Prepare for the Worst [p]

[Rani]

Crowtooth
Windclan Tunneler/Fury | He/him | 51 Moons

Power Card: Cold Gust

It seemed Duskpaw was out so with a huff the tom focused on the remaining three cats and found himself pleased with the response.


At first Hushpaw seemed a little too focused on what he expected to happen, and so missed the signs of what was going to occur but snapped too when he seemed to realize that and was able to dodge away. Nodding at Hushpaw for that the fury threw out a couple of more 'attacks' at the apprentice, letting him learn the signs of movement and feel the flow of battle until he was able to counter attack. The paw swipe was good, though it didnt take Crowtooth off his paws (the warrior was far too heavy and the apprentice too light) and just forced him to kinda hop back without the targeted paw.
Which could still be utilized in a real battle, so earned a grin.


Next was Rabbitpaw and maaaaaybe Crowtooth was being a bit tougher on his own apprentice but it was for a good reason! Rabbitpaw was smaller and younger, even if he was the most dedicated cat the tunneler had ever met, and wanted badly to go into battle from all the begging his made to the older tom. Who was reluctant, at best. Battle was hard and cruel and Crowtooth was worried it'd end with Rabbitpaws end, so even if it meant being tough the mental was gonna have sure the apprentice was prepared for the harsh reality that'd come.
It seemed Rabbitpaw was not deterred by getting hit however, and jolted up to move and dodge quick afterwards. Well, not only dodge but also counter attack by managing to jump on Crowtooths back. The tom jolted at that, surprised but proud given how advantageous the move would be in a battle, but smirked. Getting up was all well and good and let you hit a foe without being hit back, staying on was harder. Crowtooth shook himself, half bucking, and lightly tossed Rabbitpaw off before moving on.


Winterpaw finally was really impressive and the fury couldnt help the large grin on his muzzle as the apprentice dodged like a pro and even flipped things back on Crowtooth. It didnt take the warrior out, but it smarted and the tom hissed at what'd be a bruise through the chuckle he couldnt restrain. Really the older tom had no other comments or advice, Winterpaw nailed it so instead he moved on.


"Alright, wit' that done can yall see the signs ya might wanna look fer ta predict blows? An' see the gaps in enemies movements that are perfect opportunities ta strike back? Well lets teach ya'll a couple o' moves ta fill those spaces.


Ill be teachin' multiple in a row so follow along wit' my movements an' give ya the chance ta try whichever ya'd like on me at the end."


Normally the tom might go slower but he'd had two apprentices drop out already and one of the moves needed a sort of subterfuge.



"Right so first, feints. If anyone can learn ta predict others attacks no one will ever get hit, so this is the response. Ya can do it any way ya'd like but the principle is ya move like yer gonna hit one way but are actually aimin' ta hit where they'd be dodgin' to. It can still be predicted if yer smart or its not done well buuuut thats somethin' ya kinda 'ave ta learn yerself."


The tom demonstrated, darting forward to a non existent enemy and throwing out a claw swipe at where would be their head. Except that was the feint, and before the blow would connect on an actual cat he suddenly dropped and aimed slow with a loud 'snap!' of his fangs, the claws strike not the actual intended move. The aim would be that if it was a real cat they'd see a swipe to the head coming and duck low, only to meet fangs as that was Crowtooths actual intent.


"Again that move can be anything, not just a swipe, the point is just that yer makin' like yer gonna do one move but do another that is now easier 'cuz theyre distracted wit' what they think yer gonna do.


Next move is more o' a tactic? Goin' limp. Pins will happen on occasion, especially against larger stronger enemies, so ya need ta be able ta get away if yer grabbed or pinned. So ya go limp. Its hard ta carry or hold a limp cat an' if done suddenly it gives ya a moment ta wiggle away. Especially if ya make it seem like ya died in the process, which works a charm if ya pull this after they land a hard blow or bite. This can allow ya ta surprise them an' get the upper paw if they turn their back or approach ya."


The tom wasnt really gonna demonstrate this one, partially because he sucked at it, and partially because it was so situation dependent. How you 'died' or went limp really changed based on the circumstances so the kids would kinda have to be creative on their own merit to learn the tactic.



"Next, back kicks. There are good if ya got someone behind ya an' cant turn fer whatever reason. Just shift yer weight on yer front paws an' lash out wit' yer back paw. It'll be more o' a punch then a proper swipe but wit' claws it can do a ton o' damage, especially given few ever expect it. Even if it dont connect it'll earn ya space which can be the life saver in the end."
Explaining the move Crowtooth unleashed one of his own to demonstrate and, quick as a viper, shifted his weight forward and lashed out in a horse like buck but with a single leg to keep himself balanced. At full speed it was a sudden unpredictable motion but for the weight shift but repeating the move and slowing it down Crowtooth repeated, displaying a move that all windclan cats should be familiar with. Given that the battle move was a dead ringer for how rabbits kicked when cornered.





"Right yall shouldve been trying these out while Ive been explainin' an' if yall need help or correction shout an' Ill help. Otherwise Im gonna come up to each o' yall an' ya do a move, any move against me. Get these done and Ill show ya three advanced moves that if ya can master put ya on the fightin' level o' a full warrior."


