A Frigid World [Closed]

"Frigidpaw, its time for our patrol."

Flintstar padded past the apprentice's den, barely stopping to call out to his apprentice - simply raising his voice in volume to be heard. He came to a stop at the entrance of the camp, glancing over his shoulder to see if Frigidpaw was following. He knew that today, he was mostly going to show the new apprentice around the territory. Where the Deep Marshes started, where the Carrionplace laid, the borders...But perhaps they would try a bit of hunting, to see what skills Frigidpaw already had and what would need to be improved. There was many things to be learned over the course of this apprenticeship - he just wondered what Frigidpaw would take to.

Frigidpaw’s ear perked up as he heard his name being called, lifting his head with a groan not long after. He knew that he wasn’t going to be able to sleep whenever he felt like it anymore, but this was going to take some time to get used to this new schedule.

He had to force his legs and body to react, feeling like his whole body had ben submerged in honey for a couple heartbeats as he stretched and shook his body to try and get rid of the drowsiness. He was still stretching his back legs by the time he stepped outside the rather empty apprentices’ den, sneezing off a small piece of moss that had managed to cling to his nose and he failed to notice.

His paws made light sounds, his weight making the thick layer of dry pine needles crunch, as he quickly padded to catch up with Flintstar. He had been thinking about what he had told him the day prior after his ceremony, but he knew this was not the time nor the place to say anything. He was going to have to wait a bit more.

Flintstar simply dipped his head to Frigidpaw as he approached. "Good, now stick close," he meowed, pushing himself through the thorn entrance and into the territory proper. For a while, he said nothing as he led Frigidpaw towards the SkyClan border, before finally he spoke up. "As I stated yesterday, our territory can be a dangerous place. Many places, the marshes are shallow - paw deep at best. However, there are spots - such as the Deep Marshes - where...We do not fully know how deep it is. A fully grown cat like myself could be swallowed by the mud if stepped the wrong way. Blind panic has no place in our lands - not knowing where you are going can kill you just as easily as whatever you could be fleeing from. Many cats from the other Clans do not know the dangers - simply think of our territory as a paw-deep muddy spot, but our territory may be more dangerous then theirs can be at times. The shadows that we stick to can also hold dangers." There was a pause, the leader taking a moment before he spared a glance back at Frigidpaw.

"I have stated in the past that the world is dangerous - cold. It does not care for us, and will take us all at some point. It does not choose to let us live or die, but a stupid cat will die faster. A careful cat uses the stepping stones, a brash cat strolls head-first into the deep marshes." There was another pause, as he thought back on his first apprentice - the first time he had given such a speech...And the actions his uncle had claimed that Lightpaw had done. This new silence was heavy before he focused on the path ahead. "...However, it is not our part to do the world's duties. The world does not have a choice on if we live or die, but we can make that choice for others. That is a choice you should never make. To end another cat's life on your own whim - no matter how weak or stupid you might think they are..." There was another pause, the leader taking in a deep breath as he recalled when he had stumbled out of the medicine cat and felt true heartache for the first time seeing his uncle's still body.

"If you - or any warrior for that matter, my own or not - ever take another cat's life, you will have no mercy from me." He let that hang in the air before he let out a huff. "From what I have heard, Frigidpaw, you think highly of yourself. I understand that - I never felt like a true kit when I was one. I'm no good with...Softening my words, which is why I am being so forward. However, I have known an apprentice who I taught the same thing to who...I cannot be sure why she did what she did, but I fear my lesson left the wrong impression on her which is why I am being so forward with you. She was killed for her actions - not by my paws, but by somebody I respected and I hold nothing for them for having justice be done. Never think of yourself above others in that way, Frigidpaw, because those are the actions of a very stupid cat."

Frigidpaw looked around with mesmerized eyes as they walked together. For many, the dark marshy territory of ShadowClan could be rather gloomy and dull, especially under the ruthless judgment of comparison, but right here and right now, it almost felt like a wonderland that was about to burst with opportunities for the young cat.

If he hadn’t taken the precaution of being in constant contact with Flintstar’s fur to make sure he wasn’t drifting away, chances are that he could’ve wandered off without noticing. So many scents, so many sights, everything was new and interesting. Holding secrets that the younger cat couldn’t wait to dig up and learn.

His ears perked up and he snapped back into focus when the leader started to speak to him. He listened carefully, his mind taking each plain word spoken and deconstructing them as if they were a puzzle made just for him, before putting them back together in a way of understanding that could only be understood by the individual mind. Ears flicker as more meaning than the one intended started to appear, a giant web of ideas forming in the head of the apprentice.

