Chapter 1
"Hey, are you okay?" The cold, plush feeling of snow touched Makoto's face as she slowly began to regain consciousness. Her red eyes slowly opened, revealing to her a snow-coated forest, a silver-and-black tabby in front of her, a black cat behind it. More talking cats? She then noticed a brown paw in front of her. Something tells me I must be one as well. I definitely don't feel like my usual self. "Hello." The tom greeted her.
"Hi. Um…this might be a weird thing to ask, but am I a cat?" She asked. The tom looked at her in surprise.
"Asuna? You look different." He meowed. "You're still a cat if that's what you're asking."
"Foxpaw, I don't think this is Asuna. She sounds exactly like her, though." The black she-cat told him. "You're not from this world, right?" Makoto nodded.
"That explains the light aura I saw. It was you!" Foxpaw meowed. "What's your name?"
"My name's Makoto." She greeted them, slowly getting up in her new feline form. "Are you both from ThunderClan? I was told I needed to find them." She felt her legs give way and she fell onto the snow below her.
"We are. Here, you should try thinking of getting up as if you were walking on your arms and legs as a human." The black she-cat suggested. Makoto nodded and once she thought about it, standing up felt almost natural. She paced back and forth for a bit, stumbling for a while, the other she-cat helping her walk.
"Thank you…"
"Suguha. I'm not from this world, either. Foxpaw over there is my apprentice." She told her. "If you're here, then Spottedleaf must've talked to you." The brown she-cat nodded.
"She told me that ThunderClan's leader was being possessed and that it might lead to a darkness to your other Clans." Suguha and Foxpaw both looked at each other.
"So it must be true then." Suguha meowed. "Well we have to bring her with us, Foxpaw, but what do we do after that? We can't just tell everyone that Makoto's here because Spottedleaf told her Bramblestar is possessed. No cat would believe it without any proof."
"Isn't she proof enough?" Foxpaw asked.
"No, Suguha's right. I have to hope that your leader lets me stay under the impression that I'm here to help defeat the darkness within the Clans." Makoto stated. "Then again, he might be aware the darkness is talking about himself and will refuse." The three stood in thought, wondering how they could guarantee Makoto's entry into ThunderClan.
"I got it!" Foxpaw meowed. "Bramblestar said that he believes that the darkness is talking about code-breakers within the Clans, so we'll tell him that you're here to help catch the code-breakers."
"I assume this talk of code-breakers must be a false pretense? Yes, I think it should work." Makoto meowed. "Do you mind bringing me to your home?"
"Sure. I'll lead the way." Foxpaw meowed. Before they moved, Makoto realized that she saw no signs of Ren or Futaba.
"Hold on." She meowed. "Ren? Futaba? Where are you?" She called out, but there was no reply. Maybe we were separated? Or maybe it has to do with the different identities Spottedleaf talked about.
"Are they friends of yours?" The tom asked, Makoto replying with a nod.
"Spottedleaf told me that they wouldn't be themselves, so I'm guessing that they don't look like how they would be as cats." She said. "Oh, I don't mean to get off track…but is there any way I can see what I look like? I'm a bit curious."
"Well, the lake is frozen over…but maybe we can check the abandoned Twoleg den? There might be a mirror or two inside." Suguha suggested.
"No!" Foxpaw declined, the two she-cats looking at him. "Sorry, I just feel uncomfortable going there."
"Really? We've been there plenty of times before." The black she-cat meowed. "We can try to break some of the ice at the lake."
"It's okay. I'm sure I'll see myself as a cat eventually."
"I couldn't wait to see how I looked when I first got here. C'mon, I know inside you can't either, Makoto." Suguha insisted with a smile. "Just follow me! The lake's this way!"
As the three made their way to the lake, Suguha slowed down so that the three were walking alongside each other.
"Are you from Japan by any chance?" Suguha asked.
"I am. You are as well, right?"
"Yup. I'm guessing you come from a different Japan, though. There isn't any VRMMORPGs in your Japan, I bet."
"I…don't think so? I don't even know what that is." Makoto meowed. "Wait…so you're telling me that there's more than one Japan?!"
"Well, kind of? We were surprised when we found that out, too. In terms of the country, the places are the same, it's just that some things are different, such as how advanced technology is, or like how the whole world is at war with each other constantly."
"That doesn't sound pleasant at all."
"Well, that's the Japan our friend Lelouch is from." The black she-cat meowed. "So…how's your Japan like?"
"It's pretty modern. There isn't any war or anything, and I wouldn't say there's anything futuristic like flying cars or stuff like that."
"That sounds pretty much like the Japan I'm from. I guess your Japan is just behind in some aspects, not in a bad way, of course." Makoto gave her a nod of understanding. A cold chill blew through the air, causing the brown she-cat to shiver.
"I w-wish I was brought here with more fur. Are you both not cold?"
"Sometimes, but I think you'll get used to it the longer you're here." Foxpaw told her.
"Here's hoping." As Makoto watched her paws trudge through the snow, she couldn't believe the situation she, Ren, and Futaba were in. We were actually brought to another world to save cats. Sis would never believe me when I tell her. "Oh, I was wondering more about the Clans here. Are you telling me that a whole group of cats live together as one unit?"
