Fluttershy's gaze flew open to meet green and brown colors, all blurred together. Blinking once or twice to clear her eyes, she let out a grunt before heaving herself to a sitting position, head dilating from right to left as she tried to soak in her surroundings. She was sitting in a crispy patch of grass in the middle of what seemed to be a woodland, thick undergrowth surrounding her from each direction.
"She woke up!" Came a yowl behind her, and she craned her neck to see a young dusky brown she-cat, her dark gaze flickering from her to a tabby tom whose intense amber eyes was fixed on her.
"So it seems," the tom replied, an edge to his tone, as he sized her up and down through narrowed eyes.
Eyes narrowing In a bemused frown, Fluttershy wrenched her gaze from the cats and to her figure, only to see that she was staring at bright yellow-furred paws. With her puzzlement increasing by each passing heartbeat, she snapped her head to her back to see that she had a sleek pelt covering her skin, ending with a bushed-out tail twitching to and fro nervously.
"Hey, you! So, what were you…"
Not believing what she was seeing, she moved her attention to the speaking cats, then herself, let out an ear-splitting squeak, and allowed herself to drop to the ground and lose consciousness.
Fluttershy woke up with a start; staying still until her eyes adjusted to the light once again, she stiffly pushed herself to a sitting position with a wince, gaze flickering around her surroundings once again; she was settled in a nest made of moss that was placed in cave. It's mouth had pale morning light slanting inside, gently touching Fluttershy's yellow fur. Twitching her ears, she turned to see a pale silver cat stirring in a nest next to hers as well; stretching his forepaws and digging his claws into the moss, he fixed his amber gaze on her, the sleepiness eddying away from it as he noticed she was up.
"Ah, you're awake," he mewed mildly, rising to his paws and shaking sprigs of moss off his pelt. Giving it a swift lick to smoothen tufts of fur that stuck out as he moved, he padded out of his nest and made his way over to a cleft in one of the cave's walls. He stuck his head inside before, after a few hearts, reappearing with a ball of damp moss. "Thirsty?" He managed to ask around it, head tipping to the side quizzically.
Fluttershy didn't answer, only stared at him in wide-eyed silence, feeling her fur rising along her spine.
Spitting the moss ball out, the tom asked, "Twoleg got your tongue?"
After a few more moments of stunned silence, Fluttershy managed to stutter, "y-you're a cat!" She flashed a glance at her paws. "I-I'm a cat too!"
Puzzlement crept into the tom's expression, though he kept his voice light. "I do believe that I already know that," he replied, an edge to his tone. "Any more uninteresting discoveries?" When Fluttershy didn't answer, he said, "good. Drink this first, and I'll fetch you something to eat."
With a push of his front paw, the moss ball rolled to her side, stopping when her nest hit it. With that, he flicked his tail and padded out of the den, leaving her alone in the cave, staring at the ball with uncertainty and confusion.
Finally deciding that it was best for her to obey, she bent over, rolled her tongue out, and let it sink into the ball. With that, she began lapping slowly, feeling icy water trickle into her mouth and down her spine, and increased her pace once realizing how thirsty she was. Straightening back up, she twitched her whiskers to dislodge water drops from them to see the tom padding back in, a mouse clamped firmly in between his jaws.
Making his way over to her, he dropped it at his paws, flashed the moss ball a glance, and mewed, "eat." When he saw her ducking her head, he repeated, "eat. Your bones are sticking out of your pelt like branches. If you won't eat, you'll most likely die from starvation."
Feeling her pelt warming up under the tom's gaze, she slowly averted her gaze to the mouse. Me? Eat a mouse? I can't! she thought, tipping her head back. She knew that, since she was a cat now, that would be usual for her, but she couldn't bring herself to eating this poor animal!
Glancing up at the tom, she was him gazing expectantly down at her, awaiting her to take her first bite. "U-um… is it okay if I pass? I… feel fine," she muttered, though she was well aware of it being a lie. Her belly was growling with hunger, demanding to be full, but she'd rather die than eat the little scrap… it wasn't right for her, especially when she sheltered animals whom she made sure don't end up eating each other!
"You don't have an option," he responded sternly, gaze sharpening. "I don't want my patient dying from hunger when I can do something about it."
Furrowing her eyebrows, she directed her attention back to the motionless body of the mouse. Part of her wanted to devour it in a few bites, yet the other felt genuinely guilty. Sensing that she didn't have much of a choice, though, she gaped her jaws open, sank her fang into it's pelt, and tore out a mouthful of flesh, slowly beginning to chew it before gulping it down. To her surprise, it was immensely delicious. More aware of her need for food, she repeated the process over and over again until her meal was no more than bones.
Glancing up at the tom, she saw him eyeing her, approval glinting in his eyes. "Good job," he replied; Fluttershy thought she can hear amusement in his tone as he went on, "you made eating look like the hardest thing ever. Now that it's over with," he continued, wrapping his tail over his paws, "let me introduce myself. I am Featherwhisker, the medicine cat of ThunderClan. Who may you be?"
"Er… Fluttershy," she replied, voice barely audible, and ducked her head once again. She was fairly uneasy still, especially when she had no idea of how she became a cat, where she was, and how it happened. She just wanted to get out of this place, find her friends, and go back home, though a voice at the edge of her mind told her she was intrigued in all of this, especially when she spent unnatural amounts of time daydreaming about how wonderful it would be as a pet for once, which was what kept her glued to her spot. Well… apart from fearing that if she tried to flee, she will end up in pieces.
"Fluttershy," the tom acknowledged with a nod of his head. He opened his mouth once again, about to say something, but was shortly interrupted by a rustling sound at the entrance.
