#bumble dotc

What exactly happened to Bumble?

When the group first find Bumble there are wounds covering her entire body, Gray Wing believes that no particular wound is causing her to die, it’s a cumulation of blood loss from all of the various wounds on her body. These wounds are described as “slits down her belly and sides” as well as other injuries all over her body. When the group gets close to Bumble the “reek of fox was overwhelming and drowning all other scents”. Clear Sky’s scent is then detected on Bumble’s fur by Gray Wing, underneath the fox scent it is quite hard to detect but it is definitely there.

Before Clear Sky’s scent is detected , Gray Wing tries asking Bumble what happened but she cannot reply.

Wind Runner finds signs of a fight due to the trampled grass on the ground. Gorse Fur then presents the idea of Clear Sky being the culprit. Turtle Tail vocally agrees and says “Which cat has been determined to expand his territory, never mind who gets hurt? Clear Sky! And now he’s attacked poor Bumble”

At this point Bumble tries to speak again and succeeds she says

“This was my fault… I was so hungry… I couldn’t think straight. It was stupid. I never should have hunted here… The cat was only -“

At that point Clear Sky appears and interrupts and says “ I was only warning her”.

At that point Gray Wing and Wind Runner confront him, asking what happened to Bumble, and what happened to Misty’s kits (more on that in a second).

Clear Sky’s eyes show “mingling guilt and horror” as he looks at Bumble before answering. He then tells them that Petal is caring for Misty’s kits (which is the truth).

One argument between the cats present later (more of that soon) Clear Sky gives his side of what happened… the only account we ever get of what happened to Bumble. He claims that he found Bumble trespassing, cuffed her around the ear, she fainted from being so weak and he left her because he saw her paw twitching so knew she would come around. While he was walking away he heard a fox bark, came back and says he was “too late” and claims he was going for help when the group arrived. And that’s basically it, that is all the facts of the case. That is all the books ever really give us iirc about how Bumble died.

So what exactly happened?

Personally I am inclined to believe that Clear Sky’s account is mostly accurate, but I think he roughed her up much worse than he claims to have. I don’t believe she would just faint from an ear cuff, nor would Clear Sky do such a feeble move to drive off an intruder. I think what happened was Clear Sky injured her, saw her collapse and decide she learned her lesson, left, and then a fox smelt the blood and attacked Bumble where Clear Sky left her. I don’t know where the fox would have gone but it is undeniable one was there, and even though Clsar Sky is ruthless, I doubt he would injure Bumble to the extent she is. And even though there are signs of a scuffle, there is no injury noted on Clear Sky, surely if he spent that much time and effort slashing open Bumble all over her body then there would be at least signs of her fighting back? My best guess is that the fox fled when the group started to approach, or if Bumble fought back and and it just thought she wasn’t worth it’s time. I think the guilt and horror reflected in Clear Sky’s eyes is over causing the situation and not intending her to actually get that hurt. Bumble herself seems to start on at least some kind of defence against Clear Sky, we don’t know what that is but she says “The cat was only-“ I feel like if he just completely pummelled her to the point of near death she wouldn’t have said this.

So essentially yes, I believe Clear Sky is directly responsible for Bumble’s death based on the evidence, but he didn’t ruthlessly murder her like many make out. I do believe Clear Sky left her injured and defenceless and a fox then finished her off.

What about Gray Wing?

So Gray Wing’s reaction and defence of Clear Sky in this chapter is one of the things I see fairly often to explain why some believe Gray Wing is one of the most morally bankrupt characters in warrior cats.

I just want to add some full context here.

What Gray Wing knows so far about what Clear Sky has done is as follows

He kicked out Jagged Peak for breaking his leg (Gray Wing has physically fought Clear Sky over this already)

He rejected Thunder and then manipulated him into rejoining the group later on.

He left an injured Moon Shadow behind in the moor camp.

He kicked out Frost for having an injury that won’t heal.

