Watch out for the Thorns (Mintpaw)

[Deleted]

Mintpaw beamed as Thornfur praised her "Thank you!" she said to him "Well.... each clan has their own fighting style? Also you shouldn't show your underbelly to opponents because its sensitive? Sorry I don't know much" she said as she had never been strong in the fighting suit.

[Icestorm]

"It is perfectly fine not to know a lot about fighting," Thornfur said, "There is no need to apologize. However, you are right. Each clan does have a different fighting style." Thornfur stopped and looked to Mintpaw. She was small, he knew teaching her to fight would be experimenting. His larger size had been his technique to win a fight. "I want you to learn to use your size. I use mine to push others around, but you... you are going to use yours to dodge and maneuver. Does that make sense?"

[Deleted]

Mintpaw nodded "Yes it does, because I'm smaller I can doge easier." She said "Also doesn't it mean since I'm smaller I have a small speed handicap for most cats?" she asked hoping she was right, because she knew that she would need all the help she could get due to her size. "What would I do with head-on fighting though? or I'm in a situation were I don't have any space? I would need a bit of space to doge." Mintpaw asked worrying a bit because she didn't know what would happen if that happens

[Icestorm]

Thornfur waited for her to slow down and stop. She wanted to learn, good. When she finally seemed to stop Thornfur said, "Yes your size gives you speed, and it give agility," he sat down in front of Mintpaw, " You can move in ways I can't . but in  head-on fights your going to have to dodge a lot, and strike quickly. With small spaces your going to have to be creative, and learn to use your surroundings." He thought about it trying to find the right words to explain what he meant. "Say your fighting in an area with a tree or boulder. Use it to your advantage. At first it may seem like a hinder, but if you can learn to use it in the fight, you have the upper hand." She seemed nervous about fighting.

[Deleted]

Mintpaw nodded "Okay" she said the nervousness easing out of her tone as she said it. "How could I use the size and speed? I guess for a tree or bolder I can get up there faster than the opponent and can that I can use the force from the height of the drop to deliver more force?" She asked with a curious tone to her voice and her green eyes glistening with curiosity as well as a breeze rustled the leaves in the nearby trees and slightly swayed the thorn bushes.

OOC: Grrr writers block D:

[Icestorm]

Thornfur chuckled at Mintpaw. She was smart but, "You're over thinking it. Here," Thornfur ran towards a near by tree. He climbed up it a little bit and tried to do a backflip. He knew he wouldn't perform the whole backflip, not like Snowfang, who had taught him the move. "Like that. You can use your small size and agility to out maneuver your opinant. I'm a little bigger so I needed more space to perform, but you, you should be able to learn this and perform in smaller spaces." He looked to Mintpaw, "You try."

[Deleted]

Mintpaw watched her mentor climb up into a tree and do a flip. "Okay!" she said as he told her to try to do one, she did the movements that he did but ended up falling flat on her face and started giggling "I'm going to try again." she said and then managed to do a small flip backward, although her landing was a bit wobbly "I did it!" she mewed excitedly as she looked to her mentor for approval.

[Icestorm]

Thornfur waited for Mintpaw to give her first try. As he expected she had missed the mark. Giggling? This was serious training, and she was giggling at her mistake. She should be taking this more seriously. Before he could say anything to her about it she was back up and doing it again. He decided to hold his tongue for now. He would have to admit her enthusiasm was something else. To his surprise she fixed her mistake. As she looked to him he simply said, "It seems your landing needs some work though," he was impressed though, "Can you do it again? This time try to land more steadily, and soon you'll have it down."

[Deleted]

Mintpaw nodded in acknowledgment and tried to re-do her flip focusing on landing steadily this time now that she knew how to do it, the landing was still wobbly but she thought to was a bit better than the first time she had actually completed the flip 'I need to work on it more though.' she thought after she did it. "Was that better?" she asked her mentor once she was steady again.

[Icestorm]

Thornfur watched her closely try again with the move. He noticed she had already started to refining the move. She was learning quickly. He saw her landing was better, but still needed work. "That was better. Once you strengthen your legs with more training it'll become easier," Thornfur got up and walked over to Mintpaw. She knew how to do that, but now he had to teach her the one of the most important part of fighting, "Alright, now I want you try and come at me. Let me see if you can do one on one."

[Deleted]

"Okay." she said both worry and excitement somehow in her tone at the same time. Mintpaw leaned back, trying to focus all of her strength, well enough that she would knock her mentor back but not actually hurt him, into one blow and looked towards her mentors shoulder then running forward aimed her hit there.

[Icestorm]

Thornfur watched her body language. He knew what she was going to do fairly quickly. Thornfur easily dodged her attack only side stepping. "Don't you dare look at where you're going to attack. That is the dead give away," he tried to keep the frustration down. She should have known better than to look right where she was aiming.

[Deleted]

As Mintpaw missed her mentor and tumbled onto the grass behind him she quickly stood up and responded to her mentor. "Yes Thornfur." she said and noticed the small sparks of frustration in his voice. "Should I try again?" she asked more quietly trying not to raise his anger.

[Icestorm]

Thornfur nodded to Mintpaw, "Try to come at, but remember what I told you earlier, use your small body and better maneuverability. Strength and size are on my side, you have speed and agility. Use it." He had already told her this and it frustrated him that she seemed to have forgotten it already. He readied himself again, waiting for her to make the first move.

[Deleted]

Mintpaw nodded a bit guiltily getting ready to strike again but this time using what her mentor told her in mind, she jolted forward swiftly not really focusing on her strength this time but on her speed. She was unexpectedly looking at the same spot she looked last time, but this time she aimed at Thornfurs underbelly remembering that that is one of the most weakest places although she knew that her blow would be weak she hoped that she'd actually hit him this time.