"Yup. There are four other Clans around here: WindClan, ShadowClan, RiverClan, and SkyClan." Suguha told her. "Each has a leader, and a deputy who helps them. The members of the Clan are called warriors, who hunt and protect the Clan. The younger cats who become warriors are called apprentices, like Foxpaw over here. There's also medicine cats, which are cats who treat wounds and speak to their ancestors, which is StarClan."
"This is actually more structured than I thought, and cats who actually learn to use medicine? I would never believe that cats like the ones I see in Japan were possible of such a thing."
"Right? It's been great being able to live with them. It almost feels like a very realistic video game." Suguha meowed. "We're almost there! Ready for the big reveal, Makoto? Don't worry, if you were a cat, I'd definitely adopt you!" When the three crossed one final row of ferns, they saw the huge, frozen lake now in front of them. Makoto looked at the surrounding area in awe.
"It's breathtaking. I don't think I've ever seen anything like this before." She meowed.
"You'll see something a bit cuter soon." Suguha meowed, walking over to the lake, the other two following her. When she reached the frozen surface, she placed two paws out and pressed down, breaking the ice and quickly drawing her paws back when her paws were briefly submerged. "I-It's s-so c-cold!" She shook the water off of her forepaws. "Okay Makoto, take a look!" She stepped forward and looked down into the hole in the lake. She saw that she was a brown she-cat with red eyes, the fur on her head stylized similar to how her bangs were if she was a human. She also had her brown French braid headband on as well. She looked at her face from different angles, letting out a small smile. "Cute, right?"
"Yes! I know it's me I'm looking at, but I can't help it!" Makoto meowed before letting out an embarrassed cough. "Sorry about that. We should get to ThunderClan now." Getting to ThunderClan is one thing…but I still need to find Futaba and Ren…wherever they are.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/
"Are you sure you can take care of the medicine cat's den by yourself?"
"I'll be fine, Jayfeather. You and Alderheart can go collect some alder bark. I can't be the one doing it all the time, especially in this weather, powers or not."
"She's right. We'll be back, Asuna." The sound of voices gradually began to cause Ren to wake up. What happened? He wondered as his vision slowly began to clear up.
"Molewhisker? I'll go get Nightheart!"
"M-Makoto?" When his vision cleared up, he saw that he was in some sort of small stone cave. I swear I heard her. Where am I?
"Molewhisker?" Ren jumped a bit when he saw a violet-eyed black she-cat jump through the ferns covering the entrance to the cave. "Molewhisker!" She leaped towards him, causing him to back away from her.
"Y-You can talk? Just like Spottedleaf?" He asked.
"Of course I can! Molewhisker, what are you talking about?" The she-cat meowed. Another cat entered the den a few seconds later. It was a cream she-cat with hazel eyes.
"Is his memory back?" She wondered. Ren stared at her.
"Makoto? You're a cat now?" She tilted her head in confusion.
"Makoto? Is everything okay, Molewhisker?"
"I don't think so. I thought he'd regain his memory of me, but now what's happened to him?" Ren noticed the violet-eyed she-cat become teary-eyed.
"I-I think you two are mistaken. I'm not this Molewhisker you're talking about." Ren told them. "I was brought to this world by Spottedleaf. I didn't think it meant I'd meet more cats that would talk."
"Wait…did you say you were brought to this world by Spottedleaf?" The cream she-cat asked, Ren replying with a simple nod. "So you were brought here to help the Clans! But…why are you in Molewhisker's body? Oh, I should introduce myself. I'm Asuna, and this is Nightheart. The reason she was so attached to you is because Molewhisker and her are mates." A slight blush formed on Ren's face.
"O-Oh. Sorry if you were expecting him instead." He apologized. "Wait…so I'm a cat?!" He looked down and saw a pair of brown-furred paws and then looked behind him to see a tail. "This is…weird."
"How do you think we feel? Usually cats from other worlds are brought here as themselves, not in the bodies of cats in this world." Nightheart told him. "So, if you're not Molewhisker, then what's your name?"
"Ren."
"Oh, are you from Japan?" Asuna asked, the brown-and-cream tom nodding. "Me too! I was brought here with my boyfriend and his cousin. We helped the Clans before, but now we're just spending time here and helping if we're needed. I'm guessing this Makoto you thought I was also is somewhere here as well?"
"Probably…but not as a cat you'd know. You both sound alike, so that's why I thought you were her." Ren explained. "My other friend, Futaba, is in the same situation I'm in. Spottedleaf said that this was a way to disguise us from ThunderClan's leader."
"She said that about Bramblestar? Why?" Asuna wondered.
"She told us that he was being possessed by someone evil." The tom replied. "Do you both not know anything about that?"
"My younger brother said that he's seen a darkness around Bramblestar. There's also an evil shadow over him when he uses his Geass." Nightheart explained. "I didn't think it meant that he was being controlled by some other cat."
"Wait…what's going on now? What can Foxpaw do?" Asuna asked. This was the first time she was hearing anything about the situation with Bramblestar.
"Foxpaw's Geass has another effect to it. He said that he could see the darkness inside of cats that would appear if they were evil or facing an internal struggle." The violet-eyed she-cat explained.
