Like many other not-cats, you've dreamed of what could exist on the far side of the Door of Nestor. Could it be the fabled Not-Earth, a verdant oasis where not-cats may live in peace? Or is it the doorway to a dark eldritch realm, filled with creatures who are best not seen in the light?

The door shimmers in front of you now; you realize there's only one way to find out. So, fight back your fear, let your excitement shine through! We're here on the far side, waiting for you...

The Far Side – The great moose Nestor returns, opening the celestial door to a band of six not-cats seeking to leave the city. The story could end here, but really it's only the beginning. Is Not-Earth everything it seems to be? Or... is there more to it than the not-cats originally thought?

A Long Day Away – All Shred wants is a warm, dry home and no more muddy paws. Ae gets the exact opposite: a long, tiresome day trekking through the woods and through a large, crowded city. Can a new friend convince aer that an ordinary not-cat can live a not-so-ordinary life? Or is all hope lost for Shred's muddy paws?

Gardening – It's hot. It's wet. It's cloudy. Tressa wants no part of it, but xe had promised to help in the gardens, and xe never broke a promise. It would simply be a long, boring day of working in the muddy gardens... or at least, that's what Tressa expected...

Hide and Seek – Like all great ideas, it started with a dare. And like any good not-cat, Sparrow can't have the village knowing she'd turn down a dare. She and her friends may have started this game, but it seems they may not be the only ones playing....

Something Stirs – After hearing Nestor's recent warnings, Robin grows restless with the idea of adventure. Every journey has its challenges, however; Robin needs to get over his anxiety, spend time making preparations, and face off against the greatest challenge of all – his rival, Ayrie.

The Storm – Though many of them have spent nearly a year here, Not-Earth still has many surprises to throw at its residents. Dean knows this as well as any not-cat in the Far Side: always expect the unexpected. But when a thunderstorm goes horribly wrong, Dean finds that the fate of the Far Side – and, possibly, all of Not-Earth – rests on their shoulders.

Cloudypaws had always loved exploring: city after city, forest after forest, always lost deep within her thoughts. Over time, she grew bored; each city was the same as the next, each tree no different from the last. It was her dreams that kept her going – and her greatest dream had been to visit the far side of Nestor's portal.

She had never thought it would happen. After all, rumors were rumors and dreams were dreams. Or at least, that's what she had been telling herself until now.

Nervousness and excitement rose from her paws and flowed through her pelt as she watched. Was it hers, or was she sensing the feelings of the five others who had gathered with her? She couldn't tell.

The great moose knelt before the cats now, their faded pelt shimmering like the night sky. Hundreds of eyes opened around them, glowing brighter than the stars above. A voice spoke to them, a voice which was somehow loud and soft at the same time, a terrifying ethereal sound that instilled an unusual calm in the cats' hearts: "You are not cats. Come home."

Cloudypaws felt almost as if she had slipped into a trance. Her paws seemed to move forward, but was she the one controlling them? Fear and excitement rose up inside of her as she approached the door; it had a feeling of wrongness to it, as if it ripped through the fabric of space and time itself, but somehow it also felt very right. Perhaps this door would be her destiny.

She paused for a moment in front of the door, only vaguely aware of the pawsteps behind her as the others followed. She had heard the rumors many times, tales of a Not-Earth, but still she yearned to see what existed on the far side of the door herself. She took a deep breath; this was it. Time to see if the rumors were true. Slowly, she reached out, her paw passing through the shimmering surface of the door.

And then there was the sensation of falling.



The cats – or, as Nestor had called them, not-cats – stood around their small pile of resources. For a long moment there was only silence as they contemplated what could be done with the materials.

It was Shred whose voice finally slashed through the quiet. "This won't be enough," ae said, a thoughtful expression on aer face. "We need more."

"I agree," Dean added. "But it's getting dark. What else can we do?"

Another moment of silence, then Cloudypaws spoke up. "Tressa, Sparrow, could you find a place to store this stuff safely? Maybe we can use it later."

"Of course," the two agreed in unison.

"Shred and Dean, you two know the most about building. Perhaps you can dig us a den to sleep in for the night. Robin, you can come with me, we'll go to the meeting grounds and see if Nestor has any advice."



The moon had begun to rise in the sky when the not-cats finally returned. Nestor hadn't given them much advice, saying it was best if the not-cats figured it out on their own – after all, they would be living here from now on. The great moose had given them hope though, saying that no harm would befall them as long as they lived in these woods.

The others had long since fallen asleep, leaving Cloudypaws alone with her thoughts. She rubbed her paw gently along the rough diamonds of her crown, a gift from Nestor that she vowed would never leave her sight. She quite liked it here. Sure, maybe survival would be difficult, but Nestor would always be there, keeping them safe. Besides, it was a new world to explore – and what is adventure without a little danger and challenges?

Her pale red eyes slowly began to close, her thoughts drifting off into nonsense as sleep came over her. One last thought echoed through her head as she drifted off, weaving its way into a new, exciting dream: So, this is the far side...

