#hootpetal

[residents-of-the-darkforest]

Ideas for Alderstar's and Hootpetal's newest litter's names?

@ambitiousauthor @liberhoe

@elementaldeityoffood @wills-woodland-warriors @starfalcon555 @umbranoxs

#alderstar #hootpetal

[residences-of-the-darkforest]

Fleathistle, entering the den and finding his way through the maze thanks to one of the Dark Kits leading him: hey Myrtle sorry to interrupt but can you help with some medical--Myrtle??

Hootpetal, poking her head up from a pile of fur: oh hi Fleathistle, what's up?

Fleathistle: I'm...looking for Myrtlewing.

Grousemane, head popping up from the pile: Myrtlewing? Oh, Myrtlewing! Wake up!

Alderstar, stretching from the pile, only revealed after the other two moved: what's going on?

Fleathistle: I might need Myrtlewing's help with something if that's okay

Myrtlewing: *appears from the very bottom of the pile*

---

@wills-woodland-warriors

#fleathistle #myrtlewing #alderstar #hootpetal #grousemane #eye-out poly #eye-out #queued

[incorrect-quotes-of-the-df]

ignore

Claudrat Snipvoice Gingerstamp Limpetsong Ripperclaw Orangefluff Redtree Firefeather Siltstar

Alderstar

Myrtlewing

Hootpetal

Grousemane

Pidgeonfang

Houndtooth

Glowingshadow

Jackdawfoot

Ferndoe

Fungichomp

Smallclaw

Dappletuft

Webstripe

Gorseheart

Emberdawn

Birchflight

Foxfire

[wills-woodland-warriors]

DarkForest Kits - an updating list 

bold = death

italics = born outside of the dark forest

FishDrop (bio FungiChomp, adoptive FadingFlea)

TawnyTrot (bio HornetLeg, adoptive fadingflea) 

AmaranthTuft, PoppyPerch, RosewoodSpring, RaspberryThorn, HarlequinCress, WeepingWobble, SpiceBushTumble, FoxgloveChirp, LavenderMottle, SweetpeaSnaggle, OysterGlow, FennelBones (fadingflea bio babies) 

CypressKit, BadgerKit, PebbleKit (adopted by Doesong and SparkTail) 

FrostKit, MoleKit, BrokenKit, AshKit (adopted by EmberDawn and GorseHeart)

FressiaKit, DoeKit, JayKit, ProteaFang (EmberDawn and GorseHeart bio) 

OwlGaze, LizardTalon, BreezeWhisper (bio WebStripe and DahliaBreeze)

WebFang, LilyClaw, SilkTangle, PetalStripe (bio WebStripe and LilyWater) 

MyrtleKit, AlderKit (bio SwanTail and LupineFrost) 

BlackKit, MudKit (adoptive FernDoe and JackDawFoot

JackDawKit (bio SwanTail and DahliaBreeze)

BeechBlaze, RowanShade, GooseStep (bio WebStripe and LupineFrost) 

CherryKit (possibly kidnapped by Gramps) 

RosyKit (bio PeanutFur) 

CandyKit (bio CrunchSnow)

JellyMoss, PineNutPounce, GlitterKit, StrawberryKit (bio SmokeFleck)

PaleShine, SilverCloud, ThistleTooth (TansyFang x WebStripe bio)

SlugWing, SpiderSpots, HawthornFrost, TansyKit, CarnationLeaf, HawthornKit, FawnHeart (BegoniaLeaf and WebStripe bio)

WaspKit, NightKit (Adopted by FennelBur and SableFleck)

MellowTooth (adopted by Wordweaver and DasiySong, bio WebStripe and WaxFeather)

WormKit (adopted by LoonFur, FallenFire, RoseFrost)

TreeSpall, DrizzleStare (bio AlderStar and HootPetal)

BlazeStrike, HoneyFlower, HawkFlight, StoneFrost (bio AspenRoot, KiteBurn, RookStorm, surrogate ShiverRose)

MoonTail, DaisyPelt, ThrushRun, RedSnail, AntPounce (bio BrownMouse and WebStripe) 

JumpPool, SnipNight, CrabNeedle, MinnowBlink, PranceKit/Ears (bio BrownMouse and NightStar) 

TigerKit (adopted by RoomStorm, KiteBurn, AspenRoot)

SmokeyFlame, BarkTail, SandKit/Spark, DeerTongue, WoollySpark, LeafCurl, YellowEar, EarWigKit, AphidHeart, ClaridaeGoose, bio SmallJump and BasilTooth, SparkTail as the surrogate)

KestralStorm, GoldenDusk, RookLight, CrowPine, RavenCall (bio Jackdawfoot and Ferndoe)

HareTuft, AdderClaw, LarkSnow (bio BirchFlight and GorseHeart)

SootShade, CloudStep (bio EmberDawn and foxfire)

