The Story of Zach Thompson

by Ajedi32

A twoleg, Zach Thompson, owns a construction company that is about to begin construction on some new houses around the lake. He is turned into a cat by starclan, and must go on a quest to stop his company before it destroys the clan's home.

10. Final Post: Author's Notes

Hello everyone! At this point, I think it's become pretty apparent that I most likely will not get around to finishing this story. (It's been over seven years since the last chapter.) But for those of you who may want a bit more closure or who are just curious about where the story was going, I did find a text file on my computer containing a bunch of personal notes I created when I was writing the story (along with my brother, who wrote several of the early chapters with me but lost interest even before I did).

These notes contain a rough outline for the next couple (unwritten) chapters of the story, a few ideas for plot elements to use in future chapters, a description of how I wanted the story to end, and a few ideas for a sequel. If that sounds like something which might interest you, read on! Otherwise, this is the end; hope you enjoyed the story, such as it is.

Anyway, without further ado here are the full contents of the file I had on my computer, Twoleg to Cat Fanfic :

Basic Idea: A Twoleg gets turned into a cat by StarClan. He is sent to fix a problem that only someone who had been a Twoleg would know enough to fix.

Plotline:

*Personal comments will be marked in asterisks. The paragraph splits here might be a good place to divide the periodicals*

Our main character (Zachary Thompson, who is about 20 years old) owns a construction company, and is un-aware of the cats living by the lake. He is hiking by the lake, and his canteen runs out of water. He fills his canteen with water from the Moonpool and takes a sip. He feels drowsy, and lies down in the warm sun. (Even though it is still new-leaf, it is already pretty warm out) He falls asleep, and is visited by cats from StarClan. They tell him (He is able to understand them because it is a dream) that they are the ancestors of the four clans that live around the lake, and *Ugg, my picture of what is going on is getting a bit fuzzy* that they need his help. *?* *Ok, so some dead cats are talking to me...* They explain that the clans are in danger and that they need a Twoleg to help them. *You may wish to throw a few sarcastic comments in here.* They tell/warn him that to help these cats he must live among them, and to do that he will have to live as one of them (I.E. Become one of them) They ask him if he will agree to this, and he, believing this is just a dream and deciding to "play along", agrees (even after being warned that this is a serious commitment). The cats of StarClan tell him to lie down, and several of them touch their noses to his forehead. *Here's where things get a bit weird (and probably painful).* He then turns into a cat. *Please make it a bit more descriptive than that. =0 (Zach: agreed...) (Use lots of adjectives)*

Zach wakes up near the Moonpool, thinking that that was a really weird dream. He then notices that he is a cat. *WTH (with bbq), LOOK AT THE SIZE OF MY NOSE. =D And.. Whiskers?* He thinks he is still dreaming, but reflects that it is a bit realistic for a dream. Still, just turned into a cat, so it must be a dream... Right? *Wrongo!* He attempts to stand, but he isn't exactly used to being a cat and finds it difficult. He slowly begins making his way downstream, but progress is slow. Suddenly, he runs into a fox. *Literally? Maybe... He might smell it but not recognize the scent.* He tries to run, but he is still not used to being in the body of a cat, and stumbles. He fights for a bit, *I.E. Gets owned* and just when he thinks he couldn't possibly fight anymore, a ThunderClan patrol arrives and chases off the fox. Zach is wounded and falls unconscious and ThunderClan (I.E. Firestar) is too generous to just leave him there, so the next thing you know, he is waking up in the medicine cat's den in ThunderClan camp...

Zach wakes up in the medicine cat's den in ThunderClan camp. He again thinks that he is just waking up from a super weird dream, but then notices the pain in his side. He believes he is still dreaming, but wonders "If this is a dream, why does it hurt so much?" He pushes the thought out of his head and sits up to look at his surroundings. *Describe the scene as best you can* Jayfeather then comes in and notices that Zach is awake. Jayfeather examines his wounds. Zach's mind was burning with questions. *He should ask these as soon as he gets the chance:* "What happened?", "Who are you?", *Jayfeather: I could ask you the same question* "Where am I?" *What am I? =0* Firestar comes in to examine the patient, Zach recognizes him from his encounter with the fox. *By scent almost as much as by sight, which seems somewhat strange to Zach. Ah, that reminds me! You may want to throw in something a bit further back about how much better his sense of smell is now that he is a cat.* Firestar asks Zach a few questions, and his answers are a bit confusing to Firestar. (And everyone else) *I.E. "Where did you come from?" "Uh, I hiked over here from town."* Jayfeather insists that Zach stay until he is well enough to leave, and Firestar agrees.

Firestar calls a clan meeting, and explains the situation to the clan. (Some might be a bit suspicious that Firestar might be planning on taking another stray into the clan. Firestar will assure these cats that this is not his intention.) After the meeting, several cats come and talk to Zach, Cinderheart being one of them. Eventually, Jayfeather shoos everyone out of the medicine cat's den, saying that Zach needs to rest. Cinderheart brings him a mouse, and Zach is hesitant to eat it, to say the least. But his hunger wins over him, and strangely, the mouse tastes pretty good. *Wow, who would have thought...* After finishing the mouse, Zach curls up and goes to sleep.

Zach wakes up later in the day feeling refreshed. He steps outside the medicine cat's den and is amazed at what he sees. Cats EVERYWHERE! Just then, Cinderheart comes over to him carrying another mouse, she introduces herself and gives him the mouse. While they are eating, Cinderheart makes conversation with Zach, asking him how he feels and what not. Cinderheart says that she noticed his uneasiness earlier when eating the mouse, and asks if he had ever eaten mouse before. Zach says no, *kinda avoiding mentioning that he wasn't really a cat until just yesterday.* but it wasn't as bad as he thought it would be. The conversation continues until Zach finishes his mouse. Cinderheart asks Zach if he would like her to show him around the camp. Zach likes the idea, but he is very tired and decides to turn in for the night. Cinderheart promises to show him the camp tomorrow, and says good night.

