Clan Warfare Techniques

[Broadwaykat]

Clan Warfare Techniques

While border skirmishes are common, and all out warfare from time to time when seasons get rough is inevitable, there is still something that must be known to all the clans; that warfare is meant to defend the territory, not to kill another cat outright. While some do fall in battle, it is seen as dishonorable if one cat uses deadly force against another for no good reason; cats who do so will likely fall to the Dark Forest when they themselves die.

That being said, there is much to learn about the tactics of clan warfare.

Battle Tactics

While these are not exactly key moves, and more brash warriors may assume that attacking first would give the most strength, these tactics will sometimes help to turn the tide of a battle, not to mention help in saving more lives, or surprising and enemy so that less damage can be done. Never underestimate the true power of tactics over brute force.

Approach From Behind: This would give the advantage of gaining higher ground, allowing you to charge the enemy at greater speed. Your opponent, in turn, will be weakened by having to fight uphill.  

Using Sunlight: The sun should be behind you, in order to help dazzle your enemy. In Green-leaf especially, the midday sun is especially bright and cruel to cats who are used to sulking under the cover of trees. In Leaf-bare, the low sun hovers around eye line, so if you keep your opponent facing it, and they will have trouble seeing which direction your are attacking from.  

Wind Direction and Scent: If there is a strong wind, it should blow from behind you and towards the enemy – blind them with dust and holding them back. However, if you want to preserve the element of surprise for a sneak attack, make sure you are upwind: ensuring that your scent is carried away from your enemy rather than towards them. 

Conceal Your Strength in Numbers: The number in your battle patrol can be disguised to confuse the enemy from a distance; packing close together, for example, will make it appear that your force is smaller than it is, making an enemy overconfident and in turn prone to making poor strategic decision. Alternatively, spreading your cats out will make a small amount appear as a solid wall of warriors; impenetrable to an advancing enemy.  

Attack on Both Sides: If both side of the enemy line are defeated, cats at it's center will have to fight on two fronts; weakening their stance. Even if they aren't outnumbered, outflanking them will make them vulnerable and break their moral.  

Reserve Fighters: Keep some fresh, fit warriors behind the battle line, so that they will be able to replace injured warriors, launching a separate attack if the enemy tries to encircle your forces, or to fend of surprise enemy attacks from the rear. If the battle is in your favor, you can finish it quicker by sending your reserve warriors behind the enemy line to surround them and demand surrender. 

Generalized Battle Moves

While each clan has an individual style added to their fighting, there are some moves that are taught universally to all apprentices.

Back Kick: Explosive surprise more to catch them off guard. Judging their distance, you lash out with your back legs, taking the weight onto your front paws.  

Back Rake: Fighting a cat from the front, jump over the cat's head and score your claws down their back while mid-air. 

Belly Rake: A Guaranteed fight stopper if done correctly. Slicing with unsheathed claws across the soft flesh of their stomach. If pinned, this is a surefire way to get you back into control.  

Front Paw Blow: Frontal attack. Bring front paws down hard on your opponent's head with claws unsheathed.  

Front Paw Strike: Frontal attack. Slice downward with your front paw at the body or face of your opponent with claws unsheathed.  

Killing Bite: A death blow to the back of the neck, quick and silent but considered dishonorable. This is used only as a last resort. 

Leap and Cover: Ideal for making your opponent feel pain. Leap onto your opponent’s back and put your paws over their eyes. For the moment, the enemy is blinded, sink your claws into the soft skin around their eyes. If your opponent doesn’t flee, take advantage of their temporary blindness to perform the leap-and-hold move. 

Leap and Hold: Ideal for a small cat facing a large opponent. Spring onto the opponent’s back and grip with unsheathed claws. Now you are beyond the range of your opponent’s paws and in the position to inflict some severe body wounds. A group of apprentices can defeat a large and dangerous warrior in this way. 

Partner Fighting: Warriors who have trained and fought together will often instinctively fall into a paired defensive position, each protecting the other’s back while fending off an opponent on either side. Slashing, clawing, and leaping together, battle pairs can be 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 that you are defeated, push yourself upwards explosively. This will throw off an unwary opponent and put you in the attacking position. 

Scruff Shake: Secure a strong teeth grip in the scruff of your opponent’s neck, then shake violently until he or she is too rattled to fight back. Most effective against rats which are small enough to throw. A strong throw will stun or kill a rat or very small cat. 

Tail Trip: The opponent moves to you and at the right moment, trip them with your tail. 

Teeth Grip: Target your opponent’s extremists - the legs, tail, scruff, or ears- and sink your teeth in and hold. This move is similar to the leap and hold, except your claws remain free to fight. 

Unbalancing Act: If a cat is going to bring down all its weight on you while rearing on its back legs, roll towards your opponent’s hind legs to unbalance them. 

Upright Lock: Rear up on your back legs and bring full weight on your opponent. If your opponent does the same, wrestle and flip them under you. This move makes you vulnerable to the belly rake, so it requires great strength and speed. 

Valeclan Battle Moves

Valeclan cat's live in possibly the harshest of the territories; but they have one thing going for them. They are quite wily, and they know how to use their brains to their advantage. They are cats who certainly use trickery to their advantage.

