Elsi: Hi, everyone! Have another Breezepelt and Sunstrike one-shot! This one-shot is called FALL. It's...well, it makes sense as to why it's called fall. At least, it should. This one probably takes place during Long Shadows or maybe Sunrise. Breezepelt doesn't know that he has half-siblings yet, but he is a warrior...so, there you go. That's the timeframe. Ummmmm...more Sunpaw?

Trek: I like Sunstrike. She's kind of unusual.

Elsi: Yep! She's quiet, very clumsy, and yet super-duper cheerful. She's also very selfless. Anyways, read and review, please!

Trek: Elsi doesn't own Warriors. Nor do I. But that's irrelevant.


Fall

Sunpaw stretched in the morning light, shaking a drop of dew off of her nose. Swallowpaw purred in amusement, nudging past her.

"It's so beautiful out here," Swallowpaw commented. She turned back to Sunpaw, smiling. "Don't you think, Sunpaw?"

"Yes," agreed Sunpaw, but she didn't say much else. Swallowpaw was good to have around, she reflected, and the two she-cats padded towards the fresh-kill pile, which was slightly lower than it had been the night before.

"Swallowpaw," she called lightly. Swallowpaw looked up with wide green eyes, and Sunpaw frowned. "Is there less fresh-kill here, or am I imagining it?"

Swallowpaw took a look, and she shook her head.

"It's because leaf-bare is coming," she promised. "Come on, you should eat something. We can hunt later, but you can't do anything on an empty stomach." Sunpaw looked at the mouse she held, but she suddenly wasn't very hungry. It wasn't right that the Clan should go hungry, not during leaf-fall!

"Thanks, but I'm going to see if Emberfoot needs me," Sunpaw replied hastily. Swallowpaw mewed her confusion, but Sunpaw turned away anyways, trotting over to her mentor. The dark-pelted tom was relaxing in the morning sunlight.

"Emberfoot, can we hunt?" asked Sunpaw, flicking her tail from side to side. "I want to make the fresh-kill pile tall again!" Emberfoot meowed his amusement, sitting up and shaking his head out.

"I think that would be alright," he admitted. "Have you eaten anything this morning? We shouldn't head out without food in our bellies."

"I had a bite or two," lied Sunpaw. She knew better than to tell him that she hadn't eaten; he would force something down her throat. That was the thing about Emberfoot: he was just so stubborn about some things! Plus, she wasn't hungry. It was a beautiful day; she was full of energy!

"Ashfoot!" called Emberfoot, leading Sunpaw towards the entrance. "Sunpaw and I are going hunting!"

"You should take another warrior with you," said a voice, and Sunpaw turned to see Whitetail blinking at them. "Breezepelt!"

From nearby, Sunpaw's former denmate turned his amber eyes up.

"Go hunting with Emberfoot and Sunpaw!" ordered Whitetail. "They need another warrior with them."

For a long moment, Breezepelt looked as if he was going to protest, but then he nodded, trotting over towards them. Sunpaw could nearly feel his irritation, and she rolled her eyes. Why was Breezepelt so grumpy lately? There was no need for that. They were in a beautiful place, especially with all the leaves falling from the trees. Plus, they had the opportunity to help out their Clan! Sunpaw adored helping WindClan to prosper. She felt like she was…part of something.

Out on the open hills, Sunpaw let the wind whip through her fur. She took a good long breath, tasting the scents of cats all around her. There was a rabbit or two nearby, she realized, which was good to know.

"I smell rabbit!" she reported, turning to Emberfoot. "Towards the lake."

"Good, Sunpaw," Emberfoot praised. "Let's head towards the lake, then!" Nodding, Sunpaw took off at a jog, letting the wind press into her long tortoiseshell fur. How did ThunderClan or ShadowClan cats live under all of those trees? It was just so wonderful out here – free, really. She would never be able to live without that freedom.

"Careful!" Something pushed her lightly, and Sunpaw tumbled down the hill, landing clumsily in a pile of leaves. She looked up, annoyed, to see Breezepelt standing there. "The ground isn't stable here."

"What do you mean, unstable?" asked Sunpaw, marching up the hill. "It's perfectly fine! We've run over this territory tons of times."

"Keep up, you two!" called Emberfoot, casting a look over his shoulder. "Or we'll lose that rabbit!"

"Come on," Breezepelt said, and he pushed off the ground. Sunpaw picked up her pace, leading the way up the next rise. Leaves from ThunderClan trees whipped through her fur, and she purred in surprise. It just felt so great in the cool leaf-fall air. Leaf-fall was her favorite time of year, she decided firmly.

