Anger come off in waves as Briarpaw crashes through the forest at full speed. Once again he seems to have let his father down and thus let his entire clan down, the pressure his father puts on him is almost suffocating. That is what one got for being the only son of the clan’s leader; it is Mulestar’s goal to see his blood as the next leader and to Briarpaw’s displeasure he happens to be the chosen one. He is just barely 6 moons, he has hardly any training, but to his father none of that matters. Briarpaw is from the Mule bloodline so everything is supposed to come to him so easily; he should already be a pro at hunting and fighting despite his age, he should be able to keep up with the older cats as they run through the woods despite his legs being a lot shorter, and he should be comfortable with the idea that in battle you fight till your enemy is dead. The last one is the hardest for him to understand, he can’t just casually take the life of another cat, even if he doesn’t care much for others. A life is still a life and holds value for every clan. Anytime he even tries to defend his belief on life his father just gets angry and say Sparrowpool has made his kits weak. This was a common argument between Briarpaw and Mulestar; it is the reason why he is running through the forest right now.
Thoughts of the last argument fill Briarpaw driving him on through the forest into the long grass field that boarders the cow pasture; he seems to not notice the change in scenery as he runs, never noticing the fence as he slipps under it, or the cattle as he runs past them. He doesn’t notice when he leaves the long grass and starts to run down a dirt thunderpath. Only when a monster is roaring towards him does he freeze in his tracks. He’d never seen a monster before, had only heard tales of how big and loud they were but never imagined them to be this scary. Time seems to move slower as the monster rushes forward to take his life, he begins to regret his last choice of words with his father and promises Starclan that if he somehow lives he would do better to serve his clan and make his father proud. He prays they will save him.
Briarpaw feels something ram into him pushing him into the grass as the monster storms past him. His head smacks the hard ground making his sight blurry, a rock stabs his spine, and something heavy lies on top of him. As his vision begins to become clear again, he notices bright green eyes looking down at him, eyes that belonged to another cat. With realization that another cat has saved him from the monster Briarpaw’s entire body tenses, with a hiss he desperately tries to push the bigger cat off of him.
“Get off of me!”
“Wow, you must be mousebrain if this is how you treat your savior.”
The pressure on top of Briarpaw is relieved as the other cat purrs. He sits up, shakes his head, and then studies his so called savior. The other cat is a blue she-cat who must only be a few moons older than Briarpaw, yet she is a lot taller and muscular than him. For a moment he feels embarrassed of his still kit like body until he reminds himself he is a Muleclan cat and that no cat is better than a Muleclan cat, even if he is a small apprentice. As he studies her he finds that she is actually quite a beautiful she-cat but there is something about her scent that is strange and new to Briarpaw.
“Who are you? You speak like you are from a clan but I’ve never seen you before.”
The she-cat blinks for a moment as if trying to understand his question.
“Clan? Oh! You must be one of those cats that live out past the Cattle Pastures. Brave told me about your ‘clan’. But, I thought you were supposed to be fierce cats.”
“What are you talking about? We are fierce!”
“Is that why you just stood there when a truck came down the road?”
“I did not just stand there! I was going to move!”
The she-cat mockingly nods her head making Briarpaw’s fur stand up in annoyance before hissing and turning away. He begins to slowly limp away, his muscles sore from being tackled. This smug she-cat knew nothing about him or his clan. He’d only gone a few fox lengths away before he hears the she-cat call out.
“Hey! Wait mousebrain!”
Briarpaw pauses, looking over his shoulder to see her trotting quickly behind him. Pinning his ears back Briarpaw sits on his haunches and waits for her.
“What do you want?”
“You still haven’t thanked me.”
“Thanked you for what?”
“For saving your life, mousebrain.”
Briarpaw’s tail twitches with every word that she meows. Never had he ever meet a more annoying, disrespectful cat like this. If his muscles weren’t screaming from being sore maybe he would show her what a fierce warrior he really is but every move he makes causes him wince in pain.
“Stop calling me mousebrain, my name is Briarpaw. And fine, thank you for saving my life oh great savior.”
