I'm not sure whether or not I'll continue this. It depends on how interested I am in it. I haven't started chapter 2 yet.

Chapter 1

It had been Thunderclan's newly appointed deputy, Brambleclaw's idea to extend Thunderclan's territory away from the lake. "We might need more hunting grounds," he'd said, "and the other clans can't do anything; it's not their territory."

So, after some discussions among the senior warriors, a small patrol was sent to scout out the land.

When they came back a few days later, claiming that the only threat they'd come across was one badger, Firestar gave them permission to begin scent-marking.

It was not until the Thunderclan leader himself joined them in the exploration that disaster struck.

The scent in the abandoned twolegs' nest gave away no hint to any activity. It stood, overrun with rodents, beside a small stream.

An obvious place to check out.

And that was all Squirrelflight remembered. She certainly didn't remember how she got locked up in a pitch-black enclosure that stank of twolegs.

But she could guess.

It had been two hours since she had awakened, and as if her temper couldn't have gotten any worse already, she hadn't been this hungry since just before they had left for the new territories. Her hunger was so bad it hurt right now. And there was nothing she could do about it.

Yes, she had clawed desperately at the walls. She had gouged deep scratches into the material, but it was so dark that she couldn't see if it had made a difference. No light had been let in. Either she had gone blind or the enclosure was made of and incredibly strong material, stronger than even the strongest wood back home.

Squirrelflight had lost track of how much time she had sat in the dreadful darkness, hunger gnawing at her insides before the space she was in gave a violent lurch, and somehow she knew that she was moving.

She yowled desperately, wanting to get out before she was taken even further away from the forest, but it had no effect on the thing that was moving her.

Sighing in defeat, she slumped back to lie on the base of the cage.

…

Brambleclaw wasn't really sure what was worse, sitting in a dark space that was being carried by something, or being able to see that his capturers were twolegs, and watching as they inspected his clanmates one by one, moving towards him.

And worst of all, he couldn't hear a word anyone was saying. He and his clanmates had been trying to communicate since they had been allowed their sight, but there was something in the cages that prevented their words from reaching each other.

At some point, the twolegs- a short one with bushy brown hair and a tall one that looked like it was a million moons old- must have reached an agreement because the short one nodded and reached towards one of the cages and took a cat out. Brambleclaw realised with relief that, although it was a cat huddled in the twoleg's arms, it was not one of his friends. The cat was put in a different cage and given to the twoleg kit.

But his fear returned when the twoleg put the other cage under it's arm and reached back to grab the handle on Squirrelflight's cage. As it reached in to drag her out and put her in a different cage, her yowling was surely only outdone by his own as she was taken away. Or perhaps Firestar's. Either way, the other clan cats soon realised that they were powerless. The twoleg with her cage disappeared out the- was it some kind of nest?- without looking back.

Squirrelflight was gone.

…

Several days passed. Several days of watching their friends get taken away until only two remained. Brambleclaw himself and his clan leader, Firestar. If Brambleclaw had to guess, he would say that it was because these twolegs weren't particularly enthusiastic about his dark brown fur, or the deep scratches around Firestar's neck. He ducked his head and studied his paws, still guilty about what had happened only 5 days ago. They were the only two cats left in the den, which only increased their chances of being taken. His claws unsheathed at the thought of being taken by twolegs and being separated from his only remaining clanmate.

He snuck a glance at the twoleg who was distributing them to the small twoleg kits. It was sitting behind the counter, waiting for more of them. Brambleclaw hoped that glaring meant the same thing to twolegs as it did to cats.

As if feeling the warrior cat's burning gaze, it glanced up. Brambleclaw hadn't a hope of understanding what the lips curling upwards at the corners meant, but he was guessing it wasn't good.

Before the twoleg could do anything else, a sharp note of sound came from the door. Brambleclaw had been here long enough to know what it meant.

Another twoleg had arrived.

…

"Make sure you get a good quality one. Not some mangy cat off the street."

"Yes, Grandmother," Neville responded nervously. It would not do to argue, even when he knew that the Magical Menagerie was not a shop that would sell cats off the streets.

"And nothing over 30 galleons."

"I know."

Neville quickly took his leave. He scurried into the shop like a mouse being hunted by a cat.

"Hello," greeted the shop owner. It was just like Neville to forget his name.

"H-hello," he stammered, "I'm looking for a cat."

"Oh," it could have been the young wizard's imagination, but the glint in the shopkeeper's eyes faded somewhat. Still, he kept his cheery façade as he said, "we have two excellent cats in the back here."

"Only two?" he asked.

"Yes. They've been highly popular among you young wizards this year."

"I'm not surprised," Neville agreed, "Harry Potter's best friend brought a cat this year."

"The young witch with the bushy brown hair? She brought two," the shopkeeper told him, "anyway, here are our cats."

