#hickoryskip story

[residents-of-the-darkforest]

Back But Not The Same (short story)

Cats raced toward the camp entrance. Sedgeshell hissed at them, pushing them back. “Give her space, for Starclan’s sake!”

“How did you find her?” Bluefeather, Gorsedaisy’s brother, asked. His tail twitched with nerves and impatience. He was looking over Sedgeshell’s head, waiting for his sister.

“She found us!” Lightpaw chirped from his mentor’s side. 

“Where has she been?” Stormfleck inquired. 

Cuckoostar pushed through the crowd and stopped in front of Sedgeshell. “Is she okay?”

“We don’t know,” Sedgeshell admitted. “We saw her heading for the camp, but I’m not sure if she knew where she was. She looked dazed, and she was bleeding. Aspentalon, Oatflight, and Drizzlespots are bringing her now.”

“Back up more, then!” Hickoryskip snapped. “She’ll need a clear path right to our den. And don’t go asking her questions until I’ve checked her over!”

Marblegaze held her breath. She returned to the nursery, curling around her kits whilst never taking her eyes off of the entrance. After Redjay’s betrayal and murders and the flood that had swept through all the territories, the Clan needed a miracle. Thank you, Starclan, for guiding Gorsedaisy back to us. 

The leaves began to rustle. Her head shot up, watching intently. Oatflight padded out. Her ears were twitching and she seemed alarmed. Brokenpaw followed her. Behind them was Gorsedaisy and the rest of the patrol. 

Marblegaze couldn’t hold back the gasp that had escaped her. Gorsedaisy’s fur stuck out in wet clumps in every direction. Her lighter spots were stained darker, almost unnoticeable against her black pelt. Marblegaze was too far to tell if it was muck or blood, and she was shocked to see singed fur on the end of her tail, surrounding red skin. How had she been burned during a flood? Sorrowfully, she took in the scars that marred the medicine cat’s face as she was led to her den. In spite of Hickoryskip’s warning, she desperately wanted to embrace Gorsedaisy, to listen to what on earth happened to her and make all the pain go away. 

It was not at all how Marblegaze had been expecting Gorsedaisy’s return to be like. She would be joking, ask the Clan if they really thought that Starclan would allow such a great medicine cat to die. She would be glad to be back to the Clan, of course, perhaps share prey with them as celebration for her return, maybe put aside her duties for the rest of the day and play a kit-like game with the younger warriors. She was not supposed to be…. 

She had looked so wrong. A wet, red-tinge that reflected what Marblegaze could only call horror glazed over her darkened, empty eyes. What had happened to her? Stars, what had happened to her?

============

@ambitiousauthor

#marblegaze #marblegaze story #lightpaw #lightstream #lightstream story #hickoryskip #hickoryskip story #gorsedaisy #gorsedaisy story #bluefeather #stormstar #stormfleck #cuckoostar #redjay #dark tales #wc dark tales #dark forest tales #eye-out family #wooden teeth family

[residents-of-the-darkforest]

Lavender Field (short story)

“Are you kidding me?”

Hickorykit cringed against the high-pitched exclamation. He looked at Podkit, who was already stomping toward him with a small wrinkled snout. “You couldn’t hit a single moss-ball all day, and then you do and you hit it to our side? Are you stupid?”

Hickorykit shuffled his paws. Embarrassment, hot as greenleaf, made him fluff up his fur. “It was just a mistake, okay? Jeez!”

“You made us look like we’re going to be bad apprentices! What kind of warriors will we be if we can’t even tell where the goal is?”

“No one was watching us!” Hickorykit growled. Stars, he hoped that was true. The thought of anyone else seeing that dumb move of his made him want to hide beneath his nest in the nursery forever and ever. “Why don’t you just start a new game and show them how good you are?”

“We will,” Podkit sniffed, “without you.”

Hickorykit glared after him, but Podkit didn’t get far before his mother stepped out from where she had sat grooming herself in the shade of the elders’ den. “Come here,” she said sternly, and led him behind the den.

Podkit was in trouble! Anger burned sharply against Hickorykit’s skin, fueling his steps. He crouched low, hiding in the shadows as he crept near enough to hear.

“What have I told you?” Podkit’s mother was saying.

“I did invite him to play!” Podkit complained defiantly. “It’s not my fault he sucks!”

“Hey!” his mother snapped sharply. “Not that,” she went on more calmly, though more stern. “I told you that you have to be nice to Hickorykit at all times. No matter what, okay?”

What?

“But–”

“No buts. You know what he’s been through. How would you feel if you lost me?”

There was a pause. In it, thumping began to pound away at Hickorykit’s ears. His chest ached. His breath–was he breathing?

“Okay, mom,” Podkit gave in. Through the leaves, Hickorykit saw Podkit’s mother pull him into an embrace, paw over his back and licks upon his head. The scene blurred, but Hickorykit’s heart was twisting too painfully to feel anything dripping from his eyes. 

He turned away and ran along the barrier, pushing through it where he knew a weak point was–the warriors had complained about the bugs eating at their defense–and continued running. He couldn’t breathe, could only gasp and sob as he ran, ran, ran.

Why? Why did he have to listen? Why did Podkit’s mother have to make those stupid rules? Why did he choose to play with the other kits instead of staying in his den or going to the elders to hear a story?

For the two moons since their deaths, he had forced the thoughts of his parents buried in the back of his mind, sheltered by any distraction he could take–which mainly involved his anger at the other kits. But that reminder–coupled with seeing the lucky tom snuggle with his mother, something Hickorykit could now only dream of doing–he just couldn’t take it.

He didn’t care that he wasn’t allowed to leave the camp, if he was putting himself in danger. He didn’t stop until nature made him–a tendril catching his paw and making him collapse in a lavender field. No…no.. The smell was just like them in their vigil. But he didn’t have any energy left to leave. He was so exhausted, from running and from his heart stabbing itself through every rib every time the image of his mother or father appeared in his stupid brain. 

He curled up on his side, trying to bury himself within the flowers as if they were his mother’s body wrapping around him. He hated that she was gone. He hated that his father was gone. He hated that his last memory of them was crying on their bodies, and that this was now the closest he could get to laying with them–by curling in the same flowers that had been laid on their corpses.

----

“Hickorykit!”

Hickorykit shot up among the lavender flowers. He didn’t know when he fell asleep, but the sun had begun to dip behind the trees. 

Darktail raced forward, nuzzling Hickorykit and covering his body with rapid licks. “Where have you been? Everyone has been so worried!”

Was that why there was a patrol out at such a weird hour? Hickorykit glanced at the other two warriors behind his grandfather, Conetoe and Newtbeetle, who appeared relieved at seeing Hickorykit alive and safe. 

Darktail pulled away. His muzzle rippled now that his own relief was replaced with anger. “Why did you leave the camp? What if that badger came back? Or an enemy patrol? Did you even think about the danger you put yourself in? You almost gave me a heart attack! Thank Starclan you were okay, and I’m so glad you are, but this could have gone a lot differently! How could you even…”

Hickorykit couldn’t say anything, knew he couldn’t, so he just sat and looked at his paws as Darktail lectured him. At his adoptive father’s pause, he looked up, and was startled to see Darktail’s eyes watering. 

Darktail lunged forward again, hugging Hickorykit between his paws that held him so close to his chest that Hickorykit struggled to breathe–again. He chose to sink into Darktail’s fur instead of fighting against them, and they laid there comfortably–even if they were now both struggling with sobs.

“Do you want to meet us back at camp?” Newtbeetle asked after a while, and Hickorykit suddenly remembered that they were there. 

Darktail, seemingly, forgot them as well. He stood up, clearing his throat with an awkward cough. “Er, yes, yes, let’s go take Hickorykit to the medicine den.”

“Medicine den?” Hickorykit squeaked. Were they going to give him something gross as punishment for sneaking off?

“Is that necessary?” Newtbeetle asked, confused. 

“Yes,” Darktail told him sharply. “Could you carry him for me? My jaw’s still aching from that branch.”

“Sure.”

“I can walk!” Hickorykit insisted. He had gone all this way, after all.

“No,” was all Darktail said in response. 

Hickorykit didn't protest further. He allowed Newtbeetle to pick him up as his thoughts carried him away. Perhaps if hadn’t been so preoccupied with those flowers, he would have heard Conetoe and Darktail speaking a few steps behind them, voices hushed to whispers.

“Is that necessary?” Conetoe asked.

“I thought he was dead,” Darktail replied. “When I couldn’t find him anywhere in the camp….I couldn’t stop thinking about my son. I thought–if he died too–....I can’t even stand the idea of it. He’s probably fine, physically at least, but until I get Gorsedaisy to check him over herself, I’m not going to calm down.”

Conetoe nodded. “That’s fair enough. More than fair….Do you really think the badger came back?”

Darktail hesitated. “No, but we can’t be too safe. Starclan, why did he run off? He knows how dangerous it is!”

