1: Falling Apart
The light rain that pattered down onto the ground slowed no cat as patrols continued as normal, each cat returning to camp, shaking the droplets of water that clung to their fur before taking shelter in their dens. A small apricot tom ran through the camp, having just finished one patrol and hoped to gather a hunting party with his new friends and head back out.
He grinned at cats as he passed them by, not caring about his bedraggled appearance as rain clung to his fur. He tried to slow down as he noticed two she-cats that he was friends with, Foxnose and Redwhisker, but the mud caused him to slip, sending him sliding into Foxnose, knocking her over into the muddy puddle that had formed next to where she had previously stood.
“What was that for, Sunstorm?” Foxnose cried, pulling herself up as mud dripped off her fur.
“I… I didn’t,” he began, trying to form how much of an accident that was.
“He did it on purpose,” Redwhisker spoke up, snarling at the tom, “I saw him running up to push you.”
“What no…” Sunstorm said, staring at both cats with wide eyes, mouth agape.
“That’s just like you,” Foxnose huffed, walking away as Redwhisker followed, heading in the direction of the stream.
“I’m sorry,” Sunstorm whispered, watching the cats walk away and finding himself unable to follow.
Sunstorm walked in the opposite direction, holding his head low dejectedly. After spending a moment composing himself, the apricot tom headed back towards his den. As he walked towards his den, he heard a sharp yowl of pain in his ear, sending him jumping, landing with his hackles raised. “Watch it,” an older she-cat snarled, as Sunstorm looked down at where his foot had been and where her tail was.
“I’m sorry,” Sunstorm said quietly, refusing to look into the eyes of the older cat.
She snarled, shooing the tom away. Sunstorm continued onto the den when a cat bumped into his shoulder. “Oh sorry,” Sunstorm apologised before quickly looking up, smiling at the tom in front of him. “Swallownest, what are you up to?”
“Well, I was about to go out hunting with my mate, do you know if he’d want to?” Swallownest chirped.
Sunstorm forced a smile on his face. “Thanks, Swallownest, but I’m not really feeling up to it. I’m going to sleep, how about later?”
The little tabby smiled at his mate, walking away towards his den, only dropping his smile once Swallownest could no longer see him. Sunstorm saw the crack that led to his nest, sliding through it until he was in the hollow cave that housed the warriors.
“It was just like before,” a tom whispered to two cats sat on a bed of moss, “Redwhisker said he purposefully knocked her down.”
“I heard how mean he is but I never believed it before today,” a she-cat replied, “but he purposefully stamped on Silverfang’s tail earlier, I would know. I saw him do it.”
Sunstorm lowered his head, quickly rushing past the two cats who noticed him with wide eyes as they hurry out of the den. The apricot tom laid down in his bed, closing his eyes. “I’m sorry,” Sunstorm whispers to the cats that were leaving, so quietly that they didn’t hear him, or they simply didn’t want to respond. “You’re right. Everyone is right. I’m no different than before. I’m a bully. I hurt everyone that I get close to.”
Sunstorm curled into a ball, holding himself tightly. “I’ll be better. I promise.”
He grinned at cats as he passed them by, not caring about his bedraggled appearance as rain clung to his fur. He tried to slow down as he noticed two she-cats that he was friends with, Foxnose and Redwhisker, but the mud caused him to slip, sending him sliding into Foxnose, knocking her over into the muddy puddle that had formed next to where she had previously stood.
“What was that for, Sunstorm?” Foxnose cried, pulling herself up as mud dripped off her fur.
“I… I didn’t,” he began, trying to form how much of an accident that was.
“He did it on purpose,” Redwhisker spoke up, snarling at the tom, “I saw him running up to push you.”
“What no…” Sunstorm said, staring at both cats with wide eyes, mouth agape.
“That’s just like you,” Foxnose huffed, walking away as Redwhisker followed, heading in the direction of the stream.
“I’m sorry,” Sunstorm whispered, watching the cats walk away and finding himself unable to follow.
Sunstorm walked in the opposite direction, holding his head low dejectedly. After spending a moment composing himself, the apricot tom headed back towards his den. As he walked towards his den, he heard a sharp yowl of pain in his ear, sending him jumping, landing with his hackles raised. “Watch it,” an older she-cat snarled, as Sunstorm looked down at where his foot had been and where her tail was.
“I’m sorry,” Sunstorm said quietly, refusing to look into the eyes of the older cat.
She snarled, shooing the tom away. Sunstorm continued onto the den when a cat bumped into his shoulder. “Oh sorry,” Sunstorm apologised before quickly looking up, smiling at the tom in front of him. “Swallownest, what are you up to?”
“Well, I was about to go out hunting with my mate, do you know if he’d want to?” Swallownest chirped.
Sunstorm forced a smile on his face. “Thanks, Swallownest, but I’m not really feeling up to it. I’m going to sleep, how about later?”
The little tabby smiled at his mate, walking away towards his den, only dropping his smile once Swallownest could no longer see him. Sunstorm saw the crack that led to his nest, sliding through it until he was in the hollow cave that housed the warriors.
“It was just like before,” a tom whispered to two cats sat on a bed of moss, “Redwhisker said he purposefully knocked her down.”
“I heard how mean he is but I never believed it before today,” a she-cat replied, “but he purposefully stamped on Silverfang’s tail earlier, I would know. I saw him do it.”
Sunstorm lowered his head, quickly rushing past the two cats who noticed him with wide eyes as they hurry out of the den. The apricot tom laid down in his bed, closing his eyes. “I’m sorry,” Sunstorm whispers to the cats that were leaving, so quietly that they didn’t hear him, or they simply didn’t want to respond. “You’re right. Everyone is right. I’m no different than before. I’m a bully. I hurt everyone that I get close to.”
Sunstorm curled into a ball, holding himself tightly. “I’ll be better. I promise.”