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The gust of wind that ruffled Lambert’s hair was chilly, but not as cold as it would have been in Kaedwen at this time of year. He didn’t think he’d been this far south in the cooler months since he was first taken to Kaer Morhen, dragged away from his mother kicking and screaming by Vesemir. He’d been around this area before though, during the rest of the year on his travels with Aiden. But seeing the usually vibrant forest on either side of the path so dead and void of animals in the winter was a little unsettling. 

Another gust of wind blew into Lambert’s face, working its way under his jacket. Sure, he was used to the cold, you couldn’t grow up where he did and not be, but that didn’t mean he liked it. Lambert griminced and pulled his jacket tighter around himself. He wished, not for the first time that day, that he’d had the forethought to bring his winter coat with him. It was thick, made with seal skin, and warmer than anything else he owned. But that was stashed in Ard Carraigh as it was every year, ready to be picked up before Lambert made the grueling trek through the mountains up to Kaer Morhen. This year though, things were different. And it wasn’t just the break from his usual yearly routine that scared him. 

“Are you sure they’ll take me in?” Lambert asked anxiously for the second time in the last hour. What he’d meant was ‘Are you sure they’ll like me?’ but Lambert rephrased the question to avoid sounding like a child. But judging by the smile Aiden sent his way when he turned his eyes from the path, the cat knew what he meant. 

“Of course they will, silly. You’re my best friend and since Gaetan was allowed to bring a bloody viper a few years ago, no one will have a problem if I bring a wolf.” Aiden’s soft tone had Lambert’s chest melting, a significant portion of the unease he felt leaving him practically against his will. And then Aiden added, slightly firmer, “If any of them do have a problem with it, Guxart will stick up for you - he’s always had a soft spot for wolves…” 

‘ So he’d heard.’ Vesemir always spoke of Guxart with a fondness, even if he despised the rest of his school. And from what Aiden had told him already, the leader of the cat caravan seemed more level-headed than most. 

Lambert wasn’t sure he believed Aiden’s reassurances entirely though, even if he did seem sincere. But regardless of that, it wasn’t like Lambert had much of a choice to begin with. His side still twinged uncomfortably from the brutal injury he’d received on the last contract, not healed even now after several weeks. He had been practically gutted by the beast and couldn’t be moved to see a healer for three days without bleeding out. And even after that, the recovery had been painfully slow. Needless to say, once Lambert was safe, Aiden intimidated the contract holder into raising the reward. 

He made a face as his side throbbed, even the movement of his horse under him pulling on the countless number of stitches etched into his skin. Lambert’s range of movement was extremely limited, barely able to raise his own arms - getting onto his saddle that morning had been a challenge in itself and going any faster than a walk was out of the question. He hated feeling like that. Weak. A burden on Aiden. But the other witcher had never once complained. Lambert guessed he felt guilty for failing to have his back and not noticing the second werewolf in the cave.

By the time Lambert was even able to stand up on his own again, his usual window of heading back to Kaer Morhen had come and gone. The snows would prevent him arriving late - and that was even if he’d manage to get to the mountain passes at all. Lambert had sent a letter instead, letting the other wolves know about what had happened and the change of plans. Such things did happen occasionally, Geralt sometimes sending a letter to let everyone know he was wintering in Oxenfurt with his bard, so Lambert knew they wouldn’t worry. He left out exactly who he’d be staying with for winter though, he didn’t want the lecture he’d inevitably get from Vesemir next year if he found out one of his youngest wolves was spending winter with the Dyn Marv Caravan.

He and Aiden were making their way slowly to intercept the Caravan’s route. Due to Lambert’s injury, they wouldn’t have been able to catch up to it if they’d been following along from behind. Instead, Aiden had proposed a rather scenic shortcut to meet them halfway. He’d predicted they’d meet the Caravan at some point either at dusk or during the night. 

No matter what Aiden said, Lambert couldn’t help but be nervous. What he’d heard about cat witchers wasn’t good. They were prone to violence and instability at the best of times - and the Caravan would house quite a group of them. Lambert wasn’t sure he’d like that many loose cannons in such a small area, even the idea of it set him on edge and he didn’t think that would change for the whole winter. Aiden wasn’t so bad though, and although it was a long-shot, Lambert hoped that they’d be similar. Feral, yes, but not enough to be a danger. 

Lambert knew he was going to have to stick close to Aiden this winter, yet cringed internally at the thought of annoying the other witcher. He’d already been enough of a burden getting injured, and it had been so charitable of Aiden to allow him to stay with his family, but Lambert didn’t want to push his luck. While Lambert himself loved the cat’s company, he didn’t want to be annoying or overbearing. 

“They might be a bit much, though…” Aiden trailed off after several minutes of silence. “Especially in the beginning, they get… excited around new people…” Lambert stared at him, wide eyed and skittish. Even without being physically fragile, he wasn’t in the mood to be mauled. Aiden laughed when he told him as much. “Not in a violent way, don’t worry! More than likely, they’ll just keep asking loads of questions. Don’t pay much attention to it though, if it gets too much, I’ll get them to piss off.” Lambert smiled at Aiden’s slightly protective tone. He was always looking out for him like that. “Oh, and it’s best not to bet anything valuable when playing Gwent either - they don’t know how to play without cheating.” 

“Oh that’s fine, you taught me how to cheat years ago.” Aiden laughed at that. 

“Don’t try that with them though, they can dish it out but try to cheat on them? They might attack you, whatever Guxart says be damned. That’s the only golden rule I can think of…” 

The two of them lapsed into silence once more. Aiden’s comment didn’t fill him with confidence but he trusted the other witcher not to let him get killed and knew that Aiden would feel the same if their positions were reversed. 

As night began to fall, Aiden kept him occupied with various pratterings and funny stories, rambling on and on. Lambert could tell he was nervous at the prospect of him meeting Aiden’s family. Ramballing and excessive talking was usually how Aiden dealt with that, trying to distract both of them from how they were feeling. Although it might have annoyed some, Lambert found it endearing. 

“He tried to offer up his daughter as payment, you know, I think he just wanted to get rid of her. She was almost thirty and unmarried - when I saw her face I knew why…” Lambert snorted but couldn’t give a full laugh without hurting his side. 

“Are we going to stop for camp?” He asked. 

“No point, we’ll keep going and then rest when we get there, I reckon about an hour further, maybe two…” 

Aiden’s prediction proved to be accurate. It was around an hour and a half later that Lambert first caught sight of shapes moving between the trees and in the branches above. Once or twice, Lambert thought he saw the gleam of a blade in the moonlight and did his best not to react. Although cats were notoriously violent, he doubted it would make a good first impression. 

The other witcher loudly whistled a rather complex tune, listening out as a different tune was sung in reply. Lambert looked to him for an explanation. 

“They’re part of the watch, the Caravan is up ahead. We’ve been allowed through.” Aiden supplied. “The wagons are just up ahead, try to stick close so they know you’re with me and let me do the introductions - there are some people here you'll get along with more than others and things have to be done in a certain order.” 

Lambert did his best to control his heartbeat, not wanting to seem too skittish even though the knowledge that he was about to meet the Caravan was disconcerting at best. As they continued down the road, Aiden turned sharply to the right. With his hand, he indicated a beaten off track to Lambert that led into the woods. The marks suggested the wagons of the Caravan had been driven through. 

“We keep off the roads at night - you never know who might be passing and the general idea of the Caravan is secrecy.” Aiden explained as they began to follow the marks left by the wagons. 

It wasn’t long before they came upon the company, nestled tightly into the trees. There were several wagons, close to ten in total but Lambert didn’t count, all lined up behind one another. Most had been converted into shrug living quarters with waterproofed leathers and canvasses thrown over the top to create small rooms. Others appeared to be for storage and likely held weapons or food. It was definitely a communal way of living, although in Lambert’s opinion, it was also rather claustrophobic. 

Several people were milling around, possibly twenty although he imagined there were more hiding in the wagons or deeper in the woods. Seeing so many witchers in one place was a novelty to Lambert - it had been since the attack on his own school decades past. The fact that these witchers were known to be unpredictable though set Lambert’s teeth on edge. He hated meeting new people no matter how insane they were, but put his faith in Aiden that none of them would kill him. 

Apprehensively, he steered his horse in behind Aiden’s as they made their way down the line of wagons. Most of the witchers that the Caravan housed sat together in groups around a series of fires, rather lively in their chatting and roughhousing. Many stopped to stare at them as they passed, their yellow eyes peering at him and reflecting the light of the moon. Lambert kept his eyes firmly forward. 

He and Aiden stopped outside one of the wagons close to the back of the Caravan. Its blue canvas roof had evidently been converted from an old tapestry and if Lambert looked closely, he could see the small holes left where whatever design was embroidered on had beenpicked out. A fairly elderly looking man was milling about nearby, perhaps a decade or so older than Vesemir, although it was always hard to tell with witchers. When he noticed the two approaching, he began to walk over. 