“Maybe you should ask him yourself.”

----

“You’re safe!” Gorsedaisy exclaimed happily as Hickorykit trodded into her den. The scent of the herbs was strong, and it pulled him back to the lavender, curling lovingly around his body like a ghost of his mother. 

“Are lavenders herbs?” he asked. He had to know, it had been nagging at him throughout the walk and lecture from Cuckoostar.

Gorsedaisy tilted her head. “It can be. The smell is all over you.”

“I always felt so bad…” Hickorykit searched for words to explain. “I don’t like crying, so I didn’t think about them, and then I couldn’t stop thinking about them and I couldn’t stop crying…but now I feel really good. Did the lavender do that?”

Gorsedaisy narrowed her eyes as she tried to understand. When it clicked, she smiled softly. “A little bit. Lavender can help ease the clouds in one’s mind. But,” she added when Hickorykit opened his jaws, “I don’t think that’s what has you feeling so chipper.”

It was Hickorykit’s turn to tilt his head, one eyebrow perked. “Then what does?”

Gorsedaisy settled into her nest, paws tucked beneath her after padding the edge to tell Hickorykit to join her. He did, clambering in, and blinked curiously up at her. “I missed Dapplefire so much. I still do, of course, but when she joined the stars, I thought that I would never be the same again. I thought that the only way to stop myself from breaking was to pretend that it never happened at all–or at least make my brain think that. Every time I thought about her, I would make myself think about something else.”

That’s what I did! Hickorykit thought. He was surprised to hear someone else describe the thought process he had kept subconscious.

“I thought that pretending I didn’t have anything to grieve over would make the sorrow go away.” She met Hickorykit’s eyes after they had drifted around the den–had she been imagining her old mentor in the den they had shared for so long? “I was wrong, Hickorykit. Ignoring a broken bone won’t make it heal. In pushing away Dapplefire’s death, I pushed away the impact she made in life. I wouldn’t allow myself to think about anything to do with her, and in doing so I could have lost so many memories I made with her.”

“Good memories?” Hickorykit thought of curling beside his mother again, and then of his father holding a feather for him to chase.

“Good, bad. I thought of the laughs we shared, of the fights we had, the first time I remember seeing her, and the last. It all hurt the same, but now it all makes me smile, because I was lucky enough to know someone so brilliant so well, and now I have amazing stories to tell to those that didn’t get to know her.”

Hickorykit was silent for a long moment. Then he asked, “do you think I’ll be able to smile one day? When I think about my mom and dad?”

Gorsedaisy’s frowned. Then she smiled again. “Yes, I do. Until then, when it’s still hard, all you have to do is ask, and I’ll give you some lavender. Deal?”

Hickorykit brightened. “Deal!” 

Gorsedaisy chuckled at his eagerness. “You’re fine,” she told him after checking him over briefly. “Is there anything else you need?”

Hickorykit didn’t think that there was, but he wasn’t quite ready to leave. Gorsedaisy’s fur was warm beside him. He wasn’t ready to feel cold yet. He searched for something that could keep him there a little bit longer. “Could you tell me about Dapplefire?” he asked.

At that, Gorsedaisy’s eyes practically glowed. “I would love to.”

----

Darktail paced back and forth in the nursery. What was taking so long? Did he have a wound Darktail didn't notice? A sickness? And why had Hickorykit run away at all?

Darktail knew that Podkit was teasing him, and in his panic for his adoptive son, he tore the youngster a new one--which he now feels bad about--but being teased by the other kits wasn't a new thing for Hickorykit.

In fact, Hickorykit always seemed to relish in fighting with the other kits. Why? And why was his reaction different now?

Did he have a nightmare of his parents again? Those had ended more than a moon ago, and the thought of them coming back made his heart twist until it nearly broke.

A blur of white at the corner of his eye made him whip around. "Hickorykit!"

Hickorykit bounced toward him, a grin spreading from ear to ear. He was....happy?

"Darktail!" he called, even though he was now a few steps away. "I want to become a medicine cat apprentice!"

==============

@ambitiousauthor @starfalcon555 @wills-woodland-warriors @stray-mossballs-and-buckets @umbranoxs @elementaldeityoffood

@frightnightindustries

#dark tales #dark forest tales #wc dark tales #hickoryskip story #gorsedaisy story #pre gorsedaisy's nightmare #darktail #darkktail story #hickoryskip #gorsedaisy #newtbeetle #newtbeetle story #conetoe #conetoe story #podkit #podswoop #podswoop story #hickorykit #short story #wc story

[residents-of-the-darkforest]

Trying To Comfort You, Idiot (short story)

“Can I come in?”

Myrtlewing looked up with surprise at Aldereyes. “Since when did you ask to come in here? I thought you just barged and claimed a nest.” 

“Are you sick often?” Briartalon coughed. Myrtlewing passed her the herb poultice he had been working on. She swallowed it gratefully, and with difficulty.

“Uh..no,” Aldereyes replied. “I just check in, make sure our herb stock is–er–strong.”

Smooth.

“Everything looks fine to me,” Briartalon said hoarsely, rising. “Thank you, Myrtlewing,” she added to the medicine cat before slipping from the den.

Aldereyes came to a stop beside Myrtlewing. “Is she okay?”

“She has a cough,” Myrtlewing told him. He knew his tone suggested it was more, and it was. Briartalon had been visiting his den often. She never got worse, it was always just a cough–but those were often accompanied by a pained chest, and her visits grew more and more frequent. 

But Aldereyes didn’t seem to notice it. “And…you?”

“What?”

Aldereyes sighed and rolled his eyes. “I saw Gorsedaisy visit yesterday. I figured you needed space, considering….how she can be.”

Myrtlewing shrugged. “Rolled off me like a duck’s back.” His lip curled upward in a momentary flash of amusement, remembering how hot and bothered the elderly she-cat had become.

Aldereyes narrowed his eyes in confusion.

“Water?” 

Aldereyes, still seeming confused, shook his head. “Is it smart for you to be in here so soon? This is where he….”

Was that why Aldereyes was being so weird? Because Myrtlewing’s mentor died the other day? “This is also where I heal my Clanmates,” Myrtlewing told him firmly. He didn’t want anyone to suggest he move. This was the most secluded place in the camp. He needed it. 

“That’s true,” Aldereyes conceded. Then he fell silent, shuffling his paws on the floor.

Myrtlewing didn’t know why he was suddenly so awkward–perhaps it had to do with Hickoryskip–but he did know that he didn’t like it, so he decided to lighten the mood with a joke. “So, still keeping my flower?”

Aldereyes stiffened. “I am.” Then he went back to shuffling. At last, he said, “ever caught fish?”

“Fish?” Myrtlewing repeated in distaste. “Ever chewed your own tail?”

“Eating fish isn’t painful.”

“It’s painful to my tongue.”

Aldereyes nudged him. “I’m trying to be nice here!”

“Why?”

“Because–” Aldereyes cut himself off. Again, why? “Because your mentor just died,” he went on in a much softer tone.

‘So?’ Myrtlewing almost asked before remembering that that was, in fact, something he should be upset about. He ducked his head, staring at the ground. “Okay,” he agreed after a moment. “Maybe I do need to do something to get my mind…away.” He gestured around the den. “Being here is probably not helping.”

Aldereyes nodded. “Fresh air will do you good.”

“Only one problem.”

Another sigh. “What?”

“Where are we supposed to find fish?”

==================

--Aldereyes cuts himself on the ‘because--’ because he was going to say something like ‘because that’s what mates do.’ He cut himself off since he’s not 100% sure he wasn’t mistaken with Myrtle’s intention, and because the ‘mate’ word still feels weird to him.

--Some Briartalon just so she doesn’t seemingly retire (or die) out of the blue.

--I’ve said before that Alder is very bad with emotions, and that especially comes with comforting others. 

#myrtlealder #myrtlewing #aldereyes #briartalon #hickoryskip #gorsedaisy #wc #wcoc #wc oc #warriorsoc #warriors oc #warriorcats #dark tales #wc dark tales #dark forest tales #myrtlewing story #aldereyes story #alderstar story

[residents-of-the-darkforest]

I Know What You Are (short story)

While drawn-out kills were certainly his favourite, in terms of getting away with murder, this was the best case. Stormstar had just finished announcing to the Clan what had happened to dear old Hickoryskip. Myrtlewing had let him die, watched as he struggled in the heart of the camp, and even then he could lie his way out of it and they would all be none the wiser.

Well, almost everyone would. Returning to his den after paying a long moment of respect to his old mentor and saying how he needed to get back to work as his Clan needed him now more than ever, he found Gorsedaisy sitting in the shadows, facing him. “Did they believe it?” she asked coolly. 

Myrtlewing sniffed. “I think the proof that Hickoryskip is dead has been laid clear.” He swept his tail, indicating out the den entrance where Hickoryskip was.

“You know very well that’s not what I mean!” Gorsedaisy snapped. 

