Chapter 2
"What?!" Nightheart exclaimed in shock at the leader's proclamation. "Bramblestar, you have to reconsider! It's leaf-bare! They'll die out there!"
"Lelouch also has family here! Are you really going to separate them like that?" Lionblaze asked.
"I must put the Clan as a whole first." He stated. "There's no arguing about this. Any cat who disagrees can leave along with them." Bramblestar stated. Cats around camp all began to talk amongst each other, unsure of how to feel about their leader banishing cats who were willing to help them.
"Mother? You have to do something!" Nightheart meowed. "We can't let father leave!"
"Right…which is why I'll go with him." The violet-eyed she-cat looked at her mother in surprise. "You'll stay here and take care of your brother." Ivypool could see the uncertainty in her daughter's violet eyes. "We'll be fine, I promise."
"Y-Yes, mother." Ivypool made her way over to where Lelouch and the others were, the silver-and-white she-cat bumping into Ren and Futaba along the way.
"You both are leaving as well? You're supposed to be acting like Molewhisker and Swiftfrost, remember?"
"We can't just leave Makoto alone. We're in this together." Ren meowed.
"Right. Besides, I'll just say I'm following my mom and dad!" Futaba added. The three joined up with the others, Lelouch looking at Ivypool in surprise.
"Ivypool…"
"I'm going wherever my mate goes from now on. You can't change my mind, Lelouch." Ivypool told him.
"I have to. You're not going to suffer on my behalf. Stay here with Nightheart and Foxpaw."
"You both stay, too." Makoto meowed.
"What?" Ren and Futaba stated in shock.
"You heard me. Spottedleaf said that this was a possibility, after all. You both were brought to this world as Molewhisker and Swiftfrost for a reason." The brown she-cat told them.
"But…what are you going to do?" Futaba asked her.
"We'll go and see if any of the others Clans need help after Bramblestar's talk about code-breakers." Lelouch answered. "This works in our favor. You two will work with Foxpaw and try and figure out how to save Bramblestar. We'll check up on the other Clans."
"I could also try and see if any cats may be possessed as well by searching them up in the MetaNav." Makoto added.
"Perfect. We'll be able to see if any other cats are being controlled and help them." Lelouch looked over at Ivypool. "You stay here and help Foxpaw, Ren, and Futaba. I'll be okay, I promise."
"The last time you said that, you were brought back here unconscious." Ivypool meowed, her ears falling flat.
"It's not possible for that to happen again. You're one of the only cats who knows what's going on with Bramblestar. You need to help them." The she-cat let out a sigh, causing her mate to smile. "That was a sigh of understanding, I hope?" She nodded.
"This is the last time I'm letting you leave the Clan without me, though. The next time it happens, I'm following you, whether you like it or not." Ivypool stated.
"Don't worry, we'll take good care of Lelouch." Kirito assured her.
"Are you three going with them?" Bramblestar meowed, causing them to jump.
"They were just saying goodbye." Lelouch meowed. "May I speak with Nightheart and Foxpaw before I leave?"
"Very well, but once you come back, you five will leave immediately." Lelouch nodded and walked back into the middle of camp. He looked over at Foxpaw and motioned him to come over with his tail, the tom doing the same with Nightheart. He could see the worry in their eyes when they stood in front of him.
"I know you both are probably scared right now, but the others and I will be okay. You two need to help Ren and Futaba save Bramblestar from whoever is controlling him. I'm sure your role in this will be bigger than your sister's, Foxpaw. Whatever happens, be brave. You may not have your warrior name yet, but I know that you think like one mentally."
"Thank you, father. I'll do my best." The young tom dipped his head. Lelouch looked over at Nightheart.
"You need to be there to protect your brother, Nightheart. Your Geass is a powerful weapon. Even though your past Geass allowed you to protect those you care about, the power of absolute obedience can be used to the same degree."
"But…the shadow that Foxpaw saw around me…" Lelouch looked over at his son. He didn't know that he had told her.
