Hemlock does not speak much, often tending to stand to the side and never the center of a conversation. When approached, he can seem callous, though he quickly warms up to anyone who seems friendly enough. Despite this, there is a sense of distance between him and others. He tries to keep others at arms length, hesitant to allow anyone to be too close. Maybe it is self destructive, but he cannot help but worry that something may happen to them, if they know him too much.

He can be jumpy. He can sometimes worry that others have alterior motives when they approach him, though he forces himself to give others the benefit of the doubt. However, if someone gives him a bad first impression, he is very hesitant to change that view unless the other proves themself otherwise. This can make him very judgemental, as he finds cats who are full of themselves or look down on others to be the worst of the worst. With his path of revenge now cold, Hemlock finds himself listless and without a sense of purpose, as he already believed he had been running on borrowed time, and finds himself resentful towards people who seem to have everything they want.

Content warnings: parental death, child death

Hemlock was born in a small community, a repurposed cabin surrounded by what must have once been a magnificent forest. His two parents were as loving as they could be, attempting to shield him as much as possible from the harsh reality of the world. He would soon gain a little sister, and spend his days playing and doing the simple chores the community allowed kits to do.

As Hemlock grew, he began to see glimpses of the reality of the community's situation, seeing his mother and others regularly leaving and sometimes arguing with another group. He thought little of it, assuming and trusting that them and the other group were simply having a misunderstanding. It wasn't until the cabin went up in flames that Hemlock realized he had been wrong. In the ensuring panic, he fell witness to the murder of his family by the claws of one of the cats from the strange group, and in his attempt to save them, gain the scars across his face and the burns on his body.

Miraculously, Hemlock survived, but not without grave injuries. From the ash of the cabin he wandered off, eventually meeting a small, spunky cat named Mags. She took him in quickly, tending to his wounds, and giving him a place to stay while he recovered. Although her partner didn't think much of him, Hemlock stayed once he was healed, deciding to learn from her for at least a little before setting out to get revenge. Although she was a bit of a scammer, Hemlock learned much from her, and at 12 months would strike out on his own in the search of the cat who had ruined his life.

The journey was difficult, but Hemlock persisted, driven by the dream of avenging his family. At one point he met Morgan, who after some convincing took him to the Grave colony. The idea of staying somewhere nice tempted Hemlock greatly, and he would even befriend some of the cats present. It wasn't until he was assigned a betrothed that he panicked and left with little warning. The idea of being forced to be close to someone who would likely end up like his family was simply too much for him.

It was in his third year that he finally got a substantial lead on the cat who had murdered his family, and he fervently followed his trail. However, by the time he had finally caught up, it seemed someone else had done the job for him. The cat was dead, killed after starting a fight he could not finish, and unceremoniously buried. Hemlock's world stopped then. Suddenly, he had nothing to strive for, and no roots to grow from. What borrowed time he had was now seemingly running out faster than ever.

Freshly four, Hemlock wandered aimlessly, never staying in one place for long and finding himself angry at every cat he saw smiling. The spirits seemed to haunt him even more now, seemingly chasing him whenever he stayed too long somewhere. When the comet crossed the sky, he jumped at the chance to find any sort of purpose, even if it meant throwing himself into a deadly or fruitless effort.

Please do not include . . .