#perchclaw

[residences-of-the-darkforest]

A long time coming, Perch's bio mom!

Was she neglectful and a terrible mother? Yes. Was she also a child of abuse and manipulated by her own parent? Also yes.

I wonder if she ever sought out Perch if she ever learned that she was manipulated and her son was never actually going to be evil and only turned up in the DF because of her.

I doubt that he would want anything to do with her, especially after having his own kits and knowing how hard it would be to hurt them like she hurt him.

I could see it in two versions:

1 )

She sees Tanagerwing in the DF and wonders why, causing her to find out that her parent had lied about Perch.

She seeks Perch out and apologizes for everything. In doing so, she explained how she thought he was destined for evil but he was actually destined for greatness.

Perchclaw finding out he was meant for greatness makes him VERY bitter and upset, now knowing how much of his life was torn away from him, how much of his future. He doesn't regret where he is now and loves his family, but still it must hurt. He snaps at her that he will never forgive her.

2 )

She tries to adopt a kit at the Daycare.

Since Perchclaw worked there a lot (maybe still?) the adults know about her and turn her away.

She seeks out Perchclaw to ask him to talk to them so she can adopt.

He gets pissed because that's why she's seeking him out? Not to apologize? Not to just see how he is? She's only seeking him out so that she can have another kit?

He snaps like he did in the first one, but in this one he goes into more detail. He lays out every reason why she was a horrible mother, why she should never be able to have another kit again because of how she treated him, how she starved him, how he made him feel, how she was the one that caused his death and she didn't even mourn him.

Either way, it causes Begonia to really know how horrible she was, and Perchclaw gets some closure (amidst some heartbreak)

@ambitiousauthor

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Base by Stupiosity on DeviantArt

[residences-of-the-darkforest]

Resemblance to Death: How Some Characters are Affected

Did not expect to really get into this when I made the post just a few minutes ago but now my energy is BUZZING and I am really interested with how I can decide the affects for different characters, so here's a list!

KILLED BY AN ANIMAL

Perchclaw

CoD: bitten by an adder snake

Physical Characteristics: At first glance, he looks like a cat. He has no scales, he still has his legs. He sounds like a cat, too. But his body is a little longer than that of a normal cat, but not unsubtly so. His fangs are sharper and longer than normal. When he eats, his jaws open a little too wide. When he speaks, cats can see--if they can get a good glance--that his tongue is split. Whenever he hisses, it sounds more like a snake than a cat.

Personality Traits: loves sunning himself on rocks, likes moist environments and places where he can be sheltered well.

KILLED BY NATURE

Alderstar

CoD: crushed by a tree (multiple lives taken)

Physical Characteristics: his claws grow much faster than that of a normal cat, instead resembling the speed of a growing branch, and he has to cut them often so he can walk properly. The goes for his teeth as well (and cutting them is much more difficult). His pelt darkens every now and again, growing out before shedding and allowing the regular golden colour to be seen again (the whole pelt doesn't shed, just the long dark fur. The golden one grows underneath until it pushes the dark fur out). Sometimes parts of his body start to sprout a secondary part. Smaller claws will begin to grow on his claws, smaller teeth on his regular ones, and those are much more painful to get rid of (but if he doesn't, they will grow into a problem). Sometimes when his pelt grows long, it will grow especially long strands--strands of clumps of hair that can stretch from his spine down to the ground. But that's painful to get rid of as well, because it's not just fur--it's his own skin stretching out into tendrils, trying to expand. The fur is simply growing on it.

NATURAL CAUSES

TBA

MURDERED

TBA

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Will add more!

If you have ideas for your own characters or want me to do them for you, feel free to let me know!

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@ambitiousauthor @meowstival @liberhoe @indigo-flightly-falls @starfalcon555 @frightnightindustries @wills-woodland-warriors

(sorry to tag you all again so soon)

[residences-of-the-darkforest]

ok I wasn't planning on adding this but I love animal fun facts and since a mentioned the "snake jaw" thing twice now I want to share that technically, snakes don't unhinge their jaws!

They have two lower jaws that are disconnected, which helps them to stretch their mouths so much!

[residences-of-the-darkforest]

Snake Perchclaw: "boy, I'm sleepy!"

Snake Perchclaw: *yawns, jaw stretching abnormally far* "g'night."

