Chapter 3: Trust

The cats on the island looked towards Lucina in shock. Rowanclaw did the same, but his reaction soon changed into one of anger.

"This cat speaks nonsense! It only took until now for a cat from another world to bring upon an omen such as this one." He stated.

"But I'm not lying! I would gain nothing from telling you such a thing. Please, believe me! Your life is in danger!" Tawnypelt walked up to join her mate.

"If that's the case, then tell us how he dies." She asked, but Lucina shook her head.

"All I've been shown is the two cats. When I was brought here, I wasn't able to exactly tell what they looked like…but after looking at him…I was given the image of the dark ginger tabby more clearly." The blue-gray she-cat explained. "Please…I'm trying to help you."

"She's lying!"

"Probably trying to stir up trouble in other Clans!"

"But what if she isn't?"

"Who is the other cat that she saw?"

"No cat has received a message like this before!" Lucina looked around at the countless voices that were against her. Is there any way that I can persuade them? She looked up at Bramblestar, worry in the ThunderClan leader's eyes.

"Everyone, listen!" He shouted. "I know I may sound biased since she is staying with ThunderClan, but I believe that she is telling the truth. I'm not sure why she was given such an image, but Lucina was brought here to help us. Maybe the image of Rowanclaw dying is a sign of danger."

"What are we supposed to believe then?" Crowfeather called out. "Are we supposed to welcome the shadows, or are they the cause of Rowanclaw's death?"

"No, that can't be it at all! I was given both messages. Whatever causes Rowanclaw to die has nothing to do with the shadows." Lucina responded. Again, voices filled the island, every cat still wondering how valid Lucina's information was.

"This Gathering is over!" Bramblestar announced abruptly before looking over at Rowanclaw. "If Lucina sees anything else, we'll let you know immediately." The past ShadowClan leader scoffed at his statement before looking over at Lucina one last time.

"It'll take more than the vision of a cat not even Clanborn to scare me." He turned towards the SkyClan cats, Lucina's ears falling flat.

"Lucina," She turned and saw that it was Bramblestar. "Let's get going. We can talk about your vision when we get back to camp."

"Yes, Bramblestar." She followed behind the dark brown tabby as she and the other ThunderClan cats crossed the fallen tree and left the island.

When they crossed the thorn tunnel and entered camp, Bramblestar immediately headed towards his den, Lucina slowly making her way up the rocky slope to meet with him. She rested down in front of the leader, waiting for him to speak.

"Lucina…the vision that you received is something that I can see being hard to believe."

"I understand that…but why would cats think I just made it up? What's worse is that some may even think it's your doing so that ThunderClan can have some sort of leverage." Lucina meowed. "I was brought here to preserve peace…but now it seems like I'm doing the opposite."

"Don't think that way. I'm sure there will be a time in the future where the Clans will honor your presence. Spottedleaf sent you to us for a reason, I'm sure of it." He stated. "You'll have my support and trust for as long as you're here, Lucina." The blue-gray she-cat let out a smile.

"Thank you, Bramblestar." She bowed her head. "Do you remember when I said that I could tell you were a great leader when we first met?" He nodded.

"Something was on your mind at the time, right?"

"Correct. You just…remind me so much of my father, to be honest. I could sense a certain aura that seemed similar to him, but now the connection is clear. You're kind, selfless, and are willing to help anyone in need. You also easily trust others, much like he did."

"I should feel honored then. I'm sure others think of the trust we share as a weakness, but it has yet to fail me. I've placed that trust in you, Lucina, which is why I believe your vision of Rowanclaw dying is true. Like you've said, you have no reason to lie about such a thing. Sadly, the other Clans seem to disagree."

"Right…but I have to do something. I'm the only one who Spottedleaf has told this to. I have to prevent Rowanclaw's death from happening." The same goes for the second cat. I still don't know about them.

