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residents-of-the-darkforest · 2 years

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Dark Forest Residences: Cricketfur and Martenstep

Cricketfur

Aliases / Nicknames: Kit-Killer, Cricket, Bro, Little Brother

Gender: tom

Sexuality: asexual, heteromantic

Family: Pine (mother), Duskleaf (adoptive mother), Martenstep (adoptive brother), Hawk (aunt), Vinekit (adoptive brother), Chestnut (cousin), Milo (cousin)

Other relations: Meadowtongue (mentor)

Clan: Thunderclan

Rank: loner, warrior

Characteristics: kills for attention, kills to keep secrets

Number of Victims: 2

Number of Murders: 2

Murder Method: suffocation

Known Victims: Milo, Chestnuttail

Cause of Death: blood loss from amputated leg

Cautionary Tale: N/A

Story:

It was just him, his mother, Pine, his aunt, Hawk, and his older cousin, Chestnut. The family lived happily as loners, and with Cricket being the youngest, his mother and aunt absolutely doted on him. How cute he was for doing nothing, how talented he was for hunting a leaf.

Then he came along. Milo.

Cricket hadn’t thought much of it when they stopped for awhile to visit a kittypet. They did it every now and again. But his aunt had fallen pregnant, and named her new son Milo, after the kittypet she had him with.

Still, Cricket didn’t think much of it. That is, not until all of the attention went to the little scrap of fur. Now almost every food went to precious Milo or his mother, and even one of Cricket’s favourite leaves.

Cricket tried to appear extra cute, or catch extra bugs, but his attempts were hardly given a “good job” before all attention was returned to the kit. Even Pine, Cricket’s mother, was acting as if the kit were hers.

Cricket tried another tactic then, to appear sick or hurt. It worked for a bit, but the adults eventually caught on and yelled at him for wasting time and resources.

One day, Milo was old enough for his mother to temporarily leave him. Eager to move around, she and Pine went off to hunt, leaving the trio of kits alone.

Cricket didn’t waste any time. Eagerly, he lead Milo, the stubby-legged kit, to a dense cluster of ferns where they would be hidden, and held him down, covering his mouth and nose with his paws and chest.

He wasn’t as careful as he thought, and emerged from the ferns to find Chestnut staring at him in horror. He had seen what had happened, only just enough not to be able to help.

Cricket tried to convince him to keep silent. Milo was his brother, after all, and that meant he got even more attention that Chestnut did. Didn’t he hate that? Didn’t he hate being ignored simply because he wasn’t as young?

Chestnut refused and stated firmly that he was going to tel their moms upon their return. Angered, Cricket attacked him, but, much younger, he couldn’t stand a chance. Defeated, he decided his best option was to run away and avoid the wrath of Pine and Hawk. His murder was for nothing.

He left late leaf-fall, and soon leaf-bare set in, casting the forest in a white blanket that bit at Cricket’s bones. He was getting hungry, his ribs beginning to jut from his sides. Soon enough, the snow grew and grew until he couldn’t move without leaping, and he couldn’t leap because he was too weak and tired and hungry.

When figures and voices came, he could barely make them out, barely make out that he was trying to make anything out. But when he woke up, he was in a cozy nest set in the middle of a warm den. A milk-scented she-cat had her body wrapped around him. Cricket looked around, and saw another kit staring back at him.

Instantly, the kit bounced on his paws and squealed that he was awake. The she-cat saw him, told him it was going to be alright, and, after asking if he knew where his mother was and he said no, she offered to take him in as her son. Cricket agreed.

He played often with the she-cat, Duskleaf’s, son, Martenkit, and liked the addition added to his name. Now he wasn’t the youngest kit in a group of four, but the youngest kit in an entire Clan!

As well as that, Martenkit was a lot better than Chestnut. Chestnut was always too brooding and grumpy, but Martenkit would prance all across the clearing. He would praise Cricketkit along with Duskleaf. It was a better life than Cricketkit had ever known!

He became apprenticed to an excellent warrior, who he remained friends with after his and Martenkit’s warrior ceremonies.

When Martenstep got an apprentice in Rushpaw, Cricketfur was practically a secondary mentor.

But then, one day, a patrol walked in with a trespasser. Cricketfur’s heart leaped into his throat. It was Chestnut.

It seemed Chestnut was just as surprised to see Cricketfur. But that didn’t stop him from joining the Clan and using every opportunity to make his life hell. Martenstep stood up for his brother, as did Rushtree, Duskleaf, and his many other friends. Still, it was frustrating. Not only that, but Chestnut-- or Chestnuttail-- could reveal Cricketfur’s murder of Milo.

One day Chestnuttail offered peace, and invited Cricketfur to hunt along with him. Cricketfur was no idiot. There was a trap somewhere, but it was an opportunity to rid of this pain in his side.