Chukarvole, Pasquelull, Tritoniafinch, Choughwolf (bio EmberDawn and GorseHeart)

StarlingKit, BuzzardKit, AspenKit, DuskKit (GrouseMane and MyrtleWing, BrownMouse as surrogate)

DoeSnap, DaisyHeart (bio Hiverose and SandFoot)

MouseHollow (bio SandFoot and FrostWish)

ThistleHollow (bio SandFoot and Shademask)

OtterBounce, TurtleBreeze (adopted by PoppyHill)

OppossumKit, RaccoonKit (bio SkunkSpots and TangleStar)

LionKit, BirdKit (bio FlickerPine and TangleStar)

CreekKit (bio GhostWatcher and TangleStar)

WaspRib, FallenIris, (Bio MyrtleWing and AlderStar, surrogate TangleStar)

ShrikePaw (adopted by MyrtleWing, AlderStar, GrouseMane, HootPetal)

LightKit, LittleKit, RoseKit, SweetKit, BubbleKit (bio MellowTooth and WillowRuffle)

CardinalKit (bio TawnyTrot, ProteaFang, and doner webfang)

ToothwortLeaf, LilacLight, OrchidSnap, ButtercupBloom (bio FoxgloveTrot and MellowTooth)

AppleKit (bio sandfoot and cherrystar)

AntKit, CinderKit (adopted by AspenRoot, KiteBurn, RookStorm)

LavenderKit (adopted by HillMinnow and BlackDawn)

HootKit, FlareKit (adopted by CricketClaw)

TrillKit, CardinalKit (bio ProteaFang and doner WebFang, adopted by TawnyTrot and ProteaFang)

WoolCarderStripes, AshyToes (bio TawnyTrot and doner WebFang, adopted by ProteaFang and TawnyTrot)

SprinkleToes, SyrupSplash, SkrunklyBelly (bio CreatureFall and SnakeWhisker, surrogate CrunchSnow)

OspreyKit, CoyoteKit, ScorpionKit, IbexKit (bio DoeFire and LilyClaw)

GlasswortSnap, IndigoCloud, SassafrasKit, CeladineSniffle, LoquatKit (bio RosewoodSpring and HawthornFrost)

OakKit, SkyKit, BloodKit, DustKit (bio Motheyes and SnowWing)

ScabKit/Drip, BlightKit/Train (bio BlackFinch and FallenIris)

VultureKit, PoplarKit (bio HoneyFlame and SpiderSpots, doners are SmokeyFlame and AdderClaw)

RhubarbKit, AlmondKit (bio SpiderSpots and HoneyFlame, surrogate HawkFlight)

MallowBlight, JayFrost, LightFern (adopted by EmberDawn and GorseHeart)

GlassRiver, PagrusRose (bio Shallowfig and Banshee)

CoalFlower, PebbleHare, CricketFreckle (bio WebStripe and CloudFang)

AngelFishTooth, FidgetGills, TetraTail, BlueSpore (bio GoldfishFur and CreatureFall, with BrownMouse as surrogate)

RedRuffle, SandKit, IvyPurr, AntlerPaddle (bio TetraTail and FennelBones)

MeowyRibs, SeaNymph, MouseNectar, RosemaryWarble, BullFrogThistle, GingerKit, AmbrosiaWater, CinnamonKit (bio SkrunklyBelly and FennelBones)

EmberPoppy, ParsleyKit (bio FennelBones and CrunchSnow)

IcicleRain, SnowKit (bio FennelBones and FrostStorm)

Dullahan (bio AlderStar, MyrtleWing, and HootPetal)

KITS UP FOR ADOPTION:

PalePaw

Mates - an updating list 

GrouseMane X MyrtleWing X AlderStar X HootPetal 

EmberDawn X GorseHeart X Foxfire X BirchFlight

JackDawFoot X FernDoe

FadingStar X FleaThistle 

FidgetGuts X MottleCry

AspenRoot X RookStorm X KiteBurn

Avery x BristleBlaze

BasilTooth x SmallJump

FallenFire X LoonFur X RoseFrost

FoxFlake X ShiverRose

HawkWhistle X Lola 

GustTalon X AshFlower

GremlinPaw X LaughingMoss

LighteningSpring X RedBloom

FungiChomp X SmokeFleck X BrownMouse X NightStar

SwanTail X LupineFrost X DahliaBreeze

FennelBur X SableFleck

WordWeaver X DaisySong

TawnTrot X ProteaFang

FoxgloveChirp X MellowTooth X WillowRuffle

BlackDawn X HillMinnow

SkunkSpots X TangleStar X FlickerPine X GhostWatcher

BlazeStrike X DrizzleStare X KestrelStorm

WeepingWobble X DoeFire X LilyClaw

RosewoodSpring x HawthornFrost

SnakeWhisker X CreatureFall X GoldFishFur

FallenIris X BlackFinch

SpiderSpots X HoneyFlame

ShallowFig X Banshee X FennelBones

SkrunkyBelly X FennelBones

Ex-Mates

FungiChomp X BrownMouse

GoblinSnap x GremlinPaw/Frost

SnakeFern x SparrowFall

HiveRose x SandFoot

CoyoteTuft X RoseClaw

FleaThistle X BrownMouse

Let me know if I missed anything! @residents-of-the-darkforest @liberhoe @ambitiousauthor @starfalcon555

