Marshpaw's Battle (P)

[Silvercloud]

Silvercloud sighed as she returned to camp. When she had first gotten three and then four apprentices, it had seemed like a lot, but now that three of them had disappeared on her, it was easier to bear. It was sad though, that so many apprentices simply gave up like that. It was a breath of clean air to have an apprentice that was eager for training and willing to push himself a little. 
That apprentice was Marshpaw, and today she was heading to the apprentices' den to rouse him once again. It was time for battle training, possibly the most exciting training period in an apprentice's life. Privately, Silvercloud believed it to be the least used in normal life, but it was still important, and still had to be done. So she would do it.
"Marshpaw, battle training! Get up and have a bite to eat if you feel like it. No need to preen too much, you'll get messy anyways!" Retreating back to her usual spot beside the fresh-kill pile, she sat to wait for her apprentice. 

(Of course! As a matter of fact, Marshpaw has completed both the territory tour and hunting training, which simply leaves this thread and then the assessment. If you would like them to interact more, just give me some notice of what you have in mind and I'll make a thread. Alternatively, if you want him to be a little more realistic of an apprentice,e you can have him clean dens. I recommend the nursery since the elders' den is quite inactive. Have fun! And I'll have you know that you meet my standards for an apprentice, since I still quite conform to the old habit of not letting any too illiterate role-players become a warrior until they've learnt to be vaguely literate.)

[Marshpaw]

[ Hmmm, I might consider making him a den a cleaning thread. Thanks for the idea and for the tip about going to the nursery. I will also consider the idea of them interacting more, but for both the cleaning and that I will have to check what I am doing. And glad to hear that I've made your standards~! ]

Marshpaw had gotten use to the breaks between each lessons due to his mentor's mass of apprentices. With that, the black and white tuxedo tom remained curled in his nest, unaware of the disappearances of the apprentices who shared his mentor. He slept silently, his quiet breaths being only the slightest and inaudible noise he made. It wouldn't be too much longer until he woke on his own, but the sudden call of his name roused him earlier. A quiet groan escaped the apprentice's mouth as he woke in a sleepy haze. His black ears pricked up, straightening to capture the last few words of Silvercloud's call. Marshpaw hesitating, letting the words register in his mind. A burst of sudden realization rippled through his mind, causing him to shoot up in nest. The apprentice was now fully aware of what was going on, and knew he would have to pick up the pace. He quickly licked down the tufts of fur that stuck up from a long night's slumber, only taking one finally look over to make sure his pelt was mostly tidy. He nodded when he approved of his pelt, then scuttled out of the den.

This was one of the times he was thankful for having a nest near the den's exit. His mind rummaged through the morning routine he would usually take slowly. That was when it came to him, he needed to get something to eat before he went out for a session with his mentor. He trotted towards the fresh-kill pile, adding a tad bit of swiftness to his steps. His yellow eyes did a quick sweep across camp, noticing his mentor's position beside the fresh-kill pile. Marshpaw picked up his pace a little bit more, getting to the fresh-kill pile and picking a small vole for his breakfast. He wasn't exactly sure where to sit and eat, so rather then seeking a location, he situated himself in front of his mentor. He placed the vole at his paw, and sat down. The young apprenticed just hoped he didn't get in the way of any rushing cats who needed something to eat. "Good morning, Silvercloud," Marshpaw greeted. He bent down and took a small bite of his breakfast, his own hunger taking his mind. Marshpaw swallowed the small amount he had bitten off before continued. "So, what are we doing today?" After asking, he suddenly realized his rudeness in not offering to share the vole. "Oh, and do you want any?" Marshpaw asked hastily, pointing a paw at the vole.