"That might be difficult, Lucina. You may not have the belly sickness, but if you go to SkyClan and they catch it, you'd be the first one they blame." He told her. "For now, you'll have to hope that Spottedleaf can clarify the message she sent you."

"Yes, Bramblestar." She bowed her head. "Goodnight, and thank you for the talk. You're an exceptional leader." He let out a smile before the she-cat left his den. When she entered the warriors' den, she walked over to her spot beside Nightheart around the edge of the den.

"Did you talk about your Rowanclaw vision?" She asked with a whisper as the she-cat rested down on the nest beside her. Lucina nodded.

"I'd like to go to SkyClan and try to protect him, but Bramblestar says I could possibly bring the sickness over there."

"I guess that's true. What are you going to do now?"

"What can I do? I have to hope Spottedleaf explains the vision even more. If I could see how he dies, that would help. Also, there's still the other cat in my vision as well. I'm able to save their lives, Nightheart…but I can't do it, not yet, at least."

"I'm sure you'll have the opportunity, Lucina. Just promise me that you'll be safe when the time comes."

"I'll try my best to do so."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"So…this is the new cat, huh?"

"Yup! She a princess, too! Can you believe it?"

"I'm starting to feel like we're the only normal ones here." Lucina's blue eyes slowly opened and she looked in front of her to see two black cats. One of them was Suguha, but the other she remembered seeing in the medicine cat's den the other day.

"Hi Lucina. We didn't wake you up, did we?" The she-cat asked.

"Maybe a little bit, but it's okay." She assured them.

"Great job, Sugu." The other cat, a black tom, meowed before Suguha gave him a playful shove.

"Lucina, this is my annoying cousin, Kazuto, but everyone around calls him Kirito." She introduced.

"Kirito? Oh, you're the cat that Nightheart was worried about when I first got here. It's nice to finally meet you."

"Same here. Alderheart and others were talking about you when we were in the medicine cat's den and when I heard you were a princess and not from here, I was a bit excited to meet you. Thank god I'm finally free from that sickness." He said. "Suguha tells me you're not exactly a conventional type of princess, though."

"Yes. It's merely a title to me, nothing more." She then heard the tom's stomach growl, a look of surprise on the tom's face.

"You're so embarrassing!" Suguha told her cousin.

"I-I can't help it! I think all I had last night was nasty herbs." Lucina let out a small laugh.

"Why don't we talk more over some food?" The other two agreed and made their way over to the fresh-kill pile. They each picked out a piece of prey and found somewhere to sit down.

"So, let me get this straight: You traveled back in time to save your father, and your world? It sounds like something straight out of a video game." Kirito meowed as he took a bite from his vole.

"Video…game?" Lucina tilted her head in confusion.

"I guess they don't have those in your world, huh?" Suguha meowed, the she-cat nodding her head. "Well…it's sort of like a digital form of entertainment."

"Sorry, I'm still a bit lost." She meowed.

"Really? What do you do for fun then, Lucina?" Kirito asked her. "Not that games are the only thing fun. Just asking!"

"Me? Well, when I have time I love sparring with father. It's always great to train my swordplay. Oh, I also love going out shopping, but some of my friends say I don't quite have the right fashion sense. Reading is also something I do to pass the time by, and taking walks ease my mind, too." Kirito and Suguha looked at each other. "Is…my way of fun different from yours?"

"Not really. It seems like you come from a world before any electronics or anything. Sort of, medieval, I guess is how I'd put it…but in a cool way!" Kirito told her. "Are there knights and stuff along those lines?"

"Yes, actually. There are pegasus knights, mages, wyvern riders, and even people who could shapeshift as well."

"Kirito was right; your world does sound like a video game." Suguha told her.

"Is…that a good thing?"

"Well, it could be. When we say it sounds like a video game, we mean that it sounds like fantasy. Our world is nothing like yours, but in our world, we're able to travel to digital worlds by something called an AmuSphere. Some of those worlds can be like yours." Kirito explained.

