Meet Me Inside [Gustpaw/Fen Training Thread]

credit to nat of adoxography and Gangnam Style.

Dark paws flitted across the debris and leaf-litter of the forest floor. The slender cat prancing along, following the scent of his mentor along the ground right until it cut up into the trees. One ear flicked, his body paused with muscles coiled to spring, carefully gauging the height of the lowest branch in the closest oak – before swivelling his body and leaping up onto the trunk of the one next to it instead. He clawed his way up the wood, scuttling out along a branch and springing into the cover of its silent neighbour. Nearby, a bird leaped from among the leaves, rustling them and trilling in alarm. Gustpaw hesitated just long enough to watch her soar into the sky, suppressing the familiar pang of envy at her prowess.

With the ease of a cat born to traverse the treetops (and with none of his mentor’s bulk to hinder his progress) he set off again, mouth gently parted to draw the scent of his mentor to him. He tracked the older cat not too much further (he wasn’t the Clan’s most advanced tracker after all, it called for an attention span which alluded the vibrant apprentice) before he burst from the leaves onto the other tom’s branch. “Here I am!” He announced cheerfully, waving his tail in greeting as he crouched down on the branch, paws kneading the firm wood to expel the energy which kept him from being entirely still.

“What are we doing today, Obsidianheart? Are we working on climbing? Hunting squirrels? Treetop ambush?” He asked, mouth flying a mile a minute with eyes gleaming excitedly. His claws scraped gently at the bark. He never had any idea what the collected tom had planned until he informed him; or, rather, he always had altogether too many ideas with no actual clarity to them.

blossom(semi-hiatus)

credit to nat of adoxography and Gangnam Style.

The smoke tabby wasn’t sure how his mentor always seemed to be so calm when the forest was so vibrant and alive around them. There was so much to be excited about, so many scents and sounds and secrets and puzzles and—he pulled himself up, forcing his erratic breath to even out though he couldn’t stop his paws from kneading the branch. The apprentice seemed to have energy to spare, though he supposed there was some wisdom in his mentor’s instruction to try and save some for the actual training itself. He was right of course, even Gustpaw came back to camp exhausted from long days out with the black furred warrior.

“Okay Obsidianheart.” He replied though he itched to simply barrel ahead and continue guessing at what it was they were going to be doing. There were so many possibilities and the apprentice wanted to do all of them. Right then. One after the other... though he probably wouldn’t learn very much if he did a little of one and a little of another and a little more of something else... hard to master anything that way. He caught his thoughts as they rambled, dragging his focus back to the older cat on the branch, flicking his tail quickly anxious to be up and doing something.

His mentor spoke again and a thrill of adrenaline slammed through the slender apprentice – battle training. They hadn’t done much of it and what they had done, Gustpaw’s mind outsmarted itself. He couldn’t seem to make his body keep up with the rapid thought process going on inside his head... and therein lay half of the apprentice’s problem. The other half lay in that his mentor was about twice his height and three times as broad. He was a large cat, powerful and built for strength while Gustpaw tilted on the slighter end of average, young and gangly and slender not yet fully developed into himself and not yet carrying any significant mass.

He watched his mentor leap from the tree, powerful and direct. Gustpaw on the other paw whirled and leaped into the branches of a nearby tree and bounded down in a few more steps landing on the soft earth and turning to face off against his mentor who seemed poised, ready for combat. The apprentice shifted, trying to mirror the older cat’s pose, “Now what?” He asked, voice bright and trembling with excitement.

blossom(semi-hiatus)

credit to nat of adoxography and Gangnam Style.

The forest was still save for the occasional breeze which stirred the branches and light rustled the tabby’s short pelt. He wondered, for the briefest of moments, what his denmates were doing and where they were in the forest. It seemed remarkable that everything could be so still and quiet when there was so much feline life; cats patrolling, hunting, training – living.

There was no time for letting his mind wander through the trees; his mentor was watching him, his gaze clinical and body tense, he expected something. Expected Gustpaw to make a move... Gustpaw wanted so desperately to impress the dark furred warrior. His mind ran through the possible approaches his limited battle training had taught him; he was a creative creature, eyes darting around them as he considered their surroundings. Trees – he was smaller than Obsidianheart, he moved easier along the branches... but he was also younger, his mentor had experience on his side and besides. This was battle training, not a test in losing an opponent. Without the element of surprise of being able to drop from the trees than Gustpaw wasn’t sure they’d be of any help.

Obsidianheart had dropped into a crouch, stalking towards his apprentice with more grace than Gustpaw expected of a bulkier cat. Gustpaw skittered back a pace, trying to give himself enough distance to decide upon a plan of action. Obsidianheart tensed and Gustpaw knew he had to act; charging the other cat was a bad plan, he was far too small... his eyes ran across the other cat, searching out a weakness in his movements. He was low in his crouch, his centre of gravity too low and balanced for Gustpaw to have much success in taking out his paws... maybe if he leaped behind him... pale eyes narrowed. Leaping behind him would allow him to get in a swipe and force the bigger cat to twist, it’d be an advantage!

Yet still he hesitated. If he leaped and Obsidianheart reared he’d be knocked down and crushed. If he misjudged the leap or if the other tom was faster than he seemed and twisted? He’d be off balance from landing... there were too many variables but it was the best plan he had. He crouched, body tense as he prepared to spring, pushing off after a moment pinpointing his intended landing place with the powerful hind legs which were his SkyClan birthright. He aimed for the space just behind his mentor, hoping to box the bigger cat’s flank.

blossom(semi-hiatus)

credit to nat of adoxography and Gangnam Style.

Obsidianheart didn’t rear – for a heartbeat Gustpaw thought that he might have taken his mentor by surprise. There was a soft thud as the apprentice landed, twisting around immediately to attempt to aim his blow at the warrior’s flank. His mentor, however, was not so easily fooled. Clever as Gustpaw considered himself and as deft as his mind was, experience trumped as it so often would. Pale eyes narrowed as he caught the rippling of his mentor’s muscles, the large cat moving too fast for the apprentice to properly respond. One paw was lifted, braced to strike out when Obsidianheart’s hindpaws connected with his chest.

Even though the blow was not as powerful as it could have been had Obsidianheart put his whole strength behind it, the smoke tabby was still swept clean off his paws. His limbs flailed for a heartbeat, eyes stretched wide before he thumped down hard into the forest floor with a startled “Oof!” He lay for a moment, tail tip twitching as his mind struggled to catch up with that turn of events. “Wow!” He gasped out, heaving oxygen back into his lungs and hauling himself back to his paws, turning to face his mentor with a startled look.

“That was amazing!” He was impressed not just by the kick but by how easily his mentor had turned the potential disadvantage of a cat at his back into a strength by utilising the naturally powerful hindlegs their Clan was known for. “What next?” He panted, shaking out his pelt and ignoring the soft ache in his chest. “Should I attack again or do you want to show me what I did wrong or show me that last move you did or or or...” He trailed off, eyes gleaming excitedly and paws kneading the earth as he waited for Obsidianheart’s next instruction.

blossom(semi-hiatus)