Days at the camp seemed to grow dimmer as time went on. Grey refused to come out of the medicine den (lest someone sees that he's been marked) and acted colder than ever. Everyone was worried, but only a few were told what happened.
Frost was absolutely shocked. Grey could feel how the ice fox's muscles stiffened in horror as he told him his story. Frost immediately pledged that, as his friend, he would always stick by his side. Despite his stormy mood, the blind healer couldn't help but feel moved by his words.
Originally, he had only wanted Frost to know. But of course, Ren was eavesdropping outside (it seems like he's been doing a lot of that lately) and found out. Although he did promise not to tell anyone, he was still a pain in the neck.
"So Grey," Ren said casually. The Luxio leaned close to his ear, his voice dropping to a low whisper. "Uke or seme?"
Grey glowed red and immediately planted a Shadow Ball to his face. Frost gladly did him the favor of dragging the unconscious electric type out of the room, leaving him at peace. Well, as much peace as he could offer at least.
As much as he wanted him to get out, Pyro was still situated in the medicine den due to his injuries. More often than not, the blind healer would forget to put the pain-killing poppy seeds into his brother's poultice and watch sadistically as he writhed in agony. That ended quickly, however, since Aster came to visit and help out so often.
To Grey, those two fire types were a perfect pair…of idiots. Pyro seemed to like Aster quite a lot, but never really had the guts to speak up. And the shy little Quilava was just too timid to even think about it. He had tried talking to the nest maid as often as possible but he would always reply with awkward stutters. Grey really just wanted to see the two of them mate and get it over with.
With all seriousness, that wasn't the reason why he's trying to get to know Quilava more (even though they may become brothers-in-law soon). Even since Dicentra left, he has been mulling over whom the spy in Carina could be. Most likely, it should be someone who wasn't born into the clan but was accepted by the grace of their Alpha, like Frost and Cloud. After spending several hours with hard-of-hearing elders, Grey discovered that the only person who matched this description besides the two Glaceon brothers was Aster.
It turns out that the shy Quilava was once a loner that found Pyro injured during his warrior assessment. He did his best to take care of the Carina for several weeks before the clan found them. After hearing about Aster's kindness, Dusk generously offered a place for him in the clan, which he gladly accepted.
There's no way he could be from the Ishi though, Grey mulled, watching the Quilava gently tend to his bother's wounds. Aster was pretty much a weakling (he got the crap kicked out of him by a couple Rattata when he arrived) and definitely lacked the dangerous air of the enemy clan. Even if he was working for them, he could have caused a huge amount of damage after all these years in the Carina. He has the trust of the elders, almost all the warriors, and especially the kits. Manipulating them would be easy if he wanted to.
Grey sighed and flicked his tail out of frustration. He had no more leads. It's not like he suspected Aster of being a traitor. He could feel the vibes of all living things around him, and Aster's vibes showed anything but traitorous.
The need to blow off some steam was high. Deciding to beat Ren to a pulp again, Grey made his way out of the medicine den and left the two fire types alone.
(…)
"Geez, I don't get why he hates me so much. I mean, I'm only doing what I think is best for his safety! What's so wrong with that?" Pyro huffed, grimacing at the pain in his chest. He's finally able to move around after Grey broke his ribs, but it still hurt. A lot.
"W-well," Aster smiled softly, applying more poultice (With pain-killers this time) onto his denmate and massaged the wound with gentle heat. "Y-you have been a bit overprotective. Grey is blind, but he's one of the strongest apprentices in the clan. And he's probably one of the smartest too."
Pyro murred at the comforting warmth and leaned onto the nest maid's chest. Aster blushed violet.
"Heh, when Grey told me he wanted to be a healer, I imagined him to become a nice and gentle person like you. Pff, yeah right. Things never work out for me, huh?" The Flareon sighed and stood up before slowly limping out of the den. Aster gasped and hurried after him.
"Pyro! Y-you're not supposed to be up yet!" The nest maid yelped worriedly. Pyro rolled his eyes and ignored him.
"I've been cooped up in the medicine den for almost four days. Can't I at least go and wash up at the river?" He huffed.
"Somehow, you saying that sounds a bit ironic…" Aster giggled under his breath.
The two fire types took their time strolling to the river. The injured Flareon quickly tired out and had to lean on Aster's shoulder for support. The nest maid secretly relished the feeling of their pelts brushing together as they walked, little to Pyro's knowledge. By the time they made it to their destination he was a blushing mess.
Pyro glanced up, completely oblivious.
"Aster, do you have a fever or something? You look kinda red," He said, pressing their foreheads together.
Aster felt his heart practically stop. Pyro's soft breath tickled his fur, his closeness fueling his blush even more. It took him a minute to even comprehend what the fire type just asked.
"W-wah? I-I was j-just a bit…overheated f-from being under t-the sun!" The frantic nest maid squealed.
Pyro's eyebrow rose suspiciously, but said nothing before cautiously wading into the river. Settling down in a shallow area, he waved his fluffy tail at Aster to join.
"Come on in, the water's great!" He called. The Quilava was a bit hesitant at first but slowly entering the water with his denmate, shivering slightly at the colder temperature. Pyro then attempted grooming his fur, but stopped immediately from the intense pain shooting through his chest.
