#frostshadow

“He’s certainly a determined little fellow,” Shrewbelly whispered to Boulder’s mother, Mudtrail. He got a snore in response. It seems she had fallen asleep to his story as well. He couldn’t blame her, the midday sun was leaking into the den and made it the perfect weather to snooze in. Mudtrail shifted and wrapped her tail gently over the kittens. Even though Mudtrail wasn’t Red or Stark’s mother, she loved all the kittens just as much as Shrewbelly did.

His heart did a funny little leap when he thought about Mudtrail’s dedication to the kittens. Most cats in Marsh Colony were happy leaving most of the kitten raising to Shrewbelly, which, as much as he loved them, had been a monumental task as Marsh Colony’s only Keeper in quite some time. 

Stark would be leaving his care soon. She had learned to identify all the marsh dangers quickly and was a very astute learner. She had practiced her night stalking skills to be a real asset of hers. Even with Shrewbelly’s dark coat, Stark always managed to find him quickly. He would miss her, but she promised to visit him often, and Shrewbelly believed she would.

Boulder was a little slower to learn, but once Shrewbelly caught his interest, Boulder was single-minded in achieving his goals. That kind of drive could be dangerous in the Marshlands, but Shrewbelly prayed to the Spirits that the kitten would learn how to temper it.

I just wish I had another cat to help me. Shrewbelly sighed. In the past few years, a few cats had shown interest in taking up the Keeper Path, but none stuck with it. As much as he knew his colony needed him, Shrewbelly also knew that many Marsh Colony cats just weren’t interested in the job. Staying in camp most of the day. Teaching the kittens the history of their Colony. Doing basic drills with the kittens to prepare them for Field training. Any cats interested in training kittens tended to become Mentors instead. 

A part of Shrewbelly knew why. In Marsh Colony, kittens were in the most danger, and their history was littered with terrible stories of kittens getting lost, taken by predators, or drowning in the marsh. Try as they might, the land was dangerous. The Spirits to Come shine on Marsh Colony last, so the Spirits Beyond keep us company instead. It was a dark truth about Marsh Colony’s history that turned many cats away from becoming a Keeper.

Even Shrewbelly’s story for them today was of a kitten, just like them, nearly getting carried off and eaten. And who was there to save them? Not a heroic Keeper. When everything goes right, that’s just a Keeper doing their job. When things go wrong…

“Hey, Shrewbelly?” a small voice pulled Shrewbelly from his thoughts. He didn’t expect anyone else to be awake at this time. Typically the whole Colony was asleep until the dusk patrols began in the evening. 

Shrewbelly quietly pulled himself away from the sleeping cats and walked outside the nursery to see Frostshadow standing there. The white molly looked relieved to see him.

“I hope I didn’t wake you,” she started. Shrewbelly shook his head. 

“No, I’ve just put the kittens to sleep.” Shrewbelly winced as he saw Frostshadow look longingly into the nursery. He could guess why she was here.

“I know I should be getting rest, but…” Frostshadow’s voice trailed off and Shrewbelly’s heart ached for her. Frostshadow had recently been through a miscarriage of kittens. The young molly had been so excited to become a mother, and had even talked with Shrewbelly about becoming a Keeper once her kittens were born, but after the ordeal, she had spent a long time recovering in the Herbalists' den with Smallpebble. Shrewbelly had done everything he could to try to help Frostshadow before and after with her kittens, but they hadn’t talked about her training to become a Keeper since.

Frostshadow tore her gaze away from the Nursery and took a deep breath. “Mind walking with me for a bit?” She asked hopefully.

“Of course.” Shrewbelly bumped his head to hers softly. She would always have his support, even though he felt pretty sure he knew where this was going.

They walked in silence, it had been a while since Shrewbelly had left the base. The humidity of the marsh midday sun wasn’t pleasant, but he continued forward, patiently waiting for Frostshadow to find the right place to talk. She eventually sat on a log next to the water. Reeds and lily pads peppered the water’s surface but there was just enough space for them to look out into the still water. 

Frostshadow took a deep breath and began. “I want to thank you for everything, Shrewbelly. The Colony doesn’t thank you enough for everything you do.”

Shrewbelly wasn’t expecting that. He thought Frostshadow might hate him for not being able to save her kittens. He stammered. “Well. I uh...I...thank you, Frostshadow....I wish I could have done more.” A tear came to Frostshadow’s eye and she let out a small laugh that quickly turned into a sniffle and frown as she stared back out into the water. “I’m sorry about your kittens.” He finally added.

Frostshadow nodded. “Me too.” she said softly. “I’ve been thinking about where I go from here,” she continued. “About what path I want to take. I always wanted to be a mother, but…”

Shrewbelly waited on baited breath. She would say that she doesn’t want to become a Keeper, not if it meant dealing with hardships like this all the time. Or that she would instead start training to become a Mentor.

“I’ve decided that the Colony needs more cats like you. I still want to train to become a Keeper.” 

Shrewbelly’s jaw dropped. Frostshadow turned to face him and gave him a determined, if pained, smile. He could still see that passion, that fire in her eyes she had before. He smiled back at her and knew that this was truly what she wanted. 

“I just need a bit more time,” she finished. “But I still want to do this. I want to be there and help cats the way you helped me.”

Shrewbelly purred. He would wait however long Frostshadow needed, knowing that he still had her friendship and support, and still wanted to be a Keeper made his heart soar. “Of course! Take the time you need, Frostshadow. You’re going to make a wonderful Keeper!”

“Thank you, Shrewbelly. I’ll let you know when I’m ready.”