#larchbee

Mapleshade, we all know the "if I was Orpheus" argument. Bonefall has taken a sledgehammer to that bridge, making it not even an option in the first place.

I wanna go one step further.

There was a bridge back then, all those years ago. A cute little wood and rope bridge that had been there since old Rabbitfur was a newborn. Mapleshade had heard from Appledusk that the stepping stones weren't always safe, and the bridge had always been their meeting spot! She took deep breaths, trying to calm down, trying to think as her innocent babies shivered beside her, their tiny feet sinking in the mud. She'd only recently given them a bath, they'd need another, poor darling. It was almost time for them to eat again soon, Petalkit was beginning to whine with hunger.

Thunder cracked the sky, and she curled her lip in anger at the sound that had named her treacherous "Clan". Larchkit squealed, and she drew her tail over him.

"Everything will be okay, darlings. We're going to see your father, and everything will be just fine."

The bridge swayed in the holding wind, it creaked out its threat, but Mapleshade only heard the whimper of Patchkit as he tried to stay as close to her as possible.

It always held hers and Appledusk's weight, surely it would hold her tiny, tiny babies...

Everything would be fine.

It would just take a little longer.

The bridge was old but it always held up.

Everything was going to be okay.

Aliases / Nicknames: Closet case, Anger issues

Gender: male

Sexuality: bisexual (in denial)

Family: Newtrun, Mint (dads), 12 unnamed siblings,

Other Relations: unnamed mentor

Clan: Testclan

Rank: warrior

Characteristics: kills those he thinks are responsible for his parents’ separating, loyal, excellent fighter, angry at his family being torn apart, kind of stupid, pulls fur when upset

Number of Victims: 18+

Number of Murders: 4

Murder Method: mutilating

Known Victims: Ridgeclaw, Slatepelt, Newtrun, Morningleaf

Victim Profile: those who contributed to his family tearing apart

Cause of Death: stress, high blood pressure, heart failure

Cautionary Tale: ??

Story:

He barely noticed the warning signs at first. How his fathers never met each other’s eyes anymore, the snide comments, the fur raising on hackles.

But then he heard the rumors, and he felt like ripping his fur out with despair.

His father, Newtrun, had an affair. Well, had wasn’t the word. ‘Was having’ would be more accurate.

He went to Bumblestar to complain, but Bumblestar had merely shrugged and told him that it was, in no uncertain terms, “his problem.”

So Larchbee took things into his own paws.

Ridgeclaw was the first. The first to gossip, always teasing Larchbee about how his dads must’ve given him their good looks. He must’ve been hinting that he was responsible for the affair! Why else would he say such a thing?

He sought out Ridgeclaw and killed him in the worst way possible, leaving his corpse in a tree.

He hoped that would be the end of it, but his fathers seemed even more distant than before.

One day, Larchbee saw his father give Slatepelt a friendly headbutt, and he saw red.

It took him all night to rinse the pieces off his paws.

Finally, his fathers gathered all his siblings, and announced that they were no longer together.

Larchbee snapped.

He ambushed Newtrun while he was using the dirtplace. His father was frail compared to him, so it was easy to carry him off.

As he prepared to leave, Newtrun gasped out the name ‘Morningleaf’ and it all came together.

All the times the little golden tom ‘went on patrol’ with Newtrun.

The devastated families he had left before.

Which meant that Ridge and Slate-- two of his friends-- had been innocent.

He barely made it back to camp before he was invited on dawn patrol by his dad and Morningleaf.

The little tom never expected Larchbee to avenge his family. He ripped out Morningleaf’s throat with a badger’s ferocity, his heart pounding louder and faster in his chest until it gave out.

Additional Information:

--Submission by @ambitiousauthor​

--He’s loyal not smart

Aliases / Nicknames: Denwrecker, Denwrecking Twink, Twink (derogatory),

Gender: male

Sexuality: homosexual

Family: unnamed mother, Bluesplash (father) Halfblink, Copperfur (siblings) Newtrun (former mate), many other unnamed mates

Other Relations: unnamed mentor

Clan: Testclan

Rank: warrior

Characteristics: breaks up couples for fun and for revenge, empathetic (to his friends), great hunter, denwrecking little twink, manipulative

Number of Victims: 23+

Number of Murders: 0

Murder Method: N/A

Method of Harm: homewrecking

Known Victims: Newtrun, Ridgeclaw, Slatepelt, Larchbee, Mint, Larchbee’s siblings, many unnamed queens and their mates

Victim Profile: yellow-eyed toms, Larchbee

Cause of Death: killed by Larchbee

Cautionary Tale: ??

Story:

Morningleaf was known for breaking hearts and wrecking dens. Many a queen had cried because her “darling” mate had fallen for him, but Morningleaf didn’t care.

He was focused on the real prize: Newtrun.

Newtrun was the father of Larchbee, a tom who, in the past, had tormented Morningleaf by putting bugs in his nest.

The joke was on Larchbee though, when Morningleaf successfully seduced one of his fathers, subsequently leading to the truly ugly and very public breakup of his family. Then Morningleaf had dumped Newtrun, thanked him for the entertainment, and went about his life.

Then things took a turn.

Ridgeclaw showed up first, skewered on a thorn tree with his face ripped off.

Then Slatepelt-- almost unrecognizable except for one yellow eye found in the bushes near the body.

Then Newtrun-- unbelievably still alive-- almost half-skinned, gasping for air and trying to drag himself back to camp

Morningleaf found his body on patrol with Mint and Larchbee, and had recoiled from the sight of his former mate.

Unfortunately, he recoiled right into the jaws of Larchbee.

Additional Information:

--Submission by @ambitiousauthor

--His last words were “eww!!!! I think I stepped in something!”

--Larchbee’s up next!

--He’s just a bit bigger than Fleathistle.