So Cold (Any/Icefeather?)

[Deleted]

[atrb=border,0,true][bg=black] Mosspaw stumbled out of the apprentices' den with a violent sneeze. Snow had fallen the night before and now his cold had worsened. He blinked at the bright light reflecting off the snow and shook his pounding head, then regretted it. Now he was congested and dizzy. The young tom padded forward with his head low and his tail drooping. He knew he sinuses would clear after a good walk, but his muscles needed some coaxing. With a tired leap, Mosspaw jumped down to the island's sunning rocks and arched his back against the inviting rays of the sun. It wasn't overcast today and there was a rare, gentle breeze that carried the warmth of the morning over the territory. He prayed to StarClan that this meant new-leaf was on its way, but didn't hold his breath over the matter. After a few minutes, the young apprentice was feeling a lot better. He climbed back onto the island and crashed clumsily through the dead reeds until he was properly in camp. Some part of him hoped Icefeather would let him walk over the frozen river. That was the daring side, of course. He doubted it was very safe. Then again, he didn't weigh much more than a couple of squirrels. Maybe he could say he wanted to test how thick the ice was- To see if it was safe for the other apprentices to try. After all, they had to test their paws on ice sooner or later, right? Where was his mentor, anyway? Word Count: 251 Audience: Any/Icefeather? Comments: None

[{Otter}]

Morning was advancing slowly as a slender, white-furred warrior slipped quietly through the reeds and stepped into RiverClan's camp. Two squirrels dangled from her jaws by their tails, scrawny little stringy things, but freshkill nonetheless. With a grunt Icefeather flung them atop the few assorted pieces of prey on the freshkill pile, then sat down and looked around.

There was sunlight today. The bright rays beamed down upon her and warmed her white fur. She loved leafbare, no cat could doubt that. Any other season, she had to work hard to keep her stark white fur from giving her away while she hunted. In fact, she often was only successful in fishing, as the fish could not see her fur and therefore she could not give herself away.

But leafbare? Snow fell, and while other dark-furred cats were at a loss to hide themselves in the bright white ice, she had no trouble at all. Prey never saw her coming...she hardly even had to stalk up on them. Therefore, Icefeather was often in a better mood when leafbare came, and her normal irritable, cynical self was not as imposing as in different seasons. Lucky Mosspaw, eh?

A loud crackling and rustling reached her ears, and Icefeather turned with a soft snarl towards the side of the camp. She sprang to her paws and unsheathed her claws, prepared to face an imposing fox or badger, but as she watched, a small, dark tabby kit stumbled clumsily into camp, and she released a frustrated sigh. It was Mosspaw. Of course.

She wasn't yet sure what to make of her small, sickly-looking apprentice. He did not appear to be a very promising pupil, but she had noticed that throughout the moons he had grown less and less sickly. He sneezed less, which was nice, and didn't seem to be as clumsy as before. Still small, sure, but better. Perhaps he would continue to improve.

"Mosspaw!" she mewed sharply, trotting forward to face the young tom. "Now that you have had your tromp through the reeds, are you ready to work?"

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[atrb=border,0,true][bg=black] "Mosspaw!" The brown tom's face shot around to face the direction from which his name was called. His ears perked up as he stood almost attention when he realized it was his mentor who was calling him. Icefeather sure was loud... "Now that you have had your tromp through the reeds, are you ready to work?" "Yes, Icefeather! he answered quickly as his legs powered him forward. He wasn't a completely helpless kit, after all. His paws worked fine when he was in a clearing or in water. It was trudging through giant plants that always tripped him up. The white she-cat was the bossy sort, it seemed. Although Mosspaw was determined to please any mentor Rookstar gave him, he would have liked a cat who was a bit more patient with him. But then, maybe it was because Rookstar didn't want to give Mosspaw any slack just because he was always sick. If that was the case, he was grateful for the challenge. He didn't want to be treated different. "What are we going to do today, Icefeather? Something with movement, I hope. I'll freeze if I have to take care of the elders' ticks!" Of course, that was one job that Mosspaw hated no matter what the weather was like. If it was hot, he would have said the their den was too stuffy to stay in too long. It it was newleaf or leaf-fall, he would have claimed that the younger apprentice's paws were smaller and they would find more ticks than her could. Any reason was a good excuse to get out of touching mouse bile! Word Count: 264 Audience: Any/Icefeather Comments: None