“Guxart!” Aiden exclaimed. Lambert followed his lead and dismounted. Aiden and Guxart shared a quick hug, Guxart’s eyes staying firmly on Lambert as they did so, before pulling away. “This is Lambert, the wolf I told you about. He’s injured so he can’t go north for the winter.” 

Guxart hummed and stepped forward. The way in which he examined Lambert with his gaze reminded the younger of his old instructors in Kaer Morhen. Evidently approving of whatever he saw, Guxart stuck out a hand which Lambert scrambled to shake. 

“I’ve heard about you,” he stated. His voice was calm but held the gravity of a man who’d seen many things. “Had a feeling we’d be seeing you one of these winters…” Lambert couldn’t help but be flattered and shy that Aiden had mentioned him to his leader. It seemed to say mountains about Aiden’s view on him. 

“Well yes… I hope it’s alright for me to stay.” Lambert looked to Aiden unsure, but Aiden just smiled. 

“Of course it is my boy, we’ve had far worse sorts of people stay with us before,” Guxart said firmly, signaling an end to the matter. 

Lambert felt Aiden squeeze his shoulder reassuringly as Guxart turned away. He watched as the man, with a surprising amount of grace and skill, clambered atop his wagon. Of course he was a witcher, Lambert had seen Vesemir fight more than enough time to know that appearances could be deceiving, but the action still took him aback a little. 

“Listen in!” Guxart bellowed. ‘Wow,’ Lambert thought. ‘He could be a bloody town crier if he put his mind to it’ . “We’ve got a wolf staying with us this year. And like I say every time we have guests, keep the stabbing to a minimum.” There were chuckles from witchers nearby as Guxart finished his little speech and clambered back down. 

Lambert looked to Aiden in alarm. He’d said very little about stabbing before Lambert had agreed to come with him. At Lambert’s expression, Aiden only shrugged. He said nothing but Lambert knew that if Guxart hadn’t been within earshot, he’d have made a comment about the old cat exaggerating. 

“Aiden, you can settle him in, your friends are a few wagons along.” 

“Thank you.” Aiden and Guxart shared a look, his thanks feeling weighty. Lambert supposed they really did have a lot to thank Guxart for - housing Lambert for the winter, making sure he was safe and sharing resources to name a few.

After a moment though, the two cats broke eye contact and Aiden moved away. He led Lambert onwards where they left their horses with a young boy to look after. Lambert assumed, based on his eyes, that he was a new recruit, saddled with the most boring jobs while he earned his keep. He seemed tough though, jaw squared as he saw to their mounts. Lambert wondered how the fuck the cats still managed to have a functioning school while so nomadic. He couldn't help but feel sorry for him when Lambert considered the suffering the trials would bring him soon. 

Lambert wasn’t given much time to dwell on that line of thought and it’s inevitable end though, as Aiden led him over to a campfire nestled in the treeline. A group of four were gathered around it, some standing while others sat on tree stumps or fallen logs. One of them appeared to be retelling a story very animatedly but stopped once the pair approached. Four sets of yellow eyes fell on him. 

From descriptions provided by Geralt, Lambert recognised Gaetan easily. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up when they locked eyes and the wolf was quickly reminded of the other’s deeds in Honorton the previous summer. Geralt had left Gaetan alive and Lambert knew that if he’d been in that position, he no doubt wouldn’t have been so merciful. 

“Guys, this is Lambert.” Aiden gestured in his direction and Lambert did his best not to make his smile awkward. Gaetan’s own smile in return was surprisingly welcoming considering what Lambert had heard. The group perked up considerably at the introduction, looking excited as Aiden introduced his friends each in turn. 

Most of the cat school, Lambert had noticed, were considerably shorter than he’d expected. Aiden seemed to be an anomaly, being slightly taller than himself.  Schrödinger, though, was of a similar height, leaner than Aiden but perhaps an inch or so taller. He grinned broadly when Aiden introduced him, eyeing Lambert up like one would a meal or a whore in a brothel. Lambert couldn’t help but shift his weight nervously on his feet as Aiden continued. 

Dragonfly sat close to the fire, face dirtied by mud and what seemed to be face paint. Out of everyone present, she seemed to have the most feral look about her and Lambert knew he’d do well to stay on her good side. He wasn’t sure why he was surprised to see a woman amongst them, but he was. Cat witchers were well known for accepting both girls and boys into their ranks for training but Lambert had never seen evidence of that before. He imagined being a female witcher only made an already difficult job even harder. Perhaps that explained the wild look in her gaze when she nodded at him. 

Axel and Gaetan seemed to have the usual physicality of cat witchers, both being small and lean which no doubt made them deadly with daggers and quick in a fight. Lambert wasn’t naive enough to think that their size made them easy opponents. Where Gaetan’s head was shaved close to the scalp, Axel had a mop of light brown hair cut rather unevenly, as if he’d done it himself. 

“Ah!” Axel exclaimed, grinning wildly as his eyes flicked from Aiden to Lambert. “We were wondering when Aiden would be bringing his friend to visit.”

“Yes, we’ve heard a great deal about Aiden’s friend and their travels, haven’t we?” Schrodinger smiled, nudging Gaetan with his foot. ‘Are they sharing a joke at my expense?’ Lambert thought. Fuck. This was why he didn’t like meeting new people. 

Axel wiggled his eyebrows at Aiden, as if daring him to pass comment, but Aiden only growled with a blush and kicked him off his log. ‘Oh, perhaps they’re laughing at Aiden’s expense then.’ Maybe they found the idea of Aiden having friends funny - but Lambert couldn’t see why. He practically seemed to be a magnet for people and Lambert had seen with his own eyes how townsfolk gravitated towards Aiden’s company. 

“Bugger off, whoresons, let us sit down.” Aiden stomped forwards, deftly planting himself in the space Axel had been forcibly vacated from. Despite his grouchy tone, his smile was warm when he looked up at Lambert, patting the space next to him. 

Cautiously, Lambert took a seat. While they seemed normal at first glance, the way they moved almost seemed to be changed with unpredictability. Lambert reminded himself not to let his guard down. There was only so much Aiden could protect him from.

“So you’re real then.” Axel turned to him with a lopsided grin. “We weren’t sure for a while, though, the mutations might have finally had an effect on him and Aiden was just imagining you.” Schrodinger snorted at that and Aiden sighed. 

“Well as you can see, I’m real enough.” Lambert shrugged. 

“I think he’s punching above his weight,” Schrödinger chimed in, as if Aiden wasn’t even there. “Lambert, you must have so many people to choose from, why the fuck would you want this fleabag?” Lambert wasn’t sure what he meant by that. It seemed with these people that they said one thing while actually implying something altogether different. Lambert just didn’t know them well enough to understand the alternate meaning yet. 

The group shared chuckles and knowing looks at he and Aiden, eyeing Lambert up like a shiny new toy. Schrodinger in particular looked to be giving Lambert his full attention. In many ways, this cat reminded him of Aiden and some of the traits that Lambert had always secretly liked - the height and shaggy hair for one. But seeing the same features on someone new, Lambert was no longer sure if he liked those traits in particular or if he just liked Aiden.

“Fuck you.” Aiden blushed. “Did you ever think that maybe I kept Lambert away for so long was because you guys are fucking weird? We’re only here at all because Lambert is too injured to travel north.” The others took no notice of Lambert’s grumbling. 

“What happened?” Gaetan turned to Lambert and asked. 

“Just a shit day, I guess.” Lambert muttered but lifted his shirt to show the beginnings of the wound that stretched along his side and abdomen. It hadn’t yet healed by any stretch of the imagination, still puckered and pink, but since they’d stopped bleeding a week or so previously, Lambert had preferred to keep them unwrapped. At the sight of the wound, noises of sympathy echoed around the group, Aiden grimacing at the reminder of it’s brutality. 

“Had one of those myself - they’re an ass to heal…” Gaetan lifted his own shirt in response, highlighting puncture marks where he’d been stabbed with a pitchfork or something similar. The wounds were healed and scarred but the tissue around them suggested that the injury occured in the last few years. Lambert hummed but didn’t ask for the story behind the injury. He wasn’t sure he wanted to know. 

“What happened, then?” Axel asked when the conversation seemed to peeter out for a few moments. Everyone looked at Lambert and he sighed internally. He’d never been much of a story teller but then again, since he was new he guessed avoiding the question would have been rude. 

“There was a contract out for a werewolf - did some digging and it turned out to be the alderman’s son-in-law.”

“Ah fuck, bet he didn’t like that,” someone commented. 

“No he fuckin’ didn’t… But Aiden talked him round and we were given permission to kill it - but then it turned out the guy’s daughter was one too and she came home while I was busy with the first guy.” 

