Warriors Series 5.5: Echoes of the War
Novella 3: Penny's Faith
Chapter Eight
"Yeee-oww!"
With an undignified squawk, Felix's grip on the pipe slipped, and he was sent falling back, landing in an awkward tangle of limbs on the mound of snow gathered beside the wall.
Penny trotted up to him, desperately trying and failing to hide the twitching of her whiskers. "That wasn't exactly what I had in mind, but good effort." Behind her, the rest of the trainees were snickering, watching the failure of their denmate.
Several days had passed since the meeting with the kittypets. In that time, Penny had thrown herself back into her work with the Council, dividing her time between the Council and her daughter. She was determined to prove herself a valuable member of the Society once again, and to mend her relationship with Peggy. That day, she had agreed to take all of the trainees out training for a while, giving the other Council members a break. Everything wasn't better, not all the way, but Penny's heart was lighter than it had been in moons. She felt like she was truly living again.
Felix managed to right himself, shaking snow from his creamy pelt. "I wasn't expecting the pipe to be that cold!" he complained. "And it's all icy at the top... how is any cat supposed to climb that?"
"I never said it would be easy," Penny purred, mew tinged with amusement. "But in an environment like Twolegplace, learning how to climb is essential." Without another word, she turned and bounded towards the wall that Felix had been attempting to climb. She launched herself up onto the pipe, wrapping her forelegs around it while using her hind legs to propel herself upward. She was able to quickly shimmy up the pipe, using the bend at the top as a grip to leap off of as she reached for the roof. Once she had a grip on the roof, she pulled herself up in a fluid motion, spinning around on the spot so she was standing and facing the trainees down below.
"Whoa!" The trainees stared up at her, calling out with admiring meows. Even Sparkplug, who had managed the climb already, had her eyes lit up with admiration.
Penny purred, settling onto her haunches as she looked down at her charges. "This isn't a wooden fence or a tree – digging in your claws won't do much for you here," she called down, glancing at Felix in particular. The tom seemed to have mostly gotten over his embarrassment, and was listening eagerly. "For this kind of climb, a strong grip, and using your hind legs to push yourself up rather than pulling up with the front paws, will do the job." She let her gaze travel over all of the cats below her. "The street holds many dangers," she informed the trainees. An image of Bounce stretched out on the street flashed in her mind, but she pushed it away, in a motion she found easier by the day. "Dogs and twolegs pose a threat to us, and monsters make crossing even the narrowest streets a risk. One of the ways you must learn to navigate our territory more safely is by hopping from roof to roof, using climbing to avoid the dangers the ground poses. It isn't always an option, of course, and it poses its own dangers, but it is an essential skill to learn when living among twolegs."
She lifted her chin, feeling a surge of pride. "This isn't a forest that changes only with the seasons and the slow march of time," she said. "To live in a world crafted by twolegs is to live in a world of constant change. Everything is in constant motion – nothing ever stays the same. Twolegs are constantly changing this town, and since we have chosen to live here, we must change with it. It's not an easy place to live, but that's why our greatest strength is our ties to each other. We must rely on each other to learn and to adapt, and to defend the values we all hold dear." Penny lashed her tail, her claws digging deep into the snow. "We are the Society of the Street!"
Excited mews rose from the crowd of trainees at Penny's words. She watched them a moment longer, then leaped down from the roof, landing neatly in front of them. "Now come on," she purred, nudging Owl playfully with one paw. "Back to it! Owl, why don't you try next?"
The small tabby scowled. "I'll just fall again," she protested. "My legs aren't long enough to wrap around like that. I'm too small to keep up."
Penny's whiskers twitched. Owl was so like her father Shy in many ways – but she had her mother's stubbornness and impatience sometimes as well. "You've just started your training," she reminded Owl in a friendly mew. "You'll get there. We all have our different strengths, size doesn't equal strength – just look at Sunny." She flicked her tail, adding, "But the only way to improve is through practice. So get up there!"
Owl cast an uncertain glance towards Penny, then shrugged and turned away, bounding towards the wall. Penny purred as she watched the trainee start attempting to climb the pipe. Yes, we must change to keep up with the changing times, she thought to herself as Owl slowly shimmied her way up the pipe. And I think I know just the change that we have to make next.
SCENEBREAK
"This meeting of the Council is now officially in session."
