Waterdapple groggily opened her eyes.

"Wha..." She was in the medicine cat den. The medicine cat looked at her.

"You were found passed out. Why do you have badger scent all over you?" Waterdapple blinked and remembered the events earlier that day.

"I don't know... There was this badger and I passed out, I don't remember why." This was partly true, although she knew why she passed out. She was a badger. A shapeshifter?

**

Later Waterdapple padded out of the den, being told she was good to go by Skycloud. She had made up her mind. She nosed her way through the ferns in front of the leader's den.

"Come in," Stripedstar called from behind the bracken hanging down. Waterdapple walked in and sat awkwardly in front of the entrance.

"I have to tell you something..." she began. "I had a dream from Starclan. It was a badger, it turned into me, and into a lot of other animals, including a twoleg. Then it turned into Timberfur - mother, and she tapped me and light went everywhere. Then I woke up. I went on a solo hunt and saw the badger, and I said I passed out. But actually I began thinking like a badger to avoid being killed, as you taught us, and suddenly I felt clumsy and big. But powerful and strong too. I looked in a puddle, and I was a badger, then I passed out. So I think I am a shapeshifter..." Waterdapple finished. Stripedstar was staring at her from the shadow of his den, his yellow eyes glowing with interest. He stood up and bowed to her, a gesture done only to a cat from Starclan. Waterdapple looked confused, then frightened.

"Don't tell anyone!" Her tail bristled. Stripedstar sat again.

"Do you know what this means for Birdclan? Don't worry, I won't tell any living creature. You can shapeshift! Could you demonstrate, maybe?" Waterdapple looked reassured slightly, but frightened at the request. She decided to shift into another cat, or try. She began to think like Stripedstar, imagine every stripe, every claw, every whisker. She felt her shape become larger and stronger. She looked down and saw his stripes. She noticed they were not all the same shade of black, not at all the same pattern, but they were close enough. She shivered, this was her second shift. She shrunk a bit and the stripes on her flank quivered, then went back to normal. How was she this good already?. Stripedstar looked like he was in awe.

"How do you shift back? And how do you do that?" He looked at Waterdapple disguised as the leader. Waterdapple almost shifted back, but was stopped by a paw raised by the leader. "Go out of the den and see what happens, and do not let any cat into the den." Waterdapple shivered again, but with excitement. She substituted for deputy before, she could act like the leader! She stepped out. The cats looked at her, and went back to eating prey. She realized the third hunting patrol was not arranged. She stepped up to Silentfoot.

"Could you organize another hunting patrol for me?" Waterdapple asked in Stripedstar's deep voice. Silentfoot nodded. This was amazing! Shape shifting would sure be fun.

---

Sorry, no cliffhanger here. : (

Oh well!

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