Dark Forest Residences: Archice & Wavespark
Archice
Aliases / Nicknames: The Most Brilliant Cat In All The Clans (by self), My Dear, Ugh Him
Gender: tom
Sexuality: pansexual
Family: Waspfern (mother), Blacktail (father), Wavespark (mate)
Other Relations: unnamed mentor, Wavespark (rival), Robinberry (secondary rival)
Clan: SkyClan
Rank: warrior
Characteristics: inflated ego, bully, likes getting his way, likes annoying other cats
Motive to Harm: self-preservation, scared
Number of Victims: 32
Number of Murders: 0
Murder Method: N/A
Method of Harm: leading a Clanmate into a trap, attempting to get rid of the deputy, disposing of corpses, disrespecting corpses, lying to his Clanmates, not stopping a killer, not reporting a killer to his leader
Known Victims: Frogstone, Acornpaw, Robinberry, several unnamed Clanmates, several unnamed Clan cats, several unnamed loners
Victim Profile: anyone Wavespark killed, the deputy
Cause of Death: fox trap, strangulation
Cautionary Tale: ??
Story:
Archice had never been a nice cat.
His earliest memory was of his father leaving to become a kittypet with another she-cat in the Clan, leaving his mother bitter and short-tempered.
Waspfern doted on her kit, defending him even when he was in the wrong, always treating her son like StarClan's gift that can never be anything but the best. That parenting method went to the kit's head, and Archice grew up to be arrogant, selfish, and extremely egocentric.
What was so wrong with being mean, anyway? Because it hurt feelings? What was he, five? He was a warrior, and that meant he could do whatever he pleased. Take someone else's catch? Tease an apprentice over failing a move? Goad an enemy patrol into a fight and run back to camp because he was the fastest and so that he didn't have to participate in the scuffle? He would do it all if he ever felt like it.
And he would do more if that obnoxious Wavespark didn't always get in the way. When the ginger-white tom caught Archice poke fun at an apprentice, he would challenge him to repeat the very same move against him, and of course Archice would lose--just because he was caught off guard, of course!
When Archice stole someone's catch, Wavespark offered his own to the same cat--and it never failed to be bigger in size or quantity!
The rat! It was like he was trying to make Archice miserable, the way he always stole his fun. The spotted tom's positive attitude and the way everyone smiled when he was near made Archice grit his teeth to dust. They were all idiots if they thought he was anything but a pest!
Then a realization hit him. There was one cat in the Clan who Wavespark had to obey...as did everyone else! If Archice was leader, no one could argue against him. He could tell them to do anything he wished, and they would have to obey--it was the Code! Not to mention all the power he would have...
At last, he would be seen for the wonderous, amazing, brilliant cat that he was! Surely if the deputy was out of the way, Kitestar would choose him. There was no better option.
It took a while to figure out how to do it, but when he saw Twolegs gathering helpless rabbits in those weird web-wire things and taking them away in monster bellies, he knew exactly what to do.
It worked like a charm! Frogstone didn't even suspect him as he tricked the deputy into walking right into the trap! Hidden among ferns, Archice grinned, already ready to celebrate as Frogstone was placed on a monster's exposed back.
He should have expected Wavespark to ruin this too.
There was a flash of orange-and-white fur across his vision before Wavespark leaped onto the monster, gripping the web-wire and struggling to pull Frogstone off.
It was an effort, and Archice allowed himself to believe that the monster would carry them both off. But noo, he never got his way. The brown vine-thing snapped, and the two cats went tumbling to the ground. The impact was enough to break the wires, and just like that, Frogstone was free.
The brown tom thanked Wavespark earnestly, who merely shrugged and said it was no big deal. Archice struggled to hide his fury. The only thing stopping him from snapping at the pest for ruining his plan was the fact that no one knew he set anything up, and he prefer it stay that way.
Frogstone was safe, but not without cost. When the wire mesh broke, it cut into his leg, and he had to stay in the medicine den while it healed.
