How to not die (Darkpaw & Lionpaw training)

[Rowan]

DARKPAW
Posts: 63 | Male | 10 Moons | ShC Apprentice Aid
Purrks: Silvertongue T1
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DarkPaw swallowed hesitantly, his paws kneading the earth beneath him. Aggressive? Right. Like that was something he could just become. His ears flattened slightly, but he bit back any protest. He knew he had to fight—ShrewStep was right about that. But knowing and doing were two entirely different things. His claws flexed against the ground as he stole a glance at Li//onPaw, who looked perfectly at ease with all of this. Of course, he was. Fighting seemed to come naturally to him.

DarkPaw hesitated before pushing himself up onto his hind legs. His muscles tensed, his stance wobbly at first as he adjusted to the unfamiliar posture. He had seen other cats do this before, but actually being in the position made him feel exposed—like any moment, he’d be knocked right back down. He gave an experimental swipe, the movement stiff, uncertain. His tail lashed behind him to counterbalance, but he still felt unsteady. His heart hammered in his chest. This wasn’t like dodging, where he could rely on instinct and fear to keep himself moving. This was about attacking—about willingly engaging.

He swallowed and took another swing, this one slightly stronger. His body moved awkwardly, but at least he was still standing. "I—" he started, then shut his mouth. He wasn’t about to admit how much he hated this. Instead, he gritted his teeth and focused on keeping his balance, doing his best to ignore the sinking feeling in his stomach.

[Rowan]

LIONPAW
Posts: 66 | Male | 9 Moons
Purrks: None
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LionPaws chest swelled with pride at ShrewStep’s praise, his blue eyes gleaming with satisfaction. He wasn’t one to fish for compliments, but hearing that his instincts were good? That meant something. It was proof that he belonged here—that he was meant to be a warrior…or more, who knows. He cast a glance at Da//rkPaw, who looked about as comfortable as a fish on land. Typical.

Still, LionPaw wasn’t about to slow down for him. With a determined huff, he pushed up onto his hind legs, his stance wide and grounded. The position felt strange at first, but he quickly adjusted, tail swaying to help keep balance. He rolled his shoulders, testing out the movement before throwing a strong swipe through the air. Then another. It wasn’t perfect, but it felt good…powerful, even.

“This actually seems useful.” he muttered to himself, glancing at ShrewStep. “If you hit hard enough, you could probably knock someone clean off their paws.” His tone held a note of eagerness, like he was already thinking about how to put the move into action in a real fight. Normal, egoistic kiddo here. Don’t mind him.


@gs29513

[gs29513]

And so the trend continued. Darkpaw was unsure of himself, hesitant to throw his weight around or anything like that. Lionpaw was excited, enjoying the whole business. Shrewstep would be lying if he claimed, in that moment, not to want a training session with just Darkpaw. But no, that wasn't what he would be doing. Call it what you will, ruthlessness, that corrupted Shadowclan instinct, his own defense mechanisms, this was a cat he wanted on his side. But he should be past that, by now. Able to live out his peaceful enough life as a nothing warrior. He'd earned that much, surely, even if his ears still burned from time to time with a vague worry that someone was watching. Waiting for him to slip up.

He wouldn't though, that part of him already buried far too deep under layer upon layer of self preservation to bother unearthing. The fear still drove him, at times. Kept him moving, kept him respectable. But, really, Dawnstar had surely forgotten by now. Every cat had forgotten. He was the only one left, and it was probably for the best that way. Shaking his head, the tom brought himself back to focus. Darkpaw, keep working on your balance. Once you can take some strong swings without falling over, we'll work on something else. He....wasn't really sure what to do with the tom, quite honestly. He just didn't seem like he'd be very good at fighting.

Now Lionpaw......well. That was another story altogether. You've got the right idea there, Lionpaw. You reckon you could actually pull it off? He intended the question as a sort of warning, to clue the younger cat into the fact that very soon he was going to get a chance to try just that. Lunging forward, the small warrior dove at the apprentice's paws, in an attack reminiscent of just...trying to bowl the tom over. He wasn't really trying to take him down, that'd probably be painful for both of them, more so trying to see if Lionpaw would make good on his threat and give him a smack. If he connected it'd probably do some damage, he was well aware of that given his small size. But Lionpaw was still a kid, he doubted it'd be more than a bruise. @Rowan (Sorry about the delay!)

[Rowan]

d a r k p a w
• he/him • 11 moons • shadowclan/aid apprentice •
silvertongue t1
❝ stay a mystery, it’s better that way. ❞

DarkPaw braced himself, legs trembling slightly as he tried to keep his stance solid. ShrewStep’s words buzzed in his ears, a reminder of what he already knew—he wasn’t built for this. His paws felt unsteady, his swings awkward and weak. He didn’t have the natural confidence L//ionPaw had, nor the raw strength. He bit the inside of his cheek, frustration simmering beneath the surface. Balance. Keep working on your balance. He adjusted his stance, spreading his paws a bit wider, shifting his weight more evenly. He swung again—steadier this time, but still not good enough. His tail lashed, but he swallowed down the disappointment.

He wasn’t surprised when ShrewStep’s attention shifted back to L//ionPaw. DarkPaw cast a glance at his denmate.

L//ionPaw had everything DarkPaw lacked—strength, confidence, a natural ease with fighting. DarkPaw envied it, in a way. Not because he wanted to be a great fighter, but because LionPaw didn’t hesitate. Didn’t hold back. Didn’t feel like every move was a mistake waiting to happen.



└> . . . N/A

[Rowan]

l i o n p a w
• he/him • 9 moons • shadowclan/apprentice •
shadow fiend
❝ speed doesn’t matter; forward is forward regardless ❞

LionPaw barely had time to settle into his stance before ShrewStep lunged at him. But he was ready for this. He’d just been practicing—his balance was solid, his muscles tensed, his mind already thinking ahead.

The second the warrior aimed for his paws, LionPaw reacted. Instead of letting himself be knocked over, he shifted his weight, pushing off his hind legs to avoid losing balance. At the same time, he brought his front paws down in a heavy strike, aiming to counter ShrewStep’s attack with sheer force. If he could land a hit, maybe even drive the warrior back a step, that’d be proof enough that this move worked.

His tail lashed as he landed back on all fours, ears pricked with focus. He wasn’t grinning, wasn’t gloating—he was watching. Studying. Seeing if the move had worked the way he wanted. If it hadn’t? He’d adjust. Improve. Do it again.


└> . . . @gs29513