Training (Spirit)

[Lionhearted]

Tagging: Phantomspirit

So much had happened to Thrushleap. He had gotten his first apprentice AND became deputy. Stiffly, he padded awkwardly into the apprentices' den. "Hello?" He asked, poking his head in. "Wolfpaw! Training time!"

[Phantomspirit]

Blood slattered across Wolfpaws vision

Wolfpaw stumbled around the open field, a kit once again, and her mother by her side. Her mother, Rose, had discovered an empty tunnel, and led her kit inside. The vision in front of Wolfpaw changed to show her laying down, waiting for their mother to bring food back. The she-cat's ears pricked, hearing the pawsteps of her mother. She grinned and padded out of the poorly made nest to go up the tunnel to help bring the prey back. Open air reached her nostrils, along with an unfamiliar scent. Wolfpaw, of course, ignored this and padded out into the night. Her shining blue eyes widened in fear at seeing a huge black and white creature stomping closer to the tunnel, long black claws and all, staring directly at her. It's beady black eyes narrowed as it growled at the small kit. The monster stalked closer to the young kit. Wolfpaw closed her eyes in anticipation of death, hopeing it would be painless.

It never came...

Wolfpaw opened her eyes to see a golden-furred she-cat attached to the creatures back. It roared in pain as the she-cat dug her claws into it's back and neck, flowing blood coming from the wounds. The cat dug her white claws into it's face, scratching everything she could. The beast flung itself around to shake the cat off and succeded, making the cat land on her side, the breath knocked out of her. The black and white creature reared up on it's hind legs, preparing for the final blow. It struck down with all of the force it had, killing the cat instantly. It let out one final growl, and stalked off towards the forest.

The scene changed yet again to show Wolfpaw laying next to their mother, blood pooling around her.

"Mother... Don't leave me... Please..." Wolfpaw whispered.

The scene changed one final time to show that it was daytime, her dead mother still curled around her, as if she was still being protected. Pawsteps could be heard coming closer.

"I can smell something over here!" A cat yowled.

The pawsteps came closer before the kit saw four cats standing over her, each of them staring in shock at her beloved mother.

"No... don't leave!" Wolfpaw mumbled in her sleep before feeling a paw prod her. She awoke with a start, turning her head to see Thrushleap standing over her.

"Training time." The new deputy meowed.

Wolfpaw could only nod her head, the memories of the dream still haunting her.

[Lionhearted]

"Okay," he said, "we're going to take a small tour of the territory, and then we'll get into hunting. First, a small lecture.

"WhisperClan is known for housing amazing runners. To the right is StormClan, who are renowned swimmers. A little beyond them is MidnightClan, whose strength and endurance are gifts from StarClan, like our abilities. You'll learn about the other Clans later.

"Firstly, do not try to memorize the territory. You'll be spending almost your whole life working in it, so it'll come naturally. To our left is unknown territory- do not beyond this border. Now, onto hunting..."

--
"All right. Today we're working in basic huntug, which is just chasing forest prey like mice and shrew. The basic hunting crouch looks like this-" Thrushleap crouched and demonstrated, his belly low to the ground. "-watch and observe- what' do you see me do? Now you try."

(To prevent muse from getting lost on each thread, in gonna time skip around a bit. If this isn't okay for you, just shout!)

[Phantomspirit]

OOC: That would be fine, just try to say: Timeskip. Whenever one comes along. by the way Happy Easter!

The young a apprentice nodded her head. She then proceded to get into a similar position, her tail held high.

"Like this?" She asked her mentor.

[Lionhearted]

"Yes," Thrushleap said, "but keep your tail as lined up with your body as possible- that'll give you more balance. Okay, the next thing you want to do is to strike out against your prey. Leap forward, not up, and towards the target. It's best to anticipate the move before you do it. Watch.

"First, rise up just a little, but keep your legs bent. This'll give you a nice spring. Then, lean and pull back a bit, and go!" Thrushleap pulled back, bounced on his legs like a springboard, and shot forward, landing on a flower. "Okay, process what I just said, and try it on your own."

[Phantomspirit]

Wolfpaw nodded, lowered herself along with her tail, and leaned back, just as her mentor had. She sprung forward and landed on a patch of grass, her claws sheathed. She had always known that she was a fast learner, so she had almost no trouble completing this act. She turned and gave a smirk to Thrushleap. "Good?", she asked.

