"Miiiitch…"

The boy tossed and turned, grumbling under his breath, his eyelids moving frantically as he underwent a small nightmare.

Scáthach sighed and padded up to Mitch, bending her head and putting her forehead against his.

She was suddenly whisked away into a bright place, and she squinted, her violet eyes adjusting to the gloom.

"Mitch, where are you?"

No reply came, until Scáthach heard a horrid scream come from the west. She leaped to her paws and teleported to the area.

Flames danced in the air as she observed a preteen Mitch wailing for his parents, tears streaming down his cheeks. "Mother! Father!" He screamed.

He stumbled to his feet, grabbed his father's diamond sword, his mother's bow and arrows, and raced off into the woods, running from the burning buildings. Scáthach felt her master near and turned to see the boy she came for.

"Mitch…is this your childhood?"

Mitch nodded, his eyes hardening. "I went to check out why the fire had started; I was only 10 at the time and didn't know how it started. Apparently some kid was playing with a flint and steel, and he dropped it…I guess you know what happened."

He gestured to the burning wood houses and Scáthach shook her head in sorrow. "What happens next?"

Mitch put on a faint smile. "Look to the trees."

The black cat leaped onto Mitch's shoulders and teleported them to where the younger Mitch had run.

They hid in the cover of the shadows, watching as Mitch collapsed onto his knees and curled up, crying. A figure leaped from a tree and into another; Mitch looked up in shock, sniffling softly.

"W-Who's there?" He asked timidly.

Descending from the treetops, a dark, furry figure jumped off and landed in front of him wearing a tuxedo.

"Uh, who are you? And why are you crying?" The figure asked kindly.

Mitch backed away, and the figure's brown eyes showed hurt. "Hey, I'm not gonna harm ya…I just wanna help."

The older Mitch laughed quietly. "I had no idea what he was and was terrified out of my wits. I mean, wouldn't you be scared if a preteen Bacca leaped out of a tree and actually talked to you?"

Scáthach twitched her whiskers in amusement. "That's actually pretty funny."

The younger boy blinked. "What…what are you?"

The furry animal puffed out his chest. "Ima Bacca! Our kind lived in the trees and we love our raw food, and make great Betty's!"

"Betty…?" Younger Mitch looked confused.

The Bacca whipped out a diamond axe, and Mitch gasped in excitement.

"Anyways, what's your name? I'm Jerome!" The Bacca said happily.

Younger Mitch gave a sad smile. "I'm Mitch Hughes…"

"Well, nice to meet you, Mitch Hughes! Why the sad face?" Jerome stuck out his tongue and puffed out his cheeks.

Mitch laughed, the noise causing Scáthach and the older Mitch to smile softly at the scene.

He then went quiet. "My family's dead…there was a fire at my village. It's all gone."

Mitch showed Jerome the items he managed to get. "That's my dad's diamond sword and his dogtag. The other one is my mother's bow and arrows."

"Aw, biggums…I'm so sorry." Jerome pulled Mitch into a hug.

"The jacket was from my mother. She handmade it." Mitch smiled, then raised an eyebrow. "Biggums?"

"Well you need a nickname, don't you?" Jerome's cheeks went a very pale red.

He pondered it. "True…"

"Do you…uh…wanna be my friend?" Jerome asked, holding out his hand.

Mitch grinned, showing white teeth. "Sure!"

They shook hands, and older Mitch clutched his dogtag. "And that, Scáthach, was the start of a beautiful friendship."

The black cat noticed their surroundings were fading. "That was wonderful, Mitch, but you need to wake up. Team Crafted needs you."

Mitch sighed. "Alright, Scáthach. I'm going."

He shut his eyes and vanished, heading back to reality. Right as the cat was about she follow, she was shocked to see familiar amethyst eyes in the shadows.

"You–!"

The girl put her fingers to her lips and observed the two best friends shaking hands, a memory forever frozen in time. "He'll find out soon. In the meantime, Jerome is making his way here."

Scáthach tensed as the girl gave a faint smile. "You're doing a wonderful job, Scáthach. I'm very proud of you."

The cat hesitated and dipped her head. "Thank you, B–"

"No! Not yet, darling. That time hasn't come yet. Yours, however, is almost done." The girl looked around, and Scáthach's tail drooped.

"I've grown fond of the boy…can I stay longer?" She pleaded, her feline eyes huge.

The girl chuckled. "Of course you can. Keep him safe!"

Scáthach tilted her head. "You've grown softer than I last saw you…I see why you want Mitch and Jerome as friends. Their friendship could help you get over your past."

"It might," was the saddened reply. "I'm trying my hardest."

The cat smiled at the girl. "They are keepers. If you befriend them, you could learn from them and not keep on your mask. You could have a family."

"A family…" She whispered. "I haven't had one for 12 years."

"You have Ambrose and me," Scáthach reminded her. "And maybe even Mitch and Jerome when the time comes."

"Thank you for the hope, Scáthach." The girl called. "I'll try my best to stop."