"What you did using your Geass in the past doesn't mean that you'll use it to that extent this time, Nightheart. I'm sure that Ren, Futaba, and Foxpaw can help you deal with it." He assured her with a lick to the ear. "Just because you have some sort of evil lurking inside of you, doesn't mean I love you any less, Nightheart. You'll break free from it."
"Father…" Nightheart pressed her head into his shoulder. "Be safe, and take care of mother for us."
"She'll be here helping, don't worry." The tom assured her. "I know you'll be able to save Bramblestar from the darkness inside of him. Just make sure to protect each other, and Futaba too. She's in your sister's body, but if it comes to fighting, she has no experience doing so as a cat."
"We'll do our best." Foxpaw meowed.
"I know you both will." As Lelouch walked back to the camp exit, Foxpaw pressed close to his older sister. "Before we figure out how to deal with Bramblestar, we're helping you first, Nightheart." The tom's sister gave him a lick to the ear.
"Thank you, Foxpaw."
Near the thorn tunnel, Lelouch stood with Ivypool, Ren, and Futaba, the others already leaving camp. The tom touched noses with his mate, their tails intertwining.
"You stay safe while I'm gone, okay?"
"I should be telling you that. You're not the most physical cat, after all. Try not to hold the others back." The she-cat meowed. "I'll make sure Nightheart and Foxpaw are safe, Futaba too, technically."
"That's all I could ever ask for." When he stepped away from his mate, his violet gaze looked over at Ren and Futaba. "Can you both help take care of my kits and Ivypool for me? I'd appreciate it."
"Hey! I just said I'll take care of them! Also, I can take care of myself!" Ivypool protested, causing the tom to smile. "Just don't freeze to death, okay?"
"I'll try my best." As Lelouch turned to leave, Ren pushed Futaba forward with his tail.
"Hey, Lelouch! Someone wants to say bye to you."
"What? I'm fine just saying bye normally!"
"You're his daughter, remember? Act the part." The silver-and-white she-cat nodded and walked over towards Lelouch.
"I'll try not to make this too weird for you, Futaba." The tom meowed. Lelouch placed his muzzle lightly on the she-cat's head, Futaba's face growing hot. He then gave her a lick to the ear before stepping away from her. "Take care of Swiftfrost's body for me, okay?"
"Y-Yes, dad—I mean, Lelouch." She corrected herself. As she watched Lelouch leave, she couldn't shake the warm feeling inside of her. I know that he knows I'm not his daughter, and I know he isn't my actual dad, but…his goodbye felt so genuine…almost as if I was actually Swiftfrost. Maybe it's just a reaction I'm having because Swiftfrost loves him so much.
"Futaba?" The she-cat broke away from her thoughts when Ivypool tapped her on the shoulder with her tail. "Don't tell me you're falling for Lelouch. You're in his daughter's body, after all."
"What?! No, no, that's not it!" She quickly assured her. "It's just…when he said goodbye, I could tell how good of a parent he is. It's kinda like how I feel sometimes with Sojiro."
"The Twoleg who takes care of you now?" Futaba nodded. "I'm glad you feel that way about him. Lelouch really tries his best when it comes to being a father. Maybe you'll see more of it after we help Bramblestar." The silver-and-white she-cat looked up at Ivypool, the she-cat letting out a warm smile. Ivypool, too. Swiftfrost's parents are so warm and kind. It reminds me of my mother when she was still with me.
"I'd like that. M-Maybe…you could show me how you treat Swiftfrost, too? I-I hope that doesn't sound weird or anything."
"I think it'll come naturally. Like Nightheart said, you act pretty similar to her." Ivypool meowed. She turned around to face Ren. "So, how do we start saving Bramblestar?"
"We normally would search him up on the MetaNav and use keywords to find his palace, but Makoto brought up a good point earlier. We have no idea how the cat controlling Bramblestar sees this place."
"Maybe it doesn't work like it does usually." Futaba suggested. "We didn't really get time to check on it when we figured out how it worked."
"Right. We should go into the medicine cat's den and look into it a bit more. We can't let any cats around camp know that we can use it, except for the ones aware of what's going on with Bramblestar." Ren meowed. The three headed over to the medicine cat's den. Jayfeather and Alderheart both resting down in their nests.
