Bumble

Bumble is a skinny tortoiseshell she-cat with a glossy, dappled pelt, a white chest and paws yellow eyes, and a soft belly.

The Sun Trail

 * Although not named, Gray Wing spots her watching he and Clear Sky talk in a clump of ferns. He tells his brother that they got company, pointing at her. Clear Sky then gets down from the tree, but before he lands, Bumble bounds off up the the slope. Gray Wing watches her go, and is frustrated that he didn't get the chance to speak with her. He comments that she seemed well fed, and Clear Sky agrees, adding that she was not a wild cat.


 * While Gray Wing and Turtle Tail lie down on the boulder between the four oaks, Bumble calls to them, and the two peer over the boulder Gray Wing is surprised, and remembers that she watched him and Clear Sky when they came to the hollow. Looking up with a cheerful gleam in her eyes, she introduces herself confidently, stating that she was a house-cat, but she guessed they would call her a kittypet. She asks them if she could come up, and Turtle Tail invites her with a wave of her tail. At first, Gray Wing thinks she doesn't look as if she were to climb, but a couple of heartbeats later, she heaves herself to the top of the boulder.


 * Turtle Tail then introduces Bumble to herself and Gray Wing, and Bumble examines both of them with a frank gaze. She then comments that weren't skinny, and asks them if they managed to catch anything to eat. Turtle Tail explains to her that the had came a long way, slightly ruffled, and states that there wasn't always time to hunt. Blinking curiously, Bumble asks how long of a way they've came, and if they came from the other side of the moor. Gray Wing answers that they had came further than that, and Turtle Tail adds that they came from beyond jagged rocks on the horizon, or Highstones. Bumble's eyes stretch wide with astonishment, and asks if they did travel from there. Turtle Tail shakes her head, and informs her that they had came from the other side, adding that they traveled for many sunrises. Bumble asks her why they traveled for so long, flummoxed, and Gray Wing explains that there wasn't enough prey to feed them all where they had previously lived, and during the cold season, they would often get stuck in the deep snow. Turtle Tail adds that sometimes, cats got carried off by birds larger than the ones around there.


 * Bumble exclaims that it sounded hard, adding that they must have been cold, hungry, and scared all the time, and states that it was no wonder they came to live there. She looks around her with a happy flick of her tail, and adds that it was nice. Turtle Tail asks her if she didn't live there, stating that she lived with Twolegs, and that it was weird. Bumble twitches her whiskers, and states that it was not weird, but that it was great. She states that it was cozy in her housefolk's den, that there was always plenty of food, and there was nothing to be scared of. Turtle Tail asks her what did she do all day, and Bumble replies that she mostly slept, or play with her housefolk's kits. If she got tired of that, she states, she would come there. Gray Wing asks her if the wild cats didn't bother her, and Bumble states that that they didn't, and they knew she was no threat to their hunting.


 * For a while, all three cats laze in the sun, and after a while, Turtle Tail suggests that she and Gray Wing should hunt, and Bumble says that she was glad she didn't have to do that. She then gives them a friendly nod, and scrambles down the rock, before saying see you later. Turtle Tail comments that it was a boring way to live, and jumps down the forest floor. Later, Turtle Tail asks if they'd ever see Bumble again, and Gray Wing responds that he doubts it, stating that she wouldn't want to talk to ferocious wild cats like them, and adds that they might eat her.


 * While he creeps through the ferns, Gray Wing finds Turtle Tail and Bumble crouching side by side as they share a plump vole. She is the first to spot him, and greets him, sounding pleased to see him. Turtle Tail springs to her paws, and greets him as well, stating that Bumble saw her catch the vole, and wanted to know what it tasted like. Gray Wing wonders why she sounds so defensive, noting hat he was wary of strange cats, but couldn't see anything threatening about Bumble. He then responds that she obviously liked it, and sets down his bunch of herbs before Bumble tucks in again. Gray Wing then asks her why she didn't come live in the forest all the time, and Bumble looks up, and chokes on her mouthful of vole. She then responds that her housefolk were kind, and that she never went hungry, adding that the den was nice, and claims that they should go see it. Gray Wing then declines her offer, stating that they didn't belong with Twolegs.


 * Bumble then asks Turtle Tail, as her whiskers twitch with curiosity, and she says that it may be interesting to see, but not at that moment. Bumble then swallows the last mouthful of prey, and thanks Turtle Tail, stating that they should meet up again soon. Turtle Tail agrees, and says that she would keep a lookout for her in the hollow with the oak trees. Bumble pads off through the ferns, her tail held high, and casts a final glance over her shoulder before she disappears. Gray Wing states that it wasn't a good idea to get friendly with kittypets, and Turtle Tail asks him why not, in which he replies that it bothered him, and thinks that they didn't belong with Twolegs.


 * When foxes attack the hollow, Turtle Tail claims that they were foxes. Gray Wing asks her again, and she states that they were foxes indeed, and that Bumble warned her about them.