In his place, Archice eagerly took the opportunity and began organizing patrols, sending cats out in any order he saw fit, rolling his eyes when they complained about being sent out twice and responding that any good warrior would do whatever was asked of them. Of course, he never sent himself out--instead choosing to lounge in the shade inside camp after a 'good day's work.'
He thought he had proved himself. So when Frogstone stepped down officially, Archice puffed his chest out in pride during the Clan meeting, already standing up as Kitestar announced the name of the new deputy--
Wavespark.
The ginger-spotted tom looked surprised, and asked Kitestar if he was sure. There's got to be a better candidate. Kitestar responded that he could think of no one better.
Archice couldn't hold back. Loud enough for everyone to hear, he asked if Kitestar was kidding. The perfect candidate is right here, before his very eyes! And he's not vomit-orange or white like an insect husk. He's dark, and handsome, and more brilliant than that daft smiling puff-ball could ever dream of being! He was the right choice, not Wavespark! He was!
The Clan erupted into grumbling protests, not one in agreement with him. He glared at all of them, promising that he would have made the Clan better.
Kitestar's voice cut through every other response. He coldly told Archice that he would have lead the Clan into disaster, and if he had half the brain he clearly thinks he does, he would have known to keep his mouth shut. If he wanted to keep acting like a spoiled kit, the nursery had more than enough room for him.
The Clan erupted into laughter. That set Archice off. He snarled at them all, asking who would want to lead a Clan full of mousehearts anyway? Then he ran from the camp.
He had no destination in mind, he only wanted to get away from them all.
He didn't understand it. Why couldn't they see he was the right choice? Why couldn't they accept the truth?
He didn't want to go back to the Clan just yet, instead choosing to spend the night sheltering in a tree.
The next day, he was prepared to march back to camp with his chin held high--
he heard a twig snap and spun around.
Him.
Of course it was him.
It's always him!
Archice's fur couldn't bristle any higher if it had been electrocuted. He demanded what Wavespark wanted, come to gloat?
Wavespark's voice was gentle and understanding, as if he were trying to calm a kit throwing a tantrum. He told Archice that he wasn't interested in being deputy. In fact, he would gladly request Archice for the position, so long as he proves himself.
Archice narrowed his eyes. Hadn't he already proved himself?
Wavespark told him there was one thing...
Skeptical, Archice listened as Wavespark described a hidden place in the forest that almost no one knew about. The only reason he knew about it was because Frogstone told him everything yesterday after the ceremony. It's hard to find, but hidden deep within thick brush lies a hole in the ground.
If a cat goes deep enough, and if they take the right passage, they will find swaths and swaths of herbs, like it's own little forest. There will likely even be mice and voles and many other little animals.
All Archice had to do was find it. If he found more herbs than a cat could carry and as much food as three cats could hunt, surely Kitestar would recognize how great he is--surely they all would. After all, it's how Frogstone earned the position, according to the former deputy.
But maybe Archice wouldn't like it, it is a tough squeeze at times and if he can't take it--
Archice assured him that he could.
He wasted no time in looking for the spot. It took a while, with many tunnels turning out to just be ordinary rabbit burrows, but eventually he found it.
Wavespark wasn't lying--it was well-hidden, in the centre of a cluster of bushes so thick no one could even see the entryway from the outside, and inside it was a struggle to even move through the mass of branches. But Archice's desire to win propelled him forward.
He entered the dark tunnel. Down, down he went, holding his breath, excitement fizzing in his paws as he imagined the faces of his Clanmates.
Eventually the space opened up a little, and Archice sniffed the air, not wanting to take the wrong route.
Herbs...Herbs...
This way!
The squeeze became tighter as the roof of the cave lowered more and more, and soon Archice was crawling on his belly. Anxiety was creeping in, but he refused to listen to it. He wasn't a coward! He could take it. Just a little bit more...
It was when he couldn't move that panic truly set in. He tried to call for Wavespark, but he couldn't even open his jaw more than a claw-length.
He couldn't see. It was all black. All he could hear was...nothing. There was no sound here, nothing but a horrible stench to accompany his senses.
What was that?