“Could’ve done without the sneer but I’ll take what I can get. I’m Perdita although most call me Perdy. What kind of name is Briarpaw? Do you step on briars often or something?”
Perdy’s eyes gleam with amusement and Briarpaw can tell she is holding back a laugh. What was so funny about his name? It is a very common Muleclan name! How dare she make a joke of his name it’s not like her name is any better.
“Yeah, well what kind of name is Perdita? That isn’t even a cat name.”
Perdy shrugs her dark blue shoulders.
“I didn’t choose it, my housefolk did. I think it is a pretty name honestly, although I don’t know what it means.”
“You’re a kittypet?”
Briarpaw spits the last word making sure to put as much disgust in it as he can. He’d never met a kittypet before but he knows about them because of the clan. Muleclan doesn’t like outsiders but they really can’t stand kittypets. In the clan’s mind they are the lowest of cats if they are even considered a cat, kittypets are considered as faithless creatures that can’t survive on their own and don’t know anything on being an actual cat. Although it is strange to Briawpaw because Perdy doesn’t seem like one of those fat soft kittypets he has always heard about.
“So, what if I am?”
The light look in Perdy’s eye has changed to a more defensive one now. Her fur starts to standup on ends and her tail twitches slightly. The sight of her is almost feral. There is a part of Briarpaw that knows if this she-cat is provoked just enough she wouldn’t be afraid to fight him which equally amuses and impresses him.
“Alright, alright, calm down. Don’t get your tail in a twist. You just don’t seem like most kittypets.”
Without realizing it a purr comes from Briarpaw’s throat. It is strange to him that this cat is still here talking to him. She’d even stopped him from leaving, most cats seem to try and get him to leave on a daily basis. Even the other apprentices seem to dislike him.
“If you are a kittypet what are you doing out here?”
He notices his tone towards her changed which Perdy seems to also have noticed because make she relaxes again. The spark and amusement lights her eyes drawing Briarpaw closer to her. Perdy shruggs her thin blue shoulders.
“I like to come out here and explore. Most of the other cats I live with are old and boring while I am young and in need of adventure!”
Perdy puffs her chest out slightly and perks her ears forward while pride builds up in those eyes of hers. A second goes by before she turns back to Briarpaw a now confused look on her face.
“Wait, what are you doing out here? Brave told me you clan cats don’t go past the cattle pasture.”
For a split second jealousy washes over Briarpaw, this was the second time Perdy has mentioned this cat named Brave and it seems like they might be close. Why it makes Briarpaw jealous he wasn’t sure so he does his best to push the feeling away. He needs to focus on an explanation. With other clan cats he’d probably come up with some clever excuse like he was looking for more potential territory or something to that extant. He even considers telling this to Perdy but when he opens his mouth to explain an excuse doesn’t come from his mouth. The truth does. Without meaning to Briarpaw finds himself spill his guts to Perdy. Every tiny thing that has happened to him since the day he was able to walk. All of his emotions about who he is and what his destiny will be, his thoughts and frustrations with his father, and his fear of not being good enough are all placed at Perdy’s paws. To Briarpaw’s surprise she sits quietly listening with only a sincere concern for him.
“Wow, your father is, wow. I-I, wow.”
Perdy’s loss for words makes Briarpaw cringe slightly. He half expects her to turn tail and run away from him but instead she just places her tail softly on top of his as a sympathetic gesture.
“I didn’t realize clan life was so intense.”
Briarpaw only nods and looks at his paws. He suddenly feels uncharacteristically embarrassed making it hard for him to meet Perdy’s gaze. Like all Muleclan cats he is proud yet why didn’t he feel like it now that he’d actually spoken about his life? Was he only ever faking it? It dawns on him in that moment. He is almost always faking everything. It is like being a part of Muleclan means you can’t be who you are, being one of Mulestar’s kits takes all individuality away from you.
“Have you ever seen a chicken?”
Perdy’s purr makes Briarpaw jump out of his thoughts and confusion takes over when he registers her words.
“No?”
“We should go to the chicken coop! I often like playing pranks on them because they are just brainless. But my housefolk get mad if I kill one so we can’t kill them! Come on!”
