Dewleaf 🌲

As a kit, Dewkit was extremely close to Buzzardkit and Salamanderkit, and they would often hang out and play games. Although both litters of kits never knew their fathers, as the respective father and respective mother of the kits both mutually and respectfully agreed to part ways after, the mothers of the kits raised each of them as their own, thus strengthening their bond. Dewkit even had a crush on Salamanderkit for a bit, which caused Buzzardkit to tease him about it. While Salamanderkit pursued being a Medicine Cat, the other two decided to train to be warriors. Overall, it seemed that the two had a strong bond, and nothing could break it.

As an apprentice, Dewpaw was assigned Eggfoot as his mentor, a very caring and patient cat.

Dewpaw and Buzzardpaw were still incredibly close, and the two did almost everything and anything together.

On one occasion, Dewpaw decided to be stubborn and not follow his mentor’s orders, causing him to be sent out the camp to gather moss as a punishment. During this, it got dark, causing Dewpaw to get lost as he was unable to find his way back to camp. During this, he ran into a fox, who nearly killed him, only to be saved by a rogue tom named Blaze. Blaze was a very polite tom, being one of the first rogues to make peace with the clans. When Eggfoot found him, he was a bit distrustful of Blaze at first, but softened when Dewpaw confirmed Blaze saved his life.

The two made amends, hence how their bond strengthened.

Later on, Dewpaw slowly started catching feelings for Buzzardpaw. At one point, he gifted her a purple flower to match her eyes, passing it off as a simple “platonic” gift for their close friendship, sort of like a friendship bracelet.

The same day, the two went on a patrol, and while the two were marking borders, Buzzardpaw met a kittypet named Aphrodite, who was very bold and honest, and Buzzardpaw found her to be refreshing and almost interesting. As the two coversed, Dewpaw saw them and went over, yelling at Buzzardpaw for how she was behaving and how she shouldn’t be talking to a kitttpet. Buzzardpaw was clearly annoyed at Dewpaw’s meddling, and as they left, they heard Buzzardpaw apologize for them, making an irritated comment about how overprotective they can be, thus starting the rift between the two.

While the two still hung out after that, Buzzardpaw seemed less interested in talking with him and more interested in something else that wasn’t there, and that Dewpaw, while he did suspect what it was, was in deep denial about it, and was convinced it was just paranoia.

When they became warriors, it was clear now that Buzzardpaw was interested in something else rather than Dewpaw, making him grow anxious at the idea that she may not care for him as much anymore, thus making him more protective of her and only driving them farther apart. Dewpaw received their warrior name, Dewleaf, while Buzzardpaw received the name Buzzardcry. As warriors, the two often had arguments, since Dewleaf was set on doing his duties while Buzzardcry took it as an opportunity to not do them.

Soon after they became warriors, a raccoon attack hit the camp. In this raccoon attack, they had lost their leader, Snakestar, as well as Bramblebranch, Dewleaf’s mother, after she had saved him.

Cedarstar took the role of leader, while Orangeroar was elected as deputy. While he did respect both of them, he hated how they had constantly tried getting him out of his den and safe-zone.

Dewleaf fell into grief (and his spiked up head-fur began to swoop back, for whatever reason-- which would continue with time), and Buzzardcry, despite their arguments, helped him through it, only strengthening his feelings for her. But she still seemed distant, but it didn’t matter to him; she was probably just busy with warrior duties, it wasn’t about that kittypet, right? He thought she stopped seeing her after that one patrol where he told her off.

But, as his feelings grew, he noticed how she only grew more and more disconnected, and she stopped going on most hunting or border patrols with him and would return back to camp at ridiculous times of the night. He never spoke about his observations, though, despite all this evidence building up to one big thing: she was still seeing that one kittypet from all those moons ago.

Dewleaf grew more bitter at the thought, but continued to pursue and “flirt” with Buzzardcry, who was overall uninterested in him.

But, she didn’t directly reject him, even when he seemed more direct about it. She almost let him, leading him on to believe she requited these feelings. They became so obsessed with this idea, they informed Salamandereye, who simply shrugged it off, because they found it to be something that wouldn’t end up well.

Dewleaf ignored this, following his heart rather than his brain.

That’s when a couple moons after, Buzzardcry came to camp with Aphrodite, who asked if she could join the clan. But it wasn’t just that, the two seemed so… intimate. When Cedarstar questioned why Buzzardcry was assisting, Buzzardcry revealed they were a couple.

Dewleaf was shocked for a few moments, feelings mixed with hurt, betrayal, and pain. So, he ran out, screeching "Traitor!" at Buzzardcry. He snapped at her for breaking the code, and how she is therefore a traitor.

Buzzardcry stated confident, saying how if he really thought that, then they couldn’t be friends anymore. Dewleaf sneered how he wouldn’t want to be friends with a code breaker anyways, beginning to engage in an argument with her, but was stopped as other clanmates pulled him away from her. Cedarstar accepted the request, making Aphrodite a warrior named Aspenstream, much to Dewleaf’s anger and distaste. He felt betrayed by every cat in the clan, and that they all favored a rogue over him.

