The Oaks have Frosted already. (Closed)

The leaf-fall afternoon was calm and quiet. Oakstar felt a sense of peace in the forest as he padded along the border. For once, he had chosen to go alone, opting to use the time to think and reflect. Especially after recent events. He frowned, thinking about the cats lost in recent moons. Sadness in his amber eyes as he paused at a puddle, leaning down to lap at it as he watched the Thunderpath in the distance.

The noise of a monster flushed away his thoughts as he watched it roar down the path and away. Eyes blinking as he recalled the many moons he spent following those same paths once. In a strange way, the Thunderpath was as soothing as the falling leaves to him. It was a sound and a sight that brought him from being alone to home.

His return… he smiled as he remembered Coyotefang. That his own nephew had been alive and able to find him. That he had been given a chance and now thrived as ThunderClan’s leader. A role he had once, funny enough, dreamed of as a kit in ShadowClan. He chuckled softly under his breath. StarClan certainly had a sense of humour.

Amber eyes lifted to the sky. Wisps of clouds drifted by. The bright sky hiding the lights of the stars. They had also brought him his mate. Had bonded them together before they even knew of each other’s existence. Now he couldn’t imagine life without her. His musings continued for a long stretch of time. Head tilted up, his attention fully distracted.

It was already Frostpaw's second day as an apprentice, and so far the only thing that Poppyheart had taught her was how to gather moss for the queens. Apparently, it was important to "know the territory" or whatever.
She trusted Redwing's judgement (she was Thornstar's deputy, after all), but honestly, Poppyheart's training method seemed like complete...
"Foxdung," The dark-furred she-cat wrinkled her nose as an arcid scent hit her like a stone. She'd never smelled anything so disgusting in her entire life- which must mean that she was getting close.
The young molly burst into an awkward run, half-tripping over her big paws every time she took a step. She could barely contain her excitement. She was about to see the Thunderpath, the scariest, most loudest path in the whole forest! According to Sans, gigantic monsters that could swallow a cat whole ran back and forth on the Thunderpath all day long. Stupid Poppyheart said that it was too dangerous to visit until she was older, but Frostpaw knew she'd be able to handle it. The monsters probably weren't bigger than Thornstar, anyway, and it wasn't like she was going to try and fight them yet.

Frostpaw leaped over a patch of brambles, but caught one of her paws on a branch and tumbled head-first through the undergrowth. The Shadowclanner rolled, yelping, down a small slope and onto...
The Thunderpath! Ears perking, the small she-cat jumped to her feet, perplexed by the solid surface that she suddenly found herself on. She dug at the ground, trying to make the little black pebbles move, but found that they were stuck to the Thunderpath. "Prolly cuz' the monsters," She mewed to herself, fascinated. Since they ran on the path all day, the rocks got squished, like the way dirt got packed down after a bunch of cats walked on it.

She moved further onto the Thunderpath, drawn to a shiny... something that was lying near the middle.
Frostpaw tentatively reached out and tapped it, ready to jump into a fighting stance if it suddenly came to life. What was it? Tiny, silver, completely round. The dark she-cat sniffed it carefully, then batted it around.

Suddenly, a distant growl caught her attention. There, in the distance, coming towards her... Frostpaw's eyes narrowed, the shiny something forgotten. Was that a monster? Where were its fur and claws? The young apprentice sat down and tilted her head. It couldn't be.

The roar of a particularly loud monster echoed in Oakstar’s ears. He looked back down at the Thunderpath in curiosity when he felt his body stiffen. A young black… kit? Apprentice? They were batting at the bauble in the middle that reflected light. Before he could think, his paws sprung into action. Dirt churned from his paws as he leapt onto the acrid black surface. The roaring in his ears over his pounding chest as he slammed into the tiny black fluff ball.

Without a second to lose, he grabbed her by the scruff and yanked her off the Thunderpath. The monster roared past, grazing his tail as he winced and paused to glance at it now that the danger was gone. Then he looked down at the kit apprentice. Amber eyes wide, but narrowing as he sat down. ShadowClan scent flooded his nose, familiar and yet entirely different.

"Little one, the Thunderpath is not a place to play. You could have been killed by that monster just now." He meowed sternly. No smile graced his muzzle now, as he thanked StarClan softly in relief that the little cat seemed to be alright. Perhaps some scuffed pawpads for her trouble.