He could only move his legs, but they couldn't propel him forward or back. His claws snagged on something...fur? Must be a dead hare. He pushed it away, too afraid to be disgusted.
He couldn't move.
He couldn't see.
He couldn't call for help.
There was nothing to hear.
The only thing he could make sense of was that terrible smell.
How long until Wavespark noticed he hadn't returned? How long until they're able to find him after that?
Archice's heart raced impossibly quick.
How would they even get him out?
Those thoughts plagued him for hours as he lie stuck alone in the dark. At one point, he was beginning to wonder if Wavespark forgot about him. Or maybe no one cared enough to look. Maybe it was decided that it was too dangerous, best to leave one warrior to die than risk losing two...
Was he going to die here?
With renewing panic, Archice struggled more. It did nothing. He tried to scream as loud as he could. All he heard in response was his own echo.
He was getting weak.
He was getting hungry.
The hare...He was at the point that he didn't care. Digging his claws into its fur, he dragged it towards him. The bites were small, considering how little movement his mouth had, but at least he was still able to eat.
When he finished with whatever side of it he was on, he flipped the hare over--slowly and with difficulty.
But when his paws ran over the body, his heart leapt into his throat. This wasn't a hare's muzzle. These ears were much too small...Oh Stars, the paws...
This wasn't a hare.
Archice vomited and screamed. He tried desperately to get away, scratching his back and stomach against the rocks, slamming his paws against any surface they caught on. Doing that, he felt more fur, and thrashed even more.
He hardly noticed the stones tearing at his skin or the blood flowing down his body. But at one point, Archice was able to move. He backed away further and further until at last he could stand. He wasted no time in turning around and sprinting up the tunnel, running further and further along the trees, just wanting to get as far away from that awful place as possible, before his legs couldn't take it and he had to stop, buckling to the ground.
All the bleeding, the panicking, and the weakness from being trapped down there for who-knew how long was too much. Archice passed out.
He woke up in the medicine den. Kitestar was there to ask what on earth happened to him in a surprisingly soothing way, considering their last interaction. Archice's eyes went wide, and he shook terribly at just the memory. The den...the walls were closing in...it was too tight.
He ignored the medicine cat's protests as he limped out of the den and flopped onto the grass outside, drinking in the fresh air like he was going to die without it.
Then he remembered the cats.
Oh Stars...!
He told Kitestar that they were down there.
Down where? Where had he been?
Archice stared at him.
Wavespark didn't tell him? Did...Did Wavespark want him to die? Did he kill those other cats, too?
He wanted to tell Kitestar everything, he should have, but terror gripped his heart like a fox's bite, and the words died on his tongue. Kitestar told him to get some rest, that he could talk about it later when he was better.
Better...
Was Archice ever going to get better after that?
In time, his wounds healed, but his mind could never be the same.
The first time he saw Wavespark after that, he had a panic attack.
Wavespark acted like he was glad to see Archice okay, never giving away a single hint that he had anything to do with Archice's predicament.
Archice had never before thought he would be so scared of that bright, happy, goody-twowhiskers.
But he wasn't good. He was a murderer, wasn't he? He tried to murder Archice. He was...he was...Stars, what kind of cat was he? No, not a cat....a beast, a monster. How could anyone kill like that? How could anyone...How could....How could he?
It was evil beyond words, beyond comprehension--even to Archice, who had lived the nightmare.
Despite living the truth, he desperately clung to the hope that he was wrong, somehow. That maybe he had hallucinated while down there, or it was just a nightmare...a very real, very intense nightmare. A deeper part of him knew that it was real, and that he was making up scenarios for the sake of his own sanity. The other part, the scared part, needed him to be wrong.
That is why he kept quiet, even when the overwhelming terror died down to a low, but ever present, hum. Too, keeping quiet about what had happened meant he didn't have to think about it. It was better to lie to himself than confront the horrible truth.
Even so, there was a sinking feeling in his stomach whenever he saw Wavespark leaving the camp with someone. He knew they wouldn't always return. He was disgusted with himself for letting it happen, a self-loathing he had never before experienced.
