#fadinglight

What...

WHAT

EXCUSE ME WHAT??? YIPPEEEE??

The Last Semaphores

Recently I visited the small town of Campbellsburg, Indiana. The Monon Railroad went through here, and I had seen that a set of the iconic semaphore signals were still standing here, despite the line being abandoned now for some time.

I got to the town as the sun was setting, and had to run down the tracks to get a shot of the signals which are rusting in place. I took a few more shots as I walked back to my car, looking forward and behind me, as the light faded. Lastly I shot yet another boarded up building in yet another dying small American town

Aliases / Nicknames: Dense-fur, Mama’s boy, Star Traitor, Sweet Boy 

Gender: trans tom

Sexuality: bisexual

Family: Sweetbreeze(mother), Hollyfallow(mother), Lovekit, Wishkit (sisters)

Other Relations: Ferretstar(mentor), unnamed apprentice 

Clan: Skyclan

Rank: leader

Characteristics: Sacrificing, rejected by Starclan, ADHD 

Number of Victims: 20 

Number of Murders: 20

Murder Method: burying alive 

Known Victims: Ferretrunner, several unnamed warriors

Cause of Death: Insomnia-induced heart failure 

Cautionary Tale: prophecies may warn us of what is to come, but don’t let possible futures of despair lead you to believe that someone destined to walk the wrong path is beyond savour. 

Story:

When he was born, he was named after his affliction, Fading kitten syndrome.

He spent day and night in the medicine den; nobody thought he’d actually survive. But he did, shocking everyone. His mothers wanted to change his name, but Fadingkit wouldn’t let them. To him, it was a trophy. 

His kithood was relatively normal aside from two things. Because of his sickness, he was a bit frailer than his clanmates. And he could never sit still or remember things. He ended up being apprenticed to Ferretstar, who openly admonished him for mistakes and things he couldn’t control. 

Not only that, but strange cats would appear to him in dreams. 

They never spoke, only ever staring at him with disdain. Ferretstar did everything to make his life hell. From making him hunt during blizzards and hailstorms to making Fadingpaw eat dead-last, he had it rough. Thank Starclan for his moms, though. They fought for him whenever they saw Ferretstar mistreating him.

He was named Fadinglight at 18 moons. His mothers sat with him throughout his vigil, making sure he wasn’t bothered. The dreams got worse after Ferretstar retired and the new leader made Fadinglight his deputy. 

All was well until he was cornered by Ferretrunner. He panicked, slashing him across the face. Both were shocked. But Fadinglight knew that if word got out, he would be shunned. So he leapt, gaining the advantage thanks to Ferretrunner still being taken aback. The two rolled down a small hill. Fadinglight must’ve gotten lucky since the tumble ended up cracking Ferretrunner’s neck. 

At first he was horrified, but eventually he managed to convince himself that it was necessary. He managed to get used to deputyship with the help of his moms. Starclan wouldn’t accept him. When he went for his nine lives, there were no cats there to greet him. It was silent and cold. 

Fadinglight tried to find someone, anyone, to give him his lives, but the place was empty. Despite the lack of visible spirits, he felt watched. When he came to, he noticed the medicine cat missing. His blood began to freeze. He was scared. He couldn’t sleep. Every night he grew more paranoid and frantic, trying to figure out why they hadn’t come to him. 

And that’s when his first intentional kill occurred. 

It started as an accident, but the opportunity was perfect. Fadingstar bit into his Clanmate’s body, leaving them unable to move while he dug. maybe he hadn’t proven his worth yet. Maybe the Stars wanted to see his devotion! His heart swelled at the thought of being accepted by them. 

As he shoveled dirt onto his Clanmate, he smiled. Starclan would have to accept him now!! And when nothing changed, it devastated him. One of his moms, Hollyfallow, managed to break through to him. She was devastated to hear about how Starclan was acting toward him as well as sickened by his murderous actions. 

She tried to talk him out of his theories, but to no avail. cat after cat, day after day, moon after moon. One became five, five became fifteen, fifteen became nineteen. Nothing ever changed. And every time Fadingstar was rejected, he grew more desperate. 

One of his mothers held an intervention of sorts for him. She addressed his rapidly declining mental health, but by that point, he couldn’t pay attention. His fur was matted and his eyes sunken in. Fadingstar barely left his den, almost always dissociating. He couldn't focus on anything but his own worth. He knew he wasn't being a good leader, but how could he be when Starclan wanted nothing to do with him?

It was only a matter of time until his heart gave out. He died at the gravesite of his victims, looking more like a lump than a cat.

Additional Information:

--Submission by @liberhoe​

--Base by miranimates on DeviantArt

--His mothers used a donor to have him. The donor was Ferretrunner. 

--Ferretrunner had gotten a prophecy about Fadingkit on the night he was born.

 --His mothers loved him despite his spiral, and still try to find him near the border of the Dark Forest.

-- Fadingstar genuinely feels bad about killing his victims. He placed flowers on their graves often and has even sought them out to try to apologize.