#darkktail story

[residents-of-the-darkforest]

Lavender Field (short story)

“Are you kidding me?”

Hickorykit cringed against the high-pitched exclamation. He looked at Podkit, who was already stomping toward him with a small wrinkled snout. “You couldn’t hit a single moss-ball all day, and then you do and you hit it to our side? Are you stupid?”

Hickorykit shuffled his paws. Embarrassment, hot as greenleaf, made him fluff up his fur. “It was just a mistake, okay? Jeez!”

“You made us look like we’re going to be bad apprentices! What kind of warriors will we be if we can’t even tell where the goal is?”

“No one was watching us!” Hickorykit growled. Stars, he hoped that was true. The thought of anyone else seeing that dumb move of his made him want to hide beneath his nest in the nursery forever and ever. “Why don’t you just start a new game and show them how good you are?”

“We will,” Podkit sniffed, “without you.”

Hickorykit glared after him, but Podkit didn’t get far before his mother stepped out from where she had sat grooming herself in the shade of the elders’ den. “Come here,” she said sternly, and led him behind the den.

Podkit was in trouble! Anger burned sharply against Hickorykit’s skin, fueling his steps. He crouched low, hiding in the shadows as he crept near enough to hear.

“What have I told you?” Podkit’s mother was saying.

“I did invite him to play!” Podkit complained defiantly. “It’s not my fault he sucks!”

“Hey!” his mother snapped sharply. “Not that,” she went on more calmly, though more stern. “I told you that you have to be nice to Hickorykit at all times. No matter what, okay?”

What?

“But–”

“No buts. You know what he’s been through. How would you feel if you lost me?”

There was a pause. In it, thumping began to pound away at Hickorykit’s ears. His chest ached. His breath–was he breathing?

“Okay, mom,” Podkit gave in. Through the leaves, Hickorykit saw Podkit’s mother pull him into an embrace, paw over his back and licks upon his head. The scene blurred, but Hickorykit’s heart was twisting too painfully to feel anything dripping from his eyes. 

He turned away and ran along the barrier, pushing through it where he knew a weak point was–the warriors had complained about the bugs eating at their defense–and continued running. He couldn’t breathe, could only gasp and sob as he ran, ran, ran.

Why? Why did he have to listen? Why did Podkit’s mother have to make those stupid rules? Why did he choose to play with the other kits instead of staying in his den or going to the elders to hear a story?

For the two moons since their deaths, he had forced the thoughts of his parents buried in the back of his mind, sheltered by any distraction he could take–which mainly involved his anger at the other kits. But that reminder–coupled with seeing the lucky tom snuggle with his mother, something Hickorykit could now only dream of doing–he just couldn’t take it.

He didn’t care that he wasn’t allowed to leave the camp, if he was putting himself in danger. He didn’t stop until nature made him–a tendril catching his paw and making him collapse in a lavender field. No…no.. The smell was just like them in their vigil. But he didn’t have any energy left to leave. He was so exhausted, from running and from his heart stabbing itself through every rib every time the image of his mother or father appeared in his stupid brain. 

He curled up on his side, trying to bury himself within the flowers as if they were his mother’s body wrapping around him. He hated that she was gone. He hated that his father was gone. He hated that his last memory of them was crying on their bodies, and that this was now the closest he could get to laying with them–by curling in the same flowers that had been laid on their corpses.

----

“Hickorykit!”

Hickorykit shot up among the lavender flowers. He didn’t know when he fell asleep, but the sun had begun to dip behind the trees. 

Darktail raced forward, nuzzling Hickorykit and covering his body with rapid licks. “Where have you been? Everyone has been so worried!”

Was that why there was a patrol out at such a weird hour? Hickorykit glanced at the other two warriors behind his grandfather, Conetoe and Newtbeetle, who appeared relieved at seeing Hickorykit alive and safe. 

Darktail pulled away. His muzzle rippled now that his own relief was replaced with anger. “Why did you leave the camp? What if that badger came back? Or an enemy patrol? Did you even think about the danger you put yourself in? You almost gave me a heart attack! Thank Starclan you were okay, and I’m so glad you are, but this could have gone a lot differently! How could you even…”

Hickorykit couldn’t say anything, knew he couldn’t, so he just sat and looked at his paws as Darktail lectured him. At his adoptive father’s pause, he looked up, and was startled to see Darktail’s eyes watering. 

