#s://i~ibb~co/x79vLh0/coyotepaw~png

A moon passed. Coyotepaw no longer waited for Wheatpaw to leave the den first, for fear of engaging with him, in part because his slight growth spurt gave him enough confident that he could make the other tom regret it if their spats got too intense. And his newest mentor had not bailed on him yet, despite him giving him plenty of reasons to.

Brackenthorn was there in the fields already when he arrived. It was early - and cold, but he wouldn't admit it. "So?" he asked. "What are we doing out here?"

He knew Brackenthorn was up to something, after the incident a few days prior. Coyotepaw didn't mean to injure the apprentice he was sparring with. He just wanted to win more than the other apprentice did. Brackenthorn called his strategies cheap shots. Coyotepaw called it being strong enough to take care of himself.

His mentor now said, "We're meeting an older apprentice, to assist in your fighting form." Who? Coyotepaw wondered. Wouldn't it be a riot if it was Wheatpaw? Only, it annoyed him to think of Wheatpaw helping him because his attitude made him too difficult to train without assistance. Ugh, hopefully it wasn't him. "Maybe he'll knock some sense into you."

"Have you considered that I might win a spar against an older apprentice?" he asked, a little defiant.

"It hadn't escaped my imagination," Brackenthorn responded, sounding tired, but maybe amused, too. "There he is, now."

Coyotepaw followed his gesture to the edge of the field where he came from. He barely knew this apprentice, but he knew his name was Heronpaw, and that he had a number of friends who he was pretty sure had never once looked at him. 

"Good morning. It's cold. Watch your step on any ice."

He'd make the ice break beneath his paws before he slipped on it in front of a clan born apprentice. His mentor made the greetings and formal introductions, on the case that they weren't well acquainted (they weren't), and then stepped away a few paces as if to let Heronpaw take charge.

"Heard you're here to knock sense in to me," he said, tone neutral. "Try it, then." His eyes narrowed. "I'm more than ready for you."

ooc: yeah i'm just borrowing him and then letting him fade to the sidelines lol

#s://i~ibb~co/x79vLh0/coyotepaw~png

Nothing about Heronpaw's tone or posture betrayed what he was thinking. Was he annoyed that he had to come deal with a younger apprentice? Did he think he was better than him, too good to be wasting his time here? Coyotepaw couldn't tell. It didn't matter anyway. It wasn't like he asked for help.

"Very well," Heronpaw said, getting into a crouch that drew a pleased grin from him. "Show me what you're made of."

Coyotepaw was good at fighting. Fighting, not sparring. He was good at defending himself and reminding anyone who bothered him that his bite was just as bad as his bark. When he trained, he was unpolished. Scrappy. Rude, even, in how he approached sparring with his mentor and the other apprentices. But those instincts were usually enough for him to win.

And he loved winning. There was a thrill in knowing that he was stronger than the apprentices his age, and perhaps some of the older ones, too. Besides, trading a few feeble strikes wasn't nearly the show of respect that slamming his body against his tutor was. If Heronpaw was good enough to be helping him, then he'd be able to take it.

So he charged forward, intent on using force and the element of surprise to his advantage. This was his element, much more so than getting along with his clan mates was. 

#s://i~ibb~co/x79vLh0/coyotepaw~png

Coyotepaw charged passed Heronpaw, and then used his momentum to turn on his paws and rush the older apprentice again. He missed, again, and let out an almost-growl that was in part frustration and part the thrill of the chase. Fine, he could charge all day. All he needed was for Heronpaw to misjudge his steps one time, and then he'd be on him, and most apprentices were surprised by his weight. Though young looking now, his accumulating muscle suggested he would be doing some growing later on.

He lunged forward into another charge, but this time, Heronpaw didn't just narrowly dodge him. He leapt, causing Coyotepaw to stop abruptly in his tracks and then get unceremoniously knocked onto his side with a soft "oof." Pinned down like this, he couldn't really use his back legs to kick up hard like he might have in another spar, but he did twist around and snap, "Get off me." 