[Silvercloud]

Silvercloud nodded in approval as Marshpaw seemed to rouse himself pretty quickly, tumbling out of the den in no time at all. She hadn't expected him to be awake, and the fact that he had either woken so quickly or stayed awake impressed her. She faintly remembered her own, pretty self driven apprenticeship, in which she had pretty much woken when she wanted to, and trained herself or with her denmates. Sunfish, well, he hadn't seemed to be around all too much. Hopefully him being the deputy would change that though.
She was drawn out of her thoughts at the sight of Marshpaw settling down in front of her, a vole in his paws. Letting out a short laugh at his hurried addition to his questions, she shook her head and replied, "No, it's alright. And as for what we're doing today, I'll have you do some battle training. It'll just be some basic steps, followed by a mock spar. Once you're ready, we can leave. But there's no rush." After all, she didn't want him to choke and not be fit enough to go training.

[Marshpaw]

A small laughed entered the air as Marshpaw's mentor chuckled at his hastily asked question. This didn't really bother Marshpaw, since he didn't even know how fast the words had flown out of his mouth. Once his mentor rejected the offer, he simply nodded. He lowered his head, taking another bite of his breakfast while his mentor explained the lesson plan. The delectable taste filled his mouth, making the edges of his mouth perk up into a glee-filled smile. Despite the serenade of delicious tastes preforming in his mouth, Marshpaw attentively listened to his mentor. The last thing he wanted was to miss today's plan and get completely lost in the process. He nodded, swallowing the bite of vole he had taken at the same time. "Okay," he meowed. This was mostly to make sure his mentor knew he was listening. Excitement was dwelling inside the young apprentice, mostly because the concepts of combat were all new to him. Taking his time, Marshpaw took a few more bites of the delicious vole. The tuxedo tom even made sure that each morsel was gone before doing a quick sweep around his lips with his tongue and licked his paws clean.

"I'm ready!" Marshpaw meowed excitedly, he simply couldn't wait to begin.

[Silvercloud]

"Good. Then, we'll head off to the Grassy Clearing that I mentioned the last time." Pushing herself up, Silvercloud padded out of the camp, trusting her apprentice to follow her. Today though, she set a slightly slower pace, knowing that the purpose of this trip wasn't to build up resistance and stamina, but to save strength for the proper training. As she walked, she spoke to her apprentice.
"So, battle. Something that we hope never to have to do, but will probably have to do at some point. You are, like me, a little on the smaller side, so you'll have to play to your strengths. So tell me, what are they? Are you fast? Strong? Aware of your surroundings? Anything really can be used in a battle. Also, if there is anything in particular that you'd like to learn, now's the time to tell me."
Silvercloud felt a little insecure asking her apprentice about all of these battle techniques. In truth, she hadn't gone through all too many battle sessions with Sunfish before she was made a warrior, and so she had no battle techniques beyond the mash of different techniques she had picked up from watching trainings and whatever her own style had been before that. Still though, she swore to herself to try her utmost to teach Marshpaw all she knew, and possibly help him surpass her. Maybe after this session, she would ask a warrior for help in teaching her the proper styles, but for now, she had to make do with whatever she had.

[Marshpaw]

Marshpaw nodded at the mention of the Grassy Clearing, trying his best to remember a few of the things his mentor had told him about the location. After the explanation, his mentor got to her paws and began to lead the way out of camp. Like most apprentices, he followed in behind his mentor, following her slower pace as well. While they walked, his mentor began to explain a few details about the art of battle. It wasn't long until he small size was stated, and Marshpaw had to agree with his mentor. He wasn't the smallest apprentice, but he was in the grouping of smaller cats. Afterwards, he was asked to put his strengths out there for her to know. Marshpaw shrugged, he wasn't all that sure in all honesty. He was a bit fast, but could still easily be beaten in a race by a swift opponent and for certain he wasn't nearly as strong as any of the other cats in IceClan. "I'm not completely sure." Marshpaw answered, not sure what to say. The young apprentice could already tell that his size and indecisive mind were both weaknesses, but as far as strengths, he was clueless. Marshpaw continued to follow his mentor, waiting to hear what else she had to say.