[residents-of-the-darkforest]

There's Someone In Your Nest (short story)

First: Sprouting Thorns - Magpiepaw and The Thorn-Tom (Magpie POV) - Wattpad

Previous: Sprouting Thorns - Thorn Den - Wattpad

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

Thankfully, it wasn’t too long before Myrtlewing caught Alderstar’s scent on the wind, mingling with Hootpetal’s. Their voices danced with the breeze as they spoke together, growing as they neared the thorn-entrance. 

Hootpetal noticed Myrtlewing first, and she blinked at him in surprise. “Did you wait for us?” she asked. “Were we supposed to meet?”

“No,” Myrtlewing told her.

“Grousemane’s not keeping you up, is he?” Alderstar scratched at an itch behind his ear. “Or has he returned and snoring louder than a dog’s empty stomach?”

“She’s not snoring much.”

“Then why are you–” Alderstar stilled, brows furrowing and eyes narrowing in confusion. 

Hootpetal looked much the same. “‘She’?”

Myrtlewing nodded. “She.”

Alderstar cleared his throat. “I think five’s a bit of a crowd–”

“She’s an apprentice,” Myrtlewing explained, “probably a few moons older than a kit, if I had to guess. Stumppaw brought her.”

“An apprentice?” Hootpetal repeated, shocked. “Here? How? She must have gotten lost–”

“How could she become so lost that she wound up in the Dark Forest?” Alderstar questioned. “It wouldn’t be the first time an apprentice found themselves here,” he grunted, then looked to Myrtlewing. “Is she safe?”

Myrtlewing shrugged, “I didn’t lay a claw on her, if that’s what you’re asking. But you should know, she’s laying in your nest. Unless she decided to sneak off, that is.”

Alderstar shared an uncertain glance with Hootpetal. “What do we do? Just walk in and frighten the daylights out of her?”

Hootpetal shook her head. “Or the alternative–avoid our own nests because a young apprentice is sleeping in them?”

“One of them,” Myrtlewing pointed out, unsure why they were making such a huge deal out of this. “She already knows that you’re coming anyway. I’ll just tell her now.” He turned around and ducked inside, ignoring the ‘wait!’ and ‘Myrtlewing!’s called after him. 

Following the trail he had initially led Magpiepaw through, he entered the hollowed den, shaking out his pelt for no other reason than to make noise to tell her that he was there.

Though the noise was quiet, Magpiepaw jumped from the nest, twisting in the air, and scratched herself on one of the protruding thorns. She squealed in pain, rubbernecking to assess the damage.

“Great, bleed all over the floor,” Myrtlewing chuckled, amused. He padded toward her, looming over her head so that he could lick at the scratch on her back until the droplets stopped flowing. “There,” he said as he walked away, “now there won’t be a mess.” It wouldn’t bother him, but Alderstar would complain about it getting in his nest, Hootpetal would fill the space with fret after fret, and Grousemane–he’d probably be fine. The thought of the three reminded him of what he needed to tell the young cat, so he looked over his shoulder at her. “Alderstar and his mate are back. They’ll be coming in soon.”

Magpiepaw nodded quickly, curling in on herself. 

Myrtlewing, meanwhile, sat down calmly and observed her subtly. She seemed strange. There was a spark of fear–no, stronger–terror in her eyes that flared up at the very mention of more cats around her. As a young cat in the Place of No Stars, wariness and fright were to be expected, but Myrtlewing suspected something more. The terror began before her death, while she was still alive. He tilted his head. But not throughout her whole life. If it had been a long time, he thought, she wouldn’t be acting the way she was, like the situation she was in was unfamiliar and strange. Well it was, but–

Myrtlewing’s path of thoughts were cut off by the shuffling of branches. “We’re coming!” Alderstar called a warning a few heartbeats before he stepped out into the hollow, followed by a wide-eyed Hootpetal. 

Hootpetal was first to hurry to the young cat’s side, sniffing all along her pelt. “Are you okay, little one? Are you lost? Did you die? Are you hurt? Is there someone you want me to take you to?” Magpiepaw’s pelt visibly fluffed further at the onslaught of questions, but Hootpetal didn’t seem to notice. 

“I hear you’ve taken my nest,” Alderstar stated. It was clearly an attempt at jest to ease the air and calm the she-cat down, but the apprentice apparently took it as anger. 

