Hello Mr Pats! [p]

[Rani]

Bleedingpaw
Shadowclan Apprentice | He/Him | 6 Moons

Just a Scratch | Shadow Fiend

Bleedingpaw wanted to do more training stuff with himself! He was an apprentice now and it was super cool but so far his outings had been.... Scant with Brairsplash busy and (unbeknownst to him) a little apprehensive to teach the disabled little tom.


But Bleedingpaw wasnt gonna let that stop him and he knew one tom who'd been happy to train others before!


So, spotting Hawkbite in the clearing one day the little bengal went wobbling up to him, full of determination and plead his case.

"Good morning Mr Pats! I hope youre doing well! Imma apprentice now and all the bigger apprentices say youre a great teacher so I wanted to ask if you could teach me something!



I learned sneaking from you in the hiding event really well and Ive even been able to sneak up on my Mama but I dunno how to hunt or fight and thats really important. So if you have a moment can you please teach me something, I promise Ill listen really well!"
There! Polite askings and explanation and Bleedingpaw wobbling a bit waiting for a response before he seemed to realize something and blurted out a "Oh! Can this not be the reward for winning the hiding event though? I wanted to learn a special skill like swimming or predator hunting or something, I cant remember exactly what you said but it sounded really cool and like advanced skills I dont think I can manage yet.... Is that ok?"



Hopefully it would be, he didnt really wanna accidentally offend Hawkbite. The apprentice just wanted to be the best possible and that meant learning the best skills, though he wasnt quite on advanced level yet.


@SuspiciousMindz

[SuspiciousMindz]

[Hawkbite]
Enforcer Commander
Shadow Fiend | Agatha Kitty | Kitty Softpaws

Hawkbite tended to keep an ear out on things around the clearing as he'd take his intermittent naps. His ears picked up on the odd gait of Bleedingpaw, immediately giving away who was approaching him before his eyes would even open to greet the young apprentice. With a couple blinks, the Commander would sit up and greet the younger cat with a small smile.

"I can teach you some fighting skills, how's that sound?" Hawkbite would inquire back, curious to see how enthusiastic he'd be about the offer. Training a feline with a disability such as Bleedingpaw's would come as a challenge, but training Eggpaw briefly had taught Hawkbite a better way to train wobbly cats. The only thing Eggpaw really stood out to him for. "We can definitely save that reward for a special skill, you'll just have to let me know when you want to do that," Hawkbite chimed back, happy someone remembered they had a reward to redeem.

@Rani - Bleedingpaw [sorry it's messy, will do better next post, trying to get all the replies out and v sleepy eheh]

[Rani]

Bleedingpaw
Shadowclan Apprentice | He/Him | 6 Moons

Just a Scratch | Shadow Fiend

The little bengal looked absolutely star struck that he was gonna learn to fight like a true warrior from the enforcer commander himself, wiggling like a little snake with a bright grin. Yes! He'd love to learn fighting and maybe if it was Hawkbite teaching him he'd turn out an ok fighter despite his flaws!


The little tom reared on his hind legs, rocking for a moment like he was going to fall back down before swaying oddly into his wobbling to counterbalance, boxing little paws in the air up at Hawkbites nose (which he probably would not get close to hitting). "Mr Pats is gonna make me the most fearsome shadowclan warrior! And then Im gonna learn to ambush or fight predators or everything and even Miss Tiger will think Im worth it even with my wobbles!"


And then something... odd happened.
With a sway the apprentice pitched forward, unable to stay reared up and forced to land. But in that involuntary sway a little golden paw flashed out, an attempt to counter balance, that did what Bleedingpaw consciously couldnt. It bapped Hawkbite right on the nose, too quick to be dodged and a tad stronger then the skinny bengal mightve managed normally though nothing actually damaging to such a larger tom. And then paws hit the ground with a sharp crack, the apprentice shifting to be better balanced standing to reveal his paw had straight split a root far thicker then he normally shouldve been able to.


Bleedingpaws wobbling had him pull off a move he never couldve intentionally done, at least at this stage of his learning.


"Ooop! Sorry Sir, but show me how to fight please Im ready!!"

-New Purrk Detected! Push more to discover hidden Purrk!-

@SuspiciousMindz

[SuspiciousMindz]

[Hawkbite]
Enforcer Commander
Shadow Fiend | Agatha Kitty | Kitty Softpaws

Shocked.

That was the best word to describe how Hawkbite felt after he was karate chopped by the golden tom. His nose wiggled and he held a paw up to rub it as the smack was enough to make him reel back a little at the ache. Then the snap came and Hawkbite looked down, impressed at the strength behind the little apprentice's movements. Intentional or not, there was something building up in Bleedingpaw that Hawkbite wasn't quite sure about. He'd clear his throat to address the apprentice again, shrugging off the nose smack, but inhaling deeply before his next, dramatic, line.

