Sparring (chalk/ember)

"Sparring"

It wasn't like he meant to be late. Chalkpaw just had a knack for being forgetful, having no internal clock, and having a sister who promised to relay information she conveniently "forgot" as well. He sprinted to get to the Outlook Rock, having heard from his littermate that she once again had left out the fact that he would be with Almondpaw, getting some extra training help and tips from her. He had the best intentions, but didn't exactly follow through with them the right way, which usually resulted in a few different parties being left out of the loop until much later. He hoped that Emberfang wouldn't be too upset with him. Then again, perhaps she'd be more willing to forgive him if he wasn't always late. He regretted having flaked out of most of his training for his first moon, since it was really coming around to bite him in the tail. He ran as fast as his legs would carry him, hoping and praying to StarClan that he wouldn't be late yet again. Little did he know that the warrior had been waiting for a while now, standing out with her paws in the snow as she wondered where he was. "I'm h-here!!" he stuttered as he ran into view, slowing down slightly as he got closer. He slowed down to a trot as he walked up to Emberfang, panting a little as he tried to regain his breath. Chalkpaw did try to get there on time, but maybe that would be a tad bit easier if he wasn't late in the first place. The Javanese-mix lowered his head as he approached his mentor, sure that he was going to get an earful. He tried to look her in the eye as he spoke, but failed as his blue eyes stayed crossed and he was too focused on talking his way out of trouble to concentrate on keeping them straight. "I asked F-Frozenpaw to tell y-you I would b-be with Almondpaw," he tried to explain, although it was his responsibility to relay information himself in the first place. Just then, he wanted nothing more than to get out of trouble and continue on like nothing happened, but that was asking for a bit much. He continued as he tried to dig himself out of the little metaphorical ditch he was stuck in, "...She's been helping me with sparring practice, s-so... I was just t-trying to get some extra training in..." words: 421 tags: emberfang notes: thanks so much for starting the thread for me ^^  credit: template made by oxymoron! of btn

Chalkpaw

"Sparring"

Chalkpaw watched as Emberfang kept her eyes on him, looking rather annoyed. It seemed like the obvious thing, for a cat who had been sitting out in the cold snow for any length of time to be at least a little bit grumpy, and yet it made the apprentice shy back slightly. He kept his shoulders raised, his head low, as he instinctively took a submissive stance whenever he was around any other cat, especially one like Emberfang. She just... scared him. She always looked like she could easily knock him back and take a bite out of his throat, and her less than pleased expression wasn't helping that. He swallowed hard and his muscles tensed slightly as the she-cat walked over to the other side of the rock, her flinching making him flinch as well out of habit, raising a paw as he got ready to jump back in case anything happened. The Javanese-mix hadn't so much minded the colder seasons, as he had some long fur on him and the sun didn't beat down as hard during Leafbare. However, WindClan cats were not generally built for cold weather, and that seemed to be very true for his mentor. He knew she hated Leafbare, so he tried his best to never bring of the season unless he absolutely had to. "So, what did you learn?" Ah, yes, the most dreaded question. Oh, how he hated to hear that. He even cringed, visibly, turning his head away slightly as he grimaced. He was already lacking in confidence whenever he did any sort of training, and now he had to prove that he had learned something somehow. Was he supposed to try and pounce?? Or tried to focus, tried to get a good look at his mentor as his eyes went un-crossed for about two seconds before returning back to the previous state. He had to think fast... Think, think, what was it Almondpaw had showed him how to do?? Chalkpaw took a couple steps back, bending his legs slightly to get some better spring into them. His tail flicked from side to side as he tried to stare down the warrior, doing his best to make it look like some real effort was going into this attack. Already regretting his tardiness and fairly certain that he would regret the results of this pounce as well, the lanky apprentice sprang foreword, letting out a yowl that could maybe just barely fit the word pathetic if it tried. It was an obvious attack, too high, too sloppy, and way to easy to dodge or push back. But... at least he tried, right?? words: 442 tags: emberfang notes: and here we go!!  credit: template made by oxymoron! of btn

Chalkpaw

"Sparring"