Penny's gaze traveled around the circle of Council cats. All of them were gathered together, and the trainees and family of the Council were gathered some paces away as well. It was a few nights later, and the Council were meeting again – and again, it was at her request.
Sunny turned her icy gaze to Penny. "Alright, you've asked us all to meet here," she mewed. Her tone was friendlier than it had been at the last Council meeting, but there was still a wary edge there. "What's this about?"
Penny dipped her head briefly to her leader, then turned her gaze back to the rest of the Council. "I know I've been difficult to deal with lately," she began. A few cats looked away, unwilling to respond, but others just gazed at her sympathetically. "But I truly care about the welfare of our Society. And if there's anything that this last moon has taught me, it's that we must grow and change to make sure our Society – and our lives – are the best that they can be. We have to let go of the past that pains us, and look to the future. What the kittypets did was wrong, but cats like Skip and Brindle have shown us that we can be wrong too. And I think I know a way that we can change that will help make the future better for every cat in twolegplace."
She lifted her chin, calling out in a strong mew, "I would like to make a proposal to the Council today. I propose that we add a new rank to the Society – the rank of ambassador."
Surprised mews rose up from the gathered Council cats. Beetle was staring at her in shock, and Specklefur was swapping an uncertain glance with Tawny. Sunbeam's tail shot up, but the joy shining in her eyes told Penny that her surprise was a pleasant one, and the same seemed true of Tally. But Sunny's expression was as unreadable as ever. "And what would be the role of these ambassadors in our Society?" was all she asked.
"It would be the job of our ambassadors to meet regularly with the rogues, loners, and kittypets who populate this town and do not count themselves as members of this Society," Penny explained. "Potentially, they could also meet with cats who live near our borders, especially if any large groups like the Clans take up residence nearby. They will make sure these cats are aware of us and how we live, though it won't be their job to pressure anyone to live by our ways, and they will make sure there's open communication between our Society and the cats who live outside of it. Their task will be to bring any complaints or offers or communication of any kind from outsiders to the Council, to avoid any kind of misunderstandings like we've seen these last days.
In a firmer tone, she added, "It will also be their job to keep the rest of the Society from being too isolated from the rest of the world. They will speak with the members of our Society about those that live outside of it, and they will bring those willing on meetings with kittypets and loners, and they will teach acceptance and tolerance. We've seen it for ourselves – isolation breeds prejudice. As moral as we try to be, if cats as violently prejudiced as Skip and Brindle can be the result of our teachings, it means that we need to try harder. I think this is the best way not only to protect our Society from attacks stemming from miscommunication, but also to combat bigotry from within our own ranks." She let her gaze sweep around the circle, carefully measuring the reactions of her fellow Council members. "So now I put it into your paws – what do you say to the addition of the rank of ambassador?"
There was a few moments of silence as her fellow Council members exchanged glances. Tally was the first to speak. "I think it's a wonderful idea," the she-cat mewed brightly. She gave Penny an approving nod, her gaze far more friendly than at the last meeting. "I've seen for myself what happens when bullies get the run of the place. The best thing we can do to prevent Scourge's kind of savagery is to be open and accepting of our differences."
"It certainly would have helped prevent this situation with the kittypets long before it got this bad," Blink mewed. His tone was gruff, but there was warmth in his gray eye as he gazed at Penny.
Specklefur seemed hesitant as he spoke up. "I don't know," he mewed. "That sounds like a lot of work, and we already have several ranks. We don't want to stretch our Society too thin trying to get every job done."
"If it will help make things right between our Society and those who live differently, then it's work worth doing," Shy mewed firmly. It was rare for Shy to speak up during Council meetings, but there was determination in his tone as he spoke now. "We can only find out what works and what doesn't for our Society by trying it. Whether it'll work or not, we'll have to try it and see, but Penny has done well to try and think of a way to address this issue." He glanced at Penny, giving her a brief, approving nod. Pride surged in Penny's chest.
Sunny was silent as the Council debated. When no more opinions seemed forthcoming, she spoke in an even tone – though Penny thought she could hear a tinge of pride there. "Very well. If no one else has anything to add, we will begin the vote. Those against the addition of an ambassador to our ranks, leave the circle. Those for it, stay."