"You landed your first hit on me! How could you!" Hawkbite would exclaim suddenly. He'd hold his paw up to his nose again before reaching out and attempting to bap Bleedingpaw's nose back. Hitting a moving target was little harder than he expected though.

Hawkbite would lead the duo to a softer part of the camp. The ground in this area was softer so if Bleedingpaw stumbled about, it was open and clear for him. The landing would be softer too. Perfect for the first training session in his opinion. "Fighting is pretty simple once you learn how to read body language!" Hawkbite started to explain, starting with the basics. "You can watch your opponents eyes and track them to where they're looking. Usually that's a good indicator on where they'll hit you. You can also see how they sway. Usually swaying left or right means they'll be moving in that direction so you can dodge it. You can also predict their movements based on if they're being defensive or offensive -- guarding or fighting," Hawkbite continued. "Defensive means they'll run from you or guard their weakest points -- usually the eyes, ankles, underbelly, ears, and neck. Fighting offensively leaves them pretty open for you to strike anywhere you can, but also means you need to be guarding yourself. That's where we'll start."

Hawkbite crouched down in front of Bleedingpaw, presenting his battle stance. It was rigid and low to the ground, his paws spread apart evenly to balance his weight. "I want you to try practicing dodging some of my hits before I show you how to hit me back," the Commander instructed. Hopefully Bleedingpaw had been listening to what to watch for. Hawkbite would move slower than normal to give the little apprentice time to react. He'd had to learn his footing better before he'd have fluent movements.

"Dodging is simple. Step or leap away from my attack," Hawkbite spoke before giving him a signal that he'd begin. The Commander shot forward at a decent pace. His eyes would rest on the apprentice's left shoulder for a few seconds -- intentionally giving him time to register the move -- before he'd look at Bleedingpaw face and follow through. An attempt to bap his shoulder.

The next was the opposite shoulder. Hawkbite would glance at his right shoulder for fewer seconds than before then follow through with an attempted bap.

The last attempt was on the right flank. Hawkbite would sway his body to the right, not looking at Bleedingpaw's flank until the last second when he'd stretch his paw out.

@Rani - Bleedingpaw [if there's a different way you want me to do the training, lmk in discord!]

[Rani]

Bleedingpaw
Shadowclan Apprentice | He/Him | 6 Moons

Just a Scratch | Shadow Fiend

For a moment the apprentice straight panicked and froze, highly worried that Hawkbite had actually meant it and was really angry until he realized the older tom was teasing and relaxed. He did manage to actually land a hit didnt he, which was pretty cool! After all Mr Pats was really big and strong and cool and not many could probably claim to have managed that, especially at Bleedingpaws age!

The little tom giggled, trying to snap at the paw that booped him back and quickly wobbled in pursuit of the enforcer as he led the apprentice to a training ground, digging paws into the dirt happily.


This place was soft and bouncy and kinda fun and perfect to fall on, demonstrated by how a wayward wobble into tumble sent him rolling with nary a scratch or injury like it usually might of. Nope instead he just popped right up again, listening with rapt attention to his first ever battle lesson from the enforcer commander himself.


The content was... Interesting but made sense and as Bleedingpaw learned new things to look for he quickly seemed to be picking it up, large blue eyes fixed on Hawkbites ears, eyes and limbs to try and predict his movements like the tom had explained. This all seemed manageable so far and made a lotta sense, parts even resembled kit games like tag played in the nursery so despite some trepidation in general over fighting there was none right now in the apprentices reaction to the order, Bleedingpaw darting to his paws with a "Ok I'll dodge away from you Mr Pats! Lemme just figure out a battle stance, Im not sure Im gonna be able to do yours...."


After all the toms wobbling would change how he did this and he could already tell that the commanders firm tight stance would not work. Something that was quickly evidenced as tensed muscles only led to his trademark spasms, sending Bleedingpaw right to the flood with an "Oof!" rigidity ever his enemy. He was on his paws quickly though and, after a few false starts in figuring it out eventually he fell into his own sort of stance, wider then most anyone would have it to balance out his wobbles and more loose and fluid then Hawkbite by far.


But, judging by how he managed to get away from Hawkbites first swipe after giving a firm nod and an eager "Ok now Im ready." it worked for him. After all, Bleedingpaws condition had conditioned his body to twist and flex in ways other cats just didnt manage and while they could jump or firmly step away in a manner Bleedingpaw couldnt he could just.... fold himself under Hawkbites paw without moving his paws much at all.


