Warrior Cats One-Shots [COMPLETE]

Here And Now ≫ Breezepelt x Female! Reader

Art: NeatNete

⚠️ Warnings ⚠️
• Some angst
• Minor gore

****

As the last of the Dark Forest warriors retreated into the shadows, you allowed yourself a moment to breathe. Blood was streaming down your face from a wound on your forehead, both of your ears had been shredded, and you couldn't put any weight on your right hind leg due to the deep gash on your hackle that Brokenstar had inflicted. Your clanmates were gathered next to you, each as exhausted and torn up as you. You surveyed the familiar faces through one open eye, panic beginning to rise in your throat as you realized the one face you cared about finding was nowhere to be seen. "Breezepelt!" You cried out in a wheeze, your throat still sore from screeching. "Where is Breezepelt!?"

Your former mentor, Harespring, padded up beside you and rested his tail on your shoulder. "He's alive, (Y/N). But I'm afraid—"

"He's a traitor!" Weaselfur snarled, leaping to the front of the crowd and turning to face them with a lash of his tail. "You all saw him out there, so don't pretend you didn't!" The tom flashed you a nasty glare, and you flinched slightly. Harespring stepped a little closer to you, stroking his tail gently down your spine.

"That's enough, Weaselfur," He demanded in an authoritative tone. "WindClan has lost enough tonight. Where's the sense in picking unnecessary fights? Hasn't enough blood been spilled?" The ginger-and-white tabby curled his lips back in a snarl, and for a horrifying moment, you thought he was going to leap on Harespring and rip his throat out.

Suddenly, Onestar stepped in front of you. "Enough!" He demanded, silencing the whole group. "Harespring is right. We will gain nothing from fighting amongst ourselves. Where is the honor in that?" Your clanmates began murmuring to one another, eyes filled with pain, exhaustion, and every other emotion you could imagine. Nightcloud and Crowfeather looked especially tense, scanning the faces of their clanmates as if expecting an attack. "Right," Onestar continued, his voice calmer. "Our wounded need attention. Kestrelflight, see to (Y/N) first. I'm worried about the gash on her leg."

"Yes, Onestar." Kestrelflight meowed, padding over to you and gently guiding you away from Harespring and across the clearing. You limped heavily toward the medicine cat's herb-scented den, pretending not to see the dark gray tom slinking out of camp with his tail between his legs.

****

Several moons had passed since the Great Battle, and life had slowly began to return to normal in WindClan. Despite the loss and hardships all four clans had endured in the days and weeks that followed, everyone had pulled through and proved once again that the clans would prevail. You were taking a serene walk across the moor at dusk when you saw him. The familiar dark gray tom with the spiky fur and battle scars was sitting atop a slope that overlooked WindClan territory, his back to you. You paused, fighting with yourself. It had been moons since you'd spoken to the cat you had once considered your best friend. He had gone out of his way to avoid you after the battle, and you had chosen to leave him alone under the assumption that he blamed you for something. You had planned to never speak with him unless he spoke to you first, but as you stood at the bottom of the hill watching him, a pang of regret began to bubble up in your chest. Was it really worth it to sacrifice a friend over unspoken words?

You slowly made your way up the slope, your paws making little to no sound on the springy heather. Breezepelt twitched an ear as you approached, however, turning to look over his shoulder. You padded up beside him and sat down, following his gaze to the setting sun. "Hey." You meowed quietly, not wanting to push your boundaries. Silence filled the gap between you, and for a moment, you wondered if you were dreaming. Then, he sighed and slumped his shoulders, muttering a discouraged "hey". You allowed silence to fill the void again, shuffling your paws as you tried to think of the right thing to say. You'd almost forgotten how to talk to him.

"I regret everything." It left his mouth in a painful murmur, as if he were trying to hold a great monster inside of him. "I betrayed my clan, my friends, my family. I let them down. But worst of all, I let you down, (Y/N)." He bowed his head like a cat accepting death. "Nothing can began to express how sorry I am for that." You stared at him for a moment, pain sinking into your heart like claws. Breezepelt has made some very bad decisions, but that didn't make him a bad cat. At least, not to you.

"You didn't let me down, Breezepelt," You meowed quietly, barely brushing the tip of your tail against his. "you made a mistake. We all do that. The important thing is that we learn from them and promise to do better." The dark gray warrior sighed heavily, a tired sound that told you how miserable he was.

"I've definitely learned something. I just... I don't know if I am a good cat, you know? Like, I've spent my entire life full of hatred and resentment toward my father. What would StarClan say to a cat who couldn't even make amends for a few petty arguments?"

"You had every right to be angry, Breezepelt," You reassured him gently. "Anyone would be angry if they went through the same stuff you did. You can't spend the rest of your life beating yourself up over something that's over now. Your clanmates have forgiven you, and so has Crowfeather."

He turned to face you, a flash of hope crossing his slender face. "Do you really think so?"

"No," You replied confidently. "I know so. You just have to forgive yourself." He stared at you for a moment, then turned his gaze back to the sky. The sun had almost completely vanished, replaced by a gentle swath of stars that seemed to be glowing brighter than ever before. "See?" You whispered, subconsciously moving closer to him. "They know you're a good warrior, and so do I." He looked down at you, and for a moment, you thought you could see the soft light of love glowing in his amber eyes.

"You're a very kind she-cat, (Y/N)," He murmured. "Thank you. For everything." You smiled softly, a purr rising in your throat as you stood mere inches away from his nose.

"I couldn't imagine my life with anyone else," You whispered as the moon rose high above the moor and a shooting star blazed past it. "You're my everything." And with that, you both simultaneously leaned forward, and after a brief moment of tense silence, pressed your mouths together in a passionate kiss. You closed your eyes, allowing him to gently push you onto your back. You both pulled away for air a moment later, staring into each other's eyes and breathing heavily.

"You're amazing," Breezepelt whispered, licking your nose. "I'm so lucky." You purred, wrapping your paws around his neck and pulling him in for another kiss. Maybe the past really didn't matter, after all. Maybe all that mattered was here and now.

****

I don't like the way this one turned out as much, but it's almost 7am and I need some sleep

I hope you enjoyed this one-shot, and I thank you once again for your support!