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 Posted: Wed Mar 21, 2012 2:45 pm
Mwako'Damu watched her as his dark mane was brushed by the wind that gently passe through the disjointed area. She was fast, flexible, but she merely did not know where and when to lock certain parts of her body. He rose to his paws and strode over to her and pressed one of his paws on her and outstretched his toes a bit and rubbed it for a brief second, hoping to have what he remembered calling 'a fizzle' leave her paw. "It's an awkward feeling, I know," he said with a chuckle. "You did well, you had great speed, you just need to hold your arm, think of it as locking your elbow in pace as you strike, here," he said touching her arm. "If you do that, it will give you more power, and less of a fizzle..." no, he needed a better word, "static feeling in your paw. Doing that will also help you maneuver to land."
He walked to the front of the tree again, and went in slowly, outstretching his arm and when his paw touched the bleached tree, he stopped, freezing his posture, "When you strike, do not think of your paw as separate, everything is working together, when you are running at an opponent, you are going to be throwing all of your energy, or strength, into whatever weapon, be it fang or claw. That energy will run through your body, you have excellent balance and agility, using that to your advantage, just before you strike an opponent you can dodge," he made a motion to the left and had his paw hit the tree again, slowly to demonstrate, "duck," he dipped down, and thrust his paw upward, "or jump to the side, to get an alternative angle. A head on strike is not always the best approach, use your options, and talents you have, to your advantage."
He realized then, he had spoken a lot...and bit his tongue.
"Try again, and don't forget about the elbow. You can always use that same feeling, or motion, in your paw, with your knuckles, so that you won't feel the weird static," he said with a nod.
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Posted: Sat Mar 24, 2012 8:22 am
"Awkward is one word for it." She said lowly, shaking her leg to try and bring some feeling back and pausing when he reached out to touch her arm. As she waited for the feeling to subside she turned to watch him as he performed the attack again; this time slowly so that she could see better what he had done that she had not.
Use her whole body to strike out? It sounded like a dangerous and clumsy concept but she supposed there had to be some trick to honing such a strategy to make it feasible to use in battle against another lion.
"This is more complicated than I first envisioned." She even looked faintly amused as she spoke those words, moving back into position to try again. She tended to talk a lot herself, so she did not notice that he looked slightly uncomfortable at having done that himself.
And this time when she struck the tree, she turned to 'attack' from a slightly more side on position - adventurous perhaps as she didn't quite get a sturdy footing before lashing out at the tree. Even still, if her footwork needed a lot of work, she had to admit that - this time - the blow did not ring so painfully through her arm. She pushed away from the poor, stony-looking tree and whipped around to face it again, launching off of her back paws to head straight back, striking in much the same fashion. When she landed, she snorted, holding up her head proudly.
"Not too bad for my first lesson, if I do say so myself."
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Posted: Sat Mar 24, 2012 10:52 am
He watched her as she adapted, and Mwako'Damu gave her a nod with a smile on his maw. "It is about using the entirety of your body, strength and energy, but adapting it to your individual self. Your build varies from mine, and I vary from another male, you adapt quickly, which will be an incredible aid when training, and in the midst of a fight," he sai, silver eyes focused on her.
Mwako'Damu stretched his body once, and shook his head, mane falling out of his eyes. "Striking with your forepaws, is not your only option however, it can just be a diversion, or the beginning to a combination attack, for example," he walked to be in front of her, and crouched, and moved slowly towards her as if at a slowed run.
"For demonstration, say we were opponents, and I am coming at you, here, like this," as he was close enough, he raised his right forearm, paw out, claws not outstretched as this was a lesson, "I can strike, or, I can anchor myself to use the rest of my body, to ram," he then thrust his paw down into the sand and began to turn his body, but he stopped as he did not want his momentum to actually bring himself to hit her.
"As I said, you need to feel and understand how your strength and energy moves through you, and when you harness that, you can maneuver, and use various attacks to gain the upper paw."