"It sounds similar to an ability I have. I don't know if being in a body that isn't mine matters when it comes to being able to use it." The two she-cat's noticed a glow surround Ren's amber eyes and he looked around the den. He noticed a light shadow around Nightheart, but nothing was around Asuna. "Did your brother see anything around you?" He asked when the glow in his eyes faded. Nightheart nodded.
"Around Nightheart? She's one of the sweetest cats in ThunderClan! What—" Ren let out a gasp of surprise.
"Wait…I'm in ThunderClan right now?" The two nodded. "Great. You both need to pretend that I'm Molewhisker for as long as I'm here. My friends and I will try and help your leader and get rid of the darkness the Clans are facing."
"We'll do our best. Here, you might have a bit of trouble getting up." Nightheart helped the tom get to his paws. "There, now just follow my lead." While still standing close to the tom, the black she-cat began to walk, Ren trying his best to mimic her. "There, you got it." She stepped away and let him walk briefly around the medicine cat's den, Ren quickly picking up on how to walk on four paws.
"I think I got the hang of it. Thank you, Nightheart."
"You're welcome. I'll show you around the Clan, and maybe you can look at Bramblestar with your power." Before the two left, Nightheart approached Asuna. "Asuna, can you please keep anything about Foxpaw's Geass and the shadows a secret? Only father, mother, Swiftfrost, and Suguha know about it." The cream she-cat nodded. "Thank you." She made her way back beside Ren and the two walked out into camp. Ren looked around in surprise. This was the most cats he had ever seen in a single place.
"Is this really ThunderClan? It's…amazing, to say the least."
"We try our best. Sorry about the weather, though. You were brought to help us in one of the worst leaf-bares we've ever experienced." Nightheart told him. "Our leader, Bramblestar, is over there." She pointed her tail towards the dark tabby tom at the top of Highledge. "Will your power work from here?" Ren nodded, and looked towards the leader, his amber eyes glowing. He gasped when he saw the leader. Unlike the shadow around Nightheart, the one around Bramblestar seemed to almost be overflowing. His body radiated the dark aura, the malicious shadow above him grinning malevolently. Once the glow disappeared, Bramblestar looked like a normal cat to him.
"The shadow's there. Usually I'd need to see for myself if someone was evil in a case like this, but I guess since Spottedleaf told me, I'm able to see it this way." She also told us that our skills as Phantom Thieves would be helpful…so does that mean he has a Palace?
"Molewhisker!" Ren turned around to see a fluffy, ginger she-cat with amber eyes.
"Oh, Cherryfall! Hello! Your brother's feeling much better now." Nightheart told her, glancing at Ren for a second before looking back at her.
"Does that mean he remembers you?" She asked, looking at her brother.
"Yeah. Just hearing that I forgot about Nightheart tore me apart inside. I'm glad my memories of her came back." Ren pressed close to the she-cat, causing her to blush.
"I'm happy for you both." Cherryfall said with a smile. "So…when are the kits coming?"
"C-Cherryfall!"
"What? He doesn't seem embarrassed about it at all!" Nightheart saw that Ren was calm, the she-cat giving him a small shove to get his attention.
"Sorry, what did you say, Cherryfall?"
"I asked if you and Nightheart were planning on having kits soon."
"W-What?! It's still soon to be thinking about that!" He stammered.
"Exactly! Actually, we're going to eat now, so we'll see you later, Cherryfall! Come on, Molewhisker." Nightheart dragged Ren towards the fresh-kill pile with her. "For just being thrown into this world as Molewhisker, you did a great job of acting as him, Ren."
"I've needed to do my share of acting in my world, so I'm a bit of a pro. Sorry if getting close to you was a bit over-the-top. I would've gone for holding hands, but I'm sure cats that are together don't hold paws." Nightheart giggled. "Plus, it feels kind of natural being him. I know I don't look like how I would as a cat, but I still sound the same."
"Maybe it's just in your head? Or maybe you and Molewhisker actually do have similar voices. That would be interesting." She meowed as she looked through the fresh-kill pile. She picked out a small rabbit. "We'll share this. The first step every cat not from this world takes is learning to get used to eating fresh-kill."
"Is there any fish? That would be an easier first step for me."
"That would be RiverClan's choice of prey. Even so, the water's all frozen from the weather, so they're not catching much, anyway." She told him as they found a vacant area around camp to sit in. Once they rested down on the snowy floor, Nightheart pushed the rabbit towards Ren. "You can have the first bite." The tom nodded and bit into the flesh of the rabbit. He immediately spat it onto the snow when the fur interrupted with his chewing.
"Are you supposed to eat this with the fur on?"
"How else would you eat it?"
"Without fur, maybe? I thought I wouldn't notice, but that's a bit hard to do!" Nightheart let out a small laugh.
"Here, try to just eat the meat from the piece you spit out. I'll try to clear some of the fur off for you." Ren flipped the piece of rabbit over so that the fur was now on the snow. He carefully tore the flesh away from the fur and began to chew.
"It's actually pretty good." He meowed before taking another bite.
"So good that you'll be able to eat it with fur on? I was kidding when I said I'd remove some." The she-cat told him.
"I'll try again." After Nightheart took a bite from the rabbit, Ren tore a furry piece and slowly began to chew it, Nightheart watching him intently as he did. Once he swallowed it, the she-cat let out a smile.
"See? It wasn't so bad, right?" The tom nodded, the two continuing to share the rabbit.