Zach wakes up the next morning and Cinderheart shows him around the camp. Afterwards Zach is sitting around the fresh-kill pile with Cinderheart, talking about some things with her. She explains to him about StarClan, and Zach suddenly remembers that he met StarClan earlier in this "dream".

When he finally goes back to his den, Zach considers some things that seem to suggest that this might not be a dream after all. He begins wondering if this is really all just a dream, but he can't see how it could possibly be reality. He stays awake for a long time, but finally sleep overcomes him and he dozes off. Zach receives a dream from StarClan *Maybe one that he asked for?*, and talks with them for a while. He still believes this is all just a dream, and when StarClan realizes this they explain to him that the past few days were certainly not a dream. When they finally manage to convince him, Zach gets all mad at them for turning him into a cat. They remind him that he agreed to this. *Maybe this would be a good time for a prophecy?* After arguing with StarClan for a while, Zach wakes up. *Maybe after getting all mad and running away in his dream. Or maybe we could do the 'StarClan ditched me' effect. (Where the StarClan cat fades away and then he wakes up.)*

Zach wakes up the next morning feeling utterly bewildered. He looks at everything differently now that he realizes that this is not a dream, things that he had previously accepted as just being part of the dream he now had to face as reality. *This could be a good place to talk about how strange it feels to be a cat.* Jayfeather comes into the den and examines Zach's wounds. He says that they are looking much better and that Zach will probably be ready to leave the clans by tomorrow. Zach felt a bit sad at the idea of leaving, and started wondering what he would do when he had to leave. He thought about what the cats from StarClan had said about him having to save the clans. He wondered what the danger was, but he did not have much time to think about it because Cinderheart walked into the cave carrying a mouse. Zach realized that even though he had previously thought that all of this was a dream, he had never really thought of Cinderheart as just a part of the dream. They talk for a bit, and Cinderheart asks Zach if he feels up to going hunting. Zach happily agrees, and the two set out into the woods. Cinderheart decides to take him in the direction of the WindClan border. On the way, they come across a mouse and Cinderheart shows Zach how to creep up on it. She kills the mouse and promises Zach that he can try next time. They burry the mouse and set out again, it isn't long before they come across another mouse. Zach tries to copy the move Cinderheart had showed him earlier, but when he tries to jump on the mouse he trips instead and the mouse runs away. Zach gives chase but he doesn't manage to catch it. Suddenly he smells something strange. He asks Cinderheart what it is and she tells him that it is WindClan scent and that they are near the border. Zach is once again surprised at how good his sense of smell is now, and is equally surprised at how familiar ThunderClan scent is to him now. Cinderheart explains more about WindClan, and comments that this is about the spot that they found him the night he came to ThunderClan. She mentions that they should keep a lookout for that fox, even though there had been no sign of it since the day Zach came to ThunderClan. Zach is somewhat frightened at the thought of meeting the fox again, and he is relived when Cinderheart decides to go back to camp.

Zach spends the rest of the day wandering the camp, and towards the end of the day he is sitting near the elder's den contemplating what he will do when he has to leave the clans the next day. Just then, his thoughts are interrupted by a bunch of kits running by. They ask the elders to tell them a story, and at some point they will bring up the topic of the old forest. When this happens, I want Zach to ask what happened to the old forest, and what he is told suddenly reminds him that his company was going to start construction on houses around the lake in only a few days. He totally freaks out, and immediately runs off to announce to Firestar (and probably the whole clan) that the clans are all in great danger and they have to do something. When asked how he knows this, he explains that he is a twoleg. Nobody believes him, and Firestar sends him back to Jayfeather for examination. (He's a bit touched in the head...) Zach desperately tries to convince everyone that he is telling the truth, but to no avail. Zach regrets telling everyone he was a twoleg, thinking that they might have actually believed him if he hadn't said something totally crazy like that. Jayfeather gives Zach some poppy seeds and he quickly falls asleep.

Cinderheart returns from a border patrol to the news that Zach went nuts. (Or better yet, I would like it if she was around to witness this development) She asks where Zach is, and they tell her that he is asleep in the medicine cat's den. Cinderheart walks over to the fresh-kill pile and begins eating. She didn't think that Zach was the kind of guy who would just randomly go insane. She becomes involved in a conversation with a couple other cats, with all of them talking about how totally crazy Zach is. *I.E. 'I knew he was a weirdo from the moment I first laid eyes on him'* Cinderheart is confused, not understanding what could have caused Zach to suddenly go mad. Just then, Brambleclaw calls Cinderheart over, saying that Firestar wants to see her in his den. She walks into Firestar's den and finds many of the senior warriors in there as well. Firestar talks about what just happened; asking everyone what might have caused Zach to go mad. He specifically addresses Cinderheart, knowing that she was the one who spent the most time with him. She says she doesn't know what could have caused it, and recounts some of the things Zach was doing before he went nuts. Graystripe notes that Zach was talking to the elders when it happened, and volunteers to find out what they know about the topic. Firestar wonders for a moment if Zach might have been telling the truth about the forest being in danger, and asks if anyone noticed anything out of the ordinary. Nobody has, so Firestar dismisses everyone. On the way out, Brambleclaw remarks that Cinderheart should get some sleep, reminding her that she has the night watch that night. Cinderheart walks into the warriors den, and falls asleep in exhaustion.

