Lost Bells & Lost Chimes [STARS 5000 ENTRY]

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ACTS ★
★ ACT 1 ★ [743 words]
★ ACT 2 ★ [1056 words]
★ ACT 3 ★ [1055 words]

★ [TOTAL WORD COUNT: 2854 words]
★ [FULL-RES IMAGES]

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Spring's Ringing Bells was quite a notable cat amongst her fellow Copper Thorns. She was beloved by all of them, as if she was sunlight beaming through the clouds after a harsh storm. She stood out from the Thorns for her kindness and cheerful attitude, but also her impulsiveness, which contrasted with the rest of the Thorns being hardened by harsh life experiences, and thus losing that sense of cheer. But Bell was much different. She laughed, and she practically held her arms out to the Thorns, to join her. She made the base of the Copper Thorns feel like much more than that. She made them feel like family, and that base they used for preparations was home.

Though, not only was Bell kind, she proved to be brave as well. This bravery was admired by all of the Thorns, including Wilt themselves, who didn't seem like they had much to lose after being exiled from the colony they were originally born into, on top of their old age. Where one Copper Thorn hesitated, Bell charged into battle in their place, as if death held no meaning to her. She would do anything to save a fellow cat, after all. Even if she was just as terrified as the other Thorns, she didn't dare let them know by showing fear. The life of others was more important to her than risk of potential injury. Even if she had been beaten beyond recognition, at least she would know that someone was finally safe; one less cat to mourn was like a million gifts, made specially for her.

Although... she was fast to react, because of her own impulsiveness. She was fearless and brave, because she didn't quite think before she acted. Sure, this often didn't matter too much, she excelled at her role as a protector; she was practically made for that role, after all. Though, she still often faced severe injury for this impulsiveness of hers. Even if she was a skilled fighter, even if she could keep anyone out of harm's way as if it were pure instinct, she was most certainly not good at keeping herself safe from harm. It's a wonder she doesn't have even more scars, seeing how often she's had to pay visits to the MeadowClan healers, and made them question their life choices as soon as she's stepped foot in their den.

One day, however, she had set out on a solo mission of her own accord. Reports of dogs headed directly towards her old home, far from the Copper Thorns' base. A large pack, certain to wipe out the entirety of her old cluster if their arrival was sudden, no one was present to step in, and especially if there was little time provided to flee from impending doom. The Copper Thorns deemed it too difficult of a fight; there weren't many cats quite yet, limited to only three Thorns, including herself, and maybe one extra cat if Glademist were to get involved. But she took matters into her own paws; if the rest of the Copper Thorns were unwilling to assist, she would. And even with pleas from her fellow Copper Thorns, to act logical about this, to think, Bell ignored. This was the right thing to do, even if it cost her.

So, as she had predicted everyone was asleep, she decided to depart in the midst of a dark, cool, winter's night. Until...

"Bell, please, just... think twice about what you're about to go do," Lew had grabbed her by her shoulder, letting out his pleas in a gentle tone. "The Thorns need you. I know these cats are important to you, but... this isn't a fight anyone here could win all together, why do you think you can?"

Bell let out a quiet growl, a rare sense of anger pooling in her golden eyes, though she managed to keep her cool. "As you said, this is important to me. I don't care what happens to the Thorns right now. Please, just let me go and do this."

Lew went to go make a rebuttal, but they caved, and let Bell run off into the night, with the sole purpose of ensuring safety for the ones she loved. To at least ensure the dogs were far from where her family and former friends were; to ensure they never faced any injury.

Besides, she's always been able to prevent a death... hasn't she?

[743 words]

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The journey back to her old home was nothing short of a total slog; Bell had never realized how far it was from the base of the Copper Thorns. In fact, it had certainly been a while since she had first left her cluster to begin with, after making the decision that she wanted to leave the nest; to find a new purpose in life. And while she did most definitely find that purpose, she missed having many cats around to provide her with company. Some being cats who raised her, others she had known since kithood. Some being cats she recruited into her old cluster after encountering them on an outing, and convincing them to join her in the cluster. Some cats she had only befriended for a short period of time before she went to say her goodbyes, and cats who she had known for many moons; cats who almost managed to convince her to stay.

Almost managed to convince her to stay...

