Tallstar sniffed the frozen boughs of a bush and frowned. The scent of fox – while stale – was still strong enough to make him worry. If there was a fox around, that meant competition over prey, and a starving fox in Leaf-bare was nothing to sneeze at.

He sighed, making a mental note to double patrols, before he paused, sniffing the air again.

Beneath the fox-scent, there was another scent, one he hadn't tasted in a long time.

"It is you!"

Tallstar yelped at the sudden mew, leaping backwards from the bush, tumbling head-over-paws into a snowdrift.

A pair of startled green eyes blinked in alarm and a ginger cat slid out from under the snow-covered bush, causing a flurry of flakes from his passing. He shook the snow off himself before running over to the stunned leader.

"Sorry! Sorry! Didn't mean to startle you like that."

He brushed the snow off the WindClan leader who stared at him, blinked hard at him, then walloped him over the ears with a paw.

"Jake, you complete and utterly mouse-brained idiot-!" Tallstar stopped to catch his breath, before he pulled back his paw to strike him again. He stared at the ginger tom for a moment, then dropped the paw. "It really is you, isn't it?"

Jake grinned at him, tail waving happily. "Sorry I haven't been around. I was out seeing the world." His grin faded as he took in the tom's appearance. "You haven't been eating."

"Not a lot of prey at the moment, but… Where have you been? Where did you come from? What's new with you? How are things?" Tallstar looked him over as well, frowning. "And you seem to be quite well-fed. Once a kittypet, always a kittypet I see."

"Food is food, no matter where you get it from," Jake mewed cheerfully, tail twitching in amusement behind him. "Can I nuzzle you now, or do you want to hit me again?"

"I want to strangle you for scaring a season out of me," Tallstar growled, before snorting, letting his fur relax. "You haven't changed a bit, have you?"

"Gotten older. Joints don't move like they used to. A few gray whiskers. The usual," Jake mewed, still grinning.

"And hedgehogs fly," Tallstar mewed dryly, flicking a paw at him. "It hasn't been that long."

The two toms touched noses, purring. Tallstar then pulled back and gazed at the kittypet curiously. "So what brings you back to the clans?"

"Mostly homesickness," Jake replied, eyes sweeping over the moors. "A little too open out here for my liking through. You WindClan cats are crazy for staying out here without something to keep the wind off you, especially in this season."

"You get used to it," Tallstar mewed with a purr. "Besides, our camp is mostly out of the wind, and our dens are well-insulated."

Jake gazed at him, whiskers twitching in amusement. "Always impresses me how the clans make do out in the wild."

Tallstar tilted his head. "Yet you're the one who went off into the wilds. How did you survive? Where did you go?"

Jake nodded towards Highstones. "Past there, mostly northwest. Lovely countryside. Lotta roads, though they eventually give way to forests and human dwellings again."

Tallstar frowned. "Doesn't sound particularly pleasant, all things considered. Did you meet any other cats?"

"A few kittypets. Some rogues, loners… Nothing like the clans though, which was a bit of a shame," Jake mewed. "Found a lakebed that had been cracked open by what I'm guessing was a massive quake at some point, although it didn't seem recent. Likely could've made a good place to live had it been intact and filled with water."

"Fascinating," Tallstar mewed. "Almost makes me wish I'd gone with you back then."

Jake smiled slightly. "My nights would've been a lot more comfortable with your company if you had."

Tallstar arched an eyebrow. "Given that I've met your son, something tells me you had a fair few enjoyable evenings without my company."

The ginger-furred tom shrugged. "Not surprising, really. I met a lot of felas out and about." He then frowned. "Met him? Where?"

"There's a barn on the far side of our territory, near Highstones," Tallstar mewed. "His name's Rusty, and he looks just like you." The leader's eyes gleamed. "There's also a molly named Fireleap who lives in ThunderClan who's also got your colors."

Jake blinked in surprise. "Can't say I remember a molly from ThunderClan."

"She was a kittypet like yourself, who then joined the clan when they invited her in."

Jake nodded slowly. "I…think I remember a molly named Nutmeg I spent some time with…that'd be a little over a year ago at this point though…"

"Which is the age Fireleap is," Tallstar mewed dryly.

Jake shook his head slowly. "Even if I am her father, she'd probably not care that much about me."

Tallstar grimaced. "Not that uncommon, actually. There's a fair few cats in the clans with mixed parentage whose parents keep it a secret because there'd be less trouble between the clans that way." His lips twitched slightly. "Although sometimes it's easy to tell who the parents are by fur and eye color."

"Hence why Fireleap might be one of mine," Jake mused thoughtfully. "Well, if she is, I hope she's happy. If not, I'd wish the same anyway."

Tallstar fought the urge to roll his eyes. "You really can't find it in yourself to hate anyone, can you?"

"I hate a great many things," Jake mewed defensively. "Just…most of which aren't cats. I find life's a lot easier when you can get along with others. Don't you?"

"It's taken a while," Tallstar admitted. "But I'd like to think I'm capable of that mindset. Maybe not quite naïve as yours though."

"Better than always being at odds with everything around you," Jake mewed with a sigh, before yawning. "Sorry, been walking for hours. Was hoping to find a yard or something to spend the night in."

"Might be easier to just stay with WindClan until you're ready to move on, or find something else to do," Tallstar mewed.

Jake frowned. "But I can't hunt or fight like you do, and your clan is probably already at its limit with this weather, and there's a storm coming. I'm not sure if you can spare the room, to be honest."

Tallstar gazed past him at the black clouds in the sky to the east and nodded. "That's…likely true." He brightened. "Then you could probably stay at the farm with the loners. Where Rusty is. I'm sure they have room, and more prey than they know what to do with, amusingly enough." He saw Jae fidget uncomfortably. "There's no harm in at least introducing yourself," Tallstar mewed gently. "The first step is always the hardest."

Jake sighed heavily. "You're right. Just make sure you come and visit me if the weather permits it."

"I will hold you to that same promise," Tallstar purred. "I don't want you to leave without saying goodbye, at least."

"Wouldn't dream of it," Jake murmured, giving him a nuzzle. "You definitely deserve that much, at least."

"Come on, I'll walk you over and help with the awkward introductions too," Tallstar mewed, shaking life back into his paws. "Besides, I think we could both do with some warm exercise in this cold."

The two toms trotted off together, tails intertwined.