A MALE CAT WITH SILVER AND WHITE tabby fur padded along a winding pathway, the dirt ground smooth and a forest of trees growing around it. Small, pale balls of light hovered among the leaves, glowing with a dim radiance. A faint aurora blazed above, an everlasting expanse of rainbow colors that would never disappear from this particular sky.

At the end of the pathway stood a tree far larger and rising higher than any other tree in the forest. The tabby cat slid through an opening at the base of its massive trunk, another cat standing guard beside it giving him a quick nod of respect. Inside the tree was completely hollow, the ground like a wide clearing. There was no light save for the moon shining through gaps between the leaves and branches high above, but the cat’s eyes quickly adjusted to the semi-darkness.

There were other cats crouching upon rocks spread around the edges of the tree dome, and the silver tabby stepped briefly into the center of the clearing to be acknowledged. Scattered mews greeted him. After making his presence known, he jumped to his own rock and sat there with his tail neatly tucked over his paws.

“You’re finally here, Surai.” A black cat stepped forward where all the cats could view him. “And I safely assume everyone else I called are here as well?”

“Wait, Leafin and Lenan aren’t here!” a gray tom shouted from somewhere among the ranks.

“Yes they are.” A white she-cat pointed a tail at two brown tabby cats sitting further back.

Other short conversations rippled through the tree dome.

The black cat lifted his tail to signal silence, and looked around carefully. “Alright, all of us are here,” he declared. “I do realize this meeting was rather unexpected and sudden, especially in these certain days.”

His clear voice rang out among the cats, and every glistening eye was turned to him. “Does everyone remember the old legend of the Ruins on Starlight Island?” he asked.

Hushed whispers floated around, until one cat meowed, “That legend is nothing but a tale for story time. Do you honestly believe that the members of the Celestial Circle would believe it? We were fools enough to actually try to find the Ruins before, but we’ve scoured that island and found absolutely nothing all those times! Don’t tell us you came to discuss something as ridiculous as this, Snaider!”

Murmurs of agreement followed.

The black cat motioned for silence again. “I never asked whether or not you believed in it,” he meowed curtly. “In fact, I didn’t quite believe it myself, until now.”

Surai leaned forward a little from his spot, an anxious feeling churning in his belly. “What exactly do you mean?” he asked in a low growl. Are you suggesting that you found Transcenders?”

The murmurs circling through the cats increased in volume. They leaned toward each other, whispering in one another’s ears, eyes wide in amusement and surprise.

Snaider held his head high and waited till the noise died down. “What Surai said is correct,” he meowed. “I have indeed discovered Transcenders, the very cats with the special power to—”

“Nonsense!” A brown-and-white cat with amber eyes leaped out at Snaider, nearly crashing right onto him. “Do you take us for little kittens? I will not sit and listen while you spout all these lies at the Circle! Don’t forget, Snaider, you are discussing an age-long topic that we’ve all agreed to be never discussed again! Not to mention that—”

But Snaider hushed the other cat before he could finish speaking. “Yes, yes, I understand, Goldin,” he interrupted, trying hard not to hiss at his fellow Circle member. “But I promise you in the name of all Krylestine that what I speak is no lie. Transcenders do exist.”

As Goldin opened his mouth to fire another disagreement, a white she-cat stepped forward. “Calm down,” she mewed, nudging her friend by the ear. She looked around, a little uncomfortable at seeing the eyes of all the other cats, but spoke louder so all could hear. “I know that many of you agree with Goldin and many are unsure, but we must hear what Snaider says! Remember, he’s a top-ranking and respected member of the Celestial Circle, and he would never have called all of us here just because of his own beliefs—not unless he has proof!”

Goldin backed down a bit, but hissed nastily, “Proof of Transcenders? That’s ridiculous! The only proof you can possibly have for Transcenders is to bring their very pelts here!”

“And that’s what I will do.” With those words, Snaider padded toward the entrance of the tree dome. “I’m sorry for this inconvenience, but if you want to see my ‘proof’, I want you all to meet by Moon Lake tomorrow night.”

Goldin’s eyes narrowed. “And if we don’t?” he growled. “How do we know that this isn’t some trap or foolish prank? Why should we go? Why should we care about this sudden topic of Transcenders?”

“It’s in your best interest to go,” Snaider replied levelly, a mysterious glimmer in his eyes.

Surai watched as the black cat left the meeting. After he disappeared through the entrance hole, the silver tabby took the place where Snaider had sat and meowed so all could hear, “I for one believe that we should do as Snaider says. Who knows? Maybe what he says isn’t a lie….”

Surai’s voice trailed off uncertainly.

“I say we don’t,” Goldin muttered. “I’ve never trusted that Snaider, not for who his father was. And what’s the point? We all know there’s practically no chance that Transcenders really exist. If they did, why have we seen none for the last millennium? If they truly have more power than the Celestial Circle, then why did they not help us during the wars?”

The white she-cat who had defended Snaider sighed. “Yes, that is true, but going to the Moon Lake to see what Snaider presents to us won’t hurt. If we are wrong, then it will only hurt us to not go.”

“Nothing will hurt us because it isn’t true!” Goldin argued, impatience in his voice. “Why aren’t you agreeing with me, Snowflower?”

Snowflower flinched back a little. “It’s just—”

“Listen to her, Goldin,” Surai stepped in. “You’re just being impossible. You fail to look at all possibilities. How can you be completely sure that what Snaider said wasn’t true?”

“I agree with Master Surai!” a cat meowed.

“Yes, Snowflower had a point!” another agreed.

Snowflower looked toward the direction of that voice with gratitude shining in her emerald eyes.

“Is there anyone who disagrees?” Surai called.

A few mutters arose, but no other cat uttered an objection.