Lew's words echoed in her ears. Slowly, she began to consider that maybe they were right. Even if their words felt harsh; "this isn't a fight anyone here could win all together, why do you think you can?" Spring's Ringing Bells could still tell they held good intentions. The Copper Thorns definitely cared much about her, especially Lew, though perhaps Bell was blind to that before. Maybe she should turn back around and return to them, and everything will be okay for her old cluster. Maybe those dogs are headed elsewhere, just happened to be on a similar route as the directions to her old cluster, or perhaps they're the friendlier type. The type that wasn't as bloodhungry as the hounds she was most familiar with encountering.

But Bell's gut instinct screamed at her to just keep going. Her mind torn between continuing onwards, or returning home. Between telling the Thorns she changed her mind; that she will listen to their pleas next time, or meeting with her old colony and learning the threat had already been dealt with or gone elsewhere...

Or coming closer, and closer, and finding out those hounds had already arrived, or it became clear they were headed towards her old cluster.

It was now set in Bell's mind. Sure, the Copper Thorns were important to her, but this felt more urgent then giving them any relief that she was safe. This was different from anything she had ever dealt with before, especially with the cowardice from her fellow Thorns. Perhaps, maybe, these rumors were exaggeration, or maybe they were a harsh truth; a warning for what is to come. A warning that if this was not dealt with quickly and effectively, Bell's loved ones would be lost forever, like a light feather blown in the wind. Sure, Bell liked to think that they already knew, and the threat was either dealt with, whether it be by being driven off or carefully tricked into going a different path, or they had fled from impending doom, but the chance they didn't manage any of those still lingered.

And as she arrived at the territory of her old cluster, she learned they had not; the dogs had already arrived.

The moment she had stepped foot in their territory, her senses were hit with the smell of hounds permeating in the air. As well, the scattered barks of those aforementioned dogs and the shrieks and yowls of various different cats, which filled all the silence that was left. Immediately, Bell got up on her feet, nearly tripping over herself in the process, and rushed towards the source of the sounds and smells—the cluster's camp. Any semblance of self preservation Bell had was now thrown to the side, abandoned for the time being; she didn't have any time to think. After all, this was life or death for those around her. She couldn't bear to find out anyone she still loved, after all this time being apart from them, had been lost forever. The sounds of the hollering dogs and the yowls of other cats slowly became pure static, nothing but an audio cue to follow.

As she arrived, it appeared to be too late. The damage was already done—many cats were missing, they had likely fled from the battle. Good, that meant less cats at any potential risk. But many were still left fighting off the threat, and to Bell, there didn't appear to be much hope. It was chaos, with scattered cats everywhere, some actively fighting, some in defensive positions, albeit ready to charge with little to no care.

Bell couldn't just keep watching. She tackled the nearest dog, managing to knock the breath out of it despite her small stature in comparison, and latched onto its' back. She began digging her claws deep into its' pelt, and the hound responded with panic, flinging her off to the side, and instantly fled as another cat took the opportunity to try and maul its' hind leg. Another hound, she had been bitten by, though she managed to disregard the pain and continue dealing with the threats. Everything felt so incredibly fast; shoving cats off to the side to ensure their safety whilst ensuring the present threats fled, hopefully with little casualties.

The fight grew too overwhelming to focus on her pain, any injured points feeling as if they were inaffected instead due to adrenaline. She could barely process anything going on, yet she couldn't just flee from the fight; it would be cruel. Slowly, the fight began to deescalate, feeling less blurred as time went on, with not just cats, but thankfully the hounds fleeing from the battle. The work to chase them off not just being done by her, but by those around her. Some who she recognized and saw as a distant loved one, others she was unfamiliar with. Ones who she could only hope the best for after the fight; hope that even if injured, they could recover quickly after everything was over.

Eventually, all of the hounds had ran off, one by one. Spring's Ringing Bells slowly came back to her senses, and looked around her after the battle was over to see the expressions of all the cats around her.

All were in a state of shock, as the adrenaline began to pass.

