Dolphinpaw training with Thrushheart

The reddish-tan wolf padded through the forest, stopping once he'd entered a slight clearing. He decided that this would be a good place to train Dolphinpaw; there had to be plenty of prey around, and the clearing would be enough room to practice fighting. He supposed he could find a stream or go to the river if Dolphinpaw wanted to learn fishing. Sitting down nearby the edge of the clearing, Thrushheart let out a slight howl for Dolphinpaw to hear that their training would begin.

Thrushheart looked up as Dolphinpaw arrived, nodding as she mentioned that she hadn't practiced much with her previous mentor. He thought of possible skills they could work on first, deciding on a few. "Would you want to start out with hunting, or fighting, for your first skill? You could choose something else though if you had another skill in mind." Thrushheart added. He could remember practicing fighting with his own mentor, Shadowclaw, even though he wasn't the best at it. The young warrior's yellow eyes looked back to Dolphinpaw, as he waited for her response.

Thrushheart nodded as he heard Dolphinpaw's response. "Fighting, a good choice." The reddish warrior said with a slight smile. "Alright then, let's start out with what you know. Try and fight me, just a few moves, and then I can try teaching some other fighting moves." Thrushheart added. The warrior nodded to Dolphinpaw, flattening his ears back and bristling his pelt, as he tried to appear as a warrior from another Clan.

Thrushheart's yellow eyes watched as Dolphinpaw ran at him, and he prepared for her to charge towards him. However, Dolphinpaw had instead leaped up at him, falling off after she'd tried to bite at the warrior's ear. "That's alright, Dolphinpaw; you did well however in changing your move at the last moment. That's something that will help in a real battle; confusing your opponents." Thrushheart said. "You can try again, before I teach you some other battle moves." He added, preparing for Dolphinpaw to attack once again.

Thrushheart watched as Dolphinpaw had responded, before running towards him. The apprentice had then leaped up onto his back, this time managing to bite his ear. Dolphinpaw jumped back to the ground, and the reddish-brown warrior glanced back at the apprentice. "Good work, Dolphinpaw; in a real battle, you could have the advantage by being out of reach of your opponent" Thrushheart said, flicking his ear. "I'll show a battle move or two, and then if you want, you could try both those moves and what you already know. The first move I'll show you is the Front Paw Strike; to do this move, strike out towards your opponent with your paw." Thrushheart said, lifting up his right paw and striking out at the air. "Another move is the Upright Lock; if you stand back on your hindpaws, you can bring your front paws down hard on your opponent. The Upright Lock is usually a final move, which you can use on an already weakened opponent." Thrushheart added, nodding to show Dolphinpaw that she could try the two battle moves again.

Thrushheart nodded as Dolphinpaw had done the first battle move well. "You're doing good so far." The reddish warrior said, before Dolphinpaw had tried out the second, harder move. The apprentice had managed to balance, bringing down her front paws. "I think you've got the moves down; for the second move, although you hadn't balanced at first, you were able to bring your paws down." Thrushheart added. "Is there another type of battle move you'd like to learn, such as a defensive or starting move, or would you like to practice fighting against me again if you think you've learned enough moves for the moment?" The young warrior asked.

Thrushheart nodded as he heard Dolphinpaw. "Okay then, we'll work on defensive moves. One of the easiest moves there is would be step to the side as an opponent rushes at you; you'd be able to take your opponent by surprise then. Another defensive move is called the 'duck-and-twist'; simply crouch down and twist around, out of your opponent's path, roll onto your back, and spring up onto your paws." Thrushheart stated. "Either of these moves should help you in defense; it's always important to defend yourself in battle, and make sure your opponent isn't able to strike out at you or hurt you." The young warrior added. "Now, let's have an actual practice fight, using all the moves you've learned so far. After this, we can work on something else if you'd like." Thrushheart added, crouching down. His yellow eyes looked over at Dolphinpaw and he nodded slightly, a way of saying that she could start the fight.

Thrushheart's yellow eyes watched as Dolphinpaw ran at him, aiming a strike towards his muzzle. Though fast, the young warrior wasn't able to move out of the way quickly enough, and Dolphinpaw's blow had hit him. Shaking his head, Thrushheart quickly leaped to the side, lifting up his paw and aiming to strike out at Dolphinpaw's ears. I wonder what move she'll try next, or what I should do. The warrior thought to himself.

[Sorry for not replying sooner!]

Thrushheart let out a slight yelp of surprise as Dolphinpaw bit his paw, and he tumbled onto his side. He hadn't been expecting Dolphinpaw's move, and tried to quickly think of a different move he could try. Perhaps it would be good for her to get some more practice on defensive moves. The young warrior thought, and he aimed a blow against Dolphinpaw's muzzle with his other paw.

Thrushheart noticed that his battle move had been a success, though soon Dolphinpaw was on her paws, bolting back and forth. Thrushheart tilted his head, wondering what Dolphinpaw was doing. There's not much I can do while she's dashing back and forth. Thrushheart thought, realizing that his apprentice must be trying a battle tactic of her own. Hmm... what should I do? Thrushheart wondered to himself, before bolting forward and placing his paw out in the apprentice's path; if Dolphinpaw stumbled, he'd be able to plan his next battle move, though if not, at least she would have some more defensive practice.