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 Posted: Wed Jun 05, 2013 9:26 am
 Gray dawn light was filtering into the den, pouring over Hana'Hofu as she finished her grooming. Today was the day. Percy had agreed that, now that she was an adolescent, he would teach her some basic combat techniques. She would need to know these things now that she was old enough to actually take on the role of Patron; if she ever encountered a hostile in the field that wouldn't listen to reason, she needed to be able to defend herself and her pride. Hana completed her grooming by licking one forepaw and fiercely trying to smooth down her wild half-mane. Of course, it stuck right back up again. Shrugging with a resigned sigh, Hana headed out of the den as quietly as she could, casting back a quick glance to ensure she hadn't woken anyone. Now that she and her siblings were older - and larger - the den was rather crowded. It was probably about time that they tried to find their own dens. Hana considered every angle of moving out on her own as she headed to the training area to meet Percy. Over the past few moons, she had absorbed every bit of training that her mentor had offered; she had become more patient and controlled, very attentive and focused. She knew now the seriousness of combat and no longer yearned for battle, but still her claws itched with anticipation. She may not be stupid enough to wish for danger anymore, but that didn't stop her from admiring the beauty and strength in fighting. Hana was excited to learn.
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Posted: Wed Jun 05, 2013 9:51 am
Percival was lying under a tree near where he usually practiced with Stormclaw. But it was also where he would meet with his own student now, and as such it was where he waited each day she was to have a lesson. Taking her under his wing had been, well, a godsend, really. Helped to fill his days up a bit more. He wished he didn't need it, but it was clear as he lay there waiting that he most certainly did. Without something to occupy his time with, his mind wandered to a pair of pretty blue eyes.
Pretty blue eyes that he didn't want to think about because he was smart enough to know that there was nothing there, not when all the interaction they shared was messages sent via birds or other small creatures.
There he was, thinking again!
He rolled over and stood, stretching his back until it let out a small popping sound. It was then that he caught a glimpse of another creature making her way towards him and thanked the gods. Today would be a new step in Hana's quest to be a patron; he was going to teach her how to fight another predator. Up until now, her "combat" training had been against preybeasts, learning how to take them down in a hunt and how not to get injured in the process. While there were similarities between hunting and fighting, there was certainly a difference between fighting something that's defending and something that just flat out wants to take you down.
"Morning," he said when she was withing earshot, his tone rather cool but in his relaxed sort of demeanor.
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Posted: Wed Jun 05, 2013 10:09 am
Hana picked up her pace to a brisk trot as she caught sight of the training area, and then of Percy. An excited smile had plastered itself to her lips, and she returned Percy's greeting joyfully. She stopped a few tail-lengths from her mentor and stood with tail and head raised, giving him all of her attention. All of Percy's training had taught Hana to be attentive to the slightest details, and something in her mentor's disposition told her something was off. She cocked her head and narrowed her eyes, her ears perked forward with concern.
"Are you okay, Sir?" she queried. Hana had grown fond of Percy - she owed him a lot. She was eager to begin her combat training, but this was more important; however, she respected her mentor enough that she wouldn't pester him if he didn't want to discuss his problems with her. As an afterthought, Hana added, "You know, distraction can be deadly." She didn't want Percy to feel uncomfortable by her worry, and so she used one of his lessons as a taunt to lighten the mood.
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Posted: Wed Jun 05, 2013 6:03 pm
Percy snorted when she asked him if he was well and then added with one of his own dictates.
"You're becoming as observant as Stormclaw," he replied with a shake of his head, though it smiled as he did so. He debated on what to tel her, if he should tell her anything at all. Generally, he was a fairly private individual no matter how outgoing he seemed. He was a very friendly male, but his private life was just that, private, so he didn't really confide in others. Not his mentor, certainly not his brothers or sister. And not his student.
He shrugged, the smile setting itself into his usual smile.
"Just thinking of an old friend I haven't seen in a while, that's all." At least she got something out of him. That said, his eyebrows rose, head tilting slightly.
"Are you ready for today's lesson?"
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Posted: Wed Jun 05, 2013 6:46 pm
Shrugging off Percy's weird behavior as simple nostalgia, Hana returned her focus to the matter at hand.
"Ready? I was born ready!" she replied, puffing out her chest with pride. She had waited for this moment for so long - Too long, she snorted inwardly - that she couldn't imagine ever being more ready for anything. She tried to temper her excitement, secretly worried that Percy's first lesson would be just a re-run of her hunting technique. He had mentioned before that combat and hunting had similarities; but did that mean she'd be basically relearning everything?
Shaking her head slightly to rid it of those troublesome thoughts, she returned her full attention to Percy. No. She was confident that Percy would keep his promise and actually show her some fighting moves.
"What's first, Sir?" she asked eagerly.