“Where was Aiden during all of this, he didn’t clock her?” Dragonfly looked between the two of them with a slight frown. Aiden looked at his feet to avoid her gaze. Lambert shifted in his seat. 

“He was checking something out outside - we didn’t know either of them were going to be home when we arrived.” Lambert heard Aiden sigh beside him, evidently stopping himself from making a self-deprecating comment. Aiden hadn’t been doing anything helpful at the time, he’d been distracted by something silly, in all honesty; but Lambert wasn’t about to embarrass him in front of his family. “‘Was too weak to head home after that so here I am.”

“And we’re happy to have you.” Dragonfly gave him a small, tight lipped smile but didn’t seem to be lying. 

“For the record, wolfie, I would’ve had your back.” Schroginger raised a pointed eyebrow at Aiden. A faint growl started to bubble up from the man’s throat but before Aiden had the chance to fully react, Schrödinger continued and changed the subject. “How about some Gwent before dinner, hmm?” Dragonfly rolled her eyes but the others seemed enthused. “Opening wager of twenty orens?” 

“If we’re playing, I’m not wagering shit.” Lambert remembered what Aiden had told him earlier and was eager to leave in spring with at least enough coin for an inn if he needed. 

“Eh, that’s ok. Money is boring anyways.” Gaetan sighed, fishing out a Gwent deck from the bag he kept at his side. 

“How about something more interesting then, hmm? How about secrets?” Schrödinger evidently seemed to know how loaded his question was but was either too stupid or too mad to care. Since Lambert was a stranger and an outsider, revealing too much about either school could be dangerous. With cautious optimism though, Lambert agreed. 

“As long as no one pushes too far…” 

No reassurances came as Gaetan shuffled around the campfire to sit by Lambert’s side, leaving enough room on the ground between them for cards to be dealt. 

“My deck is in-” Lambert went to stand but a firm hand on the shoulder stopped him with a squeeze. Aiden rose to his feet. 

“I’ll get them for you, you should still stay off your feet when you can.” Lambert wanted to argue back about being babied but Aiden had already disappeared into the night. Lambert was left alone with four cat witchers. The trepidation in his gut must have shown somehow. 

“We’ll keep it above the belt, don't worry - not really in the mood to start a war.” Gaetan began to shuffle his cards, the group slipping into silence yet sharing several winks and knowing looks. Lambert kept his head down and took little notice - he got the distinct impression that if he worried himself too much with all their inside jokes, he’d only think himself into circles and get nowhere. 

Unsurprisingly, when Aiden returned with Lambert’s Gwent deck and he and Gaetan began to play, Lambert lost - badly. He set his jaw as he spied the flash of cards from underneath a jacket. Gaetan was at least being subtle with his cheating but Lambert knew what was going on nonetheless. Pride having taken a significant blow, Lambert’s fingers itched to begin cheating too - but remembering Aiden’s warning, he decided not to risk it. 

“Hmm…” Gaetan leaned back once Lambert folded. “Let’s see… it’s got to be a good secret, but not anything too sensitive - Aiden would kill me if I upset you on your first night…” He mused. Aiden grumbled but didn’t argue against him. “Hmm… what was your first contract when you set out on the path?” 

Lambert thought Gaetan had a very dubious idea of what secrets consisted of but wasn’t going to kick a gift horse in the mouth. “Water hag just south of Leyda, twenty ducats - nothing special.” He shrugged. It truly had been a boring story. His second contract; however, had been much more interesting, but that wasn't what he’d been asked. 

“Huh, fair enough I suppose.” Gaetan sighed. “Again?” He began to reshuffle his Gwent deck and Lambert did the same. 

“Sure.”

“Noo!” Came a whining, dramatic sigh from Schrödinger . “You’re hogging him! I want a turn!” As Gaetan rolled his eyes and Schrödinger produced his own, significantly more battered deck, Lambert couldn’t help but feel like a shiny new toy that children were fighting over. 

He could feel Aiden’s eyes on him, supervising and checking to make sure things were going ok, but when Lambert caught his eyes, the two shared a soft smile. He hoped no one picked up on the momentary stutter of his heartbeat as he agreed. 

To the cat witcher’s delight and Lambert’s resignation, he lost the next game catastrophically before Schrödinger deigned to collect his reward. He barely made any attempt at subtlety when he cheated, almost daring Lambert to comment on it, which he didn’t do. Lambert could see the cogs turning in his brain as he thought of what to ask and got the distinct feeling that whatever it was would be much more intrusive than Gaetan’s earlier question. 

“Are you…” Schrödinger gave what Lambert imagined to be his most charming grin. “Are you interested in men?” The ginger swallowed thickly and narrowed his eyes. From the way a slight hush fell over the group, Lambert got the feeling that more people were interested in his answer than just Schrödinger - although it was very clear that Schrödinger was indeed interested. 

“Yes…” He replied cautiously. Schrödinger seemed delighted by the answer, grin growing; while Lambert spied Axel give Aiden a raised eyebrow and a pointed look behind him. Lambert wasn’t sure why though - didn’t Aiden already know he was interested in men? Sure, Lambert fucked women more often for reasons of safety, but he’d made no effort to hide it and had given and received more than a few blowjobs from people out in the stables while they’d been passing through towns. If Aiden didn’t already know, would he have a problem with it? Lambert hoped not. But then again, if he did, he would no longer be the person that Lambert had fallen in love with, so  in the end, Aiden’s disapproval wouldn’t have mattered. 

Surprisingly, Lambert won the second game he played with Schrodinger. In all likelihood, the cat had let him win to appease Aiden in some way, who continued to linger around just out of Lambert’s eyeline. But even so, Lambert smiled triumphantly as he thought of what to ask the other man. It was difficult to think of something sufficiently interesting that didn’t also raise the possibility of stumbling across any sore points, so Lambert decided to play things relatively safe. 

“Where do you usually travel during the year?” 

“Oh, gonna come find me, are you, wolf?” Schrödinger’s reply was teasing and flirtatious as he cocked his head. Not knowing what to do with the attention, Lambert only shrugged. “Usually around Maecht, sometimes a bit further south. The cold doesn’t agree with me as it does you.” 

Lambert hummed in thought. Maecht was definitely too warm for him. But, he guessed, since it fell under Nilfgaardian control, contacts there would be scarce - for a usual witcher at least. A chill ran down Lambert’s spine when he continued that line of thought. The majority of Schrödinger’s contracts must have been assassinations then. Lambert would have to keep that in mind, reminded of the threat those around him could potentially pose. 

Needless to say, Lambert lost the next round he played with Gaetan. It stung less than before. Lambert had resigned himself to losing most of the games he played for the majority of winter. Before Gaetan asked his question, though, Lambert noticed him shoot a sly, mischievous glance in Aiden’s direction. 

“How did you end up travelling with Aiden? It’s pretty common for cats to travel in pairs but from what I’ve heard, wolves tend to travel alone.” 

Lambert was grateful that Gaetan hadn’t asked why the pair had spent as long as they had together - the answer to that, at least from Lambert’s side, was deeply personal and emotional and likely not something that anyone wanted to hear, least of all Aiden. So happily, Lambert retold the story of their meeting. They surely must have heard some of it from Aiden before but they at least seemed interested enough to hear his version of events. 

“Was a wyvern, a whole group of them. Aiden wanted to team up and I told him to go fuck himself.” There were sounds of laughter from around the camp. “Took the nest on alone, almost got killed, Aiden saved my life.”

“Aw, how kind of you.” Axel nudged Aiden with a laugh, only for Aiden to grumble, blush, and duck his head. 

“I ended up having a pretty shit concussion and Aiden stayed with me until I’d healed.” Lambert continued. Despite having been in pain, he remembered the way Aiden had cared for him, even then, fondly. “Then he intimidated the alderman into paying us double and I thought, hey, this guy is probably worth keeping around.” More laughter echoed around the camp, even from Aiden. 

“And what do you think of Aiden now, still convenient?” Dragonfly asked. The question evidently seemed important, based on how everyone else eyed him as he thought it over. Lambert knew they could hear the spike in his heartbeat as he thought about how to answer without lying but also without revealing his feelings for Aiden. During the brief silence that preceded his answer, there were some pointed looks in his companion’s direction. 

“Aiden is my best friend, and probably one of the best people I’ve ever met - no questions asked.” 

There were murmurs from around the group with several more raised eyebrows in Aiden’s direction, but Lambert could tell they at least approved of his answer. Even Aiden seemed happier after that, giving unsolicited advice to Lambert as he continued to be beaten at Gwent until dinner. 

Another witcher who hadn’t been introduced to Lambert came round with cuts of raw steak. Gaetan was quick to take enough for the six of them and throw them carelessly on the fire - just long enough to cook them to a socially acceptable level before they were served. Even so, they were still rarer than any innkeeper would allow but Lambert didn’t mind. In fact, eating meat raw was often healthier for witchers due to its higher iron content. Aiden pushed through to accept Lambert’s for him, handing it to the ginger with a smile. 