There was a brief pause. Specklefur hesitated, glancing at his fellow Council members, before lowering his head with a thoughtful flick of his tail. No one else moved, even as the silence stretched on. Penny couldn't believe it. The decision was unanimous – ambassadors would now be added to the ranks of the Society.
"So be it, then," Sunny finally spoke. Now the pride was clear to hear in her mew. "Now all that remains is to select our first ambassador."
Penny spoke up. "I have a suggestion for that as well. I believe our first ambassador should be my daughter, Peggy." A few cats looked surprised, but Snuggle was nodding eagerly, and warmth shown in Sunbeam's eyes. "She has shown a great talent for connecting with others by listening to their needs and addressing their concerns. This past moon, she has shown great responsibility and loyalty, and has helped avert us from the course of war. I can think of no better cat to serve as our first ambassador."
Sunny's eyes shone as she regarded Penny. "Your daughter is young for such responsibility," she mewed. "But she has proven with recent events that she would bear such responsibility well." With a look around the circle, she quipped, "I don't believe this will need to be a long vote?"
The cats of the Council glanced at each other, then, one by one, mewed their agreement. It was unanimous once again. Peggy was to be their new ambassador.
Sunny turned towards the trainees. "Owl, Ember, go to Peggy's den," she ordered, a bright gleam in her eyes. "Bring her here. If she accepts our offer, then she will be welcomed as the official first ambassador of the Society."
Mews of approval rose from the Council. Penny felt pride swelling in her chest, for her daughter, for herself, for her Society and the step they'd taken. As the meeting broke up and everyone headed to their nests for the night, Penny stood to do the same - only to stop as something caught her eye. Instead of heading for her nest, Sunny was padding towards the den's entrance, something wistful in the twitch of her tail. After a moment's hesitation, Penny followed her.
Sunny was already outside by the time Penny reached the entrance. She saw the moonlit silhouette of her leader leading up onto a garbage can against the wall, then up onto the roof. Penny bounded after her, leaping easily onto the can, then onto the roof after.
When Penny stood from her landing, Sunny was seated at the edge of the roof, looking out into the town beyond. She looked up as the younger cat approached. "Ah, Penny," she greeted. There was a subdued edge to her tone, though she was clearly trying to be friendly. "Come to keep me company?"
"If that's alright," Penny mewed. Though things had gotten better since the meeting with the kittypets, she could still feel tension between herself and her leader, all of the words she'd screamed at Sunny lingering like a barrier between them. It was the first time she'd been alone with Sunny since then - and she didn't want to waste this opportunity. "May I sit?"
At Sunny's nod, Penny came to sit beside her leader. A tense silence hung between the two she-cats for several moments. Sunny was the first to break it. "I meant to ask earlier. How's your mother doing?"
"Alright," Penny mewed, feeling the familiar twinge of sadness at the thought of Tire. "She's still weak, but at least she's not any worse than before." The thought of losing her mother pained Penny as deeply as ever, but she knew now that whatever came next, her Society would stand beside her. While she had been trying to repair her relationship with Peggy, she had also made an effort to spend more time with her family, while she still had them beside her. She'd visited Tire and Flash frequently, and she'd gone hunting several times with Puddle. They had stood beside her all the time she'd struggled with fear and suspicion, and it felt good to know they were still beside her now.
"That's good," Sunny murmured. The she-cat seemed unfocused, her tone dull with sadness. She was still gazing out into the distance, her tail twitching slowly at her paws.
Penny let the silence stretch on for a few moments more, then finally spoke. "Sunny, I want to apologize for the things that I said, when I blamed you for what Scorch did." Sunny still wouldn't look at her. Penny watched her leader's reaction carefully, wondering what was going through the tiny she-cat's mind. Shame weighed heavy in her heart as she remembered how she'd ranted at her leader. "I believed it when I said it, but I was blinded by my fear, and I was cruel. I'm sorry." She hesitated. "I... I was worried that you blamed me for what Scorch did. I was afraid, nearly dying like that made it so hard to trust – I was seeing enemies all around me. But it doesn't excuse what I said."
Sunny was silent for several moments more, her eyes glazed over as she stared vacantly out into her town. When she did speak, her mew was flat and dull. "When you said those things, it made me remember everything I was thinking and feeling the day that it happened," she rasped. "The day that I learned that my own daughter was willing to murder to get what she wanted. It made me remember all of the pain, and all of the doubts and the fear that I felt on that awful day, because I could see all of it in your eyes." She finally turned to look at Penny. The younger she-cat was stunned by how ancient her leader appeared in that moment, by how deeply the grief in her eyes seemed to age her. "I didn't want to face what you were saying, Penny, because I never blamed you for what my daughter became – I blamed myself."