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Posted: Wed Jun 05, 2013 7:14 pm
Good, she didn't ask him any more. A lesson learned there, knowing when to pry and when not to. Of course, that wasn't his job to teach her that, but he was glad she understood that concept.
Either that, or she just didn't care much about other individuals. Honestly, he doubted that idea as son as it popped into his head.
"Your first lesson in this is simple. Always consider your opponent, just like you would your possible prey," he explained, reminding her of one of his earlier lessons. He'd told her to study the beast as best she could. What could she learn from scars? Was the prey young or old? Healthy? Too large? Gaunt? All things to consider when judging how much it would fight, how fast it might run. Sometimes, even for him, a preybeast was not worth going after, if it was too strong, if the likelihood of getting injured was too high.
"Today, I am your opponent. What do you see? How do you think you should deal with me?" She was young, so he was larger than she, his body bulked slightly by training and patrolling, hunting and fighting. He wore some pieces of crude armor and while he didn't have near as many scars as his mentor did - though even Stormclaw didn't have a huge number - a few pale marks were just barely visible against his creamy pelt. Would she fight him outright? Or would she defend? Distract? Call or run for aid?
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Posted: Wed Jun 05, 2013 7:30 pm
"Hmmm.." Hana considered her mentor's words and examined him carefully before responding.
Percy was larger than she was, and bulkier. Which meant he would be stronger but also slower. The fact that he didn't have many scars meant that he either didn't fight often, or didn't get hit often. Add his shoulder plates to that, and Hana had worked out a fairly decent plan of attack.
She told him all that she had deduced, and then continued to reveal her strategy. "I would need to avoid your front, since you're both stronger and better defended there. I would start by faking a head-on attack, rearing up and lashing out with my forepaws. When you reared up to meet me, I'd drop down to all four paws and dart underneath you, where I would rake your vulnerable belly with my claws before taking out your hind legs. Once you were on the ground, it would be easy to stay behind you and continuously dart in to attack before leaping away. You're older and slower, which makes it likely that you would tire before I would and submit."
Hana finished and waited with bated breath to see what her mentor thought of her first attack plan. Reeshie Hack I don't know what Percy looks like, so I looked up your journal. I'm assuming his armor is in the same place as when he's a cub? If not, let me know, I can edit the post.
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Posted: Wed Jun 05, 2013 8:05 pm
"Very good assessment, but there are some holes in your plan. For one, you cannot anticipate how your opponent will react to your initial attack. You can try to guess is, but there's never a guarantee," Percy explained as he started to pace slightly. "For another, I wouldn't suggest trying to get under your opponent. It's too vulnerable a position to get into. If you go for anything, try for the back."
He paused there, looking down at his paw as he waved it back and forth in small motions. Stormclaw hadn't taught him this lesson in the best of ways... Now that he thought of it, he didn't want to show her what he meant in a way that could hurt her. His attention finally rose again.
"Preybeasts will fight with desperation and often mindless fear. A predator that you could fight on the border has none of that. It isn't defending itself, it's attacking. It's doubtful you'll find one with any sense of honor," he explained and dashed his paw over the dusty layer covering the ground beneath his paws, sending a cloud of dirt and other debris into the air, though not in her direction. But it made his point clear.
"You come at me, I won't bother trying to match you, not when it's so much easier to blind you and then take my time."
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Posted: Thu Jun 06, 2013 7:35 pm
Hana paused for a moment, slightly shocked. She had, of course, considered that her opponent would react differently than a preybeast and would most likely match her ferocity. It hadn't occurred to her, however, that her opponent could be underhanded.
As gypsies, most of the pride embraced using traps and tricks. Hana agreed in their usefulness, but had promised herself to never blatantly cheat in combat - stirring up dust to confuse an opponent was cunning; throwing dirt directly into his eyes was just cowardly.
"How do you win against a dishonest opponent without stopping to their level? A victory gained by cheating isn't really a victory at all."
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Posted: Fri Jun 07, 2013 6:40 am
Percy took his time, considering his words carefully, drawing on his own experience.
"A blinding strike will generally be an initiating move. Remember, as a patron you are never the one to make the first blow. We are defenders, not offenders. In patrolling the lands, we need to keep our focus on many things at once, right? Apply it to your meetings. If they talk, look attentive, but keep your focus on the stranger's movements," he explained. As he spoke, he stood and paced a bit, his gaze never leaving hers, but his paws almost imperceptibly shuffled rather than properly walked. He was subtly moving the dirt around, stirring it.
"For a trick like that, they can't just throw a little, it needs to be gathered, or found. You'll be more susceptible to that kind of attack on the beach, but I doubt a stranger would get that far. Keep an eye on their body language, in my experience, most you should be able to tell when they're tense for a fight." He paused in his pacing and flicked his mane from his eyes, regarding her with a thoughtful crease in his brow. Yes, he probably would, wouldn't he? That was certainly a habit he needed to get out of. A smile and one paw rose to rub the side of his forehead a little sheepishly.