"I'm coming with you." Those had been the words that escaped from Shred's mouth. Those were the words ae regretted.

Not-Earth, as it turned out, really wasn't much better than Earth – it had only been a few days since they stepped though Nestor's Door together, but those few days had been ridden with excessive heat and thunderstorms that never seemed to end. Sure, the food was plentiful, but they didn't have to live in muddy tunnels back on Earth. Shred growled, shaking a damp leaf from aer paw. Had ae made the right choice, following the others through the door?

"We're almost there," Cloudypaws said, pulling Shred from aer thoughts. "Hopefully you find what you're looking for."

"Yeah, hopefully," Shred echoed quietly. Ae only hoped someone in this village would have advice on setting up some form of shelter. Ae couldn't stand having muddy paws.

As Gardenhome came into sight, ae realized it was not at all how ae had expected it to look. Despite the term "city", Gardenhome consisted only of a few shops. Ae guessed the "city" part came from the sheer size of the shops – or the amount of not-cats pushing their ways through them.

"I'm going to walk around a bit," Cloudypaws mewed, waving her tail at Shred. "Good luck!"

"Thanks," Shred called after her. Ae didn't quite share Cloudypaws' enthusiasm for walking through crowded spaces. Ah, well, it couldn't hurt to ask around. Knowing Cloudypaws, it would be sunset before they left the city.

There was just one problem. There were so many not-cats, and no way to tell which of them might be builders. Shred wasn't a huge fan of starting conversations.

"Er, excuse me," ae meowed, awkwardly sidling up to a bright orange not-cat. The orange not-cat turned, their deep brown eyes gazing expectantly at Shred. Ae froze for a moment, then continued awkwardly: "Uh, building?"

The other not-cat gave aer a confused look. "Building?"

"A-are you um, into... building?" Could this get any more awkward?

"Oh! I'm not, sorry." An awkward pause, then the not-cat added, "Are you looking for something specific? Whiskers might be able to help."

"Uh, yeah, I'll ask Whiskers, thanks..." Another awkward pause followed. Shred couldn't wait to be back home. A normal life for a normal not-cat, that was all ae wanted.

The orange not-cat gave Shred an amused look. "Come on, I'll introduce you to Whiskers."



The rest of Shred's time in Gardenhome was just as awkward as the first conversation. It had taken the two hours to find Whiskers between the swarms of not-cats and the various wares of the multi-layered shop. And then Whiskers had admitted to not having much advice, as they were only a seller of materials.

Another few hours, more awkward conversations, no luck. Finally, just when Shred had lost hope, someone approached aer and, after admitting to overhearing one of aer conversations, gifted aer with a craft book. Shred held the book close, excitedly making aer way to the edge of the city where Cloudypaws was waiting.

"A book, huh?" Cloudypaws almost sounded amused. "Let me guess, you're planning to learn how to read?"

"What?! No! It's got pictures, see?" Ae carefully set the book on the ground, flipping through the pages so Cloudypaws could get a look. "It's a craft book, I'm hoping it will help us craft some stuff."

"Craft? You mean keep your paws out of the mud?"

"Hey, it's not like that would be a bad thing."

"Well, you'll have to wait a bit to try anything. We have to say hi to Nestor before we go home."

"You mean ask Nestor for more sparkly jewels?"

Cloudypaws grinned, kicking some leaves up at Shred. "What makes you think that?"

"Ew! This leaf is wet!" Shred shook the leaf off, picking up aer book and letting out a playful growl. "You won't get away with that!"

"But what if I already did?"

A heartbeat of silence passed between the two. Cloudypaws took off suddenly, with Shred following her closely. They ran and laughed the rest of the way, not stopping until the meeting grounds came into view.



"I hope she can find a nice home with you."

Cloudypaws, who had just moments before looked as if she might die from a lack of shiny objects, brightened up. "Of course! Ayrie, we'd love to have you in our village!"

"Thank you," the dark not-cat replied.

"Come on, we're headed for home now. We can get you a nice pile of leaves or pelt to sleep on – it's not much but it's all we have at the moment. We'll have a grand palace eventually, I'm sure of it! A grand palace, and great feasts to celebrate victorious battles and festivals... You know, I'm kind of hungry. Are you guys hungry? We could have a feast when we get home! Food seems to be pretty common around here..."

Shred and Ayrie had fallen slightly behind, traveling in a (much preferable) companionable silence. It was Ayrie who finally broke the silence.

"Your village sounds... great?"

Shred let out a small giggle. "You don't need to say that – it really is just a few tunnels by a large rock."

Ayrie looked at Shred, a small smile on her face. "You haven't been here long, have you?"

"Just a few days," ae mewed back. There was a brief pause in the conversation; Shred noted with vague interest that it wasn't an awkward one. "You know, maybe it's a good thing you got lost in the woods like you did."

