Private Backwritten COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS EARLY ☣︎ tickfrost

[MARROWPAW MARROWPAW]

MARROWPAW

IT / THEY / SHE
6 MOONS
SHADOWCLAN APPRENTICE

PENNED BY SATURNID

It felt good, hearing its own name in the leader's mouth. It can't say much else in the way of positives about becoming an apprentice; it never felt that itching anticipation that other kits seemed to hold. It was one thing, and now it is another. It will learn to hunt, to fight, to fend for itself. It supposes that much is a positive. Yet altogether, there is nothing monumental to it. No remaking, no celebration that doesn't grate on her nerves. She was Marrowkit, and now she is Marrowpaw, and that is all.

Except now, there are eyes upon her. Sablestar announced Tickfrost's name with a weight that she, a young cat both ignorant and indifferent to the bond between mentor and apprentice, did not care to understand. They size him up afterwards with a cold look. He is not much to look at, a scraggly and bony sort of warrior. She puts out of mind the way her own scars poke through her ribs; it is a fact she hopes to change. She pads after the warrior, away from the dispersing meeting, with tail flicking curiously. "

So,

" it drawls, low and toneless. "

...When do we start?

" Time would tell how skilled of a mentor he would be. For now, she would let him take the lead until she tired of it.

​

OOC: @Tickfrost <3

 

[Tickfrost Tickfrost]

When you're lost in the universe, lost in the universe, don't lose faith
My mother says, "Your whole life's in the paws of the Stars"

.

Tickfrost had to admit, if only to himself, that this felt strange. Odd. Unsteady. To be named a mentor at all. When Sablestar's voice had rung over the clearing, naming him of all cats, Tickfrost's breath had hitched in his throat. For a heartbeat he just stood there, frozen, orange eyes blown wide in disbelief. Mentor. The word didn't fit in his head. It didn't feel like something meant for him, not the scrawny tick-bitten tom who grew up in shadows and hunger, who carried scars from a life he barely survived.

Instinctively, his gaze had shot toward Fleafire, his anchor, his twin flame. Help, was what flashed across his eyes. Or maybe: Do you think I can do this? But there was no turning away now. Now Marrowpaw stood before him, young, sharp-eyed, expectant. Tickfrost straightened, tail giving one single lash as if shaking off the uncertainty clinging to his spine. He met the apprentice's gaze with a steadiness he forced into place. " Immediately. " he answered simply, tone firm but not unkind. His torn ear flicked, a small tell of nerves he refused to let grow. " We start with words, first. Questions, rules, expectations. "

He paused, studying Marrowpaw, this cat who would look to him now. Rely on him. Learn from him. The responsibility was heavier than any battle he'd fought. " Tomorrow. " he continued, " I'll show you the whole of ShadowClan. We'll run the borders of those we live alongside with. The marshes. The places prey hides. The places danger hides too. " A faint hum left him, not quite a sigh. " It'll be a long trek. Use today to gather your strength. "

Tickfrost stepped closer, posture relaxed but eyes steady and piercing, measuring, reading, trying to understand the apprentice fate had tied him to. " What is most important to you? " he asked at last, voice low, serious. Not a test. But something deeper. What drives you? What shapes you? What will I have to teach and unteach? Tickfrost waited, still as a stone, for Marrowpaw's answer.

Speech, thoughts/emphasis

16 MOONS

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SHADOWCLANNER

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SONG

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bio

 

[MARROWPAW MARROWPAW]

x

First, he looks anywhere but them. They wait, expectant. Immediately, he says. One good answer, at least. Her tail twitches, cold gaze unwavering. For all that Marrowpaw did not eagerly anticipate apprenticehood, they still knew it would not do to fall behind. Unfortunately, his next words are less promising. Questions, rules, expectations. Its eyes narrow. "

Boring,

" the apprentice shoots back, tone clipped and clinical as if giving an objective report. It watches his face as the word leaves its maw.

Still, it does not protest beyond that simple judgement. He makes promises of tomorrow, and those hold more weight. It nods, once. It hardly thinks it needs to gather its strength; laying about will hardly prepare it for much of anything, but it is not the mentor here. It can be patient.

His final question catches her off guard. A sharp bark of a laugh meets it, breaking her chilly attitude. In the wake of it, her maw settles back crooked, the corners tipping into a twisted-up sort of smile. "

Right now?

" It hums, contemplative. "

Easy. Not starving come leafbare,

" she answers, words cool and sharp. It's what all the warriors are muttering about. The lack of prey... "If you think this is bad, just wait until leafbare," they say to each other in the sort of tones that kits are not supposed not hear. It always did like eavesdropping.

He should be able to help with that issue, Marrowpaw hopes.

OOC //

˚₊ 𓆩 ♰ 𓆪 ₊˚

MARROWPAW

SHADOWCLAN APPRENTICE
it / they / she, genderfluid
6 moons old, ages on the last day of the month
littermate to viscerapaw
mentored by tickfrost

SPEECH

& INTERACTION

penned by saturnid.

 

[Tickfrost Tickfrost]

When you're lost in the universe, lost in the universe, don't lose faith
My mother says, "Your whole life's in the paws of the Stars"

.

