Do me a favour ✶Chrysaliswing

[Owlheart]

The assessment had gone fine, Owlpaw had passed. She was on track to be a warrior , she was getting everything she was working so diligently hard for. Yet she couldn't help but be dissatisfied with it, specifically regarding her fighting. She passed, sure, but everything was just rather abysmal. She was off balance, her strikes were weak, she could hold her own sure but barely. The tabby sighed to herself, sitting on her haunches as she surveyed the open clearing of the camp. Owlpaw considered asking another clanmate about this, who was good to ask about this?

She thought about asking Slate, however she didn't trust herself to not ask about that rumour with him and her mother. Silversmoke was another option, Crowpaw fought well but she was rather intimidated by his mentor still, maybe even more so since she was padding after his current apprentice. The next option that came to mind was Chrysaliswing, Silversmoke's previous apprentice. He received the same mentoring as Crowpaw so he should be able to fight well, while she was also scared of him she had noticed Honeysplash by his side a lot more. If they trusted him enough and seemed comfortable about being around him then she felt better about approaching him out of all of her options. Yeah, this could work, she could do this. That's what she told herself anyways as nervous paws walked towards the chimera warrior, going over what she should say in her head. Should she start with a hello? She hasn't spoken with him before and wasn't sure how much small talk should be going on before requesting something from a stranger.

She stopped in front of him, wide eyes trying to analyse his body language and expressions to indicate if he was open to a conversation. She lost herself in thought regarding how she should approach him and didn't realise that perhaps she was staring for a little too long, clearing her throat when she eventually realised as such. “Do you think you could give me advice on how to spar?” She was straight to the point, not seeing the reason as to why she should dart around it. “I uh… I want to be better at it, I'm going to be a warrior soon so I want to be able to hold my own better than I do right now.” She paws at the ground in front of her anxiously, not breaking her stare "If you're too busy or not interested that's okay too!" She added on rather quickly, feeling a little embarrassed to be asking right out the gate.

@CHRYSALISWING ​

 

[CHRYSALISWING]

Wide-eyed apprentice approached him first, as though owlish manner had overtaken the feline frame, fraught in moonlike gaze and replete in birdlike hesitancy. It was not often that the chimaera was approached out of the blue, and most cats that garnered his attention simply informed him of his duties. No cat certainly wished to spend precious time in the addled presence of the venom-drunk serpent. Chrysaliswing quickly changed his posture from a slouch to more of passable one, as the tom hadn't expected Owlpaw to suddenly come up to him. Electric jolt of fear coursed through him, as the only explanation for Owlpaw to appear before him was surely that he had done some wrong. Did I accidentally speak my mind again...? Kittypets are so sensitive. No, she had simply come here to ask him how to fight. Fictitious eyebrows furrowed slightly, a scrap of a dent through night-and-flame face. Perhaps Honeysplash had babbled to all of her kin about how great of a warrior he was. There might have been a chance that Orangestar asked her daughter for his request as well. Mismatched gaze regarded her with unknown emotion swimming through gemstone glance, before finally the tomcat spoke with a smoky intonation.

"Fine. I don't go easy though, especially on cats that are just about to become warriors." The chimaera grumbled as he stood on his four feet, tail recoiling and curling like a wilting leaf as it stretched. Though he felt the itch of claws to unsheathe and bear themselves against the light, he stayed his blade. Orangestar would surely be unhappy with him if he even hurt a hair on her kit's head. His leader's cavilling voice pealed in his head, like the weight of gravity that bogged down his mind and thus, his envenomed words piled in velvet throat. Well, he was no star-studded mentor, but he would at least give her a fighting chance. Restless footfall made its way to the mouth of the entrance, shrugging his shoulders as if to signal soundlessly that Owlpaw should either tail him or risk being left behind by the tom's own frivolous graces. "What are you struggling on, exactly? And don't say 'everything.' There's nothing I hate more than a vague answer." The Skyclanner grumbled.