"You have an advantage over most, you're a female. Honestly, most males won't expect you to be trained. They'll think they can overpower you, and, frankly, many could. You've seen Stormclaw. Even when I was your age, I knew he could lay me out with a single blow. It'd probably be a bit more difficult now, but I'd still be wary of a lion his size. But you're a smaller target, and quick. Use that more to your advantage. Don't try for large blows like getting at my underside. Keep your opponent confused and stay out of range as much as possible. The dart and dodge method was a good idea, but start with it." Percy paused with a bit of a smirk before continuing, "You'll probably piss your opponent off pretty fast doing that, especially if he's already underestimated you. And anger in a fight can be crippling. You lose your head and make mistakes. Get enough strikes in and it can be as severe as one good hard blow. Most rogues with bad intent will probably turn tail and run after too many of those. And what should you do then?"
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Posted: Fri Jun 07, 2013 5:02 pm
Hana hung on every word Percy said, lapping up the information thirstily. Every bit of strategy that her mentor offered would help to shape her fighting style. If she was going to be the best, she needed to test even the tiniest details of every technique.
She was a little stung when he told her that most males could overpower her, but she quickly shook it off. She knew that he didn't mean it offensively, and also that he was probably right. There was nothing she could do about it - males were generally bigger, it was just anatomy. Besides, Percy mentioning her strong points - including that she was female - definitely helped improve her mood.
Hana didn't even have to consider the answer to Percy's question; she instantly knew the correct response. "Follow the mange-pelt! I need to ensure that he leaves the territory, and that he doesn't have any friends inside or near the pride's lands. The best defense is the one placed before something becomes a threat." Hana paused, then smirked mischievously. "A few more scars to remember me by wouldn't hurt, either."
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Posted: Fri Jun 07, 2013 5:28 pm
One eyebrow rose at her answer.
"And if he does have a bunch of friends out in the roguelands, what will you do when you chase him right to them, fight them all?" Percy held back a small sigh. So she hadn't grow out of her eager-to-fight nature after all. He had hoped... Ah well. There was still room to learn. But how should he proceed? Should he tell her what he would do? or let her continue to try and figure it out for herself. She might get frustrated by this if he didn't help her along, but then he didn't want to be correcting her and making her feel like she was getting everything wrong. She wasn't! She was just too excited about all this. She was just so eager, he couldn't help but wonder if perhaps being a patron wasn't the most suitable of professions for her. Not because she would hurt the pride, but he worried that some day she might hurt herself.
"Following is a good plan, but don't chase. Follow and track like you would prey, in case you do come across allies of your opponent. That way you can come back into the pridelands and alert the rest of us." Percy paused again, tilting his head slightly in thought. "Actually, it might be better to come back and warn the rest of the pride first. We can track the intruder if need be and everyone can be on the alert for him, or her, to return."
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Posted: Fri Jun 07, 2013 7:50 pm
Hana paused at Percy's rebuke. Her first thought was to tell him that, if she caught sight or scent of more intruders, she would simply fall back and hide. Then she could return to alert the other patrons, maybe after sneaking up and checking things out first.
But she quickly realized that that would be a bad idea. It was highly unlikely that the group wouldn't search for her after she sent one of their own back to them all battered and bloody.
Hana's next thought was that Percy believed that, with the fight won, she should just leave the intruder to retreat. As if an enemy once beaten would never return. After toying with the idea for a few heartbeats, she dismissed it. Percy would never leave the pride's safety to chance; of course he would want her to make sure the rogue had left.
She came to the correct conclusion at the same moment that Percy spoke it - that she should merely pretend to let the intruder escape, and then follow him at a distance, remaining in the shadows so he was unaware of her presence. She nodded, her ears folded back in embarrassment.
It shouldn't have taken me so long to figure that out! I should have known it! Her eyes narrowed to slits, clouded with moisture as embarrassment turned to rage - not at Percy, but at herself.
Hana was so eager to protect her pride, and to prove to them all that she had changed - that she wasn't battle-hungry and naive anymore. She needed them to know that she was responsible enough for this. But she didn't seem to be able to get it right. What if I'm not good enough? She didn't know what she'd do if she couldn't be a Patron.
Shaking her head to clear the thoughts, she firmly told herself that that wasn't an option. She would listen, she would learn, and she would become a Patron. Forcing her rage into focus, she threw herself fully into the rest of the training session with Percy.
When they finished, the young lioness padded down the beach, exhausted, and flopped into the warm sand for a nap. Reeshie Hack I've just edited this post to be an end - the rp is long enough and it's been collecting dust for a long time.
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