"You're welcome. And take off the mask for once. It would be nice to see you act like this for at least a few days." The cat bared her teeth, and the girl gave a sincere laugh.

"Go on back to Mitch, darling. I'll see you soon."

Scáthach grinned and vanished in a cloud of purple mist.

…

Mitch groaned as he rubbed his bleary eyes, shaking his head. "That was a crazy dream…"

He looked at his chest, where Scáthach blinked up at him. "…Maybe it wasn't a dream."

"BIGGUMSSSS!"

Jerome barreled through the door and tackled Mitch as he got out of bed. "YOU'RE ALIVE!"

"…I was dying?" Mitch looked confused as he turned to his cat. Scáthach winked and started to wash her paw.

Jerome turned to the Enderman cat and scooped her up, surprising her. "Thank you thank you thank you so much! You actually did save him!"

Scáthach snorted. "Of course I did. I'd be a horrible Guardian if I couldn't save my master."

"Oh, you can drop the act." The Bacca scolded. "It's like you have a mask on and you're hiding your true emotions."

A jolt went through Scáthach and she accidently teleported to the snow biome. Snowflakes immediately clumped on her fur as she let out a screech, sensitive to coldness. "OWWWWWWWW!"

The cat shook her head and teleported back, where Mitch was staring in shock and Jerome looked confused. "Why are you covered in snow?"

"That's not important! What time is it?!"

Jerome put a hand over Mitch's mouth as the boy tried yelling, "Adventure time!"

"It's half past six. What's wrong, Scáthach?"

She calmed down a bit, shaking her pelt. "Remember my last words?"

The furry animal thought about it, and his eyes widened. "Oh…that."

"Yes, that." She grumbled. "You need to set out to the woods at least by 8:30."

"Eh…fine. We need to check in with Team Crafted, okay?" Jerome asked.

The cat nodded. "I'll be around."

Scáthach bounded into the shadows and vanished.

Jerome breathed a sigh of relief as he supported Mitch to the hallway, heading to the control room of the headquarters.

Halfway there, Mitch muttered, "I think I can do this," and started limping to the room, Jerome right behind in case something went wrong.

The control room (which didn't have a guard; Sky believed that the security was tight enough to not let people into the area) was just a simple little area with monitors and the place where Sky usually talked into the mic for the PA system.

Mitch sat down on the butter colored chair and sighed; Jerome headed to the button and pushed it.

"Uh, guys? I've got Mitch with me, and I dunno where you all ran off to…"

Jerome's voice echoed through the somewhat empty hallways and a few doors were thrown open. Sky and Dawn raced to the control room, Deadlox and TrueMU right behind.

Ssundee threw down his sugar and milk and ran off to the room; Seto used a teleportation potion to get there quicker.

Husky emerged from the pool with his ear raised, confused. After a few moments he leaped out of the swimming pool and slipped his way there, leaving a trail of water behind him.

The Mudkip's trail of water tripped Ssundee, and the cake lover yelled, "Watch it, you fish!"

Husky tackled him and yelled back, "I'm an amphibian, you butthole!"

They wrestled for a few moments before Jerome hollered over the system, "And if Quentin and Ian start fighting again, so help me I will use Betty on you guys!"

The two stopped, glared at each other, and ran off to the room.

Inside, Mitch grunted as he got up, watching Sky run in. "Mitch! What happened in the woods, dude?!"

He forced a grin. "Nice to see you doods again as well."

Dawn slapped her husband upside the head. "Adam! He just survived a near death experience, and you're still worried about what happened last night?"

Sky grumbled as TrueMU and Deadlox exchanged glances.

"The assassin didn't hurt me, you know." Mitch spoke out.

The rest of Team Crafted was in the room by then and waited to hear what one of their best outdoors men had to say.

Jerome stared at him. "She didn't?"

"No, she wouldn't." A voice purred from the shadows.

Mitch bent down and held out his hands. Scáthach emerged and leaped into his hands and jumped onto his shoulders, rubbing her head against his head.

"She wouldn't hurt Minecrafters; she has nothing against them and hates harming innocent people."

"That's funny, coming from an Enderman cat that belongs to the assassin who kills innocent villagers!" Sky glared at Scáthach.

The cat was unfazed as she wrapped her tail around her paws. "I now belong to Mitch, hero of Minecraftia."

Husky poked Deadlox. "So, the cat isn't gonna hurt us?"

Mitch shook his head and smiled as TrueMU passed up a fish, feeding it to Scáthach. She ate it down and smiled, licking her chops.

"That tasted wonderful…who cooked it?"

Dawn shifted back and forth. "I did. What's your name?"

"That fish was fantastic, and my name is Scáthach. It's nice to meet another female, Dawn." She waved her tail in a greeting.

Dawn nodded briefly. "Nice to meet you too, Scáthach."

"She saved my buddy's life, okay? Don't harm a single hair on her pelt. She saved Mitch's life." Jerome turned and smiled at the black cat.

Sky ceased his glaring and sighed. "…Fine. Welcome to the Team Crafted HQ, demon–I mean Scáthach."

