"Blackfoot. Blackfoot!"
A paw roughly prodded him. Blackfoot stirred awake, yawning. Ratscar was standing over him. Blackfoot stood and stretched.
"What is it?"
"Russetfur. She's trying to sneak out of camp. We need someone to keep track of her."
"You couldn't of chosen any of cat…?" he said jokingly, still in a yawn.
In the clearing, the air was crisp and cold, Snowbird and Russetfur's breaths were caught in small clouds around their muzzles. The grass was cold and crunchy. Russetfur's head was down, embarrassed, her ears pressed back.
"Sneaking back to Twolegplace, kittypet?" Blackfoot muttered jokingly.
Russetfur turned her muzzle up enough to look at him, smug smile on her face, "Shut up."
Ratscar and Snowbird nodded at eachother, returning to silent vigil. Blackfoot flicked his ear to summon Russetfur and started padding to the entrance. Before he left his flicked his tail, and turned back to Ratscar.
"Whenever I asked Leopardstar for your name she said Ratstorm," he muttered, "Storm of rats."
Snowbird bust out into laughter. Blackfoot smiled smugly, turning to Russetfur and nodding to lead him.
After padding out of camp's earshot, Russetfur let out a shameful sigh, followed by unhappy laugh. "I was… I was trying to visit Sasha." Blackfoot loudly laughed. "Shut it!" Russetfur spat, "Somecat will hear you!"
Blackfoot let out a gasp, still smiling widely. "Fine," he sniffed, "I'll fit off any other suitors, hm?"
"Shut up," Russetfur repeated, stifling her own laugh. Russetfur jumped across the stones, any old fear long gone.
"Thunderclan is going to kill you!" Blackfoot exclaimed when he caught up to Russetfur, who was now briskly walking.
"Thunderclan's had more code-breaking romances than I can count," she muttered, "I ain't scared."
Blackfoot gave a snort of laughter. She was right, between Graystripe and Silverstream or Bluestar and Oakheart, and Starclan knows how many before.
"Do you fancy any cats, Blackfoot?"
"Hm?" Blackfoot mewed, hopping forward to meet her shoulder. "Fancy, Russetfur? Who are you, Tallstar?"
"Come on!" she snickered, "Who you wanna settle down with, hm? Let's see… you like cats that can absolutely flay your tail. What about Darkflower?"
"She's got kits."
"Wetfoot?"
"He's too young."
"Skyheart?"
"She's mates with Mistyfoot."
"Vixenpelt?"
"Who?"
She hummed, mischievous smile spreading across her face, "Leopardstaaaaarrr?"
Blackfoot let out a snort of laughter, turning away and innocently humming.
"Ha!" Russetfur exclaimed, laughing. After calming down, she went on, "You sly, sly fox! I'm telling Leopardstar the second we get back!"
"Oh, Russetfur, please!" Blackfoot said, voice in fake desperation, "I'll do anything!"
"Anything?"
"Anything!" he chuckled. But before Russetfur could make her request, her focus shifted to the motor oil scent of Twolegplace. She sprinted off to Sasha's garden. Blackfoot sighed, trotting after her. She had one leg up on the fence, other bent to her chest, yowling.
Soon enough, a cat jumped up. Russetfur's eyes shot open to look.
"Sasha!"
"Sasha?"
Russetfur jumped back, shrinking in embarrassment. "Oh! Ha ha- Sasha must've-!"
"No," the cat said, laying down on the top of her fence, tail swinging peacefully, "You're just yelling at the wrong house."
"...huh."
As Russetfur started her routine at the den on the other side of the cats, Blackfoot caught a good look at the cat. Her fur was almost rosy-brown, eyes yellow, and collar pink. Half her back and her forelegs were a deep blue, unintelligible white symbols on her chest.
Before Blackfoot could ask what was wrong with her fur, Sasha jumped up and over her fence, rubbing against Russetfur's chin, purring. She caught sight of Blackfoot, jumping back a bit.
"H-hi," she greeted, nervously, she turned back to Russetfur and hissed through her teeth, "What is he doing here?"
"Guarding," Blackfoot answered for her. The other kittypet snorted, causing Sasha to look up at her.
"Shnuky!" she greeted, beckoning her down with a flick of her tail. "Russetfur, other cat, this is my neighbor, Shnuky!"
"Whatever is wrong with your pelt?" Russetfur asked bluntly.
"It's a sweater," she meowed, almost hurt. She then scoffed, "Not that I expect you forest cats to know what they are."
"It's an on-the-go nest," said Sasha.
"I guess!" Shnuky replied, laughing.
"I don't get how you wear those," Sasha went on.
"I'm cold. I don't understand how you don't, your fur is shorter than mine."
As the she-cats bickered between themselves, Blackfoot curled his paws under his chest. He quickly fell asleep, head only being held up by the fence his cheek was so lovingly caressing.
It was a night not unlike this one. Leopardstar was shaking her pelt, the droplets of water like bright white stars against her golden pelt. Leopardstar nodded to a tree just offshore, ground under slightly elevated. Blackfoot curled up next to her, Leopardstar melodically licking his own sodden pelt. He laid his head on her flank as Leopardstar rested her head on his back, her steadily rising and falling hindquarter nearly a lullaby.