A Burning Ferris Wheel [Malleus]
12-09-2017, 11:20 AM
Malleus nodded knowingly. He couldn't say he identified 100% with his cousin's fears, but he understood, at the very least, the gist of it. "I have no doubt," he said reassuringly, "That with practice it'll get easier. Multiple attacks and sound defenses will become second nature." He paused to consider what he could possibly teach Ashiel that his mother hadn't already taught him. No doubt she'd covered defenses, but there was endless variety in combination attacks. He appraised his cousin for a second and tried to guess at what the boy would become. He was stout and his paws were huge; no doubt the boy would end up being built similarly to Malleus. "Because of my size most of my opponents are smaller than I am and I think it's fair to assume yours will be too." He moved to square off with the boy so that they were facing each other with a yard or so between them. "Whenever I am bigger, heavier than my opponent, I like to use my size against them. It's easy to use your chest in combination with a bite, since using the latter tends to naturally bring the former into striking range. Or you could use the front of your shoulder." He rolled his left shoulder forward and pretended to move in for a strike, his left shoulder lined up with the center of Ashiel's chest, but stopped a few steps shy of making contact. He cocked his head and glanced at Ashiel out of the corner of his eye to see if the boy was getting the picture. "Using your chest or shoulder while you bite works from most angles. A shoulder to the center of a chest or the ribs will knock the wind out of an opponent, and a chest slam to a shoulder or hip might knock an opponent of his or her paws. " He stepped back and shrugged. "It's not a sophisticated attack, but it's a good place to start and it's effective. Although I suppose," he said with a hint of a smile, "If you want to surprise your mother next time you spar, you could use your smaller size to your advantage too. Duck down and hit the lower part of her legs, and you'll sweep her off her paws. I bet she'd never see it coming." |