Cinderheart wakes up in StarClan's hunting grounds. She recognizes it from the time she served as Thunderclan's medicine cat, showing our readers that in the dream she knows that she was once Cinderpelt. Her thoughts are still on Zach, and how he could just randomly go crazy, when she is met by Bluestar, Yellowfang, and Spottedleaf. They explain to her that Zach was not lying, and that they turned him into a cat to save the clans. She is disturbed by this, to say the least, but the StarClan cats say that they believed it was the only way. They say that Zach will probably go off to save the clans sometime soon, and that if or when he does that she should go with him. They explain that he can not likely do this on his own, and that he will need someone else to go with him on the journey. Cinderheart protests to this, *'Will Firestar let me leave?' 'Leave that to us.'* but eventually agrees. *The StarClan cats should imply somewhere in this dream that they will make sure Firestar lets them go. Also, if we want to have a prophecy, now would be a good time.* Cinderheart wakes up to Brambleclaw nudging her, saying that it is time for her to start the night watch. *Maybe we could throw in a Squirrelflight/Brambleclaw friction thing here just to remind people that the problem still exists. But that's not really central to the plotline of this story.*

Cinderheart walks out of the warrior's den and takes her place on the night watch. She only partially remembers her dream, and now only subconsciously knows what StarClan told her. She contemplates her dream for a while, and then notices Zach creeping stealthily (and maybe a bit clumsily) out of the medicine cat's den. She is about to call out to him, but something holds her back. *This 'something' is of course the dream, but she doesn't consciously know that.* She crouches in the shadows as Zach looks suspiciously around, and then makes for the fern tunnel. Cinderheart waits a moment, and then cautiously follows. She stays far behind, following his scent. She notices that he doesn't appear to be trying to hide his scent trail, but then realizes that he probably doesn't know enough about tracking to realize that he is leaving such an obvious trail. She walks slowly though the forest, being careful to stay far behind. She notices that Zach is following the same path that they took when Cinderheart took him hunting, and wonders what the heck Zach is doing.

Zach races through the forest on the way to the Moonpool. He has to get there and convince StarClan to turn him back into a human so that he can call his company and tell them to cancel the construction project. He reaches the Moonpool and explains to StarClan that he needs them to turn him back into a twoleg. Unfortunately, turning a human into a cat takes up a lot of energy *I.E. Manna. lol* and they are unable to return him to his human form. *And perhaps a bit unwilling as well.* He wakes up, *Perhaps after some additional discussion with the StarClan cats (I.E. 'THEN WHAT (THE HECK) AM I SUPPOSED TO DO?')* and decides that he must try to delay the destruction of the forest until StarClan can turn him back into a Twoleg again. Just then he hears a rustling in the bushes, and Cinderheart emerges. *Or alternately, Cinderheart was the one who woke him up. Or maybe we could have the fox return and have Cinderheart save Zach's life.*

Cinderheart demands to know what is going on, and Zach once again explains what is happening. (This time though he avoids mentioning that he was once a twoleg *maybe he could even say that he was kidding or something in an effort to make Cinderheart believe him this time.*) He says that StarClan can't help him and that he will have to go to Twolegplace and save the forest. (He leaves out the part where it is his company that will be destroying the forest if he doesn't stop it.) Cinderheart struggles with herself for a moment, and then says that he is crazy and they should get back to camp. Zach pleads with Cinderheart, saying that he is going whether she wants to come or not, but says that he doesn't think he can do this without her. What he says is so close to what StarClan said to her earlier that her subconscious wins over and she decides to help him, even though she can't make herself believe that what Zach said earlier about being a Twoleg is true. She still thinks that Zach is a bit crazy, and is still unsure on whether she entirely believes him or not, but if the clans really are in danger she needs to do SOMETHING. Right? *Quote* "Even if you are right and the clans are in danger, what can we do?" Cinderheart asked me. "If the twolegs are going to destroy the forest there is no way we can stop them. Those monsters are huge! We can't fight them." *End Quote* *Ever wonder how you know that CinderPELT?* *By "monsters" Zach thinks she is referring to the Twolegs. (If he doesn't already know what monsters are)* Zach doesn't quite have a plan yet but basically says that he'll just have to get to twolegplace first and he'll figure it out from there. Cinderheart sighs, reluctantly agreeing to help him, but says that they should wait until tomorrow, reasoning that they need to get some rest and that they will have to go through WindClan territory to reach Twolegplace and that WindClan won't like it if they catch them on their territory in the middle of the night. Zach agrees and they decide that they will set out tomorrow as soon as they get a chance. They walk back to camp in silence, and Zach hopes they can get away the next morning. *And maybe secretly hopes that Cinderheart won't double-cross him.*

The next morning the Zach wakes up with a start. Dark dreams had disturbed his sleep all night, and he didn't feel very rested. Jayfeather asks how he is doing, and Zach says he is fine. Zach plays dumb and pretends he has no idea what happened the day before, and wants to go hunting to 'clear his mind'. Jayfeather consents to allow Cinderheart to take Zach hunting, but says they will have to ask Firestar first. Cinderheart goes to ask Firestar, and Zach goes with her. When Zach and Cinderheart reach Firestar's den, they find him there. He tells Zach and Cinderheart to come in, and asks what's on her their minds. Cinderheart doesn't like keeping the truth from Firestar, and is tempted for a moment to tell him the truth, but decides not to. Instead, she says that Zach is feeling better and that she wants to take him hunting. Zach is expecting Firestar to be reluctant, and is expecting that they will have to 'explain' a bit more before Firestar will let them go, but is surprised when Firestar quickly agrees to let them leave. As Cinderheart walks out of Firestar's den, Firestar says 'May StarClan light your path.' which surprises both Zach and Cinderheart. Zach thinks that the good-bye sounds a bit formal, but he doesn't realize that it might mean Firestar knows a bit more than he is letting on. *StarClan came to him in a dream and explained everything to him.* Zach notices Cinderhearts troubled expression and is a bit concerned. "What's wrong?" he asks "Nothing, let's just go." As they make their way out the fern tunnel, Zach notices Firestar watching them from on top of highledge.