To Alderstar’s surprise, to Hootpetal’s, to the surprise of everyone who might hear about this, to the surprise of every dead or living soul, and most of all, to the surprise of Myrtlewing, Magpiepaw ran across the den and to him, huddling in a ball and burying her face into his side. 

Unable to form a coherent thought for what was probably the third overall time in his entire life and death, Myrtlewing could do nothing but stare and blink, and then stare and blink at Alderstar and Hootpetal.

They blinked at each other for who knew how long before Grousemane made his entrance, stumbling slightly on his paws. He opened his mouth, lips quirked upward to likely crack a joke, when he noticed Alderstar and Hootpetal hadn’t moved their attention from Myrtlewing. He followed their gaze and saw the bundle of black fur pressed against him. “Uh..” He tilted his head, words slightly slurred. “Is Myrtlewing a dad now?”

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

@ambitiousauthor @starfalcon555 @wills-woodland-warriors @liberhoe @umbranoxs @elementaldeityoffood @frightnightindustries

#dark tales #wc dark tales #dark forest tales #myrtlewing story #magpiepaw story #magpieshine story #magpieshine #magpiepaw #alderstar story #hootpetal story #grousemane story #alderstar #grousemane #myrtlewing #hootpetal #eye-out thorns #eye-out family

[residents-of-the-darkforest]

Broken Bundles (short story)

Previous: https://www.tumblr.com/residents-of-the-darkforest/731013518657191937/the-sick-kits?source=share

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

Magpieshine wondered how many times a heart could break before its shattered remains became too brittle to piece back together. As a ‘paw, she would have expected not often, maybe just once, yet now every time she so much as spared a glance in the direction of her youngest siblings, she felt her heart squish into cold shards that pierced her chest and throat, choking it and making her hold back sobs. 

She never got to meet her little brother, Lionkit. He was buried before she was able to return to the Eye-Out Thorns once she was told of the situation. Part of her was grateful for that–she would have likely only seen his skeletal remains. Still, it pained her that she did not have the chance to see him. He was buried in the main den of the family, where her parents, Grousemane, Hootpetal, Alderstar, and Myrtlewing sleep. Uncustomary for many, but the family wanted him as close to them as possible.

Magpieshine gazed around numbly at the faded-green plants in the den around her. The family had relocated briefly to Myrtlewing’s medicine den with the three still-living kits. 

The tiny bundles were incredibly thin, even when they were coaxed to eat–which often took a good part of the day to do. It was hard enough finding herbs in good enough condition to be of use, even harder still to actually have the kits swallow them down. 

Magpieshine shuddered, seeing every rib of Sunkit as he stretched beside Hootpetal, who lay curled in the nest with them, encouraging them to suckle. Alderstar and Grousemane stuck as close to the kits and Hootpetal as possible. Perchclaw and Stonefern, like Magpieshine, had hardly taken their eyes off of the little ones. It was only because Myrtlewing warned against raising their  temperature with too much body heat that they didn’t curl around the kits as well.

Magpieshine doubted she had ever seen Myrtlewing so attentive before. He rarely ever removed his eyes from the kits, his nose always close enough to sniff out any changes immediately, and when he did move, it was to check on Hootpetal. Hootpetal thankfully didn’t catch the sickness, but ever since they moved to the medicine den, she had completely refused to leave the nest. Her fur was ruffled and in clumps. Still, she wouldn’t move. Alderstar was at her head now, grooming the fur along the side of her neck and gazing sorrowfully at his kits.

Archwing, Willowcloud, Wolfpool, Scabdrip, Redmask, and pretty much everyone else in the family had occupied themselves with gathering anything that was needed. Archwing, Magpieshine’s nephew and Myrtlewing’s grandson and former apprentice, had taken after healing, and was the one to gather needed herbs while Myrtlewing stayed in the den. 

Magpieshine frowned, thinking about her kin. The last time she had seen him, he had been panting, appearing as if he were about to drop. It was in the den and right back out with him. She didn’t think he had taken a single break from gathering herbs since the kits had been born prematurely. His littermates realized this too and chose to help, but without his experience, they weren’t always successful. 

Redmask and Scabdrip busied themselves with catching minnows or convincing–perhaps with teeth–StarClan cats to give them food to give to Hootpetal to strengthen her and her milk.

Willowcloud, Spottedtooth, Buzzardblaze, and Aspenlight would take turns collecting moss for water, while Wolfpool, Dusksong, Falleniris, and Waspbeak would search for it to change the bedding. Myrtlewing had told them that it was important to change the nest of a sick cat frequently, as it may hold some of the illness. It made sense, Magpieshine thought, seeing how much the kits’ tiny noses and mouths dripped with phlegm, though in the back of her mind she was admittedly surprised to know that Myrtlewing could actually be quite the knowledgeable, attentive, and caring medicine cat after all his murders. Then again, these kits were his as well–even if they were only Hootpetal and Alderstar’s biologically. Magpieshine herself hadn’t even been any of theirs until she was six–seven? moons old.

