strike hard, strike true | Mousepaw

[Silverlightning]

War weighin' on my heart but I can't fall

Silverlightning takes the time to stuff a few large leaves within the tendrils of his long ticked fur. The foliage itself was a large enough target for now. But in time he will choose to reduce their size to build upon Mousepaw's precision and speed. Many within the clan would find his style of training rather unorthodox and far from the norm of thunderclan's tendencies. Strange or not, he was determined to make his apprentice a force to be reckoned with. A flick of his tail wordlessly beckons the tortoiseshell forth as he rose to his paws. "Today we will focus on battle training. For now you will work on hitting a moving target whilst avoiding getting tagged yourself." Silver gestures to the left over pile of leaves, prompting her to place a few within her own fur.

"Then we shall move onto grappling." It was hard to keep his eyes on her during the battle over sunning rocks. While she seemed to hold her own, it was apparent to him that he'd failed in the department of teaching her how to properly strike an opponent rather than tickling them with featherlight hits. "Your goal is to knock all three leaves from my fur by whatever means necessary. I will do the same." He voices with a curt nod. "Begin." Lean muscles coil and snap as he lurches forward with an overarching paw in an attempt to free a single tattered leaf from her fur. Whether successful or not he rears up on his hind legs hoping to stretch out of reach. (@MOUSEPAW !) ​

Seekin' shelter from the storm on this blank road​

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[MOUSENOSE]

Mousepaw prays Silverlightning had not seen her first battle. Sunningrocks had been a chaotic and bloody affair. Howlingstar had lost a life; Flamewhisker had nearly drowned; Raccoonstripe had taken an eye from a RiverClan warrior; there had been near-casualties everywhere she'd looked. Moonpaw had even been attacked by some SkyClan warrior!

But Mousepaw had just been sneezed on.

The gray and cream tortoiseshell pads along after Silverlightning with her tail lifted high. Curiosity sparkles in her acidic gaze. He's tucked a few leaves into his fur, and he gestures for her to do the same.

Mousepaw gives him a puzzled look, but she does as directed. Her fur is as long as his, and easily tangled; the leaves will stay in place unless forced out. Silverlightning tells her, "Your goal is to knock all three lives from my fur by whatever means necessary. I will do the same." Her brow furrows. What kind of lesson was this? She doesn't have time to ask the question, though, because her mentor tells her to begin.

He moves swift as the wind, a gray-blue blur, and Mousepaw barely has time to react before a practiced paw knocks one of the leaves from her pelt. She bristles. "That's not fair! I wasn't ready!" And now she sees he's serious, that this isn't a game, but some kind of lesson.

Mousepaw huffs, darting out of his reach with all the speed she can manage. Hell if she'll let him knock another one out so soon! She's not nearly as quick as he is, but her battering paws are spirited as she attempts to round on his backside and smack at the nearest leaf with a wayward paw. If unsuccessful, Mousepaw will scramble out of Silverlightning's reach, almost afraid to have another leaf knocked off of her.​

[ PENNED BY MARQUETTE ]​

 

[Silverlightning]

War weighin' on my heart but I can't fall

His paw claims the leaf he'd been aiming for, sending it skittering back down to the forest floor. Shrill protests meet tall ears as his body lands beside her own, paws thumping heavily against the ground. "You must always be ready, Mousepaw. In a real fight no one will wait for you." Silverlightning utter calmly. "That swipe alone would have been a brutal strike. Do not give them the satisfaction of landing a blow, keep moving. Always keep your paws moving." Twisting to reorient himself, he bunches his muscles in preparation for a follow up attack should she not move. "An idle cat makes a perfect target." Silverlightning voices quickly.