"Did you three need something, or what?" The blind medicine cat asked.
"W-We just wanted to check out the MetaNav in here." Futaba replied.
"It's okay. We're all just worried about the others now. Bramblestar pretty much left them out to die if they can't find any shelter." Alderheart responded. "So…this MetaNav thing? Is it similar to the menus that Suguha, Asuna, and Kirito use? Do they give you any powers?"
"Not exactly. We use them to access the Metaverse and palaces. They're worlds different from this one, but in them, we have powers that allow us to defeat the shadows of people, or cats, in this world." Ren told him. He and Futaba both swiped a paw down in front of them, revealing the MetaNav screen. "This is…"
"Different from the one we're used to." Futaba stated. "There's only one drop-down menu that's called 'Target'. This is much easier than the original MetaNav." She tapped the arrow with a paw, opening the menu. "Bramblestar's name is here, and Nightheart's too?"
"What?" Ivypool looked at her in shock and looked at the screen. "Why would her name be on there?" She asked with worry. "Is she being controlled by another cat as well?"
"I don't think so. I'm able to see if cats have shadows inside of them, and when I noticed hers, I asked her if Foxpaw saw it as well, and she said yes."
"Foxpaw knew? He never told me about it." Ivypool meowed. "They should have! I'm their mother, after all! It's my job to make sure they're always okay."
"She should be fine, though. The shadow around her paled in comparison to the one around Bramblestar." Ren assured her.
"Still, maybe this means she could be possessed. Didn't Foxpaw say that the shadow around Bramblestar only grew greater over time? You two should try and stop it before something bad happens to her." Alderheart suggested.
"It could be our test run!" Futaba stated. "We'll use this opportunity to level up before going to the final boss!"
"What in the name of StarClan is she going on about?" Jayfeather wondered.
"She's saying that we can help Nightheart and gain some combat experience before helping Bramblestar."
"By helping Nightheart? Why do you need to learn how to fight?" Ivypool asked.
"Because her distorted cognition may be dangerous, or her shadow self may put up a fight." The brown-and-cream tom explained. "She won't be in any sort of danger, we promise."
"How about you both?" Alderheart asked.
"We're used to it, well, Ren is, at least. I'm just a support party member, really." Futaba meowed. "Still, I can just let Ren do all the work. We need some more members!"
"We have two more. Ivypool and Foxpaw, and once we save her, Nightheart, too." Ren meowed.
"A-Are you sure we can do that?"
"Why not? They have the resolve, and they're the only other cats who know our real identities." The tom replied. "Maybe we can bring Jayfeather and Alderheart, too."
"I'll pass, but maybe you should take Alderheart with you." Jayfeather told him. "If whatever you're doing is dangerous, you'll need someone proficient in medicine if you get hurt."
"He's got a point. A healer would definitely make things easier." Futaba said. "Welcome to the party, Alderheart."
"I mean…I'm honored, but this is all really sudden! W-won't I get in the way?"
"We'll make sure you're alright. You want to help save your father, right?" Ren asked.
"More than anything."
"Exactly. Your motivation is the greatest out of us all. You might be the strongest one of us when the time comes to save Bramblestar." Ren told him.
"O-Okay. I'll try my best. I'll go get some herbs before we help Nightheart."
"We'll be fine! You'll see." Futaba assured him. "C'mon, let's go get Foxpaw and start!" The four cats left the medicine cat's den and looked around camp for Foxpaw and Nightheart.
"Are you all looking for someone?" Bramblestar asked, causing them to turn around.
"We're looking for Foxpaw."
"I see. That reminds me, since Suguha's no longer with us, he'll need a new mentor. Can you fill that role for him, Molewhisker?"
"Yes, Bramblestar."
"Great." He let out a sigh. "I know you all must be mad at me for the choice I made, but it was necessary. I couldn't have them put everyone else in danger."
"We understand, Bramblestar." Ivypool told him.
"I'm glad. Actually, I'm surprised you didn't follow him, Ivypool. I was sure that you and the rest of your family would. I didn't think you'd put your Clan over your mate, unlike your sister." Ivypool's claws unsheathed and dug into the snow.
