Master Windu was not, in fact, unbearably smug about Anakin being turned into a kitten. In fact, he seemed to be wholly disbelieving of Obi-Wan's report.
"If this is a joke, Master Kenobi, then it is not a very funny one. Knight Skywalker being unfit for duty is no laughing matter," he said.
Most of the Council members were too busy with the Clone War to meet with Obi-Wan, so it was a more informal meeting that had been called, consisting of Obi-Wan and three other Council members: Master Windu, Master Yoda, and Master Ti. Once Obi-Wan's information had been presented, it would be discussed in a meeting with the full Jedi Council, with the other three serving to verify Obi-Wan's statement.
Obi-Wan sighed, his shoulder moving up and down and nearly disturbing Anakin from his perch. "Masters, I only wish I was joking. Anakin has been turned into a kitten; Padawan Tano confirmed it using their training bond. I myself have felt him use the Force."
"Perhaps a demonstration is in order," Master Ti suggested. "That will at least prove that the kitten in question is able to use the Force, and a Mind Healer familiar with Knight Skywalker would be able to confirm whether or not the kitten is the Knight in question."
Anakin really did not like being referred to as 'the kitten' - it harkened back to Watto always calling him 'the boy'. He had a name; turning into a kitten didn't change that.
Obi-Wan seemed to have picked up on his feelings, if not the reason behind them, because he looked down at Anakin and raised an eyebrow. Unable to resist a bit of his new feline instincts, Anakin butted his cheek against Obi-Wan's and then leapt down onto the floor in one jump and sauntered over to the center of the chamber.
What to do with the Force, though? Most things he routinely did were used in combat, what with the war on, or for personal reflection. Summoning another person's lightsaber was considered a little rude, so it would probably be for the best if he avoided doing that. Or maybe not. A lot of the Council members thought he had absolutely no manners whatsoever, so doing something rude would be playing right into their notions of who Anakin Skywalker, Chosen One, was.
Obi-Wan's lightsaber was the one he was most familiar with, so Anakin reached out to the way the Force curled around the kyber crystal and coaxed it into flying towards him. He ducked at the last moment, remembering his last attempt at summoning a lightsaber in kitten form, and managed to avoid any injuries.
The Council chamber was dead silent for a moment as they all stared at him, most probably just realizing that Obi-Wan's claims were no joke.
Master Yoda was the first to break the silence, chortling to himself. "With the Force, truly impossible, nothing is. Expect this, none of us did, but believe it to be true, I do. Call for the Mind Healer now, we must."
While they waited for the Mind Healer to arrive, Anakin curled up where he sat and stared at the various members of the Council, laughing internally at their expressions. If Master Windu had been the reactive type, his jaw would have been hanging open wide enough to snare a bantha. As it was, the wide-eyed expression he was currently sporting had the same effect. It was an image Anakin would savor for the rest of his life. Master Ti was used to dealing with young clone antics, so she didn't show any shock, at least, not to anyone without any experience with togruta. His experience with Ahsoka let him catch a few hints that she too was shocked that he could use the Force.
The Council called for Nikado Frenn, the Mind Healer that Anakin had met with when he first came to the Temple. It was the only time Anakin had ever met with one, as they were usually in high demand. Master Frenn was a Draethos, a tall species with large overbites, blue, black, or purple skin, and pronounced telepathic abilities. It was the last part that made them excellent at Mind Healing, as they could communicate with anyone in a five hundred meter range without the developed Force bond that most Jedi needed.
"Thank you for joining us, Master Frenn. We appreciate that you took the time to meet with us, but it is imperative that you keep the contents of this meeting a secret," Master Windu said.
"I am at the command of the Council," Master Frenn said, bowing at the waist. "What would you have me do?"
"Communicate with the kitten, we would have you," Master Yoda said, gesturing to Anakin.
Master Frenn looked at Anakin, then at Master Yoda. The deadened look in his eyes was enough to convey the sheer exasperation the Draethos was feeling at the request. However, it was equally as obvious that Master Frenn felt he had no place contradicting the Council. "I cannot speak with animals telepathically. Perhaps it would be better to request the aid of someone more proficient in the Living Force," he suggested.
"If you are unable to do so, then we will go with your suggestion," Obi-Wan said. "However, we must ask you to at least try."
Master Frenn sighed and turned to Anakin. "Very well."
The Force rippled between them, a pattern Anakin had felt once before, as Master Frenn reached out and linked their minds.
Hello, Master Frenn, Anakin said. It's Anakin Skywalker.
