About

🍂 A springy young Grem seemingly born of the autumn season. Such a whimsical thought isn't much helped by the fact he is often seen assimilating with piles of leaves, regardless of whoever may be observing. Despite his unkempt appearance, his short, thick fur is very soft and well-maintained. Not that Cricket is the least bit concerned with impressing anyone with that secret. One would be lucky to place a hand on him without him retaliating with a bite.

PERSONALITY

Adventurous ◆ Straightforward ◆ Headstrong ◆ Fickle ◆ Elusive ◆ Rowdy
Abounding in energy. Introverted, but not opposed to company — rather, Cricket is just finicky on the sorts of folks he hangs around. He loves having carefree friends to play-wrestle and explore with. Inversely, he seems reluctant to go near strangers, if only to avoid the risk of someone nitpicking his bad manners. Not even his "mentors" have any footing to scold him on without being scolded in return. Adamantly independent, Cricket's various conundrums, if he even has any, are known only to himself.

JOB / HOBBIES

Cricket lives in the woods. He has an arguable living situation with Arlyss, in the attic of the witch Grem's cottage. When he isn't dawdling about the property, he is frolicking amok in the surrounding miles of forest. He enjoys the soreness in his muscles after exerting himself: hiking steep hills, scaling trees, digging burrows, and flailing against upstream currents. Much to his mentor's distress, the young Grem has returned with broken bones on the occasion. Fortunately, he boasts a vitality to bounce back from such injuries with little issue. It's not unusual that Cricket ventures far, Arlyss accepting that he might not see him for days at a time. Such expeditions are manageable while Cricket is a Grem that loves hunting for his food. Arlyss forbids him from preying upon any of the creatures near his cottage though; Sylvester meanwhile insisting he catches something for him too as a toll for loitering. With all his prancing and pouncing in the wilderness, Cricket catches all sorts of wildlife, sometimes to be kept as pets for the day.

 HISTORY

At the start, Cricket was a nature trail tour guide for a site called Barkley Wilderness Loop. Though passionate and well-versed, he often fell into heavy distractions. He would often be late for shifts, or deviate from the script/routine on energetic tangents. He earned himself supervision when he repeatedly turned rogue chaperone, with tour groups of children going on detours to play off the trail. After only two years constrained to the job, he fled for the hills. There were attempts made to recover him, but after several "rescues”, he dodged his old owners for good — though more likely, they just relinquished him to the wild.

It was in his aimless wandering that he encountered odd sorts in the forests. Firstly, the witch Grem named Arylss, as isolated and mystifying as an oddity could ever be. Cricket was immediately curious. Despite his distracted nature, Cricket found that the older Grem presented information in a way that captured his attention. He became enchanted to a world beyond nature that Arylss bore a connection to. It was evident they were a joyful match, and with some discussion, Arlyss invited Cricket to come around as he pleases.

As a second odd-fated occurrence, in the densest of groves even further removed from the abode of Arlyss, Cricket encountered another hermit. As notably solitary as the witch Grem was, Sylvester was a loner twice over, without the hospitable mystery that came with Arlyss. Sylvester was a boring sort of secretive who gave him hell over poking around his neck of the woods. Still, Cricket found it hard to abandon the grouch to his unimaginative affairs. Perhaps, he was simply too provoked being referred to as a menace. His pesky visits were met with more and more perturbation, until the big grump pledged himself to be a predator and outright threatened to eat him. Although Cricket was nearly snacked-upon, he managed to batter Sylvester into laziness over his meal choice. Thus, their short-lived clash ended with a weird truce, where the larger Grem succumbed to tolerating his pest of a guest.

Now, Cricket freely roams between the two, like uncovered treasure in his adventures.

Relationships

Arlyss  [ mentor ]

Cricket partakes in a vague mentor-apprentice relationship with this Grem. Regardless of the years between them, theirs is a bond of mutual respect, though not devoid of banter. Arlyss has taken the young Grem under his wing, providing him living accommodations & education in exchange for errands and the occasional upkeep of his cottage. While Cricket is fascinated by his mentor's mysterious lifestyle and submits himself to teachings, Arlyss equally appreciates Cricket's pockets of expertise outside his realm of experiences. The mentor consults his apprentice often on the outside world. Cricket's lingo leaves the older Grem plentifully baffled.

Yumeno  [ acquaintance ]

Cricket has found interaction a bit bland and tricky with Yumeno. Time spent around each other has been out of intersecting instances of company with Arylss. His mentor is senseless and infatuated around her, much to Cricket's boredom. Her chronic hauntings of their cottage come with spells of quiet that drive the young Grem out of his mind. He doesn't dislike Yumeno, but Cricket has yet to will any meaningful spark with himself and the witch.

Sylvester  [ "mentor" ]

Agitated harmony. A louse for a lout.