Super Edition: Briarsong's Renascence

Chapter 1

Briarsong looked around from the warm comfy bed by the roaring fire. The smell of burning frightened her at first but the twoleggers seemed to be able to control its temper. She closed her eyes listened to its hissing and spitting and found it strangely comforting. The creaking of an old wood brought her out of her daydream and she looked over to see the littlest twolegger come bounding in like the kits in the nursery use to do. Briarsong had been afraid of it at fist but it liked to bring her little pieces of fish or other treats, and she liked those.

The kit-twolegger slowed down its bouncing, bent down, and with two little claws rubbed them across the top of Briarsong's head. She let out a soft purr and the kit-twolegger seemed to like her reaction to the pets. Briarsong had realized very quickly how much she enjoyed the scratches and pats, especially when she was so weak and sick she couldn't resist them anyway. Sitting up and stretching, Briarsong sniffed the kit-twolegs hand and could smell her favorite treat on her little paws. She let out a soft meow and the girl laughed, searching among her person before pulling out a piece of dried fish skin. Briarsong felt her mouth water and she reached out to gingerly take the treat from its paws, before hunkering down to eat. She had never had food brought to her like this before, and for sure not such delicious food. All this time she had mocked kittypets for being lazy, good for nothing, embarrassments to cats everywhere. Yet, the warmth of fire, the head pats, and the fish skin were nice. 

Briarsong did her evening patrol around the twoleg house to make sure all was well. She could hear the raspy snoring of the adult twolegs and the soft sleepy breaths of the kit-twoleg. The evenings were becoming cooler and the windows were open less and less for her to peek out of. She searched around before seeing an open window in the room the twolegs kept their food supply. She leapt up onto the ledge and sat in the open window. The cool night air wrapped around her with familiar smells of grass, trees, and outside. She crouched down and watched as a large lumbering white form made its way her way before sitting down and looking up at her with big brown eyes.

"Good evening, Brody," Briarsong purred to the dog. She had been frightened of the large white beast for almost a moon before realizing he was a mouse-brained lumbering kitten with no intentions to hurt any animal who lived with the twolegs.

"Hello there, Pearl," Brody called up. Briarsong frowned at the name the kit-twoleg had given her but poor silly Brody couldn't seem to get her name straight.

"How was it outside today?" Briarsong asked, feeling a twinge of longing for a world outside of the walls that confined her.

"It was good. I saw a fox but I chased it off." Brody's slow tail wag made a small thump on the ground as he smiled at himself.  "It was warm for a while there. You would have liked it," he woofed.

"I do miss the sun," Briarsong agreed. "In here I only get small amounts before it goes away."

"Why don't you come out here?" Brody suggested, not for the first time. Briarsong let out a long breath and wondered if she would have to explain to him again that she couldn't.

"I don't know if can," she whispered back. Brody looked confused but didn't ponder it too long. He yawned, his large tongue curling and his large fangs revealing themselves. Briarsong watched as he sauntered off to watch his sleeping flock. Looking up at the stars Briarsong once again longed to hear from Starclan. To get any kind of guidance or message about what she should be doing, how Moonclan was, and when they would come for her. The stars were silent and no cats came to visit her from Starclan. The clans and the forest seemed so far away now. Almost like it had been a dream she had awoken from. But did she want to go back, even if she could? Briarsong wasn't sure anymore what she wanted or who she even was. She had never imagined being trapped inside a large cage with twolegs and liking it, or talking to a big dog every night and enjoying the company. These were things she had never had to worry about or prepare for, so she wasn't sure how she felt. She felt warm, fed, and safe, but with those luxuries came a great sacrifice of freedom.

"Haven't seen you in a while," came the sneering voice from the fence right below the window. Briarsong was shaken out of her deep thought and looked out to see the white and tabby she-cat who lived in the barn.

"Hello Mango." Briarsong mumbled. She didn't like the she-cat but also didn't want to give up her spot in the window.

"Heard anything from your cats who live in the sky?" Mango geared. "Have they flown down to save you yet?"

"Go away Mango." Briarsong warned. Giving the she-cat as nasty a look as she could.

"What? Am I not good enough for you? You think you are better than me because you are inside?"

"You know I can't get out," Briarsong huffed, feeling her fur bristle with frustration at the she-cats aggressive attitude. "Just go away and stop being a bother."

"At least I have my freedom," she boasted, completely ignoring Briarsong. "I don't let the twoleg pet my head and keep me a prisoner. I can hunt for myself and I can fight for my self. I am not lazy like you,"

"You're lucky I can't reach you," Briarsong threatened. 

"Why? You think you could fight me kittypet? I would like to see you try." 

Briarsong stood up and let out a low growl, and Mango took a few steps back. 

"Leave her alone, Mango" came the voice of Sully. The long haired tom who also lived in the barn jumped up next to Mango and gave the she-cat a nasty glare. "Go be mean somewhere else." He waited as Mango looked from Briarsong to the tom and finally jumped down and padded off, her tail high and flicking in frustration.

"Thank you," Briarsong sighed, letting the hair on her back slowly flatten back down. 

"Don't let that mouse-brain bother you," he purred. "she is all hiss not bite. She is just mad you get to sleep by the fire."

"I don't if I want to stay by the fire," Briarsong whispered. "I am so thankful Brody brought me here when I was cold and sick, but I don't know if I can stay within this prison forever."

"It would be nice to hunt with you," he shuffled his paws. "and take strolls around the farm." Briarsong felt her face go hot for a moment and she looked away form his sky blue yes. She had never thought of herself as attractive or interesting to toms but the silence from Starclan had started to make her wonder.

"Can you imagine if Mango actually had to deal with me?" Briarsong tried to change the topic. "It would drive her mad once she realized I'm a better hunter than her." 

Sully chuckled "Why don't you come out here and show her then?" 

Briarsong frowned, "You know I can't get out of here."

"You could sneak out when the door opens." Sully suggested. "They come and go all day long. It shouldn't  be too hard. Come hunt with me. I will show you all the fun things to do around here." his eyes were wide and hopeful but Briarsong shook her head and without another world, jumped down from the window and slinked back into the silent darkness of the house.