"Thank you…Bramblestar." The leader then turned to look at his son.
"What are you doing with them? Shouldn't you be helping Jayfeather?"
"I'm taking a break. I'll be back with him soon." He lied.
"Very well. Go deliver the news to Foxpaw." He meowed before he left. Ivypool let out a sigh and sheathed her claws.
"I was so tempted to attack him. He brought Dovewing into this for no reason!" She stated. "Hold on…how does whoever's controlling Bramblestar know about Dovewing leaving? It happened so long ago."
"Maybe he also has access to his memories?" Futaba suggested.
"If that were the case, wouldn't we have Molewhisker and Swiftfrost's memories?" Ren responded.
"Well…I don't know! Maybe his process of possessing him is different than ours!" She retorted.
"We can think about this all later. Shouldn't we get to helping Nightheart?" Ivypool meowed.
"Right. Where could she and Foxpaw be?"
"This way! I can smell them using my impeccable kitty nose." Futaba stated, leading the others.
"I caught there scent, too. Being a cat really is something." The brown-and-cream tom meowed. They reached the apprentice's den and looked inside to see the two resting. They both brought their heads up when the caught their scent and the sound of pawsteps.
"Oh, hello—." Before Nightheart could speak, Ivypool broke away from the group and stepped forward.
"Why did you both not tell me?" Ivypool asked.
"About what?" Foxpaw wondered.
"About the shadow around your sister!" She responded, the two looking at her in shock. "You told your father, didn't you?" The two didn't respond, but it was enough to confirm the she-cat's thoughts. "I knew it. He didn't tell me, either, even after we promised not to hide any secrets from each other..."
"W-We didn't want to worry you, mother."
"Do you think that's fair? I'm your mother! It's my job to worry about my kits if they're in trouble, regardless of any powers they have!" She retorted, but then let out a sigh. "I love you both, you know that. Being your mother is the greatest task I could have, even greater than being a warrior. So let me worry with you so you're not alone, okay?"
"Y-Yes, mother." Foxpaw meowed. "I'm sorry for keeping this a secret from you."
"We both are. I was even hesitant to tell father. Foxpaw told him the truth, not me." The violet-eyed she-cat told her. "The shadows around me are real. Both Ren and Foxpaw have seen them. I think it's because of the nightmares I've been having. Everything's dark, and I see cats surrounding me with killing intent. I just want it to stop."
"Oh, Nightheart." Ivypool pressed her muzzle on her daughter's head. "You won't have to worry about them, anymore. The five of us are going to help you now."
"Right. Everyone ready?" Ren asked the others. "We might need to get away from here so that no cats get sucked into the Metaverse with us." The tom looked over at Nightheart. "You'll be better soon, Nightheart, promise." The she-cat nodded and let out a small smile.
"Thank you." The five cats left the apprentice's den and made their way out of camp after speaking with Squirrelflight. When they were far enough, Ren swiped a paw down, opening the MetaNav. From the drop-down menu, he selected Nightheart's name.
"This might feel weird, but everything's gonna be alright, you three." He told the ThunderClan cats. He pressed the red 'Go' button on the bottom right corner of the display, but before anything happened, a screen popped up. "What the?"
"What's wrong?" Futaba asked, walking over to the tom's side. "Destination invalid? This is the first time we've seen this before."
"Is that a good thing?" Alderheart asked. "Could it mean that Nightheart's already okay now?"
"I doubt it. I'm sure her name wouldn't be selectable if that was the case." Ren responded. "We don't need any keywords, apparently. As long as I'm able to see the shadows inside of cats, their names are added to the list, I'm guessing…but why isn't it working?" The tom wondered. "Let me try accessing Bramblestar's palace." He tapped on the Clan leader's name, but when he pressed 'Go', the same error pop-up appeared. "What's going on?"
"I dunno, but if we're stuck now, how are we going to be able to save Bramblestar?"
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
"So…we're going to check if any of the Clans are in danger after Bramblestar's announcement at the Gathering?" Kirito asked.