Darktail lunged forward again, hugging Hickorykit between his paws that held him so close to his chest that Hickorykit struggled to breathe–again. He chose to sink into Darktail’s fur instead of fighting against them, and they laid there comfortably–even if they were now both struggling with sobs.

“Do you want to meet us back at camp?” Newtbeetle asked after a while, and Hickorykit suddenly remembered that they were there. 

Darktail, seemingly, forgot them as well. He stood up, clearing his throat with an awkward cough. “Er, yes, yes, let’s go take Hickorykit to the medicine den.”

“Medicine den?” Hickorykit squeaked. Were they going to give him something gross as punishment for sneaking off?

“Is that necessary?” Newtbeetle asked, confused. 

“Yes,” Darktail told him sharply. “Could you carry him for me? My jaw’s still aching from that branch.”

“Sure.”

“I can walk!” Hickorykit insisted. He had gone all this way, after all.

“No,” was all Darktail said in response. 

Hickorykit didn't protest further. He allowed Newtbeetle to pick him up as his thoughts carried him away. Perhaps if hadn’t been so preoccupied with those flowers, he would have heard Conetoe and Darktail speaking a few steps behind them, voices hushed to whispers.

“Is that necessary?” Conetoe asked.

“I thought he was dead,” Darktail replied. “When I couldn’t find him anywhere in the camp….I couldn’t stop thinking about my son. I thought–if he died too–....I can’t even stand the idea of it. He’s probably fine, physically at least, but until I get Gorsedaisy to check him over herself, I’m not going to calm down.”

Conetoe nodded. “That’s fair enough. More than fair….Do you really think the badger came back?”

Darktail hesitated. “No, but we can’t be too safe. Starclan, why did he run off? He knows how dangerous it is!”

“Maybe you should ask him yourself.”

----

“You’re safe!” Gorsedaisy exclaimed happily as Hickorykit trodded into her den. The scent of the herbs was strong, and it pulled him back to the lavender, curling lovingly around his body like a ghost of his mother. 

“Are lavenders herbs?” he asked. He had to know, it had been nagging at him throughout the walk and lecture from Cuckoostar.

Gorsedaisy tilted her head. “It can be. The smell is all over you.”

“I always felt so bad…” Hickorykit searched for words to explain. “I don’t like crying, so I didn’t think about them, and then I couldn’t stop thinking about them and I couldn’t stop crying…but now I feel really good. Did the lavender do that?”

Gorsedaisy narrowed her eyes as she tried to understand. When it clicked, she smiled softly. “A little bit. Lavender can help ease the clouds in one’s mind. But,” she added when Hickorykit opened his jaws, “I don’t think that’s what has you feeling so chipper.”

It was Hickorykit’s turn to tilt his head, one eyebrow perked. “Then what does?”

Gorsedaisy settled into her nest, paws tucked beneath her after padding the edge to tell Hickorykit to join her. He did, clambering in, and blinked curiously up at her. “I missed Dapplefire so much. I still do, of course, but when she joined the stars, I thought that I would never be the same again. I thought that the only way to stop myself from breaking was to pretend that it never happened at all–or at least make my brain think that. Every time I thought about her, I would make myself think about something else.”

That’s what I did! Hickorykit thought. He was surprised to hear someone else describe the thought process he had kept subconscious.

“I thought that pretending I didn’t have anything to grieve over would make the sorrow go away.” She met Hickorykit’s eyes after they had drifted around the den–had she been imagining her old mentor in the den they had shared for so long? “I was wrong, Hickorykit. Ignoring a broken bone won’t make it heal. In pushing away Dapplefire’s death, I pushed away the impact she made in life. I wouldn’t allow myself to think about anything to do with her, and in doing so I could have lost so many memories I made with her.”

“Good memories?” Hickorykit thought of curling beside his mother again, and then of his father holding a feather for him to chase.

“Good, bad. I thought of the laughs we shared, of the fights we had, the first time I remember seeing her, and the last. It all hurt the same, but now it all makes me smile, because I was lucky enough to know someone so brilliant so well, and now I have amazing stories to tell to those that didn’t get to know her.”

Hickorykit was silent for a long moment. Then he asked, “do you think I’ll be able to smile one day? When I think about my mom and dad?”

Gorsedaisy’s frowned. Then she smiled again. “Yes, I do. Until then, when it’s still hard, all you have to do is ask, and I’ll give you some lavender. Deal?”

Hickorykit brightened. “Deal!” 

