Disclaimer: I do not own Warriors or the Legend of Zelda. A majority of the characters in this story belong to me, but I think you can guess which ones don't.
Setting: Two months after the end of Ocarina of Time.

The skies were full of stars, stars so close they appeared to be tangled in amongst the rustling leaves of the trees. Down below, the ground was scraped into a smooth, valley-like place, covered from end to end with soft, lush grass that whispered in the night wind. In the center of the clearing stood four massive oak trees, and at their feet rested a giant, jagged boulder. It was atop this stone that the blue-gray she-cat crouched, her icy eyes narrowed in thought. The gentle, restless breezes tugged at her pelt playfully, as if coaxing her to run with them. The cat's ears pressed flat to the sides of her head in irritation, and after a moment, she stood and leapt down from the rock.

"Spottedleaf, I wish to speak to you," she meowed, looking around the clearing expectantly. Within heartbeats, a tortoiseshell she-cat appeared from between the trees at the edge of the clearing, a rabbit clamped in her jaws. With light, graceful steps that left the icy sparkle of stardust on the grass, she padded over to the other queen.

"What is it, Bluestar?" she asked, setting down her catch. Bluestar, the gray cat, flicked her tail to beckon the other, who abandoned her rabbit to follow. The two she-cats skimmed the grass fluidly, making their way towards a pool of silver water at the edge of the grove. It was there that Bluestar sat, motioning with her tail for Spottedleaf to do the same.

"I see visions in the pool like nothing before," Bluestar replied in a low murmur. "A dark warrior, stronger than any we've ever seen, Clans of cats crying out for help...all in a land I've never seen in my life."

Spottedleaf frowned thoughtfully, giving one white forepaw a lick before drawing it over her ears. "Could it be perhaps the Tribe calling to us?" she asked. "After all, one of our number walks in their skies as well."

Bluestar shook her head. "These are Clan cats," she insisted. Spottedleaf twitched her ears questioningly. "I'm not sure how I know, but I do."

"StarClan see farther than you give them credit for, Bluestar," a new voice pointed out.

Bluestar and Spottedleaf turned to face the speaker, only to end up bristling in fear and disbelief. The one who had spoken was a Twoleg! Her furless skin was milky-pale and seemed to glow faintly with an inner, golden light; the pelt she wore was long and flowing, beginning under her forelegs and continuing to pool at her hindpaws. The fur on her head was long and sleek, blue as the pelt she wore. And—strangely enough—her ears were somewhat more catlike than other Twolegs': They sloped to steep points away from the sides of her head. The Twoleg settled herself down across the pool from the two cats, her golden gaze calm.

"Your cats span across many lands," she continued, sketching a figure on the silver surface of the waters. "Even to Hyrule."

The tense she-cats exchanged a glance before starting to relax as they realized this strange Twoleg meant them no harm. Bluestar turned her head to study the Twoleg, while Spottedleaf crouched down to gaze intently into the pool. The argent glow turned her dark fur purest shining silver.

"Who are you?" Bluestar asked suspiciously. "And how can you walk in StarClan's skies?"

"My name is Nayru," the woman replied gently. "I am, to my people, the Goddess of Wisdom—somewhat like their StarClan. They ask my sisters and me (1) for protection, blessings, gifts..." She shook her head. "But none of this is relevant, save to answer your second question. I am able to walk your skies because I am, like you, above the mortal world." Her eyes glowed warmly. "I have been searching for this place long and hard, Bluestar."

"Why?" the silver-muzzled queen queried. "Do you know more of the cats I have seen of late?"

"I do," Nayru replied. "I know the danger that Hyrule's Clans face, and I have come to ask for your help in saving them." She placed her hand on the still water, whose silver glow changed briefly to a sunny yellow. "Because they are under your protection, my sisters and I can do nothing to save these cats—but because they are part of Hyrule, we must protect them. Only by StarClan's permission may we act."

"You sound as though you have the solution," Bluestar meowed. "Tell me."

"I have chosen a Hero, full of courage and pure of heart; I wish for him to save the Clans." Nayru lifted her hand from the waters and indicated for Bluestar to look. The blue-gray cat obliged, only to leap back in disgust, bristling.

"Th-that's a Twoleg!" she hissed. Indeed, the pool showed the image of a young Twoleg male, with head-fur the color of a lion's mane and deep blue eyes. Spottedleaf drew back from the waters, her amber eyes wide. "Nayru, are you saying that only one of them can save Hyrule's Clans?"

"He is a Hero in his world, Bluestar, and he will be a Hero in yours—if you only let him," the Goddess answered.