Clear Sky and his cats will fight to maintain and expand boundaries. But so far, as far as Gray Wing knows, no death has resulted from this although there is an accusation (see below).

Wind Runner claims she found the bloodied body of Misty with Clear Sky’s and Thunder’s scent marks in the area, and now Misty’s kits are missing.

So far then, as far as it goes with Clear Sky, he has been a generally shitty person but that’s as far as it has gone. The situation with Misty’s death is currently just speculation by Wind Runner and Gorse Fur. We as the audience know, yes, Clear Sky did ruthlessly kill her, but no one beyond Clear Sky, Thunder, and Petal actually know that.

During Bumble’s death chapter, Gray Wing is “desperate to believe his brother could be innocent”. He brings up the fox scent but is dismissed by Turtle Tail.

At this point after Bumble says that it’s her fault and Clear Sky interrupts her. And here’s a point of contention I have seen. Where Gray Wing now thinks to himself

“Even with Bumble dying beside him, Gray Wing couldn’t help but admiring his brother’s bravery. What other cat would leap in the midst of a hostile group?”

And this is something I’ve seen to claim that Gray Wing is an awful person for admiring his brother while Bumble is dying but I just don’t agree with this at all? It is a flash of admiration of Clear Sky confronting a hostile group. Gray Wing thinks that he “couldn’t help” but admire Clear Sky’s courage. It is possible to admire an aspect of a person in this way without absolving them of the bad they’ve done. I can’t think of any examples but I swear things like this do happen in warrior cats where the hero will feel a glimmer of respect for a certain aspect of an antagonist. I just don’t think this is at all revealing of Gray Wing’s moral character. Immediately after this thought Gray Wing confronts Clear Sky and demands to know if he knows what happened and directly accuses Clear Sky of doing it in the process.

Gray Wing clearly doesn’t want this to be true but he isn’t hiding from the possibility.

After explaining that Misty’s kits are safe (in response to Wind Runner’s question immediately after Gray Wing’s before Clear Sky could answer), Clear Sky asks Gray Wing if he thinks he’s capable of doing this to Bumble and Gray Wing says no.

This is another thing I see people say is why Gray Wing is a massive POS but, at this point, Gray Wing has no reason to believe that Clear Sky is capable of this level of violence except the description of the scene of where Misty’s body was found. A scene which he hasn’t seen that Wind Runner also implies Thunder shares the guilt of. That is it. Of course he’s not going to want to believe his littermate committed this act, nor does he have any real reason to actually believe Clear Sky is capable of such a thing. As far as he knows Clear Sky is a major manipulative asshole who will push others around, but there is a huge step between that and just covering Bumble’s body in so many injuries she’s bleeding out and dying. And as mentioned, there is strong evidence a fox was involved in this incident anyway, it’s not like it’s just Clear Sky’s scent, the fox scent is by far the strongest scent at the scene.

After this point arguments ensue with Turtle Tail reiterating how she believes Clear Sky did this, ending with Wind Runner asking Gray Wing about what should be done next.

Gray Wing does have some doubts about Clear Sky but doesn’t want show it, and does ask Clear Sky directly who could have done this if he didn’t. He wants Clear Sky to be innocent but he isn’t shielding away from the potential truth, he is confronting Clear Sky about this. He isn’t trying to cover for Clear Sky, he obviously wants Clear Sky to present another option but isn’t helping him do it and he isn’t verbally trying to excuse Clear Sky at this point other than saying that he doesn’t believe Clear Sky is capable of such a thing, which again is reasonable for Gray Wing to believe in this scenario.

After Clear Sky gives his side of what happened, Gray Wing even refuses to speak in his defence.

Surely if he was such a Clear Sky bootlicker in this scene like is often made out, he would have said something right?

