Dark Forest Resident: Cedarwhisper
Aliases / Nicknames: Cedarstar
Gender: demiboy (he/they)
Sexuality: graysexual-ace (feels attraction, but not often)
Family: Lynxstone (mother), Brackenpurr (father)
Other Relations: Sunpaw (apprentice)
Characteristics: unemotive, constantly stone-faced, rarely breaks composure but has his anger spots, prefers to do things alone, apathetic to others
Murder Method: slitting throats
Known Victims: Woolstar, Hillpaw, Kindlepaw
Victim Profile: his leader, two apprentices who witnessed his crime
Cause of Death: fell into fire, burned alive, killed by Kindlepaw
Change was the most important thing in the world. That is what Cedarwhisper kept believing all throughout his life.
As cats died, he only noted that this was change in the world. As he went hunting, he’d note how this would change which prey would be where. Squirrels would move when they noticed cats, and make nests elsewhere. Birds would not lay eggs if they are killed too early. This was all change. Everything would change at a moment’s notice, and Cedarwhisper knew he was susceptible to that.
But he refused to let himself fall subject to change taking him by surprise.
If he had friends, he could lose them at a moment’s notice. So, he kept his distance from his Clanmates, regarding them all as acquaintances. He kept his schedule to a constant, keeping note of every little thing he did that would go against his norm. He refused to let others help him, not wanting changes to how he did things.
Woolstar was a kind old tom, maybe even too kind.
Maybe that’s why he had been given Sunpaw as an apprentice. The tortie tom was questioning and expressive, practically oblivious to everything going on outside of the Gladeclan camp. It was a change for Cedarwhisper, and he found the tom annoying but bearable. The two’s relationship was not ideal, but it was not negative.
Change struck once again when Silkthorn, the former deputy, stepped down. She couldn’t continue her duties any longer due to old age, and Cedarwhisper stepped up to take her place. Cedarwhisper made sure that the Clan stayed in line, something Woolstar didn’t seem to want to do.
Woolstar let the Clan run around like excited kits, letting them slack off through the day when they could be training their apprentices or setting out borders to keep rogues out. He tried to encourage Cedarwhisper to break schedule, to relax every once in a while, but Cedarwhisper refused, not wanting change to get the better of him.
Cedarwhisper kept trying to keep the Clan in line, which earned him the disdain of some of his younger Clanmates. Of course they wouldn’t understand how his brain worked, why would they? It all seemed to be fruitless efforts, with the Clan continuing on as if Cedarwhisper never stepped up as deputy. The Clan would die out eventually, but he needed to delay that.
Changes needed to happen.
Cedarwhisper, one night, came to discuss things with Woolstar. How the Clan was unorderly, needed proper guidance and schedule. And Woolstar’s reaction to this advice? To just laugh it off, and tell Cedarwhisper he couldn’t control the way the cats acted.
He knew this! But he can encourage a change of schedule! It felt like he was talking to a stone wall, his voice getting more strained and strained until eventually, he stomped a paw down to leave. He realized that his paw happened to be covered in blood, and he blinked slowly as he stared at Woolstar’s bleeding out body, a large wound in his fluffy neck.
He’d have to step up as leader, causing yet another change to his schedule-- one he welcomed.The Clan would finally be able to thrive under his guidance. Only, he froze and slowly turned as he heard a shuffling noise.
Hillpaw, grandson of Woolstar. The fluffy, brown-and-white tom stared at him with wide eyes. He couldn’t have witnesses.
Changes needed to happen. Changes needed to happen. Changes needed to happen. He repeated that mantra to himself as he dug his claws into yet another neck, and when he had to deal with the other witness who happened to charge in and bite down on his back. Kindlepaw. But unfortunately, she had gotten away. Quickly composing himself, Cedarwhisper rushed off to remove evidence of his inclusion with the murder of the two toms, blaming it on a rogue attack.
He almost regretted making those changes from the mournful yowls of Hillpaw’s parents, but he knew he needed to continue onwards. As he headed to the Cavern of Stars, he felt a prick of anxiety at his paws. What if his crimes were exposed there? Would he need to get rid of the medicine cat, too?
As he thought about how he could do such a thing, the sky clouded over and started to rain. When they tried to start the ceremony, Cedarwhisper was only welcomed by blackness, and a broken star on his forehead when he awoke.
He tried to ignore the feeling of his stomach dropping as he understood what message Starclan was sending. He tried to send out search patrols for Kindlepaw so he could....properly deal with the loose apprentice, but nobody ever found her.
That is, not until a fire started up in Gladeclan, where Kindlepaw found him first. In a bloody fight, Kindlepaw sent them both careening down into the flames with the last of her strength, and Cedarwhisper suddenly came to the realization that perhaps, he had ruined himself as the flames swallowed him whole.
--Submission by @umbranoxs
--Despite being rather thin looking, he’s pretty strong and well muscled.
--I (Umbra) was listening to “Open up your eyes” while making this backstory so that’s where his whole thing about doing things himself and not wanting friends came from. Neat!
--Cedarwhisper doesn’t care if you refer to him as -whisper or -star. He refers to himself as Cedarstar, but sometimes accidentally slips up and calls himself Cedarwhisper.
--Woolstar just wanted Cedar to lighten up a little- He hoped that having his own apprentice and getting to see the Clan from the eyes of a deputy would make him understand others more. It didn’t work.
--Unaware Kindlepaw went to the Dark Forest, he would be mildly surprised if he knew but make a note to try not to find her- He has a feeling he knows it’d end with bloodshed and he’d prefer not to kill her. (Yes, he would kill her if she tried to attack him).
--Trying to find a spot of the Dark Forest he can have to himself, so he doesn’t have to deal with others. He’d like the eternal solitude (he thinks).
