It's Just a Cough [Tagged]

[Trickle]

Stumpypaw

A small apprentice sat right outside of the den she had been staying in.  It was full of other apprentices, and at first she found herself afraid of being in such close quarters with other cats.  but, it turned out to be a lot better than she expected.  There were only a few cats who were grumpy, but she couldn't complain. Well... maybe she could.  She did miss seeing Doebreeze, but that was still okay!  Now she had enough stuff to keep her busy, especially since her training was going to begin today!  Stumpypaw's bubbling excitement did enough to muffle the discomfort she had been feeling.  Vaguely, she hoped it wasn't green cough.  That would be the biggest bummer ever.   Anyways, the fluffy apprentice did her best to stay still as she waited for Willowbranch to come out of her den.  The apprentices wide eyes were fastened on the entrance 

Tagged: Ambrose
OOC: Holy poop I am sorry if this sucks

[Ambrose]

The air was cold and still, filled with sickness. Even the trees had seemed to take the beating of greencough; bare and ugly, they stood motionless.
Willowbranch, treated with herbs, was better than she was before them. She felt energized, anyway; but not painless. She had been neglecting her duty as a mentor to Stumpypaw, and today she would undo this. They were going to go training.

Stretching her tired muscles, she trotted outside. "Stumpypaw!" Willowbranch mewed, going over to her new apprentice. "Follow me, we're going to learn how to fight today." She galloped off into the forest, stopping at a clearing surrounded by bushes. She looked back at her apprentice, smiling. "Now, what do you know about fighting, Stumpypaw? Have the warriors taught you anything?"

[Trickle]

The tailless apprentice heard her name and was up on her paws no more than a second later.  Willowbranch had finally emerged.  Her little rump wriggled with anticipation and she hardly had any time to react more than that before the deputy had bounded off towards the camps exit.  Stumpypaw scrambled after her, stretching out her legs as far as she could to catch up to the warrior.  "Learn how to fight?" Despite the uncertain question, there was a tone of excitement in her voice.  They had only trotted a short distance before the two of them stopped in a dusty clearing surrounded by bushes.  The scent of other cats was thick there, so it was clear that this was probably a popular place to do some training.  The she-cat wondered if they would run in to any one else out here.  She hoped not.  

"Oh, uhm..." Stumpypaw had to think for a moment.  Did she know anything about fighting?  She furrowed her brow for a moment, but looked up to Willowbranch with a smile that mirrored the deputy's.  "Sometimes when my brother and I would play around, I would try to trip him so I could sit on him. but no warriors have told me anything about fighting, really." Honesty was the best policy, there was no point in pretending she knew how to fight.  Plus, she was just too excited to even think about weaving some elaborate tale. 

[Ambrose]

Willowbranch was glad, relieved even at her apprentice's enthusiasm. She knew it was always easier to train a cat that wanted to be trained; it was plain logic. Willowbranch glanced around to see if she noticed any prey; just in case. What she did pick up, though it wasn't preym was admiration for the beauty of this area. It sure was pretty out here.. the frost glistened on the bushes' sturdy leaves. Why can't we just have this sheer beauty in greenleaf, and all the health benefits of greenleaf? It would be pretty perfect then. Willowbranch looked back upon her apprentice, a jittery ball of excitement. Right now, Stumpypaw was wondering if she knew about fighting. She looked up into Willowbranch's eyes with a smile. It only made Willowbranch smile even more! She was a mother who had trained her kits into warriors, and now she was almost like a mother to this cat, too. "Sometimes when my brother and I would play around, I would try to trip him so I could sit on him." Willowbranch giggled, flicking her apprentice's tailtip with her own. It reminded her of her kithood days, where she would play with her big sister. "but no warriors have told me anything about fighting, really." Willowbranch nodded. "Well, it's a start! And I'm here to train you how to fight." Willowbranch lifted a paw to show Stumpypaw. "We always keep our claws sheathed when we fight our own Clan, since we don't want to injure our own clanmates." Willowbranch mewed. "Today I'm going to teach you the basics, and we can build off of them soon." 

Willowbranch swiped the air, claws sheathed. "Now, this is the most common technique; don't twist your paw, as it could get stuck when you have your claws unsheathed," she said, demonstrating again. "Just a swipe from the top, with your paw straight. Try it on me, claws sheathed."

[Trickle]

Stumpypaw fluffed up a little with excitement as Willowbranch began to relay the rules of learning to fight.  Her eyes glowed and the nervousness began to fade and shift in to anticipation.  The apprentice wanted to impress her mentor, not just because she was the deputy.  but because the little cat like her already, there was something inviting about the way Willowbranch spoke and how much attention she was devoting to Stumpypaw.  Especially when Willowbranch flicked her tail at the apprentices little stumpy tail.  Usually she would be unhappy with someone poking at her little fluff stumpy, but with Willowbranch it felt perfectly fine.  The she-cat was not used to getting so much attention, but it was apart of training of course!  Hopefully the deputy and the apprentice would carry on a friendship after training.  

"All right, I think I am good with starting with the basics." She smiled up at her mentor before focusing on what was being shown.  The deputy swung at the air with her paw.  Stumpypaw nodded as the older cat explained to her how to swipe the right way.  The brown cat figured she too would be striking the air, perhaps that was why her green eyes widened when her mentor offered herself up as a target.  "Oh, okay." Her nose wrinkled and she lifted her paw, trying her best to mimic the movements, and swatted at Willowbranch.  She made sure to keep her sharp claws sheathed.  Part of her thought she should be gentle about it, but what was she going to learn if she didn't put herself in the right mind set.  So, she put her strength in to the blow, hoping that it wouldn't hurt.  

[Ambrose]

Willowbranch was surprised at the intensity of Stumpypaw's attack. She wasn't angry at all; she was surprised that her apprentice was so passionate, and delighted to see her interest in learning. "Wow Stumpypaw! Excellent. I think a rival clanner would be scurrying off after that if it was with claws unsheathed. Excellent, Stumpypaw. A very important thing is the belly, while fighting; don't let anyone get near yours, but try to get to others' bellies. You can do some real damage if you scratch the belly, and it's so painful. If anyone pins you down and you're at risk for your belly being attacked, pummel their belly with your hindpaws; it's very painful." Willowbranch mewed, taking a breath; that was a lot of talking. "Try it out on me!" she yowled, pelting towards Stumpypaw in an effort to pin her down. 

OOC: If you choose for her to be pinned down, you can have her pummel at Willowbranch's belly ^^