Everything seemed to go in slow motion for Chalkpaw as he leapt at his mentor. He kept his front paws extended, careful not to flex his claws for fear of hurting her or himself in what was supposed to be an example of a pounce. This had actually been a much better pounce than his first one, but the thrill that came with that quickly ended as his attack was easily turned around. Emberfang only had to move to the side to avoid it, sidestepping him before pushing him to the side. It knocked him completely off balance as he landed, and he took a harmless tumble down a good length of the boulder to land on his back with his paws in the air. "...Too slow??" he asked, peering back up at Emberfang with the slightly-crossed blue eyes again, before he rolled onto his belly and rose up to his paws. After seeing that he wasn't going to get beat up or anything, and that Emberfang was a little less scary when he was more sure of how she was going to handle her counterattacks, the lynx-point tom was a little less nervous. He shook his head, stumbling a bit as he regained his balance, and looked back up at his mentor with a hopeful yet awkward smile. "So, um..." he meowed softly, unsure of what he could say to try and make his situation any better. There was no way that attack would've worked against any warrior, and another Clan cat or rogue could've easily hurt him very badly; but he was getting a bit better, or at least that's how Chalkpaw saw it. He pawed at the ground nervously as he tried to continue, hoping to cover up the fumble as something that could be passable. "...She taught it better than that," he tried to explain, hoping not the throw poor Almondpaw under the metaphorical bus, "...I just... um... Miscalculated?? She taught me to swipe, too... And other stuff, just... Not really stuff I'm very good at... Y-yet!! I c-can get better." words: ### tags: emberfang notes: poor poor emberfang ;^;  credit: template made by oxymoron! of btn

Chalkpaw

"Sparring"

Chalkpaw grew a little more nervous as his mentor approached him and looked him over, trying his best not to flinch or move away. He knew that doing so would only make them both upset, since Emberfang wouldn't like it and he wasn't going to like getting lectured or tested for it. Unfortunately, as a kit, his sisters loved to leap at him to take swipes at him, causing him to flinch away quickly to avoid getting hurt. It had become like second nature. Move or get hit, even when there was no real threat of being hit. He knew that the she-cat wasn't going to hurt him, and get his tail flicked and his ears twitched. It wasn't some big dramatic flinch, but he was obviously not very comfortable. The Javanese-mix would've liked to protest when the warrior said that he was to have no more battle training with Almondpaw, but decided against it. She was his friend, the only real friend he had in a long while, and she was very good at what she did. He just didn't want to get her into any more trouble, and he didn't have enough of a spine to risk the trouble himself, either. That's pathetic, he thought to himself, gaze wandering downward slightly, She's stuck up for you, even with that falcon. You really should try harder to defend her name at least. She's a perfectly good teacher, Emberfang, and she does know what she's doing!! She's going to be a wonderful warrior, I bet you're just upset because you got stuck with me... Oh, how he would have loved to say it aloud. Alas, he was still too timid, and he knew that if he got too cocky or disruptive that the she-cat before him could've easily taken a swipe at his ear or pinned him against the bolder. He didn't think she would ever hurt him or resort to fear tactics, but she was still scary and had more than enough potential to. Chalkpaw decided to let it go, not wanting to cause more drama or trouble for anyone. He looked up as she began going over what he had done right and wrong, and gave a small nod every other time she listed anything. "Hit and move," the tom repeated, pawing at the ground slightly. Hit and move, hit and move... Move or get hit. Agh, that was going to come around every time, wasn't it. It wasn't like he could just run off. He would be labeled a coward, so he'd just have to keep hitting and moving around, never moving away like his instincts told him to. With his build, he could easily outrun a rogue or a ShadowClan cat as long as he kept training, but that would make his Clanmates believe him weak and he already had enough trouble as it was. "...What if I just run away to get warriors who could actually fight??" he asked, forcing and awkward and out-of-place smile as he turned his head to look at Emberfang. words: 50# tags: emberfang notes: emberfang has her work cut out for her... chalk can get kinda like those pouty teenagers who think they're right, even and especially when they're wrong because it involves their friends. credit: template made by oxymoron! of btn

Chalkpaw

"Sparring"