“Doing good, wolf?” Lambert hummed and nodded in reply, conscious of the sensitive hearing of those around him. 

“It’s all good, don’t worry.” Lambert squeezed his shoulder before turning his attention to the steak. With how raw it was inside, he struggled for some time to pull off a bite. Aiden chuckled lightly at him. 

“You’re gonna have to get used to a lot of raw meat, sorry.”

“It’s fine,” Lambert assured around his mouthful but Aiden continued nonetheless. 

“We can’t buy loads of ingredients for most meals without arousing suspicion and potentially revealing our location. Most things are either hunted or foraged - but since we’re in winter, there’s not much foraging to be done…” 

“Aiden, it’s fine. ” Lambert squeezed his shoulder once more to stop him from fretting. Aiden’s heartbeat stuttered at the gesture but he did indeed calm. “The first few years on the path, I survived on nothing but rabbits” Someone laughed at that. “ - steak is a luxury.” 

For the remainder of dinner and the rest of the evening, Lambert, Aiden and the other cats continued to swap stories from their year on the path. They definitely seemed to be better storytellers than Lambert’s brothers, having no problem embellishing details and doing impressions of contract holders, much to everyone’s amusement. Lambert also noticed that cat witchers seemed to be much more nocturnal than he’d expected - even late into the night, few seemed to be sleeping. When he asked Dragonfly about it, she smiled, showing pointed teeth.

“We don’t have enough beds for everyone so quite a few people sleep in shifts - that way everyone gets a turn. Or sometimes people just camp or sleep on top of the wagons - depending on how many turn up…” She shrugged. Lambert couldn’t imagine growing up somewhere that was unable to accommodate you. He doubted Kaer Morhen ever had a lack of beds. They may have been bastards to him growing up, but at least Lambert knew he had a place there to call home. “The top of the wagons aren’t half bad actually, they’re a bit like sleeping on a hammock. You could always try it but you’re injured so best not to risk it…” 

“Must be pretty chilly to sleep up there in the winter though.” Lambert reasoned. 

“Luckily,” Axel cut in. “You don’t have to worry about that. You and Aiden have a wagon to yourselves for the season because of your injury - or so Guxart says.” Lambert’s eyebrows raised in surprise. He hadn’t expected any of them to be that generous. He made a mental note to himself to thank Guxart later. “As long as you help out with chores and stuff, pull your weight, you don’t owe us anything.”

“Wouldn’t say no to a blow job though,” Schrödinger sniped, only for Aiden to deliver a swift kick to his gut with a roll of his eyes. 

“Everyone thought you guys might want some… privacy too…” Axel added as an afterthought, wiggling his eyebrows. Lambert resisted the urge to frown and instead gave a tight-lipped polite smile. Next to him, Aiden shifted uncomfortably and glared at the others. 

Unlike previously, Lambert understood what Axel had been implying. He knew he’d have to tread carefully if this topic of joking continued. While Lambert was well and truly besotted with Aiden, he doubted the other saw him that way. Based on Aiden’s reaction to the joke, it was safe to assume the idea even made him uncomfortable. Friendship and nothing more was fine with Lambert though. He’d never been as close to someone as he was with Aiden and was reluctant to lose that by pushing too hard.  

“Which wagon is it?” Aiden changed the subject rather effectively. “‘M tired from all your bullshit.” He smiled good naturedly at Schrodinger. “And Lambert needs his rest too,” he added, cheeks a little pink when Gaetan wiggled his eyebrows. 

Lambert couldn’t help but find it endearing how embarrassed and blushy Aiden got around his family, powerless to their teasing. It was refreshing to see this side of him, Lambert thought, so different from the cool, confident man he was used to. 

“The one Joel usually stays in - he’s not here this year,” Axel supplied.

Aiden seemed to know which one he meant raising an impressed eyebrow and stood, motioning for Lambert to follow closely. The pair of them said their goodnights to everyone, several grins and whistles thrown in their direction as they turned in for the night. Lambert’s face burned and he resolutely kept his eyes off Aiden’s face. He had the unshakable feeling that the group was planning something for the following days but he couldn’t figure out what. Unsettled, he made sure to stick close to Aiden, the cat smiling reassuringly at him as they made their way down the formation. 

“Sorry about them, they’re mostly talk…” Lambert only smiled back in response, not wanting to say anything bad either to Aiden, or to anyone that might have been listening in. Gods, the lack of privacy would certainly take some getting used to. Yes, Aiden’s family were… a lot, certainly much more socialising than Lambert was used to in a single evening, even with his brothers - but he supposed it could have gone a lot worse. 

Aiden stepped towards the back of the caravan at a wagon covered with a dark brown leather strung over what looked like wooden scaffolding to make a roof. He stopped for a moment to make sure Lambert was still with him before opening an entrance flap and showing him the interior. 

As Lambert clambered in after him, he noted that the wagon was big enough to fit even four or five people comfortably, and seemed to house enough blankets for that number of people too. He would have to thank Guxart twice for allowing him to stay here - especially when beds were apparently in short supply. The floor of the wagon was soft too. How? Lambert didn’t know but wasn’t about to question it. 

Aiden shuffled over without a word to make room for him, giving Lambert arguably the best spot. 

“Is this all for us?” He asked, somewhat disbelieving. 

“Umm hmm…” Aiden humed in affirmative. “I wrote ahead about a week ago to give Guxart a little forewarning… this is what he’s done with that time it seems.” Lambert hadn’t known that Aiden had written ahead of their arrival but he guessed Aiden hadn’t wanted to worry him with it. 

“You didn’t have to do all this, you know…” At that, Aiden blushed. 

“I know… but you’re injured…” 

Aiden trailed off and that seemed to be the end of the conversation as the two of them got ready for bed. Despite the excess of room in the wagon, Aiden lay close beside him, both of them on their backs looking up at the roof. Aiden situated himself closest to the entrance and Lambert had to bite back a smile as butterflies filled his stomach. The cat witcher was always looking out for him, even around his own family. 

When Aiden turned his head a little to press their temples together, Lambert wasn’t sure what to think at all. He did his best to control his heart rate at the intimate gesture and heard Aiden’s heart beating a little faster too. 

“Sorry about my family…” Aiden murmured again, softly. Lambert assumed his quiet volume was to make sure they weren’t overheard. 

“It’s fine.” He continued once he realised Aiden was probably looking for a little more. “They’re more sociable than I’m used to but that doesn’t have to be a bad thing…”

Aiden hummed. “They seem to like you, at least.... I’m glad you met them. Thanks for being polite about it, it means a lot….” Lambert snorted at that. 

“Going soft on me now?” He wasn’t expecting an answer so continued before the cat could pass comment. “You care about them, that makes them important.” 

Aiden had nothing to say to that so let out a sound of acknowledgement and closed his eyes. His heartbeat was still a little faster than usual. Lambert followed his lead and settled in too, a warm feeling in his chest that he couldn’t quite place. He allowed himself to relax fully for the first time since they’d set off in search of the caravan, safe at Aiden’s side. 

-

Lambert barely remembered falling asleep that night. The next thing he was aware of was waking up, warm and safe in someone’s arms. The wagon had been surprisingly comfortable, but then again, Lambert should have known not to expect anything less from the cat, gluttons for comfort as they were. He shuffled around with his eyes closed for a moment, wiggling back into the warmth behind him. Then he seemed to come to awareness. 

That was Aiden behind him, spooning up close with his hand resting lightly on Lambert’s wound. The ginger didn’t move. Butterflies danced in his stomach no matter how much he told them to stop - Aiden wasn’t conscious of what he was doing, rolling into him while he slept, there was no reason to make the gesture into anything more than it was. Comfort. Nothing more. Certainly not an indication that he returned Lambert’s unspoken feelings. He kept his eyes closed nonetheless, wanting to drag out the tender moment for as long as possible. 

Aiden’s breathing was steady in his ear as the pair lay there, chest pressed to Lambert’s back. Just for a moment, he could pretend that the hug was truly meant for him. But all too soon for Lambert’s taste, he rolled away and sat up, likely having sensed that Lambert had awoken. The younger of the two couldn’t help the grumpy noise that was pulled from him. But before he had time to be embarrassed, Aiden chuckled. 

“So you’ve survived your first night with the cats…” His voice was gloriously husky from sleep and it took every ounce of self control Lambert had not to shiver. 

“Thanks to you.” He deflected, rolling onto his back and stretching out his legs. Aiden watched the movement closely before his eyes flicked back up to Lambert’s face. He shrugged. 

“They seemed to like you well enough yesterday, I wouldn’t anticipate a dagger in the back anytime soon…” 

“How comforting.” Lambert snorted and sat up. Aiden only hummed, not meeting the sarcasm with a retort. 