[{Otter}]

Sickly he may be, but he was eager and ready to work. Icefeather could respect that, at least for now. How well and how fast he could learn, she'd soon find out. Her judgment could be reserved until then.

"What are we going to do today, Icefeather? Something with movement, I hope. I'll freeze if I have to take care of the elders' ticks!"

What, indeed? Because of his earnest request, she had half a mind to simply order him to clean up the elder's den and check the freshkill pile for crowfood, but she decided not to be that cruel. Not yet. It was, after all, their first day of training, eh? But what did one do in leafbare? She could not teach him to fish, obviously--any mousebrain could see that the river was frozen, and therefore out of bounds for any cat (any mousebrain except, of course, the fool Ottersplash who insisted upon ignoring all laws of nature and simply diving headfirst into any kind of water, no matter how frigid it might be). No, they would not be going near the river until it melted. Perhaps not even until newleaf.

Pale brown eyes shifted over her small apprentice, sizing him up. Unless he had a very large growth spurt, she knew he would never be the kind of cat to fight with brute strength. He'd never be the strongest, and therefore he needed to be the smartest. The one with the fastest wit and the sharpest claws.

"What are we going to do today, you ask?" she purred, tilting her head to one side as she gazed upon her young apprentice. "We, Mosspaw, are going to work on your reflexes. Come along now." She rose to her paws and trotted calmly out of camp.

Within a few minutes, they came to a dryish bank alongside the River. Here the long white she-cat stopped and sat down, with her back to Mosspaw. She sat like this for a few moments, and then, on an impulse, sprang to her paws and turned on Mosspaw, leaping directly over his head in one fluid movement. This was all to test his reaction time...to see how long it took him to realize what she was doing.

[Deleted]

[atrb=border,0,true][bg=black] "We, Mosspaw, are going to work on your reflexes. Come along now." Reflexes? Mosspaw sneezed again, eyes snapping shut as spit sprayed out of his mouth. He sniffed and looked up only to realize that his mentor had already started heading toward the riverbank. He growled at his sickness and sprang forward to catch up to Icefeather. At their designated training area, the tom took a moment to glance out at the frozen river. His curiosity was pulling him toward it, but he made himself lock his eyes on the white she-cat before him. He watched her sit down with her back to him. It took him a moment to ask himself what was going on. Then he realized that this was probably part of his training. Was she expecting him to do something? No. He'd never attack a more experienced cat unless she ordered him. The apprentice stood his ground, kit-furred tail bristling even further. What was she going to do? He didn't dare blink. He thanked StarClan that his concentration was driving his sickness into submission. Perhaps if he stayed focused more often, it would cure him of every symptom. There was a twitch of fur from his mentor. Mosspaw readied himself for an attack, but none came. He watched her gather her legs under her and spring forward. Too high to be aimed at him. He mimicked her motions and jumped up as she sailed over him. Sheathed claws were aimed to at least swipe her tail to the side. When he landed again, the young tom turned to face the white she-cat. She'd given him time to think before. She probably wouldn't be so kind this time. Word Count: 276 Audience: Icefeather Comments: None

[{Otter}]

Soft paws connected with her tail, swatting it to one side, and a flash of surprise surged through Icefeather. Well, well, the sickly young kit was a perceptive little one, was he? There was absolutely no doubt in her mind that she was impressed, but she was not one to show it. Not yet. She wouldn't compliment him until he really earned it. Icefeather twisted in the air so that when she landed, she was facing Mosspaw. She touched down lightly and lashed her tail from side-to-side, pale brown eyes taking in her young apprentice as she sized him up.