Why does it matter if the other cat ran for it?? Then we got him off our territory... Chalkpaw wanted to say, but bit his tongue. For once in his life, he was going to keep his big mouth shut and do as he was told. He had a knack for saying the wrong thing at the wrong time, and he didn't want to risk upsetting Emberfang. He knew that his mentor had the best intentions, she just wanted to help him succeed, but sometimes he wondered if he could ever become the high standard of what was considered successful. After all, he was half kittypet, and sometimes the others talked about it as if it were some sort of genetic disease. And maybe it was... Maybe he couldn't help it, and he just wasn't fit for warrior life... No, he had to stop thinking like that. He was a WindClanner, no matter his blood. Besides, both his sisters were proving to be good warriors, so it wasn't like they all had some sort of disease. He didn't belong in the Twolegplace... right?? No way. Almondpaw believed in him, and Emberfang believed in him, so maybe it was finally time he stopped cowering and started learning. The tom was so wrapped up in his own thoughts that he didn't even flinch as his mentor rested her tail on his shoulder for a brief moment. He just gave a nod as she explained that practice would make fighting a lot easier, and tried to get into the mindset. He would at least give it a try. After all, if all else failed, then he could flee and try to outrun the other cat. He had a good build for a decent back up plan, and he could always get help from his Clanmates after he took the time to see if he could manage to put up some sort of fight. Chalkpaw watched carefully as he was showed how to use his speed and some agility to his advantage. When he was given the chance to try it out for himself, he tensed up a little and tried to keep his joints bent so that they were ready to move. Hoping that a little extra speed would help cover up any clumsy footwork, the Javanese-mix sprang foreword a bit and took a swipe at an imaginary foe, pulling away quickly and even jumping back a short distance every so many swipes. When he was done with at least six or seven attempts, he paused to look over at Emberfang to hear some critiques. Slowly but surely, she was helping him build up some confident. "Was that alright??" he asked nervously, hoping that he had managed to get at least the gist of things. words: 466 tags: @emberfang notes: she's really helping a lot. i think she's managed to help his confidence issue faster than any other mentor he has had in the past. credit: template made by oxymoron! of btn

Chalkpaw

"Sparring"

Chalkpaw was happy to get some praise. Some encouragement from his mentor proved to do him some good, and he felt a little more confident, a little more able. He had been able to fight without worrying about his sight, and without having to worry about straightening out his vision, he could focus more one putting some effort into his attacks and not letting himself stumble. His longer legs had often caused him to slip or trip over his own paws or uneven ground, and his preoccupation with keeping his eyes on task only helped to distract him and make him more likely to stumble. The tom nodded he was asked about whether or not the strikes felt comfortable, although he wasn't being completely honest. It was a little forced, but he wasn't about to admit that. He didn't want to make Emberfang feel as though he wasn't getting it. He worried that she would loose faith in him or feel bad about her training methods, and while she did unnerve him at times, her praise had really meant a lot to the Javanese-mix. Besides, he didn't really have to do this in a fight, did he?? When it came to a border skirmish or fight over prey, he could always let the other go and run off back to camp, and let the others handle things. Besides, was a mouse or pawstep really worth getting a really bad injury?? "It feels easy enough... I'm sure it gets much more difficult when there's an actual cat there, though, heh..." Chalkpaw chuckled a little awkwardly, although he was obviously more comfortable than before the sparring actually started. Emberfang then asked him to try the attack on her, and his nervousness began to show again. He gave another nod, but hesitated to get into a good fighting stance for a few seconds. Slowly, he moved over and stood across from his mentor. The apprentice looked over at the she-cat, and sprang foreword, swatting at her to try and hit her in the shoulder without unsheathing his claws. Once his paw made contact with her, he worked on scampering back, getting at least a couple mouse-lengths away before he tried to take a swipe at her other shoulder. words: 376 tags: emberfang notes: i was at the kairos retreat for my school ^^' sorry my reply took so long. credit: template made by oxymoron! of btn

Chalkpaw

"Sparring"

Chalkpaw thought he was doing rather well. He was actually able to keep up with his mentor, able to hit her a couple times with a quick swat or brush. He actually felt proud, until he saw that he had knocked her off balance and made her stumble just a bit. He was happy that he had managed to knock a warrior back, but at the same time he became a little worried. He didn't want to upset her, and definitely didn't want to cause her any kind of harm. Then again, the aim was to hurt the opponent, and while this time it had only caused the other cat to stumble, perhaps next time it could be enough to frighten a smaller or weaker enemy away. When Emberfang offered some words of praise, even saying that his attacks were 'even better', the Javanese-mix couldn't hide the dopey smile that had formed on his face. He did feel a little more at home then, more like he belonged and like he could actually make it was a warrior one day. The apprentice was still nervous about fighting an actual enemy and not just a sparring partner, but now that he had more knowledge of and practice with an attack, he felt as though he could actually put up enough of a fight to save his skin if he needed to. Chalkpaw listened eagerly as his mentor pointed out the flaws and how to correct them. He was much less self-conscious now that he had been given equal amounts of praise and correction. He knew that the she-cat would never compliment him if he didn't deserve it... right?? Of course!! He made a mental note of the places to remember, much better at keeping track of things instead of actual actions. While he couldn't name Clan's talents or histories on the spot, he did retain a fair amount of useful information, and could put it to said use if an emergency situation arose. "Yes, ma'am," the lanky tom gave a small nod as Emberfang backed up. Offensive then defensive, right. He could handle that. Chalkpaw crouched down a bit, bending his legs so that he could spring foreword or move to the side. The little gears in his head were turning much faster than normal, and suddenly, he darted over to the side. From the side he sprang up, and took a swat at his mentor's left hind-leg, trying to hit it toward the bottom and push it out. He didn't hit it hard enough to actually push it out from under her, but the intention of the attack was obvious and the tom quickly jumped back to avoid retaliation. words:450 tags: @emberfang notes: n/a credit: template made by oxymoron! of btn

