Briar

Briar is a scrawny, light brown she-cat with matted fur. She has light brown (almost white) markings on her muzzle, chest, and tail tip. She has multiple scars, one of which stretches down the length of her right shoulderblade. She has vibrant yellow eyes.

Briar is best known for being related to Scarletflame, and the first cat to bring up elements of her sister's backstory. Briar also affects much of her daughter, Fierce's backstory, simply through Fierce's own thoughts about a mother that never wanted her. Briar also interacts with Snakefang and Needlestar upon her return to Fernclan. But perhaps, Briar is best known for killing Rosepaw.

## Personality

Briar tends to be quite crafty, carefully deciding when it would be best to tell the truth and when to spew complete lies. She does her best to earn another cat's trust and then see how they can be of use to her later. By targetting their weak points she can easily manipulate them, only to desert them when things to awry. Perhaps it is her own insecurity that gives her the confidence to gain the mental high ground over her victims. In her mind, she convinces herself that the lies she tells are the complete truth, making it difficult for her to recognize or feel guilt for any of her actions.

### Strengths

Briar's main strengths lie in her ability to earn a cat's trust, even when she doesn't deserve it. She is strong willed, and very good at faking her outer emotions to mask the true way she feels. She can seem entirely confident, even in a fearful situation. Her tendancy to act like the victim usually causes other cats to take pity on her-- a tactic that she often uses in sticky situations against stronger opponents.

### Weaknesses

Due to her tendency to betray, Briar has very few allies. She is extremely insecure, unable to trust any cat fully ever since Yellowtail and Needlestrike threatened her life. She often cannot stay put and moves on quickly from one place to the next. She can be seen as a coward, as she often flees the moment a situation gets too intense. In her mind, it is the other cats that have wronged her, and she pays no mind to how she may have wronged them in return.

## Backstory

### Past

Scarletkit, Briarkit, and Shardkit were the kits of Willowfern and Harefoot. Willowfern died shortly after the kits were born due to complications. Another queen took on the duty of raising the kits, while Harefoot distanced himself from them as much as possible. Scarletkit took up an interest in herbs, while Briarkit and Shardkit were always practicing their battle moves and boasting about becoming great warriors. Briarkit was soon apprenticed to Yellowtail, and Shardkit apprenticed to Needlestrike. Little did they know, their mentors had a sibling rivalry going on between them.

Briarpaw was trained harshly under Yellowtail's claw, and the yellow she-cat never missed an opportunity to fill her head with lies. She convinced Briarpaw of Needlestrike's wrongdoings, turning her against him and her own brother, Shardpaw. Often the two mentors would make their apprentices fight heated battles against one another. Briarpaw became accustomed to the frequent injuries she recieved under Yellowtail's mentorship.

In one raid against a rival clan, Harefoot is killed. Yellowtail informs Briarpaw that it was Needlestrike who let him die, only because he wanted Harefoot's deputy position. She tells Briarpaw that Needlestrike had grown too power hungry and must be stopped. So she orders Briarpaw to kill him. When the opportunity arises, Briarpaw is sent to do just that. But she makes one fatal mistake. As she aims the killing blow, Shardpaw leaps to defend his mentor. Briarpaw's claws strike her brother, killing him almost instantly. Needlestrike is overcome with anger, as is Yellowtail. She scolds Briarpaw for failing the mission, and threatens her life. Briarpaw flees the clan, pursued by a confused Scarletpaw. Briarpaw informs her sister of her terrible mistake, saying she must leave the clan and never return. Scarletpaw doesn't stop her.

Briar becomes a rogue, surviving through trickery, deception, and lies (likely learned from her mentor). She stays constantly on the move, eventually coming to a rogue group led by the greatly feared leader, Slash. Briar works her way through the ranks, earning Slash's trust and soon becomes his mate. But she knows she cannot stay, not wanting to live a life of cruelty. Her plans of escape become complicated when she finds she is carrying Slash's kits. Not wanting them to be raised the way Slash has planned, she sneaks off one night, attempting to get as far away as possible. Slash quickly realizes she is missing and pursues, but Briar cannot continue running. She collapses at the base of a tree to have her kits, two she-cats and two toms. She names her sons Peak and Shard (named after her brother, Shardpaw), and her daughters Tangle (Fierce) and Fern (named after her mother, Willowfern).

Before Briar can fully recover, she awakes to the sound of the rogues advancing on her position, Slash shouting orders to his cats. Briar quickly realizes that she cannot save all four of her kits' lives as well as her own. With a heartbroken goodbye, she selects Shard from the litter and flees, resisting the urge to look back, and knowing that she would forever regret leaving those kits to die at the claws of Slash.

Though the malnourished she-cat struggles on for the sake of her remaining son, it doesn't take long for the rogues to catch up to her, cornering her in one of the winding alleys of the twolegplace. Briar comes face to face with Slash, desperately pleading-- begging him to spare their son's life. But Slash only grins, naming her son's death a simple punishment for her betrayal.