"Why's that?" Ayrie asked. She was only half paying attention; her dark brown eyes were focused on the cliffside as they passed. The smooth gray rock featured a berry-hued mural, which Shred guessed had been done by Sparrow.

"If you didn't get lost, you wouldn't be here."

"WE'RE HERE!" Cloudypaws' voice cut through the air, interrupting their conversation. Dean and Tressa froze in their pat battle, paws on each other's faces as they gazed at the newcomer. "Guys, this is Ayrie! She's living with us now."

A storm of greetings thundered through the air with Cloudypaws' words; Shred rolled happily in the dust, waiting until the others quieted down and resumed their activities. Ae shook the dust from aer pelt, then leaned in toward Ayrie. "Perhaps if you're interested, I can give you a more formal introduction later."

"That'd be great, thank you." She sat down, looking slightly more relaxed.

Shred flipped through the book, comparing the images to the materials that had been gathered earlier that day. "It looks like we might have enough here for a campfire. It won't give us shelter, but our food will taste better, and it might help keep the bugs away."

"Oh, perfect!" Tressa exclaimed. "I can try that new recipe I heard about the other day."

"I'll help you set that up, Shred," Dean mewed happily. "I'm dying to have something new to eat."



The seven cats curled together into their tunnels. Shred gazed out at the night sky as it shimmered between the trees. The fire had long since burned down to embers; the not-cats had chatted nonstop throughout dinner, and even after, about various topics. Tressa's recipe was the first; it had been perfect, and there was plenty left over for breakfast.

The conversation shifted quickly after that: Tressa's daring attempt to obtain a honeycomb, Sparrow's new berry paints, the carved statue Dean had found in the woods. But it wasn't long before the topic turned to the newcomer, Ayrie.

Ayrie's arrival gave the not-cats new hope for their small village. What had previously felt like an impossible task suddenly seemed as if it were looming close by; Shred still doubted that they would achieve the grand palaces or feasts fit for a hundred not-cats of Cloudypaws' dreams. But perhaps that was for the better. After all, a small village seemed like a good place to start.

Shred sighed, closing aer eyes. A small village sounded great. Even a small one-room cottage would do, really. It didn't matter if they all had to live in it together. At this point, ae would do anything to avoid muddy paws.

Maybe Not-Earth wouldn't be so bad after all.

Tressa yawned and stretched, gazing out the doorway of the village's newest tent. Just another way too warm, way too cloudy day... The group had only been in Not-Earth for a few weeks, most of which was rainy and cloudy and hot. Tressa wasn't a huge fan of that.

"Good suntime, sleepy," a familiar voice pulled Tressa from xyr thoughts.

"Ayrie! – oh, did I sleep in?"

"Just a bit," Ayrie replied with a smile. "I'm heading out to see Nestor and check the mail, wanna come?"

"Oh! Er, I kind of promised I'd help in the gardens today." Xe wasn't sure why, but xe felt oddly embarrassed. Perhaps it was the idea of xyr friend seeing xem covered in mud.

"I'll walk you to the gardens then, after we get breakfast," Ayrie offered.

Tressa reluctantly followed her out of the tent. The air felt hot and sticky against xyr fur, and the remnants of last night's rain dotted the forest floor. Wonderful day for working in a garden, Tressa thought to xemself with a bit of annoyance.

Breakfast, as it turned out, was last night's leftover stew – not that it mattered. It was one of Tressa's newer recipes. Besides, it was always good to have leftovers.

"So, a day with Morocco and Flax, huh?"

"Yeah," Tressa replied, deep in thought. "I haven't seen much of them around here."

"They've been doing a lot with the gardens. It's been a few days, but they had made quite a bit of progress when I last visited." Tressa let out a small, nervous sigh, and Ayrie brushed her tail against xem. "I'm sure it'll be fun. They've probably got most of the work done by now anyway."

"Yeah, hopefully." Tressa licked up the last of xyr stew, then stood up. "Come on, you better not be late getting to Nestor."

Tressa carefully tucked the rest of the leftovers into the tunnels. It was amazing, xe thought to xemself, how just a week ago they had been living in these tunnels together. Xe couldn't get distracted now though; there was a long day of gardening waiting. Tressa turned to make sure Ayrie was coming, then began to lead the way; xe stopped just outside of the not-cats' small shelter. An unfamiliar calico sat outside the structure, dipping his paws in berry juice and drawing along the walls.

"Uh... Hello?"

The calico looked up at the sound of Tressa's voice. "Oh! Hi, I don't think we've met. I'm Flax."

"I'm... Tressa," xe replied awkwardly.

"Oh, you're the Tressa that's working in the gardens today!"

"Yep, xe's the one! I'm sure you two will get along wonderfully," Ayrie said with a smile. "I'd better get going now – nice seeing you Flax! Have fun, both of you."

"Thanks," Tressa said, a bit sad to see Ayrie go. Xe watched as the dark not-cat disappeared into the woods, then turned back to Flax. "So, uh. What exactly are you doing?"