"Hey!" called Breezepelt. Sunpaw turned her head, and she found herself slipping. Suddenly, the young warrior batted her out of the way, leaping forward as the ground fell out from underneath him. Sunpaw cried out in surprise, scampering away in shock, and peered down at Breezepelt. He sat up, shaking the dust off of his fur, and Sunpaw found that he was sitting in a deep hole. It was probably a burrow of a fox, abandoned long ago…but the slopes were too tricky for cats to climb.

"Emberfoot, Breezepelt's stuck!" called Sunpaw, turning to her mentor. The grey warrior sighed, trotting towards them. He looked down into the hole, where Breezepelt sat, crossly.

"I can try to jump," Breezepelt snapped. "I'm not stuck yet." To prove his point, he took a massive leap towards the top of the wall, getting a grip on the dirt. But, just as his claws locked in, the shaking dirt gave in, and he toppled backwards. Emberfoot's whiskers twitched in amusement.

"I'll go fetch help," he said. "Stay here, Sunpaw, and see if you can't figure out a way to get Breezepelt out of there." Breezepelt tried to jump again, to no avail. At last, he sat at the bottom of the cavern.

Sunpaw flicked her tail, cautiously approaching the edge.

"Maybe you can jump up and grab my paw," she suggested, trying to think of something. "Then I could pull you up." Breezepelt observed her for a few seconds before shaking his head. He sighed in annoyance.

"I'd probably pull you in," he said. "But that would work…do you have a stick or anything?" Sunpaw looked around, trying to think. She needed a long and sturdy stick, a tree root or something. But this was WindClan!

Her eyes fell on a washed up piece of wood near the shore, and she meowed a warning to Breezepelt. Quickly, Sunpaw turned, sliding down the hill and picking up the piece of driftwood. It was long enough, she decided, and she began treading up the hill, dragging the heavy piece of driftwood with her.

"Did you find something?" Breezepelt called up. Muffled by the driftwood, Sunpaw mewed her consent. She settled the driftwood by the edge of the hole to catch her breath.

"I'll lower this down," she suggested. "You can dig your claws in, and I'll pull you up." Sunpaw backed up, trying to find a spot where she could get a good grip on the earth. Cautiously, Sunpaw reached for the driftwood, hoping to use her front paws to get a good grip on it. But the bark was slippery, and soon, Sunpaw released the earth to crawl closer. If only the piece of wood wasn't so heavy!

That's when Sunpaw's clumsy nature kicked in, and as she reached for the driftwood, her long tail swept under her. With a squeak, Sunpaw tripped, tumbling head-over-heels. Unlike her previous falls, she fell longer than she'd expected.

"You mouse-brain, Sunpaw!" exclaimed Breezepelt, and Sunpaw realized with a jolt that she'd fallen into the burrow. "What did you do?"

"I fell," answered Sunpaw stupidly. Breezepelt hissed his exasperation, looking back up towards the surface.

"Now we're both caught down here!" he declared. "This wouldn't have happened if you had been a little more careful."

"You fell first!" snapped Sunpaw, rounding on him. The black tom sighed, annoyed, and turned his attention back to the top of the hole. "Now what do we do?"

"We wait for Emberfoot to come back," Breezepelt sighed. He sounded frustrated. Sunpaw sighed, crouching down. She felt guilty for failing him; why did she have to be so clumsy anyways? She would never be a warrior if she couldn't stand up properly.

A few boring moments passed, and Sunpaw shifted. Well, if she was stuck in here with Breezepelt, she might as well make conversation. It was either that or stare at him.

"How's being a warrior?" asked Sunpaw, trying to shift away from him. Unfortunately, it was a small burrow for two cats, and his tail had to drape over her paws in order for them to both sit. Not that Sunpaw minded the contact; she liked it when she had company.

"It's basically like being an apprentice, except without the chores," Breezepelt said dryly. Sunpaw's whiskers twitched; she didn't get to see the funny side of Breezepelt. No one did.

"At least you don't have to listen to Webfoot's rendition of how Onestar came to power for the seventeenth time," Sunpaw pointed out. A glimmer of amusement caught in Breezepelt's eyes.

"And I stepped out from the shadows, leading the cry!" declared Breezepelt in his best Webfoot-voice. Sunpaw giggled. "Please. We all know that he fought against Onestar until the end."

"Or Morningflower's complaints," she put forth. "Sunpaw, there's a thorn in my bedding! Sunpaw, are you sure this came from the tree I like? Honestly, apprentices these days! They hardly even know where to put their paws!"

"What is with those apprentices these days?" Breezepelt added teasingly. Sunpaw batted at him with one paw. "I mean, any decent WindClan apprentice can walk two tail-lengths without falling in a hole."