So, he had quick reflexes. Or, perhaps his advantage was not reflexes as much as it was perceptiveness. He had watched her, had seen her move and seen what she was doing. To her surprise, it looked as if he could focus quite well, despite his frequent sneezing fits. Indeed, Icefeather was impressed.

But enough of that now. If there was one thing Icefeather was good at, it was attacking without giving herself away. Her long, flowing fur hid her muscles so that it was very difficult to see her tense, and as a result, few could figure out, just by looking at her, she was about to attack. As they were working on reflexes for now, she decided to continue.

Icefeather drew herself into a crouch, muscles smooth and relaxed. Her pale brown eyes watched Mosspaw with deep focus, focus that never wavered. "When I attack, I want you to dodge," she mewed simply, tail sweeping softy across the snow-peppered ground.

For a few long moments, Icefeather crouched motionless. Her muscles neither relaxed nor tensed. Then, in a sudden, quick movement, without so much as a blink, she surged forward, aiming straight at her apprentice. This time, if he didn't move, she wouldn't just sail over him--she'd knock him to the ground.

This time, the goal was not to test his perceptiveness, but rather his reaction time to an attack he would not be able to predict. They would soon see how well he did at this.

[Deleted]

[atrb=border,0,true][bg=black] "When I attack, I want you to dodge." The order was simple, direct, and unquestionable. Immediately, Mosspaw copied her stance. He crouched. However, unlike her, his muscles were tense. After a moment or two of waiting, he shifted his focus to one side of his body. If he jumped to the side, the rest of him would follow. However, the tom had not taken in the idea of waiting so long. Without realizing it, his muscles grew tired and stiff. Because of the subject matter of this test, Mosspaw blinked very quickly and only when he absolutely needed to. And in the blink of his eye, Icefeather had closed half of the distance between them. He jumped to the side in his attempt to evade her. Because of his intent of staying ready, he limped upon landing and his goal to swipe at her once more was failed. His muscles simply wouldn't move for him. A pain on his opposite shoulder told him that he had indeed been hit by some part of her body, perhaps her head or shoulder. He was quick, but his strength had waned during the wait and he couldn't get out of her way in time. "Again," he growled. His determination was commendable, he knew it, but a sudden sneeze also told him that if he pushed himself too far, it might be the end of him. After all, this was only his first day. But StarClan forbid if he didn't make a good impression. "And you're giving me time to think, by the way..." In all reality, he just didn't want to waste his time and energy waiting again. Word Count: 268 Audience: Icefeather Comments: None

[{Otter}]

A soft sigh issued from the white warrior's throat as she watched Mosspaw. He was so tense, the little cat. Then again, she'd never told him to relax. Perhaps she'd need to speak some more, rather than just make him learn it from experience. Oh well, at least for now she could continue doing this.

He was too stiff as he moved, and her shoulder bumped into him. He had, at least, mostly gotten out of the way. From the corner of her eye she saw the attempt to swipe at her, but he was too unbalanced, and his paw didn't come anywhere near her.

"Again."

The young cat hissed as she was turning around to face him again. Pale brown eyes widened as Icefeather looked over her apprentice. Well well, he was quite the determined young cat. She wasn't sure what she had expected, but this was not it. Perhaps she had expected him to get frustrated and upset and simply quit trying or want to do something else. But no, he was wanting to go again. Good, she thought with a slight nod. He's determined and stubborn, at least. A good trait in an apprentice.

"And you're giving me time to think, by the way..."