𝘯𝘰 𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘴 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘩𝘰𝘮𝘦 ⚠︎ 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘰𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘷𝘦

• OOC:
  
• 
• 

  —— CHRYSALISWING / He/They / 23 Moons
  —— Warrior of Skyclan / Mentoring n/a
  —— A long-haired tomcat with chimaeric patterning. His left side is fully black and his right side is black splotched with sunset-orange. He has complete heterochromia, with his right eye being a bright green and his left eye being a glowering yellow.
  —— Abrasive, temperamental, and critical. Approach at your own risk and engage at your own cost. Despite this, he is a hard worker and quick to call out what he finds wrong.
  —— Penned by Tempest. Contact on Discord (naruk4mi) for plots and threads.

​

 

[Owlheart]

She had spent so much time convincing herself that he was going to say no that when Chrysaliswing said fine it took her a moment to register it. She had barely realised that he agreed when he started to leave. Hurried paws paced after him, moving to walk by his side. It was weird to think that soon he would be seen as a peer and not a superior. Well, Owlpaw was polite to the point of detriment to her social skills so she was sure that she wouldn't treat him any differently even after she’s named a warrior. If anything, habits were hard to break so to an extent he would be seen as a superior to her, even if it’s by experience rather than formal title.

“Oh, um” she paused, trying to find the right words to express her plight. She noted that he hated a vague answer, that was pretty easy to relate to, if anything she could admire that he was upfront about his distaste for vagueness. The tabby prided herself on being direct, at least when it came to professional manners like this. “I find that I struggle with being offensive? I'm not sure how to describe it, I understand the basics but I don't have much force behind anything. So I tend to just be defensive rather than offensive. If you have any tips on what's best for quick moves to get me out of a situation I'd appreciate that.”
She paused again, trying to find the right words in her vocabulary to phrase what she wanted to say. Owlpaw found it best to prematurely cut herself off so that she wouldn't ramble ceaselessly towards Chrysaliswing. “I have enough stamina to theoretically fight for a while but I just… struggle on actually landing anything, I get too caught up on the theory of it.” she sighs, keeping her eyes in the trees in front of her rather than the chimaera beside her.

Owlpaw hadn't particularly paid attention to her temporary mentor's battle prowess, just heard about it, so she wasn't sure if this was even in his wheelhouse. “Anything will help, so if you prefer to attack with everything you have first rather than holding back I'd be happy to learn that!” She chirped, trying to provide more options, she wanted anything that he was willing to provide. The apprentice lapsed into silence again, taking in the sight of the forest around them. She glanced over at Chrysaliswing, and as per usual, her thoughts were vocalised without much thought in an attempt to fill the silence. “Did you notice much of a difference when you became a warrior? I’m a little nervous about it.” ​

 

[CHRYSALISWING]

"How do you 'struggle with being offensive'? All you have to do is strike before your opponent strikes. It's a pretty easy concept that even a kittypet kit could get." His thoughts sweltered from his velvet throat, as though his verses were honey flowing straight from the hive, uncontrolled in its flippant, blatantly uncaring matters. He hadn't even focused heterochromatic gaze upon the younger she-cat as he prattled on, like he preached to some unknown audience that would actually wish to sit and listen to his patters of contempt. He caught himself before he let the thread of his unfettered and derisive musings unspool like a ball of yarn, physically baring ivories to stop himself from making a fool of himself in front of Orangestar's daughter. If he ran his mouth any further, his leader would surely kill him (and he wasn't sure if it would be figuratively this time). If he allowed himself to listen, though, he would have realized that Owlpaw's concerns were quite valid, some of which had popped up in his own uncertain footfall in apprenticeship. "Ah, hmm." He muttered to himself as keen ears caught upon Owlpaw's explanation, this time opting to listen instead of resorting to the trusty blade of his own anger. "I see what you mean, then." For a flighty foe, even grazing the skin beneath the fur was a tough feat to pull off. He sighed, wondering why her mentor didn't bother to teach her any of what she asked of him...

