Bumblestep
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He took a last and simple meal when there were none to see him steal -
A jug of cream upon the shelf, a fish set out for dinner;
And now he walks a distant street with delicately sandalled feet,
And no-one gives him much to eat or weeps to see him thinner.
Come back beloved, come again, come back in joy, come back in pain,
To end our searching with a mew or with a purr our grieving;
And you shall have for lunch or tea whatever fish swim in the sea
And all the cream that's meant for me - and not a word of thieving!
-The Lost Cat by EV Rieu-
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Bumblestep had spent moons out here alone. Moons. Burrowing himself into his makeshift nest until his stomach practically begged him to hunt for food. The area only had rodents, their chewy pelts so unlike the tasty trout he wanted to gag at every revoltingly warm bite. He missed fish… but there was nowhere to hunt unless he intruded on a territory where he felt he no longer belonged. Stars he was so far away from the babbling brooks of his home he was worried he forgot what a river sounded like. The way an early morning dip in the stream would send a delightful chill from his toes to his ears, making his black fur stand on end as the cold woke his tired body. It was too quiet in this field he settled in. The only noise being the occasional rustle of frozen grass, or a brave mouse scuttering much to close. It was oh so lonely, even the sky felt empty. He often wondered if Tumbletail could hear him so far from home.
He tried not to think about Stormtalon. Once the image of the tom was so bright and clear, a simple sparkle of those forest green eyes solved all the issues Bumblestep ever had. A slight quirk of Storm’s lips, usually the closest to a smile anyone could get, and Bumblestep’s world seemed a whole lot brighter. Warm memories of conversations only the two of them would know, a half eaten fish for once not the focus of his attention. Those eyes were just too easy to get lost in. For a while, everything was perfect. He had someone to talk to, listen to, cry to. It was… nice. Easy. The closest thing he’s felt to love.
Ever since… that night; the image has been blurred. His beautiful green eyes obscured by the darkness Bumble wanted to save him from. Red blurring out the soft dark fur. Rain soaking the dark tom’s fur, washing away everything but his blood stained paws. Stars Bumblestep wished he could turn back time. Save Brightpaw from the badger, save Kestrelstar from his own thoughts, save Stormtalon from the cat he became. Something to stop his Stormtalon from going down that path.
It took a while for the black and white tom to remember Storm without the ache in his heart becoming too much. Anger and sadness, grief and betrayal overwhelmed him until he covered his face with his too large paws and just wept.
It was too much. The war was too overwhelming, too evil. His head swam with thoughts of blood and agony, his ears ringing with Kestrelstar’s bloodthirsty yowls. So… he ran, his falling tears mixed in with the frosty ground beneath his paws as he ran towards Cat Tail Pond.
Somewhere along the way his mind made the decision to keep running. Far away from the turmoil and Stormtalon’s sad gaze. Bumblestep didn’t want to see him. Not anymore.
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That was around 3 moons ago. The ground beneath his large paws grew colder and colder with each sunrise; blanketed in a blank sheet of white. He never liked the snow. Each day proved to be worse than the last, weighing on his mind like a boulder. His smile was lost like the flowers that used to sprout in the green earth. He couldn’t return to Riverclan… too scared to see what it had become. Had Kestrelstar murdered another leader in cold blood? Had another innocent apprentice been mauled? Was Storm lost to the darkness?
There was no way he could forget what Stormtalon did, no matter how many nights he prayed to Starclan to whisk the memory from his mind. He probably wouldn’t ever be able to fully wash away the trail of red that followed the cat who stole his heart. But… Stars he wanted to see him. At least catch one more glimpse of those perfectly green eyes, and hopefully find the Stormtalon he cared for so. He wanted to return to the skies Tumbletail walked in, the skies Brightpaw walked in. He wanted to go home.
But today was not that day. For now he would burrow his nose back into his paws, dream of brighter days.
Lost Cat