Dewleaf soon isolated himself from other cats, and when he didn’t, he was cold and envious, extra strict about code-breaking and following the warrior code, since he was still trying to find a reason to make an excuse of why he was upset of Aspenstream joining and being in a forbidden relationship, not wanting to admit the truth that he was really upset Buzzardcry “used” him and didn’t feel the same way.

He became obsessed with it— unhealthily so. Due to his loneliness, he became more attached to it to have a reason to continue to have a reason in still be in the clan. It was all he spoke about; whenever a cat did something small like eat prey earlier than a kit did in new-leaf-- when prey was still rich, he'd scold them. He became obsessed with it.

One day, while hunting in a tree, he saw Buzzardcry and Aspenstream walking together whilst also being affectionate. He grew distracted with anger and fell from the tree, resulting in a minor sprain in his shoulder. When he went to the medicine cats den, Salamandereye, while treating them, informed them that this wasn’t the way to go, isolating themself and not just getting over himself and making amends with Buzzardcry. Dewleaf, who felt betrayed, especially since Salamandereye was the only one who still talked to him and knew about Dewleaf’s feelings for Buzzardcry, snapped at him for being just like everyone else, ready to betray him and shut him out when they wanted to.

Salamandereye felt a bit saddened, which surprised the both of them since they didn’t show much of it, and sighed and told Dewleaf that he really needed to work on himself and his problems.

Dewleaf, once again, took this horribly, and took it as that Salamandereye had completely wanted to leave Dewleaf’s life, only further wrecking his mental state (and after that, his 'hair' had fully swooped back).

He only had one cat left, Eggfoot, but Eggfoot wouldn’t talk to him after everything Dewleaf had said about codebreakers, since both of Eggfoot’s parents were rogues.

Dewleaf tried talking to him, but when Eggfoot wouldn’t, they simply lashed out at them, just like how they did to everybody else. Nobody was there for him now-- he was alone.

Dewleaf surrounded himself with so much anger and bitterness that it got to him at some point.

And so he isolated himself as much as he could.

Along with this, around this time, he got a loose hair-strand, giving him a unique, defining look.

He did his duties, but he did them in solitude. He went on patrols, but tagged behind everyone else. At one point, Orangeroar had tried to get him to socialize by making him lead a patrol, but they directly declined the offer and instead just wanted to join one.

Moons later, it seemed everyone had defended Buzzardcry and Aspenstream whenever Dewleaf made a snarky or sly comment, and he seemed more like the loner of the group rather than the loners and kittypets— well, Aspenstream, had actually joined the clan.

He was so angry at both the world and admittedly, himself, that sometimes he would even intentionally fall from trees and such just to let all his anger out. During the last of these said occasions treatment being done by Salamandereye, they had told Dewleaf they needed to find a “new light” and learn that their life doesn’t end here; Buzzardcry could still be in their life, but only as a friend, and he had to accept that.

Dewleaf, though he dismissed it at first, slowly started to find wisdom in their words, and decided he would take the advice— one day, that was.

He stopped being so aggressive towards Buzzardcry and Aspenstream, and began to be polite and respectful, giving more formal praise towards both of them and starting to stop lagging behind patrols.

Buzzardcry, though surprised, returned this sudden respect, and it seemed the strong bond of friendship between the two was beginning to spark again, after so long of being put out.

Only a half-moon later, a flood hit the gorge caused by a natural dam breaking up the coast of the waterfall in their camp. And so, as the camp flooded, Dewleaf was able to escape camp. As the rest of his clan reached the exit, and he especially made sure Salamandereye had escaped safe, he heard a cry of anguish…

…that came from Buzzardcry (full pun intended).

She yelled out as Aspenstream was still down there, unable to escape as the trail up the camp was wrecked by floodwater; it was impossible to be able to reach it as one cat.

He needed to do this for Buzzardcry; he loved her, and Aspenstream was the one who truly made her happy.

Dewleaf looked to Salamandereye, who had given him a small nod of approval.

And so he ran down there to help Aspenstream. As he helped her up and she made it up, she gave a quiet, shaken up thank you. Dewleaf gave her a nod; a small one, but genuine as he smiled.

He began to climb back up…

…but floodwater had made the ground beneath him muggy and slippery.

One paw made him lose balance, and as he stumbled for grip, he slowly realized… he wasn’t going to make it. He slipped, and kept slipping, until he lost grip entirely, slowly falling into the churning and dangerous torrent beneath him.

In those few moments of falling, he realized something; even if he still loved Buzzardcry, he was glad he was able to save the cat that made her happy, that she loved.

And as he made impact with the water, he felt his shocked expression turn into a shaken up smile, as he closed his eyes and gave away to the churning black seeming to swirl in his fading mind.