01. video

[firealone]

[This is a bit of a struggle, but Firepaw is doing his best. A very under-sized Litten is trying to put himself in frame, but he's a little awkwardly close.]

Um... hello. Can everyone hear me? My name is Firepaw, I'm- I was an apprentice of ThunderClan. Oh- and I used to be a cat, before I came here. A lot of you know me already, but... yes.

[Just going by his voice, it's pretty clear he's a kitten. Public speaking feels incredibly bad, even without a visible crowd.]

A few of you Twolegs - humans - have four legs now, and I wanted to offer help with getting used to that. I can teach you how to hunt and fight, or at least step lightly. I don't know much about our new powers, but we might be able to practice those together too. I can also help with learning different scents, since I think humans can't smell as well as cats, or... Pokemon. That might make gathering herbs and berries easier, too.

[One more thing which... feels like blasphemy for a cat, but he needs to do it.]

And... if anyone knows how to swim, I think I'd like to learn. If another storm comes with new folk, I want to be able to help them get to shore.

Comments

[quirkynote]

[Interesting... Cats seem to be much more welcoming than most. It makes sense, cat colonies depend on cooperation to survive.]

You found your Clan, I found my husband... Life really does start anew once stepping outside...

[So lovely. And honestly? She's just intrigued that cats appear to have a much higher vocabulary than she would've expected. Clan names, training, mentors. Has anyone studied this before??

Oh. Oh wait, that's fire. A.B.A's head jerks back purely out of reflex, but to her surprise, the fire itself doesn't seem to bother her at all. He must have angled that really good, she barely felt it.]

Fire powers for Firepaw. How fitting... You know...ever since arriving, I've been wondering if our forms had any correlation with who we are. You are, by far, the best example I've encountered. Out of all the Pokémon you could've become...

[Wait, wait, getting sidetracked. She's here for a reason.]

...I'd like to learn to fight with my own claws. [She holds one up, for emphasis. Sharp, green, unnatural to the rest of her body.] My nails weren't very sharp before, so that style of attacking was reserved for...desperate times.

[firealone]

I am very lucky, compared to everyone else. It seems like whoever got to choose our forms... they were thoughtful choices, I think.

[He pauses to really consider it.. but yes, they have lessons to do!]

Right!

[He jumps up, and goes into a deep stretch to warm his muscles back up, before walking back far enough that they won't hit that big rock while sparring. There's something very exciting about getting to teach others - he's doing his best to channel his own mentor, and hopefully do as good of a job as Bluestar did with him.]

Let's try practicing that quick swipe I showed you over the network - I'm not sure if you can retract your claws, but it might be good to keep them in while we're practicing. If you can't, then... I'll just try to stay back until we're ready to spar.

[To be honest, her claws scare him. But he's brave, foolhardy even, and he trusts her to be careful. And he'll show off that swipe again - a quick bap-bap-bap with his forepaw, claws kept in for safety.]

[quirkynote]

[Hm, yes, stretching... A.B.A focuses on his every move and concludes the best course of action is to just repeat everything he does. The moment he finishes stretching, she's right behind him, streeeeeetching just as much, giving herself a good shake once she's finished.

Step one, complete!

But now the real work begins, the quick swipe. A.B.A frowns at her own claws when he begins his explanation, she's pretty sure these things don't retract. But! She came here to learn, and she'll turn herself just enough to make sure she doesn't claw him to death.]

Just...like....YOU!! YOU-YOU-YOU!!

[A.B.A's baps are...clunky. Her chitinous forearms make her much more stiff and their length causes them to be less aerodynamic. She feels more like she's just waving it around than the graceful movements of her teacher.

This, of course, frustrates her.]

GAHH!! Like...YOU!! [wavewave] LIKE YOU!! [flail]

[firealone]

[The sight is actually really funny, but Firepaw is trying so hard not to let his whiskers twitch. Okay, so she definitely can't fight like a cat - this quick swipe was the first thing he learned as an apprentice, since it's natural for kits. He'll have to think of something else.]

Maybe you'd do better with one big swipe. [He looks around for an object to use as a practice dummy, but um... he doesn't see anything, so he just steps in front of her.] Here, let's just try and train your speed. Keep three feet on the ground, and try to hit me - don't worry, I'll dodge. [He thinks.]