"Right. His message is most likely causing some sort of unrest in the Clans." Lelouch told him. "We might need to find some sort of shelter, first."
"Could we just ask some of the other Clans to let us stay with them?" Asuna asked. "I'm sure they'd be more than happy to take some of us in."
"Even with this weather? It'd mean they have more mouths to feed." Suguha said.
"Suguha's right. We can split up and stay in different Clans. It'd mean we could help more than one Clan as well." Makoto suggested.
"But we can't really do anything without you, Makoto. You're the only one with the MetaNav thing." Kirito told her.
"Right, but our main goal is to help the Clans affected by the talk of code-breakers. If we suspect a cat may need help via use of the MetaNav, we'll meet up." Lelouch stated. "Our best bet is to split up and stay with ShadowClan and SkyClan. Makoto and I will try to stay with SkyClan, and the three of you will stay with ShadowClan. I'm sure Asuna's friendship with Tigerstar will guarantee your stay."
"Okay…but how will we keep in touch with each other?" Asuna wondered.
"Does your MetaNav thing have chatting capabilities like we do?" Kirito asked. "Wait a sec…our chat menus! We can still talk with cats from ThunderClan, too!" Kirito swiped a paw down and with a few presses of his paw on the menu interface, he was at the chat menu. "I have Swiftfrost on here, so I can speak with Futaba."
"I completely forgot about that. I thought we'd only use it when it came to leaving this world and talking with them, but now it'll definitely be useful." Asuna meowed. "Does your MetaNav app have anything like that, Makoto?"
"I should. The screen is based on a smartphone, after all." The brown she-cat swiped a paw down to bring up the MetaNav screen. She pressed the arrow on the bottom left of the screen, bringing up a chat menu. "Thank goodness, I have one. Ren and Futaba are contacts, so I'll be able to speak with them as well if I need to. I think I can just enter your names and register you three." Makoto entered the three cats' names into her messaging app, the three accepting her request when it appeared.
"This just made our lives much easier." Lelouch told them. "We'll tell the truth about why Bramblestar kicked us out of ThunderClan, but that's it. We can't tell any cats about him being possessed still. Who knows what he'll do if a Clan lays down such an accusation."
"Yeah. We've only been in fights with the rogues. I'm not looking forward to fights with other Clans if it ends up happening because of whoever's controlling Bramblestar." Kirito meowed.
"We'll need to rely on the cats in ThunderClan to make sure that doesn't happen." Makoto replied. I just hope Ren, Futaba, and the others are able to defeat whoever's possessing Bramblestar. The last thing we need is any unnecessary bloodshed.
The five cats arrived near the entrance to SkyClan, Lelouch and Makoto separating from the other three. The cold air blew through their fur as snow slowly fell down from above.
"I guess we'll see you both next time…whenever that's going to be." Kirito meowed. "Make sure to keep in touch."
"You three as well. If anything odd is happening, let me know." Makoto replied before she looked over at Lelouch. "Lead the way."
Lelouch and Makoto entered SkyClan, every cat stopping when they saw them. Leafstar approached them both, Hawkwing behind her.
"Lelouch, has Bramblestar sent you to tell us something?" The leader asked.
"I'm afraid not. Because of the talk of code-breakers, he has exiled any cats not from this world from ThunderClan."
"He did?" Leafstar looked at him in surprise.
"Even though you have family there?" Hawkwing asked. His yellow eyes looked over at Makoto. "A cat with red eyes? Is she not from this world, either?"
"Correct. My name is Makoto. I was sent here to help with the code-breakers, but as Lelouch told you, Bramblestar denied my stay." She stated.
"I see. Is it maybe because he believes that you both are code-breakers?" The SkyClan leader questioned.
"As Makoto said, she was brought here to assist the Clans. His reason was that he didn't want the other Clans to believe that ThunderClan had the ability to triumph over the others with ease."
"I see. Can I assume that you're here to ask if we'd take you in?" The brown and cream tabby she-cat asked.
"Yes. At least until the issue with the shadows and code-breakers dissipates." The violet-eyed tom replied. "We'll understand if you decline." The leader shook her head.
