[T] Sprucepaw and Spiderpaw's Battle Training

[Fits]

Heroneye
| she/her | RiverClan | Lionheart |

Heroneye stood just outside the apprentice's den, getting ready to summon the two who'd asked for training that last meeting. It was early in the morning; she could just make out the rising sun climbing over the horizon, and there was a faint chill in the air despite the quickly approaching greenleaf--though as training went, this was a fairly standard time to start.

"Spiderpaw? Sprucepaw?" she called in a low voice, loud enough to be heard but hopefully not waking any other apprentices who were sleeping in. She stepped back, giving the pair some time to get their bearings and meet Heroneye outside.

It wasn't every day that the Lionheart got to train two apprentices at once, much less ones who seemed to have the same enthusiasm for learning as they did. Heroneye couldn't help but look forward to their training session as well, she realized. Funny, isn't it? A few seasons ago, she never would have expected that she'd enjoy or look forward to teaching young cats, and yet here she was. She supposed she was grateful; as a Lionheart, it was her duty to help with training at least one subject, whether she particularly wanted to or not. Wanting to simply made it easier--though she supposed that was a fairly reductive way of looking at it.

In any case, Heroneye stayed in place, breathing in the crisp air as she awaited the arrival of the apprentices.

(i took the liberty of posting a starter, hopefully that's okay! also, for the sake of clarity, i'm having this take place before the otter fight, since she'd probably be resting otherwise)

( @namen_roodles - Spiderpaw ; @Nahbois - Sprucepaw )

[namen_roodles]

SPIDERPAW
Riverclan Apprentice | 8 moons | Lanky, amber eyed, blue-grey tabby she-cat with white paws, chin, and tail tip.
Heightened perception: Smell
~~~

More dreams. Nightmares? This time Spiderpaw remembered a little more. Starry eyes as the current pulled her away, tasting and smelling only the saltiness of the sea...

With a slight jolt, Spiderpaw woke to the Lionheart's call. She blinked and sneezed as though clearing water from her nose. She didn't feel it anymore, but that sensation was hard to chase away. The young tabby looked over and would nudge Sprucepaw if she wasn't awake already from the call before stepping out of the den and into the chilled clearing. It was so early! Practically no one seemed to really be awake yet as the sky was just beginning to illuminate.

"Good morning, Heroneye," Spiderpaw mewed with a dip of her head. She felt the dream slipping away as excitement began to seep into her sleepy mind. A wide yawn parted her maw as she sat. She started grooming her pelt, trying to quickly remove any leftover bedding and smooth out her fur. She had been a bit fluffy from her bristle-worthy dreams, but the feeling was quickly fading. It was just a dream, and she needed to focus on training.

Which was awesome! She was gonna get to not only train more advanced stuff, but do it with someone else! Spiderpaw looked back at the apprentice den, waiting patiently for Sprucepaw to follow her out.

[Totally fine and makes sense!]
@Fits - Heroneye | @Nahbois - Sprucepaw

[Nahbois]

Sprucepaw
|| She/her || 7 Moons || 31/100 ||

That was her name called. Sprucepaw had been dozing when she head Heroneye's call, and it took her a heartbeat to remember the request she and Spiderpaw had made of the Lionheart. Another battle lesson! The apprentice got to her feet, flicking her tail to get a bit of moss off it, before quickly heading out. Taking her time wouldn't do.

One of the things she had found out after being apprenticed was that Sprucepaw liked early morning. The air was at its coolest, the sky typically light and colorful on clear days, and the sunlight wasn't yet harsh on her dark pelt. It didn't seem like she kept either cat waiting too long. She bowed her head to Heroneye as she came out, and to Spiderpaw as Sprucepaw padded up beside her. "Good morning. Thank you for taking the time to teach us."

( @Fits - Heroneye , @namen_roodles - Spiderpaw)

[Fits]

Heroneye
| she/her | RiverClan | Lionheart |

Heroneye acknowledged the apprentices' thanks with a dip of her head and began to lead them out of camp. She almost thought that they ought to wait until after the training session for them to thank her. She had to imagine that Spiderpaw genuinely enjoyed her lesson, based both on how she'd acted before and the fact that she'd come back for another in the first place. As for Sprucepaw, she couldn't yet be sure that he'd be satisfied. Teaching multiple apprentices at once opened up new opportunities for lessons, and while Heroneye was quite interested to see how it would go, she also carried a bit of apprehension with her. Old habits died hard, and suddenly she could feel that old insecurity of hers creeping back.

No matter. She'd vanquish this nervousness just like she did before; exposure. She knew enough to say that teaching two apprentices at once couldn't be all that different from teaching only one, at least on a fundemental level. Besides, she could also tell that Spiderpaw and Sprucepaw wouldn't go out of their ways to berrate Heroneye if she made a mistake--though she also hoped to earn and retain their respect, if she could help it.

Before long, Heroneye found that they'd arrived in her usual clearing. She turned around to face the pair of younger cats and begin the lesson. "To begin, I would like to watch the two of you spar against each other." She turned to each cat in turn. She wanted to get a baseline for their abilities before anything else--particularly Sprucepaw's. The young cat had insisted against allowing her relatively basic battle knowledge from holding her back, but Heroneye still wanted to know where she stood, exactly. The best way to form a lesson, from the Lionheart's experience, was to work off of the apprentice's strengths and weaknesses--and that would go for Spiderpaw too, of course.

"One of you may begin by attempting to 'attack' the other, and then continue from there as though in a real battle. Claws sheathed, as always." She paused for a moment before adding, "Begin whenever you're ready."

( @namen_roodles - Spiderpaw ; @Nahbois - Sprucepaw )

[namen_roodles]

SPIDERPAW
Riverclan Apprentice | 9 moons | Lanky, amber eyed, blue-grey tabby she-cat with white paws, chin, and tail tip.
Heightened perception: Smell
~~~