Myrtlewing could see, by the way she shook and bit her cheek as well as dug her claws in and out of the ground, how much she was forcing herself not to leap at him. Why not play with that a bit? “You miss him terribly, don’t you? After all, he was your apprentice just as I was his. It’s hard to imagine he’s gone, right?” His words were lathered in delicate honey.

Gorsedaisy’s jaw clenched so hard, it was a wonder her teeth didn’t snap and poke his eye out. She breathed roughly, air dragging out of her nose. “I know what you are, you vile fox! I’ve known for a long time. The only reason I haven’t killed you for the greater good is to ensure my place in Starclan. I’m seriously starting to doubt that choice now.”

Myrtlewing made a mocking shiver of fear. “Ah, but–if your accusations were true, dear Gorsedaisy–how would attacking me fix anything? You plan to kill me, but can you be sure to make it so far before you are stopped and driven out? And with you and exile, how can you save our precious Clanmates?”

Gorsedaisy’s tail flicked once, slapping the ground harshly. “They will see reason. They will know that what I do, I do for them. If they don’t, Starclan will.”

“Will they?” Myrtlewing challenged, checking quickly to make sure no one was moving through the fern tunnel and into earshot. “The way I see it, you’ve lost your mind in their eyes ever since you refused me treatment for all my scrapes and bruises as a kit. Heck, maybe even before then, huh? You’ve jumped to growls and hisses over the smallest of problems, making big deals out of things that weren’t there. Yet you think that after all of that, they will believe your side if you try to hurt me? Oh Gorsedaisy, perhaps you really have lost your mind.”

Gorsedaisy pounced, but Myrtlewing was expecting that. He slipped easily to the side while she crashed into the wall. Turning to face her again, he sat and licked a paw.

Gorsedaisy lifted herself, but her shoulders remained tense and locked. She stared at the ground, muzzle shaking. “I tried to warn him, you know. So many times, I told him that you would be the death of him and our Clanmates.” Her gaze flicked up, burning into him. Well, maybe she tried to make it so. “Part of that may be true now, but rest assured, I will not let you hurt another of my Clanmates again.” With that, she whirled and stormed from the den.

“I think we’ve established,” Myrtlewing called after her, just loud enough for her to hear as she left, “that you can’t stop me.”

=========================

@ambitiousauthor

#gorsedaisy #hickoryskip #myrtlewing #stormstar #wc #wcoc #wc oc #warriorsoc #warriors oc #warriorscatsoc #warriorcats #dark tales #dark forest tales #wc dark tales #myrtlewing story #gorsedaisy story #medicine cat #medicine cat oc #evil medicine cat #wc story #wc short story #warriors story #warriors short story #wc fan fiction #I guess?

[residents-of-the-darkforest]

Death of A Medicine Cat (short story)

When it registered for Aldereyes that the yowl had belonged to Myrtlewing, which only took a heartbeat even in his distracted state, said heart leaped into his throat. He was on his paws and charging out of the warriors’ den before he realized that he was moving. 

As focused as his body was in getting him to his destination, his mind had returned once again to spiraling panic, and as he shot for the fern tunnel of the medicine den, he failed to see Myrtlewing racing from the opposite side. Their snouts crashed painfully, but at least that forced them to collect their thoughts. 

“Idiot!” Aldereyes  exclaimed on instinct, holding a paw to his nose, before remembering quickly that he wasn’t supposed to be calling Myrtlewing that anymore. The warm thrilling buzz he felt at seeing the tom for the first time after Aldereyes had–quite recently–decided to accept his ‘gesture,’ was quickly overtaken by concern. Myrtlewing was looking behind him, his eyes wide and pupils small. 

“Is everything okay?”

Aldereyes nearly jumped out of his fur. He looked behind him to see Fallendust at his tail, eyes sleepy but round. Around the edges of the leaves, he could see more of their Clanmates anxiously waiting outside. 

“Step back!” came a commanding voice. Aldereyes nodded at Myrtlewing to lead the way back through the tunnel so that his father could come through. 

He wasn’t sure what he was expecting. Quite frankly, he hadn’t so much as wondered. All he feared was that Myrtlewing was hurt, but then he saw Myrtlewing perfectly fine aside from his own clear horror. Then he saw Hickoryskip sprawled on the floor of the den, spit still dripping from the corners of his mouth, and his eyes staring forward, as if his body still contained his spirit, staring directly into Aldereye’s very soul. 

“I…I..” Myrtlewing tried to speak, blinking repeatedly as he took in the sight of his dead former mentor. Aldereyes pressed close to him. To an outsider, it would have seemed like it was simply to make room for Stormstar, who, following his namesake, stormed into the den. “What’s this ruckus about?” he questioned. He was staring in shock at Hickoryskip’s still body a second later.

His gaze grew sharp and swung to Myrtlewing. “Explain what happened here.”

Aldereyes couldn’t help but feel protective as the eyes so often narrowed on him turned to his…..fr–m–Bird, teeth sharp and on display. Then again, when weren’t they?

Myrtlewing seemed to shrink into himself. “I-I-I don’t know!” he admitted. “He came in for a sore throat. I gave him the herbs, but then he-he-he just started choking!”

“Didn’t you try to save him?” Stormstar demanded accusingly. Myrtlewing flinched. Aldereyes made a mental note not to hiss. 

“I did try!” Myrtlewing told him earnestly. “But he was writhing around too much! I only saw this once before, when I was an apprentice, and Hickoryskip could help me! But I was alone– it was so dark– it all happened so fast!”

Aldereyes’s heart swelled with sympathy. He had seen how close Myrtlewing and his old mentor had been. Even after Hickoryskip retired, Myrtlewing would visit him at least twice every half-moon, rarely more only because he was so busy. He pressed against him more, hoping he could sense the comfort Aldereyes was trying to give him. But aside from a spared glance, Myrtlewing didn’t seem to notice him. He was looking directly at their leader.

“An unfortunate accident, then,” Aldereyes spoke up. “Hickoryskip was a dedicated medicine cat and loyal Clanmate. He will be missed.”

That seemed to snap Myrtlewing out of his shock. He slumped down into the dust. “I didn’t think the herbs would cause such trouble! I–”

Aldereyes cut him off. “You said it yourself, he had a sore throat. Maybe he couldn’t down food or plants properly, but that’s hardly your fault. You were doing exactly what he would have done, right? Can’t fix an injury by just letting it fester.”

Finally, Myrtlewing looked into his eyes. Then, sighing, he ducked his head and pressed it onto Aldereyes’s shoulders. “It was his time,” he breathed. Aldereyes looked down at him. He ached to see the tom he cared for more than anyone else hurt so much. He bent his head and licked the space between Myrtlewing’s ears. This time, it wasn’t hasty, and he didn’t run away.

==========================

--Ew gross romance.

--Friendly reminder that at this point Myrtle does not know that Alder either thinks he wants to be romantic or is trying to be romantic. He was just a few moments ago thinking about it.

--I imagine Fallen (and maybe a few others) were standing in the tunnel or moved back to pace in the clearing.

--During the last part, Stormstar likely looked away to pay attention to carrying (or dragging) Hickoryskip to the clearing where he could announce the death.

--Alder’s brain is used to calling Myrtle his friend so he instinctively starts with that--then begins to say ‘mate’ but he’s not 100% sure with that yet, so he settles on ‘Bird.’

--Remember how I said that they call each other ‘lazy’ even though they aren’t? In this case something serious, not humourous, is happening, and so Alder thinks about how Myrtle is actually busy a lot of the time.

#myrtlealder #myrtlewing #alderstar #wc #wcoc #darkforestoc #dark forest oc #dark tales #dark forest tales #wc story #wc oc story #wc short story #aldereyes #myrtlewing story #alderstar story #stormstar #fallendust #hickoryskip

[residents-of-the-darkforest]

Grandfather's Ghost (short story)

“So, medicine cat, eh?” Redjay settled beside his grandson, who had snuck out of the nursery and kept to the shadows of the camp wall to avoid being shooed back in or be seen talking to air.

Myrtlekit nodded enthusiastically. He had told Hickoryskip his decision earlier that day, and guessed that either Redjay or another of his family had seen the discussion. “A good choice, right?”

Redjay made a doubtful grunt. “Are you sure it’s the path for you? You have a bloodlust in you, little one, battles are a good way to quench the thirst.”

“But it’s so mindless,” Myrtlekit responded, pulling his mouth to one side. “Slashing around is fun, but it’ll get boring in time, right? And what am I gonna do when there’s no war for moons?”

His grandfather grinned, his teeth glinting in the moonlight. “Aw, so mind games has piqued your interest, has it?” His smile dropped. “But you’ll have to target the weak, and you’re better than that. Stronger than that.”

Anger clawed Myrtlekit’s chest. “I’m no coward! If they’re not weak, I’ll make them weak, then I’ll make them all beg for mercy and give them none!”