Grimacing painfully, he almost fell over if Aster wasn't there to catch him. The two of them chuckled heartedly at their lack of grace.
"Pyro, stay still," The nest maid said. Warm paws slowly reached out and slid through Pyro's fluffy mane, smoothing out wrinkles and untangling knots with ease. The other fire-type relaxed and purred with content.
"Hey Aster, doesn't this remind you of how we first met?" Pyro sighed, muscles unwinding from his friend's affectionate ministrations. Aster blushed fiercely.
"Y-yeah…" His voice trailed off.
"Heh, if it wasn't for you, I would have probably died out there," The warrior grinned with gratitude. "It's been an entire year and I still haven't paid you back yet. All you do is help everyone out. It's hard to find people like you these days, you know? You really are one of a kind."
Aster's paws suddenly stopped, his lips tightening. A soft, sad smile spread across the nest maid's face, tears welling up in his eyes. Pyro's eyes widened in surprise when he felt his denmate's paws wrap around his neck in an appreciative hug.
"T…thank you Pyro…" Aster whispered, burying his face in his friend's fluffy mane. "Y-you're one of a kind too…"
The Flareon blushed, mentally smiling like a bright happy kit. He leaned over to give his friend an affectionate lick on the cheek. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you look at it) Aster unknowingly turned his head and Pyro's tongue ended up in his mouth.
The two of them immediately reared back in shock. The injured Flareon's pelt was literally glowing scarlet from embarrassment.
"S-s-sorry! I w-was j-just…" Pyro stuttered frantically, completely at loss for words. He sounded almost exactly like Aster now.
"I-it's alright," The said Quilava chuckled and scratched the back of his head sheepishly. To be honest, he was burning up on the inside. His first kiss with Pyro! The little kit living in the perverted side Aster's mind did five summersaults of triumph. His tongue flickered around the roof of his mouth, tasting his denmate's saliva.
"W-wait…" Aster's cheeks suddenly went red. "T-this taste…"
"I can explain!" Pyro practically screeched in panic, almost turning into a blushing red fireball. "I was cooped up in the den all day and there was nothing to do and there was a lot of stress! I just snuck out and-and-and-"
Aster stopped listening halfway, still in complete bewilderment at the flavor that was spreading over his taste buds. Was this…seed? His heart nearly leapt out of his throat. Did he just taste Pyro's…
"-it's not what it looks like! I was only trying to relieve some stress and there was nothing else to do! I'm so so so so sorry-!"
"You taste good…" Aster murred before he could stop himself. They both froze. What?
Pyro slowly calmed down, but his blush did not go away. "Did you just say I taste good?"
"N-no! I…I…" The nest maid looked away, unable to meet his friend's eyes. "W-well, yeah. I did."
The warrior purred, grinning slightly.
"I guess I should be flattered." He chuckled sheepishly.
And awkward silence hung in the air around them for what seemed like an eternity. Not a single moment of eye contact was made, probably cuz Aster suddenly found the stones lingering at their feet fascinating. This was definitely not going anywhere.
Pyro glanced at his denmate and smiled, a blush still remaining on his face Leaning forward, he stole a quick kiss with Aster on the cheek.
"Ready to head back now?" The Flareon asked lightly. Aster flushed, nodding slowly. The two made their way back to the camp without saying a word. Though, for Pyro, none were needed. His smile was burning like the brightest of fires.
(…)
"Hey Delf! What are you doing?" Pine squealed in his oh so happy smile. You'd think that being halfway submerged underwater would make it difficult for him to talk. But of course, it's Pine we're talking about here, so nothing could possibly stop his mouth from making noise.
"Shhh!" The Dewott hissed and turned his attention back to the dark, shaded areas of the forest from his well-hidden spot in the river. "We're supposed to be spying here! Stop making so much noise!"
"Aw, you're no fun…" Pine pouted, bubbles trailing out of his mouth. The Linoone giggled and wrapped his arms around his mate in another friendly hug.
Delf ignored him, staring intently at the suspicious shadows moving in the trees. The Bosque? Yes, it has to be them. Who else could be so skilled as to practically disappear out of their sight and reappear somewhere else? They were strong, that's for sure. No wonder why the Mizu's Alpha ordered him to come gather information on their activities. Of course, when Pine found out, he insisted on tagging along.
But that's not the problem here. Why are the Bosque consorting with the Ishi? Could there be some sort of alliance forming between them? If so, this would not be good for the other two clans. He squinted his eyes and ears, trying to listen more into the conversation.
"-and you are absolutely sure? Cloud has indeed returned to Carina?" A gruff voice asked. His voice had a deep, dangerous tone in it.
"Of course. Our specialty is intellect gathering. We have seen that so called prodigy with our own eyes."
"And he's ill too hmm? This could work out just fine…" The gruff voice seemed to turn back, deep in thought. "Seems like the info Dicentra gave us was wrong. We'll deal with him later. For now, prepare to launch a little attack to test their strength."
"Understood."
There was a low pause.
"Oh, and of course, thank you. I, on behalf of all the Ishi, am very grateful for the Bosque's support. The start of a new war in inevitable, as is our victory."