Neville ran his gaze over the two cats in the shopkeeper's care. One was a dark brown tabby with a slightly disturbing amber gaze. The other was a fiery red tom who was glaring through green eyes. Neville started as he realised it was hurt.

"What happened to it's neck?" he asked. He flinched, realising his grandmother would be cross if she found out that he had questioned the quality of one of the best magical pet shops in Britain in front of it's owner.

The shopkeeper shrugged, "it came in like that. I would guess it got caught in some muggle trap."

Neville almost snapped something back, but he managed to calm down. "It's wild caught?" he asked.

"Yes. I expect they'll need some serious taming down, but nothing you won't be able to handle," the shopkeeper told him.

Neville stepped closer to get a better look at the wound. It was very well cared for- supposedly by the shopkeeper, and was healing well. The injury was almost healed.

"In fact," the shopkeeper added, making Neville jump out of his trance, "it would be quite good if these two could go together. Perhaps you could take both?"

Neville looked at the price tags. The cats were 20 galleons each, "I don't have enough for both of them…"

"I'll give them both to you for 30 galleons," the shopkeeper decided, "and I'll throw in the cages and some basic supplies. That within your budget?"

Neville glanced back at the two cats, feeling sympathy for the fact that they could be good friends. He almost backed down when he thought of the reaction his grandmother would have when she realised that he had two cats instead of just one, but then he hardened his gaze, "it's a deal," he said.

The shopkeeper clapped his hands together in satisfaction, "excellent," he exclaimed, "and one more thing. I've been experimenting with some spells that could allow them to understand you better. May I try them?"

Neville was uncertain. On the one hand, it would certainly help if these cats could understand even half of what he was saying. On the other, he was pretty sure it was illegal to use spells that hadn't been approved by the Ministry.

He shrugged. What harm could it do? "Alright," he agreed.

…

Brambleclaw fought the urge to yowl in fright when the small twoleg kit opened his cage and reached in to grab him. He hissed, causing it to jump back. He took the opportunity to leap out and run quickly towards Firestar's cage. He was biting desperately at the lock when he was suddenly grabbed from behind by the younger twoleg and held with his legs dangling helplessly into thin air.

He looked at where Firestar still crouched in his cage. Was the twoleg kit going to leave the Thunderclan leader behind?

Firestar looked desperately at his deputy, but when it became apparent that there was nothing he could do to help, he turned his gaze to glare fiercely at the twoleg.

The older twoleg came up to him with a slim stick held in it's hand. Brambleclaw almost froze from the fright that came of wondering what it would do to him. He struggled harder, and was sure that his sides would hurt later from the pressure on his ribs.

The older twoleg said something and tapped him. A strange sensation flooded through him- as if ice cold water was seeping through his blood. It was neither a good nor a bad sensation, and by the time Brambleclaw had returned to his senses, he was being shoved into the cage.

"I don't know how well that will work," the older twoleg was saying. Wait, saying? How was he understanding this?

"At least it didn't kill him," the twoleg kit pointed out.

"Do tell me if it works. Do you want me to do it on the other one?"

"Yeah, that would be helpful," the twoleg kit said eagerly.

Brambleclaw didn't really pay attention to what happened next as he was still startled by the fact that he could understand the twolegs.

Maybe that was what the twoleg had done to him. It certainly seemed like it would be in range of their technology, judging by the monsters that went by on the thunderpaths.

Firestar was in his cage quicker than Brambleclaw was, mostly because he didn't fight too hard. Brambleclaw wasn't surprised. He wouldn't be particularly eager to be the only clan cat left in this unfamiliar twoleg territory.

…

Brambleclaw listened, fascinated to the conversation that was taking place above him.

"But I want to at least persuade them that I'm not a threat," the twoleg who had taken them, who Brambleclaw had noticed was called Neville, was saying.

"We don't have time," said his grandmother sternly, "you'll miss the train."

Neville let out a huff, "I just don't want to lose them as I lost Trevor," he argued.

"You won't, cats are much harder to lose than toads," she assured him.

Brambleclaw wondered what a train was.

Oh, well, I'll find out soon enough, he promised himself.

…

He did find out soon enough. A train was like a huge long monster that could carry hundreds of twolegs all at once. It thundered towards the platform at a high speed.

Neville seemed to take his time with getting on the train with the other twolegs. He stood talking to his grandmother for a while, but hurried up when a sharp whistling sound came. Brambleclaw observed from the other twoleg kits' responses that it was a warning that they were about to miss the train.

Inside the giant monster, there were two rows of compartments, each with enough space for about six twolegs. The twolegs entering them were all kits or very young adults, so Brambleclaw guessed they were going to be apprenticed, or something like that. He wasn't sure about twoleg ways, but he guessed they had to learn to fight somewhere.

Neville found a compartment apart from the other twolegs, where he quickly pulled the door shut. He placed his luggage, including the two cats in a heap on the floor and sat down.

"R-right," he said, glancing around self-consciously, "can you both understand me?"

