The Boar Rushes Down the Mountain meets The River Undercuts the Bank.
Unfolding the Fan meets Stones Falling Down the Mountain.
If you've read The Wheel of Time fantasy books from Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson then you're likely familiar with these allegorical sword forms and the numerous moments where the heron-blade carrying sword masters use them.
While not a true sword form, Cat Crosses the Courtyard is one of the first swordmaster movement styles that Lan teaches Rand and one that pops up in the books on several occasions.
One of the chief complaints among the book purists is that the first season of Prime Video's The Wheel of Time did little to showcase the training that Rand received from Lan. It's an odd decision as in the novels, Rand's student/master relationship with Lan is one of the most important relationships in the entire series.
However, Lan actor Daniel Henney recently told WiC.net that he's been practicing Cat Crosses the Courtyard in his spare time and that he's trying to get the showrunners to add it in season 3.
"I’ve got a modified version of Cat Crosses the Courtyard that I’m trying to work on, I’m trying to get put into season 3 if I can,” Henney told WiC.net. “But it’s like…the classic version doesn’t really fit in the scene we’re trying to do, so we’re trying to modify it. So you might get to see that. And the Kata is modified as well. You might see that with a specific other male character that Lan has to spend time with with the swords."
Unfortunately, that sounds like we won't get any Rand and Lan sword training scenes in season 2 but there will be a training sequence or montage in season 3. Perhaps the Amazon Prime Video adaptation wants to delay Rand's ascension to sword master and have him rely more heavily on the One Power in the first two seasons?
We'll find out for certain when The Wheel of Time season 3 premieres on Sept. 1. Amazon Prime will be releasing three videos at once to celebrate the show's return.
There are also unconfirmed rumors that the three-episode premiere will drop a day early, on August 31 at 7PM PST so be sure to check the streaming platform around that time, just in case they're true.
The lives of five young villagers change forever when a strange and powerful woman arrives, claiming one of them is the child of an ancient prophecy with the power to tip the balance between Light and Dark forever. They must choose whether to trust this stranger – and each other – with the fate of the world before the Dark One breaks out of His prison, and the Last Battle begins.