fighting techniques
+ unique clan battle skills

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techniques

back kick
explosive surprise move to catch opponent from behind. judge opponent's distance from you carefully, then lash out with your back legs, taking all weight on your front paws.

belly rake
a fight-stopper. slice with unsheathed claws against the soft flesh of the opponent's belly. if you're pinned down, the belly rake quickly puts you back into control.

front paw blow
frontal attack. bring your front paw down hard on your opponent's head. claws sheathed.

front paw strike/forepaw slash
frontal attack. slice downward with your front paw at the face or body of your opponent.

killing bite
a death blow to the back of the neck. quick and silent and sometimes considered dishonorable. used only as a last resort.

leap-and-hold
ideal for a small cat facing a larger opponent. spring onto opponent's back and grip with unsheathed claws. now you are beyond the range of the opponent's paws and in position to inflict severe body wounds. a group of apprentices can defeat a large and dangerous warrior in this way. watch for the drop-and-roll counter move, and try to jump free before you get squashed.

partner fighting
warriors who have trained and fought together will often fall instinctively into a defensive position, each protecting each other's back while fending off an opponent on either side. slashing, clawing, and leaping together, battle pairs can be a whirlwind of danger for attackers.

play dead
effective in a tight situation, such as when you are pinned. stop struggling and go limp. when your opponent relaxes their grip, thinking you are defeated, push yourself up explosively. this will throw off an unwary opponent and put you in attacking position.

scruff shake
secure a strong teeth grip in the scruff of your opponent's neck; then shake violently until they are too rattled to fight back. most effective against rats, who are small enough to throw. a strong throw will stun or kill them.

tail yank
grab your opponent's tail and yank it with such force your opponent is thrown off balance.

teeth grip
target your opponent's extremities (the legs, tail, scruff, or ears) and sink in your teeth and hold. this move is similar to the leap-and-hold except your claws remain free to fight.

upright lock
final, crushing move on already weakened opponent. rear up on back legs and bring weight down on opponent. if opponent does the same, wrestle and flip them under you. this makes you vulnerable to the belly rake, so it takes great strength and speed.

half-turn belly rake
turn onto your side, slip under the opponent's belly, rake it with your claws, then swiftly turn back onto all fours out from under your opponent.

badger defense
leap over opponent, turn on your back legs and bite opponent's leg. used only when fighting badgers.

duck and twist
simple defensive move. the cat ducks then twists around, rolling over onto their back, and then springs to their paws.

jump and pin
complicated move. leap backwards, and bounce off the wall. with precise accuracy, land on the cat.

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other techniques

rear-up to slash
to hurt opponents coming from the air, this move can be used to rear up on the hind legs and slashing at the enemy.

attack crouch
crouching down to leap out onto your enemy.

tucking in the tail
the less you give your enemy to hold on to, the better. this technique takes practice, as balancing with a tucked-in tail is tricky.

slicking down fur
slicking down fur fools an opponent into thinking you're weaker than you really are

arched back
used to intimidate the opponent or to vent out anger.

shoulder drop
this move is performed by grabbing the opponent's shoulders and then locking them against the ground. from here, the cat can do anything such as churning their hind paws against their spine.

roll over
used by rolling over to avoid an enemy's swipes or grip, or to crush an opponent that is on your back.

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dark forest techniques

underbelly slash
dart under your enemy's underbelly, slashing at the back of their forepaws. when they twist, expecting you to emerge on the other side, back quickly out of the way you came. hook your claws into your enemies fur, and drag them to the ground.

badger defense
an advanced badger defense; leap over opponent, turn on your back legs, and, while turning, rake your claws on opponent's back. then sink teeth into opponent's leg. used only when fighting badgers.

spin hind kick
flick your hind legs into the air while spinning around on your forepaws, then rear up rake at the enemy with your claws before tucking your head down and perform a forward roll.

hold and enemy collapse
leap onto an enemy's back, and hold their head with your forepaws and use your hindpaws to knock their hindlegs out from under them, thus making them collapse to the ground.

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thunderclan techniques

forest attack
- move quietly and communicate with signals. cracking twigs, startled birds, and rustling bracken will tell the enemy exactly where you are.

- keep downwind of the trespassers so that your scent doesn't give you away.

- look for freshly broken twigs, overturned leaves on the forest floor, remains of prey, or a clump of fur caught on a bramble. any animal that moves through the forest leaves behind signs that its passed by-and signs like this could lead you straight to the invaders.

- keep your mouth open to search for unfamiliar scents. be careful: if there is scent when there is no breeze to carry it through the forest, it could mean that your enemy is very close by.

