Warrior Cats As Humans AU

Chapter 1: Part 1

Rusty sat at the dining table, frowning down at the printed work sheets in front of him and fingering the pencil.

Homeschooling was hard, even if it meant he didn't have to do as much exercise. 

His father, Jake, worked at a company called 'Twoleg Kittypets', and Jake along with his mother Nutmeg expected him to take over the company when he grew up.

"RUSTY!" He looked up to see his sister, Princess, skipping over. "Look! Mother said I got an A on my math."

Rusty smiled half-heartedly. "Great."

Princess slid into the chair next to him. "What is it? What's wrong?"

Rusty sighed and placed his head in his hands. "You know that boarding school, across the forest? I was thinking-"

Princess' eyes were wide. "Rusty, haven't you heard the rumors? Smudge said the students there use the bones of their prey to hunt!"

Rusty blinked at her, willing her to understand but partly knowing that wasn't possible. "I could just take a peek in the forest."

Princess shook her head. "Why?"

"I want to catch something."

"But we have all the food we need from our father's company. We don't need to use the old way of hunting. Besides, do you really want to wear the metal claws? We have all the food we want here." 

Princess frowned at Rusty as if he was speaking in a language she just couldn't understand.

"But-"

"Rusty, have you finished yet?" Nutmeg called from where she was pouring food pellets in bowls for dinner.

"Um, no!" Rusty called back.

"Princess, give me a hand with putting the food on the table," Nutmeg added from where she was trying to carry four bowls. "And Rusty, make sure you have that schoolwork finished by tonight." 

Rusty sighed and stuffed the pages in his 'backpack'. Really, since he didn't actually go to school, he didn't quite consider it a backpack. 

"It's not really school work if it's not from a school," Rusty started.

"Rusty-"

"You wouldn't have to spend so much time and paper getting schoolwork for me."

"Rusty-"

"And I'd learn lots of important skills."

"Rusty-"

"And I'd learn all sorts of survival and hunting!" Rusty added.

"But what you won't learn is what you really need to learn. How to take over your father's company when you get older." Nutmeg placed one bowl on Jake's spot and one on her own spot while Princess placed one on her spot and one on Rusty's spot.

"Princess is happy with homeschooling. So is every other person in town your age," Nutmeg added.

"At the public school, you'd have to work all day," Princess sighed dramatically.

"It would be worth it," Rusty said hurriedly, trying to convince them before he lost the argument. "Really, I-"

"Rusty, this is what's best." Nutmeg opened the front door for Jake to come in.

"What's wrong?" Jake asked. "I could hear you arguing from outside the house!"

"I want to go to the public school across the forest." Rusty announced.