#muddybelly

SPIDERSTAR

Each daylight warrior had a different idea of commitment. Living with a paw in both worlds was a heavy burden to shoulder, but it could be done. AspenClan had to be a cat's main priority; there was no reason for Spiderstar to allow them passage into their territory, to allow them to partake of their meals, to share their home and culture all for this to be a simple game to them. For full-time warriors, this was real, and it should be the same for all of them -- even those that slept in the comfort of their twoleg dens at night.

Spiderstar, of course, kept a close eye on which cats had the most stakes involved. Those that visited as often as they realistically could held the most respect. They understood that twolegs were unpredictable, but there was no reason for a cat to have the responsibility and standing of a warrior if they only showed their face a few times a moon. There was a reason Spiderstar made each new daylight warrior endure a sort of "trial period" before they earned a Clan name and a reason that so many decided to stop coming around.

Muddy Buddy was a daylight warrior that had Spiderstar's interest for promotion. He arrived nearly every day, offering himself up for patrols and eagerly absorbing as much as he could about the culture and beliefs of AspenClan. To miss his tabby pelt in camp every so often wasn't cause for concern; but to have his presence missing for several at a time, on the other paw, was something to take note of.

Spiderstar had asked the other daylight warriors that had arrived this morning if they'd seen him at all. Each of them shook their heads in confusion, though one, Horsewhisker, mentioned knowing the den where he lived.

"Would you mind taking me there?" they'd asked, gaze intense enough to say it was less of a request and more of an order. Horsewhisker had nodded, turning quickly to lead Spiderstar out of camp and back toward the twolegplace.

Despite having several Clanmates who hailed from the twolegplace, Spiderstar themself had never spent too much time there. They'd had little reason to; their home was with their Clan, not any twolegs. The hard stone beneath their paws left their steps nearly silent as the two of them navigated unnecessarily-complicated paths. Spiderstar commented about the looming walls of the dens and their barriers, and Horsewhisker laughed, saying something about feeling comforted by their height and sturdiness.

It didn't take incredibly long for the pair to stop at one of the paths leading up to a twoleg den. Spiderstar sniffed the air, their ears perked to catch the typical sounds of twolegs in their daily life; but the scents were stale and the sounds were distant, coming from neighboring homes.

"Their monsters are gone," they meowed quietly, creeping closer to the empty overhang. Usually, random objects littered the area even when the monsters were gone, but there was nothing to be seen.

Spiderstar hadn't been to many twoleg dens, but this one seemed... so empty. Even Horsewhisker was on edge, her tail twitching with unease as they glanced around.

"Did they move?" Horsewhisker asked, half to herself. Disappointment was clear in her tone.

"Move?" Spiderstar echoed, padding carefully around the perimeter of the den. "They do that?"

"Sometimes." Horsewhisker followed, keeping her own senses on alert. "Sometimes it makes sense, sometimes it doesn't."

"Did Muddy Buddy say anything about his twolegs moving soon?"

"I don't think so."

The two of them crept around the corner to the backyard. The grass was freshly trimmed, something that made Spiderstar's paw pads itch uncomfortably as they stepped. The only thing there was a makeshift den made out of a twoleg object; a hole was cut out of the side, and they assumed it was filled with something soft and warm. In the yard was the first time they heard something nearby that wasn't the neighbors, and it made Spiderstar's chest tighten with pity.

"In there," Horsewhisker whispered, though Spiderstar had already begun moving.

Carefully, they padded to the entrance of the small space, blinking as their eyes adjusted to the dim lighting on the inside. Sure enough they could make out the shape of Muddy Buddy, curled up on the straw with his back to the entrance. His side was stuttering to the sounds of the little sniffles and sobs that Spiderstar had heard from outside, and very suddenly the sharp, quick-clawed leader of AspenClan melted into something much too soft.

"Muddy Buddy?" their voice came out more gently than Horsewhisker had ever heard, by her surprised blink. Muddy Buddy stirred gently, turning hesitantly to face his two Clanmates. His eyes were round and wide with sorrow and wet with tears. Spiderstar's stomach dropped, and without needing to know what was going on, they placed a careful paw into the den space.

Muddy Buddy turned around, his ears drooping as he stammered and struggled to get a word out. Spiderstar and Horsewhisker, one after the other, slid into the cramped shelter and curled around him on either side.

"They left," he finally managed after a moment, voice thick with emotion. "I don't - I don't know why? I came home, and the house was just- empty..."