“Put some clothes on and we’ll go see what’s for breakfast…” While he would have snapped at anyone else, when the gentle order came from Aiden, Lambert found himself following without a second thought. 

The two of them dressed efficiently, Lambert running his untamed hair through with a brush quickly. Despite the image he portrayed, he cared what the cats thought of him, and they all seemed to take personal hygiene very seriously - he didn’t want them to think he was a slob. The two of them donned their boots and ducked out of the flap that covered their wagon and into the world outside. The usual aches and pains that Lambert felt from nights on uncomfortable inn mattresses was absent for the first time since last winter, leaving the younger witcher in an unexpectedly good mood. The cats obviously had their priorities straight when it came to comfort. 

Due to the season, the mornings were fairly dark and chilly, even as far south as they were. Lambert shivered and pulled the ends of his jacket tighter around himself. He hoped that at some point in the next few weeks, he’d be able to acquire a warmer one as the year became even colder. 

Several other witchers were milling about the camp, most of them already up and dressed but a few still in what looked like sleepwear. While some sat on wagons, content to watch their brothers and sisters, others tended to animals. A group of adepts practiced signs nearby under the watchful eyes of several haggard-looking instructors. Further down the formation, two of them fussed over a large cooking pot as Lambert and Aiden approached. The scent of lamb wafted over to them, paired with some innocuous vegetables into what Lambert assumed was a broth. 

“Like we said last night, most of our diet with the caravan is game and things we can forage.” Aiden supplied. “Things like bread and butter in the mornings are a luxury. Sorry.” He seemed a little sheepish but Lambert was quick to reassure him - his family were housing him for free afterall. 

“No it’s fine-” Lambert had meant to say more but the pair were distracted by the cats next to the cooking pot. They hit each other, growling and spitting with their proverbial claws out. One lunged at the other and sent them crashing to the ground noisily. The fighting itself wasn’t alarming to Lambert. He’d often done the same with his own brothers. But what had him raising his eyebrows in astonishment as he watched on was the sheer violence in their movements. Very much unlike Lambert and his brothers, their intent seemed to be to do harm to the other rather than to simply put them in their place. 

Their wrestling and scratching brought the two witchers in Lambert’s direction. Part of him wanted to get involved and separate the pair but thought better of it. He didn’t know where he stood with these people. Before the squabble could reach him, Lambert felt an arm hook around his side and over his chest, tugging him backwards and away from the oncoming fight. Lambert clutched at the arm for stability and turned. 

“Shouldn’t we do something?” he asked when Aiden met his gaze. The older witcher only snorted. 

“No point, it wouldn’t change a thing - this happens all the time, they’ll be back at it again before you can blink,” he answered flatly. 

Hand still around Lambert’s waist, Aiden tugged him in the direction of Guxart, a ways past the fight. But then he paused when he realised he was still holding onto the younger witcher, before hastily pulling back his hand and turning away. Lambert looked down. Was Aiden averse to touching him all of a sudden? He followed the cat witcher over to Guxart, not noticing the pink tinge Aiden’s ears had acquired ahead of him. 

“Oh good, you’re here.” Guxart pulled Lambert from his thoughts, bustling past him and fussing with some strips of leather. Lambert looked to Aiden briefly, the other man quiet at his side, before Guxart continued. “We know you’re injured so you won’t be asked to do anything too strenuous until you’re healed, but we still expect you to contribute to the upkeep of the caravan while you’re with us.”

“Of course.” Lambert was quick to agree. 

“You’ll be on watch for the day with Dragonfly at the back of the caravan. You’ve met, yes?” Lambert nodded. “Good. The chief requirement is to ensure we’re not being followed and that no one sees fit to attack us from behind… Aiden, you better go hunting with Gaetan today - he’s been pestering me about it all morning.” Aiden inclined his head affirmatively. 

A brief flicker of panic overtook Lambert at the thought of being separated from Aiden - the only person in the caravan he truly knew and had nothing to fear from. He did his best to contain it, not wanting to go against the leader of the caravan and promising to himself that he wouldn’t be a burden to Aiden, but Guxart seemed to see straight through him. The old witcher smiled and squeezed his arm. 

“Dragonfly will take care of you, she’s not as temperamental as many of the others, don’t fret.” Lambert swallowed and nodded, Guxart somehow managing to make him feel like a child again. “Go and get yourselves some breakfast - those two idiots will be squabbling for a while longer, I think.” 

As they made their way over to the cooking pot containing the broth, Lambert wondered how something so violent could ever be considered mere squabbling. Sure, Kaer Morhen had been a shit show but Lambert couldn’t imagine growing up in a place where such vicious fighting was the norm. The realisation made him appraise Aiden with a new light. 

“Come on.” Aiden nudged him gently with his shoulder, tilting his head towards the fire they’d sat at last night once they’d served themselves some of the watery lamb broth. Axel and Schrödinger were already there, lounging on the ground against a log. It seemed they’d already finished their own breakfasts and were chattering quietly; although when they noticed Lambert and Aiden approaching, they changed topic. 

“Ah, the star couple returns!” Axel declared loudly. Aiden growled, much to their amusement. Lambert looked down. He couldn’t help but feel bad that his presence was the catalyst for their mocking, especially since Aiden seemed very opposed to what was being suggested. Of course, he’d never want Lambert in that way. Lambert tried to convince himself he didn’t mind, that simply the cat’s friendship was enough. 

When Schrödinger turned to him, though, he looked up again. The other witcher regarded him for a long moment. 

“I hear you’re on watch with Dragonfly today.” Lambert grunted in affirmative. “You better keep your wits about you.” 

“Why?” Lambert asked but Schrödinger refused to elaborate. The anxiety he’d felt earlier began to return. 

“Don’t worry, he’s just messing with you.” Axel smiled. ‘Am I really that easy to read?’ Lambert thought. He wasn’t sure he liked it. “Dragonfly isn’t too bad, and she seemed to like you yesterday so nothing to worry about.” 

Lambert nodded and took a deep breath. The three cats moved the conversation on to a different topic but he was only half listening. Sensing Lambert was occupied, the cats let him eat in peace. Instead of joining in, Lambert took a moment to look out over the camp. Considering the manner in which Stygga Castle had fallen, they’d done well to pick themselves up afterwards. Although he did his best not to make eye contact with any of the other witchers milling about purely out of caution, Lambert thought that this school might not have been so bad afterall. Sure, they were changeable - the pair that had been fighting viciously before now nudged each other and laughed as they served broth to people, but it was nothing like Lambert had feared. It seemed there was less truth to Vesemir’s cautionary tales than he’d thought. 

Once they’d finished with breakfast, Aiden took his bowl for him and pointed him in the direction of his post for the day at the back of the caravan. Dragonfly, apparently, was waiting for him. Before he set off, Lambert felt Aiden squeeze his arm softly in one final show of reassurance. Noticing the gesture, Schrödinger blew a raspberry and pushed past the two to get on with his day. 

Walking along the formation without Aiden there to escort him was a slightly unnerving task for Lambert. He got several stares along the way, some of the cats sharpening their weapons as they regarded him with suspicion. But he arrived at the rear of the caravan unscathed. Dragonfly sat on the roof of the final wagon and turned to smile when she noticed him approaching. 

“Welcome to the best seat in the house.” She regarded him levelly, face donned with the same paint she’d worn the evening prior. It made it somewhat difficult to read her facial expressions but Lambert guessed that was the point. “Need a hand up?” She gestured to the empty space beside her. 

Lambert regarded the wagon for a moment. It would have been easy to scale had it not been for his injury, too much motion pulling on the stitches. “Please.” 

He took Dragonfly’s hand when it was offered to him. Despite being significantly smaller than Lambert, Dragonfly was deceptively strong. Lambert still found the idea that a woman could match him in strength and skill intimidating, but not in a negative way. As he clambered up with Dragonfly’s assistance, he wondered why females weren’t recruited in all schools - those with the cats had proven themselves to be more than capable. But then he thought back to the old farts at Kaer Morhen, obsessed with tradition, and didn’t need to wonder why anymore. 

In the daylight and with no other distractions, Lambert was able to get a better look at her. Like yesterday, Dragonfly’s appearance was nothing short of feral. There was an unstable gleam in her eye, face giving nothing away in an enigmatic expression that Lambert could easily imagine on Geralt. A long scar ran over her chin with another on her temple disappearing into her hairline. Her teeth were sharp like an animal’s and Lambert was left to wonder if the mutagens had done that or if she’d styled them herself. He couldn’t recall another witcher having similar teeth, but then again, the mutagens the cats used changed all the time, no two batches the same, or so he’d heard. 

“When we get moving again,” Dragonfly supplied when Lambert had settled at her side. “someone else will drive. All we have to worry about is sitting here and looking pretty.” 

“Shouldn’t we be watching out for threats?” At the question, Dragonfly chuckled. 