All of Master Frenn's composure left, his eyes wide as he gaped at Anakin.
Anakin? How can this be? he asked.
Mission gone wrong, was all Anakin said. He didn't know how much the Council planned on telling Master Frenn, so it was better to err on the side of caution for once.
"Well, Master Frenn? Were you able to communicate with the kitten?" Master Ti asked.
Master Frenn visibly shook himself as he disengaged the connection. "Was anyone planning on telling me that the kitten in question was Knight Skywalker?"
"Sure of that, we were not, until now," Master Yoda said. "A secret from the rest of the Order until further discussion, this is."
Master Frenn nodded. "I understand."
"Your service was much appreciated, Master Frenn," Obi-Wan said.
Clearly understanding the dismissal, Master Frenn bowed to the Council and turned to leave. Just before he left, though, he reached out again to Anakin and said Feel free to come speak with me if you feel the need during this trying time, Knight Skywalker.
Thank you, Anakin said.
Once the door slid shut behind Master Frenn, Anakin returned to Obi-Wan and climbed up to sit on his shoulder again. His claws must have caught on the cloth earlier as there was a loose thread that was just begging to be pulled.
"Now that we have established that Anakin has been turned into a kitten, I believe the best course of action would be to have him declared medically unfit for duty," Obi-Wan said.
Master Windu nodded. "Yes, and he will need to be confined to the Temple." He said something else, but the thread was too tempting.
Now that they didn't seem to need anything from him, Anakin had to fight to keep himself from clawing the thread out and chewing on it. It would probably unspool so nicely when he did, too, and he could pounce on it once it started dangling.
No. No, he was going to resist. Jedi could resist temptations; they didn't give in to their baser instincts, no matter how tantalizing loose threads were.
The meeting wrapped up while Anakin devoted most of his focus to resisting the alluring thread on Obi-Wan's shoulder. From what little he caught of it, the Council members had decided that Obi-Wan was going to research the temple on Asinonyk in order to see if there was an easy way to reverse Anakin's transformation, and no one who wasn't already aware of it was going to be informed besides the other Council members.
Unfortunately, after a few days of research, Obi-Wan was unable to find anything that had to do with Anakin's condition in the Archives. Anakin's efforts to get Obi-Wan to relax, which included both typical cat activities such as lying across his terminal keyboard, pushing things off the table, and meowing loudly when Obi-Wan needed to eat, as well as Force-assisted efforts, were not particularly effective. He took a few more breaks than was usual, but the scent of exhaustion still clung to him. Anakin suspected that it would take the end of the war for it to completely vanish.
Obi-Wan had decided to check other Jedi Temples, such as the one on Corellia, to see if they had any answers rather than going straight to the ancient Temple. Anakin suspected Obi-Wan was worried about being turned into a kitten if he visited the Temple on Asinonyk. Normally Anakin would encourage Obi-Wan to go for it - being a kitten was fun, except when he was ambushed by younglings - but it would be detrimental to the war for both of them to go missing.
The larger Council had decided that they were going to keep Anakin's kitten form a secret, just in case the Separatists caught word of it and tried to use it against him or something. Anakin wasn't sure how exactly the Separatists might take advantage of his transformation, but they could be very devious when motivated. Better to keep everything secret and safe.
While Obi-Wan was busy, Anakin was sticking close to Ahsoka. Even if she had subjected him to the not-so-tender mercies of the younglings, she was still the only other Jedi not on the Council who knew what had happened to him. Because he was on medical leave and so not able to contribute to the war effort, they spent a lot of time outside, meditating, napping, or just playing in the Room of a Thousand Fountains.
Ahsoka was sometimes joined by Barriss Offee, a newly Knighted Healer, in her meditation. Anakin didn't know her very well, but she and Ahsoka seemed to have an easy camaraderie. Anakin mostly stayed by Ahsoka when she meditated with them, not wanting to disturb the other young Knight.
Three days into their enforced vacation, however, Ahsoka was called away for Senior Padawan duties.
"It's alright, Skyguy," Ahsoka said, a bright grin on her face. "You can just stay with Barriss until I get back."
Anakin glared at her, trying to convey that he was perfectly capable of looking after himself and did not need to be babysat by another Knight. Ahsoka seemed to get the general gist of it, if not the exact nuances, because she rolled her eyes and scooped him up off of the cushion in their quarters where he had been napping.
Anakin meowed, annoyed at being moved. Did they really have to go right now? He had been hoping to get another vision of the feline from Asinonyk.
Ahsoka sighed. "I might be gone for the rest of the day, Master. Somebody needs to make sure that you get food while I'm gone."