And true to his word the tunneler padded around, standing in a ready stance in front of each apprentice for them to try their move against his dodging skills (which basically meant between his split focus on making sure they were doing it alright and poor ability to dodge it'd likely hit).


(Im so sorry this has stalled yall Ill get this wrapped up asap for you so you can count this done! Duskpaw has been dropped due to non reply and after this you can really be done, crow will just be teaching rearing/standing holds, belly rakes, and jumping on another cats back/pins next round if you wish your cat to know those moves) @Neptune. @zozelen @Dolomedes

[Dolomedes]

Rabbitpaw
He/him | WC Apprentice Tunneler | Moons: 8 | Purrks: Dreamwalker | Part Manx cat

Rabbitpaw landed on his side with a small 'oof.' Owww, he sneezed once as some dust proofed up with his landing before he got back to his paws. After shaking out completely, though he knew there was still dust on his side, Rabbitpaw blinked his eyes and turned his attention to his mentor as the older feline began to get into more of the lesson. Feints, huh? That may be good for Rabbitpaw, if he's speedy and that paired with feints, no one would be able to figure out where and when he would hit them! Or something like that. The tom threw out a paw like he saw his mentor do, though attempted to pull it back and swipe elsewhere shortly after. It reminded him slightly of the move that Bravebird taught him and Dovepaw not too long ago.

The next thing that the older feline decided to show off was going limb under someone which was...a bit harder to actually copy without the whole getting pinned part. Though he sat down for a moment and tried to relax his tense body in mimicry of what he was sure you have to do for the move. Then he hopped right back up onto his paws, back to his regular ready to go go go-ness. All the mixing and matching moves seemed very interesting and Rabbitpaw would be sure to practice chaining some together if he could find a sparring partner! Surely it would be pretty easy! Like bang-bang-bang! All after another and the enemy would have no idea what even hit them before they were knocked out cold by Rabbitpaw. Hah! Yeah! Though he would probably need to grow bigger before doing that, hehe.

Alright! Kicking! Rabbitpaw has to be good at that! Rabbits did that and he was named after them so surely it would be like prey walking into his paws easy. Though as the apprentice watched his mentor shoot out his hind legs in a devastating kick he wasn't so sure. How in the world did he hit so hard! Rabbitpaw swears he could hear the swooshing of wind from the motion. Okay...He blinked his green eyes and then looked over his shoulder to his back legs, or more so his tail because from this angle that was the most of what he could see. Alright, just lean forward and kick! The apprentice lightly swung back and then rolled the momentum forward so he lifted onto his front paws with ease...now just kick! Oh wait, abort abort, too much ease! Rabbitpaw's eyes widened as he severely miscalculated and after some poor attempts to regain balance by managing to take a pawstep forward like some sort of messed up Twoleg before he went tuppling over on his side once more. "Ugh..." He whined under his breath, though after taking a moment to readjust his tangled feeling legs, Rabbitpaw picked himself back up and shook out his fur. "Lemme try one more time.." His tongue poked out of his mouth barely in concentration as the blonde once more kicked his back paws up, with less 'oomfph' in the mix and tried to kick out. Rabbitpaw was still a bit off balanced and it wasn't as good a kick as Crowtooth's but he didn't fall so that was something! He grinned and stopped his attempts as his mentor continued on with the lesson.

Oh wait! Now they need to go against Crowtooth! How exciting! Oh wait no-this was training, this was very serious and he needed to be very extra serious if he wanted to actually try and land a hit on the older tom. He stalled his movements and dropped into the battle stance that was first taught, though his tail refused to stop its wagging, and his body made some complaints probably because of all his tumbling but he was going to try and get Crowtooth! He almost did last time but then he was tossed off like he weighed nothing. Though to be fair, Rabbitpaw probably didn't weigh anything to Crowtooth, he was still awfully little. He was small and he was quick so dodging would be his best bet but he would need to land hits and he couldn't in a million years outlast his mentor in a battle of who will stay standing the longest or whatever the technical term for that was... his green eyes darted from his mentor as he took a pawstep back... uhh what to do... well uhh probably feints would be his best bet? Pretend to hit one place and then change it up and try and hit elsewhere...yep that was the best that Rabbitpaw could get in his mind.

When Crowtooth started to make his way over like he said he would Rabbitpaw sprung into action sooner rather than later. The blonde dove forward, head on as he didn't really know there was any other way of doing it, and as he got close enough the little tom swung a paw back planning to swing it forward at Crowtooth's chest but would switch and aim for his foreleg instead. Alright, this was good right? Just like how Crowtooth showed him and the others. (Perhaps a little too similar as it was very clear what he was planning to do...he didn't really think that in the moment though...oof.)

[ @zozelen - Winterpaw | @Rani - Crowtooth ]
[ To my knowledge, Neptune's Hushpaw was shelved? If I am missing anyone just let me know and I'll edit immediately lol. Don't mind how late this is *whistles while looking away* ]