Name from a song called "Na zare" by Soviet band Alliance. It sounds cool.

This was inspired by a piece of art on DA, and you can probably find the post on my tumblr (link in profile) if you search "jayfeather x fallen leaves x half moon" and scroll to the first post. i think.

Jaypaw had been angry, and sad, and both.

He fucking hated his destiny. He hated it. Why? He wanted to stay with Half Moon.

As he padded out from the medicine cat den, he was enraged. Some part of him knew he couldn't stay with Half Moon, but that didn't mean he was fine with it.

(He absolutely hated it.)

Jaypaw walked towards the thorn tunnel, padding out of camp, and once he was reasonably sure he was out of earshot, he broke into a full run. He didn't know where he was heading: he just wanted to escape from everything. Eventually, he ran out of time: he knew. He was stopping here. And he knew it was the tunnels: he could just sense the smell of the damp walls, and imagine the tight spaces inside. Something was urging him– he had to go inside. Maybe it was his guilt from abandoning Fallen Leaves. Maybe it was something else. But he knew– he had to go inside. And he would know the way.

Jaypaw set out into the tunnels. Everything was wrong right now: greencough had basically destroyed the whole Clan, and there was no catmint. He couldn't stay with Half Moon. Jaypaw wished he could just not have to care. He wished he was with Half Moon, and didn't have to worry about basically the whole Clan dying.

He stopped. It was the correct place.

"… Jaypaw?"

"Fallen Leaves? I-I'm sorry. I'm sorry I left you. I'm just… well, I have a lot to deal with. I just… crumpled, I guess. Too much. It was all too much," he said. The words just came spilling out of his mouth. It was satisfying, actually. He could finally be put to rest.

"… Jaypaw. You need to contact your other medicine cat friends. Ask them for what you need."

He smiled. "Thanks, Fallen Leaves. And… I promise, I'll visit you. I'll bring you out."

– –

Jayfeather had a lot on his mind. But currently, it was two things.

Fallen Leaves, and Ashfur.

The latter had revealed that their parents weren't actually Squirrelflight and Brambleclaw. He and his siblings had sworn themselves to secrecy around those events, but he knew that Hollyleaf was determined to find out their real parents. So was he, in fact. He just didn't care as much.

And then, there was Fallen Leaves. He'd kept his promise, mostly. He was meeting him far more frequently, mostly in dreams. He smiled faintly. It had been fun, just talking. They'd only actually met three times, but Jayfeather could feel Fallen Leaves' sheer joy, just at not being lonely for however long anymore.

Fallen Leaves' face was one of pure surprise and happiness.

"You came! Not in real life, but… how?"

Jayfeather snorted. "I have this power… I can walk in the dreams of others. So… yeah, you know."

You summoned me or what?"

"Yes, you furbrain."

There was a slight pause, before Jayfeather spoke up again.

"So, you wanted this. What do you actually want to talk about?"

He sat down, facing a random direction, and flicked his tail to direct Fallen Leaves to do the same.

"I just… well, I guess I didn't have much to talk about," he began. "I just wanted someone to talk to. For more than one meeting. Oh, it's been so long. You don't know. I've been stuck on my own underground for… well, I don't know. At least one thousand moons, I would think."

Jayfeather mentally staggered. One thousand moons?

"Wow. That's… long."

What an understatement.

"I know. Anyway… what do you think we should do? I mean, I don't know. I just need company. And I don't think either of us are quite yet ready to leave yet?"

Jayfeather shook his head. No, he wasn't. He wanted to stay forever.

Jayfeather laughed, looking over his shoulder. He was pretty sure he'd lost Fallen Leaves. It was yet another dream, and they were playing. Acting like kits, really. But seeing how Jaykit had a less-than-satisfactory childhood in the first place (at least according to himself) he thought he deserved this.

Suddenly, someone landed on top of him, knocking him to the ground.

"Hah. Caught you again!"

Wiggling out from under Fallen Leaves, Jayfeather groaned. "That's like, what, the tenth time? Come on, just let me win for once!"
He laughed: that sound clear as day, beautiful as the sunset. "Well, make it harder for me to win, then."

Jayfeather woke up in what could only be described as void: a space completely devoid of anything, and completely black (if you could even call it that– there was nothing, after all). There was no ground. There was no wall, no sky. No anything. Just empty space. But in front of him, brilliant white pelt contrasting with the black landscape, was a cap. Just standing there, waiting for him. Watching him.

"H-Half Moon?"

"Hello, Jayfeather."

"I-I–"

"It's okay, I know. I understand."

"But… I… I abandoned you. I-I didn't want this! I didn't want this! I-I love you," he shouted. Jayfeather was close to tears. He didn't understand. He didn't want to understand. He wanted to be with her, to be next to her. He wanted to spend his life by her side.

"It's okay, Jay's Wing. I know. I… I never took a mate. I knew… I knew you were not lying. I would wait for you forever."

"But it's not fair," Jayfeather continued. Tears were streaming down his face. "I don't want you to wait forever. I want you now. I– I don't want to wait! I don't… I don't want anything. I just want to be with you… why…" he broke down, crying.

Half Moon lay with him in the void, letting him rest on her shoulder as he cried.

"I'm sorry, Half Moon."

"I can't… I don't want to leave you again. Please…"

She smiled sadly. "We'll meet again soon, Jay. And…" she winked, "look out for Fallen Leaves."

Jayfeather woke again, in a much friendlier landscape. This time, it looked just as weird and funny, but it was simply a world, full of depth, and everything you would expect from a real world. Trees, wind, a small stream. It was a peaceful night, illuminated most brightly by a large moon and peppered with stars. He saw them both, laying ahead of him.

"Well, nice of you to finally show up."

"Oh, shut it, Fallen. You know I don't actually set how these things are… set up."

"Yeah, yeah. Still."

"You are a fucking dense idiot," even as Jayfeather said those words, he knew Fallen Leaves wouldn't take offense. He knew it was just teasing.

"Well, we all are."

"I know. We've been dancing around for… I don't know."

Jayfeather sat down with them, and smiled, looking at the extremely bright night sky. It looked almost white from the light.

A white night, huh?

"Jay?"

"Hm? Half Moon?"

"I told you."

"Yes, yes," he smiled. "I know. I love you too."

Fallen Leaves leaned into Jayfeather's shoulder, his face giddy with happiness.

"You think we could make us work?"

Jayfeather laughed. "Oh, Fallen. You are a dense idiot. We already are. Look at this."

Back in the real world, two spirits surrounded Jayfeather's sleeping form: one, a white cat, the other, a sleek ginger and white cat.

They surrounded him, and cuddled with him the whole night.

"You two are great. Thanks."

"I know. But just relax, Jay. Just relax. Let it go."

The next morning, they left, and Jayfeather woke, to start another day, always looking forward to the end of it when he could spend time with them.