“Very well,” Surai meowed. “We’ll all meet at Moon Lake tomorrow at moonrise!”

Midnight had passed before Surai reached his home. He slipped under a large bush that stood beneath an oak tree, many of the bush’s inner branches cut off to form a comfortable dwelling. A pile of dry leaves was placed at a corner of the den, and Surai gently nudged the two young cats that slept upon it.

The cat with fiery-orange fur stirred first. He turned his head toward Surai, blinked a few times, and twisted around to give the white-and-ginger cat still sleeping beside him a few licks on the ear. She stirred and opened an eye.

“Sorry to interrupt your sleep,” Surai mewed, pushing a few berries toward them. “But you should eat. I’m sure you’re both hungry.”

The white and ginger she-cat leaned forward and sniffed the berries cautiously. She slowly took a bite, but pulled back and didn’t eat anymore. “Forgive me,” she mewed politely. “Taiyou and I aren’t accustomed to these sort of foods—our human companions generally fed us dry, brown bits of crunchy stuff.”

Surai nodded. “I apologize, Lady Feiya—I doubt I can find any dry, crunchy things in this forest. I’m not quite sure what these ‘humans’ you refer to are, but if you’re going to survive here, you must learn to eat these kind of foods.”

Taiyou’s orange ears twitched as he swallowed a few of the berries. His green gaze rested on his sister as he meowed, “Don’t forget that we’re not anywhere close to where we used to be. These berries aren’t so bad. I think we’ll grow to like them.”

Feiya curled her tail tight around her body and looked down at her paws. “You speak as though we won’t be returning to our home anymore,” she mewed quietly.

Her brother turned away without a word, unable to see her sad, blue gaze. He knew he’d said the wrong thing. But they had come to a completely unknown place without any warning. If Surai hadn’t found them and convinced them they were not yet dead, they’d have been helpless. What else was there to do but to look on a bright side and try to survive? This was a dangerous place, they had been warned, and lacking any fighting skills because of the easy life with their human companions, there was no chance they would be able to defend themselves if attacked by other creatures in the forest.

Taking a deep sigh, Taiyou meowed, “Feiya, be strong. Please.”

The white-and-ginger cat spun her head around to face him, a spark of anger flickering in her eyes. It quickly faded, and Feiya pressed her muzzle against her brother’s fur. “I will,” she mewed.

Surai gave the two siblings a sympathetic look. “I am sorry for what happened to you,” he sighed. “I myself am not quite sure what happened, but something will be happening tomorrow night that might give us an idea.”

Taiyou perked his ears up in interest. “And what is that? Will my sister and I be in any danger?”

Surai shook his head. “No.” He hesitated, then said, “I’ll tell you a story. There is an old legend on this land about seven cats that had the power to travel through nine dimensions, and place fragments of their souls on each. Because of this, they would have to die nine times before leaving the world for good. Not only that, but their individual lifespan would increase. Can you imagine such a thing? Those cats were told to have lived for a millennium before the last one died. Their descendants, with their ancestors’ blood in their veins, also acquired the power. However, they could only travel through a limited amount of dimensions and did not have the gift of nine lives. Their souls were two weak—splitting them even once would cause immediate death. But in some strange way, one cat was able to learn a skill that increased the strength of their souls dramatically. He taught the others, and gradually, their number of lives began to increase, as well as lifespan. This skill is supposedly hidden within ruins on a special island.

“Over the years, the descendants acquired the ability to travel through more than just nine dimensions, and with more worlds to explore comes more knowledge. They learned things no one else knew about, as well as achieving great magical power. Some used the powers for good, some for evil. Not much is known about them anymore, but they were called ‘Transcenders’.”

Feiya, who had been listening with great interest in her eyes, leaned forward a little and asked, “They don’t exist anymore, do they?”

Surai smiled. “We think not. But what happened to you and Taiyou—perhaps that was a work of dimension crossing. I don’t know how, but you crossed into a different world right before death had the chance to capture you. Likely not of your own accord, since obviously you do not know what happened, but there is no other way you could’ve ended up here, on land completely unknown to you.”

“So you think we might be related to these Transcenders?” Taiyou wanted to know.

After a moment of thought, Surai shook his head. “No,” he meowed. “Transcenders weren’t normal cats. They were magical. Being a member of the Celestial Circle, I myself have some amount of magic power, as well as the ability to sense magical energy. I do not sense anything from you. No offense in saying so, but you two are mere ordinary cats.” Surai stopped abruptly, and a shadow crept over his face. He had obviously betrayed a secret.

“The ‘Celestial Circle’?” Feiya mewed curiously. “What is that, may I ask?”

The silver tabby gave a small sigh and looked a bit uneasy. “I shouldn’t have mentioned the Celestial Circle. Please do not ask any questions about it—I am sworn to secrecy. I cannot tell.”

However, no disappointment appeared in Feiya’s gentle blue gaze. “That is alright, Master Surai. I knew from the start that you were a cat of considerable importance. If you do not wish to tell us something, please do not. After all, Taiyou and I are mere ordinary cats.”

Surai’s whiskers twitched in embarrassment for a moment, and he looked down. But when he dared to glance into the white-and-ginger she-cat’s eyes again, he saw no spite or resentment, only kind understanding and gratitude.

“I apologize,” he said at last, and stood up, stretching his forelegs. “Ah! I’m feeling tired, and I’m sure you two are, as well. The night is still young! Go back to sleep! Ow, my aching limbs! I’m going to be camping right outside tonight. I’m feeling old and in need of fresh air!”

Taiyou and Feiya exchanged looks of amusement, and lay down, purring in contentment. After hearing Surai’s story, they fully accepted that they were now in a new world, believable or not, and despite their distance from home, they could still take comfort in each other and new friends who were sure to come.