Then Wavespark was given an apprentice.
Archice had never been kind, even to apprentices, but the thought of someone so young, so innocent, so trusting and naive being alone with that cat...He didn't like kits, but he certainly wasn't going to stand by as one was murdered.
He followed Wavespark for a while whenever he and Acornpaw left the camp, even with a patrol. Being so close to the spotted tom, almost alone and in the forest wasn't easy. But he forced himself on. For a moon and a half, nothing happened. Wavespark was kind and supportive, acting just like the tom he was before he had tried to kill--Before the tunnel incident.
Archice was beginning to accept that he really had been mistaken. Maybe he was holding onto something that wasn't there, and that was the only reason he was still so scared. Not because Wavespark tried to kill him. Hah, what an idea. Maybe he was just an idiot and forgot.
Maybe now he could fully move on. He felt his shoulders slump as the weight of the past several moons melted away. Maybe he could go back to normal. Maybe he could--
"There's a tunnel under the grass."
Archice's attention shot back to the mentor and apprentice instantly.
"There's more herbs than you can carry and more mice than you can count! Go there and find it, and Kitestar will make you a warrior before you can blink."
"Woah! Really? That's all it takes?"
"That's it. I heard it's a tight squeeze, so if you don't want to..."
"No! No! I can do it!"
Archice could have vomited. That's exactly how it happened to him, exactly how he was tricked. It was real. All of it. Every single second.
And that apprentice was going to experience it too.
Archice sprang from hiding before he could stop himself, shouting at Acornpaw to not listen, that it was a trick and Wavespark was trying to kill her.
But of course, he was the mean, strange Clanmate who was obviously speaking nonsense. Acornpaw, staring in confusion, backed up to Wavespark.
Archice tried to convince her, explaining that Wavespark said the same thing to him, that he left him to die in that cave, that there were at least two other dead bodies down there that Wavespark probably also tricked.
When still his words went unheard, he told her that he could prove it. They just had to--
Acornpaw was dead before he could finish, throat slit open in a second. The words were still dying on Archice's tongue as blood pooled around her small body, and Wavespark stood over her, casually shaking his head.
Wavespark only said that it was disappointing, he really liked her voice. And now there was all this blood.
Clean up, would you? He had said, with the same level of calmness he would have if he were asking someone to get a mouse for him.
Archice could only stare at him, trembling, hardly able to speak. He just barely managed to whisper that Wavespark had killed her, he had killed her....
Wavespark had shook his head. No, Archice killed her. At least, that's the story Wavespark will tell if he doesn't take care of this. When Archice tried to argue further, eyes still on the poor little cat, Wavespark asked him who everyone will believe.
Well...
Surely they would...
He thought of Kitestar's words, of the whole Clan laughing at him, of how no one bothered to find him when he was missing for days. Maybe before everything he would have believed without question that no one would doubt his story, but now...he...he didn't have a choice, did he?
He didn't take her to those tunnels. Whether it was out of what little respect he could give her or because he didn't want to go near that place, he wasn't sure. It was best not to think about it. So, he didn't.
As he dug into the ground, as he placed Acornpaw beneath the dirt and covered her corpse, as he lapped at the blood that stained the grass, he didn't think about it, numbly following his deputy's order.
It went on like that for the next several cats. Wavespark would either send them to the tunnel or would simply slit their throat and have Archice dispose of the body--claiming that he couldn't bring himself to destroy such beauty.
The moment that broke Archice was when Wavespark invited him to a secluded clearing, and he found the ginger-and-white tom standing over the body of who Archice had thought was his best friend--Robinberry.
His eyes were bright,
His smile was wide.
Her gaze was frozen in horror.
Archice had never liked her, she was Wavespark's friend, after all, but he had never wished her dead. Now she lay, blood splattered across her corpse, throat slashed open horribly. She and Wavespark had been friends since apprenticehood. Did he feel nothing for her? Did he feel nothing for anyone?
He snapped, confronting Wavespark again. He stated that he wasn't going to allow Wavespark to make him into a monster any longer. He was putting a stop to this, no matter what, no matter the consequences, no matter if no one believed him.