Redjay’s eyes sparked. A ring of energy seemed to shoot through his body, lifting his fur in enthusiasm. “Oh, the fire in you, my little one!” He tilted his head, so far it almost looked like the bones inside had split apart. “I suppose I do see the benefits. Herbs and poison right by your paws, to be used at your disposal…”

“Trusted by my Clanmates and leader,” Myrtlekit added, remembering Bella-May’s advice.

“StarClan won’t rat on you, because you’ll be their messenger.” Redjay’s grin was returning.

“Gorsedaisy will hate it.” Myrtlekit spat the name. The elderly medicine cat had never liked him, and wasn’t shy on making her thoughts clear. 

Redjay’s eyes darkened. “Indeed she will. The Clan knows she’s lost her petals. Ha! They’ll trust you more than her!” Redjay’s whole body shook. “I can just imagine what she’d say! ‘No! Please don’t let him become a medicine cat! He’s evil, I tell you! Evil!’”

Myrtlekit pressed his paw to his muzzle, stifling the laughter that threatened to choke him, his shoulders shaking as he struggled to breathe. The impression Redjay made was perfect. For a second, he thought that Gorsedaisy really had spoken. Sure, it was a little dramatic in its mockery, but the idea was still clear. “Do it again, do it again!” He prompted.

Redjay did so, though he had to control his own chuckles before he could speak again.  “‘You’re all fools! Fools! I guess I’ll speak to you when you get to StarClan, because that’s where the lot of you will end up, mark my words!”

Myrtlekit burst out in a fit of open laughter, rolling onto his side until he gasped for air. “One more!”

“Myrtlekit, what are you doing out here?” Myrtlekit whipped around to face Grebeglade, his aunt, who had been on guard duty. “What’s got you so amused?”

Myrtlekit looked over his shoulder. Redjay’s spirit had already disappeared. “I saw a frog jump on a squirrel, and I thought it was really funny!” 

Grebeglade looked around. Her whiskers twitched, and she blinked at him with warm amusement. “Must have been a dream. Go back to your mother, alright? You could freeze out here.”

“Okay, I will!” Myrtlekit told her, and bounded back to the nursery. His fur still buzzed as he settled in the nest beside Blacksong, and the smile remained on his face as he fell into the darkness of sleep.

==================

--Probably one of the cutest stories we'll ever see of Myrtlwing.

--I like to think that Redjay does his mimicry often for the amusement of the little ones.

@ambitiousauthor

--Base found in this stash: FREE Warriors Lineart Pack 1 by LexisSketches on DeviantArt

#gorsedaisy #grebeglade #blacksong #she's a deep sleeper #myrtlewing #myrtlekit #redjay #redjay story #myrtlewing story #myrtlekit story #grebeglade story #dark tales #dark forest tales #wc dark tales #eye-out poly #eye-out family #eye-out story #wooden teeth family #wooden teeth story #sprouting thorns #pre-sprouting thorns

[residents-of-the-darkforest]

sorry i don't know anything about Alderstar at all outside of the three story post made yesterday but can you tell me about his story? is he like Tigerstar at all where he killed for ambition or is it something else? curious

:o hello! always glad to here interest in my ocs and will talk about them for hours!

I'll split the answer into parts:

Why did Alder became leader?

Alderstar did not kill for ambition!

He actually did not plan to become leader at all, or even deputy. His father, Stormstar, was a cruel leader who chose him as deputy after the previous one, Briartalon, had to retire early.

While Alder was one of the best hunters and fighters in the Clan, Storm's main reason for choosing him was because he thought that his son would be easy to control and convince to do whatever Stormstar wanted him to. After all, Alderstar(Aldereyes at the time) spent much of his life trying hard to please his father.

Unknown to him, Aldereyes was already deeply on the dark path. During a harsh storm that Stormstar was foolish enough to be out of camp during, Aldereyes jumped and killed him.

He didn't want to be leader, that's not why he killed Stormstar. He killed him because Stormstar was an awful father. He neglected his son, and when he did give Alder attention, it was to lecture him for not being good enough. So he was murdered in a fit of rage.

There probably was some more thought behind it too, though. Becoming leader would allow Alder more flexibility in what he and Myrtlewing (partner in crime + mate) were doing, so that was an added bonus.

Why is Alderstar evil?

As for his story, Alderstar was pretty much alone ever since he was a kit. His mother, Sweettree, died from complications of birth a few moons after he was born, gradually growing sicker, and no one cared for him after that.

Shimmerstone (Stormstar's true mate that he cheated on) was the only other one in the nursery. She thought that it might be contagious and didn't want to risk spreading sickness to her own daughter.

She likely would have, but Gorsediasy (the medicine cat at the time and the only one that knew what Alder and Myrtle would become) instructed her to keep away.

So Alder was all alone in the nursery. The other warriors didn't bother visiting or checking on him because, well, they thought that Shimmerstone was taking care of him. Why wouldn't she? And Shimmerstone thought that she was doing the right thing by keeping herself and her own kit, Hollykit/claw, away from Alderkit, even if it did break her heart to see the little tom suffer.

Gorsedaisy was hoping that Alderkit would die from the cold or sickness, and that his reign wouldn't come to be. Alderkit did get greencough, and Hickoryskip, Gorsedaisy's apprentice, had a strong word with Shimmerstone, not knowing about Gorsedaisy's involvement.

Alderstar never felt close to anyone. Even so, for a long time the only important thing to him was serving his Clan and being the best Clanmate that he could be.

He became best friends with Myrtlewing, the newest medicine cat. Myrtlewing became the only one Alderstar actually cared about, as he was the only one he felt actually saw him for him, not just as another Clanmate or extra set of teeth.

His whole world of everything, his whole view of how things should be, was completely shattered when he witnessed Myrtlewing holding the body of one of their Clanmates.

Then, his world was built back again in an entirely new way. Alderstar spent what might have been weeks with his thoughts never ending, until he came to the conclusion that he shouldn't care if his Clanmates died. After all, did they care when he almost died as a kit? Did they do anything for him when his mother died? Did they actually see him as anyone other than just another Clanmate?

If he went from a loyal Clanmate to a betrayer and murderer, well, it was their own damn fault for not caring enough to see the change.

Why does Alderstar kill?

To put it plainly, Alderstar kills alongside Myrtlewing because they enjoy it. They find it fun, entertaining, thrilling.

In a deeper dive, the context of everything above is very important. Aldereyes realized, when he decided it was okay to kill his Clanmates and anyone else, that he didn't even know who he himself was. When he was a kit, he was alone, and from the moment he was an apprentice, he had to be everything Stormstar wanted him to be. He had to be the best fighter. He had to be the best hunter. He had to be the one that everyone looked up to, he had to be the best in every sense. Yet it was never enough, because no one could be perfect, and Stormstar hated that he dare have flaws.

It was because of this history and origin that Alderstar became who he did. It was the reason he enjoyed killing so much. He didn't care about being perfect. He didn't care about being the best Clanmate, he only cared about what made him happy, what made Myrtlewing happy, and if that meant committing murder, than tough.

As for why he came to enjoy murder so much, it's because it's the opposite of everything everyone tried to mold him to be, and because of that it became something so freeing and enjoyable.

Was Alderstar a cruel leader?

Actually, no!

Not in the sense you might think, anyway.

He would kill his Clanmates, warriors from other Clans, kittypets, loners, anyone really, but those were all done in secret.

The front he put to the Clan was of a kind-hearted, devoted leader who put his Clanmates above everything else. To them, he was incredibly peaceful, and was sympathetic even to the other Clans, always looking for other answers before choosing war.

His deeds came as a great shock, but seeing as he was caught red-pawed, there was no denying it.

Some other stuff

Hootpetal is Alderstar's other mate, and Grousemane is his close friend and poly companion. Hootpetal was born in the Clan a few moons after he became an apprentice, and Grousemane was a loner who joined when they were warriors around the same age.

When Alder thinks of his Clanmates and how they wronged him, this does not include Myrtle, Hoot, or Grouse. I already stated why Myrtle was different, Grousemane joined, like I said, when he was warrior-age, so he couldn't have been involved in everything that made Alder so bitter. He was an entirely different entity that the collective 'Clanmates.'

Hootpetal couldn't have been involved for Alderkit's neglected health because, well, she wasn't even born then. At first, she was just another Clanmate like the others, but when her feelings for him became known, he realized that, like Myrtle, she sees him for him.

That, along with Alder and Myrtle's whole story, is seen in chapters here: Eye-Out 1: Sprouting Thorns - IMPORTANT NOTE - Wattpad

#alderstar #myrtlewing #grousemane #hootpetal #stormstar #gorsedaisy #hickoryskip #shimmerstone #hollyclaw #long post #eye-out family #eye-out poly #sprouting thorns #crown of thorns

[residents-of-the-darkforest]

Doubts and Confusion (short story)

“I’m reading into this, aren’t I?” Myrtlewing asked, his tail sweeping across the den floor as an attempt to alleviate his thoughts, that hadn’t stopped racing since Aldereyes licked his head earlier that day. It was night now, with the only sound being the distant chirps of crickets and croaks of frogs. 