He stopped at a small, unassuming patch of grass where not even the sunlight peeked through, a small inlet of a shadowy sea that provided them with the appropriate space and quietude to conduct their impromptu training session. Chitters of woodland fauna sounded around them, like an ensemble of spectators to watch the two felines, though they would depart and scatter at the slightest crack of a twig or the shudder of a leaf. Chrysaliswing paid no mind to them now, as he was not here to hunt them today. "My style of fighting relies on counteracting. I react to how the opponent acts. If the opponent strikes forth with their claw, like this-" Front left claw, hues remarked in umbra and umbrage, struck the air forth with a blow that did not connect with Owlpaw's face, but came a little too close for comfort. He retracted it, placing it on the solid dirt where it once lie. "-then I dodge. Then, when the opponent leans forward, I quickly see where a potential weak spot would be and I aim for that however I can. I fight with honor and I do not take the easy way out of a battle." Whiskers twitched in bemusement, as if he did not expect the fuzz-brained (not truly, but every cat younger than him was likely filled with plush and wool in his mind) apprentice to comprehend all of what he just said. Daggers for eyes stared downwards at the tangerine-tinged apprentice, trained upon the curls of the fur on her face. If she was going to train with Chrys, of all cats, then she should be prepared to get her paws dirty. He didn't take half-measures. "Does that sound like something you'd want to learn? If not, don't waste my time."

At Owlpaw's next question, he hummed quietly as he formulated his answer to such an inquiry. "From when I was first a warrior, yes. It's like everything worth learning, like hunting or climbing. It gets better with time, but you have to keep doing it." A surprisingly insightful and helpful perception from a feline who spat unintelligible fire most of the days.

𝘯𝘰 𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘴 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘩𝘰𝘮𝘦 ⚠︎ 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘰𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘷𝘦

• OOC:
  
• 
• 

  —— CHRYSALISWING / He/They / 23 Moons
  —— Warrior of Skyclan / Mentoring n/a
  —— A long-haired tomcat with chimaeric patterning. His left side is fully black and his right side is black splotched with sunset-orange. He has complete heterochromia, with his right eye being a bright green and his left eye being a glowering yellow.
  —— Abrasive, temperamental, and critical. Approach at your own risk and engage at your own cost. Despite this, he is a hard worker and quick to call out what he finds wrong.
  —— Penned by Tempest. Contact on Discord (naruk4mi) for plots and threads.

​

 

[Owlheart]

Her fur bristled at his comments regarding her struggles with being offensive. Tail flicking at the sky in annoyance but she made no outward retort to his criticism. Owlpaw tried imagining it from his perspective, she supposed that to someone who wasn't her that it did sound a little ridiculous. He could have been nicer about it but there was an appreciation for the fact that he was brutally honest about it, even if the delivery could use some work.

Her ear twitched as she stared at him for a little longer, surprised that he eventually listened and had understanding. It was reassuring to know that it wasn't entirely an unfounded thing to have an issue in. She wondered if he had ever struggled with something similar, looking at Chrysaliswing now it was pretty difficult to view him as an apprentice. Part of her wondered if that would ever be the case for her too.

Owlpaw stopped at the patch of grass, gazing up at the trees above them in an attempt to catch a glimpse at that elusive sunlight. The red tabby looked back towards Chrysaliswing when he spoke again. Just in time to bear witness to the fury that barreled towards her face. On instinct she flinched, wanting to back away but keeping her feet rooted firmly on the ground. Only, she braced for impact that didn't connect. Wide eyes somehow managed to grow wider as he retracted it, gaze following the paw as it found its place on the ground again. Body tense in preparation for him to do it again, waiting for the potential next attempt actually making good on the blow that didn't land prior.

Eventually, her body begins to relax after he continues explaining. This all sounded fine, acceptable even, yet she had questions about his technique. “What do you do if your opponent doesn't make the first move then, since your style is about counteracting?” She tilted her head, watching him curiously. Owlpaw realistically should back out of this, this was a good indicator of what sparring with him would look like after all. She was determined though, improvement came with hardship right? She didn't push enough to get what she was after when sparring with her mentor so if anything she was much too stubborn to turn this down now.