"Hey you two." Ren and Nightheart looked up and saw that it was Lelouch. "Molewhisker, it's great to see that you're awake. Did your memory come back?"
"Yeah. It's—." Nightheart placed her tail in front of him.
"We can tell my father about it, Ren." Lelouch tilted his head in confusion.
"Ren? Is this not Molewhisker?"
"It is on the outside, but not on the inside, if that makes sense." The tom's daughter replied. Lelouch sat down across the two. "Father, this is Ren. He said that he was brought to this world to help drive away the darkness that's threatening the Clans. Spottedleaf told him that he wasn't sent here as himself in order to stay hidden from Bramblestar." She meowed. "He says that he's being possessed by someone evil."
"Right. I didn't tell you, but your siblings and I believe that's true. You have to keep it to yourself, though."
"I don't mean to interrupt, but are you not from this world either?" Ren asked, the violet-eyed tom nodding. "The name gave it away."
"I was one of the first cats brought here to help the Clans. I had died in my world, and fate decided to bring me here. After leaving once, the second time I returned, I decided to stay and make this world my home."
"And you've started a family? That's…interesting."
"Trust me, you're not the only one who thinks that." Lelouch meowed. "Is there anything else Spottedleaf told you, Ren?"
"Other than the darkness and Bramblestar being possessed? Nothing. I've seen the darkness around him and I have an idea on how to help him, but I need to find my friends first."
"Right. He says that his friends Makoto and Futaba were brought here, but that Futaba was in the same situation he was in."
"So that means that she must be in another cat's body…but whose?" Lelouch thought for a bit. "So you were brought here to help us…meaning that she's somewhere in ThunderClan…I got it! This has to do with the light aura that Foxpaw saw. Molewhisker had one, and Ren's in his body, which means that…"
"Futaba's in Swiftfrost's body!" Nightheart realized, some of the cats around camp looking at the three.
"A bit quieter about this stuff next time? We're supposed to be undercover." Ren reminded the she-cat.
"I know, sorry!" The she-cat quickly apologized. "Is she still in the warriors' den?" Lelouch nodded.
"She hasn't woken up yet." He meowed. "I'm almost positive that your friend is in my other daughter's body for the time being."
"It has to be. Futaba typically sleeps…a lot." Ren let out a sigh. "Let's wake her up and explain everything." After burying the scraps of their prey, Nightheart, Ren, and Lelouch entered the warriors' den. They walked over to where Swiftfrost was sleeping, the she-cat snoring.
"Oh, you're awake, Molewhisker!" Fernsong realized when he saw the tom. "Is your memory of Nightheart back?" He nodded. "Great! She's been so worried about you, so I'm happy knowing that'll all go away." He noticed the three looming over Swiftfrost. "She's been asleep for almost half of the day. We need as much warriors hunting as possible with this weather. I know she's only been a warrior for a while, but even so, I didn't want to bother her or anything."
"That's kind of you, Fernsong. We'll take it from here. Can you help me carry your sister?" Nightheart nodded and placed part of Swiftfrost's body on her father's back while she supported the other half.
"What are you doing with her?" The yellow tom wondered.
"I'm going to have a bit of a private talk with her." Lelouch responded.
"By carrying her out? Wouldn't it be easier to just wake her up here and walk out with her?" Twigbranch asked.
"I don't think Lelouch wants to cause a scene. I mean, this is probably causing one, but it would be worse if we did it that way." Ren meowed, trying to think of the best excuse possible to answer the she-cat's questions.
"You'll understand when you and Finleap have kits, Twigbranch." The violet-eyed tom meowed, causing her to blush. "Don't worry, she'll still be in one piece when I'm done talking with her." The three cats left the den carrying Swiftfrost, only to run into Ivypool.
"Molewhisker, you're awake. How are you—." Ivypool stopped when she noticed Swiftfrost's body being carried by her mate and daughter. "What's going on here?"
"Follow us. I'll explain when we're out of camp." Lelouch simply meowed as the group continued towards the camp exit. Along the way, they were stopped again, this time, by Squirrelflight.
"Hi you four…" Squirrelflight looked at them in confusion when she saw Swiftfrost. "Five. Is she still asleep?"
"Yeah. Ivypool and I are going to have a talk with her on sleeping so long, right?"
"O-Oh, yes! She may be a young warrior still, but we raised her better. She needs to spend less time sleeping and more time helping around camp." Ivypool added.
"And these two?" She looked over at Ren and Nightheart.
"We're going to see how they scold her to learn when the time comes for us to be parents." Ren answered.
"Y-Yes! Since he's finally regained his memories, we've started talking about our future together!" Nightheart added.
"Really?" Ivypool and Squirrelflight both meowed, Ren and Nightheart replying with a nod. "Well, I can't say I've heard of cats needing to see how a scolding works, but it must be some Twoleg thing that Lelouch has told you about."
"That's exactly what it is! I don't mean to be rude, but Swiftfrost is a bit heavy. We'll be going now, Squirrelflight!" The group quickly left camp, the deputy tilting her head in confusion. I wonder what the rush was about. I can't remember the last time I heard Lelouch sound so panicked about something.
As they walked into the forest, Ivypool looked over at Ren and Nightheart. "So, are you two really thinking about having kits now?"
