Chapter 2

Claire groaned. Her head was pounding as harsh sunlight filtered into the room and shown on her face, and she shut her eyes tighter. Had her room always been this light in the mornings? Screwing her eyes up, she reached around for her blanket, sighing in exasperation when she didn't find it. She probably kicked it off the bed again…Sitting up, she opened her eyes to tiny slits and began to look for her blanket. Her eyes widened in surprise as she realized something.

She wasn't in her bedroom.

And she wasn't supposed to have paws!

Claire sucked in a sharp breath, biting her tongue to keep from shrieking in alarm. She looked around nervously, spotting a pool of water directly opposite of her, and she crawled towards it, flinching slightly as pain seared up her left leg. She ignored it, too scared to look back over herself. Peering into the pool of water, she blinked, too shocked for words or sound.

Staring back at her was a cat; large triangular shaped ears that tapered to soft points flattened against her head, clear blue eyes widened in shock, dark nose twitching with disbelief…

Claire slowly raised a paw to her muzzle and brushed the pad against her nose. Her whiskers twitched irritably, then changed to amusement. She slowly began to look herself over, keeping her jaws shut tight to keep from making sounds. Dark smoky black fur covered her frame, lightening to a dark ash gray at her paws, chest and stomach, and tail tip. Her left leg (err, haunch) was wrapped up in some kind of bandage thing, but it looked like…spiderwebs? Claire shuffled backwards, onto a mossy part of the floor, and sat for a few moments, thinking.

Last night was just a dream…how could this have happened? She thought, looking down. There has to be a reason for this…people don't just get turned into cats, BY cats! Maybe…maybe I died after the four-wheeler flipped…she wondered, narrowing her eyes. It was a better explanation than her being turned into a kitten!

"You are here because Starclan has given you a second chance, Hollykit." A voice in Claire's head made her jump, and she whipped her head around wildly. Wh-what?

"You are here now, as a cat, because Starclan saved you from death." The voice repeated. Claire faintly recognized the voice from last night, but she couldn't remember who's it was, and she cocked her head to the side slightly. H-How? What is Starclan?

"Starclan are the heavenly warrior ancestors of the four clans. They watch over the cats and protect them, offering help any way they can in times of need or danger." The voice explained.

How am I a cat though? Claire pressed.

"You and Hollykit were destined to die last night." The voice began hesitantly. "I myself am not entirely clear on the process…But Starclan has granted you a second chance now."

But…as a cat?

"It was the only way. If I were you, I'd be glad to have a second chance, no matter what animal." The voice quipped. Claire twitched her whiskers irritably. So, in order for her to live at all, she needed to give up her life as a human, and become a cat…

I…I guess it isn't all that bad…she conceited, standing up and waving her tail back and forth. I've always loved cats, and wondered how it was to be one…she stopped suddenly, her eyes narrowing a little. But…am I just supposed to give up my name?

"Unfortunately, yes." The voice murmured. "You are no longer Claire, but Hollykit."

But…how am I supposed to remember? I hardly even remember whenever teachers call me by my real name instead of Claire! She protested.

"Don't forget, you have Hollykit's memories as well as your own. You will remember your name."

But…what about other cats? Like family and friends or something?

"That is something that will come naturally."

Like instincts?

"Exactly. Instincts such as walking and so on will come naturally as well." The voice continued, as if reading Claire's thoughts. (For all she knew, it probably could.) Again, Claire sat back and thought. Hmm. None of this seemed real. She was sure that any moment now, her grandmother would be shaking her shoulder to get her up for chores. But no; somehow, deep down, she knew this was real.

Looking back down at her paws, she held one of them up and turned the pad up. She sat there for a long time, unsheathing and sheathing her claws, flicking and moving her tail back and forth, twitching and swiveling her ears, stretching her legs and walking (as best as she could with her back leg wrapped up; it was stiff and hurt painfully if she put pressure on it). So I guess…from now on I'm Hollykit, she mused, thinking as she settled down onto the moss again.

From somewhere in the back of her mind, a memory surfaced; a dark ginger tom kit was sitting beside her, complaining to a big dark gray form in her peripheral vision.

"But mom! It's too crowded to play in here!" He whined. "Why can't we play in the hollow instead? Hollykit hasn't seen it yet!"

"No!" Another voice meowed sternly, though there was a soft touch in it. (Somewhere in her subconscious, Claire knew it was Hollykit's – err, her – mother.) "A fox was scented dangerously close to camp, and if it knows that there are kits then it's more likely to attack!" Her mother continued.

"But Nettlekit was out there talking to Purdy earlier!" The tom kit argued.

"And he's been punished for that. But you aren't going to just because he did! Please, do-" she never finished her sentence. A wail from outside the den (a different den, Claire noted) sounded, followed by a loud crashing and a vicious snarl.