"But he isn't much more than a kit!" the former leader of ThunderClan protested, twitching her whiskers in disbelief.

"He is stronger than he appears," Nayru assured her. "It would be possible to age him; however, he has been down that path quite recently, and is not keen on repeating the experience. Also, the Timestream has yet to fully recover from the event—doing so again may very well unravel Time in Hyrule altogether."

Bluestar's eyes narrowed in distrust, but Spottedleaf turned to her with a kind of bright conviction in her pale gaze. "Bluestar, these are Clan cats," she mewed reasonably. "How will we honestly be able to say that StarClan care for all if we ignore them in their time of need? Even if they live and hunt far from our old territory, they still have faith in us to protect them." She turned to the Goddess briefly, then back to her former Clanmate. "I believe Nayru, and I think we should do as she says."

Bluestar kneaded the soft ground at her paws thoughtfully, bowing her head in silence. The warm air carried with it the hint of tension, cold and untrusting. Finally, the old gray cat lifted her head. "I have decided," she meowed firmly. "I shall allow this Hero of yours entrance to the world of the Clans. However, some changes must be made."

"Explain," was all Nayru said.

Bluestar swept her paw over the water, and the image of the boy shivered. It changed, becoming that of a young golden tabby with the same haunting blue gaze. His ears were unlike that of a normal cat, being longer and more steeply pointed. A strange yellow patch of fur appeared just above his left forepaw, but it was barely noticeable. As Bluestar had said, he wasn't much more than a kit—his limbs were long and gangly, ending in chubby paws—but there was a kind of supple strength lurking behind his awkward physique. Nayru studied the image, nodding to herself.

"Very well," she told Bluestar. "He shall enter your world as a cat."

The gray queen nodded. "I have never seen these cats outside of visions in the pool, but if they follow StarClan, then we are obligated to protect them. You have my permission, and the permission of StarClan, to send this Hero into the world of cats." Nayru nodded, then hesitated.

"I require one last thing," she began. "I will see to it that the boy assumes a cat's body, and I will carry him to meet his new Clan myself...but I am unable to speak to the Clan's leader. She believes in StarClan, not the Goddesses of Hyrule."

Spottedleaf stepped forward. "I will go," she meowed. Turning to Bluestar, she gave a questioning twitch of her ears.

Bluestar nodded, and the tortoiseshell she-cat padded after Nayru. As the two of them neared the edge of the clearing, she lifted her tail in farewell. "Take care," she murmured.

"Incredible!" Spottedleaf mewed, her amber eyes wide in amazement. "Four Clans divided up this much territory between them? There must be room for at least twice that number! Where am I headed?"

The Goddess stretched out her golden arm and pointed to a towering mountain whose peak was wreathed in smoke. "I have chosen MountainClan," she replied. "They are in the most danger of the dark warrior you saw. Their medicine cat is a brown, dappled female who goes by the name of Sagewhisker."

"Sagewhisker," Spottedleaf repeated. She nodded. "Yes...Sagewhisker of MountainClan. What shall I tell her?"

"I will bring the promised cat to the foot of the mountain, and hide him from roving predators," was the reply. "His fur will smell like the forest; describe him as you saw him in the pool, if you like." Spottedleaf nodded. "I suppose it is also worth pointing out that he will not be a warrior—he is young, but with great promise."

"Yes, he appeared to be the age and size of an apprentice," the former medicine cat mused. She turned to look up at Nayru...only to find herself looking down again. The Goddess had become a wiry, blue she-cat with long fur and yellow eyes. Her ears were the same as the Twoleg-turned-cat's would be, and ended in white tufts.

"I thought it would be wise to deliver the message to him in this form," Nayru explained calmly. "After all, he's grown up believing in three Goddesses...I would rather him not be confused by seeing one of those Three telling him that a group of starry cats are guarding him." Spottedleaf nodded in agreement and started towards the mountain. Nayru hesitated, then waved a paw at the sky. A cluster of stars rearranged themselves at her bidding to form a thick band of silver. "Hopefully you will be able to find your way home using this," she murmured, then plunged like a comet towards the forest.

Link found it somewhat strange that he was dreaming about the land just outside Zora's Domain, but frankly, he'd take any dream over his nightmares of Hyrule Castle. The boy was content to sit atop one of the four large stones on the grassy plateau and gaze around at the scenery. It was certainly one of the more peaceful dreams he'd had. The air was warm, with just a hint of the smell of summer to it, and was kept pleasantly cool by the restless breezes. Drawing his knees to his chest, the youth rocked back and forth on his perch. "I could get used to dreaming in a place like this," he whispered wonderingly.