"You've been helping the Clans even before SkyClan has arrived at the lake, Lelouch. I trust that you wouldn't cause any sort of trouble for ThunderClan, which is why I'm a bit confused at Bramblestar's sudden action. As for you, Makoto, I know nothing about you, but if you were brought to this world, then you must be a trustworthy cat. This leaf-bare has been harsh, so in letting you stay, I hope that the least I can ask of you both is to hunt for our Clan."
"Yes, Leafstar. Thank you." Lelouch and Makoto both bowed their heads in thanks.
"Hawkwing, can you bring them to the warriors' den?" The deputy nodded and motioned for the two to follow him with a flick of his tail.
"I'm sorry to hear about what happened to you both. I'd never expect Bramblestar to leave cats out alone in this cold."
"I was as shocked as you were. We're thankful that Leafstar has let us stay here for the time being." Lelouch meowed.
"What about Kirito, Asuna, and Suguha? They were exiled from ThunderClan as well, then, right?"
"We asked them to stay with ShadowClan for the time being. We didn't want to put too much pressure on Leafstar and SkyClan in terms of accommodations."
"Do you think Tigerstar will mind?"
"He and Asuna are great friends. I'm sure he wouldn't mind giving them a place to stay, at least." The three entered the warriors' den, Lelouch and Makoto greeting the others cats in there. They had expected some sort of hostility, especially with the weather, but they seemed to give them a warm welcome.
"I'm sure Violetshine would love to see you, Lelouch." The deputy said with a chuckle. "She's out on a hunting patrol right now."
"Makoto and I will be here if she's going to be looking for us. If you need us to help, don't hesitate to ask, Hawkwing."
"I'll keep that in mind." The dark gray tom meowed before he left the den.
"Makoto, there's a nest for you over here." A dark gray she-cat told her. She walked over to where she was and rested down on it.
"It's comfortable. Thank you…"
"Plumwillow."
"Plumwillow. I'll try my best to remember that." The brown she-cat meowed. "Is there as much cats here as there are in ThunderClan?"
"Yeah. The same goes for the other Clans as well." A light brown tom meowed. "My name is Sandynose. I'm Plumwillow's mate." The tom greeted. "How's Finleap doing in ThunderClan?" He asked.
"We didn't have time to introduce her to any cats there." Lelouch answered, walking over to sit beside Makoto. "He's doing well, though. No sort of trouble or anything."
"That's a relief." Plumwillow meowed.
"Is he related to you both?" Makoto asked.
"He's our son." The light brown tom meowed.
"Oh. Why is he not here in SkyClan then? Did something happen?"
"He decided to follow Twigbranch to ThunderClan. She's one of Hawkwing's daughters. Violetshine is his other daughter." The dark gray she-cat meowed. "I'm sure he's more than fond of her."
"Aw, that's cute." The brown she-cat meowed.
"To you it might be, but leaving your Clan for another isn't something that's normally done here." Sandynose told her. "When you're born to a Clan, that's the one you stay with until you've died."
"So…does that mean Bramblestar's talk about code-breakers is real?" Makoto wondered.
"We think it's a possibility." Plumwillow stated. "Ever since he brought it up, we've been worried about him."
"I've been so used to them being in ThunderClan that it feels like he and Twigbranch have been ThunderClan-born their entire lives. I didn't think that this could mean he and Twigbranch could be in danger." Lelouch meowed. Hopefully that isn't the case. If Bramblestar's looking for code-breakers, they'd be the first cats he could reach with little to no effort.
"Can we believe that Bramblestar would actually do something to his own Clanmates? He might just be expecting other Clans to follow with what he was saying." Sandynose stated.
"Then why'd he exile cats from other worlds?" A ginger-and-white she-cat asked. "Especially Lelouch, who has a family in ThunderClan."
"Exactly! Thank you, Blossomheart." Plumwillow meowed. "We have to do something to make sure Finleap doesn't get hurt."
"Lelouch and I will try our best to help. Even though he isn't in your Clan anymore, he's still your son. I can't imagine how much you both worry about him." Makoto told them.
"How can you do that? You're not exactly in ThunderClan anymore." A dark brown tabby stated.