He, however, didn’t interrupt the leader, allowing him to speak for as long as he wanted and trying to understand what he said. Some seconds went by after the leader said his last word, only speaking once he knew no new information was going to leave his muzzle.

“You talk of our territory as just a death trap for the cats that roam it, but…it can also be our greatest ally, right?” He padded next to him as to not be forced to lift his voice too much, feeling his paws slashing lightly and the sticky-like feeling you get when you step on sticky mud as he did so.

“The clan wouldn’t even need to lift a claw in a battle, be against an enemy clan, rogues, or larger predators if we knew where to take them. If we know the territory and they don’t, they wouldn’t know what area is dangerous and which isn’t” Frigidpaw purposefully pushed one of his paws against a muddy area, watching it sink in a bit and then having to work to pull it out “Cats used to firm ground could easily get stuck in the shallow marshes, their battle lost before it even starts, forced to surrender as soon as they realize they can barely move. Large, heavy predators led to the deep marshes, where we know the safe paths and they don’t, we could defeat them there without needing to put any of our clanmates in danger”.

Part of Frigidpaw refused to believe that all in the marshes was bad and dangerous, there is a reason ShadowClan had managed to grow and prosper for generations instead of being swallowed by the mud by now, right? But if the terrain was really that dangerous, then why they had to fear it instead of learning how to use it? “All the stories I heard in camp spoke of great battles, plagued with death and bloodshed. Didn’t the warriors of old ever thought of using the terrain over brute force alone in those?”.

Now, the next part was one he had to word more carefully. He might be still inexperienced in how the world works and most of what he knew was learned through embellished stories told by elders and warriors of victories and defeats of the past, tainted by points of view and personal grudges. However, he didn’t need to be an ancient warrior toughened by war to notice that the subject of murder was one rather touchy for the leader. However, this was also the reason why he just HAD to know, as his point of view heavily contrasted with how the warriors glorified the “Heroes” of times past after the great evil was slain by their paws.

“What about the Asylum cats?” He meowed, his tone a bit more careful as if he was carefully weighing each word before it left his muzzle “Everyone in camp I asked kept avoiding and changing the subject whenever I asked, and I might be young, but I’m not mouse-brained, Flintstar. I know they killed my parents, among many other cats. And then, when the time came, many warriors, several of which still walk around camp with us today, ours and other clans', gathered to kill them too…and none feels any remorse, if anything, they take pride on it”.

“You say that it’s not up to us to decide if anyone lives or dies, but in that scenario, clearly everyone on both sides took the liberty of making said decision, regardless if the cat they were facing was truly evil or simply misguided and in need of someone to show them the right path, and those that came out victorious faced no repercussions. Yes, not all of the asylum cats were killed, and we took in several of them, but others were never given that same chance, and apparently, this hasn't been the only situation when something like this took place...When does a life become worthless in another cat’s eyes, Flintstar?”

Flintstar twitched his ear as Frigidpaw started to speak, mentioning the territory as their greatest ally. "Of course, you are correct. Few cats would dare attack our camp or territory because of the risk that our territory holds for those who do not know their land, but simply because it can be of use to us doesn't mean it shouldn't be feared as it will not care who is caught in its maw - friend or foe. It knows no difference, even if we can see it as a strength against those who would fight us. But even then, I would not desire to draw a cat to their death - we do not need to kill to win our battles, even if we try to leverage the situation by claiming that it was the world to killed when it was our actions who led them into that situation knowingly. ...As for the tales of old, many battles are fought on fair ground - borders, where no Clan has an advantage or one side attacks with surprise. Deaths would happen - most by accidents in the heat of battle, some on purpose by cruel cats. Rarely has ShadowClan had a fight in their camp as far as I am aware, because our territory wards off most foes." Asylum had been...Different, but they had surprise and knowledge due to Tanglero...Tavora - she no doubt had taught Iniko how to safely get through the marshes which he had past onto his group. Speaking of...

He came to a stop as Frigidpaw mentioned them, how they had killed...And been killed in return. His ear twitched, blinking before he gave a shrug of his shoulders. "I believe in balance. Justice. Asylum was the first to strike, to kill. Those in charge were murderers - violent and cruel to those they deemed beneath them. To do nothing about them would not be balance. They had to be brought to justice - and so a few of our Clanmates and a few of Asylum's own even the wings. Those who killed without mercy were struck down so no more would die at their claws. There is a difference between killing innocent cats because you think you are above, and killing cats who are murderers. I do not believe in trading a death for death - but those in charge of Asylum had countless deaths under their claws, including some of my family," he added. "...Then, of course, there are times when you kill and you had no desire. A reaction, being unaware of your own strength...Caught up emotions, so I hear. Those are the type of killing a cat should regret - and perhaps they will escape without an obvious punishment...But often enough, their own guilt with be punishment enough," he added, before he shook his head.