She scrambles out of reach, leaving him to recalculate his stride. Which in turn gave her the advantage needed to round his backside and smack a crumpled leaf from his hip. It may have been out of sheer determination, but her speed showed promise. With just a little work he could refine it into something spectacular. Hardly anyone would be able to lay a claw on her by the time he was through. "Good." He breathes with a glitter of approval in his eyes. Lashing forward with a single forepaw he aims to hook and pull her limbs out from under her whilst balancing on his hinds and following up with his other forepaw to swipe another leaf. ​

Seekin' shelter from the storm on this blank road​

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[MOUSENOSE]

"You must always be ready, Mousepaw. In a real fight no one will wait for you." His words send a shiver of fear down her spine. Her fight against the RiverClan apprentice hadn't been like that, but she knows others had been. Stars, Moonpaw had fought a cat who'd tried to brand her! Other cats her age had walked away with new wounds, with scars. She tries to reconcile her failure in the Sunningrocks battle with Silverlightning's lesson -- that in the future, the opponent may do worse than sneeze in her face for hesitating.

She had moved out of his way just in time, and the satisfaction she feels from pawing a single leave from her mentor's pelt causes her to glow from ear to tail tip. "I got one!" She squeals, excitement dancing in her eyes. She's already forgotten to keep herself moving, though, and Silverlightning's next blow is quicker than she's able to dodge. Her paws move, but they're no match for his blurry speed.

His forepaw hooks around hers, pulling at just the right angle to unsteady her, and his position on his hindlegs allows him to smack yet another leaf from her pelt.

Two.

Mousepaw hisses in frustration, but otherwise keeps quiet. He's right. She wasn't ready for his attack, and she has to do better, or she risks losing their lesson before it has really even begun.

A single leaf remains, near the base of her furry tricolored tail. Mousepaw shoots away from Silverlightning, finally light on her paws. He's not sure where his next strike will come from, but she has to be prepared to evade it!

And I need to get another leaf... She narrows her eyes, realizing the futility of that idea remarkably early. If she darts too close to him, he'll easily pry her final leaf off, and she'll have lost.

She gazes over Silverlightning's shoulder, at the oak tree just behind him. With a deep breath, Mousepaw attempts to dart just past him and toward the tree. If she manages to get by unscathed, she'll climb the tree in an attempt to race away from Silverlightning.​

[ PENNED BY MARQUETTE ]​

 

[Silverlightning]

War weighin' on my heart but I can't fall

Although she fails to keep her limbs moving and he manages to swipe another leaf, he is sure that in time more lessons like this will temper that skill. A low hiss tickles grey ears as he pivots, preparing for her next attack. Much like last time she darts away from him on nimble paws, placing distance between them both and remaining just out of reach. "Good thinking. opponents will have a harder time reaching you at a distance." Silverlightning voices with an approving nod of his head. He steals a quick glance at the two remaining leaves located on his shoulder and tail, making a mental note to keep those areas guarded.

Within a flash his apprentice is moving again, racing head on with a new tactic. Willowy limbs prepare to snap out of her way at a moments notice and so he does once they are about shoulder to shoulder. Yet she dashes past him, surprising the ticked tabby as he lands lightly on his paws again. Clinging to bark she scales the trunk of a nearby tree, causing him to whisk around and chase after her. "Just what are you up to?" The warrior wonders internally as his own claws hook into peeling oak. Lithe muscles pull taunt as he hoists himself up, allowing a single paw bat quickly at the leaf by her tail. However he misses and loses a stride between the pair of them. An amateur mistake made by being a smidge too hasty. "Wonderful evade and even better climbing, Little Mouse." Silver compliments, puffing during his ascent. ​

Seekin' shelter from the storm on this blank road​

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[MOUSENOSE]

Silverlightning is quicker by far, and despite the delay, he shoots up the tree after her with speed and athleticism she can’t compete with. Her headstart is what helps her—even when his claws flash toward the leaf secured near her tail, it misses because of the distance she’s put between them. It even manages to pull a compliment from him, and she throws a cheeky grin his direction.

But she can’t let herself get distracted! She scolds herself. She rounds on him once she’s reached a secure branch, the lowest set on the oak. Her claws are sore from the quick climb, but she’s proud of herself—her flanks heave with the effort as she sucks in air. “I’m—thank—you,” she chirps, bunching her muscles. She has to prepare herself for her next move, and to do so, she has to wisely conserve her breath.