"I think I'm starting to understand it a bit. It's almost like being in a fairy tale, right?"

"I'd say that's valid." Suguha said before taking a bite of her mouse. The three continued eating, Kirito continuously asking Lucina questions until they were finally done eating.

"Man, I can't remember the last time prey tasted that good." The black tom meowed in joy. "Hopefully neither of you get sick anytime soon."

"Right. The medicine cat's den is already pretty full, and it doesn't help that Leafpool's sick, too." Suguha said. "I just hope she everyone feels better soon."

"Hey you three." They turned and saw that it was Noctis. "Oh, looks like you're finally feeling better, Kirito. How was sleeping all day?"

"Hey, sleeping was painful, too." The tom replied.

"Kidding; it's great to see you back on your paws. You going out hunting soon?"

"Alderheart says that he should rest for one more day." Suguha told him.

"Gotcha. Anyway, do you both mind if I take Lucina for a bit?" He asked.

"Oh, I get it." A sly grin formed on Kirito's face. "Our resident prince wants to be with the princess." A blush formed on the two cats' faces. "Aren't you already married, Noct?"

"I liked you better sick in the medicine cat's den." He replied, the tom letting out a small laugh.

"Ouch. You don't gotta be like that…but yeah, we're done talking."

"Great. You don't mind, right?" Noctis asked the blue-gray she-cat, their blue gazes meeting.

"Not at all. I'll see you both later. It was nice finally meeting you, Kirito." She meowed before following the black tom towards the camp exit. "Noctis, is something wrong?"

"Wrong is the right word, but it's starting to become normal more than anything." He replied. "Twigpaw's missing. I can't find her around camp, but I'm sure I know where she is."

"Really?"

"Yup. Not sure if you know this, but she has a sister, Violetshine, over in SkyClan."

"SkyClan?" Lucina stopped in place, the tom turning to look at her. "Bramblestar says it's best that I don't go there. He thinks it's possible we can bring the belly sickness there."

"That's a definite low chance. Besides, we're going to bring Twigpaw back…or at least find out what she's doing there. My guess is she just wants to speak with her sister, but I never know what's going on in that head of hers." He meowed. "And…I thought you'd want to speak with Rowanclaw more after what happened yesterday."

"More than anything, but I don't think I'll be able to convince him or anyone else that what I'm saying is true."

"There's no shame in trying." Noctis assured her. "So…you in or what?" Lucina nodded and followed the tom outside of camp.

The two traveled towards ThunderClan's border with SkyClan, Twigpaw's scent slowly becoming stronger. As they neared the border, Noctis tasted the air.

"She's just across these bushes." He took the lead and right when they stepped out, they saw Twigpaw's body jump in surprise.

"Oh thank StarClan, it's just you, Noct." She let out a breath of relief. "Oh, and Lucina too."

"I thought we talked about sneaking out of camp, Twigpaw." Noctis told the apprentice. "If you get in trouble and think I'm saving your tail, you got another thing coming. You can't just sneak out and hope that I'll help you all the time."

"Then why are you here then?" Twigpaw retorted. The tom let out a small growl of annoyance.

"You know why! I'm doing it for Violetshine and Hawkwing." He sighed. "Look, I'll always come looking for you when I see you're missing, Twigpaw. What I mean is that I might not get there in time when you need it most."

"Sorry, Noct. I just really needed to talk with Violetshine so I can catch up with her."

"Thought so. Like I told you the other day, don't make it a habit." He looked over at Lucina. "Can you believe that helping this world ended up turning into becoming her guardian?" She let out a small laugh.

"It seems almost brotherly, to be honest; but it's cute." They saw the bushes on SkyClan's territory rustle and saw Violetshine walk out. She approached the three, but her gaze focused on Lucina and Noctis.

"What's going on here? They only told me you were here, Twigpaw." The black and white she-cat meowed.