They are good parents. She felt that shattering again, the crackling and splintering of her heart. They don’t deserve this. The kits don’t deserve this.

She didn’t remove her head, but scented Archwing return again. She watched as he passed some yellow-orange berries to Myrtlewing. Myrtlewing still kept his eyes fixed on the kits as he chewed and Archeyes left again. He was already lowered on the ground. Coating a claw in the poultice, he gently opened Marigoldkit’s jaw. Magpieshine’s heart–shattering still–sank to the pit of her stomach as she saw that her sister didn’t protest, didn’t so much as lift a paw against him as Myrtlewing tried to get her to suckle his claw and gulp the medicine down.

It was a long time before he was able to manage it, and it was really only because the herbs got stuck on her tongue that Marigoldkit could do it at all. Myrtlewing looked like he was about to collapse with exhaustion, but he moved on right to Peonykit and then to Sunkit.

Yet even then, Myrtlewing didn’t shut his eyes. Magpieshine could see the dark lines beneath them, so clear she was surprised his face didn’t droop with their heaviness. Rising to her paws, she padded to his side and nudged him. “You need to rest.”

“I can’t afford it,” he told her simply, and it sounded like he was attempting to overpower a yawn.

“You can’t afford working yourself to death either. What good would you be to the kits if you’re too tired to focus on anything?”

“I can rest later.”

“She’s right,” Alderstar spoke up, his voice soft as Hootpetal began to snore beside him. “They need you at your best.”

Magpieshine frowned. Alderstar’s eyes looked so red, even where his sharp pupils didn’t touch. “I can watch them,” she offered. “While dad’s sleeping.”

Alderstar gave her a small smile. “Are you sure, dear? You may not know what to look for.”

“Any changes,” Magpieshine decided, thinking back to watching her father work. “Raising or lowering temperatures, struggling to breathe, struggling with anything more than usual.” She looked to Myrtlewing. “I will help them as best as I can, but if they really need you, then I will wake you. Swear it.”

Myrtlewing seemed hesitant. He frowned, grumbling. “Alright, fine. But you wake me if there’s anything at all, okay? If they’re fussy, if they’re too quiet, if they so much as sneeze, you wake me, got it? I can lose sleep but I cannot lose another kit.”

Magpieshine had to shut her eyes for a moment, willing the tears not to fall. She needed to be focused now, not emotional. She could cry later when her siblings didn’t need her. Opening them again, she met her father’s eyes. “Deal.”

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

Taglist: @ambitiousauthor @wills-woodland-warriors @starfalcon555 @frightnightindustries @liberhoe @umbranoxs

@elementaldeityoffood

#magpieshine #magpieshine story #dark tales #dark forest tales #wc dark tales #alderstar #alderstar story #myrtlewing #myrtlewing story #archwing #archwing story #hootpetal #hootpetal story #eye-out story #eye-out family #grousemane #wolfpool #willowcloud #redmask #scabdrip #sunkit #lionkit #peonykit #marigoldkit #stonefern #perchclaw

[residents-of-the-darkforest]

Deputies in a Dark Reign

Little bit more blurry, and this time by m-o-u-r-i

Again, this is NOT to scale of one another.

- - - -

--Hoot, Snow, and Rosebranch are she-cats, Goldengaze and Frogstreak are toms.

--Aside from Hoot, all designs are taken from @ambitiousauthor who wrote their descriptions in Gorsedaisy's Nightmare (also seen in Rainstar's Burden). Rose was listed as a calico, so I decided to be creative with it. I also added a scar to Snowpad.

--Snowpad had to stay in the medicine den for a long time after she received her injury, and many were skeptical that she would have survived. She has problems with memory and concentration, though thankfully is better at planning (which can also be affected if injured in the area that she was).

After her injury, Snowpad's personality changed. She became more impulsive, and less able to hold back bursts of emotion. In spite of this, she proved herself and became the deputy, later leader. Her own deputy was a friend and former apprentice of hers that helped her figure out methods to aid her memory and concentration.

Gatherings are tough for her due to the impulsivity and bursts of emotions bit, but with effort and hard work, she works around it--it is not completely gone, she cannot magically make it go away when she needs it to, but she can better direct it in a way that is not as harmful as it could be.

It's kind of hard to see, but Snowpad is all white with lighter paws!

--After Rainstar, Rosebranch was the first to become leader.

--Frogstreak was leader for seven moons before he passed. He was still young and wanted to prove himself, so when senior warriors and elders voiced their doubts, he lead the Clan into battle (likely for Sunningrocks, as it was the old territories).

