Somehow we'll come through, now that I found you [Closed;;Tawny]

Lying by the frozen pool, Frogpaw looked darkly at the reflection that stared back at him. One snaggled tooth stuck out of his jaw which sat out of alignment. He looked like an elder, not an apprentice that was ready to become a warrior. All his siblings were ready, having sat their assessments but here he was, a cripple that no one could even look at. The whole clan had seen him whimpering like a kit in pain, no one though him to be dependable now. Even though Cloudstone cleared him for training, his own mentor seemed hesitant to take him out.

Everyone said the same thing, 'take it easy, Frogpaw, no rush'. But their eyes all gave it away, they didn't believe he could ever recover. They thought that he would die like this, a crippled apprentice who could barely chew. He'd only managed to eat by clawing at his freshkill
till it was more pulp than prey, only to lap it up like it was water. That was no way to live, and everyone knew it.

"Death would have been more merciful." The tom commented to himself, taking a swipe at his reflection on the ice. Even convincing his mother to let him come out to the Brokenpools was hard enough. This was as good as his life was going to get.

(sorry it took so long to get to this. worst warrior ever.)

For so long, Tawnystorm had just felt empty. 
Otterleap was already a fine warrior, and Ashpaw and Aspenpaw were growing nearer. Crowclaw had died, her siblings had died. She still missed them every day. She did her duties, protected her Clan, fought her battles. She was one of the most experienced warriors in RiverClan, but there was always a small, panging sense of loneliness in her heart, not even one her best friend Smokeface could get rid of. She'd never quite felt the same way since her mate's tragic death.
The new Leafbare sent chills through her bones and hunger through her stomach. Maybe they didn't have it as bad as the other clans, but it didn't change the fact the river was frozen over, cutting them off from their main source of prey. So were these shallow Brokenpools she was at now. The warrior wasn't sure why she'd come here, on her hunting mission. It wasn't like there was much prey here. But she would be glad she did.
"Frogpaw?"
What was he doing out here? Certainly not being productive, that was for sure. But how could he, even if he tried? She had to take pity on him - unable to hunt or eat, he had nothing to provide the clan. It was a miracle he hadn't been shoved in with the elders. 
Tawnystorm shuffled over to the edge of one of the frozen pools, sitting by his side. 
"What're you doing?"

Frogpaw jolted up onto his feet, surprised by the sudden voice behind him. Usually no hunting patrol came down here in Leafbare, and there was no need to patrol this territory often, the gorge kept away most sensible cats. The apprentice wasn't expected company, it showed in how messy his fur and the depressed tilt of his whiskers. "Tawnystorm?" He croaked, voice sounding lack-luster and weak. Clearing his throat with a cough, he tried again. "Tawnystorm, I was just... Just looking at my wound."

He thought about lying to her, but what was the point. Everyone knew that he was this thing, caught between life and death, neither falling one way or the other. Lies were pointless now. "I didn't think I'd miss my dumb jaw. Who knew just being able to shut it close was a blessing?"

"Less of a blessing, more a part of life," Tawnystorm replied, her healthy-sounding and strong voice a sharp contrast to Frogpaw's croak. "I will say, though, it must be terrible. You can't do much with it broken now, and all because of a cocky, foxhearted deputy. Trust me, I want to rip him to shreds just as must as you want to." The warrior sighed, batting at the frozen water. All the scars that criss-crossed her pelt were nothing compared to this. She'd never been good at comforting others, and truth be told, Tawnystorm wasn't quite sure what to say. Well, she may as well say it like it was.
"Look, Frogpaw." The she-cat turned to face the apprentice, locking eyes with him. "Your jaw is broken, and there's nothing you can do about it now. There's no point wallowing in your own sadness. Sure, you can't eat, hunt or do anything with it now. Sure, it looks like a mess, disfigured and crushed. I'm not going to sugarcoat it - you know it as well as I do. But here's the thing. You need to accept it, move on, and try and make the best of it." She took a breath. "That's not to say it's all good, but it's important that you don't let it get you down. Understand what I'm saying?"

"I... I understand, but it's hard to work around up here." He pawed at his head, a touch of lightheartedness that had been absent from him lately. She was right, Tawnystorm was right. She spoke the words that everyone tiptoed around, they felt too sad for the disfigured apprentice to actually say them. He needed to hear this, to get the push he needed.

He was never going to be whole again. He was never going to be normal, or perhaps another way of putting it was that this was his new normal. His jaw was useless, ugly, scarred, but he still had two forepaws and two hindpaws. His mentor made do with three working paws, and Tawnystorm was just as covered in scars. Everyone had something, Sunfeather was mute since birth.

Enough was enough.

"Can... Can you help me hunt with my paws? I can sort-of eat by shredding my freshkill. Maybe, I can hunt like that." The idea was slowly coming to him, though he had no idea how he'd pull this off successfully.

Tawnystorm smiled and nodded. "Good. You'll find a way through this, I know you will." That was the spirit. She knew Frogpaw had a life ahead of him, and there was no point in him moping around. Wanting to learn how to hunt with his paws was a start, and more importantly, it would be a challenge for the both of them to work out - and there was nothing the warrior loved more than a good challenge.
"Well, let's see. Fishing requires fast reflexes and good balance. How fast can you unsheath your claws?If you can do it quick enough, you might be able to pierce some fish that swim near the banks. It'll be hard, mind you, but possible." Tawnystorm nodded again to herself. She was going into one of her thinking-out-loud moments again, like she always did when trying to work things out.
"You might be able to hunt birds and other prey in the reeds as well. Leap onto them as usual, but try to finish them off with your claws. They might come out pretty mangled, but it's better than nothing."

"Why don't I start with my claws unsheathed, scoop them up and slam the other paw on it. Would that be enough to kill a fish?" Frogpaw asked peering over at the thin ice that coated the waters where the fish still lingered, not quite asleep yet as there were still the occasional insect to eat. Unsheathing his claws, he gently carved grooves into the earth at the thought of attacking a fish with his claws. As for other prey, he wasn't too sure how he felt about trying to take a bird without his jaws to clamp it in place.

"I'll think about other prey, maybe I'll practice in private. I don't know if I'm confident enough to let you watch me get smacked around by birds yet." He joked. Frogpaw was clearly perking up quite a bit at the thought of hunting and figuring this all out. The challenge was really what he need. "Shall we? I think if we break the ice a little, I might be able to have a god here."