A TERRIFIC TAIL - CHAPTER FIVE

Friday. It was Friday. I flopped onto my bed, thankful that the week was over. I could sleep in. I looked at my watch. It read 10:27 PM. I knew it was time to go to sleep, so I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep...

--=+=--

*Choose. Choose six to bring.* A voice echoed in my head. I was wide awake, not aware if I was dreaming or not. I looked around in fear and tried to wake up. I wanted it to be a dream so badly. *Go on, choose six. What are you waiting for?* The voice asked. My heart was racing. I didn't know what to do. Listen to it? But it was so strange. Somehow, I felt like I had to. So I looked down at the pictures infront of me. Each of them was of person, some I knew and some I didn't. I quickly inferred that I tap the button of the person I choose. Of course, I had no idea what I was choosing them for.

"What happens when I press the button?" I asked into space. *No harm will come to them, I promise. Just pick six.* The voice replied. So I took a deep breath and pressed the button beneath the smiling picture of Lyla. The button turned green. I then noticed the faces of Will and Josh next to each other and pressed them. I ran farther down the ever lasting line of pictures to reach the photo of Phoebe, so I pressed that button. I saw Heather's picture not far down, and pressed it too. And finally, I pressed the button for James. I hoped I had done the right thing, and it seemed like I had, for then the voice said, S*tep into the light.* I looked around. I appeared to be in a space, an unknown space. A bright portal, or light, was not far ahead. I slowly stepped toward. It was so unlike me, to venture into the unknown. But a driving force pushed me to do it....

--=+=--

The first thing I heard were the bird chirping. Weird though, because usually my house was pretty quiet... but then I noticed the trees. The bushes. The creek. And... my paws? Paws? What? I... was a cat! Whiskers! A tail! **Four** legs! I stretched and started to walk around in my new body. It felt weird to say the least. "Hello?" I meowed. Could it really be true? My mind was whirling with thoughts and possiblities.

"Who are you?" A voice snarled. A cream tabby tom walked toward me with his head held high and his teeth bared. I backed away slowly. There was no way I could fight... but something about his expression was familiar. Something about him...

"Will?" I asked. It was a crazy thought, but if I was right... His face lit up.

"Luna?" He asked. "Are you Moonbreeze now?" I nodded.

"Windfeather!" I cried with joy. I almost ran up to him, but that would have been awkward. "I knew it!" I exclaimed. He smiled back.

"Yup, that's me!" He replied. "We're cats!" He said. I nodded in agreement. Suddenly, I heard a snarl from behind me. I backed into Will, ears pricked.

"What are you doing here?" A cream and white she-cat snarled and bared her teeth. "Get out of here!" She unsheathed her claws, poised to leap. I snarled in return.

"Who are you?" I snapped.

"Um... Morgan." She replied quietly, seemingly unsure of herself. "My name is Morgan I guess." Something was slightly suspisious about her insecurity. Similar to my own when I woke up here... could it be? But how? I didn't know her! "Who are you?"

"Moonbreeze," I replied, still suspicious. "Are you okay?" I asked. Morgan looked at her paws.

"Not really..." Morgan whispered. "I really don't know what happened to me..." she added. I exchanged a glance with Will, and he gave a slight nod.

"Did you..." I started, nervous. If I was wrong... "Tell me the truth, please. How long have you been like this?" I asked. I didn't want to seem too weird if I was wrong.

"Just... this morning. It's hard to explain but I've always lived a very different life," she said in reply. There was sincerity in her voice that made it easier to believe. I nodded.

"Me too..." I said. "Do you want to stay with us?" I asked, motioning to Will. She nodded.

"Thank you so much. I don't know how to repay you!" She said, and her face lit up. I smiled back.

"No problem," I replied. "I get it," I said. "But somehow I feel like there are more of us," I added. Morgan looked confused, but I just turned to the creek and walked that way, hoping that I was right.

"Hello?" A ginger cat peaked out of a bush. I gasped at noticing the brown ears. *That's Lyla's fursona!!* "Is that... Luna?" She asked.

"Lyla!!" I screamed in delight. I ran to her and nuzzled her with my muzzle. "You're here!" I cried. "Foxxy!"

"Moon!" She smiled. "And is this Windfeather?" She asked, pointing her paw at our other friend. I nodded.

"And this is Morgan," I said, with a nod to the newcomer. "We found her in the forest and she seems to have had the same experience. I don't know her, but the same thing happened to her." I informed my best friend. Lyla looked doubtful but nodded slowly. Suddenly, a large gray tom and a lithe black and white tabby landed on my back. I snarled and raked my claws down their sides, hissing.

"Moon!" Foxxy screamed. "Stop!" I almost ignored her, but stopped. "I feel like..." I looked at the two toms.

"Josh? James?" My heart lifted in my chest, while my mind started whirling about what I could have just done to my friends.

"How do you know my name?" The larger one snarled. "Who are you?"

"It's me! Luna!" I replied, pleading that they were my friends. "Your friend!" Josh looked thoughtful for a moment.

"Then how come we are all cats?" Josh asked in reply. Part of me felt guilty for driving them into this, but it wasn't really my choice. And there certaintly wasn't anything I could do. I shrugged. I tried to push away the thought that it was my fault, because it wasn't.

"Hey!" A ginger tabby she-cat approached. "Are you Lyla? And Luna, Will, James, and Josh?" She asked. A pale gray and white she-cat with behind her.

"Heather! Phoebe!" I exclaimed. My friends were all here! "Yes! It's me, Luna!" I said.

"Yay!" Phoebe exclaimed. "Now, shall we find a camp?" She asked. I nodded, and our little group headed towards the creek.