"Decorating," he replied simply. "We have an excess of berries in the gardens. Might as well use them for something, right?"

"Yeah, sure..." Tressa wasn't sure she quite liked this new not-cat. I could have used those for cooking, xe thought angrily. Did he even ask permission to do this?

Xe sat down, keeping xyr mouth shut. Perhaps it would be better that way. Xe didn't want to disappoint Ayrie after all, and who knows? Perhaps xyr opinion of this not-cat would change in the future as xe got to know him better.

An awkward silence settled between the two as Tressa watched Flax work. It really was a nice painting, assuming one took the time to look. It would probably leave a nasty stain on the wall though. Tressa's tail flicked back and forth once, twice, three times... seriously, how much paint was Flax going to add to this?

Finally xe couldn't stand it any longer, and got up. "I'd better start heading to the gardens. Which way is it?"

"Down that path, and to the left," Flax pointed with a berry-stained paw. "I'll be there in a bit, I still have a bit more decorating to do."

"Of course," Tressa replied, slowly drifting away. Xe was glad to have an excuse to go, even if it had taken an embarrassing amount of time to remember that excuse.

The walk to the gardens was shorter than xe expected. The amount of mud didn't disappoint, however. If the path to the gardens was this wet... Tressa shuddered, not wanting to think about the amount of mud in the gardens.

The gardens were empty when xe arrived, but a small pile of seeds next to the fence hinted at the work to come. Tressa casted a quick glance at the small, feather-filled hut – of course it was empty, but that didn't matter. Less not-cats meant less distraction; surely the work would go faster and Tressa could return to the main village sooner.



It was barely noon – or at least, that's what Tressa assumed, seeing as clouds continued to obscure the sky – when a rustling in the nearby leaves caught xyr attention. Don't get distracted... You're almost halfway done, don't get distracted.... Tressa frowned, glancing in the direction of the sound. Perhaps a quick look would be fine.

One pawstep, then another, and another... This better be good, Tressa thought. It stopped suddenly, the whisper of trees being the only sound to break the silence. Maybe it was nothing. Tressa shook xyr head and turned toward the garden, and there it was again. Much closer this time, and then closer...

"AHA!" Tressa yelled, whipping around. A startled not-cat yelped at xyr. Tressa stared at the not-cat, confused. "Morocco?"

"Tressa, hey," they answered nervously. "Er, um, the gardening's going well, I assume?"

"Yeah, it is." A pause, then Tressa gave them a quizzical look. "What were you doing?"

Morocco hesitated, then shrugged. Tressa noted that they looked a bit nervous.

"Well, I'd better get back to gardening." Tressa turned, calling back over xyr shoulder to Morocco, "Have fun, I guess?"

Morocco didn't answer, already having gone back to bouncing and tumbling among the trees as if they were fighting an invisible foe. Tressa sighed. It was a miracle the garden had gotten as far as it did, considering the not-cats who had been left in charge of it.

"Tressa!" Sparrow appeared suddenly between the plants in the garden, a panicked expression on her face.

Wow, I'm really the popular not-cat today... "What's up, Sparrow?"

"Well, I was looking for Ayrie, i thought she might be here, but then she wasn't so I decided to wait for her. And I started thinking, and... If not-cats aren't cats, but they look like cats, but they're not, but they're from an alien planet, and how did they get to earth, and where are they now even, and what is Nestor, and why did we ever leave Not-Earth and head to Earth anyway, and..... who AM I???????"

"Woah, uh, I mean, it's okay! I'm sure you'll figure this out. Maybe just... don't think about it too much?" Tressa flicked xyr tail nervously. That had to be terrible advice. But how else was one supposed to solve an existential crisis?

Sparrow began to pace back and forth, her tail fluffed beyond recognition. Surely there must be something Tressa could do...

"You said you were looking for Ayrie, right? Let's go find her."

"Really?"

"Of course! She's the best friend anyone could ask for, I'm sure she'll know what to do."

"Alright, yeah. Good idea, you're right," Sparrow followed Tressa out of the gardens. "Ayrie will know what to do. If I'm not me, then... Ayrie isn't me either. What if Ayrie isn't Ayrie? Tressa! What if you aren't you? What if..."



The walk back seemed longer than the trip to the gardens, if that was even possible. It didn't help that Sparrow babbled on about existence the entire time, or that Ayrie was a difficult not-cat to find. Of course, it was worth it when they finally found Ayrie; she always seemed to know what to say, especially when it came to Sparrow.

Tressa fluffed up the pile of pelts on the floor, curling up on it. Xe didn't need to make dinner tonight as there were still leftovers, and it had been a long day. Tressa's eyes began to flutter as Ayrie's soothing voice drifted on the breeze.

"Not-cats are travelers, adventurers. Since the creation of the First Winds, not-cats have wandered the universe. Not-Earth isn't an alien planet – it's our home. Earth is just a part of our journey, a page in our story." Ayrie paused, gazing deep into Sparrow's eyes. "Does that make sense?"