Perdy nudges Briarpaw softly in the direction of the farm and twolegged’s nest. A place all of Muleclan avoids. He considers what to do for a moment. He is sure his father has probably sent a patrol out looking for him and he knows that if he doesn’t return soon the anger in his father which he is trying to avoid will only get worse. Maybe that is what makes him agree to join Perdy or maybe it is just that he has grown to like this cat and wants to just have fun for once. Whatever the reason is he finds himself trotting beside her listening to her go on and on about these chickens.
Thoughts of the last argument fill Briarpaw driving him on through the forest into the long grass field that boarders the cow pasture; he seems to not notice the change in scenery as he runs, never noticing the fence as he slipps under it, or the cattle as he runs past them. He doesn’t notice when he leaves the long grass and starts to run down a dirt thunderpath. Only when a monster is roaring towards him does he freeze in his tracks. He’d never seen a monster before, had only heard tales of how big and loud they were but never imagined them to be this scary. Time seems to move slower as the monster rushes forward to take his life, he begins to regret his last choice of words with his father and promises Starclan that if he somehow lives he would do better to serve his clan and make his father proud. He prays they will save him.
Briarpaw feels something ram into him pushing him into the grass as the monster storms past him. His head smacks the hard ground making his sight blurry, a rock stabs his spine, and something heavy lies on top of him. As his vision begins to become clear again, he notices bright green eyes looking down at him, eyes that belonged to another cat. With realization that another cat has saved him from the monster Briarpaw’s entire body tenses, with a hiss he desperately tries to push the bigger cat off of him.
“Get off of me!”
“Wow, you must be mousebrain if this is how you treat your savior.”
The pressure on top of Briarpaw is relieved as the other cat purrs. He sits up, shakes his head, and then studies his so called savior. The other cat is a blue she-cat who must only be a few moons older than Briarpaw, yet she is a lot taller and muscular than him. For a moment he feels embarrassed of his still kit like body until he reminds himself he is a Muleclan cat and that no cat is better than a Muleclan cat, even if he is a small apprentice. As he studies her he finds that she is actually quite a beautiful she-cat but there is something about her scent that is strange and new to Briarpaw.
“Who are you? You speak like you are from a clan but I’ve never seen you before.”
The she-cat blinks for a moment as if trying to understand his question.
“Clan? Oh! You must be one of those cats that live out past the Cattle Pastures. Brave told me about your ‘clan’. But, I thought you were supposed to be fierce cats.”
“What are you talking about? We are fierce!”
“Is that why you just stood there when a truck came down the road?”
“I did not just stand there! I was going to move!”
The she-cat mockingly nods her head making Briarpaw’s fur stand up in annoyance before hissing and turning away. He begins to slowly limp away, his muscles sore from being tackled. This smug she-cat knew nothing about him or his clan. He’d only gone a few fox lengths away before he hears the she-cat call out.
“Hey! Wait mousebrain!”
Briarpaw pauses, looking over his shoulder to see her trotting quickly behind him. Pinning his ears back Briarpaw sits on his haunches and waits for her.
“What do you want?”
“You still haven’t thanked me.”
“Thanked you for what?”
“For saving your life, mousebrain.”
Briarpaw’s tail twitches with every word that she meows. Never had he ever meet a more annoying, disrespectful cat like this. If his muscles weren’t screaming from being sore maybe he would show her what a fierce warrior he really is but every move he makes causes him wince in pain.
“Stop calling me mousebrain, my name is Briarpaw. And fine, thank you for saving my life oh great savior.”
“Could’ve done without the sneer but I’ll take what I can get. I’m Perdita although most call me Perdy. What kind of name is Briarpaw? Do you step on briars often or something?”
Perdy’s eyes gleam with amusement and Briarpaw can tell she is holding back a laugh. What was so funny about his name? It is a very common Muleclan name! How dare she make a joke of his name it’s not like her name is any better.
“Yeah, well what kind of name is Perdita? That isn’t even a cat name.”
Perdy shrugs her dark blue shoulders.
