"Okay, you're disgusting." Keasong commented to Rowanfall as she took in the state of his pelt after dropping a mouse at his paws. She had only just gotten to bring him something to eat, as she had been out on the dawn patrol. "And I don't just mean your funky wounds!"

Behind the pair Sheepfur was arranging her herbs, trying to ignore them. Stormpaw had to be out doing something, as Keasong couldn't see him around anywhere. They had redressed Rowanfall's wound at some point by the looks of it. His cheek abscess had been lanced and had a poultice on it. He certainly looked to have a bit more life in him today; likely after getting something to eat and some decent sleep last night.

"I am not." The tom retorted before taking the mouse in his teeth to bring it closer. He glared up at her as he sat it between his front paws. "Don't you have something better to do than harass me?"

"Right now? Nope." The patrol hadn't taken that long. They'd seen twolegs in the north again. This time they were pulling out a lot of the blackberry and some other plants in the area. It was a damn nuisance. When they were there, they couldn't use that section of their territory for hunting. They scared all the prey away, and now they were ripping up all the undergrowth! What was with them? Keasong had joked to the rest of the patrol they should ask that kittypet that had joined Fieldclan next gathering. A kittypet should know a few twoleg words at least! "Flamestar told me since I was the one who brought you here, I have to look after you. So, I'm who you've got." She couldn't say she could complain about the assigned task, even if Rowanfall was a bad-tempered stick in the mud.

"Fantastic." Rowanfall grumbled, deciding that maybe taking a bite out of his mouse might make the warrior go away.

"Seriously though, when was the last time you had a proper groom?" The flat green-eyed stare she got made her regret the choice of words. He would have been grooming himself since he was exiled. Ooops. "Look, just let me do it. You look like something a dog's been chewing on and it's irritating to look at. Those mats must hurt your skin?"

"Why do you have to do it? Let the medicine cats do it."

"He says, like we have time to sit there and groom him." Sheepfur laughed in the background, without turning her head. "Just let the cat clean you up Rowanfall; nobody else in this clan is going to offer and I'd say you'll feel better getting some of those knots fixed up. And be a touch more sightly as well."

"I hate all of you." The tom proclaimed loudly. He flattened his ears and went back to eating his mouse. Keasong took this as a grudging "go ahead". She approached him cautiously in case she was misreading, but when he didn't move she allowed herself to settle down next to him and start grooming.

His mane-like ruff and tail, the areas with the thickest fur, were in the worst condition, so Keasong started with his ruff. It had always stuck up a bit oddly, but right now it was a tangled, matted, dirty mess. She carefully worked away at separating the hairs with her teeth and rough tongue. Rowanfall's body started tense beneath his pelt, but after a while, he relaxed.

It wasn't until a little while after he'd finished his mouse that he spoke again, quietly. "Why do you care?"

"Hhmm?" Keasong asked with a little hum since she had a mouthful of his red fur; she hadn't quite caught that.

"Why do you care?" Rowanfall repeated, a little louder. "Why does your clan? I get that Flamestar wanted the information I had to offer, but none of you must treat me or be nice to me or believe me. You didn't have to let me stay here long; you have enough mouths to feed. He could have just kicked me out this morning and it wouldn't have surprised me."

The tabby and white she-cat paused in her grooming. Looking up, she could see Rowanfall's expression was actually showing confusion. "Fernclan wouldn't turn away a cat in your situation… that's all." Gorseclan might be different, but that was how Fernclan operated. Gorseclan only ever seemed to do something nice if they could benefit from it. "Flamestar always said if that kittypet hadn't had any offers from the other clans he would have found a way to make it work and take her in too."

Rowanfall huffed. "I don't get it, but I guess you Fernclan cats are a little more Fieldclan than I thought."

"Are you calling us soft?" Keasong asked with a little joking twitch of an ear.

"Absolutely." He replied seriously, though Keasong got the impression the red tom was sort of in on the fun. It was hard to tell sometimes with him. She would have given him a playful shove but felt it might be crossing a line. Rowanfall was obviously still not completely comfortable, and she couldn't blame him after everything. She flicked her tail at him instead.

"You didn't answer my first question." He commented lightly after a moment, as Keasong went back to grooming. "Why do you care?"

Keasong blinked, feeling her ears starting to go hot. She looked away from his face, worried the embarrassment would show. She thought she could hear Sheepfur quietly purring a chuckle in the back of the den. Sparrowcrest's words rang in her head. "I'm a Fernclan cat." She replied after a beat, calling back to her earlier explanation as she looked back at him with a set expression.

"Okay sure…" Rowanfall didn't sound convinced. His gaze was curious, and she could see his mind working beneath it; dark green eyes brighter than yesterday. Keasong found herself not quite able to meet them. "Why else? You said you thought we were friends, once."

"I did! I mean- I do. Still consider you a friend. I mean."

"Even though I was from another clan and wasn't really nice to you?" Rowanfall tilted his head. In that moment, Keasong could see his younger face in her mind's eye. He'd done the same thing at the first gathering they'd been to together, when she'd teased him. "I don't get you." She was pretty sure he'd said something along those lines too (although possibly in a ruder way...).

"I always thought it was just sort of the game we played. I had fun at least." Keasong just liked having fun. Too many cats were too serious!

"It was fun to annoy me you mean?" Keasong found herself purring out a laugh at his flat response.

"I guess so." She replied, feeling a nostalgia for those more innocent days. Things were a lot more complicated and dangerous in the clans now than they were then. "You never seemed to be as bothered by it as you pretended to be."

"Maybe." Rowanfall responded with a little shake of his head. "Sometimes I think I was just grumpy and difficult for the sake of it. And I didn't want to lose face with my clan. Seems stupid to have been worried about that now."

"Difficult for the sake of it? Kind of like you've been here?" She teased lightly.

"Yeah. It's just how I am, I suppose…" Keasong would have questioned how open he was being with her right now, but she didn't want him to clam up again. Besides, he probably hadn't talked to anyone for moons. He likely needed to share tongues again. She wasn't his clanmates, but hopefully she could fill the role.

She kept cleaning his fur. His ruff was looking much better, but one stubborn tangle remained. Against her and Sparrowcrest's better judgement, she found herself blurting out. "I used to like you, you know."

"Yes, I got that with the "friend" part."

"No, I mean... Like, like you." Immediately as the words left her mouth, she regretted them. Why did she say that?!

Rowanfall froze. "Oh." He blinked once, slowly. His eyes were wide. "Oh." Was all he could say. He looked very surprised. Keasong could hear Sparrowcrest berating her stupidity already, and her ears went hot again.

Stormpaw happened to have returned at that moment. He chuckled as he passed by, eyeing the pair with amusement. "Don't look so shocked Rowanfall, you're a good-looking tom! I'm surprised you didn't have cats falling all over you!"

Sheepfur glanced over her shoulder. "Stay out of it, you. Not medicine cat business." Stormpaw dipped his head with a laughing purr, moving to join his mentor in the back of the den.

The other two cats were left in awkward silence. Keasong began to hurriedly return her attention to the knot in Rowanfall's mane, thankful he didn't say anything more on the subject and thus she was free to drop it. Stupid, stupid, stupid! She always had to just blurt out the first thing that floated through her skull!

Rowanfall didn't meet her eye the rest of the time she sat with him and said little. He was all tense again.