He was prepared for a fight, but his reflexes failed him, or Wavespark was faster than he had thought because before Archice could so much as lift a paw to defend himself, his throat felt hot and wet. He staggered, red staining his throat, his chest, his paws, and the ground below him. He was hardly able to understand what was happening before collapsing to the ground, gasping, coughing, trying to hold onto his throat.
Then, just as suddenly as he had torn out Archice's throat, Wavespark was bandaging it, carefully, focused. He pressed moss against the wound, held there by cobwebs and tightly-wound leaves.
It was extremely meticulous, as if Wavespark truly wanted Archice to live, as if he wasn't the one that had slit his throat moments ago.
When he was done, he lay curled up next to Archice, grooming his fur, as if soothing him.
Archice was...scared...overwhelmed, confused, alarmed, tired, angry...the only thing he could think to ask was What is going on? But no answer could come to him, and he wasn't sure if he should trust anything Wavespark said. He didn't want to risk asking anyway--it hurt to move his throat.
Both toms were startled by a hunting Clanmate who stumbled upon the gruesome sight.
Archice tensed, looking away, preparing to hear this cat's last breath. Instead, Wavespark acted distressed, claiming that Robinberry had attacked Archice out of nowhere! It was like she had lost her mind...Oh, how terrible it was! Wavespark didn't mean to kill her! He's so, so sorry! He couldn't help her, but he managed to bandage Archice.
Right, Arch?
This was his chance.
He could tell the truth.
He didn't even have to speak--just shake his head, just wait for Wavespark to look away and make one gesture.
He nodded.
Archice wished he could block out all the whispers in the camp, but stuffing moss in his ears could only do so much. Thankfully, due to Wavespark's reputation mostly, cats were quick to believe his story. But they still asked questions amongst each other, wondering why Robinberry had suddenly turned so aggressive. They knew she and Archice were less than civil, but to attack like that?
Her name, her memory, was stained. Archice should be happy, shouldn't he? Other than Wavespark, he hated her the most. But...no. She didn't deserve that. She didn't deserve to die, to be betrayed, and she doesn't deserve to have her name dragged through the mud when the only thing she did was trust the wrong cat.
He went back to being silent, obedient. He didn't want to see his Clanmates die, he hated carrying their bodies to a secret place where they couldn't be mourned properly by their loved ones.
At the same time, he resented them all. They all seemed glad with how quiet he has been lately, never once asking him why he had changed so much--why he no longer loudly voiced his opinions, why he no longer bossed others around, why he was no longer himself. They were just happy that the cat he was was gone. Maybe he hated them for it. Maybe it was just to feel better when he had to dispose of them.
The only one who truly saw him was the one who put him through so much pain in the first place.
Wavespark's eyes sent a shiver through Archice whenever they met--at the same time, they were the only ones to really look at him, to really look at him and see him.
When Wavespark told him to meet him at the northern-most clearing at sun-down, Archice expected what he always expected--to be met with a corpse that needed to be taken care of.
Instead, he found Wavespark, neatly groomed with his tail wrapped around his paws, a blackbird sitting in front of him.
Archice was tensed, prepared for a lot of things--to dispose, to kill (though he had never done that before), to fight, to follow any order Wavespark gave him or to be attacked.
What he was not expecting was for Wavespark to confess feelings for him.
Archice's brain couldn't function for a good several heartbeats, and then some more heartbeats. Only when his mind was working again did he realize how romantic the setting was.
The clearing they were sitting in rose to a crest, where they sat on. On the opposite side, a stream flowed steadily, widening out a tree-length in front of them. Along its banks, colourful flowers grew at full bloom, swaying gently in the wind. The setting sun made the scene even more beautiful, as it cast a glow across the water's surface and outlined the trees in gold.
Too, blackbird was Archice's favourite. Archice was ready to eat it...Was this a trick? It was poisoned, wasn't it?