"We showed up a bit late." Noctis told her. "Violetshine, you remember Lucina from last night."

"Right, the cat who said Rowanclaw's going to die." She looked over at her. "Do you…really think that's true?"

"Yes. I have to do something to help prevent his death from happening." Lucina told her. "I'm glad to hear that you believe me, Violetshine?"

"It's a bit hard not to. Plus, I might have a bit of a soft side for cats from other worlds."

"Hey, can we get back to me?" Twigpaw stated.

"Okay. What did you need me for?" Her sister asked coldly.

"I'm worried about the prophecy. There's supposed to be five Clans, but without ShadowClan, how is that going to be possible. We have to do something. Don't you care about the Clan that raised you?"

"The only thing that Clan has for me is dark memories. Besides, I'm a SkyClan cat now. ShadowClan falling was due to Rowanstar's vulnerability. Things are going well now with SkyClan and ShadowClan living together."

"Really? Did you not see how ShadowClan looked at Leafstar while she was talking about Yarrowleaf and Sleekwhisker? There's definitely tension there." Twigpaw responded. "Violetshine…what's really going on in SkyClan?" Her sister let out a sigh.

"It's strange. Leafstar pushed them away when they first asked to join, but Tree and I found some of their Clanmates in ShadowClan's old camp, so we told Leafstar."

"Bet she wasn't too happy about that, huh?" Noctis said.

"Oh, she was furious! Tree was able to convince her, though. He's a good talker, like a certain someone here…but unlike her, he follows through." A look of hurt filled Twigpaw's face at her sister's words.

"I know you're still mad at me, but I didn't feel like I belonged while I was in SkyClan. Haven't you felt that way before?"

"More than you think you know." She replied with a sigh. "Is there anything else you needed to tell me?"

"Oh, right! I told Noct this already, but I want you to know as well." She looked over at Lucina. "I trust you enough as well, Lucina." The she-cat let out a smile. "Noctis and I went to the medicine cats' half-moon meeting at the Moonpool."

"You what?!" Violetshine looked over at Noctis. "Noct, you let her go?"

"I tried stopping her, but you know how she is."

"What did the medicine cats say?"

"We hid until they left…but after that, I saw a vision. I was in a camp and it was all on fire. I…I think it's a sign that we need to find the fifth Clan or something terrible will happen."

"That has to be it." Lucina stated. "The fact that there needs to be five Clans is definitely apparent from the prophecies we've been given…but we just need to figure out how to make it all a reality." Violetshine was about to speak, until the ferns behind her parted, a yellow tom walking out.

"You cats are so scared of StarClan. If you ask me, they should be clearer about everything." He looked over at Lucina. "Nice thingy on your head. Strange, but nice."

"Thank…you?" Lucina was confused about the tom's laid back demeanor.

"Lucina, this furball is Tree." Violetshine introduced her. "Tree, you remember me telling you about her earlier today, right?"

"Oh, the predictor of death. Not sure if she's the company you want around, but hey, who am I to judge."

"Please, you fit that category more than she does." Violetshine joked, giving the tom a small shove.

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Tree." The blue-gray she-cat greeted.

"Okay, so what are you doing here?" Twigpaw asked, stopping the introduction.

"I got bored around camp. I did miss you a bit, too." There was a hint of amusement in the tom's eyes.

Violetshine gave him another small push. "You should stop following me!"

"He's like your own Noctis, huh?" Twigpaw joked.

"Sure. We do both have weird powers, but his seem cooler than mine." Tree meowed.

"And he's definitely not as lazy as you are." Violetshine added.

"Well…if I had the choice…" Twigpaw hit the tom's head with her tail.

"Noct!"

"C'mon, you know I'm joking."

"Anyway, what do you think about all of this?" Violetshine asked the yellow tom.

"Well…I kinda agree with Twigpaw and…Lucina was it?" He stated. "StarClan wants there to be five Clans, and SkyClan contains one of them. Add the obvious tension into the equation and things could get ugly in SkyClan. I say we try and get ShadowClan back to being its own entity again."