Frostpaw watched as the red monster bore down on her. "Ah, foxd-"
Out of nowhere, a dark brown blur (an owl, perhaps?) swooped down and lifted her into the air with its powerful talons. She felt a breeze ruffle her dark fur as the monster ran past, just out of reach. So close, and yet so far.
This was definitely more of an adventure than she was planning on... she must be hundreds of foxlengths above the forst by now. Frostpaw's ears flattened as she considered what her new bird companion was planning. What if it dropped her? What if it took her back to its nest, high up in some Starclan-forsaken tree in the middle of nowhere, and tried to raise her as its own? When it realized that she wasn't an owl, would it kick her out?
The little she-cat squeezed her eyes shut, scared to look down and see the ground so far below her.

Suddenly, she felt her paws connect with something solid. The small molly tumbled to her feet, her eyes opening wide. "What in the name of-"
That was no bird- she'd been taken hostage by a cat! She swiped instinctively at her attacker's nose, hissing as her claws left a slash across his nose. She skittered forward, then back again, unwilling to attack but too proud to run back to Shadowclan.

After a moment, it became evident that this stranger was not going to attack her. Frostpaw eyed him cautiously as he spoke, and her ears twitched angrily at his words.
"Little one, the Thunderpath is not a place to play."
Frostpaw's soft kitten fur rose in indignation. "Little one!" She repeated. "I'll have you know that I'm an apprentice, as of... two whole days ago, actually. And I wasn't playing, I was tryin'a fight a monster. And then you came along and ruined everything, and you're not even an owl!" She squeaked accusatorily, her tail lashing, her back arched.
"Who are you, anyway? I'm not afraid of you– I could take you in a fight, no problem!" She jumped up and down to demonstrate her readiness for battle, nearly tripping over her large paws in the process. "Just you wait until Thornstar hears about this!"

Oakstar blinked in surprise as the little she-cat whapped at his nose. Amber eyes wide in surprise as he stared down at the dark furred apprentice. His expression straightened into one of amusement. Her source of ire was that he was not an owl? It was a strange thing to be accused of as he sat down, large brown tabby bulk practically looming compared to her.

"I am Oakstar, of ThunderClan." He responded, his voice calm with the patience of dealing with the kits of camp. A whole two days? That was just out of the nursery… why was she out so far? Worse, his head turned towards the thunderpath as another monster roared by, she wanted to fight a monster? "Monsters cannot be fought by warriors. Their hides are too hard, and if one came across you on the Thunderpath..." He shook his head. Images of what could have been haunting him as he looked down at the small apprentice.

"Where is your mentor then? I doubt Thornstar would let you out of camp without them." He commented as he rose to his paws. He glanced up towards the shadows of ShadowClan as a rush of nostalgia raced over him. He knew this forest once. The tall sky scraping pine trees… the scent of mud and marsh. He forced his gaze back to the apprentice, ready to stop her from charging back to the Thunderpath if he needed to stop her again.

Frostpaw's yellow and green eyes widened as the tom spoke. Oakstar?
Ah, foxdung.
The dark-furred she-cat considered running– a warrior was one thing, but a leader? They had nine lives. It was ridiculous, frankly. What sort of weak leader needed more than one?
But any thought of running quickly vanished from her mind as Oakstar continued to talk. "Sure they can!" She interrupted, her tail lashing. "My mama says that anything can be fought 'an, well, as long as it's moving. You can't fight a dead thing, after all." Her final statement was said disdainfully, as if Oakstar himself had come up with the idea that one could fight a nonliving creature.

She shook her head when the brown tom asked about Poppyheart. "Gave 'em the slip!" She announced pridefully.
A pause. Figuring that she ought to say something more, Frostpaw launched into a long-winded explanation: "He's 'prolly looking for me- I told mama that he'd be a bad mentor, but she went ahead and told her deputy to pick anyhow, and so, of course, she chooses Poppy.
"But I mean, what kind of mentor doesn't let their apprentice explore the territory? Just yesterday Sparkpaw said I'd never be a warrior at this rate, so today I decided to take my training into my own paws and show 'em what I was capable of. I bet I'd be a warrior by now, too, if you'd let me fight that monster already."

Oakstar listened with a curious tilt to his head as the young she-cat made her bold declarations of fighting a monster and escaping the clutches of her mentor. His glance towards the Thunderpath did not hide his clear disdain for the idea, but it was clear she wouldn’t just listen to him. Calmly, he padded towards the large black strip that divided the forest. A few tail-lengths away, he stopped, then padded alongside it. His gaze continually darting to Frostpaw to make sure she didn’t attempt to make a mad dash for it again until a glint caught his eye.

