Warriors:Into The Wild AU (2024 Rewrite)

Chapter One

Disclaimer:I own only the OCs that appear in this story, the Warriors are owned by Erin Hunter.

A still, quiet pond, the sun high in the sky and perfect sunny weather was what greeted her as the young she-cat slid through the forest effortlessly.

Crouching down at the water's edge, the she-cat drank her fill before looking around. She saw a beautiful wild sweet briar bush, its pink flowers shining in the sun and its fragrance unlike anything she'd scented before.

It was rare to see wildflowers like this around her home, for the Twolegs saw them as nuisances and ripped them up by the roots, replacing them instead with plants and flowers that were more exotic but far less appealing.

As she watched, the breeze blew through the bush and dropped a single leaf, the green dappled with brown and amber, the wind sweeping it into the water. It floated at her paws and she leaned down to sniff it, catching a whiff of its fragrant scent.

However, she did not mind her paws, and so, she slid into the water with a yowl and a great splash, though she didn't feel wet. Sitting up from the water, she blinked open her ice-colored eyes and saw that she was still at home.

Laying in her plush blue bed in the living room by the sofa, the she-cat stood and stretched, fluffing up her fur and trotting into the kitchen for her food.

Her owners were always gone during the day, so she had the house to herself, save for the dog and the grumpy green parrot in the corner. She didn't mess with the bird, and the dog, an annoying little white thing with silky ears, was easy enough to handle.

She made quick work of the white gate that closed the kitchen off from the rest of the house, preventing the dog from entering and eating all of her food, leaping over it with ease and wandering over to her food dish.

A loud cry of, "Ibara Briar, Ibara Briar, where'd you go, girl?" echoed from the living room to the kitchen.

Though the call was one used often by her owners, a mixture of her name in both languages her owners spoke, it made the she-cat raise her head and glare in the direction of the parrot.

The grumpy bird always called her in the evenings, always a few hours before her owners returned, and it annoyed her to no end, but to no avail. As a kitten, she'd fallen for that trick many times, but she didn't anymore, having grown wise as to when her owners would be home.

Deciding not to bother with it, Briar settled down and began to eat, crunching the dry kibble until she couldn't eat anymore, and then exiting the house via the cat flap on the back door into the yard. Outside, the moon was bright, the sun having fallen not long ago, and the air was cool from the very light rain.

Twin cherry trees rested on the outer corners of the yard, their dark limbs disappearing into sweet-smelling pink blossoms, the only trees like them in the neighborhood. The thick fences were elegant, painted bright red with shiny black tips, and there was a neat stone pathway that led from the back door to the small pond just under the left tree.

There were small ferns along the fenceline, tiny trees in rounded pots that her owners kept carefully trimmed, and from a set of vines that led from the hook above the back door to a tall pole on the far end of the yard, hung delicate round lantern orbs, each bigger than Briar, that glowed at night. They glowed now, like many fireflies were trapped inside.

Briar padded over to the pond and lapped up the water eagerly before settling down next to it and watching the colorful fish swim around. She occasionally darted a paw into the water to try and catch one of the colorful koi, only to come up empty-pawed each time. She eventually gave up and rolled in the dewy grass, arching this way and that, showing off her flawless black belly.

It was blissful silence for five minutes before a voice cried out, "Briar! Hey, Briar! Come on up here!" she peeked open an eye to see her kithood friend, Rusty, gracefully balanced on top of the fence that separated the gardens of his owners and hers.

Briar got up and stretched again before bounding up to sit next to Rusty on the fence. Sitting side-by-side, the pair gazed out into the forest beyond their fences, the rain having stopped and the raindrops leaving Briar's black fur glittering like stars in the low light of the lanterns, until she turned back to Rusty and asked, "Is there something you wanted to talk to me about, Rusty?"

Her friend was looking out into the shadowy forest, lost in thought, until she felt him tense next to her. "I think there's something out there," he whispered, carefully gripping the fencepost under his paws before leaping down.

As he landed, the bell on his collar rang out into the still forest. Briar was close to calling out to him when a voice interrupted her.

"Where are you off to, Rusty?" Both Rusty and Briar turned to see a young black-and-white cat balancing ungracefully on the fence of Rusty's garden.

"Hello, Smudge," Rusty replied, Briar echoed the greeting.

"You two aren't going to go into the woods, are you?" Smudge's amber eyes were wide as he glanced between his two friends.

"I am, but just for a look," Rusty promised, as Briar padded closer to Smudge.

"I was going to tell him to come back, there's no telling what's in there right now." she meowed, the two young toms looked at her, one with annoyance and the other with terror.

"You wouldn't get me in there. It's dangerous!" Smudge wrinkled his black nose with distaste. "Henry said that he went into the woods once." The cat lifted his head and gestured with his nose over the rows of fences towards the garden where Henry lived.

"That fat old tabby never went into the woods!" Rusty scoffed. "He's hardly been beyond his own garden since his trip to the vet. All he wants to do is eat and sleep."

Briar glared at Rusty for his harshness, but Smudge again interrupted her to say, "No, really. He caught a robin there!"

"Well, if he did, then it was before the vet. Now he complains about birds because they disturb his dozing."

"Well, anyway," Smudge went on, ignoring the scorn in Rusty's mew and the heated glare Briar gave the green-eyed tom in return. "Henry told me there are all sorts of dangerous animals out there. Huge wildcats who eat live rabbits for breakfast and sharpen their claws on old bones!"

The she-cat of the three shook her head at Smudge's story. "My mother has been in the woods several times, and she says that while there are wild cats who live there, none are quite as frightening as the ones you're describing, Smudge."

"I'm only going for a look around," Rusty insisted. "I won't stay long."

"Well, don't say I didn't warn you!" purred Smudge, affectionately knocking his head against Briar's before turning and plunging off the fence, back down into his own garden.

So, a few things to clarify: Briar's owners are Japanese, and Ibara is the Japanese word for briar, so they would call her Ibara Briar (basically calling her Briar Briar). Also, yes, Briar's kittypet name is Briar, because she's a bit prickly. That's all for now, have a great day!