[P/T] throwing acorns at fireflies

[Luna16]

The brown tabby stretches his muscles as he exited the warrior’s den. Today he was training another -paw. One of the “Spiderling” hoard he thought. Acornfall trotted to the apprentice’s den, bending his head to call into it. “‘Ey! Fireflypaw!” He called. “I’m ready to do your combat training!” With that said, Acornfall stepped aside to give the -paw room to emerge.

@Rowan - Fireflypaw

[Rowan]

• she/her • 11 moons • thunderclan/apprentice •
primal instinct

The apprentice's ears perked at the sound of her name. She had been grooming near the back of the den, paws half-damp and fur still mussed from sleep. But as soon as she heard combat training, FireflyPaw practically leapt to her paws.

“Yes!” she squeaked, then immediately caught herself and cleared her throat. Cool. Calm. Warrior-like. Perfect. Better then everyone- okay, maybe she was getting ahead of herself.

Padding out quickly, she blinked in the light and looked up at Acornfall with bright eyes. “I’m ready! What are we doing first?” she asked, trying to stand taller than her small frame allowed. The idea of sparring or practicing fighting moves was way more exciting than crouching silently in the grass. Not that she’d say that out loud. Oh who’s she kidding- she would.

See- she was gonna fly through her training now! Sure, her Plan A was that she finishes training in her first moon of apprenticeship then becomes a warrior before her siblings and sets a flying record but…things didn’t quite meet her standards (pity). So, she’s gonna fly through now then sneak attack all her siblings that are ready like…’YEAH! This is my ceremony too! I just did all my training that quick.’

└> . . . @Luna16

[Luna16]

Acornfall purred at the -paw’s enthusiasm, she reminded him of his Little Breezey - eager. That was good! The brown tabby turned and waved his tail for Fireflypaw to follow as he led her to the training grounds. “Glad to see the enthusiasm!” He meowed with a hearty laugh. “Personally, I find that you learn better by doing. So first we’re gonna spar, I wanna see your instincts.” He explained, turning to face the -paw as they reached the training grounds.

“Then we can fine tune things and I can show ya some of the more basic moves. But in real combat, you’ll need to sharpen your instincts.” His tone grew a little more more solemn, his gaze more serious. “In a fight, technique is important yes. But it’s my opinion that the warrior with the sharper instinct will ultimately win the day.” Wit, intelligence, technique, all these things were important and played a role. But ultimately, Acornfall’s opinion was that instinct was the deciding factor if it came to a fight between two equals. With that said, the large brown tabby crouched into a defensive stance, flicking his tail for Fireflypaw to come at him. “Whenever you’re ready kiddo!” He mewed, his eyes glinting as he challenged her. This part was his favorite.

@Rowan - Fireflypaw

[Rowan]

• she/her • 12 moons • thunderclan/apprentice •
primal instinct

Her paws practically buzzed with energy as she followed AcornFall, tail flicking behind her with short, eager sways. She nodded along as he talked, even if a small part of her was already stressing at the word instinct. No clear steps? No proper demo? Just—go for it and hope your paws figure it out? She swallowed her complaint. She wasn’t a kit anymore. She could handle it. Probably. Hopefully. She preferred seeing things for herself first but…this wasn’t horrible.

Still, she paid extra attention to the way AcornFall shifted into his stance—the way his paws spread, how his weight lowered, how his eyes didn’t leave her for a second. She committed all of it to memory. If he wasn’t going to walk her through it, she’d find her own way to copy instead. Her own body adjusted, trying to mimic the pose. It wasn’t perfect—her balance was a little off, and her tail tip twitched too much—but it was close. Then she moved.

She shot forward in a quick burst, crouching low and veering right at the last moment. Her smaller size made it easy to tuck in tight, trying to fake him out with a feint before aiming a light shoulder bump toward his side. She didn’t throw her full weight into it, and it was certainly messy in many ways as she was simply repeating what she had watched others do—this wasn’t about winning yet. She wanted to see what he’d do. Learn by watching.

As soon as her paws hit the ground again, she darted back, already flicking her eyes over the warriors stance and reaction. If he moved a certain way, blocked or dodged—that’s what she’d remember. This wasn’t just a spar. It was a chance to study in real time. And FireflyPaw was not going to waste it.

└> . . . @Luna16

[Luna16]

Acornfall could tell Fireflypaw has discerning eyes, and he couldn't help a grin. That was good, she was observant. And she mirrored him well. It was her first attempt after all, as far as he knew. And he didn't provide any instructions or demonstrations prior to this. So for her to instinctively even attempt to copy him was a good sign. He let out a playful, challenging growl when she moved, taken by surprise by her attempted feint. Her strike wasn't enough for him to even really feel it, but to attempt a feint straight out showed thought and strategy. She was already taking advantage of her size advantage too, good. This was good.

The brown tabby shifted his weight to his forepaw, rearing to kick out with his hindlegs. He felt her fur brush his toes, and grinned. She had already leapt back. Good, she was still watching him. The second his hindpaws hit the ground, he whirled around again. Aiming a downwards paw strike for her shoulder, careful to watch his strength. If the blow connected, it might knock her balance (since she didn't seem very centered in the first place), but it shouldn't be enough to cause any real pain. And of course, claws were sheathed. This was how Acornfall taught, demonstrating by way of sparring. He found this to be most effective, and more realistic than simply practicing moves (though he did plan to show her some of the basics).

{ @Rowan - Fireflypaw - as promised! }