[Silvercloud]

Silvercloud, walking with her head down as she waited, snapped it up as she heard her apprentice's answer. Well, it pretty much gave her nothing to work with, nothing that was useful at least. She would be able to train him, but without a certain band of strengths, it was hard to tailor the moves to the apprentice. Well, that would hopefully come later, as he discovered his own style. For now, she would teach him the general things, and let him learn the rest later.
"Okay then, I'm sure that you'll discover things eventually." Continuing on the path, she decided to give a little bit more information before reaching the training grounds. "Right now, I'll tell you a little about the clans. They each have abilities, honed by the land. In addition, when fighting on another clan's land, you have to be aware that they know the land better then you. They'll lure you into traps, so if you see a cat trying to tempt you, don't follow. It could mean doom. Now then, for the abilities. Fireclan, of the prairies, is fast, darting about and attacking with stunning speed. Treeclan knows forested lands and undergrowth like the backs of their paws, and they'll use this information well, dropping down on you, leaping out from bushes, you get the idea. Rockclan, much like us, can climb well and sometimes, they even use rocks and mud to disguise themselves. They also have a talent for digging, and I've heard rumours that they will lure you into or above tunnels, and then collapse it. They're just rumours, though."
"And for us. We are strong, agile, and we know our land. All the other clans, including Rockclan, can't jump as far, or land as well. We are also the only clan to swim, which apparently used to be used in battle too, but died out. Probably because cats became wary of Iceclan cats leading them into rivers. If it makes a surprise entrance back into the game though, it could be useful."
Looking at her apprentice, Silvercloud suddenly knew what she would do with him. It wasn't too far off from her original plan, but it would work all the same. "And you, you'll be good at Iceclan's specialities. Your size is good for leaping, and you can use your environment in that way. Also, you are smart, that I know already. Everything I teach you, you adapt. You think of a better way to use it, a way to go higher, faster. You do the most unexpected thing possible. Make sure that even I don't recognise my own steps. For these moves have been used in battle for ages, and the other clans know it. Fighting you would be new, unexpected, and deadly."
Staring appraisingly at Marshpaw, she smiled gently. Yes indeed, this might turn out well after all.

(And, I totally didn't copy the content of this speech from Maplefrost. If you do role-play Maplefrost, I am sincerely sorry.)

[Marshpaw]

[ Hmm, haven't role-played with him yet. So yeah... ]

Marshpaw followed, he followed his mentor through the many dry leaves, his paws barely making a sound while he walked through them. The skeleton trees suggested that is wouldn't be long before leaf-bare came and prey became scarce for all Clans. Marhspaw's yellow eyes looked from tree to tree, wondering curious on what leaf-bare would be like exactly. Marshpaw hadn't been through leaf-bare yet, making him rather curious to what it would be like exactly. One of his ears twitched slightly as his mentor began to speak, stating that he would most likely find his own style and strengths for combat. The tuxedo tom simply nodded to this information, allowing his mentor to continue on to make a speech about combat. Stating that it was more then just the claws and the high-pitched sounds of yowling cats. She explained each Clan's advantages and even went as far to tell him about the possibility of some cats making traps. The whole speech made one thing clear to the apprentice, quick thinking and caution were two of some key things that a cat may need. Of course, these two traits were not the only things in the mystic art known as combat, one needed speed, strength, and endurance. Marshpaw followed in silence, nodding at the words his mentor said. He did his best to soak up the information like a sponge.

[Silvercloud]

Silvercloud nodded in approval as Marshpaw seemed to soak up the information, learning well. It would indeed stand him in good stead for both training now and later on. All in all, a good trait to have.
Reaching the clearing, she moved right to the center of it and gestured with her tail for Marshpaw to stop a short distance away from her. The clearing seemed pretty empty right now, so they had plenty of space to themselves. Quickly organising the list of battle techniques in her mind, she began speaking again. "So, there are a couple things to watch out for in battle. First, the weak points. Most of the time, these are places with soft flesh, like the neck or belly. The belly rake, in which you claw the belly of an opponent on his back, is a good move. The neck is a dangerous place to go, for you might end up killing the cat. Do try to avoid doing that." Death was a serious act, with repercussions that she did not want any cat ever to have to experience. Indeed, she would teach her apprentices to be harsh, to hurt, but never to kill.
"For now though, I'll teach you some moves that use jumping. Firstly, the power for the jump. That comes from a crouch, which is exactly like the crouch used to hunt prey. Just remember to leap a little higher. Now that you know how to begin, try to attack me. It doesn't have to be using a leap, but I do think that a leap is mostly a good way to begin, as if you meet a larger cat head on, you'll end up having the back of your neck in the perfect position for the taller cat to give a kill bite. I would like to see what you come up with and work wit that."
Silvercloud knew that she wasn't giving her apprentice very much information, but she truly wanted to see what he would do. She fully expected him to use a forward leaping jump-and-pin, which wasn't wrong, but wasn't too unexpected either. Hopefully he would surprise her.

