Fill-in-the-Blank Word Puzzle

Quiz Guy John Chaneski has a puzzle called “I Don’t Think So, M-W.” The name is a nod to Merriam-Webster’s word of the day email, which often uses puzzling example sentences, like this one: “Lying in my tent that night, I could hear the campfire crackling and the crickets __________ and none of the city sounds I was accustomed to.” Good luck filling in that blank. This is part of a complete episode.