#stripemouse

HawkJay

Aliases / Nicknames: Honeybunchies, Dear, Murderer

Gender: she-cat

Sexuality: pansexual, panromantic

Family: Yellowsong (mother), unnamed father, Berrytwig (sister), Lovagecreek (brother)

Other Relations: unnamed mentor

Clan: Skyclan

Rank: warrior

Characteristics: believed she was protecting her Clan, kills due to stress

Number of Victims: 2

Number of Murders: 2

Murder Method: poisoning, tearing chest

Known Victims: Mosseagle, Bayjaw

Cause of Death: killed by Rainpaw

Cautionary Tale: ??

Story:

There isn’t much to say about her backstory, as it was simple and ineffective to her future murderous deed. Or, perhaps not entirely. It is, after all, in early childhood that the importance of protecting one’s Clan is driven into a cat’s mind.

Other than this, her growing up was mainly filled with playing with her sister and brother, training, and trying not to laugh with Berrytwig during their silent vigil as Lovagecreek tried not to screech in panic when they placed a beetle atop his head.

Her relationship with the two is the same as most siblings, which is to say they teased and bullied and poked fun at each other once a day, but did care deeply for one another.

When Lovagecreek and his mate were having problems, it was Hawkjay’s advice he would seek. When she had misgivings about the newly named deputy, Mosseagle, it was her littermates she went to to speak about them, to poke fun at the tom, if not to let it off her chest.

But simply talking couldn’t put her at rest. Mosseagle, ever since he was a kit, was prone to aggression, and always bragged about how he would steal so much territory from all the Clans when he was leader.

Of course he was exaggerating, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t bring Skyclan to war, battle after battle that could cause the deaths of her beloved Clanmates and family.

She almost went to the leader to express her worries, then realized that if it came down to having to do something herself, something she wouldn’t be proud of, she didn’t want anyone to suspect her.

Moons passed with relatively no issue. Hawkjay began to believe that perhaps she had been wrong. Then the leader fell sick and Mosseagle temporarily took over, with the first thing on his agenda being leading a patrol into Shadowclan territory to take a worthless strip of land. No one was killed, thank Starclan, but a Skyclan warrior was badly injured.

Hawkjay saw no other alternative. Hunting down a robin, she stuffed it full of deathberries before delivering it personally to Mosseagle, telling him it was a celebratory thank you. He was resting just outside of the camp, as he often did, because the shade was better there.

No one could believe the sudden death! They found the deathberries in his mouth, but none remained in the bird. Without fully intact berries to prove they had been planted, everyone assumed the bird had eaten them.

Hawkjay hated it, but she felt a thrill. A part of her wanted to do it again, and she tried so hard to pull it out of her.

Before she knew it, another Clanmate was dead at her paws. Bayjaw was alone with her in the forest, talking too much about the death of their deputy, how he believed it was suspicious, but how he was secretly glad Mosseagle was dead.

He wouldn’t shut up! Hawkjay had attacked him, and, well, the rest is clear.

Hawkjay could hardly live with herself, unable to be the supportive or even bullying littermate to Berrytwig or Lovagecreek, not even after the deaths of Lovagecreek’s kits or their friend, Bluedove.

She couldn’t keep it inside of her any longer.

She took Rainpaw, Mosseagle’s son, on a walk. She was ready to spill everything, but before she told the Clan, she knew to tell the cat who had suffered most of all by the death first and in private.

Rainpaw was reasonably and incredibly furious. Hawkjay couldn’t blame him for her death.

Lovagecreek

Aliases / Nicknames: Little Kit

Gender: tom

Sexuality: bisexual-demisexual, biromantic

Family: Yellowsong (mother), unnamed father, Hawkjay, Berrytwig (sisters), Aldersun (mate), Dawnkit, Snowkit (daughters), Bluesong, Stripemouse, Beetlecreek (foster sons)

Other Relations: unnamed mentor, unnamed apprentice

Clan: Skyclan

Rank: warrior

Characteristics: killed a queen to give his mate kits to look after

Number of Victims: 1

Number of Murders: 1

Murder Method: neck snapping

Known Victims: Bluedove

Cause of Death: tail skinned by fox-trap

Cautionary Tale: ??