Penny could do nothing but gape wordlessly at her leader, too overcome with surprise and emotion to respond. Sunny went on, "The first few days after it happened, I kept going over every moment of my daughter's life over and over in my mind. I kept searching for the little moments, the mistakes I made, the signs I should have seen, the things that should have told me that my daughter was becoming a monster." Sunny was beginning to shake now, her pelt trembling with emotion as her voice began to crack. "I was her mother. I should have known. How could I have been so blind, how could I have so badly understood the mind of my own daughter? What kind of mother am I, that I knew so little about my own daughter's heart? What did I do to make her this way? What could I have done differently?"
Sunny paused for a moment, then took a deep breath, clearly trying to collect herself. "I've been worried about you ever since it happened, Penny," she said, her mew still shaking. "I wanted more than anything to fix what my daughter had broken. I never told the Council what you said, not even Sniff or my brothers. I just told them that you've been under a lot of pressure lately and to go easy on you. I wanted to give you the space to work things out." For a moment, her eyes narrowed, and her mew was stern once more. "Let me be clear – I wouldn't have let you use your anger and your fear to lash out against my family, or my Council and Society. I was ready to keep an eye on you, and if necessary, to intervene so you didn't hurt yourself or others in your suspicion. But I could never hate you, Penny, because what happened to make you so hurt and so afraid was my fault."
Penny stared at her leader, her thoughts tangled and a torrent of emotions overwhelming her. She had never taken the time, in all of her fear and confusion, to consider how Sunny had been handling her daughter's betrayal. She had been so obsessed with believing that Sunny blamed her that she had never considered the idea that Sunny blamed herself instead. In an instant, all of the suspicion she'd felt for Sunny disappeared. For so long, she would look at Sunny and see only a shadow of Scorch still lingering to haunt her. But now, finally, she could see the tired, grieving mother that so painfully resembled herself. Her noble leader was breaking down in front of her, and somehow, it made her admire Sunny more than ever before.
She reached out her muzzle, allowing herself a breach of etiquette by touching her nose to her leader's cheek, giving her a soothing lick like a mother would for a kit. "It wasn't your fault." Sunny glanced at her, seeming surprised, and vulnerable. "I mean it. I was wrong to ever blame you for what Scorch did. I can't speak for your mistakes, or Sniff's, but I understand now that Scorch's choices were Scorch's alone. No one else is to blame for the choices she made. I don't blame you, Sunny, not anymore." She pulled back. "I hope you can forgive me."
Sunny met Penny's gaze, seeming to measure the younger she-cat, before the faintest of purrs seemed to rise from her throat. "Thank you, Penny," she rasped, her mew deep and sincere. "That means a lot to me. And there's no need to ask forgiveness – you had it already." She turned and looked away, back out into the town. "You're a great asset to this Society, Penny. I hope you realize just how much we need you – and how glad I am to have you at my side again."
Penny glanced at Sunny, touched at her leader's praise. She turned and looked back out over the town, feeling a sense of contentment and ease that she hadn't felt in seasons. Somehow, this moment beside her leader, it felt like a new beginning.
SCENEBREAK
That night, her dreams were filled with light and warmth. At first, there was just colors and flashes of light, and the feeling of a pelt against her own. Then, the world began to grow solid. Soft grass materialized under her paws, and a soft blue sky spread above her head. An achingly familiar scent wrapped around her, and a voice echoed in her ears. "I'm so proud of you, my love."
Penny whirled around, bristling with shock. A young, leggy gray tabby stood before her, his pelt blazing with starlight, and his eyes gleaming with love and warmth. Her pelt began to tremble with emotion. She'd thought she would never see this cat again, not until it was time for her to walk beside him in the stars. "Bounce," she rasped. Grief and joy and disbelief mixed together in her breast, filling her up until she was ready to burst from it all. "Is... is that really you?"