“Yeah, but there are plenty of people out in the woods either hunting or keeping watch - they’ll run into anyone long before they reach us. We’re the last line of defence which usually just means a lot of sitting around.” When Lambert looked out into the surrounding woodlands, he saw no one. But he hadn’t expected to.

It made sense, then, why Guxart had given Lambert the job. He doubted he’d be much use in a fight as he was. But still, a part of him couldn’t help but be a little bitter that he hadn’t been trusted with something more important. He was still a fully-capable witcher afterall. 

“So you’re here to babysit me then?” His annoyance bled through into his tone but Dragonfly didn’t seem in the least bit bothered by it. 

“Kinda,” she admitted. “And to make sure you don’t fall off. Even Guxart wouldn’t be safe from Aiden’s rage if we dramaged his prized wolf in some way.” Lambert barely managed to suppress a blush but Dragonfly gave him a knowing smile nonetheless. The two slipped into silence for a long moment, looking out over the forest, before she spoke again. “I went foraging for a while this morning.” 

From the pocket of her trousers, she withdrew a folded cloth and laid it out between them. Wrapped up in the cloth were raspberries, perhaps the last of the season. Lambert raised his eyebrows in surprise. It was a kindness he hadn’t been expecting. 

“Have at it.” She gestured to the small pile. “And then when you get back to Aiden tonight, tell him now nice I treated you - I’m trying to butter him up for a favour.” Lambert, never one to kick a gift horse in the mouth, accepted the treats readily. 

He wondered how much Aiden had been talking about him over the previous winters. So far, everyone had seemed to know exactly who he was and that he was close friends with Aiden. Evidently, Aiden considered him to be important, if how treating Lambert well could sway Aiden’s opinion of someone was anything to go by. That didn’t mean he shared Lambert’s feelings, though, he reminded himself. 

From behind them, there was shouting. Lambert looked round but Dragonfly didn’t seem too concerned. And then, in practiced coordination, the wagons began to move. 

Having been sat slightly off balance, Lambert lurched to the side, dangerously close to falling from the wagon. Luckily, he caught himself at the last moment, the movement pulling painfully at his stitches. He hissed at the sensation, Dragonfly raising a questioning eyebrow. 

“I’m fine…” he grumbled, seating himself more securely and shoving a raspberry into his mouth. Dragon made no comment and the pair slipped into silence for a while. In a way, Lambert was reminded of Geralt. The silence between them wasn’t tense, simply neither having anything to say. 

While Lambert did want to make conversation to fill the time, he had no idea which topics were off limits. With someone like Eskel who Lambert had known since childhood, staying away from sensitive topics was easy since he knew what they were. But since he had no clue what topics were off-limits for Dragonfly, he had no way of avoiding them. Eventually, he chose a rather bland question. 

“How long have you been with the caravan?” Dragonfly kept her head facing forwards but her eyes flicked to Lambert as he munched on another raspberry. 

“Since it first came into being. I was at Strygga too - so were some of the others but they were too young at the time to remember much. The rest were created afterwards…” Lambert judged that she was around the same age as Aiden then, his friend having shared some old memories of the castle previously. Schrödinger and Gaetan seemed younger and closer to Lambert’s own age. 

“I prefer the caravan though,” she continued without prompting. “It’s less stuffy, there’s less reading and I can spend more time hunting.” She smiled, showing off pointed teeth. “I killed a bear last winter with just a dagger, you know.” She raised an eyebrow, searching for Lambert’s approval. 

Lambert hummed, sufficiently impressed. He wasn’t sure he would have been able to do the same, even if he were at full strength. 

“I don’t think I have the aim for that…'' He admitted. Daggers had never been a strength of his, although he’d improved under Aiden’s tutelage. Dragonfly laughed. 

“We’ll make you into an expert knife thrower by winter - that’s a promise.” 

The two of them slipped into a companionable silence after that for the majority of the morning, occasionally breaking it to pass comments on the scenery or the glimpses of other witchers they saw. It was a rather calming way to spend the day, in Lambert’s view. It wasn’t the ‘work’ he’d been expecting to put in when he’d arrived. 

Around midday, someone threw cooked meat up to them for lunch. So busy watching the world go by and lost in his own thoughts, Lambert failed to notice the meat until it hit him in the back of the head. Laughter sounded, both from behind him and somewhere off in the forest. Lambert bristled but made none of his usual comments or insults - these people weren’t his family so he couldn't snap back in the same way. 

When he took a bite of the meat, which seemed no worse for wear after it’s rough handling, Lambert noted it was squirrel; unseasoned but still good. Next to him, Dragonfly tore into her own with sharp teeth, chewing noisily and looking rather feral. When she sensed Lambert’s gaze, she grinned widely, all dirty teeth and danger. Lambert looked away. 

“So tell me about Aiden,” Dragonfly said, mouth full around her final bite. 

“What about him?” 

“You’ve been travelling together for years. Why stick with him? From what I’ve heard, wolves tend to work alone.” It felt like a loaded question but an important one. As with the night previously, Lambert did his best not to lie but not to be overly honest either. He imagined that cats were fierce gossips - he knew Aiden was. 

“I care a lot about him.” A half-truth. “I’d do anything for him - I would. Yeah, wolves usually travel alone, but I prefer having someone to watch my back. And Aiden’s always been good to me so I try to do the same in return.” In response, Dragonfly only hummed with an enigmatic smile. She gazed at him for a long moment and Lambert felt as if he were being dissected. Since Aiden often stared at him too, he assumed it was a ‘cat thing’. But Lambert found the behaviour a little unsettling coming from someone else. 

“Right then,” she said after several long moments. “I’m glad he has someone loyal to rely on.”

The rest of their afternoon together passed quicker than the morning had. It seemed with that question out of the way and Lambert’s answer accepted, that Dragonfly was more open with him. Her reservations, which Lambert’s hadn’t known had been there until they weren’t, dissipated and she spoke of her life freely. Most of the season, she took contracts in Skellige, something which Lambert didn’t envy - almost all the monsters there being sirens and drowners. 

“Bears are fuckin’ grumpy though, they don’t like having a cat in their territory but I haven’t been murdered yet so I’d call that a win.” She smiled. “The ones that actually talk though? They can drink anything. I don’t know how they can afford so much ale… I still try not to run into them too often though, even the nice ones are still bastards and they could probably kill me with a single punch if they put their back into it.” Lambert had never met a bear but from what he’d heard, he didn’t doubt it. He knew they were bigger than Eskel which was a feat in itself. 

“You’re brave. I don’t think I’d have the balls to work around them. I heard they kill people who take their contracts.” Dragonfly laughed. 

“As long as you clear out with the coin before they notice, you won’t run into any issues.” 

The watch shifts changed just before dinner, the caravan once again pulling off the path to stop for the night. Having sat in the same spot all day, Lambert was more than a little stiff, arse cheeks numb and uncomfortable as blood rushed back into them. Dragonfly helped him down without being asked, Lambert giving her a smile in thanks as they made their way up the formation to where the food was being served. 

As they approached, Lambert frowned. Aiden was speaking in a quiet, yet angry tone with Guxart who frowned as he listened. Gaetan lingered next to them, evidently involved too. ‘Did something happen?’ Coming a ways closer, Lambert noted that most of Aiden’s glares were directed in Gaetan’s direction. The wolf strained to hear what the tense discussion was about, a frown appearing on his own features. 

“Can’t you make them stop?” Lambert heard Aiden hiss at Guxart. “They’re gonna mess this up and if they do, nothing will be able to fix it!” Gaetan cut across before Guxart had a chance to respond. 

“It’s fucking obvious what’s happening! You’re just too blind to see it! You can’t exactly blame us for helping things along.” 

“ You’re not helping.” By Aiden’s tone, Lambert guessed he was close to losing his temper. 

“I’m not going to intervene.” Guxart said heavily. 

“But-” 

“Everyone should be mindful of his reservations but yes Aiden, it seems as if you could use a little help.” Aiden opened his mouth to protest angrily but Guxart continued. “This has been going on long enough and no one wants to sit through the entire thing for winter unless they have to.” 

That seemed to be the end of the conversation, Aiden reluctantly backing down since Guxart had the final say on things. The old witcher wandered off, Gaetan following along soon after and leaving Aiden to stew in whatever had made him so angry. Cautiously, Lambert left Dragonfly’s side and made his way over. 

When Aiden sensed him approaching, his stormy expression softened somewhat but Lambert could still sense frustration bubbling away just under the surface. The best he could offer Lambert was a strained smile. 

“What’s wrong?” Aiden sighed deeply. 

“Nothing, wolf, nothing at all… Just people sticking their noses where they don’t belong…” Lambert didn’t pry. It seemed as if there were more than enough people doing that anyway. Over the years, Aiden had been more than generous with what he told Lambert. He didn’t want to be ungrateful by asking for more. Instead, he simply nodded and followed Aiden over to get dinner. 

