raising the cub into a lion [duskpaw training compilation]

[taillow]

Duskpaw - RiverClan Apprentice

Aha! She had pinned him! A victorious look gleamed in her eyes as she held the older and bigger tom down, tail lashing with excitement. "Ha! I got you! You didn't even see it comin'. I totally-" Before she could finish her speech, Duskpaw's eyes widened as she was suddenly flung back, landing hard on the ground with the warrior now pinning her.

...Whaaaa??? "How did you do that??" came the half in-awe, half frustrated grumble of Duskpaw, scrambling back to her paws and wanting to glare at him - but finding that her eyes only filled with intense wonder. The tom before her simply chuckled, and Duskpaw let his words sink further in. Never give opponents time to get the upper paw. It could lead to death. That was enough a motivator for the young she-cat.

"Okay, what's next? What do I need to work on?" Now she was eager, and gone was the stubborn and rigid demeanor; blossoming before the warrior was a young apprentice eager to learn every move she could.

[ dusklion ]

[taillow]

Otterfluff - RiverClan Shield

Amusement had his whiskers twitching as Otterfluff observed the rather eager apprentice. It was clear she would make a good warrior, what with not getting all huffy like some did when they failed a move. "Hmmm... it would prove beneficial for you to learn how to fight bigger enemies, since you are not all that big yourself... let us try the leap and hold."

Stepping back to create distance, the shield turned back to nod at the 'paw. "Okay - I want you to run and leap onto my back. Hold on - you can unsheath your claws for this - and try to gauge when the right time to jump off would be." That was the other tricky part of this move; would she be able to do it quick and effectively?

[taillow]

Duskpaw - RiverClan Apprentice

A new move? Duskpaw could get behind that. Taking the time in which the brown tom moved back to create space to shake out her fur, she tried to ready herself. Her muscles still felt like little sparks were zapping through them, energy coursing through her body. Her tail tip twitched behind her as narrowed blue eyes watched him.

Leap and hold? That sounded fun and it made her gaze absolutely light up. "I can do that!" she nodded eagerly, tail now waving behind her. Crouching down the young dark tabby remained still for only a moment before she charged forward, leaping towards the shield at the last minute and aiming for his back. Her claws slid out just a bit - enough to find purchase - and she secured her position on his back.

"You can't get me up here!" she realized, taking note of how impossible it would be for him to land any kind of blow on her from up here.

[ dusklion ]

[taillow]

Otterfluff - RiverClan Shield

Good! The claws of the apprentice were no bother as Otterfluff grunted under the added weight. It wasn't much once he got used to it. "Yes - from up here, an enemy will not be able to strike at you with their claws or teeth. If you are able to get onto an enemies back, take advantage of the short time you will have; go for the back of their neck or their shoulders to quickly disable them."

Tensing his muscles, the shield smirked. "...However you must keep your senses alert for..." Without any other warning Otterfluff began to roll to the side, starting by tossing his weight. He had thought about what pace he wanted to go, but decided on full speed in order to give the apprentice a taste of what real battle would be like.

[taillow]

Duskpaw - RiverClan Apprentice

From up here Duskpaw was able to see more points of attack. Without the flail of claws or teeth it would be a lot easier to land blows. Her ears swiveled forward as she listened to the large warrior talk. Act quick. Okay, she could do that. She could-

WHY WAS HE FALLING???

Instinctively Duskpaw let out a small yelp and leapt off the Shields back, landing roughly on her paws and rolling until she was able to spring back up. "What the hell was that??" she spat, turning around and glaring at the warrior.

[ dusklion ]

[taillow]

Otterfluff - RiverClan Shield

A snort of amusement left him as Otterfluff shook his head. He had managed to get to his paws in the time that the apprentice had rolled on her side. "An enemy won't let you stay on their back for long - they'll want to get you off just as quick as you managed to leap on. That is why you must make use of the time given."

Squaring his shoulders he gave a nod. "Try again. This time, see if you can land a blow before you have to jump off."

[taillow]

Duskpaw - RiverClan Apprentice

...Okay, that made sense. Still Duskpaw glowered at the tom and huffed in frustration. It wasn't enough to stop her from wanting to learn though as she shook out her fur. "I can do that..." she repeated, this time a lot more concentrated. She gave a soft little growl, and then...

Charging at the warrior, Duskpaw leapt again. This time when she leapt, she made quick work of parting her teeth and lunging for the tom's ear. Just as she managed to snap down though she felt him falling once more. She gave a lash of her tail and leapt off, regaining her footing quicker and turning to face him. "I almost had ya!"

[ dusklion ]

[taillow]

Otterfluff - RiverClan Shield

As soon as he felt the apprentice on his back, he tensed his muscles and started the roll. There were pinpricks of pain in his ear as Otterfluff felt teeth latch into it, but the apprentice was leaping off before any real damage could be done. Her statement of almost having him had him grinning.

"Good. You took advantage of the short time you had, and could've disoriented a warrior. Next time, try and go for a blow to the head or back of the neck. It'll be much more useful than getting an ear."

With that lesson now done, Otterfluff racked his brain for the next move he could teach. "Lets work on your back kick. I want you to spin as fast on your paws for me as you can to start off until you're facing the other direction."

[taillow]

Duskpaw - RiverClan Apprentice

Beaming at the praise given by the warrior, Duskpaw made no move to hide the way she puffed out her chest. She nodded at the notes but the praise had gone straight to her head, that was for sure. "Next time, I'll lay you out!"

Okay, next move. Back kick? That sounded like fun, but Duskpaw was curious how useful it would be. Still though she nodded and looked at her paws. Sucking in a breath the dark tabby whipped herself around until she was facing away from the Shield. "Like this?"

[ dusklion ]

[taillow]

Otterfluff - RiverClan Shield

Well, she was certainly speedy. "Precisely," Otterfluff commented with a swish of his tail, padding a bit closer. "If you need to, unsheathe your front claws to stop yourself earlier, that way you don't have to worry about speed."

Lifting a paw and poking the apprentice's hind legs with it, he added, "Next you'll want to push your weight to your front claws, and kick back with your hind legs. No need to aim - you will likely strike your desired target if you kick hard enough."

Stepping back so that he wouldn't be in the cross-fire, the Shield nodded. "Give it a try," he instructed.