"O-Of course not! We were just lying!" Nightheart quickly assured her, the fur on her face hot with embarrassment.
"So, Molewhisker saying that they wanted to learn how to scold was a lie, which means we're not scolding Swiftfrost at all, are we?"
"Right."
"Then what are we doing out here?" Ivypool asked.
"We can put her down here." Lelouch told his daughter, placing Swiftfrost down onto the snow before facing Ivypool.
"Comfy…" Swiftfrost murmured as she snuggled deep into the snow. "…but cold…"
"You remember the light aura that Foxpaw told us about?" The silver-and-white she-cat nodded. "It turns out that it showed Foxpaw cats who would help the Clans by giving cats from other worlds a disguise."
"A disguise?"
"Well, it's more like body control." The violet-eyed tom tried to clarify. "The cat over there is Molewhisker, but right now he's being controlled by Ren. He said that he was brought to this world to stop the darkness from taking over the Clans by helping Bramblestar get rid of the cat that's controlling him."
"Bramblestar's being possessed? What in the name of StarClan is going on? Everything was so simple before when cats from other worlds came to help us. They'd come as themselves and we could tell a cat was evil just by looking at them! Now you're telling me that cats are being possessed by evil beings and good Twolegs?"
"It's the truth." Ren meowed. "It's nice to meet you, Ivypool." He bowed his head to greet the she-cat.
"I can say the same. Try to treat my daughter as well as Molewhisker does for the time being?"
"I'll do my best." He meowed, letting out a small smile.
"Well, I think I like him already." The she-cat joked. "So, does that mean that Swiftfrost is also being possessed right now?"
"Right. Our guess is that my friend, Futaba, is in her body. It would explain the sleeping for this long." Ren walked over to the sleeping she-cat and shook her with a paw. "Futaba? Hey, wake up. We're in the new world now."
"Ugh…just a few more minutes, Ren…" She pushed the tom away. This time, he used two paws and shook her violently, Swiftfrost's blue eyes opening. "Ah! Earthquake! Wha—." She looked over at Ren and let out a smile. "Aw! Cute brown kitty!" As she placed a paw out to pet him, she looked at it in shock. "W-Why do I have a paw? And why am I out in this snowy weather?!" She looked around and saw the other three cats. "Is this all just a dream where I'm being raised by cats? If so, this is actually quite cool."
"Futaba, it's me." Ren meowed.
"Wait…Ren?! Why are you a cat?!"
"You're one as well, Futaba." Nightheart told her.
"She talks! Just like Spottedleaf! Can you both talk as well?!"
"They can. Don't you remember what Spottedleaf told us?" The brown-and-cream tom asked her.
"I did, but I didn't think seeing one talking cat meant that we'd be sent to a world filled with them! I thought she was like one of those special animal NPCs that can talk and give quests!"
"NP…C?" Ivypool tilted her head in confusion.
"Video game talk. From the sound of it, she'd get along with Kirito, Asuna, and Suguha." Lelouch meowed. "Anyway, it's nice to meet you, Futaba. I'm Lelouch. This is Ivypool, and that's my daughter, Nightheart."
"H-Hello. Sorry, I'm just still so confused, and a bit in awe. I mean, I feel like a cat, and I can see clearly without glasses, too! Let's see…" Futaba placed a paw on her head. "Cute pointy ears, check. Cute snout with a small nose?" She wriggled her nose. "Check! And finally, one awesome tail?" She turned around and saw the silver-and-white striped tail behind her. "Checky check! Although, it's a bit weird that I'm not seeing any orange fur."
"We're supposed to be undercover, remember?" Ren reminded the she-cat.
"Oh, right!" She got up on all fours with ease. "So, who are you disguised as?"
"He's in the body of my mate, Molewhisker. You're in the body of my younger sister, Swiftfrost." Nightheart explained.
"Wait…I get to have a sister? I've never had an older sibling before…well, except for Ren, but he's more brother-like than anything. I accept this quest!" She turned to look at Ivypool and Lelouch. "So…you're my parents then?" The two nodded. "R-Really?"
"Her mom died when she was younger. She has a guardian who acts like a great father to her, though." Ren explained.
"That's terrible! Thank StarClan for the Twoleg who took you in." Ivypool meowed. "For the rest of your time here, Futaba, Lelouch and I will be your parents. We'll treat you exactly how we treat Swiftfrost."
"Y'know, we don't really have to. We just need to make it so that no cat knows her real identity." Lelouch meowed.
"Did you not hear what Ren just told us? She even sounded so excited to be able to have Nightheart as a sister and us as parents!" The silver-and-white she-cat retorted.
"Right? I can't believe father would say such a thing!" Nightheart added. "She does remind me of Swiftfrost, too. So full of energy."
"That's true. I apologize for coming off as rude, Futaba." The violet-eyed tom apologized.
"That's okay. Ivypool gets one mom point, Nightheart gets one big sis point, and you get one big frowny face, Lelouch." She said with a scowl, causing Ivypool to giggle.
"She's almost exactly like her." The she-cat then realized something. "Wait…so then what happened to Swiftfrost and Molewhisker themselves?"
"We…don't know the answer to that. Spottedleaf just told us that we wouldn't be ourselves, and well…here we are." Ren answered. "I'm sure they're safe. Spottedleaf didn't seem like the type that would harm them."
