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Leaf-bare had descended swiftly that year. Quick and unforgiving. It had been cloudy all day, but no one would have predicted the sudden blizzard with wind strong enough to knock the mountains over.
Fortunately, most cats were already in their camps by the time the first flakes began fluttering down. Once it had become clear that the snow was violent, they could easily retreat to their dens.
Clear Sky, however, did not heed the warning of the first speckles of snow. Even as it became a steady flow of cold powder, he just continued onward.
Another cat was out in the storm, though not by choice. Snake had been struggling to find a home since his exile, and now he was cursing under his breath as he sought out shelter from the hail pelting him.
Clear Sky didn't know how far he had ventured from his territory on his quest for a place to wait out the blizzard, as it had become too much for even his stubborn pelt to try fighting. Snake didn't notice how close he had gotten to his former home.
A rocky area sat just out of sight of the forest territory, small and negligible. However, it held a cave. Nothing special, really, hardly the height of a cat and only as wide as a small pond.
But there was no time to complain. Nor to notice that there were two entrances to the cavern. Snake slipped in silently, easily fitting through the small entrance. He dropped to the ground, letting out a hiss.
Clear Sky rushed into the larger entrance, paws skidding on the slick stone surface. He halted starkly, digging his claws into the ground as his teeth chattered.
Both toms stayed in place for a long time, too preoccupied by how cold and out of breath they were to realize they weren't alone.
Snake stopped panting first. His ears pricked when he realized he could still hear ragged breathing. He let out a growl.
Skystar heard the growl, and tried to bush out his fur even more than it already was.
They locked eyes, yellow meeting blue through the darkness.
“You!” They snarled in unison, hackles up and lips drawing back.
Snake's tail lashed, his claws sliding out, aching as they pressed into frozen stone. “Just what are you doing here?!” He demanded.
Clear Sky curled his lip contemptously. “Me?!" He exclaimed incredulously. “What are you doing here?! I know very well that this is too close to my territory for you to be here!”
Snake laughed, the noise wheezing in his chest. “Are you serious?! I was nowhere near yours!”
“Yes, you are!”
“No, I'm not!”
They would have continued this immature squabbling for hours, had thunder not crashed overhead. Snake leaped backwards, his eyes flying wide. Clear Sky flinched, pressing himself against the cave wall.
They were silent for a long time, staring up at the ceiling of the cave as though it would collapse.
Clear Sky pulled his gaze back to Snake. “I cannot believe I'm stuck here with you!”
He scrunched up his nose in response. “You're the one who decided to exile me, mouse-brain!”
“Because you attacked me!”
Snake stalked across the cave, thrusting his face close to Clear Sky's. “Because I was permanently scarred!” He snapped.
Clear Sky pounced, sending himself and Snake rolling over the cavern floor. Snake snarled and lashed out at him with his scarred paw.
He pinned Clear Sky beneath him, holding up the paw which held the permanent mark of a mad tom. “This!" He screeched. “Is why I attacked you!”
The large grey tom stared up at the eye-shaped scar carved into the grey tabby's pad flesh.
“What, do you think that's a good excuse?!”
“Yes!” Snake allowed Clear Sky to get up, still glaring daggers at him. “Hello, dirt for brains, cats don't take too kindly to being permanently marked because of another cat's failure at competence!”
Clear Sky's ears were so flat against his head one could be forgiven for not realizing that they were there at all. “That's not- You can't just-” he floundered, realizing that he had absolutely no excuse for that while also refusing to admit defeat. “You still didn't have to claw me!”
“And you didn't have to exile me.” Snake retorted.
“Yeah- well-” Clear Sky broke off in a frustrated spluttering noise that caused Snake to snort in amusement.
“You know, Clear Sky, I used to really admire you.” Snake turned to the wall, sitting down and wrapping his tail over his paws. The grey tom raised a brow skeptically, scoffing. “No, really, I did.” The grey tabby insisted. “You're strong, and smart, and really fluffing handsome.”
That made Clear Sky pause. Huh. What an odd thing for another tom to mention. Actually, scratch that, what an odd thing for an enemy to mention.
“But,” Snake continued. “You're a complete fluffing imbecile, which kind of ruins it.”
“Well, I've got more going for myself than you do!” He spat.
Snake looked over his shoulder, eyes rounded. “Really?” He prompted in an almost shrill tone.
“Yes!” He raised his muzzle disdainfully, tail swishing and chest puffed out. “You only fight well, hunt exceptionally, are considerably stealthy, and a little on the attractive side.” He stopped when he realized that Snake's list was getting longer than his own. Also the fact that it sounded way too much like compliments. Actually, hold that thought, when had he noticed these things?!
Snake was grinning, revealing a row of perfectly pointed fangs. It was honestly impressive that he'd managed to keep them in such good condition. . .
Clear Sky's face was hot. What was he doing? He needed to stop looking at Snake.
Snake stretched, opening his jaws and letting out a loud yawn. “Well, since you think so highly of me, I suppose you trust me enough for us to call a truce for the night?”
He received a scowl, but not denial. So Snake took this as his invitation to curl up on the floor, ignoring how much he was shuddering.
This cave barely provided enough shelter. The draft coming in from the two entrances blasted over the two cats, chilling them to the bone.
Reluctantly, Clear Sky sat down too. He retreated into a tight ball, wrapping his tail over his numb nose.
“Night, fox-heart.” Snake mewed.
“Goodnight, mouse-brain.”
“I hope you freeze to death.”
“I hope you never find a new home.”
“I hope your heart finally stops being able to handle the amount of ice on it.”
“I hope the wind knocks your twig thin self into a lake.”
“Jokes on you, I can swim.” Snake finished, claiming victory.