Edit:

What if the senior warriors and/or elders that talked badly about Frogstar's leadership were friends of his late father and he wanted to impress them, wanted to make them proud, and in doing so it got him killed

There were injuries, but nothing beyond scars. That is, until the fourth fight in, when Frogstreak's throat was slashed in a wound too big to come back from.

--Goldengaze is very serious all the time. A huge buzzkill.

--Hoot :3

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

Individual:

@starfalcon555 @wills-woodland-warriors @frightnightindustries

@elementaldeityoffood @umbranoxs

#wc design #wc oc design #rainstar's burden #sprouting thorns #snowpad #rosebranch #hootpetal #eye-out poly #frogstreak #frogstar #snowstar #rosestar #goldengaze #goldenstar #wc #wcoc #df

[residents-of-the-darkforest]

SPROUTING THORNS TIMELINE

I haven't been paying full attention to the seasons and moon-paces of the chapters when I first started, but now the story is more important to me than the simple "background thing" it was before, so here is the official time + some edits that I had to make!

SEASON:

Greenleaf [Chapters Quiet Here--Clanmates] (Two moons, making the months most likely July--August, or possibly August--September)

Leaf-Fall [Chapters Clanmates--??]

BREAKS IN TIME:

After Myrtlewing meets Nightfly, half a moon passes and they meet again at the gathering. This is where Myrtlewing's plan starts its formation.

Another half-moon passes when the Half-moon meeting takes place, and Myrtlewing goes to WindClan to speak with Nightfly. This is also the same time Alder starts bonding with Hootpetal.

Another half-moon passes between this and when Myrtlewing kills Fleetsong.

Another half-moon passes after Alder discovers Myrtlewing's murders and commits his own. He has been avoiding him for this time before deciding that he had to see it for himself to stop his spiraling thoughts--when Maplefall interrupts them by giving birth.

There! That's the part I had to fix--Maple got pregnant just before Myrtle met Nightfly, and I realized that she gave birth too early, so I created longer gaps and one gap where there wasn't one before (but it still reads fine).

[Cats are pregnant for about two moons, and this is half+half+half+half=two full].

----

Alder "finding out" / thinking that Myrtle likes him romantically and also him realizing his own feelings occurs in the last half-moon.

#alderstar #aldereyes #myrtlewing #hootpetal #nightfly #maplefall #fleetsong #wc #warriors #wc oc #sprouting thorns #wc sprouting thorns #sprouting thorns timeline

[residences-of-the-darkforest]

Fun fact: QuickStar was probably one of, if not the, only non-faded dark forest cat. He was one of the first ever cats to be banished to the dark forest, and is still around through the intense lore keeping in the clans that his descendants lived in. HollowStar and GoldfishFur killed all but two of the descendants, and yet they still manage to live on even now, still remembering QuickStar who is shanked as a hero like the lions/tigers are - @wills-woodland-warriors

I like to think that the Eye-Out poly go around to haunt every now and again to keep the nursery+elder tales about them fresh to prevent fading too much (they don't need to too often, since the Curse of The Roots continues to be passed regardless).

Hootpetal specifically is still told as a 'curse' that falls on golden cats with blue eyes, and Jackdawfoot as the 'monster that roams the streets to eat kittypets who don't stay in their homes at night.' -- Enough time has for sure passed for the fear to lower, and it's mostly, at least for Jackdawfoot, a method to get kits to behave.

Others, like Gorseheart and Emberdawn, remain mostly solid both because of 'monster tales' being passed and because his old friends passed stories of them on to their kit/s and requested those kits to the same in order to make sure they don't fade, believing it was the least they could do for him

#goldfishfur #hollowstar #quickstar #eye-out poly #hootpetal #jackdawfoot #gorseheart #emberdawn

[residences-of-the-darkforest]

Eye-Out poly!

I like how they are all different ranks (which wasn’t intentional)

Alder was previously seen as a kit, apprentice, warrior, deputy, leader, rogue, and DF resident!

Individual:

#Notdf #eye-out poly #hootpetal #Alderstar #grousemane #alderstar

[residents-of-the-darkforest]

@wills-woodland-warriors

Hear me out.

Honeysuckle meets Hootpetal very soon after the rest of Hoot's litter dies, then she finds out that this apprentice-aged traumatized cat wants to find his kit.

So she wants to move heaven and earth to find his baby for him. She becomes obsessed with it, focused on it and nothing else except little Marigoldkit. She's so focused, in fact, that she doesn't even notice that Honeysuckle becomes doubtful.

Honeysuckle begins to wonder if they really should find his daughter, or if she would be safer away from this place--the place with a Death Ring, where cats are attacked and killed regularly even in the afterlife, where things are meant to be peaceful. And he begins to believe that it would be better to leave her where she would be happier, and taken care of by someone else more capable than by himself, so young and inexperienced. What if she already found a new parent? Would it be right to rip her and her sister away, and to bring them to somewhere cold and miserable such as this place?