“What did you manage to catch?” He changed the subject, something which Aiden seemed grateful for, the tension in his shoulders beginning to dissipate. 

“There was a painfully stupid herd of deer an hour or so west where we passed the river. Managed to get enough for the whole caravan! There were others hunting too so we’ll probably have extra to be used at breakfast tomorrow…” As they spoke, the pair spied the rest of Aiden’s friends a short distance away, Gaetan busy building a fire in the middle of them. Meals in hand, they made their way over and sat down. 

“He had something extra special to motivate his hunting.” Axel chimed in and wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. Lambert wasn’t sure he understood what was being implied. He decided not to pursue the matter when Schrödinger sat down on his other side. 

Thus far, he hadn’t spent much time speaking with Schrödinger one on one. But, knowing how important Aiden’s friends were to him, he wanted to make the effort to get to know him. Lambert took several bites of his food before speaking. 

“So what have you been doing today then?” 

“Mostly laundry, sadly... passed a river around midday so had to stop there… Lugging it back all wet and heavy wasn’t fun either. Would’ve died if I didn’t have a horse.” Lambert snorted at that and Schrodinger smiled, the two of them falling easily into companionable silence while Aiden made conversation with Dragonfly at Lambert’s left. “So what’s your deal, then?” Schrödinger asked after a while, voice quieter. The question confused Lambert and made him uncomfortable, but he wasn’t quite sure why. 

“Excuse me?” Again, Schrödinger smiled, but it wasn’t comforting. 

“You said last night that you’re into men. It’s pretty obvious that Aiden isn’t fucking you, so why aren’t you with someone that will? I’m sure there are plenty of people in this caravan alone who’d be willing to step up - myself included.” Lambert identified the other element of Schrödinger’s smile as flirtiness and froze.

He’d always been attracted to Aiden’s slightly more feral side, and that was something Schrödinger seemed to have, too. And since Aiden definitely wasn’t interested in him, why shouldn’t Lambert have a little fun? Fucking Schrödinger, no strings attatched, might not be half bad. The only thing holding Lambert back was how Aiden would feel about things - Schrödinger was his brother and Lambert was his best friend after all. 

When Lambert’s immediate reaction wasn’t disgust, Schrödinger put a hand on his thigh. Lambert didn’t move it away. Regardless of how the evening might have ended up, Lambert could at least enjoy himself a little. He leaned a little closer to Schrödinger. 

“What makes you think you’re the one that’s going to be doing the fucking?” Lambert felt a coil of satisfaction when he caught the cat’s pupils dilating. But then Schrödinger’s smirk came back in full force. 

“Well with your injury like it is… you just need to lay back and rest, have someone take care of you, hmm?” He lent imperceptibly closer and Lambert didn’t think that sounded half bad. He raised an eyebrow and hummed to buy time as he considered his next move. 

From his left there was a deep, angered growl. Aiden.

Lambert felt his stomach drop. Gods, he was so stupid - and now he’d made Aiden upset. Evidently, Aiden wouldn’t be supportive of Lamber fucking his brother at all; probably rightly so. Fuck, he felt like an idiot for pushing himself so deeply into Aiden’s life where he wasn’t welcome. While they might have been best friends, he’d evidently broken a boundary by flirting with Schrödinger. 

Aiden’s growl was followed by a hiss, an answering sound coming from Schrodinger. And then the two were fighting, Aiden lunging at the younger cat, food going flying. The explosiveness of the movement, and the fact that Lambert was unfortunately between the two, meant he was knocked to the floor, side twinging as he hit the ground. 

When he looked over, the two were embroiled in a violent fight, trying to scratch each other’s faces and yowling all the while. With their furocity, Lambert was surprised a blade hadn’t been drawn. They were certainly fighting with far more anger and brutality than the pair of cats Lambert had seen in the morning, well and truly angry with each other. Guilt ate away at Lambert for causing it. His heart was in his chest as he watched Schrödinger land a well placed punch to Aiden’s chest - at this rate, neither would stop until damage had been done. Fuck, he had to intervene. 

He pulled himself to his feet and took a step in the struggling pair’s direction, but a rough hand on the arm pulled him back. He turned sharply to see the hand belonged to Axel. 

“Let them do this, things won’t be sorted until they’ve fought this out.” It wasn’t an idea Lambert thought he could support. ‘ How is everyone else so calm about this? They’re hurting each other!’ Lambert opened his mouth to protest but a loud voice cut across the formation from further down, automatically grabbing everyone’s attention. 

“Take your bullshit away from camp! If I have to deal with anything else getting broken due to fighting today, I’m gonna start taking fingers!” Guxart called. Lambert didn’t doubt the threat now that he’d seen what the cats were capable of doing to each other. 

Despite being embroiled in such a vicious fight, the pair seemed to listen to Guxart’s command. The next time Aiden lunged at the other, it was to knock him in the direction of the treeline, Schrodinger rolling with the movement and taking them further. He snarled as his back hit a rock, kicking Aiden hard before the two of them rolled into the forest and out of sight. Even so, their angry sounds could still be heard. 

“Are you alright?” Guxart trod over, looking more than a little unimpressed. “Wound torn?” 

Lambert took a moment to check himself. “I’m fine…” Guxart nodded and surveyed the damage Schrödinger and Aiden had left in their wake, several bowls smashed. “I don’t… What set them off? Was it my fault?” He didn’t try to mask the anxiety in his tone. Had he just damaged things with Aiden? Guxart regarded him for a long moment and seemed hesitant to answer. 

“It’s something the two of them need to work out for themselves… Aiden has such strong feelings, but he can’t admit them to himself.” The old witcher’s reply was frustratingly cryptic and raised more questions than it answered. Lambert frowned. 

“Wolves are emotionally constipated too…” Guxart snorted at that. 

“Don’t I know it! I spent a lot of my younger days with Vesemir, your mentor - the most emotionally stilted man I’ve ever met! I can’t imagine he’s changed much since then…”

“He hasn’t… care to share?” 

“A story of Vesemir?” Lambert nodded, grateful for the change of topic. It helped to take his mind off the feral cries he heard from the trees. “Hmm, no.” Guxart’s smile was as fond as it was enigmatic. “Some things are just for me.” 

Guxart stayed for a short time after that before leaving Lambert with the others of his camp. He took a seat on a log next to Dragonfly silently while Axel and Gaetan mostly ignored the faint sounds of fighting, completely unbothered by it. Instead, they suggested wagers for their next Gwent game, each more dangerous and outlandish than the last. Feeling a little queasy, Lambert’s contributions were half-hearted at best but no one seemed to mind. His appetite was well and truly spoiled. Dragonfly kept him company until the war cries and yowling from the forest stopped, signalling an end to the argument. 

Both figures emerged from the forest, Schrodinger trailing behind while Aiden stomped over determinedly. His face held a stormy expression, glaring at anyone that dared make eye contact with him - everyone but Lambert, that was. When Dragonfly shuffled away to make space for Aiden at his side, the cat all but threw himself down onto the log, pressing in close to Lambert’s side even as he refused to look at him.

Although he seemed relatively unscathed, Lambert noted a thin stream of blood trickling down from his lip. The wolf frowned and reached out to touch Aiden’s chin, jolting him out of the staring contest he’d been having with Gaetan across the fire. Aiden’s hand snapped up to grab Lambert’s wrist automatically, leaning away almost on reflex. But then he froze. 

“Sorry… still a bit hyped up…” he grunted, forcing himself to relax and turn his face for Lambert’s examination. The ginger took a deep breath. ‘Maybe it wasn’t him that Aiden had been angry at, afterall.’

Lambert prodded and examined the injury closely, as he did with all of the injuries Aiden picked up when he was around. It was fairly deep and would no doubt bleed for a while longer, but it didn’t need stitches. It would certainly  be annoying when it scabbed over for a day or so, though.

He flicked his eyes away from Aiden’s bottom lip for a moment and noted the many sets of eyes trained on the interaction. Everyone seemed to be watching the two of them closely. Lambert’s throat clicked as he swallowed and he couldn’t help but blush when he realised he’d been caught fussing over the other. He dropped Aiden’s chin and turned back to the fire but still kept close to the other’s side. 

Schrödinger breezed back to the little camp a short while later, looking unexpectedly happy with himself considering he’d just been the subject of Aiden’s wrath. It seemed as if Aiden had won the fight too, Schrödinger already sporting a quickly darkening black eye and several small buts to his face and arms. A flicker of pride swelled up in Lambert’s belly but he quashed it almost instantly. The cat witcher flopped himself down on the other side of the campfire, a good ways away from Lambert and practically sitting in Axel’s lap. Axel rolled his eyes but made room. 