The tabby decides to nod, contemplative for a moment before reaching her conclusion “I'd like to learn that if you're willing to teach me.” She blinked at his insight regarding her question, a small shy smile finding its way to her maw. “I see, thank you. Do you remember being nervous before your warrior ceremony?” It may seem like a pointless question but Owlpaw wanted to find some form of reassurance that what she was feeling was normal. She figured if someone like Chrysaliswing could feel nervous then it was normal after all.​

 

[CHRYSALISWING]

"I'd make the first move, then." Chrysaliswing simply stated, as if the answer to Owlheart's question had been an obvious one that lie on the tip of his tongue, flying out of his maw as soon as she posited it. In many cases, to wait for the preemptive hit would be to wait for certain defeat, for every second wasted was one that could never be gained back in the staccato dance of battle. That was something that Owlheart would have to train for, though, to hone her eye for fighting and to read between the unspoken, delicate balance before red had spilled and war had commenced. "The thing about moving first is that you have given your opponent much information that they can use to their advantage. You must be careful, then, to not be so hasty as to expose a weak spot of yours while striking at them." The Skyclan warrior mewed with certainty, for his knowledge had come manubial and plucked from the various battles that he had over the course of his life. From the scars that marred soot-and-flame-stained pelage, he maneuvered the battlefield like he weaved through silk and steel. At least, that was how he looked at it. Truthfully, there was much that he could learn, even at his age. Still, there was a reason why many cats turned to him for his supposed expertise in the matter.

"Fine. But when you're training with me, it'll be like your apprenticeship was a quick stroll in the park. You're a warrior now, so I won't take any shortcuts and I won't tolerate any nonsense." Stringent tone, as though he mimicked the stiff inflections of Silversmoke as a mentor, parlayed from the tom's mouth. In many ways, the two served as each other's mirrors, even as they abhorred the others' swirling reflections. He would never admit it, but Chrysaliswing had learned quite a lot from his own straightforward, sensible mentor. The chimaera was no strait-laced or prim feline hellbent upon his reputation studded in silvers and golds, but he would make sure that he would be known as a cat who tolerated no mercy when it came to the art of war. "I wasn't that nervous. Not at all." He muttered, though the truth had been that he had been wracked by stress like it had infected his drumming heart, arrhythmic motion to the hand that beat at his lifeline. Shame at being held back against his will powered him through his assessment, and it was often his own vulnerability that manifested and warped into his desires.

He then assumed a tenser position, legs pulled closer to his body and back slightly arched, a display of electric anticipation that blitzed through half-tone face and fleecen pelt. "Now, show me how you'd make your first strike."

𝘯𝘰 𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘴 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘩𝘰𝘮𝘦 ⚠︎ 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘰𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘷𝘦

• OOC:
  
• 
• 

  —— CHRYSALISWING / He/They / 23 Moons
  —— Warrior of Skyclan / Mentoring n/a
  —— A long-haired tomcat with chimaeric patterning. His left side is fully black and his right side is black splotched with sunset-orange. He has complete heterochromia, with his right eye being a bright green and his left eye being a glowering yellow.
  —— Abrasive, temperamental, and critical. Approach at your own risk and engage at your own cost. Despite this, he is a hard worker and quick to call out what he finds wrong.
  —— Penned by Tempest. Contact on Discord (naruk4mi) for plots and threads.

​

 

[Owlheart]

She blinked at him in rapid succession, much too polite to critique his simple statement. Anyone who knew Owlpaw would know that her blinking indicated either confusion or frustration, in this instance it was confusion. While it was a little annoying that he was so matter of fact about it without much explanation at first, she couldn’t really say that it annoyed her to a notable degree, just baffled. The extended explanation caused the metaphorical gears in her head to turn, she scrunched her face as she thought about his words. “So your first move should be powerful enough so you’re not underestimated but not show your whole skill set so that way your opponent won’t have too much of an advantage over you?” That’s at least what she could make of it.

