The evening light was brighter amidst the clear skies, bright enough to keep the twoleg lights around camp off longer than usual. Blackleaf watched the warriors exit their nest from atop the medicine den. She checked each one, squinting her eyes until she saw a pair leave with scars and bald patches. She leapt to the side of her perch and down the jagged rocks to the front of the medicine den. Her heart fluttered a bit when she spotted the tom she was looking for. Christa had just walked away from him. His tabby fur was lush on some parts and gone on others. The massive scar that ran down his back went all the way to his leg. His tail lacked the length of the rest of his fur and littered with bald spots. He shifted his attention to wherever his chipped ears pointed. Eventually, they pointed towards her. A scowl crossed his face when they did.
"Wolfgang," Blackleaf said.
"What do you want?" Wolfgang growled.
The orange in his eyes was dull, but she looked away from their frown until baring her fangs.
"That's no way to address a medicine cat," Blackleaf said.
Wolfgang calmed himself. "Sorry."
Blackleaf felt her head grow a bit light staring up at the tom's grizzled muzzle. She checked her surroundings; Her comrades were moving around them and avoiding the central clearing. She saw Wolfgang's attention slipping.
"I need you for something," Blackleaf said.
Wolfgang narrowed his eyes.
"To help me look for medicine stuff."
"Why don't you get an apprentice to help you?"
"You can spot it better."
Wolfgang took a deep breath, his scowl returning.
"It only took you a moment to spot me during the apprentice's tests," Blackleaf said.
"Dozens of warriors with better eyes than mine could've spotted you," Wolfgang said. "If Flyfoot had both she could've, too. You can find someone else."
"I don't want someone else." Blackleaf had a scowl of her own.
"Excuse me?" Wolfgang growled.
"What do you mean 'excuse me'? Excuse you. For talking to me like this."
Wolfgang sighed. "I'm sorry. I'm just a bit angry. That's all."
"Well take it out on someone else," Blackleaf growled, claws out. "I didn't ask you to disrespect me."
"Look, I'm sorry," the tom said. "I shouldn't have snapped at you. What more do you want from me?"
Blackleaf growled again. "I want you to come with me to look for stuff in the backlands."
"No."
"Why not!?"
"Because, I'd… rather not. Isn't that good enough?"
Blackleaf leaned forward to the tom's chest; he nearly jumped back and swung at her, his fur straight up.
"What's your problem?" Blackleaf yelled.
Others were beginning to stare at them.
"What problem?" Wolfgang growled.
"You've always had a problem with me," Blackleaf said. "I'm trying to reach out to you."
"But why does it have to be me?"
Blackleaf's ears flattened as she shrieked back.
"Why does it always have to be me with you?" Wolfgang said. "I find out an Axin Mess survivor on the other side dies. I barely get any sleep because of that stupid snake-monster last night. And now, right now of all times, the frustrated little albino comes over and asks me to spend a night with her wandering…"
He stopped when he saw her eyes look away. Closing the distance he leapt back, Wolfgang saw the small crowd that had stopped to watch the argument. As quickly as he looked away, Blackleaf's scowl had returned. He found himself caught in it, and they glared at each other for a few moments before a pair moving behind her approached. One turned away and headed for the warrior's den.
"What seems to be going on here?" Fleetheart said.
The crowd began to disperse. Blackleaf hesitated to turn around.
"She's not with me, Blackleaf," Fleetheart said.
She broke her gaze with Wolfgang and turned to see the older medicine cat covered in enough fake-fur to hide her own.
"What's this?" Wolfgang asked.
"You have to make sure these things air out every once in a while," Fleetheart said. "Otherwise they'll get stiff. But you know what I'm about to say."
The senior warrior sighed. "Just a little disagreement."
Blackleaf's ears were still low.
"About what?" Fleetheart said.
Wolfgang glanced at Blackleaf.
Fleetheart shifted the blanket up. "Well, whatever it is, I think you should go with her."
"You don't even know what we were talking about," Wolfgang said.
"Whatever it was, you should continue outside of camp." She leaned close to him. "And away from prying eyes and ears."
"There was nothing going on."
"Do you know how easy your words can be taken out of context?"
"That's disgusting, Fleetheart. I'd—" He made sure Blackleaf was looking elsewhere. "You know what I mean."
"It's not that. The other thing you said."
Wolfgang shrugged, glancing at the few suspicious eyes left watching them.
Fleetheart stepped back and cleared her throat. "Well I think you should go with her. She's about to go get stuff, I assume. Help her out."
"Really, I'm—"
"And I can even let you borrow my medicine vest. Then you could carry twice the—"
"That's not necessary," Wolfgang barked. "I can take a hint."
Blackleaf's ears perked up.
"I'm not forcing you to go with her," Fleetheart said. "But I think you could use company for once. Just looking out for your—"
"I don't—" Wolfgang took a deep breath, closing his eyes for a while. "I get it, I get it. I'll be up when it's time to go, Blackleaf. You know where I'll be."
Fleetheart had already walked away, with Flyfoot keeping ahead of her. Blackleaf waited for them to be lost in the bustle of other patrols before looking back at Wolfgang. The two stared at each other for a while before the tom broke off.
"I'll… see you later, I guess," he said.
"It'll be a new moon," Blackleaf mewed. "It really will be hard to see some things."
Wolfgang's ears hung low. He stayed for a while, waiting for her to turn back to the medicine den once she was sure Fleetheart and Flyfoot had left camp. The tom headed for the opposite end, towards the silverpath. Along the way, he growled at the group of warriors glaring at him. One of them kicked snow in his direction; he just kept walking.