Two Birds

The long-furred gray tom leaped away after taking a few hits to the face, then darted forwards against, batting at Kestrelpaw's head and shoulders. Cloudfrost smiled. Oh, this was fun. It was almost like when he was first assigned to be Griffonshade's mentor.

Kestrelpaw rolled to his feet and dodged Cloudfrost's attack. He ran to his side and leaped forward, trying to latch onto the tom's back. If he could get there, then maybe he could turn this around, even though it hadn't completely left his favor.

Cloudfrost felt Kestrelpaw's paws scrabble on his back, and instinctively pushed against him, hoping to ram him to the ground. "You can't win that way," he growled.

Kestrelpaw found himself once again under the weight of this cat. He kicked under him again, trying to get free, his frustration rising. He hated all of this fighting. It was just anger piled on anger with these things. He had to always defeat whoever he was fighting, but why? This wasn't real anyways. It was just training. Right now Griffinshade was trying to prove a hollow point. At least, to him.

He leaped away again after a few blows to his belly, squaring his shoulders. "Still want to think I can't do anything?" he growled, swishing his tail angrily.

Kestrelpaw got to his feet again. His pelt bristling; his hackles raised. Agression flowed through him like a million tidal waves. "You just got lucky," he snarled, waiting and ready for the cat to try to attack him.

Cloudfrost narrowed his eyes, feeling his fur start to bristle. Yes, this cat was just like Griffonshade had been. But that didn't mean that Cloudfrost had liked Griffonshade back then. He jumped forwards, aiming for Kestrelpaw's neck with his front paws.

Kestrelpaw jumped out of the way. He wasn't sure what to do, he'd try to crush him if he did something, but his anger didn't make him. Kestrelpaw aim for Cloudfrost's tail. Hoping to distract him somewhat so he could find some kind of open spot.

Cloudfrost felt his tail get pinned down by Kestrelpaw, and turned, hoping to crash his paws down on his head. "You just made it easier!" he hissed.

Kestrelpaw jumped back from his paws and backed under the cat's body and then out again near his leg, hopefully using his own tail to trip him up and down on his back or something.

Cloudfrost was flipped over, his blue eyes wide with surprise. Heh... He tripped me. He leaned up, battering at Kestrelpaw's head with his front paws.

Kestrelpaw took blows and stepped back out of range. He jumped forward again, aiming to land on the warrior's chest. If he made it, he'd pretty much won, at least he though. Wasn't that how battles were supposed to go?

Griffinshade took great interest in the fight now. Why is he trying with Cloudfrost and not even raising a paw with me? He shrugged to himself, it didn't matter. He knew Cloudfrost would win and Kestrelpaw would somehow find himself pinned to the clearing grass.

Cloudfrost hissed and bunched his legs, trying to push Kestrelpaw away by pressing his backpaws against his chest. Then he flipped over onto his paws, crouching and hissing threateningly. Unfortunately, he was facing away from Kestrelpaw.

Kestrelpaw was thrown off Cloudfrost, but luckily for him, the tom was facing away from him. He jumped up to try and get on the tom's back. Maybe he could get some type of holding or something. By this time, Kestrelpaw had calmed down some, and was more focused than he was before.

Cloudfrost ran forwards, feeling Kestrelpaw on his back. "Garroff!" he growled, flipping over onto his back to crush the apprentice.

He didn't expect the roll, and was crushed under Cloudfrost's weight as a result. Geez. That cat was heavy. Not to mention that this was getting boring. Seriously. He laid their on the ground, not making an attempt to actually get up and make another move. "Can we go hunting now? This is a snore fest." This was a drag. And the best ninja ever could agree with him.

"Fine then," Cloudfrost grunted, getting up and shaking out his long coat. "Just don't underestimate anyone. Ever. That's the first lesson I had to teach Griffonshade." He twitched his tail, ears pricking for the small sounds of prey.

He pounced into a clump of ferns, his claws spearing a young mouse's spine and killing it. He picked it up in his jaws gently and trotted back over to Griffonshade and Kestrelpaw, setting it down.

Griffinshade growled. He hadn't learned a thing! Maybe he needs an appifany, like I did. He shook his head furiously. "Let's hunt." he mewed gruffly, he'd consult Cloudfrost himself while Kestrelpaw was hunting.

"Yeah, I'll try to keep that in mind," Kestrelpaw said sarcastically. Obviously he didn't take fighting too seriously. Either that or he just didn't care. He eyed CLoudfrost's catch, though he was unmoving from his place. "It's small," he muttered. But wasn't everything small? Yes, but it was newleaf!

He stood up from his little spot that he was forced into. Onto hunting. Now maybe he could elanr something more useful! "So," he started, already wandering ahead, "how do I catch a mouse?" Or a frog? Or a lizard?

Griffinshade looked at his apprentice through narrow eyes. "Trust your instincts." he growled. He needed to talk to Cloudfrost, if Kestrelpaw was around, things weren't going to go down well.

Cloudfrost sat down. "It wouldn't do any good if I taught you. My hunting style if different from other cats'." He licked one paw. "Just go over there, into the undergrowth, and sit very still. See if you see anything, then pounce." He twitched his tail towards a clump of undergrowth towards the other side of the clearing.

He could sense Griffonshade's anxiety like a thorn in his side, so he just stayed put.

"Oh, thanks, I'll remember that," Kestrelpaw growled. What a terrible mentor. He doesn't even teach fighting techniques and now he won't teach him how to hunt. Did he just expect him to jump into it and learn it all from StarClan!? He didn't hear Cloudfrost, and had he, would he have even listened? He was too stuck in his frustration. With his fur bristling, Kestrelpaw ran off ahead. Hanging around those two wasn't going to get him anywhere. He weaved through the trees in the dense, dark, marshy forest. What could he find in this place?

Griffinshade turned to Cloudfrost. "What am I going to do with him?" he questioned his old mentor, a little worried. "He doesn't even want to fight. What if I just send him into a battle and he gets all torn up? He might realize that fighting is one of the most important things in Clan life, but if he gets beat up too bad he won't be able to fight ever again." he looked down at his paws. Anger was surging through him and agitation crawled right beneath his pelt.

Cloudfrost sighed, wrapping his tail over his paws. "Tell him that. If he wants to be a great warrior, he can't have his way the whole time. Train him together with Foxpaw, for example. She was the kit who enjoyed fighting the most, wasn't she?"