But perhaps a bit too voicy. Icefeather's eyes narrowed slightly as she st uided Mosspaw. "If I am giving you time to think, why are you not performing perfectly?" she asked sharply, sitting down and wrapping her fluffy tail around her forepaws. "Not all battles are fast-paced. If you are ever forced to fight a single trespasser alone, they will not be so foolish as to simply attack and attack. They'll strategize, they'll watch for your weaknesses. You'll have time to think, and you have to learn to think about the right kind of things. For instance, while you were waiting for me to attack, did you even think about what you might do after you dodge? A way to avoid me and retaliate? Were you thinking about my weaknesses, or how you could use your surroundings to your advantage? You need to be able to think of all that and still keep your mind on your opponent." she stopped, figuring he understood now, and backed up a few paces. The white she-cat crouched again, her muscles relaxed.

"Do not remain tense. It will only wear you out faster. Keep your mind ready, but do not keep your muscles so tight that you cannot move smoothly. You need to have a crouch that you could hold for hours, and then, at the slightest order, be able to run through the forest to escape an enemy you cannot defeat--such as a fox. She straightened up and lowered her butt to the ground once more. "Now attack me, and use your head."

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[atrb=border,0,true][bg=black] "If I am giving you time to think, why are you not performing perfectly?" Mosspaw flinched at her tone as well as the question. She was right, of course. But then again, it was his first day. He followed her motions and sat down on the bank of the river, curling his tail around his own paws. Imitation was supposedly the sincerest form of flattery. He hoped it would calm her down. "Not all battles are fast-paced. If you are ever forced to fight a single trespasser alone, they will not be so foolish as to simply attack and attack. They'll strategize, they'll watch for your weaknesses. You'll have time to think, and you have to learn to think about the right kind of things. For instance, while you were waiting for me to attack, did you even think about what you might do after you dodge? A way to avoid me and retaliate? Were you thinking about my weaknesses, or how you could use your surroundings to your advantage? You need to be able to think of all that and still keep your mind on your opponent." The young tom drank in her words, committing it all to memory. Soon, his head began to hurt. Being an apprentice was going to be tough! But he would work as hard as it took. He wouldn't disappoint his clan. He followed her movement again, crouching down like her. Beneath her fur, Mosspaw could just barely tell that she wasn't tense at all. The apprentice had flexed his muscles before, holding them in that position for as long as possible. That was wrong. He couldn't keep his body ready forever. Instead, he had to have a quick reaction time. "Do not remain tense. It will only wear you out faster. Keep your mind ready, but do not keep your muscles so tight that you cannot move smoothly. You need to have a crouch that you could hold for hours, and then, at the slightest order, be able to run through the forest to escape an enemy you cannot defeat--such as a fox." She straightened up and lowered her butt to the ground once more. Mosspaw did so as well. "Now attack me, and use your head." Mosspaw narrowed his eyes and concentrated on his opponent for a long time, but he couldn't find any weaknesses, at least, nothing he could exploit. He was too small! Then he had an idea, but it would be difficult. Her long fur was the key. If he could get behind her fluffy tail, out of her view for just a split second, he could attack while she was staring at her tail instead of him. He took off at a quick pace, aiming something of a glancing blow to her shoulder only to make her turn and follow him, stretching her tail out for balance. He gripped the ground once he was out of view and flung himself the other way, hopefully where her face would be. Word Count:502 Audience: Icefeather Comments: None

[{Otter}]

He'll just try to run around me, or something. Or try feinting. Great StarClan, this might take some time. The critical thoughts flowed from Icefeather's mind as she calmly watched her young apprentice. What move could he perform that would surprise her? Nothing, she figured. Perhaps they should take a break after this. This was, after all, just his first day.

Finally, he raced forward. Icefeather sighed and skipped easily out of the way of his first blow, turning to follow his movements. What, was that it? Was he just done?

Like a sucker, she fell for his trick. Her large, fluffy tail extended to keep her balance, and as she watched, he vanished from her sight. Icefeather began to turn, figuring he would keep running in a circle around her. But before she could even move, the dark brown little fluffball shot back out from behind her tail, straight for her face! A little mewl was startled from her as she sprang away, though not in time to avoid the small head slamming into her jaw, causing her to grunt in surprise and stagger.