Wavespark assured him it wasn't, as if he could just trust his word. He told Archice that he could reject him if he wished, Wavespark wasn't going to force him to be his mate, he wasn't that kind of tom. He admitted that he first felt admiration for Archice after he had survived the tunnel, which no one before had been able to do. It wasn't a strong feeling then, but he felt a pull towards the black tom, a pull that grew into something more as time went on.
Wavespark told him that he knows Archice thinks highly of himself--everyone knows, but he doesn't think Archice truly understands how great he is. He thinks he's smart--and he is--but he doesn't consider how durable he is , nor how handsome and funny.
No one else thought he was smart.
No one else thought he was funny.
No one else thought he was handsome.
No one else thought he was durable.
They always rolled their eyes and snorted when he tried to say otherwise--such as at the meeting. But no one had ever agreed, no one had said it first, and certainly no one had pointed out strengths that even Archice hadn't realized he had.
Archice asked him why he had slit his throat. Wavespark had tried to kill him twice, which was bad enough--but at least they were rivals when the tunnel happened.
Wavespark responded that he would never kill him. He got him bandaged, didn't it?
Then why did he do it?
Because I knew your blood would be beautiful.
Archice accepted.
He wasn't sure if it was the smart thing to do--he couldn't even be sure if he did it out of reciprocation or self-preservation, couldn't trust his own thoughts or feelings, couldn't be sure of them.
But it was the decision he made.
There was no going back.
Wavespark
Aliases / Nicknames: Pest, Puffball, Daft Smiling Puffball, Guppy, Goody-Twowhiskers, Murderer, Monster
Gender: tom
Sexuality: homosexual
Family: Sunny (mother), unnamed father, Sandwillow (adoptive mother), Barktuft (adoptive father), several unnamed littermates, Rushpaw (adoptive sister), Archice (mate), Minnie (grandmother)
Other Relations: unnamed mentor, Gladeburn, Acornpaw (apprentices), Archice (rival / lacky)
Clan: SkyClan
Rank: deputy
Characteristics: friendly, positive, optimistic, curious, organized, patient, thinks death is beautiful
Murder Motive: to hear the screams, to see the blood
Number of Victims: 61
Number of Murders: 60
Murder Method: neglecting help, luring into an inescapable tunnel, slitting throat, mauling
Known Victims: Sunny, Rushpaw, Barktuft, Archice, Acornpaw, Robinberry, several unnamed Clanmates, several unnamed Clan cats, several unnamed loners, several unnamed kittypets
Victim Profile: his mother, his adoptive sister, his adoptive father, his apprentice, his friend, his rival, anyone he thought would have a beautiful scream, anyone he thought would have beautiful blood
Cause of Death: killed by a dog
Cautionary Tale: ??
Story:
Wavespark was born in the loving embrace of his mother, a kittypet named Sunny. He was snuggled in a makeshift nest of the softest material he would ever feel, resting against her belly between the small bodies of his littermates.
Though he couldn't make sense of what she was saying, her voice was soothing nonetheless, soft and gentle and brimming with love. He was pulled towards it, nuzzling against her muzzle until he fell asleep by her cheek.
He loved his mother.
He loved her voice.
He loved her screams, too.
Wavespark--Guppy then, was amazed by the outside the first time they were taken to the yard. The sounds were amazing, and the smells, the sights--there was just so much to explore!
He wanted to see what was beyond the fence, but his grandmother stopped him. Said it was too dangerous.
But he was curious, and he snuck out to see. He ended up in another garden, and after exploring that, he kept moving from yard to yard, until while he was looking around, a bark split the air and a dog came hurtling towards him.
Guppy was frozen. Just when jaws would have snapped around his head, a blur of movement covered his vision and in the next second, Sunny had attacked the dog. She shouted at Guppy to run, and he took the chance immediately, leaping onto the top of the fence.
He knew he should keep going, run to safety, or get help, or anything but just stand there and watch.
He was transfixed.
His mother's blood sprayed against the grass, elegant crimson streaks arching in the sky. She yowled, screaming, and Guppy could have melted into the song. Her voice was always so tender, but never as pleasant as this.
