(- Eggpaw Battle Training -)

[MockingRabbit]

Eggpaw
He/him - 12 - 14 Moons

The birds were chittering today, their soft calls slicking through the mist and making an ideal pre-dawn setting. Eggpaw was up extra early today. It wasn't motivation for training or anything. He just wanted to annoy Hawkbite. Plus he couldn't sleep.
Creeping into the warrior den, he summoned up every scrap of knowledge his past mentors had given him about stalking. Weaving past the sleeping warriors, not a sound from his paws, until he reached his mentor. Giving the older cat a poke, he whispered gruffly in his ear. "Oi, Hawkbite. Get up; we're training."
With the warrior's sleep surely disturbed, Eggpaw scampered out of the den to wait aside the entrance tunnel, where he sat serenely.

When Hawkbite would eventually rise and approach, the pale tom would yawn and mew. "Took you long enough."
What a disrespectful ass he was.
"Was thinking we could do battle practice today."
Probably not the best start then, if he didn't want that same ass beaten to the Moonstone and back. Too bad.

@SuspiciousMindz

[SuspiciousMindz]

[Hawkbite]
Enforcer Commander
Shadow Fiend | Agatha Kitty

Hawkbite grumbled as he was awoken by Eggpaw. Another day, another lesson, right? The apprentice was nearly done with his training. . . right?! He supposed he should ask Eggpaw what he still needed or if he was lacking in skills somewhere. There was no way he was going to miss the next meeting to be a warrior if Hawkbite could help it.

Slowly, the Commander rose to his paws, gave his body a stretch and wandered into the clearing to meet Eggpaw. His gaze would sharpen slightly, letting out a low growl at his words, but he wouldn't comment on the attitude.

Battle training.

Alright, he could do that.

Hawkbite gave Eggpaw a nod. "Alright, let's head on out, shall we?" He'd rhetorically ask as he headed to the camp entrance. "Do you have any sort of experience with it? Know any basics? Know what style of combat you want to do?" The questions poured out on after the other as the Commander trotted to their destination. Surely this older apprentice had something.

@MockingRabbit

[MockingRabbit]

Originally Posted by SuspiciousMindz

[Hawkbite]
Enforcer Commander
Shadow Fiend | Agatha Kitty

Hawkbite grumbled as he was awoken by Eggpaw. Another day, another lesson, right? The apprentice was nearly done with his training. . . right?! He supposed he should ask Eggpaw what he still needed or if he was lacking in skills somewhere. There was no way he was going to miss the next meeting to be a warrior if Hawkbite could help it.

Slowly, the Commander rose to his paws, gave his body a stretch and wandered into the clearing to meet Eggpaw. His gaze would sharpen slightly, letting out a low growl at his words, but he wouldn't comment on the attitude.

Battle training.

Alright, he could do that.

Hawkbite gave Eggpaw a nod. "Alright, let's head on out, shall we?" He'd rhetorically ask as he headed to the camp entrance. "Do you have any sort of experience with it? Know any basics? Know what style of combat you want to do?" The questions poured out on after the other as the Commander trotted to their destination. Surely this older apprentice had something.

@MockingRabbit

Eggpaw
He/him - 12 - 14 Moons

Eggpaw let his mentor pass, then followed him through. "I've fought a dog before," he answered. he would have inspected his claws nonchalantly if he hadn't been walking. "And been in a few events and tussles."

He considered the next question as they padded through the territory, finally arriving at the training clearing. What styles were there? Woulda helped if Hawkbite had listed a couple for reference. "Aggressive, I guess."

[SuspiciousMindz]

[Hawkbite]
Enforcer Commander
Shadow Fiend | Agatha Kitty

Well, at least Eggpaw had some sort of experience. He wasn't starting super fresh. That was a relief. Hawkbite was quiet until they got to their location, thinking on Eggpaw's words as he padded along.

"Offensive? You like attacking and not defending yourself?" Hawkbite inquired, trying to correct Eggpaw's word choice. He sat down in the middle of the clearing, facing his apprentice with an inquisitive stare. "And have you figured out if you're going to fight with more strength or more speed? A balance? If you don't know yet, that's fine with me. We can start figuring that out today," Hawkbite spoke.

Without much of a warning, Hawkbite crouched down into a mock battle stance, waving his tail behind him to signal this was the start of the training. "I need to see what you know. Attack me."

@MockingRabbit

[MockingRabbit]

Originally Posted by SuspiciousMindz

[Hawkbite]
Enforcer Commander
Shadow Fiend | Agatha Kitty

Well, at least Eggpaw had some sort of experience. He wasn't starting super fresh. That was a relief. Hawkbite was quiet until they got to their location, thinking on Eggpaw's words as he padded along.

"Offensive? You like attacking and not defending yourself?" Hawkbite inquired, trying to correct Eggpaw's word choice. He sat down in the middle of the clearing, facing his apprentice with an inquisitive stare. "And have you figured out if you're going to fight with more strength or more speed? A balance? If you don't know yet, that's fine with me. We can start figuring that out today," Hawkbite spoke.