#s://i~ibb~co/x79vLh0/coyotepaw~png

"If I let you go, will you continue to charge wildly?" Yes. Probably. Coyotepaw let out another frustrated growl that quickly dissipated into a mildly offended huff. Yes, he used surprise and unexpected bulk to his advantage, so what? It worked more often than he imagined the older apprentice suspected.

To his own credit, he didn't immediately charge like a bull the moment Heronpaw released him. Instead, he shook himself to dislodge any dust that accumulated on his pelt and stepped back to make some room between them. He wasn't done, even if he wasn't launching himself at Heronpaw again just yet, and he hoped he knew it.

"Try again, this time with intention." He scoffed. He had intention: to win the spar. "And then, when you fail, you can describe your intention to me and I'll correct it."

Oh, okay, new intention: to win the spar and also to knock Heronpaw flat on his back the moment he had the opportunity to.

With that in mind, he leapt at him again, barely giving him time to finish speaking.

#s://i~ibb~co/x79vLh0/coyotepaw~png

Part of him expected to miss. And it was even more annoying to be proven right. No other apprentice had so easily outmaneuvered him; but then, he usually sparred within his age group, or with Wheatpaw, who was blinded by how arrogant and moody he was. Heronpaw was the first older apprentice to not be just picking a fight with him for giggles.

Well. Maybe. It was hard to say. He didn't know Heronpaw. Maybe he'd mock him when their mentors were out of sight.

Heronpaw leapt again, and with a sense of determination, Coyotepaw stepped to the side to dodge him and hopefully counter with his own strike. Instead, to his surprise, Heronpaw ended up on top of him again, knocking him back and causing him to hiss in irritation. This was a size advantage. If he was just a little bigger, he wouldn't be knocked around like this. And he hated it.

#s://i~ibb~co/x79vLh0/coyotepaw~png

"I'm fine." He didn't mean to snap. But he wasn't the breakable kitty-pet everyone expected him to be. Maybe he didn't like being pushed into the dirt and grass beneath them, but it wasn't anybody's business if he meticulously bathed himself later. He'd still prove himself as a warrior either way.

"May I guess your intention?" He was going to whether or not Coyotepaw allowed him, anyway, so he just nodded. "When you leapt at me, you wanted to beat me. That was all? Did you think, 'I must strike at his left side, because he favors it,' or something along those lines?"

How in all of silverpelt would he know whether Heronpaw favored his left side or not. He did know, with confidence, that with enough force, all cats fell down eventually, though. That was information he could trust. Still, it was embarrassing to not have a better answer than, "Of course I wanted to beat you." That was the point of a fight, wasn't it? "How would I know what side you favor or anything else?" 

#s://i~ibb~co/x79vLh0/coyotepaw~png

Heronpaw didn't laugh at Coyotepaw's answer. He didn't gloat. He just explained the signs that - apparently - Coyotepaw should be looking for. He didn't know how to watch for those things. He relied on just his strength being enough at all times. It wasn't particularly elegant, but like... it worked. Often. Not always.

"Come at me again. This time, your intention should be, 'I want to take advantage of his favored left side to knock him from the right.'"

Having an intention every time he made a move sounded exhausting. But Coyotepaw sighed and stepped back again to a starting position, at least willing enough to give it a try. He favors his left side? He could take advantage of that. Maybe knock him down from the right? Or something?

With that thought in mind, he charged forward like the first time, rather than attempting to take air with a leap. Lacking the dexterity to really control or amend his blows, he crashed into him, swiping at his right leg to get him go down and then attempting to pin him from the left so he couldn't just spring back up again. He came in heavy, but well, a bigger apprentice would have no problem taking it, he thought.

And... it worked. He didn't exactly get Heronpaw pinned as successfully as he would have liked, but he got him on the ground. Maybe... maybe with a little bit too much force. Heronpaw looked pained.