Testing Our Skills [Laurelriver]

Cloudjumper stretched, the cool breeze that ruffled her short fur a welcome change from the typical greenleaf heat she was used to. It would be a nice day to hunt... Or spar. Cloudjumper could do with keeping her skills sharp, having mostly been hunting and helping care for little Amber recently. She'd sparred with Leopardwind, of course, but she needed to test herself against someone she didn't know as well, she decided.

"Hey, Laurelriver! Care to spar?"

Laurelriver perked her head up. "Yeah, I'd love to!" she mewed, quickly following the other calico. She had been paired up with Cloudjumper on a few things every now and then, and she knew Cloudjumper was close to Leopardwind, but she didn't really know her as well as she'd have expected to.

"How's Amber been, by the way? Is she doing alright?" The time Leopardwind and Cloudjumper came back with the little rogue kit made Laurelriver's romantic brain immediately start rolling, but it seemed like Cloudjumper was more involved in the little kit's life than Leopardwind was. And besides, Leopardwind didn't want a mate - at least not yet.

However, she couldn't help but think about how both she and Cloudjumper were on that list of potential mates.

"She's adjusting... I think I'm finding it harder than she is, honestly." Cloudjumper laughed, "I find myself worrying when I'm not in camp more than I used to, that's for sure." She hadn't expected to grow so attached to the little kit, but she had. Cloudjumper's initial panic at being told to help care for her had abated somewhat, though her worry for little Amber when she wasn't around to watch over her still remained even if the queens in the nursery knew what they were doing.

"But Leopardwind helps a lot, and he's one of the best to teach her about clan life, I think." She added, almost absent mindedly. Cloudjumper swiped a paw at her clanmate with a small grin, hoping to kickstart their spar and gain the advantage. She'd seen Laurelriver fight against the dumb birds on patrol, but not against other cats. It would be an interesting test of her skill.

Cloudjumper used Claw for -5 ep, dealing -11 damage.

Cloudjumper
50 / 50 hp
135 / 140 ep (140 - 5)

Laurelriver
29 / 40 hp (40 - 11)
100 / 100 ep

Hearing Leopardwind's name out of Cloudjumper's mouth... it made sense that he also had an important role in Amber's development. But Laurelriver knew Leopardwind didn't see her as his mate yet, so she-

Cloudjumper's paw caught Laurelriver off guard, smacking her on the shoulder. In a real fight, that could be a fatal mistake. "Nice move," she said. She always tried to make her movements fluid, like a river, so she could react to things even when she was caught off guard. Ducking down, she swung a paw back at Cloudjumper. "What do you think about him, by the way - Leopardwind?"

Laurelriver used Claw on Cloudjumper, dealing 10 damage and costing 5 EP.

Laurelriver:
HP: 29/40
EP: 105/110

Cloudjumper:
HP: 40/50
EP: 135/140

"He's a good tom, and a dedicated warrior. We should all aspire to that, I think." And he was kind of handsome... Laurelriver had responded to her swipe with one of her own however, and the spar was on. Leopardwind was nice to think about, but she couldn't afford the distraction. Cloudjumper darted past Laurelriver, aiming a paw at one of her legs. Perhaps if she could pull her off balance she could keep the upper paw in this spar.

Cloudjumper used Trip for -15 ep, dealing -8 damage. Laurelriver is stunned for this turn.

Cloudjumper
40 / 50 hp
120 / 140 ep (135 - 15)

Laurelriver
21 / 40 hp (29 - 8)
105 / 110 ep

Cloudjumper's swipe hit true, and Laurelriver's momentum sent her tumbling down, crashing headfirst onto the ground. She had tried to follow up her first strike with more strikes, but the other calico put a stop to that quickly. "Oof!" Of all the moves to use in a spar, she did that? Even if it was a good move to use in a real fight, Laurelriver couldn't help but think it was a fox-hearted thing to do to a clanmate.