Zach and Cinderheart head out into the forest. They meet some other cats from Thunderclan while they are out there, and they tell them they are just out huting. Zach and Cinderheart continue on twoards the WindClan border. On the way, Cinderheart decides they should stop to hunt, saying that they won't have a chance to do so after they enter WindClan territory. Zach agrees, and the two set off to hunt. Cinderheart sets off to find prey, and Zach follows. Cinderheart shows Zach how to catch a mouse, explaining how he has to keep his weight on his haunches so the mouse can't feel his pawsteps through the ground. Zach is supprised, not knowing that mice were that sensitive, but decides that a cat would probably know more about mice than he does. Soon, they run across another mouse, nibbling at some seeds. Cinderheart lets Zach try this one, giving him advice as he goes. ("Hold your tail still." Drat, I keep forgetting I have a tail.) Zach remembers to keep his weight on his haunches, and is suprised that the mouse doesn't notice him creeping stealthily up to it. When he was nearly on top of it, Zach gave a leap and pounced on the mouse. He caught it squarely between his paws, but his claws weren't unsheitheed. The mouse wriggled, trying to escape, but Zach bit it on the neck and it layed still. Cinderheart congruadulated Zach on his catch, and reminds him that his claws should be unsheithed when he pounces on the prey. Zach forgoes mentioning that he doesn't know exactly how to unsheith his claws, and decides that is will happen insinctively. Cinderheart and Zach eat their meal, and continue onwards to the WindClan border. Cinderheart stops there, and asks Zach one more time if he is sure he wants to do this. Zach says he is sure, and they set out into WindClan territory, being careful to stay two fox-lengths from the lake. Zach wants to cut across WindClan territory, saying it would be faster, but Cinderheart makes sure they obey the Warrior Code. When on the way through WindClan territory Zach and Cinderheart are stopped by a WindClan patrol. Cinderheart comes up with a good excuse for being on their territory. Zach makes a few comments that almost cause them to get their fur ripped off, but Cinderheart manages to get them through. She reprimands Zach for his sarcastic comments, and Zach appologises, but says they deserved it. Zach and Cinderheart leave the territories and continue on towards twolegplace.

*As you write the story, you may wish to refer to The New Prophecy arc. And the 'Sol Patrol' in POT* They leave the territories and continue into the field beyond, they are feeling hungry and stop to hunt. (Don't forget to mention that Zach wanted to follow the road, but Cinderheart convinced him otherwise.) *Throughout this time, it would be great if you could improvise some conversation.* After they catch a couple pieces of prey, (actually, Cinderheart would be doing most of the catching but whatever) Cinderheart is creeping up on a starling, when suddenly a dog breaks off from the sheep it is hearding and scares the starling away. Cinderheart looks up and sees the huge dog charging twoards her. (Okay, it wasn't that big, but everything seems a lot bigger when you're less than a foot tall.) Cinderhearts turns and runs like crazy twoards Zach, who was standing nearby to witness the development. She tells him to run, and Zach gladly obliges. Cinderheart overtakes Zach quickly, and climbs a tree. Zach stops at the base of the tree, and Cinderheart yells at him to climb up. One of the shepherds sees the dog running off and shouts for *Insert Name Here* to come back. The dog pays no attention however and continues charging twoards Zach and Cinderheart, barking loudly. Zach tries to climb the tree, but his claws aren't out. Cinderheart yells at him to unsheith his claws, and Zach replies that he doesn't know how. "You don't know how?!" Just then, the dog charges over a hill and lunges at Zach, barking like crazy. Zach's fur stands on end, his claws come out, and he jumps about a foot in the air. He quickly climbs the tree, and perches himself next to Cinderheart. The dog continues barking, but it can't get at them. After a moment of this, the twoleg comes and drags the dog away. He glances up at the tree and notices Zach and Cinderheart, but ignores them, yelling at the dog to quit chacing cats. Cinderheart looks at Zach "You don't know how to unsheith your claws?" Zach is embarased, but does admit that he doesn't know how to unsheith his claws, saying that he never really had to use them untill only a few days ago. "Maybe, but every cat knows how to use their claws." Zach's immediate thought is 'well i'm not a cat', but he has the sense not to say it out loud. Instead, he just shrugs and says "Well I don't." "How can you not know, you just... *Unsheiths Claws*" Zach holds up a paw and tries to copy Cinderheart, with little sucess. Cinderheart, still bewildered, thinks for a minute. "You didn't have any problems when that dog got close..." Zach thinks for a minute, trying to remember what he did when the dog was close. He finally pinpoints the muscles and unshieths his claws. *It feels weird, like trying to do the vulcan 'live long and prosper' gesture.* He manages to do it though, and soon he is flexing his claws. *Maybe we could have him mention the dog's name here wich would lead to an interesting conversation. We'll see how it turns out.* Cinderheart and Zach continue the journey, digging up the prey they caught and journeying onward twoards twolegplace.