Story:

He was the runt of his litter, simultaneously bullied and protecting by his sisters throughout their kithood and apprenticeships. He had a fear of beetles, which was often used against him, even during their warrior vigil.

Due to being the smallest, Lovagekit was coddled by their mother often, much to his annoyance and secret enjoyment.

He fell head over heels for Alderpaw the moment he saw her. Over and over again, he tried to win her over, impressing her in training or hunting for extra long to make sure he brought her the prey he knew she liked.

He could have leaped over the moon when Aldersun finally agreed to be his mate. Not even the death of their deputy could bring them down. Lovagecreek had talked to Hawkjay about it, who seemed more stressed than usual, but his mind was on Aldersun. His mate, at last!

It wasn’t long before she fell pregnant with his kits, and they--together--moved into the nursery, where Bluedove was already preparing their nests.

He talked to everyone in his family about it. Yellowsong was more obeying of Aldersun’s needs than Lovagecreek was, eagerly preparing the mother of her grandkits. 

Lovagecreek’s father talked to his son often, telling him the dos and don’ts.

But none of it mattered.

The kits, their darling daughters, their Dawnkit and Snowkit had been born sickly. The medicine cat’s constant care wasn’t enough, nor Hawkjay or Yellowsong fetching wet moss twice a day. They were dead before the third day.

Lovagecreek’s heart was torn apart, tearing more at the sight of Aldersun, screaming in agony in their moss. The next moon, nothing thawed the numbness that surrounded her. She wouldn’t leave the nursery, wouldn’t eat. 

The only thing that came close to melting the newfound coldness was the birth of Bluedove’s three kits, who she decided against naming yet for reasons Lovagecreek was unsure of. 

Aldersun at last had a her spirit back, at least a piece of it. She always volunteered to look after the three if Bluedove needed rest, or even if she was energized. 

Aldersun admitted to him that sometimes, she wished those three miracles were her own.

They made her so happy, and every time they were taken away, the familiar pain shone in Aldersun’s eyes and pierced Lovagecreek’s heart.

He had to do it for her.

He knew Bluedove’s death would hurt her, but it would be worth it. Besides, the kits were too young to remember their birth mother after a moon. 

They named the toms Bluekit, after his mother, Stripekit, after the pattern on his pelt, and Beetlekit, after Lovagecreek’s fear. That one was Hawkjay’s idea.

Lovagecreek loved that Aldersun was so happy now. And he loved the kits just as though they were his own, much as he missed his daughters.

But there was always that nagging thought when he saw Bluedove’s empty nest or smelt her remaining scent, or looked at Bluekit, so much like his mother.

Before, Lovagecreek was able to bury himself in his family, to avoid his guilt and his grief for his sister. But then they became apprentices, and everything was suddenly so silent-- aside from his own mind.

One, clear night, he nuzzled his sleeping family before going out into the night. He looked to the sky and asked if he was wrong to do what he did. Startled by a sudden gust of wind, he backed up into a fox-trap.

It would seem he found his answer.

Additional Information:

--Bluedove wanted Starclan to tell her in a dream what to name her kits. Yes, she’s a religious weirdo.

--Lovagecreek truly did care for his old and new kits, they weren’t just things to keep Aldersun happy.

--Aldersun initially saw Lovagecreek as a cute, but young apprentice. It wasn’t until he was a warrior that she saw him as a love interest.

--Hawkjay and Lovagecreek were killing at the same time, but neither knew, at least not until they wound up in the Dark Forest. They were involved in each other’s lives, but were so distracted by their own guilt that they didn’t notice anything weird about the other.

--Yes, Beetlecreek’s suffix is after his father. Bluesong’s is also after Yellowsong, who I imagine doted on the kits even more after the deaths of two of her own.

--Lovagecreek didn’t think he was going to die, but just to be safe, if he was to die or be sent into exile by the stars, he wanted to nuzzle goodbye to his family first.