"Yup. She was very sweet and cute." Futaba added. "So, if we're undercover already, that means we're in ThunderClan, right?" Ren nodded. "And Makoto? Did we find her yet?" The tom shook his head.
"I didn't wake up that long ago, either. Wherever Makoto is right now, we have to hope she can make it to ThunderClan and hopefully convince Bramblestar to let her stay."
"Who?"
"He's ThunderClan's leader. The one we're here to help?"
"Oh, right! So, we just need to find Makoto, and its hero time!" The cats' ears twitched when they heard movement nearby. Through a nearby fern bush, Alderheart poked his head out.
"I thought I scented other cats nearby." The tom walked over towards the group. "Oh, you're feeling better Molewhisker." Alderheart took a step back when Futaba rushed over to him.
"Aw, he's so cute!" A sudden blush formed on the tom's face as she began to pat his head with a paw.
"T-Thanks, Swiftfrost." The tom stammered. Once Futaba realized she was acting like herself, she quickly stepped away.
"Sorry about that!" She apologized with an embarrassed chuckle.
"Is something going on over here? Why are you all out here?" The medicine cat asked.
"Oh! We're just having some family bonding time." Ivypool lied.
"Without Foxpaw? You better not let him know about this." The tom joked. "Oh, so are you feeling better, Molewhisker?" The tom nodded. "That's a relief. I was just out here looking for alder bark with Jayfeather, but we couldn't find any."
"Alderheart? Where in the name of StarClan are you?" A voice called from the forest. From the same ferns, Jayfeather walked out, his blind gaze pointed towards the tom. "Just because I'm used to being blind doesn't mean you can just leave me like that!" He snapped. Jayfeather's blind gaze looked at the others. "What are you all doing out here? I don't smell any prey, so you're not out hunting."
"They're bonding as a family, apparently." Alderheart told him, the blind medicine cat letting out a scoff.
"You really believe that? Something else is going on here. I know an excuse when I hear one." Jayfeather meowed. "So, what is it?"
"M-Maybe if we stay silent, he won't bug us about it." Futaba suggested with a whisper.
"I heard that!" The tom meowed, causing her to jump.
"H-His hearing's amazing!" The silver-and-white she-cat meowed. As Jayfeather waited for a response, Ivypool's nose twitched. She turned her heard towards a nearby row of bushes.
"Foxpaw?" She called out.
"Mother?" A few seconds later, the silver-and-black tabby crossed through the bushes. "What are you all doing here?"
"Your family's hiding something." Jayfeather told him. "I don't think I'll leave until I figure it out."
"Jayfeather, it might be a private matter." Alderheart stated.
"If it was, they would've already said something." He retorted. Foxpaw looked over at his father and could see the uncertainty in his eyes. What's going on here? He then realized that Suguha and Makoto were on their way over here. Jayfeather and Alderheart have no idea about my Geass' second ability and Bramblestar. Should I tell them? I have to! They're medicine cats after all. Other than my family, they'd be the next cats I'd tell about this.
"Foxpaw? Are you okay?" Suguha's voice broke the tom away from his thoughts. I have to do this. Hopefully none of them say anything.
"I'm fine!" He called out. From the same bushes, Suguha and Makoto walked out. Once the two joined the cats, Foxpaw stepped forward. "Everyone, Suguha and I found this cat while we were going out to train. Her name is—."
"Makoto!" Futaba and Ren both ran over to the brown she-cat, who looked at them in surprise.
"R-Ren? Futaba? Is that really you?" She asked.
"Makoto? She sounds exactly like Asuna." Ivypool commented.
"Wait…are these your friends? My sister and Molewhisker?" Foxpaw asked.
"They sound like them, and Futaba's reaction more or less confirmed it." The red-eyed she-cat told him. "Thank goodness I found you both. I thought I'd be looking forever!"
"How do you think we felt? This area is so big you could've been anywhere." The brown-and-cream tom told her.
"Can someone explain what in the name of StarClan is going on?" Jayfeather asked.
"I have to agree with Jayfeather." Alderheart meowed. "I get that this is a new cat from another world, but she just called Molewhisker and Swiftfrost Ren and…Futaba?" Makoto let out a gasp.
"Your identities! We were supposed to keep them a secret!" She realized.
"It's okay. I think I need to let Alderheart and Jayfeather know about everything." The apprentice meowed.
"Foxpaw…are you sure?" Lelouch asked.
"Yes, father. We can use all the help we can get." Foxpaw looked over at the two medicine cats. "My Geass has another ability that I can't seem to control. It allows me to see a darkness within cats if they are evil or are having issues that they keep bottled up. Lately, it's always activated when I've looked at Bramblestar."
"M-My father?" Alderheart looked at the tom in disbelief.
"I was as surprised as you were, Alderheart. I've tried to think about what it meant, but constantly I've been seeing it around him, and it's seemed to grow stronger. It was at its strongest when he was brought back to us from StarClan. My father and Swiftfrost both gave me evidence to suggest that Bramblestar is being possessed by some cat."
"Possessed? I don't mean to say this in front of your parents, but do you have bees in your brain?" Jayfeather stated.
"I know it's hard to believe, but the fact that Makoto is here is more proof." The tom meowed.