Planting her paws firmly in the snowy ground, she regained her balance and watched her young apprentice with stunned gaze. Her ears were flattened and fur bristled, a natural reaction to being surprised, but as she stared at Mosspaw her ears pricked forward and fur relaxed, and she lashed her tail in intrigue. "That was very impressive," she mewed, the rare compliment coming as a surprise even to her. "You used your disadvantage and my disadvantage, and made them both your own advantage. You used your head in two ways," she purred, surprising herself even more. A small white paw raised to feel her bruised jaw, and she realized that , though not trained yet and certainly of an unimpressive size, Mosspaw could indeed become a decent warrior.

Ah, but his ego might become inflated now. Icefeather couldn't have that. "That won't work for any cat with short fur, and will never work once you are grown, but it was good for now," she added. She couldn't, however, deny how her heart had raced with surprise as he moved. Perhaps his actions deserved a break. "Rest for now, and then you can decide; more of this, or learn hunting crouches."

Muse;; decent. That was a nice move ^.^
Audience;; Little Mosspaw
Notes;; Unfortunately, I do not have any of the books and therefore cannot check and see what hunting crouches go with which animals. Do you know of a website that tells them? I want to be accurate for little Mosspaw ^.^

[Deleted]

[atrb=border,0,true][bg=black] "That was very impressive." Mosspaw glanced up at his mentor, trying to focus on her face as he rubbed his aching head with his paw. After the collision, all hope of making another sneak attack had been thwarted due to his inability to stay on his paws. The ringing in his ears didn't help much either. "You used your disadvantage and my disadvantage, and made them both your own advantage. You used your head in two ways." What she said didn't make a whole lot of sense to the young tom, but he could at least tell that it was a compliment. He put his paw down and flicked his ears back a little, betraying his pain and tilting his head forward in a tiny bow. "Thank you." "That won't work for any cat with short fur, and will never work once you are grown, but it was good for now." Of course it wouldn't work for short-hairs. Fluffy and long-haired cats would be at his mercy, though. At least as long as he stayed a little on the small side. He blinked and nodded to show he'd heard her, but didn't reply. A denser cat would appreciate being told the obvious. Mosspaw may have been young, but he wasn't that foolish, not when he had so much to work for. "Rest for now, and then you can decide; more of this, or learn hunting crouches." 'Hunting crouches,' he thought as he layed down in the snow, 'It's too cold for hunting crouches. I'll be numb by the end of the day!' "More battle moves, please," he replied, though his head pulsed in disagreement, "And maybe a border patrol to stay warm?" He growled and turned his head to face the wind as it ruffled pelt. This kit-fur wasn't very becoming of an apprentice. Word Count: 304 Audience: Icefeather Comments: Mosspaw: LITTLE?!? RAWR- Achoo! X.x Arg... I don't know if there are any sites for it, but I can just list what the books say... Mice: Step lightly, they'll feel your pawsteps coming. Rabbits: Keep downwind, obviously. And I imagine for fish, keep your shadow on land, not in the river.

[{Otter}]

More fighting, eh? Icefeather could venture to guess that Mosspaw was in less than good condition to continue fighting, but if he said he wanted more battle moves, he would get more battle moves. Besides, it was a bit too chilly for them to be crouching and standing in one spot for too long. After this, we shall indeed go on a patrol, young Mosspaw, she thought with a slight smirk. A patrol in which you will be training your muscles for speed. Leaping over rocks, streams, dodging in and out of trees. Oh, yes, we'll make you a wickedly fast cat one day. It seemed teaching him to use speed rather than strength would be the best chance for him to become a true warrior. But more of that later.

"Alright then," she mewed, her pale brown eyes not missing his shiver as the icy leafbare wind picked up. It was hard for her to remember that not all cats had a thick, fluffy pelt like she. Not a shiver rippled down her spine as the cold wind blew, but cats with shorter fur were oftentimes miserable. StarClan help Mosspaw if his fur didn't fill out.