It brought pause to hear him be so insightful, there was a hint of admiration within. She thought it was impressive to hear someone with so much experience share some insight on tactics. Her ears twitched and she stood a little straighter at his acceptance of her request, she wasn’t really sure what nonsense would mean? It wasn’t like she was horrendous with sparring, she could hold her own enough to pass after all. The tabby would drag this information to her grave but her pride took a small hit, she supposed it was a fair warning though. She didn’t expect Chrysaliswing to hold back in any way, despite her pride she was thankful that he was going to help her.

“Of course, I won’t cause any nonsense or take short cuts.” Owlpaw nodded curtly, keeping her straight posture. Her maw twisted into a frown, she wore her emotions on her sleeve and it was clear that it had upset her that he wasn’t nervous. It’s fine that he wasn’t, maybe no one else was too? Maybe she was alone in her nerves, that was okay! It had been a long shot anyways, she sighed softly, trying to set aside her disappointment. She didn’t say anything in response, just making a soft hum and shaking her paw as if she was physically shaking away her disappointment.

His request caused her to stand, silently she tried to will her body to not be so tense. There was a lot on this though, her formal assessment may be over but this one somehow felt just as bad. She tried to consider what Chrysaliswing had advised with striking first, more so considering how she interpreted it. Strike hard enough to show that you’re a threat but without spending too much time for an inopportune retaliation. She mused on it, if he’s facing her front on and also seemed rather tense then she shouldn’t risk trying to move around him right?

But what if that’s what he wanted her to do? Maybe she should try something else- there were other moves that she could do? No- No. She was thinking too much about it, this is why she was seeking help, so she could stop getting caught up on the technique and focusing more on the action. Owlpaw relaxed her body slightly, rushing head on towards the tom. She was light on her feet and she aimed to use that to her advantage, she rushed slightly to the left of him and brought a sheathed claw to connect with his chin. If successful she would take advantage of the brief disorientation to attempt a swipe at his throat, her movement was not as precise as her first movement. Second guessing herself at the last possible moment caused her to hold back, not letting herself get upset with that just yet she ducked her own head down, hoping to avoid any retaliation by jumping to the right of him, eyes focused on his paws. ​

 

[CHRYSALISWING]

"Yes. You're a quick learner." A low grumble arose from Chrysaliswing's mouth, heterochromatic eyes regarding Orangestar's daughter like a beast regarding a feisty piece of its prey. She blinked at him, much in the manner of her apparent namesake, like she were incredulous about something he had stated. There was no time for confusion, he reasoned, for she would have to have her wits about her if she were to survive in the dog-eat-dog world of warriorhood. Stony countenance did not change as Owl's did, though hums of impatience rustled through half-toned face, as transient as the wind weaving through strands of grass. She straightened her posture, fixed her stance, looked almost eager to pounce upon him now. The chimaeric warrior sensed some sort of disappointment or reproach about her, as though it hummed about her like stagnant summer air. He wanted to brush through that hesitation, blow it away with the (some would say misplaced) confidence that he had shackled to himself. Although he did not say it, he acknowledged that nerves and new warriors went together like breathing and living, and to feel the pangs of the fear of disappointment was a true test of growth. Every true warrior held fear dear to their hearts, one beat for the stars and the other for their superiors. It was normal to feel that way, though still it rang as an obvious weakness to be poked and inflamed.

And then, Owlheart struck. Ignoble as the brimstone-colored feline looked, Chrysaliswing knew nothing but the honor that ran through his veins as golden ichor, bleeding through his strikes and his tongue. The molly sprung upon lithe feet, of which he noted that she used to her advantage. Good, so she knows the limitations of her own body, the musing came as quicksilver as a flash of silver in a running stream. The tangerine-hued feline swiped at his chin with sheathed claws, the impact light as a feather dusting his maw, and he leapt back a little at the other attempt to slash at his throat. She had started off strong, though had quickly lost the balance that she had once harnessed, like it slipped out of her hands as particles of fine, coarse sand. He had not honed it either, and like all good things, it came with time and patience. He quickly retaliated by swinging himself just close enough to where he could reach the side of her left shoulder as she moved to the right of where he once was. Swiftly, made a sideways cuff at her shoulder, just hard enough to pulse a little in pain.