(The next whole chapter is from Cinderheart's perspective.) Cinderheart wakes up under the cover of a small bush, wondering haisily where she is. As she regains conciousness, the memory of her journey with Zach floods back to her mind. She sits up, wondering wether to wake Zach. She decides to let him sleep a while longer, and goes off hunting. While she is hunting, Cinderheart reflects on their mission. She wonders, not for the first time, if she is doing the right thing going with Zach. She is now fairly sure that Zach isn't insane, but there's something weird about him that she can't put her paw on. Like how he's always using strange terms and then correcting himself, and how Cinderheart had to TEACH him to use his claws. (Not to mention how he freaked and told everyone he was a twoleg just before they left.) Cinderheart tries to tell herself that it's just because he's a kittypet, but he certainly doesn't seem like one and the excuse doesn't really satisfy her. Zach doesn't seem as soft as a kittypet, and he's far too adventureous. Cinderheart recalls Zach saying he was a twoleg, and for a split second she wonders if what he said could possibly be true. But then she realizes how rediculous she is being. Zach couldn't possibly be a twoleg (StarClan would never do something like that, even if they could *right?*), she is probably just being silly over nothing. Dispite her best efforts however, the thought stayed in the back of her mind, nagging her. *CinderPELT knows that Zach really is a twoleg.* Cinderheart soon catches a rabbit and when she returns to the bush with her kill, Zach is still sleeping. She wakes him up, and while they are eating, Zach decides that they need to cross the Thunderpath that they had been following for some time now. He says that will have to cross sooner or later to get to their final destination. Cinderheart asks curiously what their final destination is, and Zach hesitates before replying that he isn't sure yet. Cinderheart doesn't quite believe Zach, and wonders why he would be keeping secrets from her. They turn twoards the thunderpath, and soon it comes into view. They see a few monsters on the road, and Cinderheart asks Zach if now is really a good time to cross. Zach reassures Cinderheart, saying that it's still early and there aren't really that many cars out. Cinderheart is puzzled for a moment. "You mean monsters?" "Yeah, I guess so." Zach comments that 'monsters' is a strange name for cars, and Cinderheart says that 'car' is a strange name for monsters. Zach shrugs, and they set off twords the Thunderpath. They soon reach it. Cinderheart crouches beside Zach as the monsters pass, whipping up wind like crazy. Cinderheart visibly flinched as the first car passed. She had heard stories about what these monsters could do to cats who got in her way, and she didn't want to be a victim herself. Zach appeared perfectly calm, looking back and forth, watching the monsters as they passed. As soon as there was a gap in traffic, Zach meowed calmly. "Okay, let's go." Cinderheart darts across the thunderpath as fast as she can. When she reaches the other side she looks back at Zach, who is walking calmly across the Thunderpath. Cinderheart watched in horror as another car whized past behind Zach, narrowly missing him. Zach didn't seem paniced though, as he walked clamly across the thunderpath to Cinderheart. "What were you doing? That monster could have killed you!" Cinderheart meowed. "I don't think so. Monsters comming from that direction have to stay on that side of the thunderpath." "Why?" Cinderheart asked. Zach shrugged "It's the law." Cinderheart thought for a moment. "You mean there's a warrior code for monsters?" Zach laughed, "Yeah, I guess you could say that." Cinderheart thought about this as they walked away from the thunderpath, maybe this 'law' was why monsters never seemed to leave the Thunderpaths. Cinderheart wondered how Zach knew so much about thunderpaths. She tried to tell herself that it was because Zach was a kittypet, but neither Daisy or Purdy seemed to know as much as Zach did. Zach's previous claim of being a twoleg flashed into Cinderheart's head once more, but she quickly pushed it away, unable to accept the possiblity. She looked over at Zach, and thought about asking him, but she was afraid of what the answer would be. Zach COULDN'T be a twoleg, could he?

*Not sure yet on the specifics of this next section. However, I want this to be the chapter where Cinderheart discovers Zach's secret.* Zach and Cinderheart continue their journey, stopping to hunt once along the way. Soon they see a forest ahead. Cinderheart is delighted. She feels exposed on all this open terrain, and is delighted that she will soon be back among the trees. It is about dinner time by the time they reach the forest, so they stop to hunt. *Here's where things get fuzzy. The basic idea is that something big happens that either forces or causes Zach to do accidentally something that is very hard to explain, which results in Zach having to admit that he was a twoleg. With that in mind here's one possibility:* While they are hunting, they encounter a young twoleg playing in the woods. *A few teenagers, I think. Maybe young kids though. I guess that depends on what we want them to do. Are they evil twolegs who want to have a little fun with the cats? Or younger kids who just don't know any better? Or maybe if one of them got hurt and no one was arround to help... Skyclan's destiny senario. Hmm... I like that idea, but how would that lead to Zach admitting that he is a twoleg? Hmm... Would Zach understanding twoleg-speak be enough? Maybe... Zach might admit his secret if Cinderheart specifically asked him about it. Lets see here...* Cinderheart immediately dives for cover, but Zach just stares a the twoleg. Cinderheart tells Zach to get down, but Zach doesn't react. He wonders out loud what the young kid is doing out in the woods alone. Cinderheart just blows the thought off, saying that twolegs are just crazy. Zach isn't convinced though, and shows concern for the kid, wondering where his parents are. The twoleg idlly walks through the woods, and begins climbing a tree. *Cinderheart: I didn't know twolegs could climb trees. | Does she say that? Or just think it?* Cinderheart asserts that they should just leave the twoleg and get on with their journey, but Zach shows a bit more concern. Then, the twoleg falls out of the tree, landing heavily on the ground. The twoleg cries out in pain. Zach runs over to the twoleg immediately. Cinderheart is a bit more hesitant, but after seeing that there's nothing to be afraid of, she joins Zach beside the twoleg. Zach is very concerned, and even though he knows the kid can't understand him, he talks to him anyway. *Are you okay? Anything broken? No, don't grab me, etc. * Cinderheart finds this a bit strange, but doesn't comment on it. Zach quickly discovers that the kid's leg is broken, and says they have to get him to a hospital. Cinderheart asks what a hospital is, and Zach explains that it is a place where injured or sick twolegs are taken care of. "Like a medicine cats den?" "Kinda." "Okay, but how are we going to get him there? It's not like we can carry him or anything." *Hmm... how will they get him there? I guess they'll just have to go get help, but how will they do that? They don't know where the kid's parents live like in Skyclan's destiny, and Zach can't really speak twoleg so there's no way to find out. Maybe if he found a payphone and dialed 911... well, he could try but there's no way that will work because he can't speak twoleg. But... the kid can. Maybe if Zach brought him a cell phone... but where would he get one? Oh... this will be good! Evil Grin Now all I have to do is decide how and when Cinderheart will discover that Zach is a twoleg. I would prefer it to happen after the incident, but I don't think that's likely. She's bound to find out pretty quick now that Zach is about to start using cell phones and translating twolegspeak. Well, I guess I could have her stop Zach in the middle and ask him about it. Zach would want to avoid the conversation, but Cinderheart would insist. Okay, I think I've got it, on with the story...* Zach thinks about this for a while. "We'll have to go get help I guess." The kid calms down a bit and pets Zach. Zach, still deep in thought, barely notices. Cinderheart: "Help? Where would we find help out here?" Zach thinks a moment, and then turns to the kid. "You got a cell phone kid?" Cinderheart: "A sell-fone? What's that?" Zach explains the concept to Cinderheart while he is checking the kid's pockets. This time, instead of dismissing Zach's knowledge as the knowledge of a kittypet, Cinderheart is disturbed by how much Zach knows. (Especially when she asks how it works.) Her mind returns once again to the thought that Zach might actually be a twoleg. This time though, she can't push it out of her mind. Zach is unaware of Cinderheart's suspicions, and continues searching the kid's pockets. "Nope, I didn't think so. Hmm..." Zach thinks for another moment, and then turns back to Cinderheart. "I think we need to go find a cell phone." Cinderheart is jolted out of her thoughts. "Wa- a sell-fone? Why?" Zach explains that if they can bring the kid a cell phone, he can use it to call his parents. *Or 911, but Zach leaves that out so he doesn't have to explain it to Cinderheart.* While Cindherheart listens, her suspicions build until she can't take it anymore. "Zach," She inerrupts. "How do you know so much about twolegs?" "Uh, I've lived with them my whole life." [i]But that doesn't answer my question![/i] "Zach, you use strange words for everything, talk about laws for monsters and 'sell-fones', and you expect me to believe it's just because you lived with twolegs?" Zach sighs "No, I don't." "Well?" Cinderheart meowes after a long pause. Zach takes a deep breath. "Cinderheart... I'm a twoleg." *! OMSC NO! O.o DSGFUIHAVUKEHUYUSHUYDHVFG... LOL!* *Yes! I did it! Well, it certainly took long enough. Now to see Cinderheart's reaction. (For the second time.)*