"Yeah, I guess it does. Thanks, Ayrie."

Ayrie nuzzled Sparrow's head, a soft smile on her face. "Just remember, this is where we're supposed to be. And we're in this together, and that's all that matters."

Yes, Tressa thought happily to xemself as the world faded into a dream of fantastical, many-eyed creatures. That's all that matters.

"You're muddy," the tortoiseshell not-cat noted.

Her partner grinned, "Yeah, a little. I spent the morning with Shred and Tressa."

"Roleplaying as moles?"

"Eating snacks," Ayrie corrected her. "Besides, it's quite fun."

"Don't expect me to join you." Sparrow frowned slightly; the group had spent their first nights in Not-Earth hiding in small, muddy tunnels. That wasn't an experience she wished to repeat any time soon.

Late morning sunlight filtered through the leafy branches above, bouncing delicately off the shining hide of a cricket. Sparrow immediately crouched, tail flicking back and forth slowly.

"I seriously don't understand why you're doing this," Ayrie said, eyes on a passing bird. "Hunting bugs is supposed to be my job."

"Anyone can do it," Sparrow replied, "but for me... you never know with a cricket. They might lead you somewhere you never expected to be."

"Like into a tree?" Ayrie giggled as Sparrow's nose bumped a little too hard into a tree.

"I wouldn't be so distracted if you would stop being cute for a moment."

The dark not-cat smiled, wrapping her tail gently around Sparrow's. "At least you caught one, that's good enough for me. Come on, let's head back."



"Sparrow!" Dean bounced up to the two not-cats as they entered the village. "Wanna play hide and seek with us?"

"Just say yes," Shred muttered under aer breath, trailing behind Dean. "If you don't they're gonna dare you."

"Uh, sure?" Was that the right answer? Of course, it had to be; she couldn't have the whole village knowing she turned down a dare.

Ayrie rubbed her head against Sparrow's one last time. "I'll see you later," she purred, trotting off to add Sparrow's cricket to the village's storage chests.

Sparrow watched her partner go, then turned back to... well, it was just Shred now. "Where's Dean?"

Shred let out a soft sigh, nodding in the direction of the albino not-cat. "Look's like Cinnabar's coming with us."

"This will be fun, I think," Sparrow said, mostly to herself. "Where are we going, anyway?"

"The caverns," Shred replied flatly.

"Oh!" She bounced excitedly a few times, then noticed Shred's confused expression. "I was there yesterday, with Robin and the others. It was pretty fun!"

"Yeah, sure. It better not be muddy down there."

"Don't worry, it isn't," Cinnabar's voice interrupted from behind. "It is pretty rocky though."

"I assume you were on Robin's, er, quest yesterday too?"

"Oh, absolutely! No way I was missing that," they said, pausing to lick a paw.

"That was super fun," Sparrow agreed. "I hope he hosts another of those soon."

"Guys! Are you coming?" Dean's excited voice echoed from down the path.

Cinnabar got up slowly, letting out a soft, slightly amused sigh. "Well, I guess none of us can afford to turn down a dare now, can we?"



Sparrow padded through the darkness, thankful for not-cats' ability to see with little to no light. She'd had the best hiding place ever! – or so she'd thought. It felt as if hours had gone by; had Dean even started looking?

Water trickled down a wall somewhere in the distance, filling the tunnel with odd echoes. It surprised her that she hadn't run into the others yet, especially considering they'd all started off in the same direction.

Something skittered nearby, and Sparrow's ears flicked up in response. "Hello?" Her voice echoed softly off the walls of the cavern. She wasn't even sure whoever it was had heard her – which might have been a good thing. She couldn't risk being the first one found, after all.

As it turned out, the caverns were pretty boring without Robin's exciting stories and dangerous quests filling the silence. Sparrow sat down, batting at a pebble with one paw. Surely there must be something to do down here?

Somewhere in the background, the skittering noise continued. Probably Cinn or Shred, Sparrow thought to herself. She turned her attention back to the pebble. The skittering drew closer, but she didn't notice. It came closer, and closer....

"BOO!" A sharp voice cut through the silence.

"AAGH!" Sparrow yowled, unsheathing her claws. "Who's there? Come out, I'll show you my wrath! I'll make you regret –"

"Woah, Sparrow, relax! It's just me." Cinnabar's soft nose brushed against her side, their dark pelt barely visible in the dim light of the caverns.

"Oh," Sparrow felt her ears growing hot with embarrassment. "I-I'm sorry, I thought –"

"It's fine, don't worry about it. I would have done the same thing." There was a flash of white as Cinnabar grinned at her.

"I'm glad you're here, honestly. I thought that might be you skittering behind me."

"Huh? No, not me. I was in that cavern we found the amethyst in. Remember, when we were here with Robin and Tressa?"

Sparrow did remember. And she hated that she remembered, because if that was where Cinnabar had been, then that skittering....

"Where's Shred?"