"Okay, but how can we do that?" Violetshine asked. "Rowanclaw won't do it…but maybe Tawnypelt would. She's the only cat there other than Rowanclaw who left when the rogues took over ShadowClan. Maybe we can persuade her somehow."

"That sounds like a good plan to me. Let's do it!" Twigpaw said, passion in her meow.

"We can't just do it that easily!" Violetshine quickly objected. "We'd have to talk with Leafstar first."

"But…this only has to do with ShadowClan." Her sister replied.

"Yeah, but they don't exactly exist anymore, Twigpaw." Noctis reminded her.

"Right, and it'll look bad for me if I'm seen convincing ShadowClan to rebuild without Leafstar knowing." The black-and-white she-cat added. "Just leave talking to Leafstar to me." Violetshine turned and walked towards SkyClan, the other cats following behind her.

When they arrived at the camp, Lucina gazed around. It definitely was different than the quarry that ThunderClan's camp was situated in. The glares from the other cats around camp were hostile, most likely towards Twigpaw than her. They approached Hawkwing, who was talking with Sparrowpelt. The two looked over and saw the small group.

"I need to talk to you." Violetshine told her father.

"Right. Can you get the hunting patrol together for me?" The SkyClan deputy asked.

"On it." Sparrowpelt left, Hawkwing turning to look at the group.

"Twigpaw! How are you?" He nuzzled his daughter before looking over at Noctis. "Thanks for keeping her safe all this time, Noctis. Has she been behaving?"

"For the most part, but she can be a pain sometimes." Twigpaw gave him a small shove.

"Oh, and Lucina's here too." Hawkwing bowed his head. "Welcome to SkyClan."

"Please, the pleasure is all mine. This is a lovely camp you have." The blue-gray she-cat replied.

"What's going on here?" All the cats almost jumped at the sound of Leafstar's voice. "Twigpaw? Noctis? What are you both doing here?" There was a hint of anger in her gaze.

"We need to talk to you and Hawkwing." Violetshine meowed. "Please, Leafstar." The leader let out a sigh.

"Very well."

"We're concerned about the prophecy. You know that StarClan wants there to be five Clans, but it's not possible at the moment when there's only three. We may have found a way to help." Leafstar looked at the she-cat skeptically.

"Go on."

"Well…we want to ask Tawnypelt if she would volunteer as a leader and rebuild ShadowClan." Frustration immediately flared in the SkyClan's leader's eyes.

"Rebuild ShadowClan?" Even Hawkwing seemed annoyed by the idea.

"Leafstar? What do you think?" Tree asked calmly.

"What do I think? How could you say something so mouse-brained? I'm infuriated! All my Clan has wanted is a safe haven. We've suffered too much to reach where we are now."

"But you've reach that point." Tree stated.

"Yes, we've finally reached it. We had to ask for territory and agreed to share with ShadowClan even when Rowanstar was being unreasonable. Then I was told to take ShadowClan in! I've been working hard to situate every cat and now you all want to split ShadowClan off again? What are you ThunderClan cats doing here anyway?"

"Leafstar, it's because…" Violetshine tried to interject, but was cut off by the leader.

"That's enough! I don't want to hear from you anymore!" Noctis let out a small scoff.

"It seems like someone's gone a bit crazy with power." The leader's amber gaze touched his blue eyes.

"Say another word and I'll…"

"You'll what? Hurt me for telling the truth?" The black tom retorted. Fear immediately filled Twigpaw's gaze. "You know what I can do. Better stop while you're still ahead, 'leader'."

"That's enough, please!" Lucina moved in between the two. "Leafstar, can't you see that StarClan wants there to be five Clans? That isn't possible if ShadowClan is still a part of SkyClan. I was brought here to help make life for the Clans one filled with peace. I can't succeed in my mission if all five Clans aren't present. This isn't for my sake, nor is it for ours; it's for all the Clans." Lucina's proposal seemed to strike Hawkwing, the tom stepping forward.

