AN: And here it is! The one you've (probably) been waiting for! I came up with this concept a short while back, when I got the Fed Up, Feathered and Furious book. So there you have it. My head-canons put to digital, fake paper!
Prologue
Red was sat beside the egg nest, watching them as he always did. It was his sworn task to guard them until they hatch, along with the rest of his flock. But these eggs were… undecided. When they did show signs of hatching, odds are it was The Blues playing a practical joke.
The breeze was warm that morning. It seemed as if nothing could disturb the peace. Then suddenly, there was an eerie noise, and the grass rippled, like pond water. It collapsed on itself, and a swirling, black vortex lay in its place.
That's odd, Red thought to himself.
"Hey, Chuck!" he called to his right-wing bird. "Have a look at this!"
Chuck speeded to Red's side, yellow feathers floating in his path.
"I bet that's a new record," he squawked smugly.
Red rolled his eyes. Then he fixated them on the vortex.
"I wanted you to look at this," he explained. "It appears to be a portal of some kind. I'm not entirely sure myself."
"Might as well step in it and find out!" Chuck smiled, as he prepared to jump in. His flexible, triangular yellow body was just perfect for this. He couldn't wait to see what was in there…
"Wait!" interrupted Red.
Chuck sighed.
"I want to come with you," said Red. "As I just said, I haven't a clue what's down there. So I would quite like to see my confidant safe and well."
Chuck thought about it for a few moments.
"Alright," he nodded. "I'll go get the others."
Several minutes later, the rest of the flock had gathered: The Blues, Bomb, Matilda, Hal, Girly, Terence, Bubbles and Stella, all ready to leap into the portal. Red had the egg nest balanced on his head. He couldn't afford to leave it behind.
"Alright guys," cawed Red. "We might not come back, so I hope you've prepared yourselves."Everyone (except Terence, always the quiet one) muttered in agreement.
"Let's go," Red proclaimed. With the egg nest atop his head, he leapt into the portal. The rest of the Flock followed suit.
As they floated down a winding, psychedelic tunnel, the birds felt their bodies… changing. It was as if they were shifting into another species altogether. Eventually, after what felt like hours, there was a blinding light. And then everyone blacked out.
When the Flock (or perhaps not so) regained consciousness, they found themselves in an abandoned quarry. They looked around, and saw that this quarry was occupied by felines. No, that's too scientific. It was occupied by cats.
Red was the last to come around. When he woke, he met the eyes of a dark brown tabby tom. This cat's eyes were amber and had a concerned gaze. Then he turned his head.
"Squirrelflight," he meowed, "Who are these cats?"
"Yes, Bramblestar?" said a voice.