"Last I heard, trying to convince Dean that ae hadn't been found," Cinnabar chuckled slightly. "I got out of there pretty quickly, no way I'm getting caught!" They paused, then gave Sparrow a concerned look and added, "why do you ask?"

"Cinn, I don't think we're alone in here. I heard something behind me – I thought it was you, or Shred or Dean."

"No, no... They aren't anywhere near here." Cinnabar looked over Sparrow's shoulder, their gaze darting around the cavern. Then they shrugged. "I guess we probably shouldn't stick around then."

"You don't believe me, do you?" Sparrow asked as she followed them down the tunnel.

"Did I say that? I didn't say that. Did I?"

"Wait – shush! There, you hear it?"

Cinnabar's ears flicked back and they stood still, listening to the sound for a moment. "That can't be good, let's find the others."

"Great idea," Sparrow mewed, running down the path after her friend. The darkness threatened to hide Cinnabar's pelt from her sight, but she could feel the heat from their fur next to hers, and that comforted her a bit.

It felt as if the two had been running for an eternity before they burst into a large amethyst-lined cavern, breathless. Dean and Shred sat in the middle of the cavern arguing, but they stopped when they noticed Sparrow and Cinnabar.

"What's wrong?" Dean asked as they approached. "Afraid I wouldn't find you?"

"We're not alone in here," Sparrow snapped, perhaps a bit too harshly.

Dean sat back, a stunned expression on their face as Cinnabar nodded in agreement.

"I – we're not sure what it was," the dark not-cat added. "But I heard it myself. There was definitely something there."

"Probably just a cricket or something," Shred mumbled. Ae said something under aer breath about food, then wandered to the tunnel where Sparrow and Cinnabar had come from.

"I have to agree – I mean, I don't think anything bigger than a not-cat's ever been in these caverns. These tunnels would be kind of cramped for larger creatures anyway – er, i assume they would be. I've never seen any myself."

"Perhaps you're right. But perhaps we should head home anyway, it's getting late." Cinnabar paused, looking around, then added, "Where's Shred?"

"Ae was right here a minute ago... Shred? Shred! Maybe we should split up and look for aer."

"Are you insane? With a potential monster wandering the caverns?" Sparrow began to pace back and forth, tail lashing, not wanting to admit that she was scared.

"She's right," Cinnabar said.

"I am?"

"We don't know what's down here with us, or how dangerous it might be. It's best we stick together, just in case."

"Alright," Dean said after a moment. "I can agree to that."

The three set off down the tunnel, calling for Shred. Sparrow wasn't sure how much time had passed as they were walking, but eventually it came to her attention that their calls had grown quieter. She turned around uneasily. "Guys?"

"We're still here," Dean's voice came back to her. They paused, waiting for Cinnabar's agreement. "Er, correction," Dean said after a moment, "I'm still here."

"Shred! Cinn! CINNABAR!" Sparrow passed a few feet down the path, calling frantically.

"I'm uh, gonna check down this path real quick," Dean informed her. "I'll be back in a sec."

"Yeah, good idea, you do – WAIT, NO!" Sparrow whipped around, only to find that Dean had already gone. She poked her head into the tunnel Dean had taken, but saw no sign of the not-cat's bright pelt.

Sparrow's own pelt began to fluff in horror, as she realized she was once again alone in the dark. She yowled until her lungs hurt, and then past that until her voice began to rasp, but nobody answered.

The echoes in the cavern were odd; it seems as though even silence could be distorted by the cavern walls. Sparrow took a deep breath, then another, trying to calm down. The others were nearby, she could sense it. Everything would be fine, in fact, this was probably their plan all along. Yes, that was it. They had planned this.

As the moments ticked by, Sparrow became painfully aware of the odd echoes in the caverns, and the way they slowly sharpened into an all-too-familiar skittering....

Nestor's warning had sent a shiver down the spine of every not-cat. For most, it was a shiver of fear – why would Nestor say that? What was living in the woods that could scare even a guardian? – but for Robin, it was a shiver of excitement. He wasn't the most adventurous not-cat, but he did love stories. And if there was something lurking in the woods? Well, that was the perfect opportunity to live his own story.

"Oh, not again," an amused voice interrupted his thoughts. "Perhaps you should give up fishing and be a scribe."

"Hey!" Robin's protest went unheard as his paper was snatched from his paws.

Dark eyes darted over the neat writing on the page. "... a place where the trees grow so thick they block out the light, huh?"

"I was planning to invite you on the journey," he mumbled.

"As if I'd let you leave me behind," Light purred, rubbing their head against Robin. "We'd have to get an adventuring team though."

"True... Maybe I could ask Quarterstaff and Sparrow?"

"Sparrow won't join us without Ayrie," Light reminded him.

"Right. Ayrie."

"I still don't understand why you don't like them."

"I told you, it's personal." Robin let out a soft hiss, pacing to the other side of the room. That was the one thing he'd never tell anyone, including Light.

"Robin, it's okay. You can –"

"Can we just change the subject? Please?"