He stood again in front of her, a few paces away.
"Go on, and try, and don't be afraid to actually hit me," he said with a chuckle, "I'd gladly take it so you may learn the move."
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Posted: Fri Mar 30, 2012 12:12 pm
She stood very still as he demonstrated the more complicated moves to her; the trickery and the unexpected moves. He moved throiugh the motions so easily as if he had been doing them his whole life. Perhaps he had! He was elegant with it, too. His mother must have been very proud.
And then he was standing before her, a stretch of distance between them, and she snorted with amusement. "Oh, don't worry, I won't hold back. That's never been my style and I'm not about to start now." She swept the sand smooth with a flick of a paw and then settled into a more stable position, eyeing him for a moment, trying to concentrate on what he had told her. Play the game. Make some fake jibes, lure him into a false sense of security and then smack him on the nose. Her tail twitched with the thought of a victory and, with a smile curling the corners of her mouth, she took a step to the left and then moved back to the right.
And then she rushed him, shoving her raised paw into the sand to lodge her in place. Except that she was overeager - and certainly too fast - her paw stuck as it should but her 'ram' had been misjudged. She ended up almost spinning so her back was to him. Realising her mistake, she let out a surprised yowling sound and dropped immediately - expecting him to cloud her across her back for her impatience. She rolled, came up in a flurry of sand and then span with paw raised, attempting to swat the air in front of his nose.
She laughed. "How long do you think it's going to take, Mwako'Damu?"
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Posted: Sat Mar 31, 2012 8:06 pm
yes for passion and strength. She had heart, Mwako could see it, sense it almost, as if it was another scent in the air. As she moved, faked and rushed forward, he became still, bracing himself by tensing his shoulder muscles, grounding his paws in the sand. As she anchored and went to turn, she proved over zealous and an...interesting sound came from her maw as she landed and came to be in front of him once more. A smile came across his maw watching her. She had the ability, he could provide the helpful, but not hard discipline (as he experienced with his father), she just needed to connect with what she did.
Flicking his tail he watched as her paw came towards his face, almost touching it, and he leaned forward into her paw taking a step and then came to sit beside her.
She was graceful, but fiery, she only required balance and she would undoubtedly be a force to be reckoned with.
"Just as I have trained here with this aged tree, I've grown better, learned to connect my movements, and you will do the same. It will be easier for you though," he said turning his head, silver eyes falling on her form, smile on his maw, "as you don't have the size I do, which, believe it or not, makes it hard to control. If you merely practice when you find time during the day, or night, you will get better and prove a fierce warrior, I know it."
He stayed silent for a moment or two, sitting beside her, looking out at the tree, the sand, how the wind gently moved it in small swirls.
"You may come here as you wish, anytime you'd like, and I'd be more than happy to help if you've ever have questions," he smiled at her, dark mane falling into his view somewhat. "You've done well today Fia, and you will grow stronger with each passing day, with the sun overhead. You will be strong and make those that look down on you proud."
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Posted: Thu Apr 05, 2012 11:02 am
"Oh enough with the flattery." Fia jibed, though it was said with a smile that told there was no ice behind those words. She puffed out a great breath of air and folded back her ears, looking thoughtful. "I will practise every day. I can't afford not to. The Nergui could be on us at any moment and if I'm not ready..."
She trailed, curling a lip and then got back onto her paws, turning to take a few paces across from the dead tree. When she turned back her eyes were dark and fearsome in her face. "I'll take you up on your offer Mwako'Damu." Her voice was low but strangely soft. "I'll take you up on it."
Her muscles had already begun to burn from the exertion but her heart was already pounding at the thought of training and getting better. So she swallowed back the dryness in her throat and thanked him for his aid. But instead of turning to leave, she moved back to his side and took a seat next to him, allowing her eyes to soak in the landscape around them and her mind to take in what it had just been taught.
This was just the beginning of a long and arduous journey. But if anyone could make it. Fia could.
/fin
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