#frondsway

[cloudedmoonofficial]

Frondsway, ex-Herbalist Ranger of Oak Colony

He should have listened to Frondsway when she suggested going back to the base as soon as they discovered the beasts wandering the woods. She’d always had a knack for knowing when things were about to go horribly wrong.

[cloudedmoonofficial]

 Frondsway couldn't believe he was actually talking to her. Her heart still pounded as it did when they were young... and yet the  shards of its broken pieces made her chest ache. Tears welled up in her eyes as she looked him over, his eye missing, his face scarred... all her fault.

  "Frond... please don't cry..." Tornleg's soft voice threatened to send her over the edge again, and she burst into tears and sobbed again, like she did most nights after the accident. Seasons and seasons of sadness, with long stints of dissociation placed in between so she could focus on her duties as a Ranger... no longer an Herbalist... no longer trusted by the Colony.

 "I'm so sorry..." Frondsway sobbed, "I'll never forgive myself."  Tornleg let her cry for a moment before he finally took the leap, he hadn't touched her in seasons, they had been apart, ignoring each other's existence for so long... He reached forward with one paw and nudged her chin up. They gazed into each others faces, "You need to." He whispered, "Everyone else has. I have... that's... that's why I asked you to meet me here. It's not your fault."

 "Everything is ruined!" She pulled away from his touch and threw her gaze to the leaflitter at their feet.

 Tornleg sighed, "But it's not." He smiled warmly, reminiscent of his journey after that day. His leg was mangled, but the rest of him had become stronger. His eye was gone, but his other eye had become sharper. He was often in pain, but it made him enjoy his good health days even more. He had been offered something that most cats would never understand: perspective and peace.

Frondsway shivered and then looked up... how could Tornleg be smiling? She said nothing, but her muscles relaxed, she couldn't help but calm down as she studied his face, the face she still loved.

Tornleg's brows softened with relief as Frondsway seemed ready to listen, "I'm proud of my accomplishments. My limited physical ability can't stop me from being a good Ranger, or a good Mentor."

"I'm better for it!" He stood tall suddenly, but she just stared at him. He shrugged wrapping his broken tail around his paws, "Well... not perfect," he sighed, "I'm not... happy that I was injured... but I love who I am because of it. I wouldn't change it... except," he moved place a paw on hers, but hesitated and dropped it to the ground again, "Except to see you smile again... So please... forgive yourself."

Frondsway's eyes glistened and he thought she might dip back into despair, but then her mouth curled into a tiny smile and he felt her paw on his. His heart leaped for joy as she gave him the tiniest nod, "...Okay... I'll try..." she whispered.

Tornleg stood on all three of his able paws and leaned in, licking her forehead once in gratitude. "I go for walks every day to keep my strength up and enjoy the forest..." he told her, "Would... would you like to walk with me?"

Frondsway knew that things would never be the same, but perhaps their future could hold something better than what they had. Maybe it wouldn't go back to normal, but what is 'normal' anyway? Perhaps their new normal was a deeper friendship... a new appreciation for what they did have and not what they'd lost.

"I would love to..." she blinked softly.

-Art by Snap

[cloudedmoonofficial]

Rangers

Adult members of the colony who take up a number of different daily tasks like hunting, scouting, training new-claws, fighting to defend the territory, and so on.

   Oak Colony’s current pool of Rangers are, as many would see it, a group of misfits. A tom with a spiritual connection to the Spirits Beyond but no ambition outside of supporting his friends, a wayward tom who had a romance with a roaming magi, something strictly forbidden within the Alliance, a disgraced Herbalist molly paying penance for an unfortunate circumstance, and a brash tom eager to prove he is ready to be an Envoy and no longer sit on the sideline of Captain Elmtail’s notice.

   The recent addition of Larkwing and Aspenbreeze into the ranks of Rangers adds some much needed calm and stability to the turbulent field. The siblings are eager to finally be done with their New-Claw training and spend time as Rangers together before committing to another career path, though they honestly see the need the Colony has for Rangers right now and are happy to oblige. 

“Oak Colony is blessed with two new rangers guarding our border tonight: Larkwing and Aspenbreeze. They have trained with the best to become rangers of the Oak-lands, and we have high hopes for their futures."

Captain Elmtail, the Steadfast Branch

[cloudedmoonofficial]

What does Frondsway think of Wrensong? During her training and now that Frondsway has been stripped of her path but keeps watching Wrensong flourish. Is she jealous or remorseful - grieving perhaps an even greater future of the colony with both of them working in the healer's den, especially since Wrensong seems more interested in the cliff gardens rather than healing itself. Or does she stop by and help when she can? Does Wrensong miss her mentor?

Frondsway is at first a bit jealous, but she starts to realize that her jealousy is misplaced as she thinks she fully deserves her punishment. She comes to terms with it over the years, just glad that she was able to train such a capable Herbalist. While Wrensong was training, the two did NOT get along; Wrensong is very confident and assertive while Frondsway is more shy and passive. After Frondsway was demoted however, Wrensong was gentle to her and even nervous about being the only Herbalist, so Frondsway became a safety net of knowledge until Wrensong didn't need one anymore.

Now they are on very good terms and sometimes hang out together. Wrensong is one of Frondsway’s greatest advocates actually, she still thinks it's unfair to demote someone because of a mistake and superstition.

-Snap

[cloudedmoonofficial]

Frondsway

Frondsway was the perfect cat to become an Herbalist due to her ability to communicate with the Spirit’s Beyond, a rare skill to be found in the Alliance, and started training as soon as she got her Ranger name. Although she was a shy cat who remained rather soft spoken, when she was younger she built a friendship with a Ranger named Swiftstrike, a rash and debonair tom who was often in the Herbalist Den for minor injuries. After a while, Frondsway gained feelings for Swiftstrike against her better judgment: she felt the Spirits were calling for her complete devotion, even sending signs to her that failure to do so may end in tragedy. She promised to keep her relationship with the handsome tom friendly, however hard it might be. And after she became the lone Herbalist for the Colony, it became increasingly difficult to keep her feelings in check…

Frondsway and Swiftstrike had a single kitten together, but the day he was born, Swiftstrike suffered a horrible injury. Frondsway was unable to tend to him due to the birth and Swiftstrike was left with a disabled back leg and damaged eye. He broke off their relationship after that, upset at what their relationship had taken from him. He decided to go to Elmtail and change his name to Tornleg. Frondsway named their son Swift in his honor. The two of them glance longingly at each other in passing, but any love between them is a fleeting memory of a foolish decision.

Frondsway was easily forgiven by many in the Colony for her understandable but unfortunate situation, but Brackenfoot pushed Elmtail to seek justice for Tornleg’s lack of care. Frondsway was charged with finding a replacement for herself as soon as possible so she could step down as Oak Colony’s Herbalist. She chose a then young Thornheart because of his similar connection to the Spirits, but ended up with Wrensong. Frondsway stepped down to become a Ranger once more, with a heavy case of anxiety and self-loathing, wishing she could just disappear…

Art by Snap