Teaching Border Tactics

[Jet$tar]

Batflight padded into the Mossy Clearing, her apprentice Birdpaw at her heels. She grabbed a stick in her jaws and drew a line in the ground and sat down on one side of the line and signaled for Birdpaw to sit on the other side with a flick of her tail. '' Now being a warrior isn't all fancy battle moves and claws, you will have to protect the borders of SunClan's territory too and this doesn't always involve fighting. The smartest thing to do if you see a cat near the border is to question them first instead of jumping right into a fight. Use fighting only as a last resort and wait for them to attack first. '' Batflight explained to the tawny she-cat, '' Now pretend I'm a rogue and I'm very close to the border. ''

[Birdsong]

Birdpaw cocked her head at her mentor and tried to regard her as a rogue. She couldn't quite managed it, but tried anyway. "Erm... what are you doing so close to SunClan territory, rogue?" she asked stiltedly. She knew she didn't sound hostile in the slightest, but she'd been taught to treat warriors with respect and so growling at her mentor went against her better judgement.

[Jet$tar]

Batflight smiled at her apprentice, '' Birdpaw, do you think that would scare a rogue away? '' the she-cat asked joking, '' Be a little meaner, what if I wanted to eat Wolfstar? ''

[Birdsong]

Birdpaw squeaked in shock at that, but then she found her fur bristling. "I'd claw your ears off if you even tried!" she hissed, her hackles rising. She froze, realizing that she'd just threatened her mentor, and began apologizing profusely.

[Jet$tar]

Batflight laughed as her apprentice began apologizing, '' You might not want to say that when you're questioning a rogue, but that was good! '' she meowed and flicked Birdpaw's ear with her tail tip, '' Now lets try that again, shall we? ''

[Birdsong]

Birdpaw nodded and rolled her shoulders back, preparing herself for another try. She closed her eyes and forced herself to picture a rogue, standing tauntingly close to SunClan's border. When her fur began to bristle in anger at the fictional adversary, her green eyes snapped open. She marched right up to the line Batflight had drawn in the sand and thrust her face up into her mentor's, in her mind's eye still picturing a rogue. "I suggest you don't set paw over that border," she growled menacingly, "or it may very well be the last thing you ever do."

[Jet$tar]

Now she's doing it right! Batflight thought to herself as she stood taller, '' And who's gonna stop me? You? '' she growled back at her apprentice thrusting her face even closer to Birdpaw's.

[Birdsong]

Birdpaw's eyes flashed and she let out a soft hiss. "Why don't you come on over here and find out?" she taunted, her tail lashing.

[Jet$tar]

'' Brave words for a little kit like you! '' Batflight meowed, '' Lets put those words to the test then, shall we? '' The she-cat put a paw over the mock border and then looked at her apprentice with expectant and challenging amber eyes.

[Birdsong]

A growl rumbling through her tiny chest, Birdpaw rushed forward and forced Batflight to retreat her paw. The SunClan deputy flitted to one side and reached a paw over again. Birdpaw charged at her just as she had before. "Let's play, shall we?" she hissed, a suddenly vindictive sparkle in her eyes. When Batflight leapt across the faux-border, Birdpaw launched at the older she-cat with a enraged yowl.

[Jet$tar]

Looking at Birdpaw's eyes, Batflight knew where she was going to pounce before she actually did. The older she-cat side-stepped quickly to the right and Birdpaw flew right past her, '' Nice try. '' she meowed with looking back at the apprentice.

[Birdsong]

Birdpaw landed lightly and whipped around, springing at her mentor again in the hopes of knocking her paws out from under her. Hopefully the fact that the deputy had her back turned would work in Birdpaw's favour.

[Jet$tar]

As Birdpaw sprung at Batflight from behind, she stepped to the right again but was surprised when she saw that Birdpaw had been aiming to knock her paws out from under her, '' That was good, I didn't expect you to go for my paws, '' she praised her apprentice, '' you did really well for your first time. But another important lesson is not to take on an opponent who will probably kill you. Rogues have no morals and if you make them angry, they will probably attack without mercy. ''

[Birdsong]

Birdpaw straightened up from her attack and nodded sheepishly at her mentor's words. "I know. But I'm not supposed to run away if rogues are invading... am I?"

[Jet$tar]

'' There is a difference between being brave, and being mouse-brained, my apprentice, '' Batflight meowed to Birdpaw, '' do you understand? ''