"You may very well dream of here again," a soft voice informed him. Link dropped his knees and looked wildly around. Only when he looked down did he see the source of the voice: a lanky, bluish cat. "Greetings, Hero," the cat meowed formally. "I've come to deliver a message to you from StarClan."

"Who are they?" the boy asked curiously, dropping down from the boulder to kneel in front of the cat. "Is this just a dream, or is it something more?"

"Something more," the cat informed him. "Groups of wildcats live across Hyrule—I'm sure you have seen glimpses of them?"

"I know there's a bunch of them that live in the Lost Woods," he murmured. "And I think another lives somewhere on Death Mountain—Darunia was telling me about them once." The narrow-eared queen nodded. "Does this 'StarClan' thing you speak of have anything to do with those cats?"

"Very much so," the she-cat purred. "They act as Gods and Goddesses to the cats of Hyrule—they call themselves 'warrior ancestors.' The groups of cats are organized into Clans, and right now those Clans are in grave danger." Link frowned thoughtfully. "A dark warrior is threatening them, and StarClan has chosen you to save the Clans."

The boy leaned back on his heels, considering this while the cat waited patiently. "If I were to go," he began slowly. The cat tilted her head to the side. "No, no, never mind. Of course I would be able to speak cat. You would help me with that, wouldn't you?"

"Certainly," was the answer. "It is rather hard to save someone if you are unable to communicate with them, is it not?" Link nodded. "StarClan will provide for your needs. They have chosen MountainClan, the Clan living on Death Mountain, for you to live with, for they are in the most need of your help." She paused. "That is, if you decide to help."

"I will." Link smiled. "After all, if they're a part of Hyrule, it's my duty as Hero of Time to protect them, isn't it? Even if they're just cats, they still have a role in life...even if that role is nothing more than keeping mice under control."

The cat's yellow eyes grew kind. "I knew you would not refuse," she mewed. "Thank you, Hero. All of StarClan is grateful to you."

She flicked her tail for him to crouch lower, then laid a paw on his head. She began to murmur ancient, forgotten words in a low voice. The sharp, metallic scent of winter wind filled the air, and was accompanied by the sounds of ice breaking. Link felt a strange desire build up inside of him: He wanted to run and leap endlessly, prowling from shadow to shadow in search of something small and warm. The sound and smell of the cold grew stronger, until they began to fill his entire being and he felt as though he were made of ice—shattering and reforming at every instant. It wasn't painful, so much as it was...different.

The boy felt as though he were getting smaller and smaller, changing everything about himself, yet remaining the same. Still the blue cat droned on, her voice now rising and falling with his body's every cracking and molding. It was hypnotic, harmonious almost, and soon Link found his mind slowly sliding out from under him. The last thing he was aware of was the knowledge that somehow, inexplicably, the cat now towered over him.

"What?"

"You heard me. A Twoleg."

"You're mad!"

"Sagewhisker, don't you want your Clan to be safe?"

Sagewhisker, the MountainClan medicine cat, shook her head firmly. "No. This can't be right. You're sending MountainClan a Twoleg to save us?"

Spottedleaf shrugged. "Why not?"

"That's mousebrained!"

"Not as mousebrained as it seems at first," Spottedleaf assured her. "The Twolegs'...their warrior ancestors"—the tortoiseshell hoped that was the right term to use—"have seen the Twoleg I'm sending you fight. He has faced the danger threatening your Clan and has emerged victorious."

"How will I know him?" Sagewhisker asked. "How can I be sure he isn't just some Twoleg come to give our Clan trouble?"

"He will be given a cat's body," Spottedleaf explained patiently. "He will appear to be the age of an apprentice—a small golden tabby with eyes the color of deep water." The dappled brown queen nodded in understanding. "He will be hidden somewhere at the foot of the mountain; search for the scent of the forest." Sagewhisker nodded again.

"Very well," she meowed. "Is that all?" Spottedleaf nodded. "Well, now that you've told me what I need to know, I ask you to leave." A glint of amusement entered Sagewhisker's eyes. "Before you arrived, I was having this wonderful dream about hunting the biggest rabbit you've ever seen."

Spottedleaf nodded and left her dream, feeling as though she had accomplished something great. Upon stepping out of the cave that served as Sagewhisker's den, the tortoiseshell looked up to the sky. Her jaws parted in a gasp of awe. Silverpelt! Visible here, in this far-off land? The mere sight of it filled her with unrelenting joy, and she bounded into the stars in a streak of bright silver light.

Once her paws had passed through the cloud of shining dust, though, the stars scattered to their original places, cutting StarClan off from Hyrule once again.

(1) I know it sounds horribly colloquial, but correct grammar takes precedence over formality.