Tickfrost's ears flicked at the single-word answer, but he didn't react, not outwardly atleast... Boring she had said. Fine. He'd rather deal with blunt honesty than empty obedience. Her real answer, though, the goal of not starving, that pulled something thoughtful and sharp across his features. Not criticism. Consideration. " Sensible. " he murmured. " Very sensible... " Because in truth, wasn't that what the lot of them were trying right now? Not to starve? To get through leafbare? So yes, the answer made sense but it was not enough.

He stepped closer, posture tall and steady, orange eyes narrowing, not in anger, but in scrutiny. " But it's also the answer every cat gives when they're scared or have no direction to move into... " he pointed out, voice level as he probed how far, how much he could question the other. " You don't strike me as someone who is satisfied with merely scraping by, Marrowpaw. So tell me, if your belly were full, if leafbare weren't hanging over us... " he mused, looking around them for a moment before letting his sharp orange hues settle on the other again. " ... What else would you want? "

A loaded silence hung between them for a moment as he sized her up, narrowing his eyes. " What do you expect from this Clan? What do you think your place should be? What do you want this life to mean? " he continued, his scarred face fixated upon the other. His tail lashed once behind him, frustration at the world, not at her, burning under his fur. " Survival is the beginning... " he said, quieter now, a sigh being given. " But if that's where you choose to end, then you will die just like every other nameless trench-digger with nothing to show for it. " His gaze hardened, but with a flicker of challenge. Invitation.

" So think again, Marrowpaw. Who do you intend to become, when you are no longer just hungry? "

Speech, thoughts/emphasis

17 MOONS

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SHADOWCLANNER

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SONG

𖧧

bio

 

[MARROWPAW MARROWPAW]

x

It is acknowledged, at least, for its level-headedness. The warmth of self-satisfaction radiates through its chest, crooked grin holding well in place. Another point to its new mentor's favor. They do not want a cat who would dwell on frivolous things; they are the practical sort, and they have little patience for flights of fancy.

And yet, he seems unsatisfied with her sensibility still. Its tail lashes as he prods it, treats its answer as an act of cowardice. "

Do you think I'm scared?

" They shoot back, tone lilting and amused. Mocking, almost. Scared and directionless - no, that could not be further from what Marrowpaw is. It knows what matters, gaze laser focused on survival. It is no fool, nor coward. The thought alone almost draws another laugh.

He needles them, pressing on that incessant question. She already gave her answer, and her pelt twitches in discomfort as he presses further. "

What else is there to want, hm? Sorry - if you're looking for some starry-eyed kit who wants to climb up the leader's tree, you won't find one. Hate to disappoint.

" Carefully, they keep that airy tone - though it grows sharp with sarcasm. The amused smirk falls into a flat line. "

We're all gonna be crowfood, trench-digger or not. Don't see much point in pretending,

" it says with a shrug of its shoulders. Its mother has taught it that much, at least, its very name a reminder.

Its patience is wearing thin, now. With a flick of its tail, it levels him an unimpressed stare. "

Soooo, what exactly are you getting at here? Is there a point, or are you just trying to bore me to death?

"

OOC //

˚₊ 𓆩 ♰ 𓆪 ₊˚

MARROWPAW

SHADOWCLAN APPRENTICE
it / they / she, genderfluid
6 moons old, ages on the last day of the month
littermate to viscerapaw
mentored by tickfrost

SPEECH

& INTERACTION

penned by saturnid.

 

[Tickfrost Tickfrost]

When you're lost in the universe, lost in the universe, don't lose faith
My mother says, "Your whole life's in the paws of the Stars"

.

There was the faintest twitch at the corner of his mouth at the question flung his way, his eyes easing half shut as he tilted his head. He let their words spill over him like rain on stone, unblinking in the face of their irritation. " Scared? " he echoed, a low chuckle threading through the word. " No. I don't think you're scared. I think you're comfortable. Different creature entirely. " His whiskers flicked. " Comfort lets the claws grow dull. "

It was obvious that Marrowpaw had no desire to gnaw on his question. Not yet. That was fine. Stones didn't move right away when the water first touched them. " Why bother asking questions that might make the ground shift beneath your paws, hm? " he went on, stretching at last, shoulders rippling beneath his pelt. " Most cats don't like movement they can't control. " He paused, then finally turned back to Marrowpaw with a light frown to their voice, an instruction on his tongue.

" Here's something you can keep, free lesson. First. Learn what you want beyond surviving the next sunrise. Survival is the floor, not the roof. Cats who live only for the floor never see the sky. " he spoke, tilting his head a bit with the lightest of a smirk touching at his maw. " Second. Question the stories you tell yourself about what you are. Rattle the cage a bit. " he drawled, amusement clear in his eyes. He wasn't meant to be liked... He was meant to prepare this apprentice to become a warrior... " Third. Power isn't in claws or rank. It's in choosing what matters to you and refusing to let anyone else script it. " He twitched his torn ear, studying them like a puzzle he wasn't finished with.

" Think on the question. I'll ask you again in a few weeks. " he said simply. " You don't have to answer me. But you should be able to answer yourself. " he huffed out, his tail flicking once. " Oh, and Marrowpaw... If the ground does start moving under your paws, don't freeze. Learn the rhythm. " he ended, almost amused.

Speech, thoughts/emphasis

19 MOONS

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SHADOWCLANNER

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SONG

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bio