Quote:
Originally Posted by meraki
A normal cat would have been nervous. A normal cat would have been anxious. They'd have poisonus butterflies fluttering about in their stomach. A normal cat would not be meeting a possibly murderous cat in the woods to spar. Which was fine with Maple, she wasn't a normal cat, never had been. Never would be. She was completely calm and confident as she made her way to the Training Grounds. Hannibal had ordered her to be there by noonhigh, and that was exactly what she would do. Be there exactly at noonhigh. Not earlier, not later. Exactly noonhigh.
Of course, Maple was not doing this to impress, that was simply how she was when asked to meet up. She planned out how the day would go, and by the time she reached the Training Grounds, she already had several alternate realities planned out in her head, all depending on what she'd say first. Though Hannibal was not easy to plan out what he'd say, he was confusing and mysterious, constantly leaving Maple on edge slightly. But there was nothing wrong with being wary- you couldn't trust anyone in the Syndicate. She knew that Hannibal would see her coming before she came. The cloudy sky made the lighting beneath the trees dim, and took a moment for her eyes to adjust.
The scent of another cat krept into her nostrils as the dark form of Maple's new mentor began to take shape several feet before her. His fiery gaze shown brightly in the dimness, like the beam of a lighthouse across a sea of fog. Maple padded up to him, pine needles making cushions beneath her pads, crunching after each soft step. Maple dipped her head respectfully once she was within two foxlengths away.
"Hello, Hannibal." She greeted with false kindness, though Maple sensed that he saw past that, and made sure to block out his searching gaze, putting in the blankness behind her gaze once more. Maple friend once more to search his gaze, trying to pick up his emotion, but got nothing. She noted his unsheathed claws, but remembered they were unsheathed earlier, so it likely meant nothing. Maple searched his position, the way he didn't slouch, his ears stained upright and tuned in, and the way that he looked like a blank statue.
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Perfectly punctual. Interesting choice and yet it shows her character. Those with high intelligence tend to be punctual, measured, not rushed but not unreasonably relaxed.
Gaze following his apprentice as she entered the training area from the opposite side from where he sat, he gave the slightest flick of the tip of his tail, marking down the mental note to store it into his memory palace dedicated to documenting information about others. A specific drawer dedicated to his trainee. Hannibal quickly made a note of her demeanor, the calmness that was there and documented that as well. Many cats, if he invited them into the territory alone, would be riddled with fear, even if they tried to hide it from him he could pick it up, or anxiety. Perhaps this young cat had no clue who he was, or perhaps she wasn't scared. That fact didn't matter to him, he didn't care if cats were scared of him, what mattered was her head. She had a strong head on herself, it seemed she didn't let things get to her easily and that was a good trait in a fighter. It didn't necessarily mean she lacked emotion such as he, but it did mean she didn't wear her emotions on her sleeve so to speak. Another good trait, one needed if you were to survive in the Syndicate.
"Greetings Maple. I am pleased to see you were able to make it here on time. Perfectly on time."
The training grounds seemed to get brighter for a moment as the sun was able to breach the clouds, revealing the pine needle coated ground and a clearer image of Hannibal and his trainee. Slowly the tom would rise to his paws as the sun faded back behind the clouds, his gaze looking down on Maple.
"We will be sparring today. Being a fighter, you need to know how to battle, and you need to know how to do it well. To teach you, I must first see where you start on the spectrum. Now I hold no tricks up my sleeves, I will fight just like any Syndicate member, but know that I will not hold back in hurting, or even killing you. The spar will stop when I've seen enough and have gotten the information I need."
His tail would sweep slowly first one way, then the next, his fiery gaze never leaving her.
"I will give you the first move. Offense is particularly important. If you are able to strike your enemy first, it could very well end a battle before it's even begun. What you do with the first move will be key and helping me see where you are in your skills." Hannibal stood as if he were simply watching and not defending, whether it was a trick or not is unknown, his emotions showed nothing nor did his gaze.
"Let's begin."