If it worked it worked, though not without effort. Tongue unintentionally poking out with effort the blond bengal furrowed his brow, trying to move away from the mock blows in a way that felt natural and was quick. He didnt always succeed and got hit a couple of times, knocking him off balance, but got back up with a determination each time, increasingly demanding "Again, Im gonna get it!" Until finally he did. He could actually control the wobbling to his advantage here, tensing to induce a sway that came and acted faster then most cats could move given it bypassed his reaction time entirely. Combine that with his odd movements not exactly being trackable and Bleedingpaw was near vibrating with excitement as he figured out he could be good at this, at being untouchable. At least for the most part.


Sometimes sways did still take him right into Hawkbites grasp instead of away, but that was a bug for later.


@SuspiciousMindz

[SuspiciousMindz]

[Hawkbite]
Enforcer Commander
Shadow Fiend | Agatha Kitty | Kitty Softpaws

Watching and helping the younger cat learn how to move confidently with his movements was something that brought pride to Hawkbite. The determination to train and the pride lit up his green gaze. There was no hiding this. Any cat could be a warrior if they wanted to, Hawkbite firmly believed this and Bleedingpaw was helping him see it. Maybe with enough practice, the apprentice would be up there with the elites one day.

With each movement, each attempted hit, Hawkbite was finding it harder and harder to land a hit on the apprentice. Good! He'd switch it up, of course, give different ques, different areas to attempt prodding until Bleedingpaw was reading him with confidence. Hawkbite didn't move at his full speed, it'd be too unfair to Bleedingpaw right now.

Then, he called it done on the defense training.

He was huffing from movements, although a smile stayed splayed on his face. "Good job! You're getting to be quite hard to hit. While I can't understand how your body moves, you sure do react quicker than normal cats! You just seem to melt away from entirely," Hawkbite spoke, wobbling around on his paws in a mock attempt to understand Bleedingpaw. This only led to the Commander nearly tumbling over himself, letting out a small chuckle. "You can use that to your advantage, y'know. You've already got the momentum when you're swaying. If you combine that with a body slam or an actual hit, you'd have some force behind it!" The Commander would praise excitedly.

Then, he decided to go for it. "Actually, body slam me. Tackle me to the ground. I want to see something," Hawkbite instructed curiously.

Giving Bleedingpaw an attempt at it, he'd stand still for the apprentice to practice. Of course, the first attempt would land -- or so he'd hoped -- and Hawkbite would get into a different stance to do it again. "Just keep tackling me until you get it right. Move with your sways."

After a few attempts, Hawkbite would start dodging the movements, so Bleedingpaw had to start correcting himself. "Keep your momentum or dial it down a little if you miss. If you can. I think if we can figure this out, we can really start getting you into offense moves." Hawkbite would rock on his paws a little as he waited between moves, almost mimicking what Bleedingpaw was doing. It was like he was learning something during this lesson, too.

@Rani - Bleedingpaw

[Rani]

Bleedingpaw
Shadowclan Apprentice | He/Him | 6 Moons

Just a Scratch | Shadow Fiend

If Hawkbite kept taking advantage of Bleedingpaws complete dedication to making others proud of him and how weak the little apprentice was to praise then the enforcer was going to be able to just order the kid to walk into hell and he'd do it.



On the bright side however that meant he was hanging rapt on Hawkbites instructions, absorbing every word.


"Right! Im gonna body slam you, lets go!" Though easier said then done considering the first attempt was a pure swing and a miss as the sway didnt exactly take him in the right direction. No, instead it sent Bleedingpaw tumbling right by the older toms leg he was aiming for, flipping tail over nose. As always he got up quickly after however, and it went better from there.


Eventually Bleedingpaw was even learning to predict good sways and bad, using the bad ones to reposition and 'dodge' though it wasnt like Hawkbite was really trying to strike back. It was kind of funny however, as even when he learned to rear on his hind legs to put even more ompf into his body slams it was ramming a brick wall given the size difference. Though given the odd strength in Bleedingpaw the enforcer might come out with a bruise or two from some well aimed shots to soft spots.


When the older tom was dodging it was of course harder and the golden bengals brow ended up furrowed in a (completely non intimidating) scowl of concentration as he learned to predict the toms movements. It wasnt as hard as Bleedingpaw thought it'd be really given the minutia of signs that could be found like twitching of muscles and flicking of eyes. Really all that was needed was the slight altering of attacks, mostly the occasional swipe of a paw when a dodge escaped his body slam but not the range of his hits.


It was even... Fun really and once they both deemed that moved learned Bleedingpaw was raring to keep going, chirping a "What else is there Mr Pats! What next?"