Well, there was a closer sound. Hickoryskip was gasping, little more than silent wheezes. Myrtlewing lay roughly a tail-length from where he was struggling to breath. His mentor had retired long ago. It hadn’t even been Myrtlewing's doing!--though if he had been in position longer, it probably would have been. It had made Myrtlewing’s….activities help go unnoticed. Afterall, it was hard enough to believe one’s medicine cat could hurt their Clanmates, but that his mentor never noticed? Impossible!

If Myrtlewing ever ‘needed help’ healing a Clanmate, he would seek Hickoryskip’s advice, and in doing so strengthened the trust his mentor had in him. Then, if anyone would inquire into Myrtlewing’s hobbies, old Hickoryskip could vouch for him.

But again, Hickoryskip had retired long ago, meaning that Myrtlewing had been in his Clanmates’ deepest trust for just as long. He didn’t need the old tom anymore, so there was no point in saving him now as he choked on simple herbs. There was also the matter of Hickoryskip’s own mentor, Gorsedaisy, but no one really listened to her these days anyway.

“Grooming is commoner than purring! It’s a whole part of the day even. But this was different, wasn’t it? It wasn’t settling down and sharing tongues. It was a quick thing, and the way he left was so strange. Like something awkward had just happened. What do you think?”

Hickoryskip only stared at him from wide, blood-shot eyes and gasped some more.

“Hmm,” Myrtlewing responded. “It’s not like I’m afraid to ask him. But he’s the only cat in this whole Clan actually worth caring for. I don’t want to risk losing my only source of enjoyment outside of killing. There must be some other way to know for sure that he meant it in a…non-platonic way. But how?” He sighed. At the same time, Hickoryskip stilled, slumping against the floor. “I guess I’ll just have to pay attention to his next move.”

Then he stood and le let out a panicked yowl.

—--------------------------------

Initially, Aldereyes wasn’t sure why he had licked Myrtlewing, or what his reaction meant to himself. But when it came to two things: not being with Myrtlewing romantically and the opposing choice, he relied on his body’s reaction, seeing as his thoughts could not make up their mind.

When he thought of the former, his chest felt cold, like his heart was bleeding freezing water, while his gut constricted as though it had been hit. The latter made him feel warm, buzzing energy flowing through his every muscle. It still felt like an odd choice to make, but it was a choice he was going to make: he would be with Myrtlewing. 

As soon as he made that choice, doubts began to creep in. This time, it was not of his own reaction, but of Myrtlewing’s. What if he really had just meant the flower as a ‘gesture’ of some sort that wasn’t romantic? The seconds Aldereyes allowed himself to gauge Myrtlewing’s reaction after licking the fur between his ears had shown him that Myrtlewing was surprised. But that didn’t necessarily mean the approach was unwanted, only unexpected.

So he had to let Myrtlewing know that he reciprocated his feelings, but not enough so that if he was wrong he embarrassed himself and, worse, damaged the relationship they already had going on. Myrtlewing was the only one in the Clan that seemed to really see Aldereyes as who he was, and not just as another Clanmate you’re inherently supposed to bond with. The only exception might be Hootpetal, but that was way too early to say.

The obvious would be nicknames. Now that he and Myrtlewing were–possibly–courting, he couldn’t call the medicine cat an idiot anymore. Not all the time, at least. It wouldn’t be right. 

He also couldn’t refer to Myrtlewing as ‘sweetheart,’ ‘darling,’ or something of the like. No, he had to find something else. Something affectionate, but also not necessarily romantic–in case Myrtlewing didn’t want to be such or to avoid some of their Clanmates from bothering them about their relationship. A second buzz of excitement whirled through Aldereyes at the idea of their bond being secret, though he wasn’t quite sure why. He assumed it was the same reason apprentices sneak out at night, the idea of doing something looked down on and not getting caught fun. 

But that could wait for another time. Now he had to decide on a nickname. Myrtlewing….myrtle was a tree….Tree? Aldereyes shivered. Nope, too close to his mother’s name, too weird….Wing……..Birds have wings….Bird? 

He imagined himself saying it. ‘Hey, Bird.’ ‘How’s the Bird feeling?’ and, when and if their relationship becomes surer, he could potentially add ‘my.’ ‘My bird, join me for a hunt!’ 

At the back of his mind, a happy swirl warmed him some more. He wasn’t very conscious of it, but the idea of calling Myrtlewing ‘my,’ of the tom belonging to him in a way that was permissive and trustful over possessive, deepened his resolve to reciprocate the feelings.

Yes! That is what he will use. 

Then a panicked yowl sounded from the medicine den.

============================

--Reading can mean different things, so for this case let’s assume Myrtle means it as ‘watching something carefully’ and not the human action of it.

--Their Clanmates might look down on the relationship because Myrtle is a med cat, not because they’re both toms.

#myrtlealder #myrtlewing #alderstar #aldereyes #gorsedaisy #briefly #alderstar story #myrtlewing story #wc #wcoc #wc oc #warriors #warriorsoc #warriors oc #warriorcatsoc #dark forest oc #dark forest #dark tales #wc dark tales #dark forest tales #wc oc story #wc short story #hickoryskip

[residents-of-the-darkforest]

What would Shadowclan’s alliance list look like in Gorsedaisy’s Nightmare?

Sedgeshell and Hickoryskip (possible siblings?) who are elders / old under Stormstar's reign (two leaders later) would probably be young adults (depending on just how long the reigns were)

The rest depend on how close it is to the end of Hailstar's reign and Redjay's story. If Cuckoostar is almost leader, then Storm is likely a grown warrior because he would be his deputy

and if he's a grown warrior, his mates (Shimmerstone and Sweettree) probably are, too (or apprentices)

-----

Looking at the Cuckoostar's reign list, the members are Marblegaze, Redjay, Grebewing, Swanface, Lightheart, Brokenclaw, Shimmerstone, Rainbur, Molespots, Bluefeather, Sedgeshell, Wavewillow, Aspentalon, Stoatbird, Drizzlespots, Birchpawcloud Blossompawtuft, Blazepawpad, Conetoe (mother of Sweetkittree), Oatflight (mother of Owlkitfang and Rainkitburstar), and Littlelight (carrying Russetkitnose)

It's unlikely only Sedge and Hickory were alive just a couple leaders ago, so probably a good chunk were alive, or at least kits, under Hailstar.

It would be interesting to decide their parents as well as who's related to who

#gorsedaisy #wc

[residents-of-the-darkforest]

Medicine Cat Legacy Line-Up

From left to right:

Dapplefire (she-cat). She was Gorsedaisy's mentor.

When she's not busy working, she will likely be found cleaning her fur. Every tuft has to be placed a certain way. That goes with the herbs as well--she was very particular with how everything was sorted.

Gorsedaisy (she-cat). She was Hickoryskip's mentor.

Traumatized girl.

Hickoryskip (tom). He was Myrtlewing's mentor and victim.

He loved his mentor and trusted her word, but as her mind slipped away so too did his trust in her. When she warned him of Myrtlewing, he wouldn't listen, believing instead to see the good in his apprentice. That faith would be his undoing, as when he began to choke, Myrtlewing didn't help.

Myrtlewing (tom). He was Fernpaw's mentor and murderer.

He was a serial killer and used his position as a medicine cat to harm his Clanmates. He experimented on them as well, improperly placing twigs to see what would happen if their broken legs weren't properly set, testing what would happen if he fed them rotting herbs, and more.

Fernpaw (she-cat). She was Myrtlewing's apprentice.

Everyone knew that she would become a medicine cat, as during play, she would 'heal' her fallen Clanmates.

She enjoyed everything that came with being a medicine cat apprentice. She sang, rhyming the herbs together as she sorted them.

She was worried for her mentor after Alderstar was exiled, after all the two were close. With her father, she searched for herbs to help. It was during this time that Myrtlewing struck out of nowhere, inflicting a wound that would shortly end her life.

Cedarsky/fern (tom). He was Redscar's mentor.

After Fernpaw died and Myrtlewing revealed himself as a killer, Shadowclan was left with no medicine cat.

Cedarsky chose to take up the position in order to honour his daughter.

He was mentored by Windclan's medicine cat, Coldwater.

When he finished his training, he requested changing his suffix from sky to fern.

Redscar (tom). He was Bluefoot's mentor.

He is a canon character. In his time as medicine cat, both his deputy and leader passed. It was up to Redscar to choose the Clan's leader, and he did so by (with permission from the deceased leader) faking a sign.

What wasn't seen in that story is how calm Redscar is when such drastic events are not occuring.

He tends to enjoy walks when searching for herbs, and finds what joy he can in everything he has to do.