"Sparrowpelt's right. If Bramblestar exiled you both, what can you do?" Sandynose asked.
"It's…a bit complicated to explain, but we still have the ability to help, even while we're here in SkyClan." The brown she-cat assured them.
A few seconds later, Violetshine entered the warriors' den, the she-cat returning from her hunting patrol. Lelouch walked over to her and let out a smile.
"It's nice to see you, Violetshine." The tom greeted her.
"I'm glad to see you too, Lelouch. My father told me what happened to you and the others." She stated. Her yellow eyes looked over at Makoto. "She must be the other one he told me about." The brown she-cat got up and walked over so that she was standing beside Lelouch.
"Hello. My name is Makoto. It's nice to meet you, Violetshine."
"Thanks. It's always great meeting more cats from other worlds. Can I assume you've been brought here to deal with the code-breakers?" The red-eyed she-cat nodded. "That's a relief…but it also could mean that we may be in more trouble than we originally thought." She meowed. "Are you both busy? I'd like you to meet my kits." The two followed the black-and-white she-cat towards the apprentice's den. When they peeked inside, they saw them in their nest like the other apprentices.
"Needlepaw and Rootpaw, right?" Lelouch asked. Needlepaw ran up to them, Rootpaw following behind.
"Wow, you know about us?" The black-and-white she-cat asked.
"Yeah. Rootpaw I've seen at Gatherings, but I haven't met you, Needlepaw. Hawkwing told me about you when I stood in for Squirrelflight."
"That's great! Oh, and who is she?" The apprentice asked. "Whoa, her eyes are red! I've never seen that before!"
"I'm Makoto. You and your brother are really cute." She told them, causing Rootpaw to become flustered, while his sister let out a smile.
"So, what are you both doing here?"
"Bramblestar exiled us from camp." Lelouch meowed, the two of them, along with the other apprentices overhearing their conversation looking at them in shock. "We'll be here until the problem with the code-breakers is resolved." Rootpaw brushed his fur against his mother's leg to get her attention.
"Can I go out and talk with them? Please?" He asked.
"What? I want to come, too!" Needlepaw exclaimed.
"Okay, you both—." Rootpaw shook his head.
"I was wondering if I could speak to them alone." The yellow tom clarified.
"Do you mind, Needlepaw?" Violetshine asked her daughter.
"Okay...but don't keep the cats from other worlds to yourself!" Without another word, Rootpaw walked out of the apprentice's den, Violetshine curious as she watched him. Every time I've seen him he hasn't been this serious before. Lelouch thought.
"We should get going." Lelouch and Makoto followed behind Rootpaw and saw that he was leading them outside of camp.
"Where are you three going?" Hawkwing caught up to them. "Rootpaw, shouldn't you be with your mentor?"
"He wanted to talk to us about something. We won't be far, and if we get in any trouble, we'll protect him." Lelouch assured the deputy.
"Very well. Be safe out there." The three left camp and walked for a few minutes until Rootpaw stopped. He turned around and faced the two.
"Is something wrong, Rootpaw?" Makoto asked.
"I-It's about Bramblestar." He began. "T-The cat who kicked you out of ThunderClan…I don't think it's Bramblestar." Lelouch and Makoto looked at each other in surprise.
"How do you know about that?" Lelouch quickly asked.
"Y-You both know already?" The apprentice said in shock. "How?"
"Foxpaw has a power that lets him see the darkness inside of cats. We believe that he's being possessed." Makoto answered. "Like Lelouch asked, I'm curious as to how you know about what's going on with Bramblestar. You're not part of ThunderClan."
"R-Right. I know that this is going to sound strange…but one day while I was walking out here, I saw a figure of a dark brown tabby. When it turned around, I noticed that it was Bramblestar. I didn't catch a ThunderClan scent or anything." He explained. "He began to approach me…but I was too scared and ran away…but I do remember hearing him clearly asking for help."
"This is…actually an amazing first step to us helping the Clans and saving Bramblestar." Makoto meowed.