Seto facepalmed while Ssundee leaned forward. "Would you like some cake?"

She twitched her whiskers with amusement. "In a bit, Ian. That does sound lovely though."

Husky raised his hand. "Are cats afraid of water?"

Scáthach sent a laugh racing through everyone's mind. "Kittens drown, the adults can swim, and I am not afraid of water at all. In fact, I love swimming."

Husky grinned and headed off to his pool; Ssundee went off to make some cakes again. Deadlox just yawned and headed off.

TrueMU laughed. "Poor Ty. He's extremely tired. Might as well let him sleep."

The spaceman saluted Scáthach and flew off.

Mitch started to head to the living room of the headquarters, Dawn on his left and Sky on his right. Jerome blinked as Scáthach stared right at him and sent a silent thought to him.

"It's time."

…

"Get out of here, you mangy mongrel!" The Minecrafter shouted, using his iron sword to hit a wolf.

The wolf whimpered in pain and tried to grab the piece of cooked pork again, his stomach rumbling for food.

"I said get out of here!" The Minecrafter stabbed the wolf in the front right paw and his side, pushing the wolf away.

He howled in agony and tried to get to his paws, wondering if he was going to die. Is today the day that I depart this life?

The thought was enough to bring a tear leaking out of his eye, and he was startled to feel some furry hands pick him up. He twisted his head around to see another Minecrafter, but…furrier.

"It's s'okay, buddy. I won't hurt ya." Jerome muttered, leaving the wolf praising Notch for his luck and feeling joy rise.

The Bacca headed to the clearing and sighed, setting the wolf down next to him. The wolf, though untamed, limped to him and put his head on his lap, blood flowing out of his side.

Jerome looked down at the dying wolf and his heart softened. He pulled out some raw fish, setting it in front of his muzzle.

He whined in complete gratitude and gobbled it down, his hunger subsiding for a moment and the wounds closing up just a bit.

"Hang on there buddy, don't die on me. I'm just waiting for a…friend, I guess you could call her." Jerome sighed and looked at the moon.

"Ambrose! That's your name, right? Ambrose! I've got a wounded wolf here and I need your friend's help!" The furry animal shouted.

As if by magic, the Enderman appeared in front of him and tilted his head. 'A wounded wolf? Only someone special would know this weakness…Scáthach.'

Ambrose teleported away and in a few moments, dropped a girl with fiery red hair in front of the startled Jerome. "Ow! Please work on your landings next time, Ambrose!"

The Enderman muttered something under his breath.

Jerome stared at the girl as she adjusted her hat and beckoned to the wolf. The wolf barked and struggled to get to his paws, blood spilling out of his side more.

"Aren't you a handsome boy?" The girl cooed, pulling out some healing potions and cooked chicken.

The wolf happily ate and drank everything, licking his lips as his wound was sealed and hunger completely gone.

Jerome blinked. "Are you really the assassin? Pardon me for asking, but you don't seem so…tough."

The girl sighed. "Appearances for me are weird. Now, what did you want to ask me?"

Jerome swallowed. "Why did you save Mitch's life?"

The girl smiled. "You thought that I would harm him, didn't you? I'm not that cruel. Besides, it's been 12 years since I had a Minecrafter friend. My only companions were Ambrose and occasionally Scáthach."

The Bacca remembered something. "Scáthach said something about you having a perfect family with pets, and herself being a Minecrafter in the days of Notch and Herobrine. What happened? Why are you killing villagers, and why is Scáthach a cat?"

The girl looked at Ambrose, who shrugged. 'She told me that it was alright for you to tell the Bacca, and he could tell the Canadian.'

She nodded. "Alright, Jerome, it's story time. Cuddle up with your new Guardian, because he'll be by your side for a very long time."

Jerome gazed down at the wolf, who barked and jumped into his lap. "Does he have a name?"

"Yes! My name is Faolán! It's nice to meet you, Master!"

Jerome silently translated it. "You guys have a knack for Irish names, don't you? His name is literally 'wolf' in Irish."

The girl laughed. "The Ender Dragon is the one that gives the Endermen and her chosen ones names in different languages. For example, Scáthach is 'shadowy' in Irish, and Ambrose is 'immortal one' in Latin."

"Then what's your name?"

She bit her lip. Should I…?

Far away, she felt Scáthach's mind hiss something at her.

"Might as well, darling! They deserve to know part of your name at least!"

She sighed. Shut up, Scáthach. I'm going, I'm going.

The girl forced a brief smile. "I'll tell you my name given to me by the Ender Dragon, but my true name is a bit of a mystery. Just deal with it. Afterwards, I'll tell you Scáthach's story."

Jerome raised an eyebrow. "Alright, deal."

The girl nodded. "My name means 'fiery one' in Latin, which explains the hair."

She pointed to the fiery locks and Jerome nodded, petting Faolán's head and smiling as the wolf licked his face.

"Alright, Jerome. My name is…"

. . .

AN: I like cliffhangers.

:D

Thank you so much for the 10 reviews! Chapter 5 is on the way!