[1056 words]

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After the battle was over, where Spring's Ringing Bells was certain the dogs wouldn't make a return, she was quick to treat the injured cats of her old cluster who hadn't fled during the battle; those who stayed behind to defend. A part of her wanted to go track down those who had fled and ensure their injuries weren't fatal, before sending them on their way. However, it was obvious they were most likely far from the cluster, and all of these different paw prints in the snow certainly would not help. Some cats began talking amongst themselves; "we can't stay here, if anything like that happened once, it could happen again..." which only further confirmed the fact that no one was interested in picking up the pieces of their now destroyed home, especially in the cold winter where medicine and prey was sparse. As well, if the prey hadn't gone into hiding before, it certainly did now, seeing as the scent of dog still lingered in the air, strong as ever.

But it's not like she could just blame them for wanting to leave. As the days passed, while some cats managed to make steady recoveries from their injuries in spite of Bell's limited knowledge of medicine and little access to anything she could use to properly and effectively patch up a wound, save for some torn pieces of abandoned twoleg cloth, others did not. Some struggled, and others didn't make it. Partially due to winter's harsh conditions, but also due to Bell's lack of skill herself. Maybe she knew the basics of patching up a wound or treating infection, sure, though all the Copper Thorns knew the same thing, and it wasn't even knowledge for treating the wounds of others, it was for treating her own.

Another factor involving why the cats wanted to leave was... Bell's mere presence in the area. How did she know the dogs were on their way long before they did? Why did she immediately charge in to attack the dogs instead of turning tail and running like a normal cat; why did she do something that left her with grievous injuries? Perhaps, she knew something they just didn't, but had only arrived late on her journey to prevent it from happening. Or, perhaps, she had lead the dogs here, whether it be for her own entertainment, or to spite someone who might have hurt her in the past. As a result of this worst case scenario the cats of the cluster considered, they were choosing to depart from their home.

"We can't bring you with, we're sorry." One cat explained gently, "if all of this was caused by you, we can't risk it ever happening again. I know it wasn't your fault, but... it's just a precaution, for everyone's sake."

Bell simply stood and stared. She had tried to help, but as a result she was now seen as a threat. As if she was an omen of death; if seen on the horizon, you better turn tail and run for your life. You better run as if the ocean's tidal waves began to grow to be miles tall, and were going to engulf the land, far beyond the shores. But, this wasn't Bell. Bell wouldn't even consider doing anything like what they're implying; all she wanted to do was protect them! Bell tried to come up with a rebuttal, but failed to come up with anything to say. The cats in front of her were still in shock, and many of their loved ones either fled, or didn't make it. She couldn't blame them for being wary of not just her, but everything that has happened, but still. She wished she wasn't met with this response, those who she once held a great relationship with responding with sorrow, anger in their tones, and even newly grown fear. Not just of their past home, but of her. What they thought she did, or what they thought she could do.

Eventually, as everyone recovered from their injuries, they all set out on their own paths. Bell's old home was destroyed. She could only blame herself for being too late to potentially warn them of the incoming threat. And, she could still return to the Copper Thorns, sure, but it felt like she had lost everything. She might have gained some solace in the fact that many cats were safe now, due to her stepping into the battle and treating wounds. Some cats could have died if it wasn't for her keeping an eye on their injuries or knocking them out of the way when a dog was headed directly towards them. Though now she was their scapegoat for what had happened, and was the reason why some of the survivors who hadn't fled before were departing now; they didn't want anyone they saw as a threat knowing their location.

Still, she lost more than she could have ever gained. After this, Bell vowed to never return to the Copper Thorns. She failed at the one thing she was good for; she didn't want to return to them with the message that their old home was now destroyed, and she was part of the reason they chose to leave it behind. So, she stayed there in their place, alone with her thoughts, and alone with all her guilt. She lost all the pride she once had, of which helped keep her going, even when in a time of dire need. She still remained kind to those who she came across, even if none ever stayed as permanent company. She never lost her values, either—perhaps she even gained more strength to them. She still assisted where necessary, acting as a guide despite being far from the Thorns, even if her memory of the directions back home grew cloudy.

Slowly, as the moons passed, the guilt began to lift from her. She was late, but she couldn't have predicted when those dogs would arrive. Nor could she have predicted she would be scorned, seen as a threat, even if she was trying to help. None of it was her fault, even if circumstance made it feel like it, and even if her guilt plagued her for moons on end.

Though, she couldn't bear to confront the Copper Thorns ever again.

[1055 words]

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FULL-RES COVERS
Act 1 Cover
Act 2 Cover
Act 3 Cover