"You're a what?" Cinderheart meowed, feeling bewildered at Zach's statement. The thought that Zach might be a twoleg had crossed her mind, but until now the rational part of her had always fought it off. Now, Zach himself was going directly against all her logic and reasoning, claiming that he wasn't a cat, but something vastly different. "I'm a twoleg." Zach repeated, his voice clear and unwaivering. Cinderheart searched Zach's face for any sign that he might be joking, but found none. Zach explains to Cinderheart how he was turned into a cat. Cinderheart struggles with this a bit, asking why StarClan would turn him into a cat, and other questions. Finally, she has to come to grips with the fact that Zach is a twoleg. She finds this difficult to say the least, but manages to accept it. Zach then reminds Cinderheart that they have to get help for the kid. "So... where do we find one of these 'sell-phones'?" Zach has an idea. He promises the kid he'll be back, and then they continue onward twoards twolegplace. On the way, he explains that most twolegs have cell-phones, so they should have no trouble finding one. "But, won't the twolegs get angry if we take their sell-fones?" Zach laughs. "Probably. But it's not like we have a lot of options." Cinderheart is nevous about upsetting the twolegs, but she figures that Zach knows best. He's is a twoleg after all. It isn't long before they exit the forest and come to the outskirts of twolegplace. Cinderheart is still a bit nevous about Zach being a twoleg, but she tries not to let it bother her. He's still the same Zach after all.

Notes

Time period is between Sunrise and The Fourth Apprentice. (About 6 moons)

Any events that do occur must be able to disappear without a trace in that amount of time. (OOTS 1)

The Problem - Possibilities:

1. Owner of land around lake is selling it to a construction company. (See Above)

What we still have to decide on.

1. Name of main character - Zachary Thompson

2. Cat who befriends him. - Cinderheart

3. How exactly they stop (delay until Zach can become a Twoleg again) Zach's company from destroying the forest. (Building is set to begin immediately after the land is bought) - Get into Zach's office and send a notice delaying the purchase several days. (Or stopping it completely? Maybe they didn't have time to write something long and official, so he could only delay it. But then again, do we really have any reason that we want him to not be able to completely stop it?)

4. An excuse for Zach's friend to leave the forest with him. - Perhaps they could tell Firestar the truth, but then again, perhaps not. It would be somewhat difficult to convince him that Zach was a Twoleg. Maybe we could have StarClan tell Firestar in a dream to let them go. StarClan knows that Zach can't do this alone.

Things to Remember

1. Zach is not used to being a cat; this means that he will have trouble adjusting to the many aspects of clan life. Here are some things he might have trouble with:

1. Eating Prey

2. Having a tail

3. Sharing Tongues

4. Having Claws

2. Even when Cinderheart learns that Zach is a twoleg, she will still think of him as a cat. (It's hard to think of someone as being a different species)

3. Even though Zach is a cat, he still has trouble thinking like one. He still thinks of himself as a human, and often his first instinctive reaction to something will be a human reaction. (I.E. Order pizza, call a cab, perform CPR, call 911, pet the cat, etc.)

What we need to keep in mind right now

1. Remember that the whole point of having a Twoleg get turned into a cat was to explore the differences in the two societies and to display Zach and Cinderheart's reactions when they learn about various aspects of the two cultures.

2. I want to continue talking a bit more about how strange it feels to be a cat. (Point 1 of 'Things to Remember') Zach may also want to discuss this with Cinderheart.

The Title

Current Series Title: Transformed

Current Book Title: The Story of Zach Thompson

Possible Series Titles: - Do we even need a series title? As far as I know there will only be 2 books.

Transformed

The Adventures of Zach Thompson - A bit too classic

Possible Book Titles:

The Story of Zach Thompson - Too descriptive, not enough like a title

Transformed

Concepts and Undeveloped Plotline Ideas

Somewhere in the story I want to have Cinderheart save Zach's life, and somewhere else in the story I want to have Zach save Cinderheart's life.

