demonstration of skill [c]

Leopardsun was glad that they were home, as much as she hadn't cared for the string of events that led them there. It meant that she could properly train her daughter and apprentice on ShadowClan land, teaching her skills she could actually use now that they were home.

"Alright, Badgerpaw. Let's start with something simple: show me what you've learned from play-fighting as a kit, or at least watching the others go about it. I want to see what you can do."

She assumed her usual ready stance, bracing herself for any potential impact. Of course it wasn't likely that Badgerpaw could actually hurt her, but it was good to be prepared; especially with the lingering presence of traps.

Badgerpaw followed after her mother, the excitement in her eyes matching the uncertainty that plagued her. This was another thing she ought to be eager for - learning how to help her Clan but she didn't know the first about...Anything! What if she wasn't good enough? At least if she did make a fool of herself, it would just be in front of Leopardsun but... Her ears slicked back, pawing at the strange ground beneath her.

...Everything was just changing - she was an apprentice! ShadowClan was now back to a home she wasn't used to! It wasn't like she was happy having to live so close to WindClan - she couldn't trust them, who knew what their plans were or how they felt about her or ShadowClan as a whole or... But it was a lot, and she just wasn't sure what to do.

As they came to a stop, her eyes flickered up to meet her mom's before she flinched a little at the request. Play fighting, right... She had only ever partaken a pawful of times - it was hard to want to be out and about with so many eyes she didn't know watching her but sometimes she found the courage to spend time out from under her mother's tail. All of her siblings were at least full of themselves when it came to the fighting - they always easily overwhelmed her when she barely felt the courage to swipe at paw at them.

She slowly approached Leopardsun, her fur prickling a little as doubt crawled across her spine. But all Leopardsun wanted to see what she could do - it would be fine if it wasn't all that good, right? She raised a paw, hesitation causing it to waver for a few heartbeats before she lashed out - striking the deputy in the leg with sheathed paw. The strength of the blow told what was clear in her entire body stance - she was doubting herself and her fighting skills and she knew that. Her ears slicked back as she hung her head.

"...Sorry," was all she managed, having no doubt that her display had been a disappointment.

"You have nothing to apologize for," Leopardsun assured her. Badgerpaw was nervous, of course. She had always been somewhat skittish, that was why Leopardsun had chosen to take her daughter on as her own apprentice in the first place- in hopes that she would be able to help. "What you need is to feel confident in yourself, Badgerpaw. For the moment I'll come at you- lightly, don't worry, I won't actually hurt you- and then I want you to try and mirror what I do, alright?"

The spotted she-cat swiped a sheathed paw, batting at Badgerpaw's side. She tried to make the motions and the power (or, in her case, the lack thereof) behind them clear. "Like this, see? Remember that this is just training: if you're actually fighting, you don't want to signal your moves as much; if you do, it leaves space for your opponent to counter you easily."

Leopardsun used Front Paw Blow, dealing 7 damage and costing 5 SP.

Leopardsun
60/60 HP
135/140 SP (-5)

Badgerpaw
13/20 HP (-7)
60/60 SP

Badgerpaw's ears perked as her mother spoke, a soft sniffle escaping her as Leopardsun spoke softly. Confident in herself? ...She hated how hard that simple idea seemed. S-She wasn't going to be good at this, she never was. All she was going to do was prove any doubts her Clanmates might have right and she couldn't... She didn't want to face them. She wasn't as good as her siblings, she wouldn't ever be so why even try? But... She...

She also didn't want to disappoint Leopardsun who did seem to have faith in her. So she swallowed her fears and doubts, giving a meek nod as the deputy explained the plan - a light swipe, then copy. Alright... She straightened up as much as she could, watching as Leopardsun swung her paw out - gently tapping her on the side. She took in a deep breath as she glanced down at her own paws, trying to psych herself up for this before she let out a shaky exhale. She could do this. Just a simple swipe... She raised her paw, striking out quickly towards Leopardsun's leg.

The strike wasn't nearly as graceful as Leopardsun's - but instead of the hesitation and doubt that had plagued her previous attempt, Badgerpaw's attack was quick - an effort to strike before any thought of pulling back could slow her paw. It did mean that it didn't quite have the same level of restraint in its strength, but even then Badgerpaw's full strength wasn't much and was a minor sting at best.

Badgerpaw used Front Paw Blow on Leopardsun, dealing 4 damage and costing 5 stamina.

Badgerpaw
13/20 HP
55/60 SP (-5)

Leopardsun
56/60 HP (-4)
135/140 SP

The slight sting of her daughter's paw as it made contact made Leopardsun regard her with pride. "Look, you're already improving. You'll be a wonderful warrior someday, Badgerpaw; I can already see it." The deputy took a step back after that, gesturing for Badgerpaw to follow as she led them both a short distance away. "And even if you do struggle with fighting, there are a number of ways a warrior can serve their Clan. One in particular comes to mind- I'm sure you remember."

Even if Badgerpaw somehow had forgotten, it wouldn't have mattered as Leopardsun kept talking. "Of course I'm talking about hunting, and that is what I want you to do- but that's not the only thing. Some warriors will help the medicine cats gather herbs, others will repair the and reinforce things in the camp; still others help around the nursery. Everyone has different skills, and we use them to help each other. I'll teach you everything I know- including the fact that I know you can do this- but hunting and fighting aren't necessarily what will make you a good warrior."

She stepped back again, settling into place to watch and assess Badgerpaw's natural talent for hunting.