"And then killing in self-defense - to save your own life. For as black and white I make the world seem, I know there are...Gray areas. As a leader, it is up to me to learn what I can from the situation and make what I deem the correct choice. But to answer your question, a cat's life should never be worthless to another, but in the situation you are referring to...If that cat is a killer - the one who does see others as worthless and there is proof - then justice must be done. The scales must be evened. Cats who live by the claw - kill by their own claws - must also die by them before more innocent cats are killed. But even then, it should rarely be your decision to make as an apprentice - and even as a warrior - unless there is no other options. My father killed my apprentice because she murdered my uncle. I have no proof, other than my father's word that he saw the deed. I wish he would have spoken to me of it before his deed had been done - it was not his choice to make...But in the end, justice was done. Lightpaw misunderstood my lesson and she paid the price that her own actions brought upon her...I simply hope the same never happens to you, Frigidpaw."

“Balance…Justice…”


The words escaped Frigidpaw’s muzzle as he thought about what the older cat had told him, an ear of his whiskers occasionally twitching as the world between them fell into silence.

Before the lost gaze of the apprentice, endless scenarios played like if the cats of old were still standing before him, reenacting their glorious battles or their dishonorable falls of grace respectively, words echoing in the back of his mind, mixed tales told by those that lived them or heard them before he was even born, now overlapping with Flintstar’s own words. Vivid imagination making mental links between Action A and Consequence B within those stories.

Everything seemed to make sense…until the first discordance presented itself.

Clear frustration soon was reflected on the expression of the younger cat as he struggled to understand why this felt strange…but couldn't. There was a wrong “something” in this tale, yet as much as he tried, he couldn’t put his paw on it. His whole being begged him to make the questions required to solve this mystery, yet how could he word a question he didn’t even know himself?

He had heard so many stories, gathered so much information, and yet, Frigidpaw yet again faced that stupid uncertainty that often haunted him, that terrifying wall that often appeared before him when he felt he was finally doing some progress in understanding the mysteries of this world constantly taunted him with, placing the information he desired right before his nose yet barely out of his reach. The blindness that came with the lack of knowledge was so…so infuriating!

His tail lashed a couple of times before he finally blinked, returning to the here and now, knowing that dwelling on this would get him nowhere. There was a piece missing to this puzzle he had yet to find, a little bit of information that was still hiding from him…and he would need to find to be able to know what question he was supposed to ask Flintstar.

He was his mentor now, after all, he was supposed to spend time with him, he was supposed to teach him what he knew, so if he was fast enough, maybe he would have that question ready and some more by the time their next training session came.

It wasn’t until then that the younger cat noticed that he had been so focused on his own thoughts that he had started to lag behind. His paws quickly picked up the pace, the splashing sound they produced as he quickly hurried to return to the leader’s side producing a soft echo on the area they were in “And what are these dangers you wanted to show me about then? What am I supposed to be able to recognize here?”.

As a hefty silence fell between the leader and Frigidpaw, a huff escaped Flintstar as he finally turned and restarted their trek through the territory. He made sure not to go far before his apprentice caught up, asking about the dangers. "There are many," he meowed, glancing over his shoulder. "I will show you a few of the threats that are always there - the deep marshes, the Thunderpath...But sometimes cats are taken by threats that do not always exist and so there is no preparing until they happen - falling branches, for example," he meowed, glancing up at a few of the branches that stretched across the sky above them. "You can forget that they can be a threat until they crush a cat - we've lost at least two cats in my time from such an event," he said with a shake of his head.

It didn't take the two to reach the deep marshes, not that it was easy to tell. The murky, muddy water made it impossible to see that the ground beneath was getting deeper. "This is the deep marsh - dangerous to prey, predator and cats alike. Its important to know the border when the ground starts to get deeper - I've heard that even a full grown cat could disappear beneath the muddy water at its deepest. However-" as he spoke, he leapt forward into the deep marsh - his paws skillfully landing on a rock that was hidden beneath the surface. He turned, glancing over at Frigidpaw. "There are a collection of rocks beneath the surface that you will learn in due time. This is a path across the marsh and can be used to provide leverage when trying to pull something - or somebody - out of the marsh."