The future's in your paws. Shape it well.Roleplay in a cat Clan of warriors. Based off the Warriors series by Erin Hunter. Takes place in an AU before the cats in the books existed.
Welcome to WCC! Here are our latest announcements:
Activity checks take place on the 1st of the month. If you miss one activity check, make sure you do the next one!
Leaf-fall is finally here, and with it, the promise of colder, crueler, days ahead.
Gatherings take place on the 1st of the month; keep your eyes out for a staff member's post!
Please feel free to hit up any staff member if you have any questions!
True to her word, Nightdancer slipped into the apprentice's den to nudge her son awake just as the sun began to rise over the horizon. She was silent as she did so, gesturing to the outside and slipping out as carefully and she'd entered in the first place.
"I trust you already know I won't go easy on you, Flurrypaw," she said lightly as she led the way into the territory, toward the Sandy Hollow that had long been favored by ThunderClan warriors for training purposes. "After all, if you find yourself on the battlefield, your opponents will not show mercy. It is my wish that yours will be a life of peace, but a warrior may always be called to war: it is why we swear to lay down our lives in service of our Clan, though few would truly expect someone who saw a way out to die quietly. Your first lesson is this: there is honor in sacrifice, but there is also honor in surviving long enough to avenge the fallen."
She took a battle stance at one end of the hollow, gesturing for Flurrypaw to stand across from her.
"We'll start with sparring. Come at me with everything you've got, but keep your claws sheathed--we don't want to create more work for Sleepycloud, after all. Other than that, no trick is off limits. I want to learn your strengths and weaknesses in practice, so we may accentuate the strengths and offset the weaknesses. You may find a personal strategy you favor, as I have."
It was odd, sleeping in the apprentice's den - Flurrypaw wouldn't admit it, but he found himself already missing the warmth of his mother, feeling his siblings curled up next to him. Being in a nest on his own was odd, but he knew it was part of growing up... He was curled up into a ball as tight as he could, but shifted at the prod - rolling out into a luxurious stretch before he blinked a few times to let his eyes adjust. His expression brightened as he recognized his mom motioning for him to follow, quickly pulling himself to his paws to follow her out of the den - and then out of the camp all together.
The moment his paws stepped outside of the camp, his neck was craning every which-way to take in as much as he could as he could finally see new sights outside of the camp's brambles walls. His ears were perked however, dutifully listening to his mentor as she started to speak - nodding along. He would have been a bit offended if his mother had gone easy on him as she always spoke of how great he and his siblings were - which was very much true - so if she had treated him like a kit now that he had finally moved past that name... Well, he wasn't sure what he would think because obviously she would treat him as great as a warrior as he would be in due time.
His gaze shifted to her at the mention of his first lesson, repeating the sentence a few times in his head. It made sense - dying in combat was honorable, but then that would be it. He couldn't imagine it - not giving up willingly. If he was going to prove himself as the best warrior of ThunderClan, he had to live to do so. Of course, it was easy to scoff at the idea of dying in combat when he didn't know what it was truly like - but that was why this training was so important.
"Of course," he meowed, both in agreement to the lesson and her explanation of how this spar would go. He stood up straight as he stepped into place, his eyes scanning Nightdancer as he tried to think of what his first move would be. He didn't know how to even start, but he suppose... He darted forward, batting at his mother's leg a few times before he jumped backwards. His gaze was narrowed, trying to consider what he could do - his smaller size put him as a disadvantage after all, but was there any ways he could use it...?
Flurrypaw used Smack on Nightdancer, dealing 4 damage and costing 5 EP.
Subject: Re: strategic maneuvers [closed; training] Sat Aug 24, 2024 11:57 am
you know no one’s perfect
Flurrypaw was determined, of course, and enthusiastic; which were traits that would serve him well. But determination and enthusiasm, without the tempering of experience, were dangerous.
So she was swift, sure, and ruthless in her next move; embodying her own motto of power and grace as she glided forward, slipping into his blind spot and tripping him with a single paw.
"There is a chance your opponents will not respect the rules, Flurrypaw. You need to be able to win a fight that isn't fair." Then, softer: "It will come to you with practice. Remember, I've had a lifetime to learn, and you've only had a few moons--today is your first day of real training. There are those who have a natural talent for combat, of course, but it comes to all of us with practice."
Nightdancer used Trip, dealing 10 damage and costing 15 EP! Flurrypaw is Stunned for 1 turn!
Flurrypaw didn't yelp - it would have been beneath him - but he did make a noise of surprise as suddenly his mom was behind him and his back leg was swept out from beneath him. He had no time to prepare, to try to keep his balance as he hit the ground with a huff - ears perking as he heard Nightdancer start to speak. Fighting fair...And unfair. He shook his head, getting his paws beneath him as he mused on her words.
She had a point - he had heard the term 'back into a corner' thrown around once or twice, the idea that a cat would do anything when the odds were against them. He was the best and he knew it, but cats would only respect that if it proved himself within the rules. Any cat would win if they were willing to forsake the rules - the best warriors would win despite the odds and remaining within the Code. But he didn't know how, but as his mom said, it would come in time. With practice. He turned to look at her, nodding his head. "Of course - I'll practice and hone myself so that nobody can best me in a fight," he proclaimed - but he already knew how this fight would turn out.
As Nightdancer had said - she had a lifetime to learn how to fight, this was his first ever spar. At this point, it would be a challenge to beat even the weakest warrior. But once he was done with his training? ...Well, it would be a time before he could truly compare but he knew when everything was said and done, he and his family would stand at the best of the best - and every cat would feel shame in how they would never compete no matter their try. He couldn't imagine how terrible that would feel to them - he was willing to accept his loss against his mom because he would compare in time. What would those who couldn't ever catch up feel...?
He shook his head - it was hardly the time. Even if he knew how this would play out, he would do his best to last as long as he could.
Nightdancer nodded firmly as she regarded his stance, offering correcting nudges with her paws and tail. "Hold on to that confidence," she advised. "Recall that the stars are not always in your favor. Recall that you will fail. But hold to that confidence, and you may lose a battle but win the war you're fighting for."
She returned to her own battle stance, observing him a moment longer, before darting forward and sweeping his paws out from under him. "Observe my movements. If you can predict what your opponent will do before they do it by reading their motions, the better you can prepare yourself for impact; and the better you can counter."
Nightdancer used Smack, costing 5 EP and dealing 11 damage!
![strategic maneuvers [closed; training] ABC-Gang-Acornstar-2](https://i.postimg.cc/KjP70W1N/ABC-Gang-Acornstar-2.png)