"That hurt," she said, turning back to Cloudjumper. "This is a spar, y'know. We're not supposed to actually hurt each other." She knew that Cloudjumper was Leopardwind's friend, and she had trust in his judgement... but she wondered if Cloudjumper wasn't as nice of a cat as Laurelriver thought.

Laurelriver is stunned.

Laurelriver:
HP: 21/40
EP: 105/110

Cloudjumper:
HP: 40/50
EP: 120/140

The warrior seized the opportunity to lightly tap her opponent's shoulder with a paw while she stumbled before her ears caught up to what she was saying, and she instinctively reared back, turning what would have been a solid hit into a glancing blow instead. Oh, foxdung, Cloudjumper thought. Had she actually hurt Laurelriver with that move? "I didn't mean to actually hurt you, Laurelriver. I'm sorry, I'll be more careful next time." She mewed. "Do you need to stop?"

Cloudjumper used Smack for -5 ep, dealing -9 damage.

Cloudjumper
40 / 50 hp
115 / 140 ep (120 - 5)

Laurelriver
12 / 40 hp (21 - 9)
105 / 110 ep

Cloudjumper's concern made the fall hurt a little less. Laurelriver was glad that she didn't grossly misjudge Cloudjumper's character, even if she was still recovering. "I think I'm alright," she said. She didn't feel dizzy, so she thought she avoided a serious injury. "But I'd like to stop. You were going to win anyways."

The calico she-cat padded around, testing her paws. Stars, she didn't know why she assumed the worst in Cloudjumper, though. Maybe it was because she knew that they were both close to Leopardwind, and that Cloudjumper might be jealous of her. Or maybe it was the other way around, that Laurelriver was jealous of Cloudjumper's closeness with Leopardwind - of her skill compared to Leopardwind.

Maybe she could learn something from her.

"I'd love to talk about the match, though," Laurelriver said, her smile returning. "I want to know what I can do better next time." Laurelriver remembered feeling completely outmatched, so she desperately tried to make up for it with her speed, which ended up backfiring when Cloudjumper went for her trip attack. Perhaps slowing her pace down would help, as well as developing a more well-rounded fighting style. Or perhaps just seeing and dodging the trip attack would make things easier.

She was relieved to hear that Laurelriver was alright, and the other she-cat's movements seemed to confirm it. Cloudjumper might have been a little unfair in that fight, but she wouldn't intentionally hurt a clanmate if she could help it. "Good, alright." She mewed.

A soft hum escaped the warrior at her clanmate's words. Laurelriver seemed to be like her and Leopardwind, seeking to improve. It was good to see. Not that Laurelriver would be as good as Cloudjumper of course, but one day she would be nearly as good.

"As a Windclanner, I think our greatest asset is our speed... And so when fighting one, that's what we should attempt to hinder. Or in any fight, really. If your opponent is busy trying to regain their footing, they can't attack as effectively." She explained her reasoning for the move, "I also think that getting the jump on an opponent is important. You were surprised when I swiped at you while we were talking, weren't you? Of course, you were aware of my presence the entire time, and that won't be the case for every foe... Not being aware of your presence, you'll be able to swing the fight in your favor. The real challenge is keeping it that way."

Laurelriver absorbed Cloudjumper's explanation like a sponge. Yeah, as she wanted to use her speed to the best of her ability, Cloudjumper was thinking about how to use her speed to her advantage. "I guess fighting fair puts you at a disadvantage, huh," she said, thinking about it. She still wanted to spar in a way that was fun, but she also wanted to spar in a way that made her a better fighter. The two of them didn't feel mutually exclusive - the quick first start was even more fun than a fair spar - but Laurelriver needed to find something that worked for her. And if that meant that she wasn't as gifted in getting the first strike, then so be it.

I want to fight to protect, anyways.

"It does, I think. The beasts on our territory are dumb, but they aren't going to care about fighting fair. Neither will other cats, I don't think. Not that I think we'd have to fight any of the other clans, of course." She added. "You fought well, Laurelriver. But we have to push each other during training too. It will be worth it to be prepared for anything that would come Windclan's way."