"He's right. Ren, Futaba, and I were asked for help by Spottedleaf. She told us that ThunderClan's leader was being controlled by someone evil. She brought us into this world to help free him from that evil." She meowed.
"That would explain Swiftfrost's sudden reaction to seeing me." Alderheart said. "So, Futaba is Swiftfrost, and Ren is Molewhisker for the time being? Why weren't they brought here like Makoto?"
"The light aura!" Foxpaw realized. "Along with the dark aura, I had been seeing light auras around my sister and Molewhisker, and I saw the same one around Makoto. I think it meant that they would help me find out how to save the Clans, which lines up with what Makoto had told me. She said that Ren and Futaba would be disguised as other cats because the possessed Bramblestar might not allow cats from other worlds to stay with us since he knows the darkness within the Clans is himself."
"I know I'm already updated on what's going on, but hearing it again seems so hard to believe." Ivypool said.
"So, let me get this straight: Our leader came back to life, but it wasn't exactly as himself?" Jayfeather stated.
"Correct. Think about it, Jayfeather; he wasn't acting like himself back at the emergency Gathering. You've known him longer than I have, and you know he'd never try to go on a hunt for cats breaking the warrior code." Lelouch stated.
"Lelouch's right." Alderheart meowed. "My father would never act the way he did at the Gathering. It bothered me, but I had no idea what he was acting the way he did. What Foxpaw said about him being controlled by an evil cat is something I never thought could happen, but what else would explain why he acted the way he did?"
"Because he was following the will of StarClan?" Jayfeather answered.
"They wouldn't want to cause a rift between Clans right after we brought all five of them back together. The order about finding code-breakers would destroy the bonds within Clans and between them." Alderheart stated. He looked over at Foxpaw. "Thank you for telling us about this, Foxpaw. I was in a similar position when I was around your age, so I'm sure you had your reasons for keeping this from us." The apprentice nodded.
"This all still seems surreal…but I can't doubt new cats being brought to our world." The blind medicine cat meowed.
"Thank you, Jayfeather. Also, can you and Alderheart keep this to yourselves? The last thing we want is any cat being suspicious of Bramblestar. It might put them in danger if they say anything." The two nodded their heads. "Oh, maybe we should have a better introduction." He looked over at Makoto, who nodded.
"Right. My name's Makoto. It's nice to meet you all. I'm sure you three have already met Ren and Futaba?"
"Yup! That's my parents and my older sister in this world."
"Don't forget about your brother, Foxpaw." Nightheart told her.
"I have a brother too?" She looked over at the violet-eyed tom, who let out a small smile. "He seems friendly enough. What was his name? Foxpaw?" The tom nodded. "Inari…Hopefully you're not a complete weirdo like him."
"I…don't think I am. Oh, Makoto, these are my parents, Ivypool and Lelouch, and my sister, Nightheart."
"It's a pleasure to meet you three." The brown she-cat dipped her head to greet them. "And these two are Alderheart and Jayfeather, right?"
"Yes. Hopefully we can help you three in any way possible." Alderheart meowed.
"This is really strange. Ivypool was right when she said she sounded like Asuna. If they didn't have a different scent, I wouldn't realize which one was talking."
"Everyone's been saying that. Hopefully I'll get to talk to Asuna soon." She said with a small laugh. "Now then, shall we get going to your camp?"
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
The group of cats all crossed through the thorn tunnel one-by-one until they were all standing at the entrance of the camp, the rest of their Clanmates looking at them in surprise.
"Your Clan made this all by themselves?" Makoto asked.
"Well, it's more thanks to luck I'd say. All the dens were already here and we just turned it into our camp." Alderheart meowed.
"T-There's so many cats here!" Futaba exclaimed.
"Try not to pet them like you did with Alderheart. You're a cat now as well, remember that." Lelouch reminded her.
"Yes, dad." She responded. "At least I'm not feeling anxious or anything. It has to be because of my key item!"
"What's that?" Nightheart asked.
"That would be me." Ren meowed. "She's been a bit of a shut-in for most of her life, so I helped her become a bit more social."
"Aw, that's sweet of you, Ren." The violet-eyed she-cat meowed.
"I didn't expect you all to come back in one group." Squirrelflight said as she approached them. Her green gaze then focused on Makoto. "Reds eyes on a cat? She's not from this world, is she?"
"Correct. My name is Makoto. I was sent here by Spottedleaf to help your Clan." The brown she-cat meowed.
"You may be just what we need. I'll go get Bramblestar."
"There's no need." The ThunderClan leader meowed before the deputy turned around. "Welcome to ThunderClan, Makoto. I am Bramblestar, the leader of this Clan."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Bramblestar." Makoto dipped her head in greeting. "As I was telling her, I was brought here by Spottedleaf. She told me that you were looking for code-breakers amongst the Clans? I'm not sure what it all means, but when I heard another world needed help, I had to accept."
"Spottedleaf knew about the code-breakers?" The leader asked.
"You sound surprised. She told me she's often kept an eye on the Clans." She responded.
"R-Right. Excuse me for a second. I must speak with Squirrelflight about this. You are free to stay for now while we discuss this." The deputy looked at her mate in confusion.
"Very well. Thank you." Makoto and the others left the two alone so they could speak.
"I don't think our plan is going to work." Suguha meowed.
"Plan?" Alderheart tilted his head in confusion.