 —Slash in Briar's Regret

Slash then calls his cats forward to attack Briar, and though she tries to fight them off, they soon overcome her. She is knocked unconscious, waking a few hours later to discover Shard's soaked body.

 —Briar in Briar's Regret

### Since

#### First Appearance

Briar is first introduced as a matted, scrawny rogue attempting to steal prey from Fernclan territory. She is promptly stopped by Scorchpelt, and seems to recognize him. Scorchpelt eventually takes pity on her and brings her to the camp, introducing her to Needlestar. The Fernclan leader is enraged, demanding to know what the filthy traitor is doing in his camp. Briar retorts that she has come with a warning, informing him that she has seen Yellowtail building an army against him. Needlestar is skeptical, but Scorchpelt encourages him to let her stay in the camp.

Scorchpelt brings Briar to the medicine den to be treated by Scarletflame, who is tending to Snakepaw at the time. Scarletflame reacts coldly towards the rogue, much to Scorchpelt's dismay. The former medicine cat brings Briar some prey, ordering her to eat it slowly, as she is severely malnourished. Scorchpelt quickly pulls Scarletflame aside to question her odd behavior.

Briar is alone with Snakepaw in the medicine den when the apprentice awakens, and she begins to question him, soon discovering that he is the son of her sister, who is in love with Scorchpelt. Upon gentle prying she soon discovers that Snakepaw has been training in the Dark Forest with her former mentor, Yellowtail. Briar mentions that she knows of Yellowtail's cruelty all to well, claiming that she had been training in the Dark Forest around the same time as Snakepaw and had seen the young apprentice's potential for herself. She then makes an effort to comfort Snakepaw, seeing him as the son she was never able to save. She is determined to befriend the young apprentice, not only because of his battle skills and rivalry against Needlestar, but for her own comfort as well.

Scorchpelt soon returns, taking Briar to a somewhat secluded area of the camp to question her. He had just spoken with Scarletflame, and wanted to hear Briar's version of events. Briar tells him the truth, but Needlestar soon overhears, emerging from the den and denying her claim that her father may have been killed by him. Though he admits that he'd always wanted to be deputy-- that much was undeniable-- but he'd never kill for it. Not back then.

 —Briar to Needlestar in Roleplay

 —Needlestar in Roleplay

Needlestar then claims that he wasn't even the one responsible for his own sister's death. That Yellowtail had foolishly launched herself from a tree and missed, falling on a sharp stone where she landed. He claims that he probably wouldn't have been able to defeat her on his own. Scorchpelt speaks up, attempting to smooth the tension between the two cats. He emphasizes the warning Briar has brought about the clan's future, encouraging Needlestar to focus on that instead. Needlestar snaps, pointing out that all Briar has told them so far is her life story. Finally fed up with her lies, he threatens to "get rid of her", as being leader entitles him to do so.

Briar tells him that if shedding blood would make him feel better, he can go right ahead. She mews that she didn't mean to kill her littermate either, something she and the mangy leader have in common. She warns that if he kills her they'd have no defense against Yellowtail when she and her Dark Forest trainees attack, and that there would be nothing left of Needlestar when they're through, not even his Dark Forest form.

This causes Needlestar's fury only to grow, demanding what she means by that. Briar points out his less than perfect track record, something that Yellowtail has been keeping a close eye on. Needlestar refuses to accept this, and Scorchpelt soon intervenes, pulling Needlestar away to speak with him. Briar returns to the medicine den.

The next day, Briar is out in the clearing with Snakepaw when Scorchpelt assigns her to a patrol. She doesn't seem opposed to this. But Snakepaw stares longingly at the leaving patrols. Briar whispers something to him that makes his attitude vanish.

#### Briar in the Battle Roleplay (Clashing Shadows)

During Clashing Shadows, Briar manages to find Needlestar cowering on the outskirts of the battle- somewhat half hidden in the trees. She approaches him with wide eyes, acting surprised to find him there instead of helping his clan win the battle. Needlestar shakily replies that his clan can defend itself, along with some cryptic message about a shadow coming. Briar steps closer to the struggling leader, faking concern. She draws closer, as though attempting to comfort him. But suddenly, Needlestar grows defensive.

 —Needlestar in Roleplay

 —Briar in Roleplay

Briar manages to land a hard blow on the leader, all emotion fading from her gaze. Needlestar glares up at her in fury, threatening her. But Briar retorts with a promise of revenge for what he did to Fernclan, that she doesn't care at what cost he will be punished for his actions. But Needlestar sees through her lies, saying that she cares nothing for Fernclan, that all of this is about how he so called "killed her father". But Briar hisses, claming that she doesn't care about her father. Before she can finish her statement, however, Yellowtail appears. Needlestar seems to forget about Briar for the moment, coming face to face with his mangy sister. The two argue for a brief moment before launching into battle. Once Needlestar gains the upper hand, Briar leaps in. She seems intent on killing him then and there, but something makes her change her mind, going for his tail instead. Needlestar tries to reason with her again, comparing her to Yellowtail and the vengeful path she had chosen.