Then a group of wild cats jumped over the other fence, attacking the dog while others dragged his mother away. It was too late, though, she had succumbed to her wounds, torn apart and painted red.
They saw Guppy and, believing he was now an orphan, offered to take him to their camp. He didn't correct them, instead agreeing eagerly. He could explore the forest!
He was adopted by Sandwillow and Barktuft, a loving couple who treated him like their own son the moment they met him. They only had one blood-kit, a daughter named Rushkit. She was happy to have a brother and new playmate. Apparently a tom named "Archkit" was no fun.
Guppy, now Wavekit, loved his new family. He loved how soothing his new mother was, he loved how playful his father could be. And his sister just had the loveliest voice.
He knew her screams would be beautiful, too.
But how to hear it?
There were no canines on the territory, not a single sign of a predator since he had joined the Clan. There had to be another way. While out training with his mentor, he would always keep an eye out, searching, scanning. Despite his efforts, he found the perfect spot by pure accident.
He was collecting herbs for the medicine cat as a surprise when he heard the faintest cry. Curious, he followed it, and found small holes dotted all along the ground. They were hardly big enough for his paw to fit through, easily missed, but they carried a sound from somewhere within them. There was a cat trapped down there somehow, and the earth was channeling it to him for him to hear.
He stayed there, drinking in the sound, bathing in its song until the cries faded to nothing. He got in trouble for staying out too long, but it was worth it.
He just had to figure out how someone got down there...
To say it took a long time would be an understatement, but eventually he found it. Wavepaw entered the burrow and was amazed to find a cavern beneath the earth.
He looked around the space in awe. After collecting himself, he decided to go deeper and deeper until he realized that the roof was getting too low, and he quickly shuffled back. Good thing he noticed, that could have killed him!
That's probably what killed the cat he heard...
It would be the perfect spot for Rushpaw to sing.
But what if she shuffles back, too?
How to convince her to keep moving forward?
A lie did the trick nicely.
Wavepaw came up to Rushpaw, saddened and worried as he explained that he overheard her mentor talking...it's not great. Her apprenticeship would probably be delayed.
Rushpaw panicked, asking what they should do.
Wavepaw admitted that he heard about this secret place....
He was right.
Her song was beautiful.
The Clan was in chaos the next day, searching for her. No one bothered to listen to Wavepaw when he told them that she was singing, and would sing forever now. No one except for Barktuft.
Wavepaw never planned for him to get stuck as well, trying to retrieve his daughter's body, but his anguished cries when he saw her limp corpse were anything but horrid. Wails of grief became screams of terror. Soon enough, two cats in the Clan were missing instead of one.
It became accepted that the pair had left, either to become loners or kittypets. With no signs of rogues, enemy Clans, or predators anywhere in the territory, and no trace of blood or of a struggle, it just made sense. If they didn't leave willingly, maybe they were taken by some Twoleg. At least they would be taken care of. At least Sandwillow could believe her mate and daughter were okay.
Wavepaw became bored quickly. He probably should have considered that his actions would cause him to lose a playmate, but oh well. Too late for that now.
Without his sister to keep him company, he became good friends with another apprentice: Robinpaw.
The two became best friends, training together whenever they had the option, helping each other learn skills and sharing jokes.
Wavepaw was a good friend.
He was a good Clanmate, too. After his father, he stopped targeting his Clanmates, moving instead to any rogue, loner, or kittypet whose voice he thought was good enough. Sure, it was partly because he didn't want to lose another cat that could have been useful, but the end was still the same. He loved his home. He loved his friends.
His interests didn't change that. So when he saw someone hurt or in trouble, he helped them. He found himself helping them a lot whenever Archice was around, and he challenged the darker tom when needed. Sure, Archice was a little annoying and his attitude could use some work, but he was also amusing. Wavespark thought his grumbling was funny.
But he didn't appreciate being insulted in front of the entire Clan.
That made him angry.
He never killed someone out of rage before, but he knew no one would complain if Archice just disappeared one day. He would do them all a favour...
But Archice lived. The only one who ever did.
Wavespark couldn't help but feel admiration.