Sometime on the way to Zach's office, I want to have him make a stop at his house (either for shelter or because they need something that is inside). Zach will be trying to decide how to get into the house when his cat (Mittens? Muffin?) walks by (or comes out of the house) and notices the two cats in the front yard. He calls a greeting and begins walking over to them. Zach instantly recognizes his cat, and remembers that his house has a cat flap (he was thinking too human again). Cinderheart notices Zach's strange reaction to seeing his cat, and asks what's wrong. Zach replies "Uh, did I mention I own a cat?" Cinderheart is shocked, but there is no time for her to ask any questions. Muffin *I am just calling him that for now for convenience* comes over to them and introduces himself. Cinderheart, having regained her composure much faster than Zach, introduces herself and Zach. For a moment Zach is afraid that Muffin will recognize his name, but Muffin doesn't seem to notice anything wrong so Zach says "hi". (Sounding somewhat awkward.) Muffin asks what they are doing here, Zach is still a bit too shocked to speak, so Cinderheart explains that they were just passing through and were looking for a place to spend the night. A light rain begins to fall; Muffin looks up at the sky and then invites Cinderheart and Zach into the house. Cinderheart is uneasy at the thought of going into a twoleg nest, but Zach re-assures her as they walk towards the house. Zach walks into the house, finding it somewhat strange to be using the cat flap, and looks around. The house is familiar to him, but it feels strange to be less than a foot tall. Muffin says that his upwalker isn't here right now, but cautions them not to break anything, etc. Zach notices that Cinderheart is still a bit tense at being in a twoleg nest, so Zach comes over to re-assure her again. *I.E. "Hey, there's no Twolegs here but me." XD* Cinderheart purrs with amusement, but she still looks a bit unsettled. Zach says she should come get something to eat, and leads her into the kitchen. Cinderheart sees the cat food and turns it down, thinking that it was what Zach was offering. But Zach had different ideas, and he struggles to open the refrigerator. He finally does get it open, and Cinderheart is surprised at how much food is in the fridge. Zach stares up at the fridge for a moment, wondering what he should get, and then notices the ham near the middle shelf of the fridge. He tries to climb up to get it, and accidentally knocks it off the shelf. It hits the ground hard, but thankfully the plate doesn't break. Muffin runs into the room, wondering what all the commotion is about. He stops when he sees the open fridge and the ham, and asks how they got that open. Zach just shrugs and offers Muffin some ham. Muffin protests, saying that his upwalker won't like it if he comes home to a mess, but Zach says he is SURE that muffin's 'upwalker' won't mind. Muffin is hesitant, but eventually gives in. Cinderheart has never tasted ham before, but likes it just fine. She feels more relaxed after eating, and despite that the ham was already partially eaten when Zach brought it out, they still were not able to finish all of it.

When Zach and Cinderheart are returning from their journey, *Or maybe on the way there? If we did this on the way there it would be more suspenseful. (Should I continue onward to stop the destruction of the forest, or stop my journey to save Cinderheart?) However, I want to have some action left for the return trip. I don't want to cram all of the excitement into the trip there. If we do decide to have it happen on the way there, we need to come up with something exciting that will happen on the return trip. (If we do this on the trip back, this would be a good line of thinking: He may have just saved the clans, but what good is that without Cinderheart?) Anyway...* Cinderheart is captured and taken to the pound. Zach, with his good knowledge of Twolegplace and twoleg behavior, manages to avoid getting captured. He goes off to the pound to find Cinderheart, and manages to get her out in a daring escape.

One concept I would like to use in the story would be a hotshot ally cat who claims to know Twolegplace like the back of his er.. paw. (I can just imagine some hotshot ally cat who thinks he knows everything getting whipped in an intellectual battle by Zach.) Maybe we could have Zach meet up with this cat when he is trying to rescue Cinderheart from the pound. That would give Zach someone to talk to on the way. Ah, also it might be cool to have Cinderheart or Zach meet some other cat in the pound who they were unable to rescue. (Or maybe the hotshot ally cat gets captured while trying to help Cinderheart escape) Then Zach could come back later as a twoleg and adopt the cat. If we decide to do it this way, then the cat needs to want a home. Perhpas he used to be a kittypet but his upwalker died and now he has to live out on the street.

At several points in the journey, Zach will have to stop to find shelter for the night. He will usually just sleep out in the street, but at some point he could accept some kittypet's offer of shelter in a house. Cinderheart would'nt like this, but Zach would insist it was perfectly safe. Now... What if the owner didn't like stray cats in her house? Would Cinderheart get mad at Zach for not listening to her when she said it wasn't a good idea to go into the twoleg nest?

Zach will eventually have to explain to Cinderheart that it is his company that is about to destroy the lake. He would be reluctant, and he might think Cinderheart wouldn't like him anymore after that, but Cinderheart would be somewhat understanding. She might ask about the old forest, and she would find it hard to understand why the twolegs destroyed the old forest, but she would take him at his word. Cinderheart isn't old enough to remember the old forest, but Cinderpelt does, so she would talk almost as if she did remember it.

At the end of the story, here's how I want it to work out. Zach and Cinderheart make it back to the territories. Zach would come back to camp with Cinderheart, and they would encounter a patrol on the way home. Everyone would be happy and supprised to see Cinderheart, some of them may have even begun wondering if she was dead. Many cats would be hostile to Zach, others wouldn't know what to think, but Firestar would welcome him back. Firestar always said they would return, and is happy to see both Zach and Cinderheart, knowing that their mission was a sucess. There would be a bit of a celebration for Cinderheart's safe return, and then Cinderheart and Zach would grab some fresh-kill and go to sleep. Zach would sleep in the warriors den, now that he was fully healed, but he reflects that he isn't really a warrior, and never will be.

