okay we all love a good "frost was declawed by the psionic order" angst headcanon right
but might i offer: declawing that failed
like think about the order training and educating a young morning frost, probably around typical rebellion age of 12/13 so he's been with the order for a few years.
frost is the only tabaxi currently in the psionic order and the last one was decades ago and no one is really around who remembers how that was handled. and if you're training to hone your mind into a weapon, isn't it kind of contrarian to have these weapons growing right out of your fingers? the order thinks so (at least this generation of it). so they set about "fixing" that by removing them. but instead of doing it properly and removing the whole first joint to rid of the claws, they just cut them down to the very base of the quick.
it's a bloody and painful operation that leaves young frost with hands that are so incredibly sore he can hardly use them. the kid who had been struggling to focus and keep quiet was suddenly silent and obedient. he can't think much past the pain, so he recedes into himself unless he's training. if anyone sees him flinch in pain while dressing or just throughout the days, they do not mention it.
for years after, his fingertips are a constant source of pain no matter what he does. by the time frost hits his late teens/early twenties, the pain has dulled to a constant ache that he can pretend doesn't bother him. he's an established member of the psionic order, he's making his master proud, he's a powerful sorcerer.
and his claws begin regrowing.
i made it worse :3 so heres additional angst in no particular order!!!
frost's master is the one who both ordered the removal of his claws and helped him bandage and redress them daily. frost has Very Conflicting feelings about this because of the mix of care and cruelty so he mostly blocks it out once he's left the order
the claws are especially tender as they regrow, during which frost meets gricko and hootsie. frost tries to hide the claw situation from them entirely, but gricko notices and doesn't say anything but conviently gives frost a healing/soothing salve "for scrapes and cuts, frosty". frost doesn't realize this is intentional for many months and only does because they have a few drinks together and it comes up while they're talking (he's embarrassed but grateful)
during the winters and colder months, frost's hands become indescribably painful. because of this he often wears thick gloves/mittens that earn him quizzical glances from the party (minus gricko)
^ he tends to stick close to gideon when its cold and sometimes just uses him as a hot pack for his hands. gideon doesn't really know why but he doesn't mind if it makes his friend feel better. (they talk about it eventually and bond over their chronic pain)
he hadnt planned to leave the order. his master had shaken/grabbed his hand, felt the regrowth, and mentioned they should "take care of that". frost had nodded along but that night he grabbed a small pack and shoved his very few belongings in it and just ran as fast and far as he could without looking back to even check if he was followed
he occasionally has nightmares about the whole thing where he wakes up sobbing. the party doesn't mention these but he gets an extra serving of breakfast the morning after
sorry yall, i just need to give the whole witchlight krew chronic issues
OKAY OKAY JUST ONE MORE I PROMISE!!
extra angsty options
after the "procedure" to his hands, frost panicked and lied and said that tabaxi don't have claws on their feet so they wouldn't cut those off too. initially they doubted him but he demonstrated by flexing his toes in a way that wouldn't reveal them, so they took his word for it. he's grateful for this when he makes his run for it
or alternatively..
they did do the same to the claws on his feet and they didn't regrow properly/at all and were vulnerable to infection from always walking on them so he wore shoes even when he didn't need to in order to keep the wounds clean and free of dirt/debris. that's why he claims he wears his shoes for "hygienic reasons"
sorry guys i had to dont kill me