Gorsedaisy chuckled at his eagerness. “You’re fine,” she told him after checking him over briefly. “Is there anything else you need?”

Hickorykit didn’t think that there was, but he wasn’t quite ready to leave. Gorsedaisy’s fur was warm beside him. He wasn’t ready to feel cold yet. He searched for something that could keep him there a little bit longer. “Could you tell me about Dapplefire?” he asked.

At that, Gorsedaisy’s eyes practically glowed. “I would love to.”

----

Darktail paced back and forth in the nursery. What was taking so long? Did he have a wound Darktail didn't notice? A sickness? And why had Hickorykit run away at all?

Darktail knew that Podkit was teasing him, and in his panic for his adoptive son, he tore the youngster a new one--which he now feels bad about--but being teased by the other kits wasn't a new thing for Hickorykit.

In fact, Hickorykit always seemed to relish in fighting with the other kits. Why? And why was his reaction different now?

Did he have a nightmare of his parents again? Those had ended more than a moon ago, and the thought of them coming back made his heart twist until it nearly broke.

A blur of white at the corner of his eye made him whip around. "Hickorykit!"

Hickorykit bounced toward him, a grin spreading from ear to ear. He was....happy?

"Darktail!" he called, even though he was now a few steps away. "I want to become a medicine cat apprentice!"

==============

@ambitiousauthor @starfalcon555 @wills-woodland-warriors @stray-mossballs-and-buckets @umbranoxs @elementaldeityoffood

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[tovanori]

Could you recommend me good chasefield fanfics?

I’VE BEEN READY FOR THIS A S K THERE’S SO MANY GOOD ONES THO SADHFJKL I’LL JUST REC THE ONES ON MY AO3 BOOKMARKS LIST

MULTI-CHAPTER

we are the wild young by Dandybear - I think this one was the most recommended fic to me when I was still looking for fics, I can totally see why though. It starts off with Pricefield but the end game is Chasefield. AU. Complete.

Life is Hard (and No One Understands) by Twilit - Set 20 years after LiS. I love this fic so much :’), features badass Max. Possibly my favourite out of all these fanfics, especially the way the writer displays Max’s time power.Incomplete.

The Art Of Not Thinking by LyricOcean - The humor of this fic is fucking amazing. Vic loves penguins so much okay.Incomplete.

The Dare Game by ArgentMartin - Personally really high on my chasefield list because it features bestfriends Victoria and Nathan that isn’t toxic at all. Complete.

The Kissing Game by Darkktails - Didn’t think I’d enjoy this one as much as I did, disregarding the third chapter which is smut. Also this fic made me enjoy Taylor’s role as Victoria’s bestfriend more. Complete.

Saving Victoria Chase (again and again and again) by cinnamonsnaps - NO STORM NO STRESS, luv fics where Max still has her powers and no weird storm shit happens :^)Complete.

Thirty-Two Rejection Letters by jarofbees - Amberprice and Chasefield, luv this combo.Incomplete.

Moving Forward by Accretion - Someone makes sure that in this timeline everything goes Max’s way. Also Redemption arc for Tori.Incomplete.

Tangled Up In Plaid by unknown_knowns - Alternate Timeline and Max is tired, save her vicky.Complete.

The One Good Thing in Seattle Series by unknown_knowns - What if Max and Victoria had met in seattle?Complete with side stories.

Damaged Goods Series by Recourse - This is a pretty heavy series, I started off with the lighter ones up there. Be cautious when reading.Complete.

The Grieving Process Series by orphan_account - not as intense as above but still, caution.Complete.

Sucked Into The Vortex Series by lydia_r_marks - Post game events. The first story of the series is complete but the second one is not :0Incomplete.

Letters From Tomorrow by Rick_Dangerous - This one is PriceChaseField, but I really love the way it was written.Incomplete.

ONE SHOTS

take these pictures away by Shadokin- Cute kind of confession fic.

Dynamics and rocket science by orphan_account - The five days Max and Victoria study in the library, and the one day they don't.

The Perfect Subject  by Dandybear - A character study, Five Times Max Caulfield took someone's picture. Remember that fic I was looking for the other day, this is it lmao.

So Fragile Inside by Recourse - More future fics please.

Make My Wish Come True by Dandybear - Christmas fic! Vic meets the rents.

Everyone can see it by Dandybear - Everyone is tired of these oblivious gays.

That’s a total of 20 fics, not counting the ones inside of series lmaoo. Enjoy.

Sorry for the long ass post.