[Deleted]

    Shadowdance knew being a productive warrior for his clan was imperative when the weather was unforgiving, just as it had been for what seemed like a lifetime now. Hunting and engaging in combat were the usual ways a warrior could prove their worth, however it was far too cold for any of the clans to risk a battle. Even if the calculated risk was deemed acceptable rousing cold, hungry and tired cats to battle was no easy undertaking, thus hunting for ones clan seemed to be the obvious option. Therein lay Shadowdance's problem, he was a lousy hunter. The entire process was far to unpredictable for such a methodical cat, he had devised a plan to fix his problem however. On an earlier hunting patrol he had witnessed Skunkspots exhibit her keen hunting abilities and he had deduced that her help would be perfect in addressing his deficiencies. So humming a slight tune he sauntered across Stoneclan's camp towards the cat in question and cornered her so she would at least have to listen to his proposal. "Good day Skunkspots, I was wondering if I could have a little assistance with a problem I'm suffering?" He ventured in a cheery tone.

Fawn

[Fawn]

Skunkspots
22 Moons. Warrior somehow. She-Cat. StoneClan.

  If anyone short of the prophetic Ivywhisker had come up to her and mewed that in a few moments, a warrior she wasn't particularly close to would ask her for hunting advice, she would've rolled her eyes so hard. Yeah right. Cats did not ask her for advice. Teaching her Clanmates things sounded terrifying, and frankly, there was nothing she dreaded more than one day becoming a mentor.

Fallenleaf had been a great mentor, but Skunkspots was painfully aware of the simple truth; she was no Fallenleaf.

When a cheery tone and a friendly tom appeared seemingly out of nowhere, the she-cat sat up quickly, surprised by the sudden conversation. Damn, and I thought I'd picked a good 'hiding out' spot... Her eyes widened at Shadowdance's question, and somehow, somehow, through all of her reservations about getting involved in social things and being social in general (she was more of a social slug than a butterfly, awkward and slimy and unpleasant to talk to), Skunkspots nodded.
"Uh, sure."
Uh, sure? Why are you agreeing to help, birdbrain! What could YOU possibly help him with? Skunkspots grimaced. She had no idea where those words came from. Probably some small part of herself that enjoyed a little self-sabotage. It was like she had a tiny Dark Forest cat sitting on her shoulder who took great pleasure in helping her put her foot in her mouth.

Aw come on, the black and white feline inwardly groaned. It's gotta be too early for me to mess things up.

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Word Count: 250 Words
Tags: @poptart

[Deleted]

    Shadowdance felt his heart leap as he received a positive answer to his inquiry, he was ready to begin right away and wasted no time in letting her know. "Splendid!" He replied with the same exuberance he had exhibited when asking her the initial question. "I have been having a problem efficiently hunting in this weather." He explained trying to save a bit of face, if he was being honest he had problems hunting in all weather. "So perhaps we can find a nice quite spot where we have a bit more room to work?" He asked as he turned and surveyed the camp before quickly deciding it was a bit too public for his liking. Without waiting for his new companions reply he turned swiftly and sauntered off just as he had when he arrived, Shadowdance even hummed the same tune as he had previously when departing. The tom exited camp and took a short detour not wanting to make any real distance between himself and camp, he figured this would be all the privacy he needed. Once he had staked a claim on their new training ground he spun nimbly on one rear paw and began to speak never doubting Skunkspots had followed him. "Where do you think we should start?"

Fawn

[Fawn]

Skunkspots
22 Moons. Warrior somehow. She-Cat. StoneClan.

With no choice but to follow Shadowdance, Skunkspots slunk after the peppy tom with a queasy stomach—half wondering if she'd barf from nervousness before they ever really got started. Wouldn't THAT just be great? Of course, you can't throw up on an empty stomach. Maybe I'll hack up a hairball and embarrass myself forever. Yeah that sounds like me.

Stirred out of these self-destructive thoughts, the black and white she-cat's ears twitched, realizing after a few seconds' delay that he'd asked her a question. What? A good place to start?

"Uhhhh... Probably the little woods near the stream..." Skunkspots mewed, resisting the urge to glance around for someone who knew what the Dark Forest they were doing, because that cat most certainly wasn't her.

Get a grip, said a small voice in her head. You know how to hunt. You aren't that much of a burden to StoneClan. So prove it.

"I, uh, can teach you how to catch birds. What did you, er, have trouble with, exactly?" Dear StarClan, please strike her down now. One little lightning bolt, that's all she asked. Just anything to end the suffocating awkwardness she was feeling. What was there to be afraid of, anyway? It was Shadowdance. He was a nice cat, as far as she knew, he wouldn't just laugh at her for her absurd attempts at teaching.... Right?

"Look, Shadowdance. Sorry." Skunkspots' heart thundered in her breast. "I'm not really a very good teacher. Sorry, I might make things worse, so if I do—just don't forget I said sorry like three times before we got started." Her nose scrunched. Ugh. There had to be a stronger word than 'sorry' for just how badly this was probably going to go...
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Word Count: 287 Words
Tags: @poptart
Notes: Awkward Turtle alert.

[Deleted]

    When Skunkspots suggested they start at the open woods Shadowdance headed in that direction immediately continuing to listen as her tone became all the more desperate. Skunkspots asked what he wanted to work on he replied with an answer he had decided on before even seeking her out, "Just hunting in general, if I don't get better I can't bring back prey for the clan." He explained. Shadowdance wondered what could possibly have the she-cat so nervous as she launched into a long winded explanation of her incompetence and apologized far too many times. Personally he didn't agree with her assessment, Shadowdance had seen her perform many successful hunts and he had faith she would be perfectly capable of helping him address his short comings. Approaching the woods near the stream as Skunspots suggested Shadowdance slowed and turned to face her as he spoke kindly. "I think you will do an excellent job, so let's just calm down and work on the basics okay?" Every part of him wanted to hum what he considered a calming tune but he resisted the urge as it would surely be off putting for such a skittish cat, however it did give him an idea. "How about after we do a little hunting I show you something, kind of like a trade?" He suggested hopefully.

Fawn

[Fawn]

Skunkspots
22 Moons. Warrior somehow. She-Cat. StoneClan.

"How about after we do a little hunting I show you something, kind of like a trade?"

Despite being capable of thinking of a hundred ways in which she could mess this up further, Skunkspots also knew that just staring at him as if her tongue was tied in a knot was a quick way to ruin a conversation. "Ye-Yeah. Fine. We can trade." Social discomfort making her a little crabby, the she-cat answered with an almost defensive tone—something she immediately regretted. Determined not to make every single thing out of her mouth an apology, Skunkspots shook out her black and white fur, as if to physically shake off the awkwardness.

"Can I see your hunting crouch? So I can tell if you need to work on it... or not. We'll see, I guess."

Was that her voice? That awkward mew coming out of an awkward cat who would've been better at peeling bark off a tree than talking to others? Yeah that was definitely her voice. Watching Shadowdance and quietly, dismally, wondering what he must think of her, Skunkspots waited, working her paws around in the snow to keep out some of the chill.

Why he thought she could be a good teacher, she couldn't say. But was it... a hopeless cause if she tried to live up to how he saw her? That was a dangerous thought, and it made the she-cat's heart quiver with strong uncertainty. Best case scenario? She actually taught him something helpful. Worst case scenario? She failed so hard, StarClan struck her with lightning out of pity. But maybe, just maybe, she wouldn't suck at this as much as she expected.

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Word Count: 285 Words
Tags: @poptart