Despite a few hiccups, things with Nightpaw had been moving pretty smooth. Between chewing up Streamrunner and patching the young molly up, Kestrelwing had come to realize that their training was almost complete - sort of. "Alright. I want to go over swimming one more time, then we're gonna practice some fighting. Got it?" There was no mention of the incident with ShadowClan, nor anything else. Instead, the tom turned look at his apprentice.

// @Kunaiskrill

"Follow me," Kestrelwing ordered, walking over to the stream that ran around the outside of the training island. He stepped into the cold water, letting the initial shock travel up his legs. "Now. Do you remember what I first taught you about swimming?"


// @Kunaiskrill

"Yes, true. You always want to keep your legs moving. Kick out with your back legs, and scoop your front legs back." Kestrelwing stepped further into the stream until he was shoulder deep. Picking his legs up from the rocky seabed he swam forward, across the small stream sideways for a bit before climbing up on the shore across from the island.

"Now you try. Swim to me," the gray tabby called after shaking himself off, looking back at where Nightpaw stood.

// @Kunaiskrill

Yellow eyes watching her, Kestrelwing nodded. Her swimming was definitely improving, and she seemed to be treading water just fine. "Good," he huffed, sliding back into the water. "Now kick off with your back legs and follow me," he instructed, swimming ahead of Nightpaw and slowly circling around the island.

// @Kunaiskrill

It was decent, and with some practice Nightpaw would definitely made a good swimmer. Once they had been swimming for a bit, Kestrelwing drifted towards the island again and got out, giving a shake of his gray pelt. "We'll need to practice a few more times before your assessment. Next up is a refresher in fighting. If I recall you've only had one fighting session with me. Let's see what you remember," he instructed, creating space between the two of them. "Now, let's practice them move by move. Show me a front paw strike."

// @Kunaiskrill

Good. Kestrelwing nodded and stood up more straighter, studying Nightpaw. "Alright. Now go ahead and try to attack me by knocking me off balance. Since you're a bit bigger than most apprentices, use that to your advantage," he instructed, waiting for her oncoming attack.

// @Kunaiskrill

It was a rather obvious move, one that Kestrelwing saw coming. He easily leapt over her paws, and used the momentum to aim to land on her back and pin her down. She would have to try better if she wanted to catch him off guard! ”Focus! You have to keep the element of surprise as much as you can,” he growled to her.

That was more like it. Once he'd released her from being pinned Kestrelwing watched as she raced circles around him. It was easier than she expected for him to keep up with where she was, but the surprise would come in whatever offensive attack she decided on.

// @Kunaiskrilll

Kestrelwing had been expecting her to attack from the side - a more complex move - so when she came straight at his chest he was caught off guard. A simpler move, something he hadn't quite seen coming. He rolled under her momentum as she pinned him down, surprise registering briefly in his yellow gaze. "That was good. A simple move after a complex distraction. Smart."

// @Kunaiskrill

Wriggling out from underneath Nightpaw, Kestrelwing got back up to his paws and gave a shake of his pelt. ”Now I want to test your defensive skills.” The tom circled her, looking for the perfect opportunity to strike.

There.

Like lightning, the gray tabby moved like rushing water, aiming to claw her shoulder before diving underneath her to throw her off balance. If she was smart, she’d be able to counter the move. Only if she thought quick enough though.

// @Kunaiskrill