“I didn’t choose it, my housefolk did. I think it is a pretty name honestly, although I don’t know what it means.”
“You’re a kittypet?”
Briarpaw spits the last word making sure to put as much disgust in it as he can. He’d never met a kittypet before but he knows about them because of the clan. Muleclan doesn’t like outsiders but they really can’t stand kittypets. In the clan’s mind they are the lowest of cats if they are even considered a cat, kittypets are considered as faithless creatures that can’t survive on their own and don’t know anything on being an actual cat. Although it is strange to Briawpaw because Perdy doesn’t seem like one of those fat soft kittypets he has always heard about.
“So, what if I am?”
The light look in Perdy’s eye has changed to a more defensive one now. Her fur starts to standup on ends and her tail twitches slightly. The sight of her is almost feral. There is a part of Briarpaw that knows if this she-cat is provoked just enough she wouldn’t be afraid to fight him which equally amuses and impresses him.
“Alright, alright, calm down. Don’t get your tail in a twist. You just don’t seem like most kittypets.”
Without realizing it a purr comes from Briarpaw’s throat. It is strange to him that this cat is still here talking to him. She’d even stopped him from leaving, most cats seem to try and get him to leave on a daily basis. Even the other apprentices seem to dislike him.
“If you are a kittypet what are you doing out here?”
He notices his tone towards her changed which Perdy seems to also have noticed because make she relaxes again. The spark and amusement lights her eyes drawing Briarpaw closer to her. Perdy shruggs her thin blue shoulders.
“I like to come out here and explore. Most of the other cats I live with are old and boring while I am young and in need of adventure!”
Perdy puffs her chest out slightly and perks her ears forward while pride builds up in those eyes of hers. A second goes by before she turns back to Briarpaw a now confused look on her face.
“Wait, what are you doing out here? Brave told me you clan cats don’t go past the cattle pasture.”
For a split second jealousy washes over Briarpaw, this was the second time Perdy has mentioned this cat named Brave and it seems like they might be close. Why it makes Briarpaw jealous he wasn’t sure so he does his best to push the feeling away. He needs to focus on an explanation. With other clan cats he’d probably come up with some clever excuse like he was looking for more potential territory or something to that extant. He even considers telling this to Perdy but when he opens his mouth to explain an excuse doesn’t come from his mouth. The truth does. Without meaning to Briarpaw finds himself spill his guts to Perdy. Every tiny thing that has happened to him since the day he was able to walk. All of his emotions about who he is and what his destiny will be, his thoughts and frustrations with his father, and his fear of not being good enough are all placed at Perdy’s paws. To Briarpaw’s surprise she sits quietly listening with only a sincere concern for him.
“Wow, your father is, wow. I-I, wow.”
Perdy’s loss for words makes Briarpaw cringe slightly. He half expects her to turn tail and run away from him but instead she just places her tail softly on top of his as a sympathetic gesture.
“I didn’t realize clan life was so intense.”
Briarpaw only nods and looks at his paws. He suddenly feels uncharacteristically embarrassed making it hard for him to meet Perdy’s gaze. Like all Muleclan cats he is proud yet why didn’t he feel like it now that he’d actually spoken about his life? Was he only ever faking it? It dawns on him in that moment. He is almost always faking everything. It is like being a part of Muleclan means you can’t be who you are, being one of Mulestar’s kits takes all individuality away from you.
“Have you ever seen a chicken?”
Perdy’s purr makes Briarpaw jump out of his thoughts and confusion takes over when he registers her words.
“No?”
“We should go to the chicken coop! I often like playing pranks on them because they are just brainless. But my housefolk get mad if I kill one so we can’t kill them! Come on!”
Perdy nudges Briarpaw softly in the direction of the farm and twolegged’s nest. A place all of Muleclan avoids. He considers what to do for a moment. He is sure his father has probably sent a patrol out looking for him and he knows that if he doesn’t return soon the anger in his father which he is trying to avoid will only get worse. Maybe that is what makes him agree to join Perdy or maybe it is just that he has grown to like this cat and wants to just have fun for once. Whatever the reason is he finds himself trotting beside her listening to her go on and on about these chickens.