Anakin sulked the rest of the way to Barriss' quarters.
"Ahsoka," Barriss greeted as she opened the door to her quarters, a blink the only sign that she was surprised to see them. "How are you?"
"As busy as everyone else. You know how it is. Can you watch him?" Ahsoka asked, holding Anakin out from her with both hands. "I'm going to be gone for at least the rest of the day, and I need someone to make sure he eats."
"Of course," Barriss said, gingerly taking him from Ahsoka and glancing down at him warily. She had probably never held a kitten before. "Is your Master okay with this though? He just lets you have a kitten?"
"Oh, yeah, he's absolutely fine with it. His idea, in fact. Thank you so much, bye!" Ahsoka called, already walking away.
Barriss stared down at Anakin in bemusement. Anakin stared back at her sullenly.
"I need you to know that I know nothing about taking care of cats," she warned.
Anakin shrugged. If she did something he didn't like, he would just hiss at her.
"He probably can't understand me anyways," Barriss muttered as she set him down on her bed then moved to her meditation mat.
Anakin dozed while she meditated, or at least he attempted to. The vision from Asinonyk was still plaguing his thoughts. He couldn't help but wonder if maybe it was the key to becoming human again. He was also distracted by the fact that Barriss wasn't having a very peaceful meditation session, constantly shifting and sighing. He couldn't help but startle out of his thoughts every time she did so.
He had started paying more attention to scents after noticing how often Obi-Wan smelled like exhaustion, so it was fairly easy for him to discern the stench of fear, sadness, and most of all anger that began to surround Barriss the longer she meditated. Deciding that it would probably be bad for her if she was left to stew in those negative emotions, Anakin pushed himself off of the bed, climbed into her lap, and began to meow loudly at her in order to catch her attention.
Barriss froze, her entire frame tensing up. When he didn't do anything but stare up at her, she tentatively reached out to run a hand along his spine.
Anakin forced himself to start purring loudly and projected positive, soothing emotions at her through the Force. Barriss picked him up and cuddled him to her chest before suddenly breaking into giant, heaving sobs.
"I wish I never had these awful visions. There's just so much Darkness in the future," she sobbed. "I can see it every time I meditate, and it's all tied up in the war. I've started to feel the Darkness whenever I reach for the Force now, and I just don't know what to do."
Kriff. Oh, kriff. Anakin did not know what to do here. It was hard enough for him when it was Padmé crying; he didn't really have any idea what to do with someone he didn't know well enough. Not to mention her mentions of the Dark side of the Force was setting off all sorts of alarms in his head.
Well, Padmé appreciated being held and comforted, so maybe he could do that. Although he was a little too small to be hugging Barriss, Anakin could still manage the comforting bit. His new form was practically built for it.
Anakin nudged his head against hers, projecting as much calm and acceptance into the Force as he could.
Tears continued to stream down her face, quieter now, as she leaned back into the wall. "Sorry, sorry, it's stupid for me to be crying about this. I should know better than to dwell on it; I need to just release my emotions to the Force. Still, I can sense it inside of every Jedi, even," Her breathing hitched. "Even me. Sometimes there's so much of it that I feel like I'm choking on it. We should never have gotten involved in this war. I know that it is our responsibility as keepers of the peace of the galaxy, but there's something so infected with Darkness at the center of it that it's spreading to everything else. I think I want to leave the Order, but I don't really know if that would be the right thing to do. I just wish I could stop feeling it all the time because I don't believe that there's any way to fix it," she confessed in a whisper.
Anakin suddenly wished that he could speak, that he was human again, so that he could reassure her that it wasn't just her that had doubts about the Order. His were more along the line that sometimes he felt like he wasn't worthy of being a Jedi, that he was too emotional, that others were just waiting for him to Fall rather than constantly feeling that everything around him was falling to the Dark side, but he still could relate.
But he couldn't easily communicate with anyone other than Master Frenn and the droids, and it would be a breach of the trust she gave him to do so. Therefore, Anakin settled on offering as much comfort as he could in his current form and resolved to speak with her as soon as he was human again. Even if all he could offer was the acknowledgement that she wasn't alone, then he would do the best he could.
Eventually, Barriss' sobs petered out, and she relaxed into the deep sleep of the exhausted. Her expression was more relaxed, though, as if the confession had drained something in her, like sucking the poison from a wound. Anakin only stayed awake a few hours longer to make sure she didn't have any nightmares before he too fell asleep, sure that Ahsoka would wake them up when she came back to get him.