[Lionhearted]

Thrushleap nodded, experiencing a moment of frustration. Cheeky she-cat! "It's what I expected," he drawled, "we'll practice that. Afterwards, we'll work on running and catching faster prey, like rabbits."

-Timeskip-

"That's enough," said Thrushleap. "We'll work on distance running and sprinting now. It's not hard, but endurance is a key thing in both tactics of swiftness.

"Make sure to make large steps when running," the deputy said, "and stretch out your body as much as possible. Now, see that small tree?" he asked, flicking his tail to the lone sapling in the distance. "I want you to run as fast as you can to that tree. I'll be watching your form. Go when you're ready."

[Phantomspirit]

Ooc: I won't be able to get on much, mom has taken over the computer. Also I can't do italics on here so I'll just put a / okay?

"M'kay" Wolfpaw answered while she caught her breath

/Take big steps... Stretch your body.../ her mentors words played over and over in her mind. /I can do this.../

She crouched to prepare herself, imagining the tree to be a rabbit, and shot off towards it like a speeding bullet.

Her paws thumped the ground over and over, and the wind whistled between her ears and through her fur. It empowered her and pushed her to go faster. She let out a cry of excitement and closed her eyes in happiness. What she didn't do, however, was notice the exposed root on the ground.

Her yowl of pain could be heard across the moor as she sailed into the air.

Wolfpaw landed with a /thunk/ against the sapling, dust clouding around her. Her paw was throbbing and her heart pounded in her chest.

[Lionhearted]

"Foxdung," Thrushleap muttered, and raced towards the young apprentice, sniffing her. "Are you okay?" he asked, seeing the root. Pulling it out with some effort, Thrushleap spat out bits of dirt. "Always survey your surroundings and anticipate your move before doing it. Otherwise, you'll have no time to react. but that first bit was good before your, er, accident.

"Don't get too cocky and think you're doing well- celebrate afterwards. I liked your form, but you could've- to take this to the next level- lifted yourself off the ground a bit and jump forwards as you run. Now, do you feel okay to continue, or do you want to take a small break?"

[Phantomspirit]

The young she-cat spat dust from her mouth and looked up at Thrushleap, "I'm okay... I'm sorry, Thrushleap. I should have been careful. I was just having so much fun! I think we can try again in a minute." Wolfpaw sat up to face her mentor.

[Lionhearted]

"Okay." The ginger-and-white cat sat down beside her. "Don't lie down, that'll make it worse. Just try to clear your head, and then we'll do something else. We can try running tactics tomorrow.

"So how are you enjoying being an apprentice?" asked Thrushleap, trying to break the silence. "Remember to do the chores."

[Phantomspirit]

Wolfpaw sat up and licked her hurt paw, "It's better than the nursery, I'll tell you that. And yes, ya know, I kinda like hanging around with the elders, they tell me good stories from time to time, ya know?"

[Lionhearted]

Nodding, he got up. "Okay, let's continue. We'll move on with attacks for now. Offensive fighting requires a posture that is similar to that of a hunting one. Watch."

Getting into a hunting crouch, Thrushleap raised himself a bit higher. "I have to be ready to spring into action whenever and where-ever. Therefore, you are required to think fast and anticipate the opponent's move. Also, remember your center of balance. That is one of the most essential things in any life experience. You must have a focus. Show me the crouch once again."

[Phantomspirit]

OOC: I'll be gone for about three hours after this. Il try to reply if you reply but I may or may not answer till I get back.

"Got it." Wolfpaw replied while she got up. She padded beside her mentor and got into the same position.

[Lionhearted]

"Hm... not quite. Try to raise your body up a bit more, and make your legs bent more to get more power. Also, your tail should be flatter, in line with your body. Okay, I'm going to have you hold this position for a while. It'll probably hurt, and it should. You'll need to learn to hold one position for a long time."

--

"That's enough," Thrushleap said. "Did that feel hard? Okay, next thing is to actually attack, and that's almost exactly like hunting. However, you do need to aim upwards instead of only forwards, because if you aim forwards but downwards you'll be trapped under your opponent, and you want to do the opposite. Try."