The silence that followed was tinged with awkwardness, no one either wanting or knowing how to address the argument that had occurred. Normally, Lambert would have been content with silence but felt the need to break it that evening. 

“How do you manage to get spices for the meat? It really makes it so much better than what I usually cook. I thought you weren’t supposed to be buying things, and most spices are expensive around here.” The tension within the group began to dissipate as Gaetan replied, although Aiden still seemed rather tense against Lambert’s side. 

“Ah - those of us that travel south during the year usually pick them up for cheaper down there. And since a little goes a long way, they’re easy to transport.” 

Lambert hummed and turned to Aiden, wanting to include him too, anxious for the two of them to be ok again. “Are there any we can pick up on our usual route? I can find some during the year if you like.” Aiden relaxed against him, coming down from his adrenaline high. 

“Why would you need to forage when you have me to do it for you?” 

Aiden stuck to Lambert’s side for the rest of the evening, not letting him out of his sight. The wolf thought there was a note of possessiveness in his actions but tried not to dwell on it in case that was just wishful thinking. In all likelihood, Aiden just wanted to supervise him to make sure he didn’t end up in bed with any of his brothers. Not wanting to stir the pot anymore, Lambert refused an offer of Gwent and headed off to bed at the same time as Aiden. 

Silence lay between them as they changed into their night clothes, Aiden settling down before Lambert but putting more space between them than there’d been the previous night. He didn’t close his eyes, staring up at the ceiling of the wagon until Lambert lay down too. He didn’t seem to be in the mood to sleep so Lambert stayed awake too.

“...Would you really have fucked Schrödinger?” Aiden didn’t seem angry. To Lambert, he seemed a little vulnerable, the question quiet as if he were afraid of the answer. Not sure what answer Aiden would prefer, Lambert took a while to answer. 

“He’s your brother. Depends if you’d want me fucking your family members - could make things a little complicated if anyone falls out.” 

Aiden hummed, doing his best impression of Geralt, but gave no verbal reply. The sound seemed disapproving though and Lambert wished he’d said something else. 

“Maybe I’m just attracted to slightly unstable people… can think of a few people who fit that description.” Of course by that, Lambert meant Aiden. But he regretted the comment as soon as he said it. It wasn’t how he’d meant to word things at all, having wanted to convey that whatever went on with Schrödinger wasn’t anything serious. 

“...Maybe it’s just that then…” Aiden sounded unusually dejected. The tone didn’t seem to fit with his usually positive attitude. Conversation petered out after that although it was a long time before Aiden closed his eyes to sleep. Something akin to guilt ate away at Lambert’s chest, even if he wasn’t sure what exactly had caused it. 

The first thing Lambert became aware of as he woke up the next morning was heat. He was warm - too warm. The second thing that pierced the veil of sleep was a heavy weight atop his chest, different to what he’d been feeling last night. It put pressure uncomfortably on his stitches, threatening to pull the skin open again. Lambert grunted and swiped groggily at whatever was on top of him. 

At the sound of a growl, Lambert opened his eyes. Aiden was laying atop him, looking wide awake as he gazed down at Lambert, pupils contracted into slits. Lambert frowned as his sleep-addled brain tried to process whatever the fuck Aiden was doing. 

He frowned when the cat slid off him a little so most of his weight rested on the soft wagon floor below and not on Lambert’s injury. Just as he was about to question what was going on, the other started to rub his face over any part of Lambert he could reach. Dumbstruck, Lambert lay there and let it happen. 

The stubble of Aiden’s cheeks rasped pleasantly over his neck and shoulders, no stretch of skin safe from Aiden’s attention. Very quietly, he could hear satisfied little rumbles coming from the cat. Lambert likened the action to the head bumps Aiden sometimes gave him, although this seemed intimate and much more prologued. Evidently, Aiden was feeling rather instinctive this morning and Lambert was reluctant to intervene, lest he cause any more upset. 

Unsatisfied with the amount of Lambert’s skin available, Aiden nudged him incessantly until he rolled on his side. “The fuck you doin’?” Lambert grunted. Unsurprisingly, Aiden gave no reply. He gave the other side of his neck and shoulders the same treatment, even rubbing his cheeks directly over Lambert’s. 

When the prolonged contact was combined with their lack of proper clothing and Lambert’s enormous crush on the other witcher, it came as no surprise that he felt his body begin to react. Lambert did his best not to panic as his cock began to take interest - Aiden didn’t seem to want anything sexual out of this. Frantically, Lambert forced his mind to picture Vesemir naked, sagging balls and all. That seemed to be enough. 

Mercifully, Aiden let him go once he was satisfied. Lambert had no idea what the purpose of Aiden’s actions had been but didn’t have the heart to question it. He looked over to the cat and noted how wide Aiden’s pupils had blown since he growled at him earlier, taking up almost his entire iris. 

“Let’s get dressed then,” Aiden grunted after a moment’s silence. ‘So he wasn’t going to address the weird rubbing then? Fine. Neither was Lambert.’  

Still confused, Lambert followed the direction and got dressed, accompanying Aiden outside. Perhaps Aiden’s behaviour was linked to what had happened last night - it seemed the most likely explanation. Fucking Schrödinger was definitely a no-go then.

As the two of them began the now familiar walk down the formation to where breakfast was being served, Axel jumped down from one of the wagons to join them, still in his sleep clothes which certainly seemed to have seen better days. He fell into step on Lambert’s other side but then laughed at the pair of them. 

“Oh wow, you really got possessive with him, didn’t you?” he chuclked, directing the question at Aiden. Aiden made a grumpy sound, irritated by the question and resolutely not looking at either him or Lambert. But before Lambert had a chance to question the comment himself, Axel was off again bounding over to Dragonfly who was milling about between two of the wagons. 

As Lambert and Aiden continued past, he noted Axel talking with her excitedly, Dragonfly raising an eyebrow as her expression slipped into something approving. Nonplussed, Lambert moved on. 

He got more than a few stares as they made their way to where breakfast was being served. Lambert did his best not to fidget, feeling like he did on his first morning all over again. When Aiden was stopped for a moment to talk to an older cat, he waved Lambert on to collect breakfast for them both. 

Schrödinger seemed to be on duty that morning. Lambert wandered over, ignoring even more stares from the others. Schrodinger looked up as he approached before his expression changed, eyebrows raising. He put down the knife he’d been using to chop meat and made to step around and away from the area before Lambert could reach him. 

Lambert frowned in confusion at the other’s reaction but didn’t back off. The cats were acting stranger than usual this morning and Lambert had had enough. 

“What the fuck is going on?” he snapped, harsher than he meant to. 

“Don’t wanna make Aiden any more jealous - I don’t think I’d survive next time…” And with that, he slipped away, quicker than a fox. 

Lambert froze. ‘ Jealous? Aiden was jealous of him?’ That meant he’d wanted to be the one flirting with Lambert, propositioning him so confidently. Fuck. Aiden wanted to fuck him. The revelation seemed practically world ending. How could they both have been so stupid for so long? Now Aiden’s behaviour, as well as the constant jokes and cryptic comments by his family members, made sense. The cats had been nudging them closer and closer, interrogating Lambert the day before to make sure he was good enough for their brother. Something giddy swelled up in his chest.

Fuck. 

He needed to find Aiden. 

Aiden was still embroiled in a conversation with the unknown older witcher but it didn’t seem to be particularly tense or important so Lambert didn’t care. He marched over to where the other stood and seized him by the arm, dragging him away from the formation. Aiden jumped, pulling away minutely before turning and seeing that it was Lambert who had him. “What are you doing?” 

Lambert didn’t reply or look back at the now irritated witcher who’d been left in their wake. Aiden didn’t struggle against his grip but instead followed the other cautiously. Lambert didn’t stop or release Aiden’s arm until they were in the forest and covered by trees, well away from prying, gossiping eyes and mouths. Lambert was filled with adrenaline as he let go of the other and turned. 

“You were jealous.” Aiden’s expression went from confused to terrified in the blink of an eye. As Lambert let the statement hang in the air, it then morphed into sadness before Aiden looked away. He nodded, as if ashamed of the admission. 

“I know you don’t-” 

Lambert surged forward, not wanting to hear Aiden’s no doubt self-deprecating statements and assumptions about what Lambert wanted and deserved. 

He kissed him firmly, holding onto Aiden even as he startled away for a moment. The cat’s mind seemed to take a moment to catch up with what was happening before he moaned, the tension releasing from his body as he kissed Lambert back eagerly, one hand firmly on the back of his neck to stop him pulling away. Lambert was struck by just how right Aiden’s lips felt against his own, hands fisting in the other’s collar. 

From the trees there were cheers. Lambert’s face heated in embarrassment, as did Aiden’s. He should have known that a hundred meters or so was no match for nosey witches. 

“We’ve been such fucking idiots…” Aiden was out of breath and Lambert could feel his heart racing. 

“You’re my idiot.”