Claire gasped as the memory faded, and she was left with her fur bristling and ears flattened to her head. It was the fox; the one that had taken Hollykit. The one she'd scared away as a human. Panting slightly, she took a slow breath and forced her fur to flatten. For the first time since she'd woken up, she looked around at the den.

Sunlight filtered in through the den entrance, half hidden by a screen of brambles and lighting up the walls of the den. A good portion of the floor was covered in circular moss patches, looking almost like beds. Beside the pool of water, leaves were laid out in a neat row, an odd smell coming from them that made Claire curl her lip. Ugh. It reminded her of the nasty medicine she'd had to take when she was sick or something. Near the back of the den, in the darkest part, a crack split the wall, widening out just enough for a cat to fit inside; beside that, Claire realized, were three big forms, rising and falling in a slow rhythm.

Sighing slowly, Claire set her head down on her paws and began to think again. This was all too surreal; don't get her wrong, Claire was actually enjoying the thought of being a cat. She was sure that she'd died and this was all just some…fantasy, or something, that she was going through…or something.

She narrowed her eyes a little, her ear twitching. She thought she'd heard…voices? Sitting up with her ears pricked, she stared out through the bramble screen. All she could see was another rocky wall, as well as more brambles and a bush, but the voices sounded close by…

"Sandstorm, take Ivypool, Toadstep, and Bumblestripe to check the Shadowclan boarder again." A voice, a woman by the sound of it, stated.

"I hope there's a Shadowclan patrol so I can shred their fur!" A boy growled, his voice getting quieter. Claire cocked her head. Shadowclan? Was that supposed to be like Thunderclan? And just how many cats were there?

"You look confused." A voice behind Claire made her jump, and she whipped around to see one of the cats sitting just beside the moss, a silver tabby with brilliant blue eyes. His whiskers twitched in amusement before he bent down closer towards her. Claire shied away, blinking nervously. What did he want?

"How does your leg feel?" He asked, leaning back a little. Claire opened her mouth to speak, but no sound came out. The tom cocked his head to the side, tail tip twitching. "Well?"

"F-fine." Claire finally managed to squeak.

"Can you put any pressure on it?" He asked, turning away.

"N-no…" He grunted in response, turning to the leaves he'd set out. Claire blinked and looked down at her paws. Okay. First, wake up as a cat; next, talk to a voice in your head. Finally, to top it off, you just had a conversation with a real cat. This is either the weirdest dream ever, or the freakiest way to spend a morning, Claire decided. The tom stopped and looked up from what he was doing, ear twitching slightly, before he stood up and trotted towards the bramble screen. A moment later another cat appeared; a dark gray she-cat with wide, worried blue eyes.

"Cinderheart." The tom meowed, nodding curtly.

"I want to see Hollykit." The she-cat meowed, her ears flattened slightly. The tom took a step back and flicked his tail towards Claire. The she-cat looked at Claire, and relief flooded her gaze as she rushed forward. "Oh, Hollykit! I'm so glad you're okay!" She meowed, stopping beside Claire and nuzzling the top of her head.

Claire flattened her ear slightly, shutting one of her eyes as Cinderheart nuzzled her. "How injured is her leg? She will be okay, right?" She asked, pulling away from Hollykit and looking up at the silver tabby.

"If she gets enough rest and doesn't strain it, it should be fine." He meowed over his shoulder without looking up. Claire looked up at the gray she-cat, cocking her head slightly. This cat, Cinderheart, was…her mother? At least she's nice…and actually cares that I'm hurt, she thought, remembering her real, human mother, who only cared when they thought Claire had broken her arm during gym in sixth grade. (It was only a fracture, and her mother hardly did anything except yell about the hospital bill about 'something that could've been fixed herself.') Claire seethed with anger at the memory, but forced it back down as Cinderheart touched her nose to her forehead.

"I need to go before Firekit and Nettlekit start causing trouble for Dovewing." She murmured, looking up at the silver tabby for a moment. "I'll be back later to see you again." She straightened up and trotted out of the den with a last glance over her shoulder at Claire.

Claire watched her go, blinking slowly. Maybe being a cat won't be so bad…she thought, flexing her claws again. Maybe I can find out how I turned into a cat if I stay…and if I can turn back and get back to my normal life. So, as of right now, I guess…Claire Grove is dead.

AN:: AHAHAHAHAA sorry for the delay for this...and if it seems a little rushed o.o;; I was planning on having it up Friday, but due to some unexpected plans to visit a family member. As for it being rushed/sloppily written, I'm sorry. I wrote and rewrote this chapter about...four times? And I wasn't happy with it any of those times. Finally I got this, and it's decent enough in my opinion, so I wanted to get it up before I changed my mind X'DDD

Again, sorry~! And Don't forget to R&R~! 3