Quote:
Originally Posted by Duskflight
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." |
This would not be easy, Maple knew that for certain. Hannibal was most likely a skilled fighter, if he was giving her the first move. Although this would most definitely be hard, as he would have an easier time getting ready for whatever blow she made. He was prepared. She, not as much. Although Maple tried her best not to let her uncertainty get in the way of their sparring, and she ignored his nearly threatening words. Maple knew of her skills, and she knew he wouldn't beat her that easily. She most definitely did not have to worry about him ending her life, although she took care to note that. It was never good to be too arrogant, and keeping an open mind was key. If you go into battle thinking that there would be no way that you'd loose, you could be caught by surprise or off guard. And any sort of hesitation could cost you your life.
Maple's eyes narrowed, and her claws unsheathed. Their sparring would most clearly be different than that of the clans, but that wasn't a bad thing in her eyes. Tail moving back and forth behind her, Maple charged towards her opponent, watching closely as to how he'd react to her first attack. Maple lunged forwards with her claws outstretched and aimed a blow towards his face. She knew that any amount of blood by ones' eyes' could either momentarily stun them, or temporarily blind them, giving her the advantage.
Unless of course they dodged or she missed or they simply didn't care. But she shook away any doubts because doubting yourself could be just as bad as being arrogant. You surprise yourself, and that gives your opponent an advantage; which was something you clearly don't want to do. Finding higher ground was helpful too, as being higher than the other gives you the advantage. Maple had plenty of scenarios planned out once more, but of course they'd be tricky to go through with, with someone as unpredictable as Hannibal.
Maple had surprising speed as an advantage, though she knew that Hannibal would have his larger size to his advantage. Though he wasn't exactly a very large cat, Maple was only 10 moons. He also had experience and years of training, and Maple began to second guess her actions.
Maple, stop.
Don't second guess.
You're not the best.
Maple, watch carefully!