He got his scar as an apprentice. Gorsedaisy's sanity had by that point greatly deteriorated. Having the 'Red' suffix, relating to a cat that had hurt Gorsedaisy, caused her to attack him. Being alone in the woods, Redpaw had to heal himself. At this time, he was a warrior apprentice. Cedarfern was impressed that he used the correct herbs on himself and applied them wonderfully, and suggested he change his position.

Bluefoot (tom).

He found a mate in a loner that lived in the field near the Moonstone. He would visit her every Half-moon on his way to the Moonstone.

Redscar advised against their relationship, but Bluefoot had leverage against him, as he knew that Redscar faked a sign (Blue was a kit at that time).

Though both had leverage against the other, they for the most part got along quite well.

Unlike Redscar, Bluefoot disliked much of the chores that came with being a medicine cat. He only chose it so that he could see his littermates, who passed away when they were five moons old--shortly before Bluefoot became an apprentice and made the chose to live as a medicine cat.

=============

Bases:

Dapplefire

Gorsedaisy

Hickoryskip

Myrtlewing

Fernpaw

Cedarsky/fern

Redscar

Bluefoot

#myrtlewing #fernpaw #bluefoot #gorsedaisy #hickoryskip #dapplefire #cedarsky #cedarfern #rainstar's burden #sprouting thorns #redscar #wc #medicine cat #legacy line-up

[residents-of-the-darkforest]

Myrtlewing pushed through the Shadowclan camp entrance feeling light. With the buzz of a working camp in his ears, he gazed around the clearing. Aldereyes stood next to the fresh-kill pile, a mouse in his jaws. Hootpetal was with him.

"Hey, Myrtlewing!" Rainbur called from where he stood patching the nursery. "How was the Moonstone?"

"Good, no terrible visions!" Myrtlewing joked back.

Hearing them, Aldereyes turned to see Myrtlewing. He dropped his mouse and stomped over, fuming. "Where have you been?" he demanded.

Myrtlewing looked at him. "Coldwater needed some help with herbs."

Aldereyes sniffed. "She's been a medicine cat for moons and can't do it herself? Idiot, you're our only healer after Hickoryskip retired, you should be here."

Myrtlewing pricked his ears. "Did something happen?"

Aldereyes blinked, then narrowed his eyes. "No! But that doesn't mean you shouldn't be here in case something did, or do you want to be responsible for the death of your Clanmates?"

Myrtlewing had little time to think of the irony of that question when Hootpetal padded over, eyes warm. "Ignore him," she said to Myrtlewing, "he was worried."

I know, Myrtlewing thought. He came to know the hidden meaning in Aldereyes's words almost more than what he spoke aloud.

'Where have you been?' Was 'Are you okay?'

'You should be here.' 'I want you where it's safe.'

Aldereyes half-gaped at her, then quickly composed himself. "Worried for our Clanmates that could have been injured or sick and with no one to heal them!....Not that this idiot could do much anyways."

Myrtlewing glared.

'Idiot.'

'Be mad at me for calling you an idiot before you notice how worried I was.'

He shared a knowing look with Hootpetal, who seemed to understand the same thing. "Pacing around the camp, was he?"

"Practically shredded the grass where he walked," she answered.

"I don't have time for this," Aldereyes broke in. "I'm taking Wolfburn and Mossflake training." To Myrtlewing, he said, "when you've woken up, try to be helpful." Then he was off, strolling confidently away, as though shielding his embarrassment.

========================

--Once again, HUGE thanks to @umbranoxs​ because they did the art for the previous scene, I was able to finish this one faster and therefore work for the story at a faster pace. 

--The story in order can be found either on Wattpad or my DeviantArt (Arewco). The DA one focuses on Alder’s pov first so that the “surprise” is more, you know, surprising. Wattpad focusing on both and you know right away that Myrtle is how he is.

--I’m working on how to better to she-cats. Maybe a smaller nose next time.

#wcoc #aldereyes #alderstar #aldereyesstar #myrtlewing #hootpetal #wc oc art #wc story #wc oc story #warriors #warriors oc #warriors art

[residents-of-the-darkforest]

Dark Forest residences: Myrtlewing & Alderstar

Myrtlewing

Aliases / Nicknames: Two-headed ghost, Two-headed demon, Demon of the forest, Grinner, The Grinner, Monster, The Pine Forest Butcher(s), The Pine Forest Killer(s), Freak, Myrtle, Oslo, Kittypet, Housecat, Puny, Tumblefeet, Fleabrain

Gender: tom

Family:  Blacksong (mother), Graydusk (uncle)

Other relations: Hickoryskip (mentor)

Clan: Shadowclan

Characteristics: targets based on mood, experiments on victims, often kills alongside partner

Number of Victims: 52

Number of Murders: 51

Murder Method: torture, poisoning, mutilation, blinding

Known Victims: Birchcloud, Blossomtuft, Owlfang, Wolfburn, Fernpaw, Boulderpaw, Waspheart, Mossflake, Pineshade, Maplefall, Pricklepelt, Bluefeather, Stormstar, Ivytooth, Cedarsky, Fleetsong, Echofoot, several unknown loners

Cause of Death: decapitation 

Cautionary Tale: So close as he was to his partner in crime, tales of their acts were told as one cat. Sometimes it was a cat with two heads, other times it was a demon that would morph into both medicine cat and leader. Mothers warn their kits that if they ever hear a cry while wandering the forest at night, don’t go towards it. It’s the sound of victims long past, their voices-- their cries--stolen by the healer and leader to be used as a siren to lure their next prey.

Story:

Myrtlekit was a runt. If he ever forgot about it, the older kits were quick to remind him. They would keep him out of their games, and whenever he begged to play, they would make it torture. When they played moss-ball, they would either hit him directly, or purposefully keep it from him due to his puny size.

His mother was always quick to defend him, sometimes scaring the kits long enough for them to play nicely for a day. It wasn’t anything extreme, but a warrior can always terrify a young kit, especially when those kits shoved her child into the mud.

Myrtlekit didn’t know who his dad was, if they were even Shadowclan, but it didn’t matter much. If he needed a male role model in his life, he had Graydusk, his mother’s brother, who seemed to visit the nursery every day since Myrtlekit had been born, playing with him and Blacksong when the other kits refused. 

Myrtlekit had once thought he would move up in the ‘kit rank’ when a new kit was born, premature and therefore much smaller than Myrtlekit (although now he was already getting bigger). Myrtlekit had pulled all the mean tricks on Fleetkit as were pulled on him. But it didn’t last long, because apparently being one of the bully’s cousin meant Fleetkit was off-limits for teasing, even if he was so puny. It was completely unfair!

When the older kits became apprentices, they laid off Myrtlekit, too focused now with “being the best warrior.” At least, Myrtlekit thought they were, until Owlpaw had wrestled him to the ground for “daring” to scare Fleetkit with a dead spider-- as if Owlpaw hadn’t done the exact same thing to him!

With the closest cats his age training or off-limits, Myrtlekit’s interest in playing dwindled. One night, while awake grumbling, he overheard a patrol arriving. He peaked out of the nursery to see one of them heavily injured. Overwhelmed with interest, he snuck to watch as Hickoryskip, the medicine cat, fixed the wound. 

He leaned forward when the she-cat flinched from Hickoryskip’s touch, or when she grimaced as he applied an herb mixture into her injury. When Hickoryskip had noticed him, he had advised him to go back to Blacksong. Myrtlekit simply responded by announcing his decision to be a medicine cat.

Before he knew it, cats were thanking him! For the smallest things, too! Pulling out a thorn, stopping hiccups. Even Owlpaw had become impressed with his skill. It took awhile for him to memorize things, working night and day, but the only one that needed to know that was Hickoryskip. 

The trips to the Moonstone were boring. He had been excited to meet Starclan in the beginning, but the meetings were always the same. Some shadowy figure shaking their head before turning their back on the apprentice and leaving them in the dark. Sometimes there was the scent of blood. 

Funnily enough, it wasn’t until Myrtlewing was close to earning his full name did he even fully interact with Aldereyes. They were in the nursery together for a short time, but Myrtlekit had been too young to remember, and at the time, Alderkit didn’t much care.

It was when Myrtlewing was healing a wound on Aldereyes’s shoulder. Aldereyes had complained about slipping up in battle and allowing his opponent to give him such a blow. Myrtlewing surprised him by jokingly suggesting he bursts the opponent’s shoulder open on a rock next battle to make it even. He thought all medicine cats were pacifists. 

He found himself talking with the warrior more and more. Apparently no one agreed with such horrific methods of revenge as the healer. Ironic.

One day it clicked. Myrtlewing had talked so often about hurting and killing others, jokes mostly, but he never actually thought about doing it. He got to thinking. He wan an expert in herbs. He knew what could heal, what could kill. What could make them writhe, foam at the mouth, claw at the ground and choke. 

Why not several? Foxglove to stop the heart, hemlock to strain the heart and lungs, and deathberry, just to be sure they die. He stored them at the back of his herb storage, hidden in the crevices.