 —Briar in Roleplay

By this point Yellowtail has seemingly recovered, preparing to deal a killing strike on the Fernclan leader. But Snakepaw suddenly appears, screeching at her to stop as he throws his weight into her. Briar quickly releases Needlestar's tail, but curls her lip at him in challenge. While Snakepaw is distracted fighting Yellowtail, she instigates another fight between her and Needlestar. Needlestar manages to unbalance her, and she allows herself to fall. Now gaining the upper ground, Needlestar tells her to surrender. But Briar lets out a terrified wail, loud enough for Snakepaw to hear. She cries out to him, begging him to help her. Having already sent Yellowtail off, Snakepaw seems to fall for her act. He whirls around, focusing his fury on Needlestar and attacks without provocation. Needlestar desperately pleads with Snakepaw, telling him that Briar is a murderous deciever, but Snakepaw refuses to listen. Needlestar turns to Briar, demanding that she tell him about Shardpaw. Briar tearilly replies that Shardpaw's death was a horrible mistake. But she craftily turns the conversation back to Yellowtail, making sure to mention how Needlestar caused her death. She also mentions that Yellowtail would've killed her for betrayal. She felt like she had no choice but to obey her mentor. Snakepaw seems to relate to this, his eyes alight with understanding. He turns back to Needlestar, demanding if this is why he wishes to kill her.

 —Needlestar in Roleplay

Snakepaw steps in front of Briar defensively, calling out Needlestar for his lies, and relating them to the leader's untrustworthy actions in the past. Needlestar suddenly snaps, completely losing it as he lunges forward in a vain attempt to get to Briar, who takes no aggressive action in return. Snakepaw intercepts and is immediately thrown against a tree-- Needlestar using his larger size to his advantage. This causes Briar to leap to the apprentice's defense, but Needlestar's focus is no longer on her. He shakes her off, going for the weakened Snakepaw. He immediately lifts up the pain stricken apprentice by the scruff, holding him up in front of Briar.

 —Needlestar to Briar in Roleplay

 —Briar to Needlestar in Roleplay

Needlestar immediately roars in anger, reiterating once again that he didn't kill her father-- or any of her family for that matter. He screeches that it was her that killed Shardpaw.

 —Needlestar

Briar hisses, struggling against him. She screeches that killing her would solve nothing, that it would only hasten his own demise. Needlestar suddenly becomes distracted, breathing the name of Shardpaw and murmuring as though talking to the long dead apprentice. He begins to release his grip, and Briar is able to slip away without him noticing.

#### Rosepaw's Death

Briar's motives for killing an innocent Fernclan apprentice remain somewhat unclear. However, it is believed that Yellowtail promised to reveal to her the location of her surviving daughter in exchange for the attack on Needlestar. Briar goes to The Rogues to speak with Frozen Heart, who likely fills her head with analogies and then sends her on her way. However, Cockroach plants the idea in her head that if she brings Frozen Heart an "offering", the rogue leader would return her daughter to her.

Growing desperate, and still weakened by the events of the earlier battle, Briar accepts the chance of a quick and easy task. She tracks Rosepaw's scent to the river and waits in some bushes for the apprentice to head back towards the camp. Before long she hears Rosepaw's thrumming pawsteps, and without hesitation leaps from her hiding place to dispatch the apprentice. Blinded by the haunting memories of her past, she barely notices the deed she had just committed. But Snakepaw's startled mew snaps her back into the present, realizing the horrified and hurt look in the once trusting apprentice's gaze. Briar tries to blurt out an excuse, but Snakepaw's fury had already got the best of him. He immediately tears into her, screaming in fury. He prepares a killing blow, but something makes him stop just before he can finish her. He stumbles off of her numbly, picking up Rosepaw's body and beginning to drag it back towards the camp.

Some time passes before a mottled gray and brown she-cat slips out of the bushes, coming to stand before Briar with a terrified expression. Briar immediately recognizes her as Tangle, the weakest of her kits. Briar purrs, finding it fitting that her surviving kit might save her life after all. But Fierce reacts horribly, calling her a heartless killer. She treats her mother with a furious coldness before leaving her to die alone on the forest floor.

## Random Facts

* Briar was created as an element of Scarletflame's backstory, and then inserted into the roleplay with the hopes of bringing up said backstory.
* Briar actually did care for Snakepaw, or convinced herself that she did, because he reminded her of her own son.
* If Scorchpelt hadn't already been taken by Scarletflame, Briar probably would've tried to get closer to him and earn his trust.
* Briar's main songs include "Carry You" (Ruelle, Fleurie) and "After All" (Christine Ebersole).
* Moonee's opinion on Briar: "Me liking her even slightly is like Rosepaw being the one rejecting Snakefang."

## Related Links

Briar's Regret (Unfinished)

Yellowstar AU

Scarletflame

Snakefang

Rosepaw

Rosepaw's Sorrow

Snakefang's Grief