Sorrelstorm sticks his head into her den, blinking in wide-eyed innocence. She jumps and swears at the sudden intrusion, scattering the pile of poppy seeds she has meticulously gathered.
"What?" Specklefrost snaps, not bothering to look up from her ruined work. Her sigh is neither quiet nor polite.
"I need to borrow something," the ginger tom says, taking another step into her den. He stops at the sight of her flicking tail, the heated glare she's giving the seeds at her paws. He always treads carefully, where she's concerned.
"And this time you need...what?"
Bravely, the medicine cat swallows and moves further into her den. "It's night-time," he informs her, unhelpfully. "You should probably get some sleep now."
Specklefrost growls and sweeps the remaining seeds away. "What do you want, Sorrelstorm?" But she lets him nose her towards her nest, a messy, scrappy thing, and doesn't complain when he curls up with her. She forgets how young he is, how much his role affects him, how much he needs her. She's strong where he breaks.
She'll let him borrow anything he wants.