He tried not to chuckle as he gave Fleetsong the herbs. The tom has arrived for a bellyache. Myrtlewing acted to treat him, hiding small doses of holly berries in his medicine, which would ensure that his bellyache only got worse. Death would be least expected as foulplay that way. A bellyache and death the same day? How about stretching it, making it worse, making their Clanmates ask is he going to be alright? He’s not going to die, is he?

He knew Fleetsong was a good cat. He never seemed to hold Myrtlewing’s old bullying against him. He was only a test, to see if Myrtlewing could really kill someone and live with it. He just happened to be the next cat to walk into his den. But it was funny. Owlfang had tried to protect his little cousin from Myrtlewing so many times. This time, when it actually mattered, he had no idea Myrtlewing had done anything wrong at all.

To answer the question, yes, he could live with it. In fact, he was itching to kill again. But he didn’t want to poison them this time. It wasn’t as.... thrilling. He wanted to claw at their flesh, bite into their throat.... 

But he didn’t want to get caught. 

One night, he saw a chance and took it. He followed elder Bluefeather into the forest. The old cat had gone to the stream for a drink. He was so grey and weak, and so easy to hold down beneath the surface. A horrible accident, everyone thought. But he was really old. He was known to stumble.

But Myrtlewing’s teeth were still free from blood. He hated the feeling. The lack of red-stained teeth, the squirting against his tongue. He had yet to be caught. And so long as his scent wasn’t there, who would suspect him? One stormy dawn, he jumped Waspheart while the tom was hunting on his own, and, with little fighting experience, decided to rip his throat out before the tom could defend himself.

But he was foolish enough to miss that Waspheart had not been hunting on his own. Aldereyes and Fallendust were with him. 

Myrtlewing’s heart had dropped. But before he could flee the scene, Aldereyes turned on Fallendust, snapping her neck quickly. 

The pair stood there, both shocked, neither able to believe what the warrior had just done. Then Aldereyes began to dig into the ground, hissing at Myrtlewing to hurry his tail and help. It seemed the medicine cat had found himself a partner in crime.

Clanmates were going “missing” left and right. Sometimes they were able to set up an “accident,” other times there wasn’t much of a body left to set up. Why yes, Myrtlewing would go to the Moonstone and asks Starclan what was happening. And by that he meant attacking loners in the field. It was great there, so far from Clan territory, from help coming to the rescue. Of course he would need company on such a long journey. Good thing Aldereyes was always willing.

In private, they shared strong laughs when Aldereyes became deputy. It was a position that meant the Clan trusted them so much, that he would one day become leader.

After many moons, their luck had turned for the worst. Perhaps it was their use to killing that made them sloppy, but Alderstar had been caught once while alone. Angered, the Clan chased him from the territory. They had not caught Myrtlewing, let alone knew he had anything to do with it, but the medicine cat left anyway in search of the only cat he considered his friend. His mother and uncle were fine enough, but nothing in comparison. 

But he was too late. He found Alderstar dead beneath a fallen tree, struck down by lightning. Claw marks in the earth showed that it had not been quick. Were his lives taken one after another? Reliving the crushing weight? The bloody coughs? 

Myrtlewing wanted to slaughter every last of their Clanmates. If they hadn’t chased Alderstar out, he would still be alive!

Returning to the territory, he pounced on Fernpaw, the newest apprentice. What did it matter that she was with her mentor? Myrtlewing didn’t care anymore. She was still breathing when her furious mentor chased Myrtlewing into Twolegplace, but her wounds would surely kill her within the day.

Aimlessly wandering the streets, he had been picked up by a Twoleg and given a weird collar. He lived that way for several moons, sleeping on the strange bedding, slashing anyone who tried to pick a fight. 

One day, he slashed the wrong cat. Guess the claw-studded collar should have been a hint. Several more cats with the same look leaped for him. Myrtlewing was fast, he learned to be, but what good is speed when your head is trapped in a metal-twined fence, with a starving dog on the other side?

Alderstar

Aliases / Nicknames: The wicked star, Two-headed Demon, Two-headed ghost, The Pine Forest Butcher(s), The Pine Forest Killer(s), Skunkhead, Ghostbreath, Monster

Gender: tom

Family: Sweettree (mother), Stormstar (father), Hollyclaw (half-sister)

Other relations: Molespots (mentor), Runningcloud (apprentice), Beetleflight (apprentice)

Clan: Shadowclan

Characteristics: experiments on victims, often kills alongside partner

Number of Victims: 48

Number of Murders: 47

Murder Method: torture, mutilation, blinding

Known Victims: Birchcloud, Blossomtuft, Owlfang, Boulderpaw, Waspheart, Mossflake, Pineshade, Maplefall, Pricklepelt, Bluefeather, Ivytooth, Cedarsky, Echofoot, Fallendust, Tanglepaw, several unknown loners

Cause of Death: crushed

Cautionary Tale: So close as he was to his partner in crime, tales of their acts were told as one cat. Sometimes it was a cat with two heads, other times it was a demon that would morph into both medicine cat and leader. Mothers warn their kits that if they ever hear a cry while wandering the forest at night, don’t go towards it. It’s the sound of victims long past, their voices-- their cries--stolen by the healer and leader to be used as a siren to lure their next prey.

Story:

When Alderkit was told that his father was the leader of his Clan, he was overwhelmed with excitement. What an honour! But Stormstar’s visits, rare to begin with, occurred less and less. 

It turned out that Hollykit, older by a couple moons, was the leader’s kit as well, who he had with Shimmerstone– not Sweettree, Alderkit’s mother. 

When Hollykit became Hollypaw and moved out of the nursery, Stormstar’s visits almost stopped altogether, and Alderkit realized it had never been him that he had been visiting. 

But he still had his mother, whose love was more than enough to make up for ten lost fathers. But she had gotten incredibly sick since giving birth to him, and succumbed to illness shortly before he became an apprentice himself.

He had expected at least one word of comfort from his father, but Stormstar only solemnly announced the passing to the Clan, giving sympathy to the now motherless kit as though he were someone else’s problem entirely.

Hollypaw offered to teach him basic moves before he earned his own name. Alderkit was grateful for the distraction, but he knew that Hollypaw didn’t truly care, she was only acting on the wishes of her mother.

Without a parental figure in his life, his only playmates either too busy with training or too young to do anything interesting, and the elders  only ever complaining about ticks or gossiping about Stormstar’s affair, there was nothing for Alderkit to do. 

A couple times he had asked the warriors to play, or maybe train him, but they were either too tired, too busy, or not bothered at all. It came to the point where Alderkit’s favourite hobby was sleeping in the far corner of the nursery. At least in his dreams he could play with his mother.

He supposed he should’ve been happy when he became an apprentice. But the only other trainee was Hollypaw, who was mentored by Stormstar. They trained together constantly. Never once was Alderpaw allowed to do anything with his mentor alone. 

He didn’t want to feel disgusted, but he couldn’t help it. Always seeing Stormstar’s affection for his daughter, the way he praised her, the way he ignored him– except to ridicule.

And when Stormstar ridiculed, Alderpaw’s own mentor never stepped in, never came to his defense. Was he too afraid to argue with the leader? Or did he think that Alderpaw deserved it for daring to not be as advanced in training as the cat that had been an apprentice for two more moons? It felt as though they were playing a trick on him, thinking it would be funny to always have him around the little happy family. 

When Hollyclaw became a warrior, Alderpaw’s mentor expressed relief, claiming how glad he was that he could finally focus all attention on his own apprentice. What a dumb excuse. The leader made him do it? Please! Stormstar hadn’t cared for him since the day he was born. Would he really bother to train with his ‘son?’ Or did he just want to watch as his daughter pummelled the mistake into the earth?

By the time new apprentices were made, Alderpaw was far too old to train with them. He didn’t much care to, either. He could flip those kits off their paws in one move.

Having been desperate to prove himself, Alderpaw got up extra early, went to bed extra late. He trained day and night whether or not there was a mentor there to guide him. Hollyclaw would occasionally help. Their relationship wasn’t the most firm, or even the most comprehensible, but it was a lot nicer working with her when it was just the two siblings.

Now, Aldereyes was one of the strongest and most skilled warriors in his Clan. He received many praises, but they always felt so empty. “Nice catch!” “Nice move!” “Nice dodge!” they were all the same. Sympathies were, too. “You almost had him.” “We’ll get them next time.” “You tried your best.” It was the same thing any cat would say to any Clanmate that made a general mistake or achievement. There was nothing deeper about it.

Perhaps that is why he was so intrigued by the medicine cat, Myrtlewing, when the skinnier tom had suggested slicing his opponent’s shoulder open. It was such a strange thing for a healer to say. Even more, it was a strange thing for anyone to say to Aldereyes. 

Myrtlewing had smiled as he said it, eyes bright while he applied a poultice to the wound on Aldereyes’s shoulder. His tone was light. He was joking. Or…. there was something in his gaze that pulled Aldereyes’s interest ever further. 