Finally. He turned his head towards the shining object in the grass. His muzzle wrinkled in a grimace as he lowered his head and picked up a large cylinder object. It had a couple dents in it, but he took it to Frostpaw and placed it in front of her.

"Touch it." He ordered. Amber eyes blinked in patience as he waited for her to touch the strange colourful object. He reached out a paw, pressing down and wincing at the sharp sound it made, but the moment he lifted his paw, the sound echoed again and the dent was no more. Once she had repeated his motion, he grabbed the object and padded to the Thunderpath. He placed it on the side of the Thunderpath, where the great black paws seemed to travel the most before he shoved Frostpaw and his own bulk a little further back. A large monster bearing down on the colourful object.

One mighty crunch echoed and it’s paws carried it down the thunderpath, the remnants of the colourful object laying flat in the middle of the path.
"That, would have been you. If I had been but a moment later." He meowed, his voice forced steady as he leaned down.

Frostpaw's tail twitched as Oakstar suddenly darted onto the Thunderpath, her multicolored gaze following him curiously. She knew better than to try and run after him– he'd catch her, and probably take her back to Thunderclan camp as prisoner and she'd have to escape, which would probably take up at least half her day.

The fur along her neck rose as he returned with a new shiny something. She glanced up at Oakstar, taken aback by his tone, and then tentatively reached out and lightly tapped the bright object. It gave beneath her paw but quickly popped back into place with a startling crack. The dark apprentice leaped to her feet, her eyes wide. She carefully approached it again, reaching out to bat at it.
This... thing, whatever it was, looked far more interesting than a leaf to play with. Maybe she'd bring it back to Shadowclan and chase it around in the marsh.

Frostpaw sat down. "Now wh-" But before she could finish, Oakstar had snatched her new toy and scurried back off to the Thunderclan, placing the thing back onto the black stones.
"What did you do that for?" Frostpaw mewed, her ears flattening.
Suddenly, a great monster sprinted right in front of them, passing by with a tremendous roar. Frostpaw peered out from behind the brown tabby and saw the shiny thing lying in the Thunderpath, completely flattened.
"Oh." She said simply. If the thing had been able to pop back into place before, but now it couldn't... What would've happened if she had been run over by the monster instead?

She looked at her paws, trying to find a rebuke, something to save face. She was... wrong.
How embarrassing.
"Well," She finally said, staring past Oakstar at another monster running past. "I guess I'll be... heading back now. I think I'll wait until I get a little bigger to fight a monster."

Oakstar felt a moment of guilt for taking away the young apprentice’s toy, but it had been worth it for her reaction. He watched as the she-cat took in the sight of the crushed can, then leaned down. He bit gently down onto the scruff of the smaller cat’s neck and lifted her easily as he turned and padded deeper into ShadowClan territory.

He remembered these trees. White tipped paws turned brown as he splayed his paws in the mud to keep his footing. Unburdened except for the she-cat he carried firmly in his jaws for a couple of fox lengths before he dropped her equally abruptly. The Thunderpath a dull distant roar far behind them.
"Come, I’m taking you back to camp. You’re too young to be out here without a mentor." He ordered, his amber eyes turned back towards her with a warning. He was going to continue to the camp even if she didn’t follow, but then he figured she’d be in worse trouble as he continued his trek back to the camp.

For a moment he considered that it might seem strange for a ThunderClan cat to take the lead. Well aware of where the ShadowClan camp rested within the marsh, but also aware that it wasn’t knowledge he should know. It broke the truce slightly, but seeing Thornstar’s daughter back to camp safely seemed more important than her ire.

Frostpaw's eyes widened as Oakstar carried her back into the forest. Was he really going to take her back to camp? "Foxdung." She hissed. Mama was not going to be happy...

But to the molly's surprise, Oakstar set her down and continued to walk, his tail twitching.
Frostpaw considered her options. She could run for it, but something told her that Oakstar could track her down. And if she did manage to give him the slip, he might find a way to get back to camp before she did– and that was arguably worse. Frostpaw winced, imagining what her mama would say when she finally found her way back home.

So, Grumbling to herself, Frostpaw plodded after the brown tom. Her whole plan was ruined, all because he just had to interfere.
Now that she thought about it, those monsters really weren't all that big. She probably would've been able to take one of them down if she could dodge their paws.