And that’s about all I’ve got to say. I haven’t moved onto the first battle yet so I’ll probably have something to say about Gray Wing in that. But I just think interpreting this scene to make Gray Wing out to be completely supporting and defensive of Clear Sky is just in bad faith imo. This is his brother he was raised with, I really don’t think he should be penalised for not immediately assuming his brother is the awful scumbag he is at this point in time. Like I mentioned, as far as Gray Wing knows now is that Clear Sky is an ableist manipulative ass, but that is a far cry from being a killer. I don’t think Gray Wing has given him enough shit for that, but I truly don’t think Gray Wing believing his brother is capable of such a thing at this point is that reasonable.

After a brief appearance as she witnesses the Settlers arrive on the moor, the very first time we get to meet Bumble is when Gray Wing and Turtle Tail are hanging out on some sunny rocks. She's cheerful, outgoing, and curious, wanting to get to know her new neighbors.

Gray Wing, the POV character, immediately makes an incorrect assumption about her weight, thinking she won't be able to climb. She can, just fine, and she plays an Uno Reverse card on how skinny they are lmao

First thing out of her mouth is, "Oh you are SKIN AND BONES!!" Same energy as grandma who is about to make you feel more full than you have ever been in your entire life, considering she's going to open her home to Turts in a couple chapters.

They get into a conversation where Bumble asks where they came from, and why they left the mountains. She remains friendly and open, just enjoying small talk with these total strangers. She's enjoyable and lighthearted, in welcome contrast to the Settler's group which is full of moping, miserable cats.

(and in my live-read I was even frustrated at the time by how it seemed like the Settlers would have 1 or 2 nice moments, and then go back to fighting or brooding. It's unpleasant.)

In this first interaction it's just a glimmer, but it seems that what Turtle Tail LIKES about Bumble is that she makes her feel special. She LISTENS, unlike how Gray Wing is going to be in a couple of chapters.

She likes telling the shocking tale of giant birds to Bumble, and Bumble is happy that they're away from such hardships now. When Turtle Tail turns the questions back on her, Bumble is happy to gush about her life as a house cat.

She loves her people, playing with their children and always having plenty of food, explaining that when she gets bored she comes to the woods for a nice walk. Then, she mentions something very important.

Historically, there WAS no aggression towards outsiders. Cats like Bumble didn't take what they didn't need, and were left alone for it. This first interaction paints the full picture. Bumble wasn't afraid of the Settlers because there never was a reason to be scared.

CLEAR SKY is inventing the borders to aggrieve random cats. Him. His idea. Before him, you could walk through the forest freely like Bumble did.

This is before the arc irrevocably goes up in flames at the end of Book 3 by committing to a Clear Sky "Redemption," and is forced to create One Eye and Slash out of nowhere for Books 4/5/6. Before that absolutely baffling mistake of a choice, it is clear that The Settlers are the problem.

There WAS no Slash or One Eye. They were retconned in midway through the arc to make Clear Sky and The Settlers look less bad.

After this exchange, Turtle Tail dismisses Bumble's way of life and chuckles at a joke Gray Wing makes about how they'll probably never see Bumble again because she'll be afraid of them... but she's thinking about her. It strikes me as being the same kind of feeling as the swirling, murky feeling of a new crush.

Can't get the chunky kitty girl out of her head, can you, Turtle Tail?

We don't see Bumble for a few more chapters, but in her next appearance, it's implied she's been visiting Turtle Tail for a while. Gray Wing sees them sharing a meal. Please note how Turts is immediately defensive. As if she feels like she's being caught in the middle of doing something wrong.

(Tangent: note the constant suspicion and aggression towards Wind and Gorse. who live here.)

Gray Wing is as oblivious as ever. For a character described as "wise" he's incredibly dense towards the feelings of others. Yet, always, ALWAYS, Bumble is cheerful. This brewing animosity is NOT returned, she's happy to see him again.

He tries to recruit her to the moor group and she enthusiastically declines with a "No way! I love my life, actually!"

As soon as she's out of earshot, Here Comes The Confrontation. The exact one that Turtle Tail correctly anticipated when she got defensive earlier;

"You shouldn't have friends I don't approve of, Turtle Tail. It bothers me."