Chalkpaw

"Sparring"

The blow had not been enough to knock his mentor off balance, and that was a good thing to Chalkpaw. He didn't want to knock her over or accidentally hurt her or make her upset with him, so he was glad that all she had to do was pull that leg up and readjust her balance. He was a more defensive fighter, going for legs and knocking his opponent over rather than claws at their throat or belly. It scared him, to a degree, to think that they could kill one another with their claws. It was starting to become more of a reality and a fact of life, but just the fact that border skirmishes could turn into violent fights, especially in the Leafbare, unnerved him to a degree. He tried not to think about it, though, tried to keep his head clear now that he was actually starting to get into training.   "Almost had me."  That made the tom feel as though his heart was fluttering about in his chest. Had he really done that well?? He had always thought of Emberfang as a strong warrior, so the fact that he even managed to get an 'almost' from swatting at her was a pretty big deal. He had forgotten about fussing over whether he should fight or run away, and instead he was focused on thinking about what had just happened. This really was a big boost for his confidence, and it made the apprentice smile again.   As his mentor mentioned that they could head back when he knocked her over, he got more hopeful. Chalkpaw was getting a lot of help, but he'd much rather head back to camp and tell Almondpaw about how he managed to nick the warrior's leg like he planned without worrying about his vision. His sight was blurry, but he could still see outlines and colours, so picking a spot to attack wasn't difficult at that point. It would probably get much harder with a more difficult-to-spot cat, and when there was movement and shapes rushing all around him, but for now his crossed eyes weren't too much of a problem. He gave a small nod to show that he understood, and crouched down again.   Knock her over, get back to camp, take a break and talk to Almondpaw... I can do that.  Chalkpaw sprang foreword again, going for the right hind leg and swatting at it. He had been much more excited, much more eager to leave and therefor eager to hit something, so he wasn't quite as gentle as before. Once he felt his paw hit Emberfang's leg, he quickly whipped around and tricked to push in the right front leg as well, hoping to knock out both her right legs to knock her over quickly.  words: 481 tags: emberfang notes: you can always decide whether chalkpaw hits or misses ^^ just to be clear. i always try to leave it up to whomever i'm rping with, so if you want him to miss, you can :3 (just for future reference, too).  credit: template made by oxymoron! of btn

Chalkpaw

"Sparring"

Emberfang had dodged the attack, and Chalkpaw tried to think of another plan quickly. He should have known that it wouldn't hit, seeing as his mentor was an experienced warrior, the attack was rather obvious, and it was carried out in a rushed manner. He just wanted to go back to camp, he was done for the day in his head, and he wanted to finish things as quickly as possible. The deputy put some distance between him and herself, so he'd have to keep up, making sure to keep his joints from locking and stay on his toes so that he wouldn't have to hesitate for more time than it took him to think.   "Yes, ma'am," the Javanese-mix mumbled in response, giving a small nod. He didn't even bother trying to focus, since the blurs were just clear enough to see where everything was supposed to be. Eyes, ears, legs. Since legs was out of the question and eyes were dangerous to so much as swat at, he would have to go for her ears. He crouched slightly, trying to keep up momentum and not give the she-cat a chance to move out of the way or predict his next attack, and sprang foreword again. This time, he swatted at her ears, hoping that it would distract her enough for him to get a better attack.   Once he had swatted, whether or not he had hit or missed the side of her head, he jumped back, stopped for no more than a split second, and pushed himself foreword again. This time, he had his paws extended, and was attempting to just knock her over so that he could be finished with training. While he was taller than many other cats his age, Chalkpaw was not much heavier, so he would have to rely more on force and momentum than weight and muscle.  words: 313 tags: emberfang notes: n/a credit: template made by oxymoron! of btn

Chalkpaw