Both cats averted their gaze to the mouth of the cave; Fluttershy watched as a pretty young tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat made her way in, jaws enclosed around a mouthful of herbs that forced their crispy scent into her snout, though she didn't mind it. Turning to eye them, she dropped it at her paws and mewed, "our newcomer is awake, I see."
"Yes," Featherwhisker responded. "Fluttershy; this is Spottedleaf, my apprentice," he went on with a flick of his tail, "Spottedleaf, her name is Fluttershy."
"Nice to meet you, Fluttershy," she replied lightheartedly, her reassuring soft gaze meeting hers for a moment, before she broke the eye contact to address her mentor. "Featherwhisker, Bluestar told me to let her meet Fluttershy as soon as she can." Taking a paw step towards him, she seemed to murmur rapid words into his ear, before they both snapped their heads to face her once again.
Uncomfortable, Fluttershy shifted In her spot, studying her paws, before lifting her nervous gaze to meet theirs as Featherwhisker broke the silence.
"Do you think you're well enough to walk, Fluttershy?" He promoted, rising to his paws.
"Um, I th-think so," she mewed. She still had four legs and she was well fed now; she could probably manage.
"Well, you can go and meet Bluestar now."
"Um… Bluestar?" She echoed questioningly, head tipping to the side.
"Our leader," he answered. "There's nothing to fear from her," he added, as if sensing her increasing anxiety. "she's nice and considerate. After sheltering you here and allowing us to heal you, I am sure she's no threat. And she might answer your questions about this place," he added with a blink of his eyes.
"… o-okay," she murmured eventually, rising to her paws. Even though trying to process her case was overwhelming, she would gladly welcome someone who bears answers for her. Taking one or two ginger paw steps out of her nest, she directed her attention back to Featherwhisker and Spottedleaf, awaiting instructions.
"Right. Spottedleaf, guide her to Bluestar's den. I'll take care of the herbs," Featherwhisker ordered his apprentice before turning tail, plucking up the herbs, and padding to the cleft.
Giving him a quick nod of acknowledgement, Spottedleaf flitted her gaze back to Fluttershy. "Come on, Fluttershy," she mewed in a light voice, motioning for her to follow as she made her way out of her den, "Bluestar's awaiting you."
Swallowing nervously, Fluttershy slowly followed her out of the cave, feeling tangled thistles brush her pelt as she made her way out into the open.
Just beyond the thickest was a clearing; the grass beneath her paws were flattened by many paw steps that trekked on it before, and a chilly breeze blew against her, buffeting her fur to her sides and making her whimper. Prickly branches flanked the cave was that was the medicine's cat's den alongside many others. At the other side of the clearing, a large rock loomed over, its front side split into two. Cats sat at each edge, chattering with each other, and paused to eye her as she followed Spottedleaf to the high rock.
Conscious of eyes scorching her pelt with each paw step, she ducked her head and wrapped her tail around her paws, suppressing another whimper of fear all the way. If she wanted to find answers and get out of this strange world by herself, she had to act uncharacstically courageous. Besides, they're cats, right… ? she thought as she paused to let Spottedleaf whisk past her into the split that seemed to form the mouth of the rock. I deal with them all the time. … but it's not right when they— she let her thoughts break off at the sound of more approaching paw steps; wrenching her gaze from her paws, she saw a tortoiseshell with a distinctive ginger tail block the way, his amber eyes sizing her up and down.
"Hello, Redtail," Spottedleaf began, dipping her head in a respectful greeting. "This is Fluttershy, the newcomer Bluestar wanted to see herself."
"Figured," Redtail rumbled, eyes narrowing, and after a moment's silence, sidestepped to let them pass.
Casting a fearful glance at the muscular cat, Fluttershy hurried after Spottedleaf into the leader's den, happy to be out of his sight alongside the other cats'.
The split had formed a neat cave that curved its roof up her head, dimly lit with the pale sunlight. At the other shadowy end of it was a mossy nest, a silhouette of a cat seated in it. Twitching it's ears, it heaved itself to its paws and padded out of the nest and into the sunlit heart of the den to reveal a blue-grey she-cat, her icy-blue eyes twinkling as she eyed them. "Thank you for fetching her, Spottedleaf," the she-cat said with a flick of her tail. "You may resume helping Featherwhisker now."
With a respectful nod of her head, Spottedleaf turned tail and bounded out of the cave, leaving Fluttershy gazing at the she-cat with a fearful frown.
"Sit down, little one," the she-cat mewed softly, sitting down herself and wrapping her tail over her paws. "I am here to talk to you—you have nothing to fear of me."
Fluttershy gave a swift nod of her head. "Sorry!" She squeaked.
"No need to apologize," she told her dismissively. "Anyhow, I am Bluestar, leader of ThunderClan. You?"
"Fluttershy…" she whispered, trailed off shortly after.
"Fluttershy," she acknowledged. "Where are you from and why did we find you on our territory?"
She flitted her gaze back to Bluestar, round and wide. What could she tell her more than that? That she's actually a magical pastel-colored horse that came from another universe and had no idea how?
"Um… a f-far, far way away from here… where I came from," she responded at last, ducking her head once again.
Bluestar arched an eyebrow, puzzled. "Not from Twolegplace?"
"Er… n-no." Twolegplace?
"So you traveled to this place all by yourself?"
"I g-guess so…"
"Other than here, do you have a shelter?"
"No." She shook her head once again.
There was a pause. Then, after a few more moments' silence, Bluestar lifted her chin, her icy blue gaze piercing Fluttershy's fur. "Well, Fluttershy, welcome to ThunderClan."
Author's Note
Wrote chapter one! As I said, this is my first fanfic ever, so you can tell me if I suck n stuff. Alert me of any flaws the story has so I can fix em in the future chapters, and display your opinion of it as well—wether I should go on with it, or drop the idea altogether. Thanks!
