Super Edition: Briarsong's Renascence

Chapter 2

As the sun rose, Briarsong sat and waited for her usual meal. The twoleg who had taken care of her when she was sick came in and waved at her. He bustled around before finally filling up her small pink bowl with the delicious aroma of fish and chicken. She licked her lips, eager to enjoy the free meal and even gave his hand a little lick when he placed it on the floor. Not having to worry about being hungry anymore, she ate it slowly, enjoying the texture and flavors she had never had out in the forest. When she finished the meal she let out a satisfied purr and started to groom herself. As her paw made its way from her face to her torn ear she stopped and felt the jagged pieces of where the fox had torn her ear. Would Starclan be ashamed of her and that she was eating kittypet food and living inside a twoleg cave? Could she even still be considered a clan cat and go to Starclan when she died? The thought of not seeing Sunheart again brought a sharp pang of pain in her chest. Was everything she had trained for her entire life for nothing? She shook her head wildly trying to get the thoughts to go away.

"What's wrong Pearl," she heard the name the twoleg referred to her by and looked up. She didn't know what he was going on about but she recognized the name they had given her and knew he was talking to her. He made soft cooing sounds and rubbed his claw under her chin with just enough force for it to feel comforting. The fact that she liked it made Briarsong hate herself and she could only imagine what Flowertail and Sunheart would say if they saw her now. The shame made her pull away and bound off and far away from the twoleg who had only shown her kindness.

In a panic she started to run into every room and look for an exit back to the outdoors. Briarsong felt like she couldn't breath and longed for the fresh air and the grass beneath her paws. As she ran in a panicked haste she knocked over many different items and heard them crash to the ground, sending her mind rolling with fear. The twoleg was suddenly chasing her with its long claws outstretched. Trying to get away she dove under a piece of furniture and curled up in a tight ball, hoping she would be invisible. She closed her eyes tightly and wished she was back home. Then, she felt a soft pressure on her forehead and opened her eyes to see the kit-twoleg reaching under and offering a small piece of fish skin. The stinky smell of the fish caught Briarsong's attention and focused her mind out of its panic. She sniffed the skin and licked the tip, wondering what the kit-twoleg had planned. When she didn't take it at first the fish skin was waved around gently, accompanied by clicking sounds and the familiar world "Pearl" being called. Briarsong reached for the fish again but it was pulled back ever so slightly. Annoyed, she took a step forward and reached for it again, but yet again the skin as pulled just out of reach. Then, she as suddenly out from her hiding place and given the fish skin treat. She chewed it and relished the texture and taste, not even noticing the small claw stroking her back and neck.

Briarsong was doing her second patrol of the day around the twoleg cave when she heard the portal to the outside world creek open. Casually, she padded over and watched as the she-twoleg came in with many things hanging from her claws. She put them down right inside and left the portal open as she went back out to presumably grab more. Briarsong waited a moment, then hesitantly made her way to the opening. Immediately she as hit with a cold breeze that brought of smells of sheep, goat, Brody, hay, and farm. These new scents had become familiar and were no longer scary and strange. Without even realizing it, she had placed one paw just over the wood cave floor and felt dirt beneath her paw for the first time in moons. The ground was hard and cold as leaf-bare was on its way. She let her claws scrape at the earth and the comforting feeling brought a deep feeling of homesickness for the outside world. 

"Briarsong?" she heard the familiar voice of Sully and looked up to see his wide blue eyes. He had been casually walking around when he noticed her. A big smile blossomed across his face and he took a eager step towards her. The rush of excitement at the thought of walking through the portal and back to the outside sent a termer through Briarsong and without even realizing it, she took another step forward.

"Pearl," came a sharp hiss from the she-twoleg. Briarsong was surprised when a heavy foot came towards here and pushed her back inside the cave. She peaked over the foot as she was slowly backing up back inside, and saw Sully watching her.

"Come on!" Sully called. She knew if she tried she could just hop over or go around the large twoleg stump of a foot, but did she want to go back outside into the cold? Sully continued to call to her to encourage her to join him in the barn, but Briarsong had hesitated too long and the portal closed, leaving her sitting alone.