"Yeah, sure..." Judging by the odd look on Light's face, it was clear they weren't going to leave it alone. But they respected his wishes for now, at least. "So what do you think is out there?"

"It's hard to say... I mean, it could be anything."

"Whatever it is, it seems to have scared Nestor pretty good." There was a hint of nervousness edging its way into Light's voice.

"I don't think Nestor's scared, I mean, not in the normal sense of being scared, anyway. I think Nestor's more scared for us – it is their duty as a guardian to protect us, after all." Robin sat down, quickly pulling his tail in to hide the nervous twitching. He wouldn't admit it, but he felt Light's anxiety, too. What if whatever was out there was stronger than their guardian? And what if not-cats were what it wanted?

He shook the thoughts from his head. He wanted to be the main character in his story. And that meant being strong, it meant showing no fear.

"I overheard some not-cats in Gardenhome the other day," Light said slowly, as if they were scared to break the silence that had fallen. "It sounds like other villages are preparing to explore."

Robin frowned. "Cloudypaws hasn't mentioned anything about that."

"You should ask her," they suggested, crossing the room to sit next to him.

"And if she says no?"

"Then we'll do it ourselves." Light let out an amused purr at Robin's expression. "You've known her the longest out of almost the entire village, I'm sure she'll say yes." They snuggled against Robin for a moment, then got up and headed for the door.

"Wait – you're not planning to get the whole village involved in this, are you?"

Light paused, turning back to look at him. "Why not?"

"I mean, if we – if you get everyone –"

"Robin... Look, you said it yourself, there's something out there. The other villages are probably looking for it already."

"I doubt that. Adventures that big take more than a few days of preparation."

"I'm just saying, we could be the first to find it." Light flicked their tail and left, probably to finish whatever daily duty they had been taking a break from.

Robin sighed, staring at the slightly-crumpled parchment between his paws for a moment before carefully tucking it into his chest. "Come on, Fluffy," he said softly, pulling out his fluffluff toy. "Let's go for a walk."

The scent of rain filled the air as Robin stepped outside. He smiled slightly, letting the drops roll down his face and the sounds clear his head.

Perhaps Light was right – getting the whole village involved in their adventure would be a lot better than trying to prepare alone. Maybe the preparations would keep Ayrie busy and out of his way, too.

Robin opened his eyes, searching for any sign of Cloudypaws. He couldn't see her, but he had an odd feeling she'd be hanging around the library. He set off, walking quickly at first, then running, rain stinging his ears and nose, the mud on his paws barely visible against his dark, wet fur. He had to find her.

Only one thought circled through Robin's mind now. Something was out there. And the not-cats of the Far Side would be the first to find it.

Dean woke up to the sound of rain outside. That was nothing new, the not-cat thought to themself, squinting at the window in disgust. It seemed to rain a lot in Nestor's Wood.

Dean had other things to worry about, however; the village's founding celebrations would be held soon. It had been nearly a year since the first not-cats had stepped through Nestor's Door and decided to start a village. Or perhaps it had been longer than that, Dean wasn't sure anymore. The village had grown faster than any of them could have expected; Dean and their friends had been so occupied with exploring to expand the village that they hardly had time to remember what day it was.

"Going somewhere?" Breezy's voice came from across the room.

"I have daily chores to take care of." Dean crossed the room, giving Breezy's nose a soft boop with their own. "Where's Ember?"

"Still sleeping," Breezy replied. "Light and Robin's kids are coming over later."

"Make sure they wipe their paws this time," Dean said with a soft laugh. "They won't be getting away with much if they leave a muddy trail everywhere they go."

"I will," she replied with a gentle smile.

"I should get going now. Don't want to be late for party planning." The not-cat gave their partner one last boop, then headed for the door.

"Dean?"

"Yes?" They stopped, turning back to look at Breezy.

"Be careful out there. Something about this storm... it doesn't feel right."

"Don't worry," Dean smiled at her. "I'll be careful."



"Dean? Are you okay?" Robin looked at Dean, concern in his dark brown eyes.

"Er, yeah I'm – it's just... Something Breezy said earlier. I can't get it out of my mind."

"What was it?" Tressa asked.

"She said the storm didn't feel right."

"That's odd," Sparrow jumped in. "Ayrie said the same thing this morning. I told them they were crazy."

"Look, it's just a storm," Morocco said, a slight hint of annoyance in their voice. "We've had storms before, and it's true that this is one of the worst but, if we could get through the others, we can get through this one."

"I feel it too," Cloudypaws spoke up from across the room. "There's something off about this storm. It's unnatural."

The other cats glanced at each other, the same thought going through each of their heads. Cloudypaws had been silent for the entire meeting; if she was worried enough to say something, it couldn't be good.

"What is there to do though? We don't even know what's wrong with the storm, if there's anything wrong with it at all."

"I agree with Sparrow," Dean said. "There's nothing we can do, besides waiting it out like any other storm."