"I mean, any decent WindClan warrior can figure out not to jump on a fox burrow," echoed Sunpaw. She liked this playful side of Breezepelt. He'd been so cross lately; Sunpaw was sure that the kit in him had gone away entirely. But apparently, he was a young warrior like anyone else.

"Where is Emberfoot?" she wondered aloud, looking towards the sky. Her mentor still hadn't returned. Breezepelt flicked his tail, the tip brushing against her chest.

"He'll be here soon," he promised. "Why, don't you like spending time in fox burrows?"

"Oh, it's delightful," Sunpaw answered, rolling her eyes. "Especially in present company." Breezepelt's amber eyes gleamed, surprised, and Sunpaw felt her pelt grow hot. She hadn't meant to say that. That sounded like she had feelings for him – and she didn't.

"Well, I'm glad you appreciate me," he said at last. "I thought we weren't friends anymore." Sunpaw was taken by surprise at the sincerity in his mew. Where was the grouchy, secluded Breezepelt that she had learned to tolerate? He hadn't yelled at her since she'd fallen in with him. In fact, he seemed very relaxed.

"We've always been friends," she promised him, warmed by the idea. They'd never been particularly close, but Sunpaw was thrilled that he actually considered her his friend. Breezepelt had Heathertail…he'd never appeared to want or need anyone else around him. Amber eyes sparkled with sincerity and warmth, taking Sunpaw by surprise.

"That's good to know," he sighed. "It's nice to not have to worry about anything. To just sit. Out of all the apprentices that I could be stuck in a fox burrow with, you're probably the best."

"Well, thanks," purred Sunpaw, but she knew that there was a note of sincerity in the words. "Out of all the grouchy and arrogant new warriors I could be stuck in a fox burrow with, you're probably the worst."

"Hey!" Breezepelt cried, and he flicked her chin with the tip of his tail. "You just said that you liked me, remember?"

"That doesn't make you any less grumpy," Sunpaw replied evenly. She twitched her own tail, amused. "Oh, look at me. I'm Breezepelt, the finest warrior WindClan has ever seen. RiverClan warriors tremble at my paws, and she-cats faint when I fix them with my amber smolder. StarClan forbid I should actually have to listen to anyone else!"

Breezepelt tried to glare at her for several moments, and Sunpaw held his amber smolder with a barely-suppressed grin. Then, they were laughing.

It felt good to laugh, and it felt even better to have someone else to laugh with. Breezepelt's laugh was rich, almost forced, as if he hadn't laughed for real in a very long time. That thought stopped Sunpaw's laughter for a moment, and she watched him in his bliss for a second before starting to giggle again. There was something truly tragic about Breezepelt. Maybe it was that he had been pushed aside by most of the Clan; all he had wanted was, well, to be wanted. No cat had ever really given him that, and it was sad. Making a cat like that laugh made Sunpaw's heart soar.

"Sunpaw, you mouse-brain!" cried a voice. Laughter ceased for a moment, and Sunpaw glanced up to see Emberfoot leaning over them. Larkflight stood beside him, a twinkle in her eyes. "How did you fall in, too?"

"I was trying to help," whined Sunpaw, but her heart was light. Emberfoot sighed, and Sunpaw noticed other warriors around them apart from her mother. They began to bicker on the best way to help them out; Sunpaw tried to help as best as she could.

Sunpaw glanced back at Breezepelt as they finally clambered out of the hole, trying to read the look in his amber eyes. There was a mystery there, and some sort of emotion that she didn't understand. Newfound respect and friendship, she hoped. Honestly, the fresh air felt good, but she kind of missed the brushing of Breezepelt's tail on her paws. He fell into step with her as they walked back, and she swore that he was a half a step closer than he would have been. Her heart and pelt warmed at having him so close.

"Amber smolder, huh?" Breezepelt meowed, looking down at her. Sunpaw's whiskers twitched in embarrassment, and she tried to think of some explanation. But Breezepelt winked, and she shouldered him, irritated. Breezepelt laughed, and as they continued back, Sunpaw realized something.

He was looking for freedom. That's all he wanted, was freedom to laugh and talk, to have his dreams, to vent his anger, and to have someone to listen to him when he was upset. Sunpaw's paws began to tingle; he wanted someone to want him, and to…love him.

Maybe that was why he was so happy all of a sudden: he had found that cat.

He had found Sunpaw.


Elsi: FLUFF. UFFDUFFDUFFDUFFFLUFF.

Trek: Uh...right. So, if you liked that, review! There will be more. Yes, yes there will be.

Elsi: Ehhehheheheh. Right. More. That's my job.