Brambleclaw looked questioningly at Firestar, who was still looking at the twoleg kit. Finally, they both nodded.

Neville grinned, "great!" he exclaimed.

"Is he going to let us go?" Brambleclaw asked his leader.

"No idea," Firestar shrugged.

"I'm going to let you out," Neville was saying, "but you have to promise not to run away. There's nowhere to go, anyway, we're on a moving train."

Brambleclaw nodded.

"OK," Neville reached forward and undid the catches on both the cages, then leaped back.

Brambleclaw cautiously pawed the cage open, seeing Firestar do the same. They both climbed out and Brambleclaw realised that he had not been out of a cage freely since his capture, apart from short releases to eat and… other stuff when he was in the twoleg den. He quickly stretched, then turned his amber gaze to Neville, wondering what the twoleg was going to do next.

Before anything could happen, the compartment door was thrown open, and another twoleg kit entered. She was slightly taller than Neville, but even a cat could tell that they were about the same age. She had green eyes and the fur on her head was a dark ginger. Like all the twolegs here, the rest of her fur was black. Brambleclaw wondered if, because twolegs had a terrible sense of smell, they had to distinguish their clans by fur colour.

The twoleg shut the compartment door and said, "hi Neville. Ooh, did you get cats?"

"Yeah," Neville agreed, "I was supposed to get one, but the shopkeeper said that they were brought in together, so I thought they might be friends."

Brambleclaw blinked, the wave of gratitude taking him by surprise. Was that why Neville had taken both of them?

"They're so beautiful," the twoleg wasn't looking at Neville but at the two warrior cats, and even Brambleclaw could see the admiration in her eyes, "what are their names?"

"I haven't named them yet," Neville told her.

Brambleclaw looked between the new twoleg and Neville. What was their relationship? Was this twoleg Neville's mate? Did twolegs even have mates? Neville seemed a bit young, but still…

"Really?" asked the twoleg.

"I was waiting for you," Neville said, "you're good at this sort of thing."

"Ginger and Fluffy!" she suggested instantly.

Brambleclaw bristled, while Firestar looked mutinous.

"I'm joking! Pets really do understand every word we say, don't they?" she said brightly, "alright, I'll have to think about it."

Neville looked at the cats, worried, "could you do me a favour, Ren?" he asked suddenly.

"Sure," the other twoleg- Ren- agreed.

"I- I'm not sure I can look after them both at once. I was only expecting to get one," Neville said.

"Of course!" Ren said happily, but then her face fell, "I can't go in Gryffindor dormitory, though. I'm a Ravenclaw."

Neville waved a hand, "Percy won't mind."

"Percy's only a prefect."

"He's Head boy, now," Neville countered.

Brambleclaw pricked his ears. These were words he could sort of understand, if he did a bit of guessing. There were clans where these people were going. Two of them were Gryffindor and Ravenclaw. Head boy must be the equivalent of leader, and prefect was deputy. So this must be a sort of gathering.

Ren still looked uncertain, so Neville said, "It'll be fine! No one will even notice you're not a Gryffindor. And if they do, well, what can they do about it? Fred and George bring friends in all the time!"

Ren looked uncomfortable, "alright," she said

Brambleclaw turned to Firestar, as he had lost interest in the Twolegs' conversation, to see his leader's ears still pricked up.

"I know how we can get out of here," Firestar said, "if that twoleg is planning on trespassing on another twoleg clan's territory, we just have to make sure she gets caught. Then we can escape while she distracts them. There's no way they'd catch us then."

Brambleclaw nodded, deciding not to point out that there were plenty of other ways they could distract the twolegs without stirring up trouble within the twoleg clans.

"We don't know how strict they are with their borders, though," he pointed out worriedly.

Firestar looked at the two of them, "if they're anything like our clans, it'll incite a serious battle."

Brambleclaw glanced at Neville. He knew that the two of them needed to get away from the twolegs, but something stopped him from purposely trying to get Neville in trouble. He didn't know why, but he liked the nervous twoleg kit. He wasn't like the ones who had destroyed the old home.

He didn't know where this sudden sense of loyalty had come from, but he wouldn't be satisfied until he had said, "we need to find the others before we do anything. Maybe they're being taken to the same place as we are."

Firestar shot him a long, searching look, and Brambleclaw got the feeling that as a former kittypet, his leader knew exactly what was troubling him.

But to his relief, if Firestar knew that Brambleclaw was starting to like the twoleg, he made no sign of it. Instead, he considered his deputy's point for several moments and said, "alright, that would be a good idea. But if we don't find them in a few days, we'll have to think about how we're going to alert the other uh- 'Gryffindors' to the trespasser."

And so the two cats continued plotting, unaware that they had gotten the Hogwarts system entirely wrong.

...

I don't know how good that was. Let me know what you think in the comments! I'll decide whether or not to continue and maybe start chapter 2.