Clear Sky grumbled sullenly, closing his eyes tightly and trying to pretend he was home.
But no. Neither of them were home. They were stuck in a cave with their mortal enemy with no hopes of escape. They could flee into the blizzard like idiots and die in the cold, but that wasn't exactly appealing to either of them. They could also fight each other to the death. But that wasn't a very, ah, good idea due to the lack of medicinal supplies.
So instead they just laid there and. . . Dealt with it.
It was unbearably cold. So cold that it was pointless to even try to sleep. But the company wasn't very favorable, so they did.
Snake was having an utterly horrendous time, his fur was short and he hardly had any muscle to him.
It wasn't as though Clear Sky was faring much better, which Snake wished he could take some solace in. But he could not, so he just grimaced and tried to stop shivering.
He was not successful.
It was like this for about an hour. Sitting in silence with only the pounding of snow, whistling of wind, and chattering of teeth creating noise.
“It's cold.” Clear Sky said finally, because he was the leader of not only the forest group, but also the obvious.
Snake slowly raised his head, eyes narrowed. “Correct.” He drawled slowly.
They stared blankly at each other for a very long time.
“We may very well freeze to death before morning.” The first tom continued.
“Perhaps.”
Another stretch of silence.
Clear Sky let out a groan. “I value my life, and I'm sure you do as well.”
“Debatable. . .” Snake rolled onto his back, head tilted to the side. “So, what are you proposing, o’ great ball of fur and not much else?”
He grit his teeth. “We should. . . Share our warmth.” He forced out.
Snake's face split into a grin. “Oh, really?”
They stared at each other for a solid minute, and then Snake shuffled over.
They were both as cold as death. If they had lacked any more heat, their blood would be frozen.
Snake reluctantly pressed himself against Clear Sky. He tucked his nose into his side, wrapping his tail over his eyes in an effort to pretend he was snuggling with anyone else.
Neither of them wanted to acknowledge it, but they felt far warmer than they would have just from the contact.
Clear Sky curled around Snake, pretending that this was a perfectly normal thing to be doing. He buried himself into the other tom's soft pelt, acting as though he was doing it to keep himself from dying of hypothermia. In reality, being huddled with Snake was not doing anything to help him at all.
In fact, the only flame flickering in his chest was one of an unbidden desire that he didn't know was possible.
Snake was stuck wondering where his life had gone wrong for him so end up in this situation. Had he sometimes imagined sleeping with Clear Sky? Maybe. He was attractive. Very attractive. Snake would have just preferred. . . Well, every circumstance leading up to this to have been more favorable.
Especially considering his whole exile.
“. . . Sorry for throwing you out.” Clear Sky whispered eventually.
“Sorry for smacking you across the face.” He paused for a moment. “You deserved it, though.”
Clear Sky snorted. “Whatever you say.”
“‘Kay. Now leave me alone and let me sleep.” He dropped his eyes closed, and refused to respond as Clear Sky continued trying to speak.
Eventually, all in the cave became silent. The night drew on in relative peace, two cats who could no longer call themselves enemies wound together on the hard limestone.
***
The dawn light was weak, barely enough for a cat to see their own paws in front of their face.
So it was well into the day before either of the toms who sought refuge in the cave were woken. The forest group was already panicking.
Snake was the first to awaken. He stretched luxuriously, still half-asleep and not quite processing the bundle of fur he was cuddled up with.
They had become extremely entangled over the night. Their tails twined together and limbs wrapped up.
Snake's memories came rushing back, and he leaped away from the other tom, startling him awake.
They both shrieked in surprise, gazing at each other with wide eyes.
Snake formed coherent words first. “So uh. . . That happened.” He said, in competition to be the true ruler of the obvious.
Clear Sky stood pin-straight, his tail twitching by only its tip. “Yes. . . Indeed.”
Snake's gaze traveled to the cave entrance behind them. He side-stepped Clear Sky and scurried past him.
Clear Sky turned swiftly. “Where are you going?”
Snake shot him an incredulous glance, stepping out into the deep snow brought by the storm. “To continue looking for a new home?”
Right. Of course. Where else would he be going?
“. . . Snake. . .”
He stopped, ears swiveling backward. “Yeah?”
“Would you, possibly, consider returning to my group?”
Snake froze, his tail bushing out to twice its size. “. . . What?”
He cleared his throat. “You're right. I exiled you without reason. So. . , would you be interested in returning?”
Snake blinked slowly, his tail tip twitching as he contemplated this. “How do I know you won't just throw me out again?”
He averted his gaze. “I suppose you don't. But. . .”
“You're trying to be a better cat again?” Snake guessed.
He met his eyes. “Again?” He echoed.
“Well, you clearly failed the first time.” He smirked, tilting his head to the side.
Clear Sky snorted. “I can't blame you for thinking that, can I?”
Snake shook his head. “Nope. Cause I'm right.”
“Do you want to come back or not?”
He paused, eyes traveling over to nothing. “I mean,” his ears flattened. “I don't really have anywhere else to go. . . I never actually had a home before your group.” he frowned.
Something in Clear Sky's chest melted. He couldn't explain it. Another part of his mind told him this was going to end horribly for him. “Well, then let's get going home.” His voice was silky, nearly a purr.
Snake laughed quietly. “Alright then, you beautiful fool.”
He chose to let that comment slide. Just this once. It had absolutely nothing to do with his heart’s reaction to being called beautiful.
Snake liked telling himself he was excellent at masking his emotions when he needed to. That did not stop him from purring like the biggest idiot on the planet as he trotted after the angry ball of fur he was somehow starting to consider a friend.
Clear Sky pranced ahead, wondering how in all of the stars’ names he was going to explain why he was being trailed by a pretty, sharp-tongued grey tabby.