The next day, Zach goes out hunting with Cinderheart. Some cats would be suspicious of this, remembering what happened last time, but Firestar would let them go without question. Zach, now a more experienced hunter, would catch some prey, and work his way slowly twoards the WindClan border. Cinderheart would be happy, not realizing that Zach was planning on leaving. After a while, Zach would stop, and explain to Cinderheart that he was leaving. Cinderheart would protest to this, saying he could always stay here, Firestar would welcome him, etc, but Zach refuses, saying he has a life to live as a twoleg. Cinderheart trys to be understanding, but is still very sad that Zach is leaving. She accompanies him to the Moonpool, and Zach lays down and takes a sip of the water from the moonpool. He falls asleep almost immeditately, but notices Cinderheart bending down to take a sip from the Moonpool as well before he closes his eyes. Cinderheart and Zach meet up in StarClan, and Bluestar, Yellowfang, and Spottedleaf thank them for saving the clans. The cats of StarClan offer Zach a choice, reminding him that he could stay with the clans if he wanted. Zach refuses, saying he doesn't belong here. StarClan honors Zach's decision, and they tell him to lay down. He does so, and they touch their noses to Zach all at once. He feels the same sensation of fire and ice as he did when he was turned into a cat, but this time it is a bit less painful. *Although Zach doesn't know it, this is because the Human form is more natural to him, and it is less painful because of that. The only reason he feels any pain is because of the friendships and experiences he made as a cat. It is for this reason that less energy is required and less pain is inflicted when he becomes a cat again in the sequel. The energy required and pain inflicted is based on how much the subject is what he is being transformed into. Since a part of Zach is now a cat, he will be easier to transform in the sequel. That's my explanation anyway.* He feels himself growing, his twoleg form returning, and his fur losening to form his old cloths. Then, the pain intensifies and there is a blinding flash. Then, darkness. Zach wakes up, as a twoleg again, lying in the same position as he was when the whole adventure started. For a moment, he wonders if this really was all just a dream, but he knew deep down that it was not. Then he notices Cinderheart sitting on his lap. He reaches down slowly to stroke her fur. Cinderheart wakes up slowly, and then jumps as she notices she is sitting on a twoleg's lap. She begins running off into the woods, but then stops. She turns arround, and begins padding uneasily back twoards Zach. Even though she knew Zach was a twoleg, she never really thought of him as one until now. She pads closer to Zach, and recognises his still-existing cat scent. *Which reminds me, Zach should notice how his sense of smell and hearing seems dulled now that he is a twoleg again.* Cinderheart tentativly crawls back onto Zach's lap, and allows him to stroke her fur for a moment. Then, Cinderheart crawls off of Zach's lap and Zach gets up, grabbing his backpack. Cinderheart is scared, but knowing that it's just Zach, she dosn't run. "Good bye Zach." she meows before turning away. Zach understands her meow perfectly, but his vocal chords now make it nearly impossible to reply in cat tounge. So, he just says. "Good bye Cinderheart, may StarClan light your path." Then, he turns away and begins hiking through WindClan territory off towards home... *Wow, what an ending! For a bonous, we could also include an epiloge where we get to see the end results of Zach's encounter moons later.*

Other Things I want to Include Somewhere

* I want to have Zach use a crosswalk.

* I want to have some curious twoleg kits who think that Zach and Cinderheart are cute run up to "pet the kitties".

* I want to have Zach take a picture of himself as a cat

* While Zach is in his house I want to have him use an iPod, camera, rc car, two-way radio, etc.

* I want to talk about human wars.

* I want to talk about human life span. - "Zach, how old are you?"

* Sometime, Zach has to explain to Cinderheart about last names.

* It might be funny to use some human phrases about cats such as "There's more than one way to skin a- er, mouse."

* "So, what's it like being a twoleg?"

* Cats (almost) always land on their feet.

* "The cat's fear was so thick I could almost smell it, then I suddenly realized that I could. I wasn't sure how I recognized the scent, but I could literally smell fear rolling off this cat like waves."

* I want Zach to explain about human education. For this, they could walk past a school.

* It might be fun if Zach ran into someone he knows, one of his friends, co-workers, or perhaps his girlfriend. (See 'What If?' below.)

* I want to have Zach run into a dog at some point. "Now I know why cats hate dogs."

* Perhaps Zach and Cinderheart could meet a wounded cat who needs their help. Zach could get him to an animal shelter or something.

* At some point, I want there to be a fire. Perhaps they would simply have to get out, or perhaps Zach would have to rescue Cinderheart or some other cat.

* Maybe Muffin or some other cat would think that Zach and Cinderheart are a couple. That would be embarassing, but funny. =)

* This will probably happen naturally, but I want Zach to explain to Cinderheart about cars.

* Cinderheart: "Why do twoleg kits always play in the water?"

* I want to talk about distances, as in how big the world is, how far Zach has traveled on various business trips, etc. ("Twolegs can fly?")

The "What if?" Notepad

What if Zach and Cinderheart met a wounded cat who needed their help?

Zach could help him/her get to an animal shelter or something.

What if Zach ran into a dog?

"Now I know why cats hate dogs."

What if Zach ran into a twoleg he knows? Perhaps one of his friends, co-workers, or maybe even his girlfriend.

What if we used this friend more in the sequel?

What if his friend found out who Zach was?

That could be really weird, maybe we should save that for the sequel.

We could drop some hints though to make Zach's friend think a bit.

What if his friend liked cats and tried to adopt Zach? - Oh, wow. That could be funny. =3

What if Cinderheart was also 'adopted'?

What if Cinderheart got away from Zach's friend because of her uneasiness about twolegs, and had to 'rescue' Zach?

Zach would have everything under control (sort of), but Cinderheart might be just about in a panic.

What if Zach had to explain to Cinderheart about cats being declawed, gassed, etc?

What if Zach and Cinderheart got separated?

Cinderheart would be completely lost, and Zach would set out looking for her.

What if Cinderheart ran into Jingo and the other cats that the Sol patrol found in POT?

Revision Notes - Some things I want to include in the final release

1. Mention in Chapter 1 that the cats of StarClan weren't really speaking English, but Zach understood them anyway. (Also add simmilar parts discussing the language change.)

2. Revise several sections to make it easier for the readers to understand why Zach has to leave when he does. (Revise the clan meeting, make Zach listen in on the meeting, and have Jayfeather make the fact that he has to leave more obvious to Zach)

3. Add more descriptive adjectives and metaphors.

4. Explain why Firestar thought that Zach was a kittypet. (He smells like twoleg, hmm I wonder why?)

5. Use twoleg words more often twoards the beginning but increase cat term useage as Zach learns those words.

6. Make Zach act more careless before he realizes he isn't dreaming.

7. Explain earlier in the story why Zach dosn't know how to use his claws, but has no trouble with his tail. (Reflex instead of natural movement.)

8. Make it more clear which Thunderpath they crossed when exiting clan territory.

9. At some point in the story, Zach should realize that he can't keep his secret from Cinderheart forever and try to decide when to tell her. (Preferably earlier than when it is now.)

10. Mention descretely twoards the beginning of the story that Zach owns a cat.

11. Remove long-term repetition (notably Jayfeather constantly saying "Ah, you're awake" to Zach).

In first fox encounter: "Now if you don't think foxes are scary, just imagine if you met one three times bigger than you."