Toad stretched as he padded outside. He winced and glanced down. The vines around his shoulder had gotten so tight that they'd managed to draw blood. H was starting to think that the thorns were going to being a problem, but he'd already tried pulling at the vines and it only made them tighter, so he'd just given up.
Toad still had a hard time feeling anything but bliss, although seeing the vines covering the territory filled him with an odd sense of satisfaction. Recently, Stone had gotten stuck in one of the vines on the territory. He had been able to make at out alive, but he was having trouble breathing and had several scars from the thorns.
Tiny padded over to Toad, who blinked. "Toad! You're bleeding!"
"I noticed." Toad nodded slowly, indifferent.
"You need herbs." Tiny insisted.
"I don't." Toad realized that, while before, Tiny towered over him (she was ironically big for her name), he was now almost at her shoulder height. He wasn't as tall as Finch or Horizon, but he was getting bigger.
"Yes, you do!" Tiny mewed. "Come on, or else I won't let you leave camp for a moon."
Toad bristled. While he had no problems with the camp, he enjoyed being outside, monitoring the vine growth. It seemed like the only thing he really did with his time anymore, anyways. Actually, he hadn't remembered when he'd last eaten. He didn't feel hungry, though, so he was sure it was fine.
Toad sighed. "Alright, fine." Genuine disappointment filled him. At least I'm feeling anything.
Toad followed Tiny into her den and she sniffed at his wound. She tried to press on it, but as she put her paw there she yelped and retracted her paw. One of the thorns had gotten in her pad. "Now...where in the name of the Lost Spirits did that come from?" She sighed. Tiny tried a fe more times, and every time she got pricked. She let out a growl of frustration. "What's going on with you?
"I'm not doing it." Toad mewed. "Don't look at me."
Tiny narrowed her eyes at him. "You've been acting strange lately."
"Really?" Toad blinked. He hadn't spoken to Tiny since...well, since he'd been sick as a kitten.
"Finch told me that you were being weird." Tiny meowed. "She misses you."
"I'm right here." Toad didn't understand.
"What's going on with you? Are you sick?" Tiny thought about it. "Actually, Leaf told me that Horizon was acting strange, too. Maybe you're both sick."
"I'm not sick." Toad insisted. He suddenly didn't want to be in Tiny's den anymore. "I'm fine." He meowed firmly.
"Toad-"
"No." Toad growled, raising his voice a bit. "I'm fine and I can handle myself!" He spun on his heels and stormed out.