It takes effort, but she manages, her bright green eyes tellingly fixated on a second leaf secured in her mentor’s silver coat.

Without warning, she plunges back down the tree trunk, using one forepaw to lash out at the nearest leaf. She leaves herself relatively unguarded, but she hopes that with her speed, she’ll just manage to stay out of his range.
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[ PENNED BY MARQUETTE ]​

 

[Silverlightning]

War weighin' on my heart but I can't fall

By the time she reaches her desired position upon the bough above him, Silverlightning is just starting to reach the base of its limb. He has the mind to dig his claws in and swipe her last leaf. However, her clever tactic to shoot down the tree while he still needed to keep himself hoisted up surprises him. His shoulders burn, aching from the effort to keep him attached vertically. His head whips about to spot her snatching his second leaf from his pelt, sending the vibrant foliage cascading downward. "I've taught you well." The tom comments with a surge of pride edging along the outskirts of his vocals. He was a sitting duck in this position, left relatively helpless and she could race back up the tree to claim his final leaf if he did not do something fast. It was a risky, but well calculated move. One that would not leave him injured should he miss.

His claws retract, letting gravity pull him back toward the earth's surface. Before he lands the warrior twists his body about, outstretching his forearm in an effort to bat away Mousepaw's remaining leaf. Should he hit his target of not he readies his limbs for impact and lands with a cushioned thud. There is a brief sting to his paw pads but nothing that would hinder him from any follow up movement. ​

Seekin' shelter from the storm on this blank road​

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[MOUSENOSE]

Her claw snags the leaf—she holds it aloft, pierced upon a single claw, her eyes sparkling with delight. Silverlightning’s praise earns a smile. “I’ve taught you well,” he says, and Mousepaw gives a purr of gratitude. Her sides inflate and deflate rapidly, exhaustion beginning to settle in, but they both have a single leaf left—and her mentor is still upright, claws latched into the bark. She waits with puffs of breath fighting their way out of her. Wonder what he’s doing now?

Mousepaw does not expect Silverlightning’s next move. The silver warrior dislodges from the trunk, twisting mid-air as he flies toward her. The apprentice gives a squeak of surprise, scrambling away just a fraction too late. The last of her leaves is ripped from her fur, and she’s lost the match.

“That was…” Her eyes are round and shining, “SO COOL! Can you teach me how to do that? Can you?” Imagine if she could show Sunfreckle and Rabbitnose that trick! She bets Moonpaw doesn’t know it, either, SkyClan blood or not. Her tortie tail fluffs out behind her, despite the ache beginning to settle into her paws.

✧ INFO.

•  
• 
  — mousekit . mousepaw
  — she/they, apprentice of thunderclan
  — pansexual ; single
  — long-haired blue tortoiseshell with white and green eyes
  — “speech”, thoughts, attack
  — penned by Marquette
  — chibi by Rai

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[Silverlightning]

War weighin' on my heart but I can't fall

With the final leaf claimed Silverlightning gives a solid shake to dislodge his own remaining leaf from his pelt, leaving it to fall to the ground below. He is pleased to find that she is not upset over losing, but his evaluation of her technique and the wit she used impressed him enough. If this were a true test he would have passed her. What he does not expect however, is her sudden excited outburst over the final move he'd just performed. The edges of his gaze soften slightly. "It was a maneuver we often performed in the mountains. I can certainly teach you if that is what you desire." He adds after a curt nod of his head. The warm russet hues of sunset grasp his attention, pulling it in the direction of the setting sun and then back toward camp. "Tomorrow." Silverlightning promises as he turns his gaze upon her. "You've done well today. Let's return so you can grab a meal and rest." His tail moves in a sweeping motion, ushering his apprentice to make the first steps back to camp before following behind her. ​

Seekin' shelter from the storm on this blank road​

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