Dark Forest Resident: Cloudfang
Aliases / Nicknames: Cloud, Snapper
Gender: Demi-molly (she/they)
Family: unnamed mother, unnamed father, Duke (mate), Lionkit, Hawkkit (sons), Bluekit, Heatherkit, Frondkit (daughters), two unnamed kits
Other Relations: Patchspring (mentor, one-sided friend)
Characteristics: kills to protect her kit, paranoia
Murder Method: broken neck, blunt force
Known Victims: Riverkit, Lionkit (accidently), three unnamed apprentices
It wasn’t right, Bluekit suffocating in her sleep, Hawkkit sneaking out and drowning, Frondkit and Heatherkit overdosing on catmint, of all things.
There was no way this was just bad luck, and as she saw the pitying looks her Clanmates gave her, her chest tightened with fear. Cloudfang is small, and she’s sickly, and she’s a former kittypet. They probably hate her, or didn’t want “weak blood” in their Clan. That’s what the other kittypets used to say, right? The Clan cats were cruel.
When they took in an expecting Cloud after she had gotten lost, she decided to stay. Her kits died at only a week old, and she was devastated. She threw herself into training, becoming a fairly decent hunter.
They had a mate, a sweet barn-cat, and by the next leafbare, she was expecting kits again.
They were born so small, so weak, that she didn’t think they would make it. An elder, Patchspring, was kind to her. She was a bit snappy, but it was still really nice to have company while she waited for her kits to get better. When they woke up one day to Bluekit dead, her Clanmates told her that the kit’s airway probably just closed off.
But that was another kit, and she couldn’t lose any more. It wasn’t fair! What did she ever do wrong to deserve this? Hawkkit died after. Found in the stream while on patrol. They said he snuck out, but Hawkkit was always complaining about how he wanted to be able to see the territory by his mother’s side and not a mentor’s.
He would never sneak out, she was sure of it!
They were allowed to move to the nursery, and Cloudfang was happy aside from the, well, cloud hanging over them. Frondkit and Heatherkit loved Patchspring, and everything med-den related.
Maybe if they became medicine cats, Cloudfang wouldn’t have to worry about them getting hurt. Now, with her friend and her four kits dead, they were convinced it was their Clanmates.
They grew snappy and skittish around everyone, clawing anyone who dared to sneak close to her. She slept on her own and made sure everyone was asleep before her.
Her mate was so gentle, so kind. Duke was incredibly supportive of her, and managed to convince her that everything would be okay. Life went on, and when they decided to have kits again, she promised herself this time would be different. And it was; she had a beautiful, healthy son.
Lionkit was perfect, and they would do anything for him. When the apprentices started bullying her baby, she took one out on a hunting patrol with her and snapped his neck.
Riverkit was the most difficult to kill. She was so sweet, so much like Frondkit, that Cloudfang almost couldn’t do it. But RiverKit already had permanent chest pain, and she didn’t want the poor kit to be in pain her whole life.
At least now she would be protected in Starclan.
Besides, she had to give Lionkit the best chance in life. Lionkit went everywhere with her, and she glanced over at him while he played with a beetle, too young to realize what was happening to Riverkit.
While she was burying the body, the kit’s older brother was out on a patrol. He attacked her, and they cried out in pain as Greyfur slashed his claws across her face.
With blood pouring into her eyes, she didn’t see as her baby stepped in front of her to see if she was okay, and didn’t process as Greyfur called out for her to be careful. She kicked, and her heart sunk as she heard a loud crack.
Lionkit hit the tree stump hard, his back and neck breaking. No, no, she couldn’t lose another baby! Not again!
She didn’t have much time to process before everything went black as she choked, Greyfur holding her head under water while she struggled.
--Greyfur became another Dark Forest cat. He was also Patchspring’s apprentice. He thought that Cloudfang hurt Lionkit on purpose, and was scared that she would hurt him as well as any kits back in camp.
--Cloudfang genuinely believed that her kits were killed by her Clanmates, and she never formed any bonds with her Clanmates after her kits’ deaths.
--Most people tend to think golden cat when they hear Lion, but he’s a white cat with a black spot on his chest.
--Submission by @wills-woodland-warriors
--I recognized the name Patchspring, but it wasn’t until a little bit in that I had a oh! crossover! moment
