentice fighting for balance and not just fighting her. Something Mintpaw would have to learn to deal with in time.

Beechfang used Tail Yank for -15 sp, dealing -10 damage. Mintpaw is stunned for one turn.

Beechfang
44 / 65 HP
110 / 130 SP (125 - 15)

Mintpaw
3 / 20 HP (13 - 10)
18 / 60 SP

"It just means I'll be extra good at protecting my friends." Mintpaw grunted out rather resolutely. Truth be told, she was getting rather tired. It took a lot of energy to spar and use her mind so quickly, and it was something the apprentice was far from used to. Such exhaustion was apparent as her mentor slipped right past her, able to take hold of her tail and dizzy her. Letting out a gasp of shock, the apprentice now fully understood just what it felt to have the move used on her that she'd done to Beechfang not too long ago. The simple answer was: It didn't feel that great.

However, because she herself had used the move, there was the chance for more thought on Mintpaw's part. Shaking her head rather sharply, it was with pure instinct that she spun around to bat right at Beechfang's face. It'd be in hope to disorient her to prepare for another move, but something in the young apprentice's body told her she couldn't do much more.

Panting heavily, Mintpaw's ears flattened slightly against her head. "I think... I need a break..." She said, keeping wide eyes out for any moves her mentor may make while she was so tired. "I know... my opponent could get me... I lose. But... for this spar... I think that's okay. I'm learning." Hopefully, at least, she didn't seem like a quitter. She just simply wanted to also be able to walk herself back to camp.

Mintpaw used Random Recall + Front Paw Strike! It dealt 6 damage and used 12 (5+7) stamina.
Mintpaw has tapped out!
Beechfang
38 / 65 HP (-6)
110 / 130 SP

Mintpaw
3 / 20 HP
6 / 60 SP (-12)