Almost There... [Wispypaw Training]

[squidz]

~ BRIARSPLASH ~
stocky, large, & fluffy dilute gray tortie she-cat with goldish-green eyes; just a scratch | killer aptitude t1
[ shadowclan enforcer | she-cat | 30 moons | abrasive, standoffish, loyal ]

~

Alright. Another apprentice — but this one was mostly trained, if she wasn't mistaken. So she wouldn't be starting from scratch; she just had to make sure this one met all the requirements to become a warrior. Briarsplash flicked her fluffy tail, pacing outside of the apprentice's den for a moment. Then she called out, her gruff, raspy tones slicing through the frigid air of leaf-bare.

"Wispypaw." The Enforcer called for her new apprentice, glancing up at the sky. Mid-morning; they'd have plenty of time for some training before it got too low, if they hurried. "Time for some training — but first, come 'n tell me what you already know."

[ @Kix ]

[Kix]

Wispypaw
You walk along the edge of danger
+ she/her[they/them to those she has told] + Heightened Perception [hearing, active] + Shadow fiend + Blind

unfortunately for Briarsplash, her apprentice didn't tend to sleep nor hang around in the apprentices den. Only went in there to sleep next to their sister at the last minute possible or hiding out in camp, usually in the shadows. Hiding was their usual method of avoiding interactions when they weren't in the mood for them. Thought their emotions have been a little wild lately and one can bet their blaming it on the death of their mother still. Though this time they weren't that far from said den, just off to the side of said den, in the dark. "I can hear just fine ya know?"they gave their new mentor a disgruntled look, if she took offense you can rest assured that Wispypaw wouldn't be bothered.

This would be their first mentor that actually went through with trying to actually give them some training. Though it was a tad late but at least finally they were getting someone who did their job as a mentor. Guess they could give the enforcer less grief then they'd usually give. The older apprentice came slinking out of the shadows, blind gaze staring ahead past where Briarsplash was standing. "Hmm" they hummed as they thought on what they were already taught so far. "I know, hunting, both in day and night, Mom taught me stealth before she...died..learned how to climb trees thanks to a poor sap I bothered and my older sister taught me basics in battle, like over head swipes and dodging and all that" they listed off.

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[squidz]

~ BRIARSPLASH ~
stocky, large, & fluffy dilute gray tortie she-cat with goldish-green eyes; just a scratch | killer aptitude t1
[ shadowclan enforcer | she-cat | 30 moons | abrasive, standoffish, loyal ]

~

Briarsplash only gave a scoff in reply to Wispypaw's remark, fur bristling. Alright, were they already gonna start off on a note like this? It was like night and day for her interactions with the ever-kind Bleedingpaw. Almost refreshingly so, if the combative she-cat would've appreciated the attitude; she didn't have time to deal with an apprentice who wouldn't listen—

But Wispypaw went on, starting to say what she knew, and Briarsplash forced herself to listen with flattened ears. Good thing Wispypaw couldn't see her expression — though if she did, the Enforcer got a feeling that the apprentice might not care. She listened, going through the mental checklist of apprentice requirements. Well, that was most of them; and she knew for a fact that Wispypaw had done her share of patrols as well.

Inhaling through her nose, the mentor spoke gruffly, not bothering to brush it up for formality's sake just like Wispypaw hadn't. "Well, good. Sounds like you've about finished, then. But if you only know the basics for battle, we're gonna have to fix that." ShadowClan could do with nothing less. It'd be a challenge to think on how to train a blind apprentice in more advanced battle moves—she hadn't gotten that far with her first apprentice, who was also blind but had gone missing before training had been finished—but Briarsplash wasn't one to shy away from a challenge. Especially if Dawnstar had trusted her to actually finish this young cat's training.

The fluffy tortie rose to her paws, flicking her tail. "Follow me." The order was curt and simple; she spun around, expecting her apprentice to follow. The she-cat didn't stop until she'd led them to a training clearing in the territory, a nice clear space for them to practice.

Briarsplash finally turned around, plopping onto the soft ground. It was chilly out here, but the ring of trees around them at least blocked some of the wind. Fluffing out her fur, she squared her gaze on Wispypaw, eyes narrowed. "Show me what you can do. Come at me," the Enforcer rasped, quick and to the point. She had never really seen a blind cat fight, and would be lying to say she wasn't curious about how this would go.

[ @Kix ]

[Kix]

Wispypaw
I make bad decisions, bad decisions
+ she/her[they/them to those she has told] + Heightened Perception [hearing, active] + Shadow fiend + Blind

They might not be able to see the others expression or possible sour look but they sure can feel how...irritated the other felt. All the response the other could really give off the bat was a dead panned blink, obviously not bothered by the tone used. Their first mentor had seemed the same way, stand offish and a bit snippy. That was their first impression of a mentor since the other two were somewhat the same way before they got reassigned. So obviously they taken it that any new mentor they got was going to be the same way, apparently not. "A bit of extra learning won't hurt me, if it gets me ahead of everyone else I don't care" yeah they would make sure everyone knew how better they where.

