Chapter Fifteen
“You’ve grown so much.” Echoed a soft mewl that seemed to spread across the threads of his soul. Snapping his eyes open, the first thing that Bloodpaw noticed was how everything around him was bathed in a golden hue. He felt the warmth of it, no not felt it, but drowned in it. There were no trees surrounding him, no grass crushed beneath his paws, nothing.
“Is this Starclan? Am I dead”? A mixture of relief and guilt swirled around in his heart and punctured it. Relief that he had been taken away from all this misery, but guilt/regret that he had left the world in an angry way. Bloodpaw also noticed that his pelt was once again glistening, as though traveling through an entire day and a half hadn’t even happened. A soft chuckle from behind him caused the young ginger to turn around slowly. There sitting on her haunches, was perhaps the prettiest tabby he’d laid his eyes upon.
She looked like him, red pelt and all, only hers was of a softer hue with gold tinges adorning the fringes of her fur. Eyes the color of moss, and reflecting those golden hues perfectly, stared at him with…he couldn’t describe the emotions running through those pupils. Bloodpaw could see regret, excitement, joy, amusement, etc. shifting from one emotion to the next. It made his head spin with all this jumping at him at once. He also noticed that while his fur was short and messy straight, hers was more on the bushy and kind of long side. Which included that slightly bushy tail of hers.
It was there that Bloodpaw remembered feeling himself laying on that bushy pelt, remembered how soothing her voice had been when he was merely two moons old even if he couldn’t see her then. But above all else, he remembered how much his little heart had quivered with love and affection the moment he was born. This was her. This was his..
“Mom?” Bloodpaw whispered beneath his trembling breath as shaky paws guided up to Burstglow. As he reached her, Bloodpaw buried his face into her chest fur; feeling his body soften and went limp as the familiar scents he had smelled reignited that feeling of belonging again. ‘Yes..this is-this is my mother. One who birthed me. One who gave me life.’ He couldn’t stop the tears from spilling out of him and onto her fur.
“There there, my little Bloodpaw.” Mewled Burstglow without even opening her mouth. “Just let your tears flow freely now. I promise you that everything will be better now.”
Hearing those words, Bloodpaw felt himself stiffen at once before pulling himself away from her body. Fury started to boil up inside of him as he took several steps back. “Better?” He snapped sharply as his ears perked horizontally against his head. “You left me when I was a kit. Yo-you left in the care of cats who lied to me for twelve moons!” He saw the hurt in his mother’s eyes as he began shouting, but he didn’t care. “I-I, I had to flee from them after finding out the truth that you left me! They tried to KILL ME!!
How are things going to get BETTER?!” Inclining his head downwards angrily, the young ginger breathed hard after his little rant. “Just…just tell me the truth, Burstglow.” Bloodpaw whispered before raising his eyes back to her again. “What made you decide to leave me with hidden secrets? With having them lie to me?”
For a moment, Bloodpaw assumed his mother was going to answer him straight. But to his disappointment, all she did was shake her head slightly while giving a ghost of a smile. That only made him grimace as the fire in him burned hotter and hotter. ‘Why can’t I get the truth from anyone?!’ He shouted in his head, but upon seeing Burstglow start to trot up to him, Bloodpaw held his breath as she gently pushed her nose against his. Giving her son a lick on his cheek, Burstglow turned to the side and began walking away.
“I’m sorry, Bloodpaw. If answers are what you seek, then you must discover them on your own. I can only shield you from the things that have yet to come. I cannot shield you from the lies and secrets that will be unraveled more and more in time. They only allowed me to come with a message. For me to continue speaking with you for this long, already puts me at risk from HIM.
Beware the black tom, Bloodpaw. He brings nothing but misery and death to those who meet him.” As she spoke to him, Burstglow began to slowly fade away into twinkling stars as her voice was getting harder to understand as time passed.
“No, you’re not leaving me alone again”! Running after her with desperation in his movements and voice, Bloodpaw sought to catch up to his mother. “Mother! MOTHER!!!” Screaming at the top of his lungs, Bloodpaw came to a slow walk before stopping completely as he watched his mother vanish entirely from sight.
Despite the emotions of frustration threatening to overtake him, Bloodpaw’s mind went back to his mother’s cryptic warning: Beware the black tom. Flashes of the black tom from the Place of No Stars started to slowly fade into existence in his mind. This made him scrunch up his face in thought. ‘What does that black tom have to do with anything?’ Bloodpaw thought to himself. Before he could continue to contemplate it any further, however, Bloodpaw felt a tug on his soul just as he awoke in reality with a sharp loud gasp.