Badgerpaw's ears perked as she mom praised her, drawing in on herself a little in embarrassment. She was...Relieved that Leopardsun seemed content with what little skill she showed - before she blinked as she went on about the idea of hunting - plus a few other ways she could be helpful but...Right, hunting. That was the other big thing for warriors? She glanced at her mom, expecting her to give her a pointer on where to start but her fur prickled as instead Leopardsun stepped back to sit on her haunches.

O-Oh, she was just suppose to...Like they had for fighting? But she wasn't even sure where to...! She stood there, locked with fear and doubts as she tried to search her mind for any idea of how to even start hunting. Right, uh... She...Maybe she had seen some of the older apprentices practicing when she was little? Plus there was when her siblings would pounce on each other. She nervously dropped into a loose mimic of what she had seen. As she stalked forward, her mouth opened and she tasted the air...Before her head raised a little as she caught a bit of a familiar scent - far fresher than she was used to. She glanced around before she saw it - a speck of brown fur, a mouse resting on a nearby root.

She spared a nervous glance towards Leopardsun, before she took in a deep breath and started to stalk towards the mouse - trying her best to mimic however she had seen the older apprentices move when they were showing off. Finally, she drew as close as she dared. Her fur was prickling but she steadied herself as best as she could, lowered herself even more before leaping. She was far from as quiet as she would have wanted - the mouse catching wind of her and darting away leaving her to awkwardly land chest first on the root. A sad sigh escaped her as she hung her head, awkwardly sprawled over the root. "Sorry," she muttered - mostly to herself for letting down her mom before her ears twitched at a sound.

It was...Strange. It wasn't a pleasant sound - a disgusting...Wheeze? Gasp? She glanced up in confusion, before her eyes widen at the sight before her. It was a...She wasn't sure _what_ it was - a tall creature that reminded her of a tree the way it towered - two long branches at its side but its body was of strange colors as it sloughed through the marsh, every step seeming labored its...Roots fought to escape the mud - every step echoing with that strange sound. A startled yelp escaped her as she scrambled backwards - slipping from the root to land awkwardly on her back. She wasn't sure if she had caught the creature's attention but scrambled to her paws to race to Leopardsun's side. "M-Mom! Ther-There was a thing in the swamp! It was big and like a tree but it didn't have bark and it was moving an-and..." she gasped, pressing her muddied body to the deputy's side, quivering in fear and confusion over what was walking through their territory.

Badgerpaw attempted to catch a mouse and failed, costing 5 stamina.

Badgerpaw 
13/20 HP
50/60 SP (-5)

The member 'Honey Badger' has done the following action : Dice roll

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'Hunting Dice' : 8

Leopardsun immediately stiffened, alarmed, as Badgerpaw returned to her and started speaking. She listened carefully, and sighed when her daughter fell quiet, pressed against her side. "I thought this place, at least, would be safe. I'm sorry, Badgerpaw, but I'm glad you're safe- you did the right thing in that situation, running back this way."

She nudged the apprentice affectionately, then glanced up toward the open sky. "That was almost certainly a Twoleg. They're dangerous, but slow. If you spot one, fleeing is the best course of action."

The deputy fixed her gaze on Badgerpaw again, feeling pride and concern in equal measure. "We can keep going if you want to, but we don't have to. You'll still need to learn, of course, but if you don't feel safe right now we can go back to camp and take a break. There's no reason we can't just try again later."

Badgerpaw's ears slicked back, sparing a nervous glance over her shoulder at the direction of the... Twoleg. A shiver ran down her spine - she had heard stories about them but nothing had prepared her for the horror of seeing them herself. They didn't look natural - their odd pelt colors and the way they walked on...Well, two legs. She glanced up in surprise as Leopardsun asked if she wanted to keep going.

"Is it...Safe to keep training?" she asked, her voice low as she spared another look in the direction she had fled from. "I-I mean..." She didn't... She didn't want this training lesson to be a waste - she had barely learned anything. Her tail curled around her, gaze locked on her paws before she looked up with her mom with an earnest look. "If...If you think its safe to keep training, t-then I trust you. We can continue."

"Stick closer to me this time, and it'll be just fine," Leopardsun promised. "Every cat needs to learn to hunt, after all, and life goes on whether there are Twolegs invading our territory or not. I hope you won't have to get used to this sort of thing, Badgerpaw- but things are rarely easy. Every day comes with a risk, but we keep living anyway."

She glanced to her daughter, then thought of a new approach. "Watch me, I'll demonstrate this time. Then you can just mimic what I do and stay close, alright?"

The deputy chased after a nearby mouse, only to fall back as she spotted a second Twoleg directly in her path.

"More of them...? We need to get back to camp. I'm sorry to cut this training session short, Badgerpaw, but Nightstar needs to know about this."

Leopardsun attempted to catch a Mouse, costing 5 SP! She encountered a Twoleg instead.
130/140 SP (-5)

The member 'Holly' has done the following action : Dice roll

---

'Hunting Dice' : 9

Badgerpaw gave a small nod at Leopardsun's gentle encouragements - ready to watch her as she started to go after a mouse...Before promptly falling back as the duo spotted yet another Twoleg. Her ears slicked back, fur prickling but she couldn't help but let out an amused purr at her mother's apology. "I-Its fine! I-If there are so many...I-I would like to head back to camp anyways," she murmured, tail lashing as she pressed herself against her mom. The strange creatures were the reason cats were going missing, right? They kept getting lucky that some were managing to escape and return but...

She really didn't want to try her luck - cutting the training session short sounded wonderful.