The door flew open suddenly, and a soaking wet Shred stumbled through. "Hope I'm not too late," ae said with an uneasy smile.

"There's no such thing as too late," Tressa replied. Xe pushed a plate of cookies across the table toward Shred, who happily took one.

"So, what'd I miss?" Shred asked, sitting down in the empty chair next to Robin.

"Not much. We have a few games planned. Robin's heading up the archery section, and Tressa's baking desserts for the village," Morocco answered. "We still need more suggestions, if you have any."

"Well, I'll obviously be helping with the baking. Hm.. can I see the schedule?"

"Of course!" Morocco passed a small stack of papers to Shred.

"So what do you guys think of that storm out there?" Shred asked, looking over the schedule.

"Probably one of the worst we've had," Sparrow said. "But I still say it's a normal storm, regardless of what you guys think." She glared around the room as if to make her point.

"I don't see anything wrong with it myself. But if Cloudypaws thinks there's something wrong with it, maybe we should be worried." Robin paused for a moment, gazing out the window, then added, "But we don't know what it is we should be worried about – at least, not yet anyway."

"I agree," Tressa added. "Natural or unnatural, it's a bad storm. I'm sure there will be quite a bit of damage to repair tomorrow."

"Hopefully not too much," Dean said.

"Imagine if we had to delay the festival," Robin said in agreement, letting out a soft laugh.

Morocco glared at him. "I told you not to announce any plans yet in case we had to delay it! You didn't announce any plans yet, did you?"

Robin simply smiled, earning an annoyed hiss from Morocco.

"The village is pretty understanding," Tressa interjected. "I'm sure nobody will mind if we delay it a few days due to the storm." The others murmured in agreement; xe was probably right, there wouldn't be many issues if they had to delay the festivities.

For a moment, they sat in silence, listening to the purr of the thunder and the howl of the wind from outside. Suddenly, the door flew open again, making them all jump. Flax stumbled through, looking nervous and out of breath. "Guys," he managed to say between gasps for air. "You have to come see this."

"Flax? What's wrong?" Morocco jumped up immediately, joining Flax by the door.

"Just... come... look..." Flax trailed off, slinking back outside. The others cast nervous glances at each other, then followed him outside.

As Dean's paws hit the mud, they finally realized what Breezy had meant, what Cloudypaws and Ayrie had felt. The earth became wet without the rain, the leaves moved without the wind, the thunder rumbled without the lightning, and a feeling of wrongness filled the air.



None of them were sure when the sun had risen on the next day, or if it had at all. A thick fog had settled over the land, obscuring the sky and giving an ominous feeling to the now-ruined village.

Dean stepped carefully over the piles of blankets and sleeping not-cats, calling softly for their partner and trying not to wake anyone.

"I'm over here," Breezy's voice whispered back. Dean followed the sound, finally finding Breezy under a red blanket with Ember curled by her side.

"Oh, good. You're both okay." Dean leaned down, booping Breezy's nose with their own.

"Light and I were the first to get here," she replied. "We knew the storm would be bad, and the fort was the safest place for the kittens to play."

Dean glanced around at the sleeping village. "The storm caused a lot of damage last night. I'm going to go check it out, and organize a few repair parties later."

"Alright," Breezy replied. "I'll stay here with Ember."

"See you in a bit," Dean whispered. Then they turned and began the parkour to the door.

The damage outside was just as bad as Dean had suspected. Entire buildings and houses lay in shambles, some more intact than others. It would take days, maybe even months, to repair everything. Dean walked through the village for a bit, before letting out a tired sigh and turning back toward Fort Farside, the only building which hadn't been torn apart by the storm.

As Dean walked back, they became aware of a presence behind them. Perhaps someone else had woken up early too, and decided to survey the damage. With this thought in mind, Dean called out into the silence. "Hello?"

Through the thick fog, they could see the dark figure of a not-cat approaching through the wreckage. As the not-cat's silhouette drew closer, Dean could make out the odd markings of a not-cat born in Gardenhome City. But that was odd... Dean knew the comings and goings of the village, and this not-cat wasn't a Farsider.

"Hello," the not-cat greeted Dean.

"Hello," Dean replied, giving the cat an uneasy glance. Visitors didn't come to the Far Side often. "Can I help you?"

"What's wrong, Dean? Don't you remember me?"

"Remember you?" Dean echoed, confused.

"I'm Vale." He handed Dean a business card, confirming his identity.

"Wait." Dean looked back and forth between the not-cat and the business card. "How do you know me?"

"Don't you remember, Dean?" Vale gave him a gentle, oddly unsettling smile.

Dean fought back their frustration; they weren't sure they liked this cat. But it wouldn't do to get mad at a visitor, especially when they could potentially be helpful with the repairs. Dean took a deep breath, trying not to snap at Vale. "No, I don't remember."

"Dean," Vale began. He stepped closer as he spoke; the air around him echoed oddly as he approached, as if a thousand not-cats were all screaming at once. "You're the one who brought me here."