Ladybug

## Residence

### Last Known:

Daisy

*"Oh! What if I found my own beetle, we could watch them race!"*
—**Ladybug** to Hake *What Lurks Beneath*, page 307
**Ladybug** was a minor character in *What Lurks Beneath*. He debuts in chapter 13, and is killed by Sturgeon under Thresher's command in the same chapter.

## Physical Appearance

**Ladybug** was a skinny, golden tabby tom with green eyes and a nick in his right ear. He had a white spot above his nose, which was pink in color, and a white chest, underbelly and legs. He had two light brown toes on his left foreleg.

## Personality

**Ladybug** was curious, friendly and sociable.
## History

#### Chapter 13

While Hake follows a beetle, he stumbles upon **Ladybug**, who seems intruiged by it. Ladybug awkwardly greets Hake, and Hake defensively tells Ladybug that it's his beetle. Ladybug apologizes, but Hake invites him to watch the beetle, with the condition of not hurting it.
Ladybug lays down alongside Hake and comments that the beetle is really fast. Hake responds by saying that he's the fastest. Ladybug asks Hake if he just lies around and watches it to pass time, and Hake confirms that he does. Ladybug then proposes the idea of him finding his own beetle, so that they could race.
Hake says that it's a good idea, but boldly states that Ladybug's beetle is gonna lose everytime, because his beetle, Blade, was the best. Ladybug says that it's okay, but interrupts himself, baffled that the beetle has a name. Hake explains that he named it after a blade of grass.
Thresher walks up to Hake and Ladybug, and Hake happily approaches him, boasting that him and Ladybug were going to race beetles. Thresher demands that Hake go sit with Trout, before turning to growl at Ladybug, startling him. He yells at him to get lost and to stay away from the beach, and Ladybug flees.
Hake asks why he'd scared him away, explaining that he was really nice. Thresher shouts that no Daisy is 'nice', and that they do not speak to them. Thresher continues, saying that they were heretics and tormented the Gods; that they were creatures who slaughtered their own and devoured the flesh of their kin.
Later that night, while Thresher and Sturgeon are arguing, Thresher notices Ladybug by the beach again, playing with a ladybug. He walks up to him, asking him if he wasn't clear enough when he told Ladybug to stay away from the beach. Sturgeon calls out to Thresher as she hurries to catch up to him, and Ladybug, baffled, asks if Thresher is the king. He confirms that he is, before biting Ladybug's throat and slamming his foreleg into a rock, snapping the bone.

Sturgeon yells out in horror, and Ladybug wails that it hurts as he writhes and cries in pain. Sturgeon desperately asks why he attacked him, and Thresher demands that Sturgeon slit his throat, or else he'd break the rest of his legs and leave him there to suffer. As Sturgeon falls silent and stares at the Daisy with tears in her eyes, Thresher begins to walk towards Ladybug in order to fulfil his statement, but Sturgeon calls for him to stop, saying that she'd do it. Sturgeon stiffly walks forward, and kills Ladybug by slicing his throat.
Thresher comments that Ladybug's death was the price of Sturgeon's mercy on Kelp's child, and that Ladybug's meal share will be passed on to him. Thresher reminds Sturgeon that this is the path she must take if she wants to be Queen, and orders her to take Ladybug's body to the graveyard, telling her to count the bodies while she's there to remember what's at stake.
Sturgeon, terrified and trembling from what she had just done, slams her bloodied paw to the ground and glares at Thresher as he walks away. She vows that when she's Queen, she'll save every last cat on the island, including Daisys, the sick, and the injured, and that no one will be killed under her law.
Petrel then steps out into the open, rushing towards Ladybug's body and mourning him. They then stand before Sturgeon and firmly asks if she truly meant what she had promised.
#### Chapter 17

When Sturgeon enters one of the caves where Trout and Hake were playing with each other under Kelp's supervision, her younger half-siblings are overjoyed. They make an attempt at playing with Sturgeon, and Trout playfully bites her sister's leg in spirit of this. Sturgeon snarls loudly at this, and quickly lifts her paw up, making Trout fall over and cower in fear. Sturgeon bares her teeth and glares at Trout, but suddenly remembers **Ladybug's** expression before she killed him and tenses up further.
Kelp defuses the situation and tells Trout and Hake to come to her, and that it was about time for a nap. Sturgeon calms down and realises what she'd done, guiltily looking at Kelp before averting her gaze. Kelp offers for Sturgeon to join her, asking if she wanted to rest as well, and Sturgeon stiffly lies down beside her. Kelp asks what Thresher did to her, and Sturgeon lies, saying that it was just a leadership lesson, but it was lingering in her mind more than she'd like. Kelp says that she can't imagine what Thresher was teaching her, and Sturgeon responds that it wasn't like she'd not asked for it, as she wanted to be Queen.
Later on, Sturgeon speaks with Petrel about wanting Thresher dead. She tells them that Thresher was planning to train Hake and Trout as well, relaying that she's scared that he'll make them kill someone, remembering Ladybug.
## Relationships

### Hake

**Ladybug**: "*Oh! What if I found my own beetle, we could watch them race!*"

**Hake**: "*Ah! Good idea! Your beetle is going to lose every time though, Blade is the best.*"

**Ladybug**: "*That's ok- Wait he has a name?*"

**Hake**: "*Yeah! Like a blade of grass!*"

—**Ladybug** and Hake talking about racing beetles *What Lurks Beneath*, page 307

**Ladybug** and Hake became good friends quickly after they met, and found a mutual interest in beetles after Hake introduced Ladybug to his beetle, Blade. After Thresher notices the Daisy kitten, he screams at him to get lost, and Hake looks hurt, commenting that he thought he was really nice.

## Trivia

### Interesting Facts

* Although he has no name within the story, he's widely known as **Ladybug** by fans of the comic and ArualMeow themself.

## Appearances

* *Chapter 13* † (First appearance)
* *Chapter 17* (Vision and indirect mention only)

## References

1. ↑ Revealed in chapter 13, page 323
2. ↑ Revealed in chapter 13, page 309
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Revealed on **Ladybug's** official reference sheet
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Revealed in chapter 13, page 305
5. ↑ Revealed in chapter 13, page 307
6. ↑ Revealed by ArualMeow via Tumblr

### Notes

1. ↑ ArualMeow refers to this Daisy by the name **Ladybug**, as do many fans of *What Lurks Beneath*. However, as it's never confirmed in the comic itself, the canonicity of the name is questionable.