Without much of a warning, Hawkbite crouched down into a mock battle stance, waving his tail behind him to signal this was the start of the training. "I need to see what you know. Attack me."

@MockingRabbit

Eggpaw
He/him - 12 - 14 Moons

"Sure."
Being the one attacking made more sense to him; that way he could assure that he was the one leading the fight vs someone who fought defensively.
So speed or strength? Eggpaw wasn't the largest cat, but strength sounded good. He shrugged. "Guess we'll find-" Hawkbite crouched, ready to attack.

Eggpaw wasted no time, and launched himself at his mentor. It was a pity that he couldn't use claws. He knew from experience that fore-head wounds bled a lot, and that would have made it look a lot more impressive.
He swung a paw at him, aiming at his mid-head/ear area, then swung with the other paw soon as he was stable enough to.

[SuspiciousMindz]

[Hawkbite]
Enforcer Commander
Shadow Fiend | Agatha Kitty

Hawkbite was prepared, rearing upwards and craning his head away from the blows Eggpaw tried to land. It was already apparent there wasn't much thought put behind the blows except to hit. The Commander was able to avoid the blow to the head, but the second one hit his shoulder. Having already been on his rear legs, Hawkbite felt himself stumble, however, he came crashing down onto Eggpaw. His forelegs aimed to wrap around Eggpaw's neck and push him backwards or into the ground.

@MockingRabbit

[MockingRabbit]

Originally Posted by SuspiciousMindz

[Hawkbite]
Enforcer Commander
Shadow Fiend | Agatha Kitty

Hawkbite was prepared, rearing upwards and craning his head away from the blows Eggpaw tried to land. It was already apparent there wasn't much thought put behind the blows except to hit. The Commander was able to avoid the blow to the head, but the second one hit his shoulder. Having already been on his rear legs, Hawkbite felt himself stumble, however, he came crashing down onto Eggpaw. His forelegs aimed to wrap around Eggpaw's neck and push him backwards or into the ground.

@MockingRabbit

Eggpaw
He/him 12 - 14 Moons

First swipe missed. Second swipe struck, making his mentor stumble. That sent a jolt of satisfaction through him- until it didn't. Eggpaw became painfully aware of how all skills he might posses in this subject were based off intuition alone. He did try to dodge Hawkbite's attack, though ended up pressed to the ground all the same. Alright, you're a big strong warrior and I'm just a lowly apprentice. Eggpaw was well aware how dead he would be if this was a real fight. He lashed out with his hind-legs for the warrior's own, trying to knock them from under him in an attempt to dislodge the older cat.

[SuspiciousMindz]

[Hawkbite]
Enforcer Commander
Shadow Fiend | Agatha Kitty

Clever.

While he successfully pushed Eggpaw to the ground, the Commander found himself losing his balance and splating onto the apprentice. Eggpaw had kicked his rear legs right out from under him before he had the chance to properly immobilize him.

With a grunt, Hawkbite landed a soft bite onto the apprentice's side or leg, whatever came to his mouth first before he'd quickly regain his balance and hop backwards, off Eggpaw.

Hawkbite would stand for a moment while his apprentice got to his paws and fixed himself up. "So," he began, replaying the mock fight in his head. "The biggest thing to note is when you're aiming to hit something, don't be so predictable. If your opponent can guess we're going you're going to strike, you'll never land a hit. Instead of focusing on that area of the body, try looking at a couple different places on them before attacking to throw them off and definitely don't focus on the one area you plan to hit."

Simple. Next move, though. "Next, try to imagine what will happen when you attack someone. A cat who's up on their paws like I was is obviously aiming to pin you down or strike from above so instead of hitting high up, throw them off balance the moment you get. Dive under them instead and take out their legs. Hit low, in their bellies or even meet them in the air if you can. Don't let them pin you down. I'm sure you learned that one quickly."

"The quick movement and thought process you had to kick my legs, though... that was smart. But be prepared for the biting or clawing that'll come. Once again, think ahead. Don't just kick my legs out, push me off you. Push your opponent off you. Very important if you're trapped under a cat or animal bigger than you," Hawkbite spoke, finishing up his quick evaluation.

"Now, what I want you to practice for me real quick a is a quick paw strike. Slash outwards with precision and speed. The power in your blows isn't how hard you can hit, it's how accurate you can hit. Once you're comfortable with your hits, I want you to leap onto my back. This is a basic move you can use on any cat or animal to get leverage. You can bite and claws shoulders, necks, ears, whatever sensitive area you can get when you're on top of an animal, okay?" Hawkbite spoke quickly.

The Commander would approach the apprentice, bracing himself to be hit a few times, even offering some dodging movements for him to practice precision. When Eggpaw would get to leaping on his back, Hawkbite would let him find his grip and see what position worked best for him. Then, he'd start to move and try to toss Eggpaw off. He'd test how long the apprentice could stay attached to him, even if he had to use his claws. He wouldn't be mad.

@MockingRabbit