"You are small, Mosspaw, as you know well. And it is likely that you will never be a large or powerful cat. What can we do to fix that?" She paused for only a brief moment, not long enough for him to reply, before she went on, "We can teach you to use your size to take advantage of larger opponents. One effective move would be the leap-and-hold." For a moment she wished there were another cat with her to demonstrate battle moves with. However, as there was none, she figured she'd just have to explain it. Mosspaw seemed bright enough to be able to learn that way.

"The leap-and-hold is a relatively simple move. In summary, your goal is to leap onto your opponent's back and sink your foreclaws into their shoulders and fur to stay on. Once in that position, you will have a few valuable moments to sink your fangs into the back of their neck or rake your hindclaws down their back and sides," she explained, light brown eyes set on Mosspaw as she gauged whether or not he understood everything she had told him. "I want you to try it on me. My fur is thick, so you may unsheathe your claws to keep yourself on my back. But remember...we are not here to harm one another." She smirked slightly at this last part. Her mentor had often warned her of the same thing, but it was hard to remember to keep one's claws sheathed in the midst of battle training. In reality, she hoped Mosspaw would become a warrior who could lose himself in a battle so well that he wouldn't even realize if he was actually clawing her. That was how battles were won.

Word Count;; 485
Muse;; pretty darn decent ^.^
Notes;; for this, feel free to powerplay, in that if you want Mosspaw to land on her back, just have him do it ^.^ This is just training, after all. Oi, and sorry about taking so long in replying.

[Deleted]

[atrb=border,0,true][bg=black] "Alright then." Mosspaw picked his paw up and turned it to look at his pad. He took a deep breath and breathed out, producing a thick stream of fog blasting at his paw, warming it up significantly. It was something he'd learned during his first snow- licking your paw only froze it quicker. "You are small, Mosspaw, as you know well. And it is likely that you will never be a large or powerful cat. What can we do to fix that?" The young tom looked up at his mentor with a questioning expression. His eyes only just barely betrayed a bit of annoyance when she called him 'small'. Through his moons growing up, he did eventually except this fact, but it still kind of hurt when other cats pointed it out. In this case, however, he decided not to voice it. She was, after all, his mentor, and calling him small was probably to get him more determined to prove himself. He waited patiently for her to continue. "We can teach you to use your size to take advantage of larger opponents. One effective move would be the leap-and-hold." The apprentice quickly placed his paw under his chest once more and focused completely on his mentor. Leap-and-hold. He'd heard the older apprentices talking about it when they first learned it, but he'd never actually seen the move. How could he? This was his first time away from camp, after all. "The leap-and-hold is a relatively simple move. In summary, your goal is to leap onto your opponent's back and sink your foreclaws into their shoulders and fur to stay on. Once in that position, you will have a few valuable moments to sink your fangs into the back of their neck or rake your hindclaws down their back and sides." Mosspaw listened intently, but ended up thinking about the move more than paying attention to Icefeather. There had to be more a cat could do when in that position. That was one of his goals- he wanted to make a move all his own. The neck-bite seemed a little harsh. Maybe it'd work better on a badger or a fox. To use that on another cat was to put their life in danger. Maybe one day, he could suggest a tactic to the she-cat. It would probably have to wait a few moons, though. He was supposed to be learning, not experimenting. "I want you to try it on me. My fur is thick, so you may unsheathe your claws to keep yourself on my back. But remember...we are not here to harm one another." He blinked in response, but didn't move. He'd wrestled with his brother plenty of times. He used a move similar to this, but he usually didn't hold onto his back. It was more to just shove him with momentum rather than his own strength. Vaguely, Mosspaw committed it to memory. He could improve on that move, but he could also modify it to work here. The brown tom gazed around his surroundings almost lazily, a trick he'd learned while play fighting. Look like you're not interested, then attack. He noted rock near his opponent. Close to the water, not stable enough. Then a small tree stump on the opposite side. Even closer. Perfect. He got up and pretended to stretch the tension out of his muscles. Once he shifted enough power into his hind legs, he jumped forward, sending him into a sprint. He feigned another shoulder attack, but figured she knew it was coming. At the last second, he jumped at the tree stump and pushed himself away from it. Once higher in the air, he unsheathed his claws and twisted his body around. That was the tricky part. Usually, he just flung himself against Rockpaw. This required limbs, though, so he gripped Icefeather's shoulder with one paw and yanked, pulling his body in the correct direction in order to land completely on top of her, claws digging into as much fur as possible without getting to skin. Word Count: 675 Audience: Icefeather Comments: That's alright. :3