And this causes Hootpetal to break down, because she had become so determined to find his kit because it would give him the gift that she didn't get to have. And realizing that he doesn't want to look for her anymore makes it really dig in that she won't ever be able to find her own kits either.

And it digs in that it doesn't matter anyway, because her kits are gone.

And there's nothing she can do to get them back.

#hootpetal #honeysuckle #eye-out poly #eye-out family #wc #wc oc #df oc #dark forest oc

[residents-of-the-darkforest]

I think because the main story of Sprouting Thorns continues smoothly while other Eye-Out stories are more 'can be placed between chapters if that's when it took place,' I'm going to divide Sprouting Thorns into different chapter stories.

0: Dawn of Decay (Eye-Out prequel, Houndtooth and Bella-May finding each other)

.1 Sciamachy (Prequal between D.o.D and S.T, post Gorsedaisy's Nightmare, eventual introduction to Alder and Myrtle's births).

1: Sprouting Thorns (Eye-Out beginning, what is Alder beginning to join Myrtle's kills and them as kits. Will end with Storm's death).

2: Star and Medicine[?] Still working on the title, but the era as Alder as a leader, and his kills with Myrtlewing then. Also possibly call it Crown of Thorns.

3: Inosculation[?] Necrose [?]The family deceased, beginning of the poly and stories with the kits and descendants. Days of Rot [?]

4: Dead Dream: Shallowfig and Banshee story that will take place between some chapters of 3, but due to having a chapter story, will stand alone.

#eye-out family #eye-out poly #alderstar #myrtlewing #houndtooth #bella-may #hootpetal #grousemane

[residents-of-the-darkforest]

Dark Forest voices

Here comes another interesting headcanon! What if everyone in the Dark Forest had their own, deeply disturbing sound when they talked?

Alderstar--his regular voice, mixed with the fading-echo like sound cats hear when their life drains away and the world around them becomes blurred.

Bonus: his voice claim is Arthur from BBC’s Merlin (newer seasons for older--aka current--age).

-

Angelpaw--his normal voice (a monotone and unexpectedly deep voice), underlaid with the yowls and hisses of his now dead father.

-

Avery--his regular voice, with the dull clang of a live-trap door closing.

-

Batear--his regular voice, along with the screech of bars in the night.

-

Birchflight--their voice + the sound of a BMX bike's wheels scraping on gravel.

-

Bluedaisy--regular voice along with the rushing sound of air as you fall.

-

Claudrat--his regular voice, overlaid with soft whispers that give the feeling of different messages, to not trust him, to follow him, and rarely, of how much fun they will have.

-

Darkbrush--their regular voice (an annoying British-tinged voice), the squawk of fresh-kill travels beside it.

-

Emberdawn--Her regular voice, with the rush of a river during a heavy, dangerous storm.

Bonus: Her voice claim is Effy (is that how you spell it?) from Murdoch Mysteries (newer seasons for older--aka current--age).

-

Fallenfire--her regular voice, mixed with the hoarse rasp of a dying cat.

-

Ferndoe--her regular voice, mixed with the tune of a low, painful wail.

Bonus: her voice claim is Olivia from Haunting of Hill House.

-

Foxfire-- his normal voice mixed with the bubbling of water streaming into a sewer.

-

Froglight--his voice mixed with a growling squeak.

-

Gorseheart--his regular voice along with the sound of skin ripping in the heat of battle.

Bonus: his voice claim is George from Murdoch Mysteries (newer seasons for older--aka current--age).

-

Grousemane--his normal voice. That’s it, because he came from Starclan.

Bonus: his voice claim is Gwaine from BBC’s Merlin (newer seasons for older--aka current--age).

-

Hootpetal--her normal voice, with a touch of splintering teeth, the cracking bone along with the trinkling blood of the nerve.

Bonus: her voice claim is Gwen from BBC’s Merlin (newer seasons for older--aka current--age).

-

Jackdawfoot--his normal voice, mixed with the thump of a Twoleg on a small Thunderpath (sidewalk).

-

Kindlepaw--regular voice, mixed with the crackling of flames too close.

-

Loonfur--her regular voice, mixed with the sound of blood roaring in your ears when your heart races and you feel afraid.

-

Milkdud--their regular voice (higher pitched but demanding tone), the drips of blood upon leaves lurks beneath it

-

Myrtlewing--his normal voice, mixed with the disorienting sounds when caught between wakefulness and sleep, nightmares spilling into real life.

Bonus: his voice claim is Merlin from BBC’s Merlin (newer seasons for older--aka current--age).

-

Perchclaw-- his normal voice, with the warning hiss of an adder about to strike.

-

Pigeonfang--his normal voice in addition to the growling of a stomach that hasn't felt food in many moons.