 * When Gray Wing asks where had Turtle Tail been, she says that she wouldn't visit Clear Sky, and states that she was visiting Bumble in Twolegplace. Gray Wing calls her flea-brained for visiting her, and she replies that she didn't know what he was angry about, and that it was fine. She then describes her experience in the den, and adds that Bumble was nice enough to her to show her everything. Gray Wing warns her to stay away from Twolegplace, stating that it was dangerous, and Turtle Tail tells him to stop fussing, saying that Bumble looked after her.


 * Gray Wing later states that he had never missed an easy catch, and Turtle Tail snaps that it was good for him. She adds that she was to go off to find some cat who didn't expect her to fly like a bird, or run like a rabbit, and Gray Wing thinks that she meant that cat was Bumble.


 * Turtle Tail soon goes missing, and Gray Wing attempts to find her. While doing so, he encounters Storm, who stops him from entering Twolegplace, and asks him where he wants to go. He replies that he thinks his friend was there, and adds that she was probably with Bumble. Gray Wing describes her physical appearance, and Storm answers to him that she knew Bumble. She offers to show him her den, and he accepts the offer. Storm then leads him to Bumble's den, leaving upon arriving at his destination. Gray Wing then scents the air, picking up Bumble's and Turtle Tail's scents. He calls out for her, and the two cats bundle out of a flap in the side of the Twoleg den. Turtle Tail is exited to meet Gray Wing, and explains to him that she stayed overnight at Bumble's den because it was raining. She mentions her housefolk, calling them kind, as they gave her food. Gray Wing reminds her that she was a wild cat, and she scolds him, asking him if he forgot his manners.


 * Bumble stands a couple of tail-lengths away from the two, embarrassed. Turtle Tail apologizes to her, explaining that Gray Wing was not such a pain in the tail. Gray Wing lets out a hiss of anger, and Bumble ducks her head, saying that it was okay. Turtle Tail tells Gray Wing that she would come back with him, and says good-bye to Bumble. She then squeezes her head through the Twoleg fence, and Gray Wing gives Bumble an awkward nob before following her. While the two walk home, Turtle Tail describes how was her stay in Bumble's den, mentioning how the food appeared to look like rabbit droppings, and how she slept on one of the soft rocks she told him about. Gray Wing feels a bit guilty that he couldn't be interested in Bumble's den, but also felt that they didn't belong with Twolegs.


 * When Turtle Tail comes back empty-pawed from the direction of Twolegplace, she has the scent of Twolegs all over her. Gray Wing assets that she has been visiting Bumble again, still off balance from the encounter of Storm, and asks her if she really wanted to be with her more than them. Turtle Tail snaps at him, stating that it seems he didn't have time for her anymore, and that he would feel differently if she had silver fur.


 * The next day, Turtle Tail talks to Gray Wing privately, beginning by saying that they had made such a long journey to get there, and they wondered if they would every reach the end. She adds that they have, but their destinations seemed to be very different. Gray Wing agrees with her, remembering Clear Sky and the others that left. He is interrupted before he can finish, and she states that she wasn't talking about him, and that she was going to live with Bumble. Gray Wing is surprised, replying that she couldn't be a kittypet, since she was wild. Turtle Tail flicks her tail, and states that she'll be a wild kittypet, and that she didn't think there was a place for her there anymore. She assures Gray Wing that she would be fine, and tells him to make sure to go for what he wants.


 * After he leaves Clear Sky's territory, Gray Wing wishes that he still had Turtle Tail to talk to, as he had been missing her ever sine she left to live with Bumble. It is noted that she had not come to visit, as promised, and although Gray Wing could sometimes pick up her scent on the giant rock beneath the four oaks, he never saw her there, feeling that sometimes he had lost one of his own paws.


 * Gray Wing later looks for the den that Bumble and Turtle Tail lived in, thinking that they may know where Storm was staying then, and that it would be good to meet Turtle Tail once more. Upon arrival, Turtle Tail tells him that to her, it was great for him to visit Bumble and she. As the two discuss, Turtle Tail is about to state that she was not sure if she knew where Storm was, but Bumble interrupts her, saying that they knew. She sits on the fence at the opposite side of the stretch of grass, and plots down, padding over to join them. She reminds Turtle Tail that Storm had gone to live in the old monster den. Turtle Tail mutters that she was right, and Gray Wing thanks Bumble, and asks if she can show him the way. Bumble hesitates for a moment, and informs him that she wouldn't go in with him, as the place gave her the creeps. Gray Wing then departs with Bumble after finishing speaking to Turtle Tail, following her back along the wall, and then down beside a Thunderpath.


 * The two wait a moment before a gap opens up, and Bumble yowls for them to go. They dart across, side by side, and then leads him past Twoleg dens. They slip along close to the wall to avoid the clumping paws of the Twoleg crowds. Gray Wing exclaims that he didn't know how she could stand living there, and she glances back at him before replying that she didn't know how he could stand living out in the open, getting cold and wet the entire time. She then adds that she guessed they both got used to it. Eventually, Bumble leads him around another corner, and they arrive at the monster den. She informs him that she would wait for him and show him the way back, flicking her tail. Gray Wing, shocked, asks her if Storm lived in there, and she nods, stating that there was not many places to stay around there, if they didn't live with Twolegs. After Gray Wing departs from the monster den, he is out in the open, where Bumble waits for him.