#nightspots

Nightspots, Medicine Cat of ThunderClan

A silver spotted tabby tom with green eyes.

Nightkit > Nightpaw > Nightspots

Ok my brain is growing thinking about the tragedy that could be Jackdawfoot's parents.

One of them was abandoned in the woods by their kittypet mother. Whatever the reason, they don't know it (or that she was a kittypet). The only thing that they do know is that they were left to die in a storm that washed away all scent of where they came from, and they have no idea why.

The other was never meant to grow up in the Clan, only stayed because their mother died in childbirth. She had planned to stay long enough to give birth and have them walk, then move on. Now they have to stay. It's the only life they know, but they were never meant to know it. That has to create some internal conflict, doesn't it?

(Using non-gendering descriptions because I don't yet know who was who)

Not every serial killer has an abusive parent, but great number do, and Jackdawfoot was written like a classic serial killer, so why not sprinkle in some classic serial killer backstory?

His mother, we know, was good. He did name one of his daughters after her, so she has to be. But his father, Nightspot? We have no shred of info on him.

Maybe Nightspot wanted to be perfect. He felt like he was constantly being judged for his outsider roots and unusual face, height, and fur. Then Jackdaw came out, the biggest of the kits, and the features that Nightspot was insecure about plain as day on his son, as if mocking him. Too, the son had a weird shut eye, and without knowing it, he piled all those insecurities onto his unusual son (also probably because Jackdaw was the only son, making Nightspot see himself and wanting "himself" to be perfect, like Jackdaw was a doll to shape to his liking).

Some things he would do (possible trigger warning, as some quotes may be familiar to verbal abuse victims):

--Shame Jackdaw. "Loyal warriors would never say that."

--Invalidate Jackdaw's feelings / tell him how he should feel. "Be grateful you were given food at all with the way you missed everything today. You should thank the whole Clan for bothering with you."

--Favour the other kits, and make it especially noticeable when Jackdaw was falling behind to "encourage" him. "Why can't you be more like your sister?" OR say "I'm so proud of you!" to them then ignore Jackdaw.

--Humiliate Jackdaw. He does this both as a way of punishing Jackdaw and to show everyone (who he's so worried of judging him) that he does not agree with what Jackdaw did, and that he's not part of that. (Loudly): "Why don't you announce to everyone what you did? Go on, own up to it like a warrior."

--Make Jackdaw "earn" his love.

Nightspot wasn't like this 24/7. He gave Jackdaw rare moments of being a proud, loving father (when he earned his love). And those rare moments were addicting. Jackdaw craved them, craved his father being proud, craved his father acting like he actually loved him. But it was never enough.