"That was alright for your first attempt at me. Your first strike was solid, but you lost your momentum upon the second strike. In a real battle, there will be no time for you to second-guess yourself. By the time you've already wasted the moments that you could have spent defending yourself against an attack, the opponent will have already scoped out what weak spots you've exposed. You'd be bleeding or lying on the floor dead before you could think." He sternly meowed, before he moved into position once more. "Try again. This time, aim for another part of me."

𝘯𝘰 𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘴 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘩𝘰𝘮𝘦 ⚠︎ 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘰𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘷𝘦

• OOC:
  
• 
• 

  —— CHRYSALISWING / He/They / 24 Moons
  —— Warrior of Skyclan / Mentoring n/a
  —— A long-haired tomcat with chimaeric patterning. His left side is fully black and his right side is black splotched with sunset-orange. He has complete heterochromia, with his right eye being a bright green and his left eye being a glowering yellow.
  —— Abrasive, temperamental, and critical. Approach at your own risk and engage at your own cost. Despite this, he is a hard worker and quick to call out what he finds wrong.
  —— Penned by Tempest. Contact on Discord (naruk4mi) for plots and threads.

​

 

[Owlheart]

While Chrysaliswing’s swift cuff at her shoulder was not a serious blow to deliver a lasting pain or injury her eyes narrowed slightly as she felt the pulse from his strike. It was enough, it stoked enough of a reminder for why she was here, he didn’t appear to be the type to pull any strikes. Which she appreciated, he had forewarned her that she wasn’t going to be treated like an apprentice in this endeavour. The tabby nodded intently, soaking up the knowledge that he was willing to give like a student with something to prove. Which she supposed she was, why else would she be here if she didn’t have something to prove?

There was no desire to explain her actions, in her youth she would have plenty of reasons for why she lacked an aspect of skill, that being her confidence. Those habits she tried to break as she got older, biting her tongue to keep quiet , keeping the desire to ramble at bay. “I see, so you act on instinct to guide you rather than trying to think in the moment?” This reasoning was sound in theory, if that was the case then she was going to have a harder time adjusting to this then she first thought. “How long did it take for you to develop reflexes like that?” She was naturally pretty light on her paws but her reaction time could use some work, maybe that could be something to bring up for advice?

His demand of her was simple, she was happy to oblige. Eager to prove herself after she had lost her nerve before. As Chrysaliswing resumed his position once again she herself had straightened her own posture. Resuming her posture to its tense stance. She kept a sizable distance between herself and the tom, that way if he decided he wanted to try and surprise her by lunging towards her then she would be prepared to move out of the way. Moving to his left side she decided to throw caution to the wind and charged towards him, aiming for his rear end, as it was arguably less offensive.

She reached a paw out to deal a heavy cuff against his hind left leg, aiming to cause a dull ache of pain. Owlpaw had learnt from last time, deciding to not try and risk hitting him again and getting lost in thought of how to perfect it. She had taken note of how fast he was to swing, keeping that in mind she jumped backwards immediately after her attempt to hit him. Swinging her body to be further behind him, hoping that in the time it would take for him to swing to meet her she would have distance on her side again. Paws planted firmly on the ground as her body tensed, taking to a defensive posture.

// don't mind me editing this post: i realised that i wrote Owlheart instead of Owlpaw and that was bugging me lmao
​

 

[CHRYSALISWING]

"If you get to that point, instinct is the best to follow. I'm sure Dovescar has drilled many combat exercises into your soft brain, so much so that you're able to recite common fighting moves from simple muscle memory. It's the same principle." Chrysaliswing started. "It takes time to hone. You cannot wake up one morning and decide that you should follow your heart in the heat of battle. My mentor was an apt fighter, and he worked me to the bone in order to make sure I had a strong foundation." That's the only thing Silversmoke was good for.