"Leafstar…perhaps they're right. I'm as frustrated as you about this whole ordeal, but what Lucina says is true. If StarClan's asked for it, maybe we should try and make it so there are five Clans around the lake. There may be a ShadowClan cat who can lead them in our camp." The cats all waited until Leafstar finally let out a long breath.

"Fine. You may speak to the ShadowClan cats…but if you succeed, I'm never taking any more cats into SkyClan. This is the very last time!"

"I understand." Violetshine meowed. She gave one last gaze at Twigpaw and then turned her intense gaze to Noctis before leaving. There was definitely a new hostility between the two. Violetshine looked over at the black tom. "What was that all about?! You almost could've ruined this all!"

"It's not exactly the way to speak to a leader, either." Hawkwing added.

"I didn't mean to offend you both, but I had to call her out on it. This isn't the Leafstar Twigpaw and I met on our journey to find SkyClan, that's for sure." He replied. "At least Lucina was here to calm her down."

"The last thing I want to see is senseless violence. You did push it a bit, Noctis." She said. Lucina then looked over at Hawkwing. "Thank you for raising your voice in the end, Hawkwing. Without you, Leafstar may not have allowed us to stay and speak with the ShadowClan cats."

"I had to think about it and I realized that this was something StarClan was asking for. I can't really go against them…and neither could Leafstar." The deputy answered. "Well, I should get back to my duties. Good luck." Hawkwing left the group before the five cats walked around camp in search of Tawnypelt. They saw her beside Rowanclaw, the two sharing tongues near a shelter beside the stream that ran through their camp. At the sight of Lucina, their gazes grew hostile.

"What is she doing here?" Tawnypelt asked.

"She wanted to talk with you…but after we talk about something important." Violetshine meowed.

"That must be why you were talking with Leafstar." The she-cat meowed. "What is this about?" The cats all sat down comfortably to talk, while Tree rested lazily on a nearby rock.

Violetshine took a deep breath before she finally spoke. "We're worried about the prophecy. There needs to be five Clans and we need ShadowClan to come back. We were wondering if you could lead ShadowClan." Shock filled the tortoiseshell she-cat's eyes and she looked over at her mate.

"Me? You've got a leader right here! You should ask him!"

"Oh, no." Rowanclaw stopped her and shook his head. "I don't want to lead ShadowClan again. I've made that clear." He stated. "Besides…I've been dreaming about Tigerheart, and I haven't lost hope in thinking that my son will come back, especially with the message about the returning shadows. I'll support Tawnypelt every pawstep of the way if she decides to lead. Now…" His gaze turned towards Lucina. "What do you want? Here to strike fear into me again?"

"Not at all! Rowanclaw, I really would like to protect you. The last thing I want to see is any lives lost in this world. I learned that my father died and I went back in time to stop it from happening, and now I would like to do the same for you. You were talking about your son returning. If anything, this means more to me than it did before. I'd like him to be able to see his father again…but he won't be able to if you don't take some sort of precautions for the time being, at least until my vision becomes clearer about the situation."

"Maybe…she's telling the truth, Rowanclaw." Tawnypelt told him. "I can sense the compassion and caring for others in her voice. It reminds me of Asuna when she was our medicine cat."

"Right. I just…being told that I'm going to die without knowing how is hard to believe."

"I understand. My father was a bit skeptical at first as well. I wish I wasn't brought here with such a grim message…but destiny has made its choice. I'm at least relieved that you've changed your mind about me."

"We're sorry for doubting you, Lucina. My brother was always a good judge of character, after all." Tawnypelt said with a small smile before she became serious. "If you have any more information about how Rowanclaw dies, please come here as soon as possible." Lucina nodded.

"You have my word."