[{Otter}]

Well, at least he was listening, though for a bit there she saw his gaze become unfocused as his mind apparently began to wander. Before she could lift a paw to cuff him over the ear, he had snapped back to reality and was looking at her as if he were at least partly listening. That was nice.

But then he went all "I'm too cool for this", and Icefeather scowled in irritation. Mosspaw was just looking around, as if she were boring him! Oh, you little twerp...I'll show you something exciting, she thought, half-rising to her paws as her tail lashed in anger. She was all but ready to throw herself at the insolent little cat when he made his move, running towards her at full speed. She easily sidestepped his strike at her shoulder, irritation building as she thought, That is not what I told you to do! But as she turned to follow him, he ran straight for a tree stump. Good StarClan, was her apprentice so mousebrained that he'd run right into a stump?

"This is rid-" she began with a hiss, her voice cutting off as Mosspaw leaped for the stump, kicked off of it, and flew back towards her. Icefeather was half-turned to face him, so instead of landing right on her back, he landed partly on her side, but Mosspaw righted himself quick enough, digging his little claws into her shoulders and jerking himself into position.

The claws went deep into her fur, though they barely touched her skin, and Icefeather was stunned for a brief moment. How had this little, sickly apprentice managed to do so well? She was dumbfounded, but only for a moment, before her instincts kicked in. The fluffy white warrior dropped to the ground and rolled, squashing Mosspaw beneath her in an attempt to cause him to lose his grip. "This is the drop-and-roll, and most of your opponents will know it," she mewed, pushing away her bewilderment to give him this little tidbit. She leaped to her paws and turned to face him, giving her ruffled fur a few quick licks. "You will always want to be ready for it, and prepare to jump off before they roll over."

Word Count;; 351
Muse;; good, much better than it's been with her
Notes;; SO SORRY I took so long. Completely my fault. And if you're upset at the bit of powerplaying (her squashing him) I'd be glad to change it.

[Deleted]

[atrb=border,0,true][bg=black] Mosspaw laughed triumphantly when he landed on his mentor's back. He had done it! In the moment that Icefeather stood still with surprise, he lost himself in joy. This was kind of fun! As soon as he broke his concentration, a sneeze erupted from his mouth. He felt the she-cat shift and fall onto her side. Not completely recovered from the jolt, he couldn't react in time and soon had the air forced out of him as she rolled onto her back. "This is the drop-and-roll, and most of your opponents will know it." The tom gasped and worked to draw a breath. Finally filling his lungs, he got to his paws and sat down. He needed a breather after this one. Another sneeze left his head even more dazed than it had been moments before. "You will always want to be ready for it, and prepare to jump off before they roll over." "Y-yes, Icefeather," came his stammering reply. The apprentice winced as illness forced him to spit unintentionally once more. He growled and layed down, placing a paw on his head, trying to massage the pain away. He'd need to see Moonwing after this, he was sure. After a moment or two, he refocused his mind and looked at his mentor with determination. If he could go longer with his mind occupied on hunting, patrolling, battle, and stealth, maybe his sickness would go away. He made a promise to himself that he would never loose concentration again. "What's a good counter move after you've jumped? Can you claw them while they're rolling?" Word Count: 264 Audience: Icefeather Comments: No worries.