Warriors:Into The Wild AU (2024 Rewrite)

Chapter Thirteen

This part is important. Enjoy!

Briarpaw could tell that the cats back at camp were impressed with the amount of prey the four apprentices had managed to catch during their afternoon hunt. They were welcomed back with high tails and friendly nuzzles.

It took them four journeys to carry their bumper catch to the storage hole the elders had dug. Lionheart, Runningwind and Tigerclaw had just returned with their patrol as Firepaw, Graypaw, Ravenpaw and Briarpaw carried their last load into camp.

"Well done, you four," meowed Lionheart. "I hear you've been busy. The store is almost full. You might as well add that last lot to the pile of fresh-kill for tonight. And take some of it back to your den with you. You deserve a feast!"

The three toms flicked their tails with delight, but Briarpaw was watching Tigerclaw. The big tom knew she was looking at him, and he turned to catch her eye. He looked surprised to see the lingering anger in her gaze before she turned her sleek head away with a snort.

"I hope you've not been neglecting Yellowfang with all this hunting, Firepaw," Tigerclaw instead growled warningly, causing Briarpaw to hiss at him, as Lionheart had turned his back to speak to Whitestorm.

The golden warrior stopped when he heard that and he looked between Tigerclaw and Briarpaw curiously. The other apprentices had retreated with their fresh-kill at that point, leaving the mentor and apprentice glaring at each other.

"Is something the matter, Briarpaw?" Whitestorm asked, she snorted again.

"You could say that," the black and white she-cat answered.

"Well, spit it out then, Briarpaw." Tigerclaw meowed, so she looked at him again.

"Not here," she looked around at the camp, and Tigerclaw could see Longtail and Brindleface staring at the bristling apprentice and him.

"Come with me then," he ordered, and she followed him outside the camp while Lionheart returned to his duties. They both sat down away from the entrance, beneath a clump of ferns, and Tigerclaw growled, "Well? We're out of camp, now what?" Briarpaw blew up.

"Ever since Bluestar made you my mentor, you've barely even looked at me!" The unexpected outburst caused Tigerclaw to reel back in surprise.

"I've been helping all around camp, but even when you have time, you don't train me! Lionheart still trains Graypaw AND Firepaw, and he's the deputy! Do you hate me for being a kittypet and wanting so badly to make me fail as a warrior that you refuse to even try and train me to be better?!" her eyes were narrowed as she continued to rant at him.

She told him about how every time she was praised, she would look to him, to see if he was watching, how hard she'd tried these last three days to make him prouder than he'd been when he trained her for the first two moons. And why did it hurt his pride so much that when she tried to impress him, he didn't even notice even when she shoved it in his face?

The sun was setting when she'd finished, her sides heaving as she fought for breath, her anger finally having subsided. Throughout her entire outburst, Tigerclaw had remained silent, his amber eyes wide at first before his expression became grim.

When she was done, she looked at him, hoping for... something. She wasn't even sure what she was hoping for, if she was being honest. Some validation, maybe? Some comfort that maybe she WASN'T the world's biggest screwup of an apprentice? Briarpaw knew how good she was, but it wasn't the same as hearing it from someone she respected.

Seeing nothing from the dark tabby made her head droop. She heard a soft sigh as she turned to leave, and a quiet meow of, "Wait."

She looked back at Tigerclaw as the big tom got to his paws and looked at her.

"Follow me, Briarpaw. I want to show you something." and with that, he padded down the trail. She followed him obediently. Soon, she began to recognize the path to Twolegplace, and she wondered what this was about. Soon, Tigerclaw stopped just before the trees ended and sat down, flicking his tail for her to do the same.

He sat in silence for a few moments before he meowed, "I don't... hate you, Briarpaw. You are a very talented apprentice, and truthfully, I'm proud that I was chosen as your mentor." Tigerclaw blew out another breath.

"But I do hate what you were, I won't lie. I hate kittypets, not just because of their soft, lazy lives, but because," he paused again, and when Briarpaw leaned in a bit closer, he continued, "Because it was kittypets who took my father from me." she was confused, but let him go on.

"My father, Pinestar, was Thunderclan's leader when Bluestar herself was a kit. I was born when he'd already been leader for moons, and my mother Leopardfoot was very proud of me and my two sisters." His eyes almost screwed shut.

"Mistkit and Nightkit were born very sickly, we all were, but one day, soon after we were born, I remember Pinestar leaving the camp and he never came back. He'd abandoned us." Tigerclaw's voice grew tight as he fought back his sorrow.

"I found out when I was older that he'd left us to become a kittypet of all things. I couldn't believe it. I never saw him again, but as I got older, I started hoping I'd see him again one day, and when I did, I would demand to know why he abandoned us."

Briarpaw sat, unsure of what to feel. Why was he telling her this?

Tigerclaw, noticing her silence, rumbled, "You remind me of myself, Briarpaw. You want to prove that you're more than what everyone expects you to be." Her mentor sat closer to her now, and looked at her.

"I've seen how hard you train and practice, and I'm proud of you for that. You're more than a kittypet. I'm sorry I haven't been taking my duties seriously."

The big warrior bowed his head, and Briarpaw didn't know what else to do except surge forward and pressed her muzzle into his chest fur.

"Thank you, Tigerclaw. I'll make you proud, I promise." Tigerclaw froze in surprise before he, awkwardly, began to groom over her ears with a rough tongue.

"I know you will, and we'll start training properly tomorrow." He leaned back and looked her in the eye. "I promise."

Tigerclaw is VERY OOC and I apologize for that.

And as for why Briar feels this way, she never had a father in her life, and like with a lot of people, she's trying to get validation from a person she sees as a sort of father-figure. A lot of people struggle with the lack of a fatherly figure in their lives (either emotionally distant or physically not there), and when they find either an older male friend or a male mentor who treats them well and tries to help them, many people try to latch onto that feeling of validation. This can happen with women and mother-figures too, but it's most common in people who didn't have much of a father in their lives.