Spiderstar had felt the pang of loss before, the grief that came in the place the lost once were. But they had never experienced the abandonment that kittypets could. Twolegs were fickle, and there was no telling what caused their departure. Whatever the case, this was something Muddy Buddy did not deserve.

"It wasn't your fault," they murmured, touching their nose to Muddy Buddy's ear and offering a purr for comfort.

"I called and called, and I waited- I waited, but they still haven't..."

Horsewhisker's purr joined Spiderstar's, and she began grooming Muddy Buddy's shoulder. Spiderstar knew the bond between kittypet and twoleg could be something strong, something irreplaceable, even if they could not understand it. But they also knew that twolegs were creatures incomparably cruel; both their action and inaction could cause so much pain and suffering. Muddy Buddy should never have had to sound so desperate.

"You're always welcome in AspenClan," Spiderstar said, gently resting their chin over Muddy Buddy's head. "You have a home with us. Whether your twolegs return or not, you are always a Clanmate -- always family."

As Muddy Buddy collapsed and hid his face into Spiderstar's shoulder, muffling his sobs, Spiderstar felt a rush of protectiveness for their younger Clanmate. They could never imagine losing family, losing their home. To have that happen to Muddy Buddy when he was so young, to have it completely out of his control...

Spiderstar had always known they would do whatever they needed to do in order to provide for their Clan. Sometimes this meant playing the antagonist; but sometimes, in small, private moments, it meant softening their exterior and sharing tongues with a grieving young cat who needed comfort.

"Come," they said after a moment, nudging Muddy Buddy's form with their muzzle. "Let's go home."

MUDDY BUDDY

“Seeya tomorrow, Hareleap!” Muddy Buddy waved his tail to his friend in a gesture of goodbye before trotting out of camp with a smile, ready to make the now-familiar journey from the Aspenclan camp to the twoleg den he spent most of the nights in.

The past few days had actually been a bit different from normal, however, with Muddy Buddy staying with the clan overnight. With Spiderstar’s blessing (given after Muddy Buddy’s enthusiastic promise to help out with the dawn patrols), he had fixed himself a temporary nest with the apprentices. It had gone surprisingly well, his long fur helped to insulate him from the nighttime chill, and his early bird optimism and energy had been well-received on the dawn patrol. He wasn’t sure about making the overnight stays a habit, so as not to worry his twolegs too terribly, but they had been acting very peculiarly as of recent, so having a break for a few nights had been nice. Besides, they hadn’t seemed to want him in the house much anyways, with all of the frenetic movement that had been going on. He had felt like an obstacle with his twolegs almost stepping on his paws everywhere he seemed to go, so better to help out his clan for a few days, he figured.

Once he finally arrived in the twolegplace, Muddy Buddy trotted down his street, tail waving confidently. He did miss his twolegs and their home when he spent too long away, so his pace quickened as he rounded the corner and scrabbled his way onto the top of the fence along the edge of his territory.

He squinted, tilting his head. All of the monsters were gone, which was weird. Usually at least the blue one was sitting there around this time of day. He hopped down from the fence and headed towards the house, his nose twitching as he tried to pick up the telltale scents of his twolegs’ presence. No food scent, only a very faint scent of their monsters…weird. Trying to push his way through the cat door, he was surprised to find that it was stuck! His eyebrows furrowed as he pushed at it with a paw, increasing the force to no avail. They never locked the cat door after that one time when he got stuck outside in the rain!

This felt wrong.

His anxiety peaking, he walked around the house, sniffing desperately to try to find any recent trace of a familiar scent. Nothing, not even around the opening to the monster’s den, which was firmly shut. Hopping onto one of the windowsills, Muddy Buddy’s eyes widened at what he saw inside, which was, well, not that much. The couch, the table, the lamp, all of it, gone! Every trace of his twolegs, his owners, his friends, gone!

He had heard about twolegs leaving before, but he hadn’t heard of them just leaving their kittypet behind! He had only been gone a few days, why wouldn’t they wait for him? He knew they didn’t mind too much when he left to go to Aspenclan, and they always seemed happy when he came back around at night. How could they just leave him?

Tail drooping, Muddy Buddy padded back around to the backyard, heading absentmindedly for the makeshift cat den that his twolegs had made for him when it started to get cold outside. Curling up with a paw over his eyes, he willed himself to sleep.