"Yes. Remember what Foxpaw said about Ren and Futaba being disguised since whoever's controlling Bramblestar might not trust us? Well, to raise the chances of him allowing me to stay, Foxpaw told me about how he believes the evil is from the code-breakers, which led to me using that as my reason for being brought to this world." She explained.
"I see. This also proves that Bramblestar isn't himself. He never hesitated when it came to allowing cats from other worlds to stay in ThunderClan." Jayfeather meowed. "This is all just so much! First we lose our connection to StarClan and now our leader's not our leader at all?"
"It's definitely unlike anything we've faced before, that's for sure." Alderheart meowed. "You four should come to the medicine cat's den. Asuna would need to know about all of this as well."
"I sort of explained it all to her for the most part, but she might want to meet these two." Ren meowed, using his tail to point at Makoto and Futaba. When the cats entered the medicine cat's den, they saw the she-cat resting down with Kirito beside her.
"There you both are." The cream she-cat meowed as she got up. "Did you both not find any alder bark?" Futaba's eyes widened in shock.
"She sounds exactly like Makoto!" She exclaimed.
"That's what Ren told me, Swiftfrost." Asuna replied. Her hazel eyes looked over at Makoto. "You must be Makoto then, right?"
"Y-Yes. I'm sorry, but this is…" Asuna's eyes widened in shock.
"You do sound like me! I thought Ren was just exaggerating! Kirito, do you hear her?!"
"Yeah, I'm as surprised as you are." The tom meowed, standing beside her. "You also said that Molewhisker is someone named Ren now?" She nodded.
"And he said that his friend Futaba was also another cat, too."
"That would be Swiftfrost." Alderheart meowed.
"Oh! I'm sorry for calling you Swiftfrost, Futaba." Asuna apologized. "My name's Asuna, and this is my boyfriend, Kirito."
"Wait…Lelouch, I mean, my dad told me you both like video games. Is that true?"
"Well, this one over here likes them the most. He's a real techie when it comes to computers and stuff."
"C'mon, I wouldn't—." Kirito stopped when Futaba brought her face close to his.
"PC specs, go." Kirito looked at the others in surprise before he let out a breath and began to name the different parts of his computer, Futaba's eyes gleaming as he did.
"I…don't think I missed anything."
"No, that was perfect, actually. I don't think I'm familiar with some things that you said, but it might just be because we're from different worlds." She told him. "I think we'll get along just fine, Kirito."
"That's good. My sister and Kirito are very close. He was her mentor, after all." Foxpaw meowed.
"Foxpaw?" Asuna called the tom's name, his violet eyes looking over at her. "Nightheart told me about your Geass. Is it all true?"
"What about it?" Kirito asked.
"Oh! I should've said it in private!" The she-cat quickly apologized, the apprentice shaking his head.
"It's okay. Everyone here knows about it except for Kirito."
"Do you all really keep these things away from me because you think I'll say something?" The tom asked.
"Jayfeather and I only learned about it today, too." Alderheart told him. "Just try not to sound so surprised when Foxpaw tells you."
"Got it. Bring me up to date, Foxpaw." The silver-and-black tom began to explain everything to Kirito, starting with his ability to see the darkness within cats, followed by Bramblestar being possessed by another cat. As he did, Makoto added any information she could about her, Ren, and Futaba.
"This all sounds way more elaborate than anything we've been through here. It's all starting to sound like some sort of quest."
"That's what I said!" Futaba exclaimed.
"So, when do we start trying to save Bramblestar and the Clans as a whole?" The black tom asked.
"Leave it to us. We're used to fighting the shadows inside of people." Ren assured him.
"Right…but we've always had the MetaNav. How are we supposed to do anything without our smartphones?" Makoto asked. "Plus, even if we did have it, could we access Bramblestar's palace? There's no way cats can think of this place as anything specific like a castle, or a cruise ship."
"So…are we stumped then?" Futaba asked.
"There has to be another way we can do this. Spottedleaf did say our skills as Phantom Thieves would be useful, after all." The brown she-cat stated.
"Try swiping your paws down like this." Kirito suggested, opening up his menu interface in front of him. "I'm not sure if it'll work, but if it uses an app, then it might." Makoto, Futaba, and Ren both swiped their paws down in front of them, revealing the MetaNav screen. They were surprised to actually see it, especially since it had disappeared after they had last used it.
"Good thing we have you here, Kirito." Ren told him. "Let's see…" He stopped when they heard Bramblestar call for a Clan meeting outside. Right when he did, Squirrelflight entered the den.
"Makoto, Bramblestar would like to speak with you…you both as well." She meowed, looking at Kirito and Asuna. They noticed a hint of worry in her voice. Makoto, Asuna, and Kirito followed the deputy, Alderheart, Jayfeather, Foxpaw, Futaba, and Ren leaving afterward. The three saw that Lelouch and Suguha were standing near Bramblestar as well.
"Is something wrong?" Asuna asked. The ThunderClan leader nodded before letting out a sigh.
"I don't want to stall talking about this." The leader said with a sigh. "I have to take measures to protect my Clan, you all understand that, I hope." They nodded. "The talk about code-breakers…I can't have the other Clans thinking that we may use the strength we have to get the truth out of them. Because of this…I'm going to have to ask you five to leave ThunderClan."
