Thank you keiman and kei and daisygirl101 for beta reading and helping me improve!

I do not own Chicken Little. Chicken Little is owned by Disney. I only lay claim to Chauncey Cheetah, Chester Cheetah, Chelsie Cheetah, and Chip Cheetah.

Chapter 9

Soon October came. The days were getting shorter and cooler. Trees in and around Oakey Oaks were changing color with the change in season. Leaves were falling off in numerous shades of red, orange, and yellow.

School had their fall break the first full week of the month. Even during the time off, Chauncey continued to practice his basketball skills and study his schoolwork, especially from Mutton. There were a couple of cold, rainy days during the break. Thankfully, his family's mansion had an indoor basketball court in case of bad weather. The young cheetah knew that with the days getting colder, he would not be able to play basketball outside for too much longer. He did not want to risk getting sick.

Basketball tryouts were only a few weeks away, and Chauncey wanted to be on the team and help them win a championship.

After he finished his practicing and studying, he decided to pay Chicken Little a visit.

He checked the weather before leaving his mansion. It was a cool, but tranquil day.

Traveling on foot was not too big of a problem for Chauncey, as cheetahs were the fastest animals on land.

It took the young cheetah only five minutes to get to Chicken Little's house. Walking up to the doorstep, he knocked on the door, and Buck Cluck, Chicken Little's father, answered. His eyes widened at how tall Chauncey was.

"Hello Mr. Cluck. How are you doing?" the cheetah greeted.

"I'm doing well. How about yourself?" he said somewhat slowly, eyes still wide.

"Despite the weather, I'm great," Chauncey smiled, before it faltered when he saw Buck Cluck's wide eyes.

"You alright Mr. Cluck?" Chauncey wondered.

Finally, Buck Cluck's eyes narrowed to normal and he gave the cheetah an assuring smile.

"Yeah I'm okay. I am just astonished at how tall you are," he said.

Chauncey chuckled. "Don't worry about it. Pretty much everyone I meet is surprised at my height."

"I could imagine. Anyway, why don't you come in? It's kind of chilly out," the rooster made a welcoming gesture.

"Thank you," the cheetah smiled as he made his way into the house, ducking under the door frame.

Just then, a cold breeze suddenly made it difficult for Buck Cluck to close the door. As he struggled, Chauncey immediately rushed over to help him close the door. A few leaves made their way into the house as they finally got the door shut. The cheetah picked up the leaves on the ground.

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

"What's your name kid?" Buck asked.

"I'm Chauncey Cheetah. I made friends with Chicken Little, your son," Chauncey greeted, offering his huge paw.

"Pleasure to meet you, Chauncey," the rooster smiled as he took the cheetah's paw and shook it.

"Would you like some hot chocolate?" Buck offered.

"Yes please," Chauncey replied with a smile.

The rooster smiled. "Chicken Little is with Abby, Runt, and Fish in the kitchen playing Monopoly if you would like to join them."

"Thanks Mr. Cluck!" Chauncey beamed.

"Of course, Chauncey," Buck smiled as they went into the kitchen.

The cheetah saw Chicken Little, Abby Mallard, Runt, and Fish playing Monopoly, each with their own mug of hot chocolate.

Chicken Little's father went to make some hot chocolate for Chauncey as the cheetah threw out the leaves before he sat down with his friends.

"Hey Chauncey! What's up?" Chicken Little greeted.

"Nothing much. What about you guys?" Chauncey asked.

"We're just drinking hot chocolate while playing Monopoly. Would you like to play with us? We just finished our last game." The chicken said.

"Yes please!" the cheetah exclaimed excitedly.

As they were playing their game, Abby decided to ask the cheetah what he had been up to before he came over.

"Hey Chauncey? What did you do before you came over?" the duckling asked.

"I just practiced for upcoming tryouts and studied for an upcoming exam in Mutton," the cheetah explained.

Abby groaned. "Mutton is not an easy class."

"Yeah," Chicken Little agreed.

"It's not that bad if you take it seriously. School is something that can't be taken lightly if you want to get a good job when you grow up," Chauncey stated.

"I guess that's true," Runt said.

"It is, but there are obviously some classes you won't like as much as others. Personally, I like physical education the best because it is about playing sports and having fun," the cheetah said.

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"What would you like to be when you grow up?" Fish tried to ask.

"Since I am a huge basketball guy, I guess I would like to be a professional basketball player. I have seen the ridiculous plays of the all-time greats who have played the game. My favorite is perhaps the fade away buzzer beater by Charles Cat. I saw that play when I was a young kid. Although he retired after the season ended, he retired a champion. That shot was what won the championship for his team. Hopefully, that is me someday," Chauncey explained.

"Cool! I bet you'll be an all-time great!" Fish tried to gasp.

Just as Chauncey began to speak, Buck Cluck brought hot chocolate over for the young cheetah.

"I'll try Fish. Just don't want to get ahead of myself. I will take it one day at a time. One game at a time, and one season at a time," the cheetah said with determination.

"Spoken like a true future superstar," Chicken Little smiled.

"Yeah. You look like you know what to do," Abby added.

The cheetah beamed at the compliments.

"What about you guys? You know what you want to be when you grow up?" Chauncey wondered.

"I don't know just yet. Since I am only twelve, I still got time to think about it. I mean, we are only in middle school. Surely, we have time to figure out what we want to do for a living and have a career in," Chicken Little contemplated.

"You make a valid point Chicken Little," the cheetah agreed.

"You think you'll be ready for tryouts at the end of the month?" Runt asked, slightly worriedly.

The cheetah nodded. "As long as I keep practicing and improving in any way, I think this could be our year to finally win it all."

Runt smiled.

"Hopefully, we can repeat as champions in baseball too," Chicken Little said.

"Weren't you the one who hit the game winning hit at the end of the game last year?" Chauncey asked.

The chicken smiled and nodded. "Yes. It was a very happy moment. The first time we had won the pennant in two decades."

"Wow! That is awesome man! I'll make sure to watch you when baseball season comes around," Chauncey smiled.

"I would appreciate that Chauncey. In return, we'll all come to your basketball games," Chicken Little stated with a beam.