Everyone around him: HORRIFIED SCREECHING

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@ambitiousauthor

[residences-of-the-darkforest]

Perch: yea, Myrtle drinks the swimming pool

Viri: does thy esteemed father, in any capacity, possess awareness of the fluid mishaps within the murk of the pools?

Perch: oh he has no idea that the kits pee in it. But it makes me laugh when I see him drinking it, so I don’t tell him.

OH NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

[residences-of-the-darkforest]

How do perchclaw and Myrtle get along? - @wills-woodland-warriors

very well!

While it did take a while to build trust with any adult for Perch, let alone an evil medicine cat that may have reminded him of a certain someone, Perch now views him (and Grouse and Alder) as his father, more his parent than the ones he had in life.

I imagine that Myrtle was blunt and that helped build trust. For Perch, he didn't try to manipulate him or push trust, he just went "think what you will about me, trust me or don't, feel safe around me or don't, that's your choice" and I think that helped Perch to recognized that this cat wasn't trying to hurt him because 1) he wasn't trying to trick him [he wouldn't have said 'don't trust me if you don't want to' if he was] and 2) because he wasn't trying to trick him, he could just go straight to hurting him, which he isn't

After Perch went to The Sward, he earned many wounds, which Myrtle would have been the one to heal, so I feel like their relationship had a huge positive point there (story perhaps?).

He also likes crunching on leaves, so Myrtle keeps some good ones in his stock for him.

--

@ambitiousauthor anything to add?

[residents-of-the-darkforest]

The Sick Kits

Perchclaw purred, eyes closed in bliss as he lifted his chin, allowing Vireosong better access as his mate groomed his fur.

“Perchclaw!”

Perchclaw jumped, almost knocking Vireosong’s muzzle. He sighed when he saw Drizzlestare hurrying toward them. “Why are my sisters always interrupting my alone time with you?” But when he looked from his mate and back to Drizzlestare, his eyes rounded in concern. Did she look distraught?

“Perchclaw! It’s awful!” Drizzlestare gasped, voice stretched in a throat-tearing wail.

Perchclaw scrambled to his feet. “What’s going on? What’s happened?” His mind raced to think of what could have Drizzlestare so distressed, but it was going too fast, he was panicking too much, and his mind was nothing short of a bee-brained Clan of cats tumbling over their own paws as they tried to form a coherent thought for him.

But when his sister spoke, Perchclaw’s mind froze completely. “Momma’s kits! They’re too early, and they’re sick–Stars, they’re so sick…one kit…one kit already…”

Perchclaw’s heart dropped down to the pit of his stomach. He had seen cats here die before, the horrible melting of their skin and organs until there was nothing but bones. To think that that had happened to his kit brother or sister, and that it could happen again… “How sick are they? Never mind that,” he shook his head, “what do they need?”

Drizzlestare shrugged, eyes wide. “I-I don’t know. I just thought you would want to see them before they, you know if they–Waspbeak’s getting Stonefern and Magpieshine, and Willowcloud’s getting Falleniris and–”

Perchclaw faced Vireosong. “Can you see what herbs or bedding you can find?” He would do it himself, but he wanted to see those kits as soon as possible. As well, he wanted to see Hootpetal and offer his adoptive mother–his true mother–what comfort he could. What if she was sick too?

Vireosong dipped his head. "With great care, they will be found.”

“Thank you,” Perchclaw gasped. He took a quick moment to nuzzle his mate. 

“When the gifts have been delivered, this one will be found in the home made together, where cries and laughter have been shared. A shoulder will be giving, and the fur will welcome tears.”

Perchclaw smiled sadly at him. Then without another word, he ran as fast as he could toward the Eye-Out Thorns.

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@ambitiousauthor

[residents-of-the-darkforest]

Play like the kits we never got to be

Sort of gift for @ambitiousauthor

Perch's design was a little hard to do with his position lol. Also they're roughly the same size, Vireo's just curled in while Perch is stretched out.

Both Perch and Vireo's childhoods (kithoods) were stolen from them, especially Perch's. Is it far-fetched to think that in their adulthood, when they're finally fully happy and at peace, they take the occasional moment to play like the kits they never got to be?

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Amazing base that I'll for sure use again someday: Free Valentine's Day Couple Base | Cats by HannahBubbles on DeviantArt