Spiderpaw padded along as Heroneye led the way out of camp. Her tail lolled behind her as her mind spun with thoughts about what they would be doing for training today. The smell of the forest grounded her as they walked. Sprucepaw seemed really nice, and she liked Heroneye. The quieter group helped her relax a bit, even with the light coil of excitement mixed with anxiety about how well she might do in this lesson.

The clearing they stepped into was familiar. Spiderpaw remembered it from their last training session before they had moved on to the second part of their lesson. She looked around, feeling a bit more appreciation for the practically perfect space for sparring. No wonder this was Heroneye's preferred spot to train apprentices. Maybe when she was a warrior she would ask the lionheart if she could use it for training apprentices, too, someday.

Spiderpaw's ears perked up when she heard the assignment. Fight Sprucepaw? It would be the first time she got to spar with anyone else. She'd get to put her skills to use... but, she also didn't want Sprucepaw to feel discouraged because she hadn't been trained yet. So, she took a few steps to make some space between her and the other apprentice, ears perked and eyes keen. "Whenever you're ready." She said.

She had several ideas in her head, but settled on one she could use fairly quickly and easily. When Sprucepaw came closer, she would try to leap over the other apprentice, banking on her hopefully not rearing up to stop her, before she would kick out with both hind legs to keep whatever forward momentum Sprucepaw might have going, or at least off balance her. After that... well, she didn't have much of a plan, yet.

@Nahbois - Sprucepaw | @Fits - Heroneye

[Nahbois]

Sprucepaw
|| She/her || 7 Moons || 41/100 ||

Sprucepaw headed out with Spiderpaw and Heroneye, keeping close to them as they headed through the territory. She always appreciated heading out of camp, and seeing what the Clan's lands had to offer. Like the little clearing they ended up in. It was unfamiliar to her, but nice enough. There was a good amount of room, especially for what they were to do.


Sparring, though? She hadn't done a serious bout with another apprentice before, just practicing moves. No fighting with claws made sense. It seemed like a poor idea to allow harm when just training. Would she do well, though? Sprucepaw wasn't sure how much more training Spiderpaw had over her. The tabby had some like her, but was also older. Stars above, her chances were surely slim. Would Heroneye even let her do more training if she failed spectacularly?


No, she couldn't think like that. A good warrior didn't doubt themselves in battle. If this was supposed to be a pretend battle, then she'd act like it was one. Deep breath in and out. When Spiderpaw allowed her the first move, Sprucepaw darted forward. Her intention was to go for a sweep at the paws, but Spiderpaw leapt over her. What? She tried to crouch, but couldn't avoid the kick that sent her stumbling.


Quickly, she tried to recover. Allowing Spiderpaw to have all the battle momentum would spell her downfall! Sprucepaw tried to strike at her fellow apprentice's side with a paw as she recovered from the jump. Even if it didn't land, it might keep Spiderpaw from doing another surprising attack.

( @namen_roodles - Spiderpaw , @Fits - Heroneye)