She lifted her paw as though to step towards him, then held back, hesitating. She wasn't sure if she could handle if he fell apart like mist at her touch, proving to be just something she'd imagined. Bounce didn't wait for her to make up her mind. He closed the distance between them himself, padding forward until their muzzles were whiskers apart. "It's really me," he confirmed. He brushed his muzzle against Penny's jaw, making her tremble with loss and longing. She closed her eyes, leaning into his touch as he pressed his head against her neck. "I've waited for this moment, my love. I've been watching over you."
"Oh Bounce," Penny breathed. Her legs were growing weak under her, every hair on her pelt quivering with emotion. "I've missed you so much! I've been so lost without you. I... I'm so sorry, I should have saved you, I should have been there, done something." She pressed her muzzle against his neck, breathing in his scent. "We should have had so much longer together," she whispered.
She felt his breath stirring the fur on her neck. "It wasn't your fault, love," he murmured.
Penny took a deep breath. "It... it wasn't Scorch's fault either, was it?" She'd been obsessed for so long with the idea of Scorch taking everything from her, she'd been convinced that Scorch must have had a paw in Bounce's death, even though she hadn't been seen in twolegplace in a moon when Bounce had died. But she knew now how paranoid she'd become. It had just been one of her delusions, just like her fear of Sunny.
"No, it wasn't," Bounce told her. He pulled back, his green gaze somber as it met hers. "What happened to me was an accident. It was nobody's fault, and there's nothing you could have done by being there." The tabby sighed. "I've watched you wander in fear and hurt for so long, Penny. I wanted so badly to comfort you, but while your mind was in such darkness, you couldn't see me. But I've always been walking beside you, my love. I've never left your side, not for a moment. The Society of the Stars has been beside you for every step, Penny. Your family has never left you."
Penny blinked, surprised. "The Society of the Stars?" she repeated. The ancestors of the Society of the Street were known as the Cats of the Stars. She'd never heard that name for them before.
"We are still a Society, even when we leave the streets behind," Bounce told her, an amused gleam in his eyes. "Even with all that we leave behind in life, we never leave that love for each other, that feeling of family, behind." He reached his muzzle forward, touching his nose to hers. "I want you to know that you will always have the love of your family beside you, even when you seem to walk alone. That is what it means to be in a Society. And I want you to know that I will always be with you, and that I will always love you."
Penny closed her eyes, taking in a shuddering breath of her mate's scent. "I love you too, Bounce," she breathed. After a few moments, she pulled her muzzle away, taking a step back. "But I can't live my life held back by the dead anymore," she mewed clearly. "I will always love you. But I have to let the living rule my heart now. Peggy needs me, the Society needs me – and I need to live among the living, for my own sake. I never want to be lost to my own grief again."
Warmth gleamed in Bounce's eyes. "I don't want that for you either," he told her. "I'm so proud of you, Penny. You've done so much good for the Society, and you and our daughter will go on to do so much more. I will watch over you always, and even as you move forward, just remember that I love you, and that I'm so proud of what you've achieved."
The dream was beginning to dissolve all around Penny. The grass was falling away under her paws, and the blue sky was giving way to a blinding white. Bounce was fading too, though Penny kept her gaze on him until the last. "I'll always remember, Bounce," she mewed, love and joy in her heart as she held onto his green gaze.
"And I'll live a life to make your Society and mine proud."
Iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii need to stop staying awake until midnight to finish writing these chapters. Especially now that I have to get up at 6:30 for work every morning. Hahahaha... *falls over*
Anywho, here's the newest chapter. This was a fun one to write. While angst and such can be fun to write, it's honestly really nice to explore Penny recovering and working towards a healthier approach to her own life, and just being happier in general. And I've been wanting to write this conversation between her and Sunny for a while.
So yes, we now have a new rank in the Society, ambassadors. Our first one is Peggy. ^^ We'll hear a bit more about her work in the next (and last) chapter, which might seem a bit obvious where it's going, but then again maybe not. We'll see. ^^ We also get a confirmation that the ancestors of the Society of the Street are called the Society of the Stars, rather than the Cats of the Stars.
I really wish I'd come up with the former title for them much sooner. Was the scene with Bounce a cheap tactic to sneak in the name I prefer for their ancestors and make it canon? ...Partly, but I also felt it was a good moment for Penny to have, to have her recent actions and attempts to live her life in a healthier way validated. :P
Anyway, that's about it for this chapter, I'll try to get the next one done soon, there's another project I want to work on, and I really should get some work done on my original writing projects before moving onto the next novella. :P