- light-colored pelts are easily seen against brown and green foliage, so stay in the thickest cover. keep low- the enemy will be looking for movement at normal head height, not close to the ground.

- never miss an opportunity to perfect your tracking ability. In the nursery, kits sneak up on their mothers and pounce with their moss-soft paws. apprentices leap out on one another from behind bushes and tree stumps. these are more than just games. one day, these skills could save your life and defend your clan.

lightning strike
- crouch behind the enemy with your patrol unseen.

- wait for the leader of the patrol to give the attack tail signal (tail tip facing other way or kinked tail).

- spring squarely on top of the enemy, aiming for the ears, as they will bleed easily; caught by surprise, they should be easy targets.

- as fast as you attack, retreat back into the undergrowth.

- as the enemy lets its guard down, attack from an opposite angle; do this over and over until the enemy, thinking they are outnumbered, retreats.

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shadowclan techniques

night ambush
- hide in the shadows of the night with your patrol and your enemy spotted.

- make sure your scent isn't drifting toward the attackers.

- wait for the leader of the patrol to give the attack tail signal.

- strike your enemy fast and hard; the enemy will be caught off-guard with a battle at night.

- cut off all your enemy's escape routes, encircling them with your patrol.

- if they try to attack, battle again. if they do not, let them through with a warning.

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riverclan techniques

double-front-paw slap-down
splash water into the enemy's face with your front paws, temporarily blinding them.

underwater leg sweep (front or hind)
crouch under water, holding your breath. sweep the legs from under your enemy as their head is raised above water-level; they struggle for breath, as other clan cats naturally panic underwater.

push-down and release
wrestle your enemy under water.
keep their head below water-level until they surrender, as other clan cats don't know to hold their breath underwater.

underwater clinch
use your enemy's weight to hold them underwater. with a firm grip, raise them to the air so they can breathe, then send them under again. do this repeatedly until the enemy gives up.

tail splash
similar to the double front-paw slap-down, splash the water into your opponent's eyes with your tail, temporarily blinding them.

underwater push-off
holding your breath, crouch below the water's surface. aim an accurate pounce to the warrior on the water's edge, knocking them off-balance; the element of surprise should win you this battle.

rushpaw splash
flick a splash of water at a distance to create a decoy for the enemy, leaving room for a surprise attack.

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windclan techniques

approach from above the enemy
- gain high-ground.

- wait for the leader of the patrol to give the attack tail signal.

- charge down your high ground; your enemy will be weakened by having to fight uphill.

light from the sun
attack your enemy with the sun behind you, which should dazzle the enemy and block their view.

know where the wind is coming from
if there is a strong wind, it should blow from behind you; that should hold them back and blur their vision with dust. however, if stalking, make sure the wind is blowing toward you, as it could give away your scent if blowing toward your enemy.

conceal the size of your force
have your attackers in sight from a distance. there are two options: either you can group your warriors together tightly, making you seem like a small attacking force. your enemy may become overconfident, which is likely to lead to them making poor strategic decisions. or, if your warriors spread out single-file, it will seem impossible to pass to advancing enemy warriors and may intimidate them. then, attack the enemy.

attack both ends of the enemy line first
attack both ends of your enemy's line, leaving the middle cats to fend on two fronts; this will leave them outflanked, vulnerable, and in disarray. attack the rest of the enemies until they run.

keep fresh warriors in reserve
always keep strong, fit warriors to replace injured ones.

feigned retreat and ambush
- a group of strong cats screech and attack the enemy line.

- the group of fit cats retreat; repeat this until the enemy line breaks.

- other warriors, usually tunnelers, jump out of rabbit holes and dips in the ground on the other side of the attackers.

- attack from both fronts until the enemy surrenders.

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skyclan techniques

the sky-crusher
balance on a thin branch; make no sound. then, land squarely on the enemy, claws unsheathed.

the flick-over
balance on a thin branch; make no sound. then, land with all four paws outstretched on your enemy.
knock the opponent's feet from under him, flip the enemy over to their belly, and pin them to the ground until they surrender.

the kick
balance on a thin branch; make no sound. kick the enemy as you near the ground and use the momentum of the fall to spring backward before the enemy has time to attack.

the slice
balance on a thin branch; make no sound. drop with claws unsheathed for maximum injury.

the branch swing
hold on to a branch with front claws as your back paws rake your enemy's face.

the trunk spring
balance on a thin branch; make no sound. slide down the trunk of your tree and spring off the trunk with your back legs at head height to clear an enemy (good if tree is surrounded).

the reverse climb
pace backward as the enemy advances. climb backward up the trunk to escape enemy; often followed by the trunk spring.