Whatever it was, he was joking with Aldereyes. A dark joke, too. He didn’t bother with pleasantries, with being professional even though he and Aldereyes had rarely spoken before. It wasn’t the civil but distant conversations he had with…. maybe everyone else.

Not wanting the good feeling to stop, he quickly agreed, talking about how he would surprise his opponent and push them toward a sharp stone, making sure to chuckle so that Myrtlewing knew that he was joking, too. 

He was disappointed when the medicine cat moved on to the next patient. Several days, almost a moon passed before Aldereyes received another injury. His first thought wasn’t that he was hurt, that he had slipped up, that he should go to the medicine den and heal. His first thought was to go to the medicine den and complain with Myrtlewing, who would surely offer methods of revenge.

Sure enough,  that is what they did. They joked about different ways they could get the new opponent back, and the conversation shifted easily to their lives. Not the “how was your day?” and not the “good hunt?” but the “so did a bee sting your face or do you always look like that in the morning?”

It was good. It was easy. It was real.

Soon enough Aldereyes didn’t bother with an excuse of injury or bellyache. He came to know Myrtlewing’s schedule. He would take a short break mid-day unless an emergency occurred, and during this time it became a habit for Aldereyes to bring him a meal for the pair to share while they talked. And when an emergency prevented this, the second Myrtlewing got a break, he would be the one to bring food to Aldereyes.

It was one of these talks, so ordinary, that Aldereyes spoke for the very first time about how he felt. He spoke about how his mother died when he was young, how his father only cared about his half-sister, about how invisible he always felt for so long. 

Myrtlewing listened patiently, eyes sympathetic. He told Aldereyes that he didn’t know who his father was. Then he went on to say that any cat that abandoned their child should have their throat slit. 

Anyone else would panic. Someone threatening the leader? A medicine cat threatening the leader? A medicine cat saying something so violent?

But Aldereyes was well-used to it by now. He wasn’t offended, either. If Stormstar was just another warrior, would anyone really care about what that old fool had to say? Aldereyes was swift to respond that they would have to take the whole head off if they don’t want him coming back.

The last cat Aldereyes expected Stormstar to choose as his deputy after the previous one retired was himself. And was that pride in Stormstar’s eyes as he announced it as well? His suspicion would shortly be confirmed when Stormstar told him, not Holly, how proud he was of the warrior he had become. 

As if that would change anything!

He accepted the position. Why wouldn’t he? Everyone congratulated him, telling him how right he was for the job, how he was the greatest warrior in the Clan. But the only praise that meant anything was Myrtlewing’s. He could see the pride– real pride, not whatever Stormstar was selling– in his friend’s eye. He could see the genuine twitch in his smile.

When he saw Myrtlewing, standing in the tiny clearing, with Waspheart dangling from his teeth, time froze. Was Myrtlewing, the only cat that ever cared for Aldereyes and the only cat Aldereyes ever cared for– a monster?

Fallendust was hissing beside him, saying how Myrtlewing was a traitor, how he should be brought back before Stormstar and killed. 

Killed… No. Aldereyes couldn’t lose the one Clanmate that meant anything. Not to death, not to anything. Barely thinking, quick as a flash, he sank his own teeth into Fallendust’s throat, refusing to let go as she gurgled against him.

Even Myrtlewing, the murderer, stared in amazment as Aldereyes blindly began to dig. 

How could he do it? He killed an innocent Clanmate! He didn’t say anything to Myrtlewing as they dug their Clanmates, as they washed off in the stream, as they padded back to the camp and to their separate dens. 

It was while Aldereyes laid awake did he begin to wonder: did he care? Should his heart be racing? Should his mind be spiraling? Was it only because he should feel guilty that he believed he was? The next day, while he was assigning patrols– making sure to ask where Waspheart and Fallendust were– Myrtlewing joined him, giving him a plump squirrel, and thanking him for his help ‘collecting herbs.’ 

That was their alibi: Waspheart, Fallendust, and Aldereyes were on a patrol when they ran into Myrtlewing, who needed help carrying catmint. Aldereyes offered, and that’s when they split off from the group. The two hung out all the time at this point, it wasn’t unusual for Aldereyes to help the medicine cat collect herbs or for Myrtlewing to aid the deputy in a hunt.

Looking back at him, Aldereyes realized that he didn’t regret what he did. Aldereyes would kill 1000 of their Clanmates before he let Stormstar–or anyone– touch a hair on Myrtlewing’s shoulders. Sinking his teeth into the squirrel, letting blood lap his tongue just as Fallen’s had, maybe that idea wasn’t so bad.

In private, Myrtlewing admitted to killing other Clanmates before Waspheart. Aldereyes was uplifted that Myrtlewing trusted him so much. Aldereyes admitted worry. What if he was caught? But Myrtlewing calmed him. Who would dare go against their medicine cat and leader?

It was so subtle, but Aldereyes understood better than if he could read Myrtlewing’s mind. They waited a long time for an opportunity to present itself. It finally came when a storm broke out, and Stormstar decided to hunt on his own so that his Clanmates wouldn’t have to. Everyone so busy keeping dens in place or hiding out, no one would notice the two slip away. No one did.

The rock was round, sharpened on one edge. Being the more muscular one, Aldereyes pushed it up the hill. There was a steep drop on the other side. That’s where Stormstar would be. Myrtlewing held the enraged leader down. He was stronger than Aldereyes gave him credit for. No matter how much he kicked and squirmed, his head was held firmly where the rock fell. Their timing was perfect, it cut across Stormstar right where the sharpest part was.

Splitting of bone, the cut-off shriek, the tearing of skin. It all made Aldereyes quiver with energy. Stormstar lay unmoving. His skull was flattened, cut nearly in half on the lower part of his head. His eye popped out, leaking slightly onto his nose– which was technically still attached to his muzzle, at least partly. Through the cut, layers of pink and red and yellow-pink flesh could be seen right down to the cracked bone. His mouth gaped open, twisted, his tongue hanging awkwardly to one side.

Moving to stand over him, Aldereyes couldn’t suppress a hiss, and then a growl. He snarled down at the tom that was supposed to be his father, the one that was supposed to be there for him when Sweettree died, the one that was meant to tell him stories, ruffle his fur, hold him when he cried. It was his fault it had to lead to this. Stormstar needed to know that Aldereyes didn’t regret it at all. 

Myrtlewing sat back through his entire rant, offering silent support.

Alderstar had received his lives. He was glad to see Sweettree again. But she only stared sadly, told him what life she would give him, and turned away. 

 He had only been given six lives. The three left, he was told, were lost with the cats he let die. Ha. Did they think that would make him stop? Six lives was still five more than one. Besides, he never felt so alive and powerful then when he took a life. 

But he got caught up in the thrill. So used to getting away with it, he got sloppy. He overheard Tanglepaw complaining about Myrtlewing, about what a horrible medicine cat he was for not being able to instantly fix his scar. He should’ve known better than to show such disrespect.

He laid the apprentice’s body on the Thunderpath next to a mouse, planning on it looking as though he had run across to chase it, only to get hit by a monster.

But this time, there were multiple witnesses. He tried to fight off the patrol that found him, but they soon overwhelmed him, and he had no choice but to flee until his legs could no longer carry him. 

He lost his Clan, his home, his life. Worse than all of those, he left Myrtlewing behind. Should he go back for him? But then the Clan might realize that Myrtlewing had been working with Alderstar, and who knows if they could make it out alive a second time.

Heart tore from his chest, he wandered an unfamiliar forest, imagining the rest of his life alone. Right as these thoughts crossed his mind, there was a bright flash of light among the dark clouds. It seemed so close. Then a creak sounded overhead, and before Alderstar could run, a large oak fell atop him. 

He tried to drag himself forward, he really did. He couldn’t breath, couldn’t feel his legs. Everything went dark, and then he was there again, trapped, then the darkness came again. He was vaguely aware of an old, familiar scent he couldn’t place, of starry fur wrapping around the exposed part of his body and licking comfortingly at his head.

Then the darkness came for the final time. As Alderstar’s eyes adjusted, he began to notice the trees. He knew where he was. He circled onto the ground, waiting for the day his loyal friend joined him.

Additional information:

--Only Myrtlewing and Alderstar can insult each other. If anyone else dares to (like Tanglepaw), well, you know.

--Common insults are seen in their nicknames.

--It wasn’t Alderstar’s imagination. Myrtlewing really does care deeply for him.

--I didn’t mean to give Alderstar a dumptruck ass.

--Myrtlewing’s kittypet name is Oslo.

--They lived in the old territory.

--It’s cartoony, so obviously their features are more dramatic than they would actually be.

--They might make you think of two characters from a T.V show. I like imagining characters in dark twists, such as being serial killers, and I decided to do just that with warrior-ified T.V characters. Kudos if you can figure out who they’re loosely based on!

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