How can I NOT love Bumble? When her primary purpose is to be a friend for Turtle Tail, while Gray Wing is either ignoring her or sending her on guilt trips through this entire book? She's RELIEF for a woman who's being treated like trash, and every time she shows up she's doing something cute or helpful!

(Tangent: This book's pacing is garbage. The next scene is a sudden fox raid where a billion foxes attack the camp, and then the Settlers reveal that they don't know what a fox is. BUMBLE taught Turtle Tail about the danger of foxes. This is contradicted by the later books where there's cats back at the tribe named after foxes and Quiet Rain calls her shittiest son a foxheart. But there's waaay worse continuity errors in this arc.)

Gray Wing, the POV, hates her for no goddamn reason. It's right there on the page that he can't give Turtle Tail an answer as to why she should stop hanging out with her. The two continue to fight as Turts desperately tries to salvage their relationship while Gray Wing finds ways to snap at her or offend her.

I think the next appearance of Bumble is actually the most cringeworthy, though. I get secondhand embarrassment reading this one.

Turts just stayed with her friend overnight, and Gray Wing throws a fit about it, hissing at her that she's using the wrong terms and that she's forgotten where she belongs. Bumble watches this all happen like 😬, and then when Turtle Tail apologizes for this asshole having a conniption, he hisses AGAIN and whines about how he doesn't need to be apologized for.

But Bumble, up to her very last appearance in this book, is helpful and open.

After Gray Wing is nearly slaughtered by Fox at the border on Clear Sky's orders, so he kills him in self defense, causing Clear Sky to disown Gray Wing as his brother, which is the final straw for the pregnant Storm to run off, and then The Pacing Brothers have a casual chat over the still-warm corpse of the dead lackey, the input lag finally sends the signal to Gray Wing's brain that he needs to go find Storm.

It's BUMBLE that tells him where she can be found, as always, cutting through tension. Turtle Tail stays behind because she's understandably fed up with Gray Wing, so Bumble brings him where he needs to go. She guides him through the town, over roads, to the abandoned building where Storm is staying.

Gray Wing whines the whole time because he is a loser.

It's also interesting to me that when Bumble's annoyed with him, she doesn't huff or even get rude. She just glances back, and points out that there's disadvantages to his lifestyle too. You get used to it.

In better books, Gray Wing's POV would be considered unreliable in the end. He's an oblivious jackass whose thickness causes him to treat other people poorly, EXCEPT for his monstrous brother, whose violence and abuse he enables through the entire series. Though he's hailed as a "perfect boy so very full of love," he causes a LOT of the problems in his own relationships and familial dynamics.

Smarter books would encourage you to step back and think critically about the events as he perceived them;

Why did his judgement of Bumble begin to harden as Turtle Tail spent more time with her? Did Bumble do anything to deserve this?

Did Gray Wing's behavior lead to Turtle Tail's eventual decision to leave the moor? Were there other factors?

What are the flaws he can identify about himself? How will he grow from this?

Are there broader problems with The Settlers, which may have influenced the mindsets of both Turtle Tail and Gray Wing?

Unfortunately with Gray Wing, the only thing they identify as a "problem" in how he treated Turts in The Sun Trail is that he spent less time with her, as he pursued Storm. The controlling behavior and frequent arguing, the condescension, and the public embarrassment are NOT treated as negative traits to address as the series goes on.

(they never are. These are not directly addressed in any of the other terrible men in the series; Clear Sky, Bramblestar, Raggedstar, etc. only paternal neglect is condemned. Men are even allowed to beat their kids and it will not be called out.)

And breaking through that lens, you see Bumble. Who is just here to be a person that Turtle Tail needs, a good friend, someone who's confident, self-assured, and LOVES the life that she lives. I can't help but feel joy every time she walks onto the screen in The Sun Trail, because Gray Wing is SO frustrating that I'm rooting for Turtle Tail to go somewhere that she'll be appreciated.