Mismatched gaze trained upon Owlpaw's tangerine-tinged pelt, concentrated upon the confidence that the soon-to-be warrior seemed not to exude, as though the concept funneled out of slippery, hesitating paws. Confidence, in its purest and dumbest manner, was not hard to drum up from wells. Unlike fighting, one could completely fabricate it and wear it as an imitation skin. He let out a huff of hot breath, knowing well that the world would eat her alive with naught to tell of her if she were to waver with every step, for the predator always honed upon the stragglers of the herd. She should have shed such meek skin as soon as she became an apprentice, and the chimaera found that timidity was nothing but a dragging weight. To him, it was nothing to admire nor respect. Still, Chrysaliswing did note that she was quite well-mannered, knowledgable of her place among the strict hierarchy between the warrior and apprentice, and not as presumptuous as many of her peers that itched to break from the shell of being a mere 'paw. If he were to have an apprentice, he only hoped they were half as courteous as her.

Now, Owlpaw charged for Chrysaliswing's left side and the chimaeric tomcat merely stood his ground for a few heartbeats, though daggered gaze sharpened itself against the blur of an orangeish frame, swift as a swooping swallow. The warrior attempted to move from where he projected the apprentice's paw to strike, though it grazed just upon his hind, leaving only the remnant of a hit to serve as a reminder of Owl's close call. "Good job. With enough practice, you will be able to strike me harder." He said as he whipped around to face her, just as she had distanced herself from her opponent, a turn of the tides enough to shift the winds of battle. "Now, I want you to think about why you got the outcome that you did. What could you do differently in the same situation? When you're ready, come again." He stood again, legs pressed to the ground as pillars and stony countenance in statuesque focus.

𝘯𝘰 𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘴 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘩𝘰𝘮𝘦 ⚠︎ 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘰𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘷𝘦

• OOC:
  
• 
• 

  —— CHRYSALISWING / He/They / 24 Moons
  —— Warrior of Skyclan / Mentoring n/a
  —— A long-haired tomcat with chimaeric patterning. His left side is fully black and his right side is black splotched with sunset-orange. He has complete heterochromia, with his right eye being a bright green and his left eye being a glowering yellow.
  —— Abrasive, temperamental, and critical. Approach at your own risk and engage at your own cost. Despite this, he is a hard worker and quick to call out what he finds wrong.
  —— Penned by Tempest. Contact on Discord (naruk4mi) for plots and threads.

​

 

[Owlheart]

Soft brain? Her golden eyes narrow at what she can only assume is an insult and she can't help but frown, yet she finds it difficult to be truly upset over it. Instead it dissipated into a confused acceptance over the confidence. He spoke so matter of fact, like calling her brain soft was as much of a fact as the grass was green. His advice was sound though, she couldn’t find fault in his explanations at all. “Who was your mentor?” She meowed curiously after pausing from her contemplation. She was trying to go through the history that she knew in her brain on who had trained Chrysaliswing. He had graduated long before she had any chance of being conscious. Until recently she had tried to keep her head low regarding him anyways so while she liked to keep tabs on those around her, her knowledge didn't run that deep.

Blood rushed to Owlpaw’s ears and her heartbeat ran a steady thrum as she caught a breath that she didn’t realise she had been holding during the second trial. His praise caught her off guard, staring at him curiously. Though it looked no different than when she normally stares, she at least knew it was from a place of surprised curiosity. She remained in her defensive crouch, not entirely trusting that this had gone in her favour. Only waiting until the tom had stood again to straighten up, even then it took a moment, the wariness evident. What could she do differently? She had played it cautiously with going for an area where he couldn’t immediately retaliate unless he had strong reflexes so maybe she should try something else?

The apprentice was aware that she had a bulkier build compared to the average skyclanner, due to the maine coon heritage she carried, so maybe she could try throwing that build around more? She eyed the chimera curiously, clearly sizing him up. This could end poorly but this was for the sake of experimentation right? Surely she could excuse something she thought was pretty foolish for the sake of knowledge. She tried to waste little time fretting over the idea, slowly getting better at pushing those concerns around the mechanics of this exercise aside in favour for action. Instead she charges towards Chrysaliswing’s right side, aiming to slam her body against his abdomen, closer to his shoulders rather than his flank in an attempt to knock him over.
​