@SuspiciousMindz

[SuspiciousMindz]

[Hawkbite]
Enforcer Commander
Shadow Fiend | Agatha Kitty | Kitty Softpaws T2

Hawkbite would definitely feel some of those hits later. Unlike a lot of the clan who seemed to shrug off scratches and hits, Hawkbite had to suffer feeling each little nick. So, when Bleedingpaw flopped into him, little huffs of discomfort would escape him, but he pushed through it. You'd think he'd get used to this considering he trained every damn apprentice in this clan.

"Good work," Hawkbite spoke, thinking for a moment. Dodging and using his body weight was the majority of this lesson. He supposed he should get to the swinging hits now. As realistic as Hawkbite was, he knew Bleedingpaw wouldn't be able to master the leaping on cats' backs move. He'd have to improvise some moves to make up for this. Honestly, he was hoping the wobbly feline would find more balance with age. Maybe he'd come back and teach it later if that were true, but the apprentice would need to learn how to hunt and balance correctly before he'd risk injuring him with leaping moves.

"Just some basic moves now," Hawkbite spoke after the thoughts left his mind. "Going to show you how to swing your paws to get a good hit in on cats!" He tried to sound cheerful, hiding the darker thoughts in his mind. He was worried for young Bleedingpaw and the future of his battle. There was time, though, maybe Hawkbite would go out and try some things for the apprentice to try. Every cat needed a chance.

Hawkbite lined himself up with a tree, gesturing for Bleedingpaw to come join him. "It's quite simple, you just need to swing at the bark until you can leave a mark without getting your claws stuck," Hawkbite demonstrated this. With skilled movements, he outstretched his claws and slashed perfect claws marks into the bark, sending the chunks spraying across the forest floor.

"If your claws get stuck, pause and retract them or pull them out the way you swing into the bark. Try it until you can get a good couple strikes in a row," Hawkbite spoke, sitting back and watching now.

@Rani - Bleedingpaw

[Rani]

Bleedingpaw
Shadowclan Apprentice | He/Him | 7 Moons

Just a Scratch | Shadow Fiend

Hit the tree? Ok that was easy enough Bleeingpaw was gonna hit the tree! He'd managed to hit Mr Pats after all and he was moving!


Giving a determined little fanged grin, full of the usual Shadowclan zeal for the idea of doing damage that other clans found distasteful. But Bleedingpaw didnt understand that, fighting was glorious and made a clan powerful! What could be bad about battle? Even he, who'd struggle in it would one day do his part and fight for shadowclan.


But today he'd hit this tree!


The first couple of attempts were pretty average as his (still small) claws scored over the bark, figuring out that if he curled them inward it'd cut deeper. Decent enough, he couldnt line them up to land as rapidly as most cats but the claw marks were as good as any normal cat his age and size.



Or, well, they were until Bleedingpaw figured out if he reared and clawed on the downswing he could do more damage and-

'CRACK'



New Purrk Acquired! Purrk: Hulk SMASH!

And Bleedingpaws swipe didnt score the bark deep with claw marks but totally shattered it, forming a crater around the golden paw as the apprentice froze, staring wide eye'd at the destruction. Even he knew that was NOT normal strength levels for a cat, much less on his age as the paw lifted to reveal deep fractures in the wood. He.... Well he really didnt know how to react, wide blue eyes lifting to look up at Hawkbite for guidance but one thing was clear.


Maybe Bleedingpaw didnt have to worry about how he'd do in battle, when even if he'd have to struggle to land a blow only one was needed to end it.


@SuspiciousMindz

[SuspiciousMindz]

[Hawkbite]
Enforcer Commander
Shadow Fiend | Agatha Kitty | Kitty Softpaws T2

Hawkbite watched, waiting for the frustration or the pain from a stuck claw as a typical apprentice would react. However, it was proving that Bleedingpaw was much more than a typical apprentice. It wasn't just because of the wobbly aspect, either. When the younger feline smacked the tree with such intense force, Hawkbite would grow wide-eyed and stare for a moment, his jaw agape.

"Oh- Uh..."

He'd blink a couple times, shaking his head a little before looking at Bleedingpaw with a reassuring smile. He'd just have to play it cool, act like this was a cool thing. Honestly, it scared Hawkbite a little, but it'd be okay! Yes. Okay.

"That was terrific! Not something I can saw I've seen done before. You're quite the little fighter, huh?! Or, you will be!" Hawkbite enthused.

"I think you have that paw swiping down. You can dodge now, too ANNND you can read my movements some when I'm going to attack. I think that's a good lesson. Is there anything else you wanted to learn today? Now it's just all about repetition," Hawkbite would inquire. Honestly, he wasn't sure if he wanted Bleedingpaw to continue. Didn't his paw hurt? Was he tired? He'd continue if the apprentice wanted, of course.

Was Hawkbite scared?
Maybe.
He wasn't sure if he wanted to be on the other end of a smack like that.

@Rani - Bleedingpaw