i would like to reach out my hand | burn

[Flycatcher]

With Roeflame now a full warrior, Flycatcher was back down to training one apprentice. He didn't mind of course - prior to picking up Burnpaw's training he had just trained Roepaw after all - but he had gotten quite used to having two younger cats running around after him. Burnpaw had been recovering a little bit since the battle with RiverClan, so Flycatcher had not been pushing him too hard with recent training sessions. But now Burnpaw had officially been declared healed, which meant he finally felt comfortable enough to do more strenuous activities with his apprentice as well as spend some more time focusing on his training overall. Flycatcher would admit to focusing a bit more prominently on Roeflame in the weeks leading up to her promotion.

After waking his apprentice in the morning, Flycatcher had encouraged him to join him for a little run, to both wake him up a little bit and get the blood flowing. "Are you still with me, Burnpaw?" Flycatcher chuckled, looking over his shoulder as he ran for a glimpse of the dark-furred apprentice.

@BURNPAW ! late training session thread ​

 

[BURNSTORM]

Burnpaw in the past had questioned if his mentor could read minds, and today he feels like the suspicion is verified because Flycatcher seemed to know exactly what he needed. After the battle, he had mostly left him to his own devices, and especially after the gathering, Burnpaw had been grateful. Learning that Howlpaw had been dead had been an even greater blow than just believing her to be missing. She's dead and I'll never be able to see her again or tell her I'm sorry or anything. He had been left in his nest to revel in his own self-hatred and grief, the wounds from the battle stinging where it had been covered in leaves from his uncle. He had, at one point, searched for his mother for comfort, but he had gone at the wrong time and had discovered her crying softly to herself. It felt strange, to see someone he saw as so strong cry like that and so he had left her to her own silent grief and returned to his own.

Today though, he is ready to get back out there, and when Flycatcher wakes him up and tells him they are going for a run he knows that his mentor knows. This is exactly what he needed to get his mind off things, the first step in the healing process. He had gone through it once before, loosing a litter-mate, but he had never called Morningpaw a traitor.

His feet pound the earth, though his large size keeps him from running too terribly fast. He is not swift like Little Wolf but instead he crashes through the undergrowth with the grace of a fish on land. He cannot help but wonder if he gets it from his father. "Yeah!" he grunts out in response, though its evident that running is not what he is strongest at. Still, he is enjoying himself.
​

 

[Flycatcher]

Behind him, Flycatcher hears a little grunt in response and knows his apprentice is not far behind him. Knowing that Burnpaw is not the strongest at running, Flycatcher slows his pace a little bit, allowing himself to fall in line with his apprentice. Together the two of them enjoy a steady run to the Sandy Hollow where Flycatcher brings his apprentice to a halt. "That was a nice run," Flycatcher mused, speaking more to himself than his apprentice. After a moment he looked at Burnpaw and added, "You did well to keep up despite recently waking up."

Stepping further into the area, Flycatcher looked around. "I thought we could enjoy some light sparring today," He explained to his apprentice. The Sandy Hollow was a perfect place to fight and train safely due to the softer terrain. "It'll be good for me to see how your stances are coming along." Sometimes Flycatcher had to remind himself that Burnpaw was nine moons old now and was well on his way to becoming a capable young warrior.​

 

[BURNSTORM]

His sides are heaving when they finally reach their destination, but he does not sit. The run felt good, it had put a burning sensation in his muscles that had woken him up and when his mentor reveals that they were going to be having a light spar, he is grateful for the feeling in his limbs. It would keep him on his toes, alert when before he might have still been sluggish with sleep. His yellow eyes flash and a grin spreads over his features. "As long as you're okay with me totally whooping you!" he taunts lightly, his tone teasing, though his eyes flash with intensity. He does feel a small pang of sadness when he thinks back to the moves Emberstar had taught him, how he would never get the opportunity to one day beat her in a fight, show her everything he had learned. Still, he is determined to make her proud. If she was truly watching from the stars, that is.