He let him be. But though he wasn't unhappy with Archice's achievement, the other cat's survival created an itch deep within Wavespark, one that couldn't be satisfied with rogues or loners or kittypets, not even by the occasional enemy Clan cat...so he took some of his Clanmates, the ones he knew he wouldn't miss if they were gone. He listened to their songs, and wondered why he had ever waited so long.
Acornpaw's voice was amazing. Especially how it was now, young and chirpy. He worried she would lose it when she got older. That wouldn't be fair to her. She should get to keep it, even when she was dead and with the Stars.
Then Archice confronted him in front of his apprentice. One cat badmouthing him was bad enough, but two? Two wouldn't do. One had to go, and he was already going to send her away, so no skin off his nose. He was deeply saddened he couldn't hear her voice, but he realized that the red splattered against his orange and white paw was just as breathtaking. It reminded him of his mother.
He had ordered Archice to dispose of the evidence. Getting rid of all that beauty, all that wonder...it was terrible. He couldn't do it himself, so he convinced Archice to.
From then on, Archice was his helper, whether he liked it or not.
The more time Wavespark spent with the bitter tom, the more his affection grew. Every little thing the dark tom did, every expression he made or word he spoke wrapped snuggly around Wavespark's heart, string by string until it was utterly covered and ensnared in the dark tom's web.
But he wasn't blind. He knew that Archice was miserable.
Tried as Wavespark might, Archice just couldn't see the beauty.
Maybe he could be shown...And if not, maybe a gesture would be enough.
Robinberry thought nothing of it when he invited her out for a walk. He liked her, he really did. They were best friends! But Archice hated her, and if he saw what Wavespark was willing to do for him, surely he would see how much he was appreciated. Surely he would be glad to have her gone.
He wasn't.
Even when Archice snapped at him, threatened him, Wavespark's heart only burst with overwhelming amounts of love. Archice was so fierce, so passionate, so handsome...he would look astonishing covered in his inner beauty, as well.
Wavespark just had to see it.
He was right.
So beautiful.
That solidified it. He would ask Archice to be his mate.
He was over the moon when the darker tom accepted, though he wasn't very affectionate, especially in public. But he noticed how defensive Archice became, snapping at anyone who snickered at Wavespark at gatherings, and he noticed how Archice moved his nest closer to his, bit by bit.
Together, they would paint the world in a breathtaking red, and fill it with the most stunning songs. Then they would clean it all up and start again.
Most would never get to see the art, most would never understand it. That saddened Wavespark and it always would, but he cared less about that now. The whole world didn't need to see it. If it was just him with only Archice by his side, then he might was well have the whole world anyway.
If it weren't for that dog, they would have grown old, side by side. But that was okay. Bleeding out on the ground, fire scorching every inch of his body as his pelt was utterly torn to shreds, he knew it looked beautiful.
Additional Information:
--Should Barktuft know he would have gotten stuck? Maybe, but desperation and grief makes you do dumb things.
--To clarify: there's a main tunnel that Wave used to get other cats into the ground. Then there are other, smaller tunnels that a cat can't fit through, but they can carry the sound of cats screaming within the tunnels, which is how Wave hears them above ground.
--To put it outside of WC terms: Frogstone was lured into a cage (the web-wire). That cage was put on the back of a truck (the monster with an "exposed back") and tied there with a rope (the brown vine-thing).
When Wave was helping Frog, the rope snapped and the cage fell from the truck and broke open, and as it did it cut into Frog.
--Frog didn't retire from his injury per se. I like to give background characters their own little stories. His is that he broke up with his mate to focus on his duties, but that near-miss made him reconsider things, so he retired so he could spend more time with her and his eventual family.
--Robinberry wasn't seen much in Archice's story despite being another rival because it was already too long. But to put it short: they were apprentices together and she always beat him.
--Wavespark isn't a laughing stock at gatherings or anything. Archice defending him just happens when cats are mean.
--Wavespark has other DF eye versions! Check them out HERE
--BASES:
Archice base is by Kaylink on DeviantArt
Wavespark base is by Paraqeet on DeviantArt