"Yeah." Lelouch's violet gaze focused on the apprentice. "Rootpaw, is this some sort of power you have? Doesn't Tree have the power to see dead cats?"
"Y-yeah, but I didn't think I had something similar!" He exclaimed. "Still…if Bramblestar exiled you both and he's being possessed like you said…then how'd I see him?"
"He's being possessed, so he's spirit isn't inhabiting his body right now." Lelouch replied. "My guess is that what you saw was Bramblestar's spirit, but he failed to return to his body."
"Hold on, now I'm confused as well." Makoto meowed. "You said that his spirit failed to return to his body?"
"Right. Clan leaders in this world are actually granted nine lives. Bramblestar had lost one, but during the process of being brought back by StarClan, his body was most likely possessed."
"This is really something else. Being in a world of talking cats is one thing, but this all seems so supernatural as well...which I don't know how to feel about." The brown she-cat stated. "My apologizes for getting off-topic. Rootpaw, you said that you were able to see Bramblestar's spirit. Can you bring us to where you saw him?"
"That won't be necessary." Makoto jumped when she heard the voice. She and the other two turned around and saw the faded figure of a dark brown tabby tom.
"A ghost!" Makoto hid behind Lelouch and pressed close to him, the tom letting out a small chuckle.
"I didn't take you as the fearful type, Makoto." The violet-eyed tom meowed. "You have nothing to worry about. This is Bramblestar…the real one, I'm sure of it."
"O-Oh." She let out a breath and moved so she was now next to the tom. "He does look like the one I saw in camp…but I can tell he's much kinder than that one."
"That's nice of you to say. I'm sorry that you were brought here to help with all of this." The ThunderClan leader apologized.
"It's okay. My friends and I are glad to be able to help." She replied.
"This is Makoto. She and her friends Ren and Futaba were brought here to help deal with whoever's in control of your body, Bramblestar." Lelouch explained. "Spottedleaf brought them both here in Swiftfrost and Molewhisker's bodies, so they're still in ThunderClan. He had all cats from other worlds exiled."
"And now the whole Clan thinks I ordered such a thing…" The leader's ears fell flat. "However, what she did with Makoto's friends was smart. Whoever's in my body has bad intentions, I'm sure of it." The leader meowed.
"Wait...so even you don't know who's possessing you, Bramblestar?" Makoto asked.
Bramblestar shook his head. "Unfortunately. I can only hope that they're stopped before anything drastic happens."
"S-So…do you know why I'm able to see you?" Rootpaw asked.
"I can only guess that it's due to your father." He meowed. "That's also how these two are able to see me."
"Right. Tree's power also lets those around him converse with dead cats as well." Lelouch remembered. "That means you're using the power right now, Rootpaw."
"I-I am?! I didn't do anything special at all!"
"Well, maybe you just don't know how to activate it. You did just realize you had a power." Makoto told him.
"This is…really something."
"Rootpaw." The tom looked over at Bramblestar. "You must help these two. The cat controlling my body must be stopped. The Clans may be in grave danger because of this." The three watched as Bramblestar's figure began to fade. "You three have the power to save the Clans." The ThunderClan leader's spirit disappeared from their view.
"I…have the power to…save the Clans?"
"Yes. Both you and Foxpaw have been given powers that can save the Clans. Makoto and I are here to support you for as long as we're in SkyClan, Rootpaw." The yellow tom gulped. He had always thought that he was just an ordinary, clumsy apprentice, but now that all seemed to change.
"This must all seem sudden to you, huh?" The brown she-cat said, the apprentice replying with a nod.
"I never asked for any of this to happen…but if the Clans are in danger and I'm able to help…I can't turn away from it. I have to help."
"Right. You're the only one able to allow us to speak with Bramblestar, but I'm sure there's more to you than that, Rootpaw." The black tom meowed. "Don't tell any cat about this, Rootpaw. We can't let this spread around SkyClan or any of the other Clans for that matter. Understand?"
"Y-Yes, Lelouch." I'm going to help save the Clans? I never expected this to happen to me at all! Still…I have to at least try. If I'm the only one able to let Bramblestar speak to us, then I have to accept this role…even though I might not be ready to do so.