-

Poppyhill--her regular voice mixed with the sound of a low whistle on the moor during a cold, windy night.

Bonus: her voice claim is Poppy Hill from Haunting of Hill House.

-

Riverrush--his regular voice (a playful and upbeat tone), mixed with the sound of a dangerous river, rushing water certain to drown an unfortunate soul.

-

Rosefrost--her regular voice, mixed with the ominous shattering of ice just before a cat falls into icy water.

-

Sharkstar--his regular voice, mixed with the rumbling thunder of a storm that would make kits wail.

-

Skullmoon--their regular voice, along with the crackling of mouse bones under one’s foot.

-

Snailstar--regular voice + the sound of sand trickling out of an open paw

-

Snipvoice--their regular voice, along with the sound of footsteps crunching along the snow, alternating between walking and running.

-

Snowwing--his regular voice, with the sound of a paws following in the undergrowth, heard but unseen.

-

Stickpaw--regular voice, only strained and tired, along with a screeching when loud noises are made.

-

Stonefern--his normal voice, mixed with the distant barking of angry dogs.

-

Treatpaw--her regular voice (a small yet friendly voice that can quickly turn horrifying), tainted by her sister’s dying yowls

-

Trickpaw--her regular voice (a large and boisterous voice that can be sweet as catmint), the dying sobs and cries of her sister can be heard alongside it.

-

Webstripe--his normal voice mixed with the sound of waves getting stirred up by a boat.

-

Whispkit--their regular voice (whispery and quiet voice, everchanging), the wails of other kits speak beneath it, speaking of debts unpaid.

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

In addition, it’s possible that the longer one is a resident for, the more their voice resembles the sounds over how they actually sounded in life. It’s very gradual, so much so that it is very hard to notice.

-------------------------------

It’s something the Dark Forest cast would become used to, but would absolutely frighten anyone else. The fading echo of Alder’s voice might even disorient them!

Btw Jackdaw killed kittypets, which is why his voice resembles that.

Myrtle’s was inspired by a time I was having a nightmare while half-awake, which made it feel more real and WAY more frightening than a normal nightmare. I of course had to give it to my favourite boy.

More TBA, feel free to add yours!

#myrtlewing #alderstar #grousemane #hootpetal #loonfur #fallenfire #ferndoe #jackdawfoot #poppyhill #emberdawn #gorseheart #snowwing #rosefrost #wc #wcoc #wc headcanon #warriors #warriors au #wc au #dark forest au #dark forest #dark forest warriors #dark forest oc #sharkstar #kindlepaw #wc avery #bluedaisy #stonefern #perchclaw #batear

[residents-of-the-darkforest]

Myrtle and kits!

Just wanted to see them together~

Pipitfeather and Ashwing was born to Nightfly, Myrtle's ftm victim that he didn't realize had gotten pregnant. They have sister littermates as well. Both their designs are by @ambitiousauthor

Falleniris came next, with Tanglestar (ftm) being a surrogate to her and Waspbeak, Alder's bio son.

Lastly came Hemlockpine, the only kit that Myrtle's gay ass would ever have with a she-cat, only because he and Hoot were close enough to cover up a lot of the discomfort.

Base: CAT BASES 3 by ariamisu on DeviantArt

#myrtlewing #nightfly #tanglestar #hootpetal #eye-out family #eye-out #falleniris #myrtlenight #kits #dark kits #pipitfeather #hemlockpine #ashwing

[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]

Daughter of HootxGrouse

Traits from Grouse: 

--pelt colours

--eye colours (Pigeonfang)

Traits from Hoot:

--pelt pattern

--ear colour

--nose colour (slightly darker)

--pad colour

She is named ‘funnel’ after the shape petals can make. This is a reference to Hootpetal’s suffix. She is also named ‘quail’ as a reference to Grousemane.

Son of HootxAlder

Traits from Alder:

--pale fur and dark golden fur (both from Sweettree)

--ear colours

--nose colour (I think?)

Traits from Hoot:

--brown pelt colour

--pad colour

--eye colour

Daughter of HootxMyrtle

Traits from Myrtle:

--dark brown

--light pelt colour

--eye colour (debatable)

--ear colour

--pad colour

--fangs (everyone was perplexed by it, turns out it runs in Buck’s [Myrtle’s father] family)

Traits from Hoot:

--lighter colours

--eye colour (debatable)

--nose colour

She got the ‘Hemlock’ by the plant-based aspect both Myrtle and Hoot share. 

She got her scar in an accident and has since been mute.

They don’t know if the dark colour is from Hoot’s father or Myrtle’s mother (it’s the father).

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

base link: https://www.deviantart.com/yarrowleef/art/Free-Cat-Lineart-802898923

#myrtlewing #hootpetal #alderstar #grousemane #hemlockpine #funnelquail #shallowfig #wc #eye-out family #warriors