[Marshpaw]

Marshpaw had quietly followed his mentoring, awaiting the moment of which they would stop at the Grassy Clearing she'd mentioned. His yellow eyes were focused forward, and easily took note on the thinning of trees. After a few brief moments, a clearing of grass opened in front of them, which made Marshpaw look around the new space. His mentor continued until she was at the center, extending her tail as a sign to halt. Marshpaw's eyes soon noticed, and he did as the gesture instructed. Not too long after, Silvercloud began to continue the fighting lesson, explaining some of the weak points, and even went as far as to explain some of his size related ones. The first move that she explained was the 'Jump and Pin'. For a moment, Marshpaw thought back to his first time hunting, remember the high jump that had caused him to fail at catching the mouse. The brief memory got his mind working, and he began to think about exactly what he wanted to do. His gaze drifted to his mentor once more, taking note on how he was being watched. Marshpaw took a few paces back, mostly so there would be some distance and enough room for him to work.

The tuxedo tom wasn't completely certain on how he wished to approach the situation. He was free to do anything really, but without an explanation of multiple battle moves, his sources were limited. For a moment he even considered jumping over Silvercloud, but making that would be completely unlikely. The best plan Marshpaw had was to do as instructed and go from there. With that in mind, Marshpaw closed the gap between him and his mentor a little, making sure he had ample distance to leap. The apprenticed bunched his muscles together, and pounced, using most of his strength to hopefully get over his mentor's head and onto her back. Like with all spars, the apprentices claws were sheathed to make sure there would be no injury.

[Silvercloud]

Silvercloud smiled to herself as Marshpaw leapt at her, just as she had expected. It was a little high, but unlike with prey, cats normally had a slower reaction speed, and so it didn't really matter. Marshpaw looked to be aiming a little towards her back, which made sense, except that he wouldn't fit there. Moving ever so slightly backwards, she hoped that it would throw off his aiming, hopefully having him land with his hind legs dangling in front of her. It was a dangerous position, as she could slide him off or nip at his paws. After all, the jump and pin was normally performed from the back of a cat, landing with one's jaws near the enemy's head. She would have to teach him a way to leap over her and arrive behind her. Still, maybe he had something else in mind.
Mentally, she ran through her defence in case Marshpaw did manage to aim correctly. She would use the drop and roll, a classic movement in battle. It would be easily predicted, of course, but she would have to train him to face up to that.

[Marshpaw]

Marshpaw, at first, was pleased with his aim and even thought he was going to land on his mentor's back. That was when his yellow gaze caught what his mentor did, she had decided to move backwards slightly. The apprentice soon realized that he was going to land close to her paws, and most likely stunned. Marshpaw already knew that there was no possible way for him to redirect his aim, which meant he would possible be put in a position of weakness if stunned to long. That was when his quick thoughts came into play, it was far too late to fix where he would land, but if he landed properly he could attempt to shuffle into a defensive position. Unfortunately, Marshpaw's landing caused his right paw to slip slightly, leaving him just that little bit vulnerable. However the apprentice was able to remain on his paws. If his mentor didn't attack him shortly, he would shift into a more defensive position. The plain was to keep himself loose, rather than bunching up him muscles to endure hits. Being small made enduring hits difficult as it was, which meant speed was his only real option. In turn, the stance the apprentice hoped to get into wouldn't take a hit and he would likely get knocked off his paws if someone were to use brute force.