Since his days of training, he grew quite a lot. Now, he was just as big as Chestnut, with twice the knowledge in combat. He managed to hold Chestnuttail down, blocked his mouth and nose, and kept holding him after he stopped struggling, just to make sure.

It had happened far from the camp to ensure that no one would see it. Cricketfur didn’t make it far before something caught his leg. A silver twine dug into his skin, touching the bone. After much panic and yowling, Cricketfur began to chew.

His leg got free. However, with three legs and blood still pumping out of him, he didn’t make it far before collapsing onto the ground.

Martenstep

Aliases / Nicknames: Marten, Bro, Big Brother

Gender: tom

Sexuality: heterosexual, biromantic

Family: Duskleaf (mother), Vinekit, brother, Cricketfur (adoptive brother),

Other relations: Frondwish (mentor), Rushtree (apprentice)

Clan: Thunderclan

Rank: warrior

Characteristics: wanted to be with his brother

Number of Victims: 0

Number of Murders: 0

Murder Method: N/A

Known Victims: no one

Cause of Death: Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy

Cautionary Tale: N/A

Story:

He was too young what it meant when his brother, Vinekit, succumbed to an illness that had taken hold of him since they were born, but he did know that he was sad. He tried to cheer his mother up, and although she smiled at him, he could still see her sadness.

Then warriors brought in a new kit, and suddenly he had a brother again! Not only that, but with something to focus on in addition to caring for Martenkit brought Duskleaf out of her haze of gloom.

Bouncing on his paws, Martenkit had shown an equally-excited Cricket, or Cricketkit around the camp, explaining everything in a rush of words that his now brother ate up.

The pair became friends fast. They played for some days before it was officially told to them that Cricketkit woud be staying as Duskleaf’s son, since they could not find his mother. Cricketkit didn’t seem to mind too much. Martenkit had guessed he didn’t remember her, or he liked Martenkit and Duskleaf better.

Whichever the reason, only two days of knowing each other, the pair were ready to call themselves brothers. Of course, they were kits and happy for every playmate, but the meaning would continue on for the rest of their lives, and after.

Martenstep could be said to be the luckiest cat in the history of the Clans, as his entire life was unburdened by stress or problems. Of course, there was the stress everyone gets. “Will I pass my assesment? Will I or someone close to me get hurt in the battle? Will leaf-bare give us enough food this year?” but never the “there’s a prophecy saying that the Clans might all be destroyed forever and everyone is panicking.”

He had next to no arguments with friends, and everyone close to him remained happy, healthy, and alive.

That is, until a patrol brought Cricketfur’s and Chestnuttail’s bodies into the camp. The sight of Chestnuttail was bad enough, but the sight of Cricketfur.... a limb missing, blood everywhere. Worst of all, the bite marks that indicated he must have chewed himself free of something, so willing to live and yet so unsuccessful. How much pain had he been in? How scared had he been?

Those around him tried to comfort him, especially Duskleaf and Rushtree, who Cricketfur had helped Martenstep to mentor. But the aching in his chest like an ice-covered stone in his heart refused to thaw. It only grew more and more unbearable. He couldn’t eat, couldn’t leave his nest. It wasn’t long before his heart gave out entirely.

But before then, he called to Starclan in the night, and told them wherever Cricketfur is, no matter the place, he wants to be there too, with him. The day later, a Starclan cat came to him and asked if this was what he truly wants, even if the place isn’t the paradise he expects it to be? Even if it’s harrowing?

Martenstep simply told them that he would go anywhere.

Additional Information:

--Sorry if some stuff looks weird. I just finished some exams, so not super into writing detailed stuff right now.

--Kudos if you get a reference in here!

--Yeah Martenstep didn’t know his brother was in the Dark Forest until he himself went there because of his wish to be with him.

--Cricketfur doesn’t like that his brother has to suffer in the Dark Forest, but he is also immensely relieved to have him with him.

--Martenstep died of heartbreak (yes, it can actually happen. I think the stress rips the heartstrings or something?).

--Kit-killer could both refer to Cricketfur killing a kit and being a killer as a kit.

--Kinda deeply based on The Good Son, but also this page by HydraCarina on DeviantArt. I was also going to have him kill Milo by drowning, but wanted to change the murder method up a bit.

--His birth mother and aunt don’t know of his crimes (at least while they're alive) because Chestnut figured it would only hurt them more and Cricket was going to freeze to death anyways. If he had stayed, Chestnut would have told them.

--Chestnuttail was going to lead him into the fox trap (which Cricket did get into), but was attacked before he could.

Picrews:

https://picrew.me/image_maker/286314

https://picrew.me/image_maker/1201673

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