First Step to Becoming a Warrior

[Fox]

Rainstorm set off at a swift pace as soon as she was sure Echopaw was following. Her paws only slightly hit the muddy banks of the stream, leaving a slight indent in the soft earth. She brushed through the reeds of the water's banks with ease acquired from constant repetitious trips to the training area.

The tabby looked behind her, and barely concealed a grin as she noticed her apprentice's far off-gaze. He looks like an elder lost in thought! She thought good-humoredly. She padded onwards, and slowed her pace as she neared a tall screen of reeds. She flicked her tail to signal for Echopaw, and brushed through the tall stalks and into a clearing.

Light-blue streams surrounded the flat space. Water swirled and danced over smooth stone pebbles underneath the surface. A willow tree stood alone nearby, its branches hanging over part of the clearing, shadowing some of the light dirt. In the parts not shaded, the sun clearly shone through, cheerfully illuminating the area. No grass grew here. Instead, a soft layer of dust and sand enveloped the clearing.

Rainstorm padded in and sat in the center of the training ground. Because the space was large, and clear of any objects that might provide a hindrance, the place was an ideal spot for teaching young apprentices. She looked at the spot in the reeds where she knew Echopaw would emerge. She couldn't wait to see his face. She remembered that she had been in awe when she had first come here...but then again, she'd just left the nursery. Echopaw had been out of the camp before. Still...she couldn't stop from being excited. Her eyes glittered in anticipation of the coming session with Echopaw. This time, Rainstorm thought, this time I'll turn out a warrior the clan can be proud of.

[folf]

[ ECHO ]


Echopaw still kept the corner of his eye on the undulating, perfect waves within the river, his paws as slow and patient as the water running mere mouse-lengths away. It was a good chance that his ears were pricked to listen to the patter of drops against rocks, or he may have missed the rustling of reeds as Rainstorm slid through them. Twisting his head away from his Clan's namesake, the tom just caught the "Follow me!" signal twisting off the tip of his mentor's tail. Echopaw stumbled into a gallop as he rushed into the reeds without a backwards glance at the river. The plants made a noise much more like a violent snapping then the nigh-elegant rustling from earlier, an annoyance that buzzed within the gray tabby's mind-- that is, until he stepped out into the clearing.

Rainstorm was waiting on the other side, her pelt turned darker by the great shadow cast from the overhanging willow. As Echopaw padded into the clearing, he realized the ground was not nearly as damp as the ground outside. Though not perfectly firm, it may be one of the best places on the territory to train on the territory.

"The tree must have kept the rain off..." Mused the tom, looking back up at the tree thoughtfully. However, he was cut short as he realized that Rainstorm was watching him. Though he couldn't detect any immediate anger or impatience in the gaze, Echopaw couldn't help but feel uncomfortable, his ears slicking back in what was almost embarrassment. He immediately sat down, as if he had never bothered to examine the clearing so closely. But, that very situation was floating away with the prospect of using his paws, even with claws unsheathed, for something other then walking atop the earth...or, just for example, kneading the dirt anxiously.

But not so anxiously Echopaw would babble-- or, for the matter, open his muzzle to make a sound. He'd much rather wait for some sort of signal, even if he didn't understand one twist or flick or jolt of it.

[Fox]

Rainstorm smiled slightly as she noticed her apprentice observing the clearing thoughtfully, then look down, embarrassed. The she-cat wondered why, then guessed that it was because she had been watching him so intently. "Mouse dung." She hissed very softly under her breath, mad at herself now for causing him discomfort.

She grinned wickedly as a thought came to her. I better test his skills first. She thought, then carefully checked that her claws were sheathed. Suddenly, she leaped into the air, the muscles in her hind legs rippling. "Surprise attack!" She yowled, wanting to give Echopaw a little warning to prepare himself.

[folf]

[ ECHO ]


While immediate, spontaneous action wasn't Echopaw's style, he was willing to make it work.

The young apprentice certainly had no idea of his mentor's rush until her yowl rang across the clearing. The tom's eyes widened, his head jolting up to get any idea of where Rainstorm was rushing him from. But, all he got was a gaze full of fur and paws as his mentor collided with him. The tom's lungs exhaled precious oxygen like an old musket shoots a bullet--quick and harsh. Echopaw wheezed as his body was pressed onto the compact training ground and rolled over, dirt and mud clinging to his fur, Rainstorm's wait ever atop him.

But, Echopaw's "style" was not going to let that continue for long. Even if his usual composure had to be dropped for such a thing to happen.

The tabby, knowing his mentor's paws weren't yet pushing against his shoulders, began to wriggle free. Clouds of dust and clods of mud flew into the air as his paws scrabbled against the ground.
"Thank StarClan we're nearly the same size!" Echopaw thought in gratitude as he came close to at last clawing his way free, meanwhile sending a prayer that Rainstorm wouldn't block his oh-so-close escape route with some sort of move. The idea of a full breath, one of which was beginning to flow into his lungs now, was all too new!

[Fox]

Rainstorm landed with a thud on top of her startled apprentice, and let him wiggle free, knowing this would be a shock to him. She gracefully leaped off his back and turned around to face him. However, instead of further continuing her assualt, she sat and began to wash her paw.