He slips into a defensive position and stalks adjacent to the deputy, tail lashing and golden eyes narrowed in concentration as he anticipates the first move his mentor would make. ​

 

[Flycatcher]

At Burnpaw's response, Flycatcher lets out a loud belly laugh. "We'll see, Burnpaw," He teases, giving his apprentice a wink as he does so. Despite Flycatcher's playful words, he knows it won't be long before Burnpaw is thrashing him with ease. Flycatcher is on the smaller side of a warrior's build and with the way Burnpaw is growing he suspects he could quite easily overtake him when the time comes.

When Burnpaw takes his defensive position, Flycatcher does the same. The two of them circle each other and Flycatcher keeps his green eyes focused on his apprentice, watching his movements carefully and choosing the right time to strike. Flycatcher stalks to the left, looking as though he is going to go around him again, before suddenly lurching forward. A sheathed paw is aimed at Burnpaw's head, with the intention of hitting him hard and fast in an effort to stun him.​

 

[BURNSTORM]

He watches at the striped tom stalks around him, circling like a predator but still he does not move. He knows he is not fast, that he needs to wait for his opponent to get close then seize the opportunity to attack when it comes, literally, to him. Flycatcher is much more agile than him and as Burnpaw is turning his head to watch him circle around him again he suddenly sees a flash of blue, a blur coming at him from his peripherals. He is not fast enough to move out of the way, not completely anyways. The blow lands but maybe not with as much force as his mentor had intended. For a moment, he does indeed feel a little stunned but he is quick to recover and even quicker to launch himself into action. Using his considerable size to his advantage, he throws himself at Flycatcher in an attempt to bowl him over and pin him to the ground. A quick victory was always preferred, he had been taught. Save your energy for other opponents if you can and send the one you're fighting running for the bushes as swiftly as possible. It is his hope that one day, just the mere mention of his presence is enough to make cats second guess a fight. But first, he had to beat Flycatcher. It definitely was a bonus that another cat had taught him originally. The tom wouldn't know all of his moves in that case. It had been something else he had learned when he had tried something on Emberstar twice, always be creative. Never let your opponent predict your next step.
​

 

[Flycatcher]

Flycatcher's swipe hits, though Burnpaw does attempt to move out of the way. Although his paw connects with his apprentice's head, the effort to move from Burnpaw means it does not hit with the force he intended. At least for a moment, it seems as though he has succeeded in stunning him for a moment, but the younger tom was surprisingly quick to recover and even quicker to retaliate. Stumbling slightly, Flycatcher was no match for the sudden force of Burnpaw's whole body being thrust at him. Burnpaw succeeded in knocking him to the floor but Flycatcher was keen not to stay there for long. Flycatcher would wait until Burnpaw was near him, feigning that was more winded than he actually was, and when his apprentice drew near he would kick out with his hind legs. If he succeeded, he would spring to his feet, turn to face his apprentice proper and attempt to grapple him by aiming for his scruff.​

 

[BURNSTORM]

He is delighted when his attack connects, even more delighted to see that he had seemingly knocked the wind out of his mentor. Already he is preparing his victory speech, the words he would say over his fallen clan-mate. He was an honorable tom, he fought well but in the end he was no match for the great and powerful Burnstar! "See I told you I would whoop you-OOF!" he had celebrated too soon and his words are cut off by a sharp kick to his stomach. He lets out a soft curse when he feels the cat under his paws slip away, wincing. As quickly as he can he spins around, but it’s not fast enough.

Teeth connect with his scruff and suddenly he is transported back to the battle with RiverClan, calico fur blurring around him, a similar feeling in the ruff of his neck that leaves him absolutely paralyzed, tears coming to his eyes. He feels helpless.

He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. Then, as quickly as he possibly can he throws himself to the ground in an attempt to get Flycatcher off of him. It’s a sloppy move and he knows it, but he can feel the panic setting in, can feel it grip his mind with icy claws and in a real battle, that could be the death of him.
​