Testing One's Defense with Offense [C]

Acornstar sat at the camp entrance, poking at the bramble carefully - she had to make sure the Clan's defense was set - as she waited for Minkpaw. She had promised a training session and after a bit of thinking, she had decided a spar - thought she had yet to tell the young she-cat. She knew it wasn't quite fair for somebody of her skillset to go against the apprentice but...Well, she wasn't going to deny that she had greatly missed getting to spar. Not a real chance for one ever since Firefly had... Her ears slicked back, her heart growing heavy at the thought. She shook her head, swallowing the grief as she spared a glance behind her to see if Minkpaw was awake yet - she also couldn't deny that she saw a bit of Firefly's spark in Minkpaw - in all of Nightdancer's kits - with their self-confidence.

Maybe this spar was what she needed - not just for Minkpaw's sake, but for her own.

Minkpaw struggled to keep her composure as she approached her mentor. Finally, she was going to do something for real! And Acornstar as her mentor! Minkpaw would be learning from the best! Acornstar turned to glance her way. “I’m ready!” Minkpaw yowled excitedly. Her claws unsheathed quickly. “What’s the plan for today?”

Acornstar glanced over, giving Minkpaw a nod of acknowledgement - happy to drop her task of checking the bramble walls, they seemed as stable as ever which was a relief. "Today, we'll be testing your battle skills," she meowed as she motioned for the apprentice to follow her as she brushed past the bramble entrance and into the forest proper. "And we'll be doing that with one of my favorite things - sparring!"

There was a purr of amusement, glancing over her shoulder with a glint in her eye. Me vs you, both doing our best so I can see your strengths..." she drifted off a bit there - not wanting to say the rest of the statement. From what she could gather from Nightdancer's litter...Mentioning their 'weaknesses' wouldn't go over well with them. They were self-confident, even despite being so young. Proud ThunderClan cats... She just hoped that their apprenticeships would ground them a little.

"Its odd, how much I like sparring... I find its a great way to get to know a cat - how they come at it. Do they put their all into it, do they focus on their strength or are clever about how to tackle a foe...? I hope to learn a lot from you, Minkpaw," she finished as they reached their spot - a nice small clearing. She turned with a smile, tilting her head. "Any questions, comments? Or do you want to get straight into it?"

Minkpaw paused a moment, taking in the environment around her. The clearing didn’t have much she could use to her advantage, not like the walls of camp or the nursery where her back could be covered. She nodded dutifully to her mentor. “Sounds good to me, ma’am. Let’s go!” With that, she offered a practice swat at Acornstar, testing the feel of the movement.

Minkpaw used Smack, dealing 4 damage and costing 5 EP.

Acornstar
66/70 HP (-4)
200/200 EP

Minkpaw
20/20 HP
55/60 EP (-5)

(No leader stat boost included because I couldn’t find it, feel free to correct if there is one)

Acornstar smiled as Minkpaw nodded, letting the apprentice get in a swipe. For a simple swat, it was a solid blow - a good test for learning the movement of it. The leader stepped backwards, before she shifted to the side and brought her own paw up - cuffing Minkpaw on the head. A copy of what the apprentice had offered - but yet a more solid blow, moons of experience and strength flowing into it. The leader knew she would have to be careful if she wanted to keep this fight going for Minkpaw's sake - already considering ways she could maybe lengthen it without going too easy on the apprentice.

Acornstar used Smack on Minkpaw, dealing 11 damage and costing 5 EP.

Acornstar:
66/70 HP
195/200 EP (-5)

Minkpaw:
9/20 HP (-11)
55/60 EP

OOC: To be honest, haven't really touched the new battle system yet and I don't see a leader stat boost so I assume they got rid of that! Either way, we'll proceed without it.

Minkpaw momentarily assessed Acornstar’s strength. Lucky for her, she’d shared the nursery with ferals. She had a little practice sparring with a larger opponent. In a flash, the black cat darted for Acornstar’s legs to knock her off balance.

Minkpaw uses Trip, dealing 5 damage and costing 15 EP. Acornstar is stunned for one turn.

Acornstar:
61/70 HP (-5)
195/200 EP

Minkpaw:
9/20 HP
40/60 EP (-15)