Wispypaw would be the best around the clan, not just because of their mother but by their own skills. The apprentice gave a brisk nod as they set about following after Briarsplash by scent alone. How they wished they could actually see, then they'd get to see what parts of shadowclan even looked like. They came to a stop once they felt like the enforcer stopped moving, they couldn't sense their movement anymore. Ears perked when their new mentor spoke again, " 'kay" was all they said before they slunk back a bit. If Wispy was correct they had been standing in front of the other so she moved to come at them from the side, aiming low for their legs to knock them off their feet.

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[squidz]

~ BRIARSPLASH ~
stocky, large, & fluffy dilute gray tortie she-cat with goldish-green eyes; just a scratch | killer aptitude t1
[ shadowclan enforcer | she-cat | 31 moons | abrasive, standoffish, loyal ]

~

[ <-- me realizing i wrongly convinced myself that i responded to this ]

The strategy to switch up from a front-facing attack to the side was an interesting one, Briarsplash had to give her that; and Wispypaw clearly had enough spatial awareness to know where the Enforcer had originally been facing. She managed to hop over the apprentice's swinging paws, letting out a grunt.

"Good try. But you'll have to be quicker," the mentor hummed, aiming a retaliation with sheathed paws; after hopping over and back just a smidgen to avoid Wispypaw's blow, Briarsplash aimed her own towards the apprentice's haunches, hoping to knock her back paws off balance so that she'd stumble; the Enforcer wanted to see if the apprentice would either be able to avoid the incoming blow, or be able to recover quickly if needed once her back paws were scrabbling.

[ @Kix ]

[Kix]

Wispypaw
I make bad decisions, bad decisions
+ she/her[they/them to those she has told] + Heightened Perception [hearing, active] + Shadow fiend + Kitty softpaw t2 + Blind

From the sounds of it their attack didn’t land which was a tad of an annoyance to them. They had hope it would land and they could at least have something to their name. Yet when did anything come to them easy? It didn’t. Wispypaw might of been able to get a feel for where someone was standing but they had yet to tell when they moved. More like their reaction was a tad slow to it since it felt like they hadn’t exactly moved. A grunt left their maw as they felt themself get swiped off their feet from the others move. Yet luckily for them they recovered fast with a roll landing back upright.

”if this wasn’t training I would of removed your ears for that”

The paw didn’t really care if the other found that offensive or not, not their fault if they were just stating their feelings. It was already frustrating enough that they had to learn extra skills to combat their disability, getting knocked down so easily made it seem worse. Wispypaw retaliated with a simple aim to jab their paw at briarsplash’s throat. Maybe they can make the other breathless since no one would actually do so with their verbal come backs.

@squidz

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[squidz]

~ BRIARSPLASH ~
stocky, large, & fluffy dilute gray tortie she-cat with goldish-green eyes; just a scratch | killer aptitude t2
[ shadowclan enforcer | she-cat | 32 moons | abrasive, standoffish, loyal ]

~

Briarsplash at first let out a grunt of approval; Wispypaw had been hit, but the roll into an upright standing had been smooth and impressive. Before she could offer the praise, however, the snappy comment was made — and the Enforcer's ears instantly flattened.

"Well, lucky for both of us, then. 'Cause your pelt might've gotten a few nice scars if it weren't," she retorted dryly; the tone could be anywhere from scathing (matching Wispypaw's) or challenging, or even a sort of trash-talking battle banter that Briarsplash was no stranger to either. If the apprentice wanted to go big or go home, that was fine with the Enforcer; she'd hop to the challenge.

Maybe she should've kept her mouth shut — because before she could keep taunting, the jab to her throat landed. Briarsplash sputtered, backing up with a cough. Her eyes stung as she pinched them, controlling her breathing as best as she could to make the blow seemed like it'd hurt less. "Ack... alright, you're still quick enough and can recover well, I'll give ya that. And your first maneuver to switch sides was smart. Keep me on my toes, keep me guessing — your unexpected moves are working." Her already-raspy voice had more grit than usual as she cleared her throat, swallowing against the uncomfortable tightness that followed such a strike. Because many cats may underestimate Wispypaw as an opponent due to her blindness, the apprentice's decisiveness and quick-thinking would be a formidable asset.

The instructions for the advanced battle training came in just before Briarsplash lunged towards Wispypaw, wanting to see how easily the apprentice could take what she'd dished: a front-facing attack first, then switching to the side at the last moment, aiming to strike the apprentice's shoulder.

[ @Kix ]

[Kix]

Wispypaw
I make bad decisions, bad decisions
+ she/her[they/them to those she has told] + Heightened Perception [hearing, active] + Shadow fiend + Kitty softpaw t2 + Blind

The retort had them questioning the other for a moment on if they’d really do it. Yet if they thought more on it the feline was sure the enforcer would be true to her words. They heard from gossiping warriors and a few paws about some would train with claws. Don’t even get them started about that owlthroat incident, may have not been able to see it but some cats had loose lips. Judging the others words and the tone used said otherwise since it seemed more like a taunt then actual threat, it better be the former. Hearing the other making choking or gagging sounds confirmed that their attack landed, first win in their books. ” well I prefer to leave my opponent guessing since I have to do the same, it’s only fair” they snorted.

