"So, for the fighting lesson, I want to see how good you are. So I want you to attack me with your claws sheathed and I will attack back. Okay?"

"Okay."

Feather stared at Ivypool a moment, then tensed as if to spring. She glanced around at the encouraging faces of StarClan. Surveying her opponent, she suddenly leaped into the air, trying to land on Ivypool shoulders. But Ivypool saw what she was doing and flipped onto her back. As Feather landed, her paws were ready to attack her belly. Feather rolled on the side to avoid the claws and sprung to her feet, Ivypool a second later.

"Good." Ivypool told her. "But your eyes betrayed where you were going to land."

"Can I try again?" Feather asked her.

"Of course!"

Feather thought for a moment. If I leap at her back again, she could use the same trick. If I slide under her, she could trap me. But if I pretend to leap on her back, swerve away as she flips over and pounce from a different angle…

Leaping into the air, she fixed her gaze on Ivypool's back to trick her, then swerved in midair, landing next to the she-cat, whose belly was exposed because she had flipped onto her back. Feather reared to attack her, but she hesitated for a fraction of a second, thinking. When she did attack, Ivypool was ready and pushed her off with her hind paws.

"Much better!" she told the white and silver she-cat. "Just don't hesitate during the move or even before, if possible. It gives your opponent the chance to attack or at least prepare for your attack."

Feather nodded. "One last time?" she asked.

"Go for it."

Feather took a deep breath and a step forward, balanced on her hind legs and pretended to swipe at Ivypool muzzle. As Ivypool retaliated, she dropped back on four paws and darted to the side in one smooth move. Then she pounced and bowled Ivypool over from the side. Letting out a triumphant yowl, she let her mentor get up.

"Great job!" Ivypool meowed.

"Thanks." Feather replied, embarrassed.

"Alright, now I'm going to show you some fighting moves. You ready?"

"Of course!"

"I'm going to teach you the belly rake. When an opposing cat pins you down, rake their belly, usually with your hind paw claws but front paw claws works too. Here, try it on me."

Ivypool pinned Feather down against the ground. Feather raked Ivypool's belly. She loosened her grip for a fraction of a second, but enough time for Feather to use her hind paws to push Ivypool off her. Then she pounced on Ivypool, in the dominating position of the fight. Leaping off of her, Feather waited for Ivypool to get up. Her mentor looked at her proudly.

"Well done. If your claws had been unsheathed, you wouldn't have needed to push me off, but it was a nice touch. Now I'm going to show you another way to get free when pinned down. It's called play dead. You go limp in their grip. When they relax even slightly, surge up and throw them off. Often, it will take a while for them to relax, so be patient. Try it on me."

Once more Ivypool assumed the enemy position. Feather struggled a bit before going limp. Ivypool kept her grip for a while before letting go a little. In that instant, Feather surged up and threw her off before leaping on top of Ivypool and holding her down.

"Excellent, Feather!" Ivypool congratulated her. "And good idea to struggle a bit. It distracts them and makes them less wary when you go limp."

Feather received the praise with gratitude before turning to look at the StarClan cats all around her. Should I do it? She asked them telepathically. More like, she knew they could read her mind. They all said yes, so Feather turned to Ivypool and asked, "Could I try a move I just thought of on you? You start by pinning me down."

"Then what?"

"You'll have to wait and see."

Ivypool smiled. "Okay, let's do this." She pinned Feather down once again. This time, instead of pushing Ivypool off, she made herself as heavy as possible. Then she slid to the side and Ivypool lost her balance. After that it was easy to slide out of her grasp and leap onto her shoulders. Leaping off again, she waited to see what Ivypool thought.

"That was amazing, Feather! Good job. What with the first few moves and this one, I'm really impressed!"

"Thanks!" Feather purred. "So what do we do now?"

Ivypool looked up. It's soon sunhigh. Do you want to go back to camp and eat then go hunting or hunt now and eat after?"

"Clan comes first, right? Which one's best for the Clan?"

Impressed once again, Ivypool purred. "I guessed we're hunting now!"

Feather gave a little mrrow of amusement and together, the two cats bounded off for a hunting lesson.