She set her foot back down and looked Echopaw over appraisngly. "Not bad for a beginner. However, if a cat even slightly larger than me had been in my position, I doubt you would have escaped. The heavier weight would have pinned you down. But I'll teach you that later. For now, your reactions need work. If I hadn't yowled in advance, you wouldn't have stood any chance whatsoever against me. You always need to be alert. The slightest warning that a cat, or any animal, may be attacking you, must always be percieved by your ears. You must always use your senses; like hearing a branch crack underfoot, or smelling Shadowclan scent on the breeze, or feeling the light thump of a paw as it drums the ground." Rainstorm paused a moment. I didn't know I could give such long speeches. She thought, with mild surprise.

"Now, we're going to try something different. My mentor did this with me, and now I'll try with you. Before I teach you how to fight, I will teach you how to sense." The small warrior looked at her apprentice. "Close your eyes. This will be hard, as we are on flat ground, and not in a forest, where dead bracken or the rustle of leaves may betray my position. I want you to really concentrate on me. I'm going to stay as quiet as I can, and I want you to try and tag me, without vision. Ready?" She asked. "Go." She mewed softly, and began to tread silently around him, paws barely hitting the bare earth.

[folf]

[ ECHO ]


Echopaw gasped as the weight came off of him, and he scrambled away, making sure he was facing his mentor. He was not going to be tricked again!
"In fact," thought the tom a he twisted into position. "She's probably already--"
Grooming herself tranquilly.
If this was something to set him off guard, it was working. The young apprentice's fur didn't stop spiking, nor his ears stop twitching or tail stop lashing, until Rainstorm looked up at him and began to speak.

Echopaw was smart enough not to let the opening compliment lull him into a false pretense of success. The memory of his scraping and scrambling and wheezing like a dog, a dumb dog, was still fresh in his mind. Good thing too, because a short warning came soon after, followed by...suggestions. Calm, but forceful. He was interested.

"Of course, her pawsteps, her scent! She could've even stepped on something, just to try to warn me before she resorted to warning the entire forest too!" The tom felt a flush near his nose, and he immediately vowed to never start daydreaming or pondering during training, or even in the forest, ever again. His respect for Rainstorm had certainly escalated in the past few minutes...but, that didn't stop him from being slightly skeptical of this training regime. Even if his mentor had pronounced it as odd...

Not like he was going to disobey. Echopaw knew he need work. Lots of work. Casting one last glance at Rainstorm--who was now beginning to circle him delicately, slowly--he shut his eyes. For several moments he felt in worse shape than ever before. However, that soon lapsed, as his other senses began to leap to action. His ears were practically vibrating as they began to minutely swivel over and over, picking up more sounds, and his jaws automatically parted to capture any sort of scent. The scent of simple forest overwhelmed every scent at first, but soon they began to separate. Fern. Oak. Bird.
Rainstorm.

And suddenly her steps, which must have been as light as mouse's, began to ring. Just a tad, but a ring nevertheless. Focusing, Echopaw soon realized his mentor was behind him, somewhere. He'd wait for her to move just a little more. The scuffling and noises he would cause by twisting around could ruin the chance. One, two, three, four, five, six--there! She should be by his left side now. Echopaw rose steadily. Tensing his muscles silently, thanking StarClan no pebbles had started to roll too loudly, the leaped. He knew her direction, her probable placement...he was just left to hoped that Rainstorm was about two tail-lengths away.

Which was...not.

Echopaw hit the earth, paws pulling him forward as he tried to land gracefully. His eyes burst open instinctively. Just in time for him to see Rainstorm's fur as he collided into her side, right in position but off by distance.

[Fox]

{{Sorry I took so long to reply! Oh, and the battle moves are from Secrets of the Clans. I didn't just make up those names or anything.}}

Rainstorm circled Echopaw slowly, smiling as she noticed his gradual changes; his ears began to flick back and forth, his nose twitching as he sniffed the air, his muscles tensed. As he got up, she nodded, though he couldn't see it. He must have some idea of her whereabouts.

As she prowled around his left flank, he leapt at her. He was quick, too. A slow cat would have had to risk jumping at where they predicted she would be, but that didn't always turn out as well as it should. He didn't get the distance right, though. She had to stop a mrrow of laughter as he hit the ground in front of her, but she let out an oof as he crashed into her side. She stumbled, then righted herself and looked down at him.

"You can open your eyes now." Rainstorm told her apprentice. "Pretty good, pretty good. You managed to judge my position, though not exactly. We need to work a little on gauging the distance and exact whereabouts of your opponent." She smiled. "But enough of that for today. I promised you I would teach you some battle moves, and that I will. Now, first off, we'll start with the 'leap-and-hold'. Since you're still small, it will be fairly difficult for you when facing larger opponents. This move is ideal for smaller cats in that position. As you'll find, it's very simple to learn and master. All you are going to do is spring onto your opponent's back and grip with unsheathed claws, but keep them sheathed in practice! Once you are on your enemy's back, you are beyond the range of your opponent's paws and in position to inflict severe body wounds. Once again, don't do that in practice. The only thing you have to watch out for when using this move is the drop-and-roll countermove. Try to jump free before you get squashed."

Rainstorm took a deep breath. "Got all that? Jump on me when you're ready. This will be a little different, as I'm, unfortunately, not bigger than you, but we'll make it work. Now, go whenever you're ready, and watch for my counter. And like I said, claws sheathed!" Rainstorm watched Echopaw, waiting for him to begin the move.