Most of the time it worked sometimes it didn’t and boy were they glad it did this time. Wispypaw kept their blind gaze ahead but kept their ears peeled for any sudden sounds made from movement. Didn’t seem like they had to wait for long since paw steps were the first thing they heard right away. This time they had barely time to avoid the attack with a hop backwards, the attack getting their chest instead of shoulder. It left them feeling pretty agitated that their reaction was a bit late but at least they didn’t get the full hit, they still didn’t like it at all though. For their return they raced forward with a determined glare set on their face as they dunked at the last second to try and slide under briarsplash and then try to knock them over with an upward motion.

@squidz

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[squidz]

~ BRIARSPLASH ~
stocky, large, & fluffy dilute gray tortie she-cat with goldish-green eyes; just a scratch | killer aptitude t2
[ shadowclan enforcer | she-cat | 32 moons | abrasive, standoffish, loyal ]

~

Heh... fair enough.

Not that she'd admit it, but she kinda liked this 'paw. Well, as much as she also wanted to bat her ears for her tone. But with Briarsplash, those feelings often intersected, and she was a mixture of amused and annoyed. And maybe having a bit of fun, if she had to admit it; the apprentice had a bit of a kick to her.

Briarsplash noticed that Wispypaw reacted just a bit late, but still enough that the Enforcer's large paws were just able to catch her chest instead of her shoulder. She was ready for the apprentice's return, but was surprised at the bold move of ducking under. She took the words 'keep me on my toes' to heart... and is now trying to knock me off of them, she grunted to herself, just managing to hop out of the way (but not entirely); Wispypaw's quick frame, due to her sudden maneuver, still caught the bottom of Briar's legs as she jolted to the side. It made her still stumble, hitting the ground with a huff.

"Mmph... not bad. I was almost able to dodge it, but your last-second maneuvers keep throwing me off guard. That's good." She panted a bit as she heaved herself to her paws, shaking out her dusty pelt. "And lucky for you, where your eyes are looking don't give your moves away, like for most of us. That's actually a sort of advantage you have, once you improve that reaction time of yours."

Briarsplash approached Wispypaw again, gaze flicking over the apprentice for a moment as if considering something. "Alright, I'll try a series of jabs and swipes at you from different directions. I want you to focus on the sounds, the feeling of wind, anything you can to glean where you think I'm coming from. Since this is advanced training, I won't go that slow — so watch your ears." Her whiskers twitched in faint amusement at her last words, more of a taunt than a threat. Of course, no claws still; Briar wasn't a fan of sending anyone to Sleepysunrise unless they were an enemy.

So once more, she sprung at the apprentice, firstly trying a swipe from the right coming at Wispypaw's muzzle; then she'd try one aimed from the bottom up, then down, then left in quick succession. The Enforcer wanted to see how the apprentice would take it. Some opponents would be ruthless and barrage their opponent if they were anything like Briarsplash (she didn't go for calculated attacks that much; more so bold and brash) — so it was up to Wispypaw to use all of her other senses to figure out where they were coming from if she didn't have sight on her side.

[ @Kix ]

[Kix]

Wispypaw
I make bad decisions, bad decisions
+ she/her[they/them to those she has told] + Heightened Perception [hearing, active] + Shadow fiend + Kitty softpaw t2 + Blind

A smirk plastered on their face as they felt them making contact. It might have not been a full on trip up but it was better than nothing, and hell would freeze over if that had happened. They weren’t making use of their slender frame for jokes now, they also weren’t using their wits as play. Even if this wasn’t some actual enemy or battle they were in they very much so preferred to not be seen as weak. It would be a huge insult to them if they lost or got bested in some lesson or whatever.

” Only an idiot would watch where my eyes were looking, they or someone who can’t tell when they're in front of a blind cat!” they almost peele their lips back in a snarl just out of sheer annoyance. If they were able to see they wouldn’t be relying on watching where their opponents were looking. No, they’d be watching their body language, Wispypaw was smart enough to think ahead to think of scenarios. Eyes could be used to trick anyone they wanted, but body movements and language spoke a whole other story. But alas they were blind so they used other senses to aid them, they also would use their blindness to an advantage.

A flick of an ear and a twitch of dark blue eyes was their sign of hearing their...joke if they could call it that. Was this some sort of jab about them but now wasn’t the time to fire back. No, they would get back sometime or another, no way in hell they’d sit back and take it like a limp kit. Ear perked to listen for the slightest of movement from the other, or even a breeze of air. At times they could even feel slight vibrations through the ground from cats trampling around camp. At this point they’d use anything to their advantage to avoid any more hits made on them.

The feline felt an incoming strike coming right for their face, though they weren’t sure of which direction. They still wouldn’t take chances and dunked down to avoid the first strike. The secondary one came quickly; they didn’t anticipate one from below and felt their chin getting smacked, leaving them to reel backwards for a moment. They almost received that third one if they hadn’t reared backwards but that didn’t mean it missed them completely, leaving them to land on their butt.


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