Random Short Stories

Mother Dearest [🪽]

In the verdant land heart of the expansive forest of the Tribe of The Blooming Valley, where the sun spilled golden light over sprawling territories and ancient trees whispered secrets of the past lived a Hydro she-cat named Glazing Storm.

With her silvery coat and piercing yellow eyes, she was known far and wide for her tenacity and determination. Unfortunately, her ambition had taken a dark turn, one that would disrupt the lives of those around her.

Glazing Storm had started in a relationship with Crashing Tide, a respected and kind warrior, who had two kits from a previous union with a fierce Pyro named Wrasse Snarl.

Though Wrasse Snarl had long since left the tribe to pursue a different life by the coastal territory, she remained prominent in her kits' lives, visiting regularly and sharing stories of their past.

Glazing Storm, undeterred by the shadow of Wrasse Snarl, pursued Crashing Tide with fervent intensity. She claimed him, marrying into his family with a determination that took root in her heart—a longing to create a new family, with Ashclaw's love as the foundation.

As their bond grew, Glazing Storm tried to infuse her new stepchildren with her own concept of family. "You are my kittens now," she asserted to the purring bundles of fur, eager to embrace the role of their mother.

But the kittens, still beset by the echoes of their mother's love, clung to their memories of Wrasse Snarl. They were polite, affectionate in their own way, but Glazing Storm's encroachment was met with hesitancy.

Each time she insisted they call her 'Mommy' or give her the same affection they had once shared with their real mother, they recoiled, not understanding why.

It was clear as day that Finch and Sardine wanted nothing to do with her ambitions. The kits felt their mother's presence in every breath, every rustle of the wind, solidifying their ties to Wrasse Snarl even as they stood beside Crashing Tide.

"Glazing Storm, it's not that we don't want you in our lives," Sardine would argue, flicking his tail impatiently. "But we already have a mother. You can't just erase her."

Instead of understanding, Glazing Storm erupted in frustrations. "But I will be your true mother!" she insisted, her voice sharper than any thorn. "You'll learn to love me. We are family now!"

But the truth is, love isn't forged by decree.

The kits deflected Glazing Storm's advances with a stubbornness equal to her own. They honoured their blood mother's memory with every monumental decision, from training in the forest to the choice of prey at every dawn patrol.

Glazing Storm, however, twisted the narrative—spreading rumours that Wrasse Snarl had been unworthy, that her care had never been genuine. "Do you want to be like her?" she hissed at the reluctant kits. "She abandoned you! I'm here for you—only I'll truly take care of you!"

Her machinations bred resentment, driving Sardine and Finch further away from her grasp. They sought solace in their own memories, torn between the mother they had known and the stepmother trying to replace her.

As seasons turned, Glazing Storm's determination morphed into an obsession. She believed that by creating her own legacy, she could reclaim what she regarded as her rightful place in Crashing Tide's heart.

"You need to stop letting Wrasse Snarl interfere," she once hissed at Crashing Tide. "Those kits should call me 'Mommy'! I'm their mother now."

Crashing Tide's gaze softened, his voice calm as he replied, "Glazing Storm, Wrasse Snarl may not live here anymore, but she'll always be a part of their lives. They love her."