A New World To Conquer

Zim yawned and stretched his legs after falling asleep on the base's couch with GIR. Then a memory came upon him. Before he had fallen asleep, something had seemed different about the base. But Zim couldn't figure out what it was. The green monkey picture looked OK, the TV was where it should be, and the couch was just as cushy and soft as it had been when Zim had first landed on the filthy stinking ball of stone called Earth. He opened his eyes and gasped.

The pinkish-red base walls around him had turned into a lush forest; the chirps of birds rang in his…umm… earholes? Zim leapt to his feet-and toppled over. He tried to stand, and he failed yet again. Had something happened to his legs? He then realized it felt better to stand on all fours. He stood up and stretched, letting out a large yawn. Zim glanced beside him and jumped back to see a small green Earth monkey with fur. It had black ears, front legs, back legs, and tail, and it was curled happily around a strangely familiar rubber piggy. Zim poked the furry Earth monkey with a finger and it's oddly familiar cyan blue eyes opened slowly.

"M-Master?" it meowed. "Is that you Master?" It lifted its head and tilted it at Zim, gazing at him curiously.

"GET AWAY YOU SAVAGE, FURRY EARTH MONKEY!" Zim screamed. The furry thing just giggled and suddenly realized the rubber piggy was there.

"Piggy!" it cried, cuddling the piggy with outstretched paws. "I love-ed you, piggy!" it purred.

Wait a minute. Zim thought. Where have I heard that before? Then, realization hit Zim.

"G-GIR?" he stammered, red eyes stretched wide. "Master!" GIR exclaimed, jumping on Zim and latching onto his head. Zim screamed and grabbed GIR, trying to tug him off. In the process, Zim felt his own head and stopped dead when he felt something soft. He let go of GIR and touched his head again. Yes, there was definitely something soft there. He raced over to a puddle, GIR still clinging to his head, and screamed again.

There, in the puddle, where the Irken Invader he knew should've been, was the face of a green furry Earth monkey with red eyes. It also had GIR sucking on it's ear.

Zim finally managed to tug GIR off and squeezed his eyes shut, willing him to be back in the base, curled on the couch, and for this to only be a dream.

But when he opened his eyes, all he saw was glowing cyan eyes and a black nose. "Wake up Master!" GIR mewed. Zim pulled away from GIR and decided that if this was real, he should find out where exactly he was and how he got here.

He padded through the forest with GIR bouncing along behind him, until he came to a lake. To his left was a forest of trees that regular Earth monkeys called 'oaks'. To his right was a wooden house and a river that lead into another 'oak' forest. Strait in front of him was a bunch of hills and a herd of pork cows with long legs grazing inside a fence.

"Hey! What are you doing on Shadowclan territory!"

A voice behind him made Zim jump and he turned to see more furry Earth monkeys standing before him. One was mottled brown and orange, another was black and white, and the last was brown with darker stripes.

"Who are you?" Zim demanded.

"I am-"

"Who are you?"

"I am-"

"Who are you?"

"Would you quit that?" the black and white one said.

Zim just glared at them angrily. GIR squealed and clung onto the striped one's legs.

"Hey!" it exclaimed. "Get it off-o me!"

"Yoo taste like a muffin!" GIR giggled, sucking on the furry Earth monkey's leg.

Zim just watched in amusement as the Earth monkeys tried unsuccessfully to pry GIR off of the striped one's paw.

"GIR! That's enough! You can play with the furry Earth monkeys later!" Zim finally said.

GIR detached himself from the striped one and bounded back over to Zim.

"Furry Earth monkeys?" the mottled one wondered aloud. They consulted together for a moment before turning back towards Zim.

"We will take you to Blackstar. Come." the black and white one ordered.

"YOU'LL NEVER TAKE ME!"Zim screamed, bounding towards the 'oak' forest.

A few minutes later he was being carried by his scruff towards a clearing. GIR had decided that he didn't want to be carried, so he just trotted alongside the mottled one.

They stepped through a bunch of brambles into a ravine filled with many of the fluffy Earth monkeys. Some were munching on mice and squirrels, others were watching smaller ones play fight with each other. Every one of the Earth monkeys stared at Zim as he was carried through the ravine into a hole in a large tree.

"Blackstar, we found two rogues on the edge of the lake while on patrol." the black and white one said, dumping Zim uncerimoniously on the sandy floor.

A white one with black paws padded up to Zim and stared down at him with cold, amber eyes. It studied him for a moment, then turned and whispered something to the black and white one.

"But-but why?" the black and white one said when the white with black paws one was finished whispering.

"Isn't it part of the warrior code that your leader's word is not to be rejected, Crowfrost?" the white with black paws one, called Blackstar, argued.

The black and white one, Crowfrost, sighed and padded out of the hole. Blackstar followed him and leapt up onto a low tree branch, calling out, "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey, join here beneath the Highbranch for a Clan meeting!" He beckoned for Zim and GIR to follow him with his tail.

Zim unsheathed his new claws and hauled himself up the tree. Halfway up, GIR leapt onto his back, dragging him down a few inches. But Zim regained his grip on the bark and was soon standing beside Blackstar and GIR.

Blackstar explained what happened and then asked for their names.

"I am ZIM! and this is GIR." Zim murmured.

"Are you willing to change your name so you can join us?"

"Yes."

"Then by the powers of Starclan I give you your apprentice name, Zim, from now until you recieve your warrior name, you will be known as Beastpaw. Starclan honors you courage and willingly welcomes you as a full apprentice of Shadowclan." Blackstar yowled.

"Beastpaw! Beastpaw! BEASTPAW!" The furry Earth monkeys chanted his new name.

Beastpaw straitened up and stuck out his chest proudly, knowing that if he lead these furries one day, he would finnally be able to defeat the Dib-monkey.

Speaking of which...