False Retreats and Ambushing: Start by having a group of strong cats charge an enemy, only to turn and withdraw. This would hopefully enrage and distract the enemy line into giving chance; and at this point, spring your trap. Other cats, hiding in soft sand piles and pits around the group will attack as soon as your opponents' have gone past. Then enemy is now forced to stop and turn around to fight the unexpected threat. Now, the retreating cats must turn and charge back at them with full speed. The enemy, caught between two bodies of attacking cats will quickly surrender. 

The Sleeper: Primarily used in the Poppy Fields; luring a cat towards this potentially dangerous area so that the nature of the area itself brings the opponent to a confused and easily influenced state. 

Dust Storm: Kick at extra-dry ground into the eyes of the opponent, blinding them. 

Poison: Occasionally, when going into danger, Valeclan cats will use poisonous plants or the venom of dangerous animals to coat their claws in order to cause more damage to their opponents.
This poison, of course, is so diluted that for the most part all it can do is cause disorientation and mild illness; but will distract a cat in battle certainly.

Pit-Falls: Valeclan cats will dig areas and traps around the clan in order to lure in unsuspecting travelers and opponents; allowing the land to capture an enemy and hold them in place for them.  

Canyon Leap: More of an intimidation tactic than anything; they will run full tilt at an enemy in a serious game of chicken, until they veer off at the very last moment.  

Gladeclan Battle Moves

Gladeclan is a clan of shadows; using the undergrowth as well as the trees to their advantage. Occasionally, they will use the advantage that climbing trees will give them.

The Branch Swing: Holding onto the branch with front claws and swinging hind legs into the opponent’s face. 

The Reverse Branch Swing: Holding onto the branch with back claws and striking with front legs through the swing. 

The Trunk Swing: Sliding down the trunk and springing off at head height, using hind legs to push off and clear opponents (good if tree is surrounded). 

The Reverse Climb: Climbing backward up the trunk as the opponent advances to gain advantage of height; often 

Squirrel's Folly: To use hard objects carried with you into the trees to drop on opponents; small rocks, hard stones, twigs, etc. More to drive an enemy out of hiding than to do any serious damage, for the most part. 

Shadow Scent: Using leaf-litter, mud, and other forest debris to disguise their pelts and their scent when creeping up and preparing the attack. 

Tag-Team: When two cats attack together from above; using combined weight and surprise to attack from the skies. As if they were ghosts, appearing from the heavens above. 

Shellclan Battle Moves

With the water literally lapping at their camp's door, and with the clan's cats proficient swimmers all, Shellclan cats use the water to their advantage. Some may think that this is somewhat cheating, retreating back where others can't follow; but it's strictly good tactics.

Splash: Using the front or back paws, splashing water into the face of the enemy to distract them. Using both paws on this side allow for a maximum strength of spray. 

Underwater Leg Sweep: Front or Hind legs. The opponent is lured into the shallows and will therefore not see it coming under the water; the sweeping kick with the legs that is meant to knock them off balance. When successful, they do not have a chance to brace themselves and will fall into the water, often distressing them as water soaks into their fur and chokes them. 

Push-Down and Release: Almost all cats, even Shellclanners, will panic when submerged for a certain amount of time. This move then can be used to secure a decisive victory, as it's likely at even the hint of being held under, an opponent will surrender. This move is not meant to be deadly, but can quickly prove to be is an unscrupulous cat were to hold a body under until they stopped struggling. 

Shell Splash: A decoy move. Using the noise of water splashed at a distance (by throwing a sand or a pebble into the water) it distracts and opponent and leaving opportunity for a surprise attack.  

Underwater Clinch: Uses a warrior's weight to hold the opponent down below the surface of the water, but allowing for their to get a firm grip on their scruff. They can bring the opponent spluttering back to the surface before forcing them under again; essentially waterboarding them. Again, can easily prove deadly in the case that a cat is morally ambiguous.  

Tail Splash: Temporally blinds opponent by flicking water in their eyes with the tail. 

Underwater Push-Off: Crouching down and erupting out of the water into the opponent or their path; a surprise attack and impact meant to knock them off balance.  

Peakclan Battle Moves

Used to fighting at high altitudes, Peakclan cats will use the height and strength of their bodies to their advantage. As well as the bulk of their bodies and the forbidding nature of their environment when fighting on their home turf.

The Crusher: Landing with all four feet on top of an opponent, flattening them like a leaf and using their significant body weight to hold and opponent in place. 

The Flick: Landing with front paws outstretched to sweep the opponent off their feet and roll them onto their back. 

The Kick: Kicking down hard as the warrior nears the ground, leaping from some sort of stone ledge above, then using momentum from landing to spring away before the opponent can retaliate. 

The Slice: Dropping down with claws unsheathed for maximum injury from a greater height. 

Boulder Dash: They will kick off precariously placed stones in the hopes that they will fall down on unsuspecting opponents; the aim is to drive away, not kill, but they can still land deadly blows from time to time.  

Gravel Grovel: They will scatter stones and sharp rocks into an area, or drive cats to an area where sharp stones are plentiful, in order to cause cuts and discomfort that enemy cats will not be used to, causing them great discomfort whereas they are familiar with this sort of territory and have toughened paw pads. 

King of the Hill: A move involving two or more cats; using the body of the first cat to launch themselves from a higher stance on their shoulders. In order to not hurt their clan-mate, they will keep claws sheathed until launching themselves, extending in midair to land on an opponent. Primarily a combo done with mentor-apprentice duos.