Chapter 3
Warm?
She's... warm?
Confused, Blake opens her eyes to see that she's definitely not in the same place she was when she fell asleep. She appears to be inside some kind of den or burrow, a cave-like space dug into the earth, sunlight filtering in through the curtain of ivy that covers the entrance.
As Blake inspects the nest made of feathers and moss and various scraps of animal fur that she's lying in, she wrinkles her nose at the somewhat musty scent of the place, but her focus quickly shifts when she smells something else.
The scent of another cat coats the nest, a tom, fear filling Blake as she realizes that this cat must have found and brought her here while she was sleeping. She spots a series of white objects sitting atop flat rocks lining one side of the den, her curiosity getting the better of her as she pads over to more closely inspect them.
Skulls.
Cat skulls.
Bile begins rising in Blake's throat as she stares down at the skulls, nearly a dozen of them laid out in a line like a selection of horrible trophies. She shudders and turns away, about to flee the den, when suddenly something large steps through the curtain of ivy.
A cat. A very, very large cat.
Scratch Yang being the biggest cat Blake's ever seen, this is the biggest cat she's ever seen. Broad and well-muscled, scars and marks adorn almost every part of the tom's body, particularly his face, and his left ear is almost entirely torn away. Several patches of fur are missing from his thick white coat, exposing inflamed skin beneath.
His eyes are a bloodshot looking pinkish red, similar in coloration to the inflamed patches of his skin, locking onto Blake the instant he sees her.
The tom drops the squirrel he's holding in his jaws, grinning widely and sitting down next to the nest. "Hello darling." He purrs in a low, gravelly voice. "Sleep well?"
Blake doesn't reply, heart pounding in her chest as her terror continues to grow. The tom just sits there, still grinning as she trembles, frozen on the spot.
After a moment, his smile fades slightly and he tilts his head curiously to the side, beginning to walk toward her. "Come on now, don't-"
Blake hooks her paw through one of the eye sockets of a skull and hurls it straight at the tom's head. It impacts his face with a loud thud, sending him stumbling backwards, and she takes advantage of his distraction to bolt for the exit.
She runs out of the den as fast as she can, dashing through what looks to be some kind of camp. Various tent-like structures built from branches, tarp, and bark glued together with mud stand scattered around the clearing, brambles woven in for extra support.
It's impressive and fascinating to Blake that a bunch of cats could construct such shelters without the aid of tools or even opposable thumbs, though she doesn't exactly have time to admire their surprisingly sophisticated craftsmanship right now.
She tears through the camp at top speed, passing by several cats as they exit their tent-like dens. Nobody seems to be chasing after her, and just as Blake's sure she's about to make it safely out of the camp, she's stopped dead in her tracks.
A set of jaws clamp around the end of her tail, halting her movements and causing her to fall face first into the dirt. Blake lets out a cry of pain, scrabbling wildly at the earth as she's dragged back into the center of the camp.
She glances over her shoulder to see a mangy looking calico tom with her tail between his teeth and a delighted look in his yellow eyes.
Blake tries desperately to pull her tail free, whimpering in fear as a crowd of cats gather around to watch the scene. Laughter erupts amongst the group as she wriggles and squirms, clawing at the ground beneath her.
She's not entirely sure if her nose is accurate due to just how many cats are around, but Blake can't detect the scent of even a single queen right now. From what she can tell, the camp seems to be comprised solely of toms, which honestly just makes her feel even more scared than before.
"Hey, isn't that Adam's mate?" Blake hears one cat ask, and another shakes his head.
"Can't be." The second cat replies. "Adam said that she died, remember? He's probably just looking to replace her with a similar looking cat."
Blake assumes that Adam must be the cat that called her darling, the idea that he wants her as his mate only furthering her desperation to escape.
"Wait, is that a she-tom?" One cat cackles, and several others snigger along with him. "Gods, Adam must be desperate if he's settling for one of those!"
Blake continues to struggle in vain, her frantic scrabbling having kicked up a decent amount of dirt at her feet. Suddenly, she's hit with an idea, scooping up a pawful of dirt and flipping over onto her back.
She flings the dirt into the face of the cat holding her tail, who yelps as the powdery soil hits him right in the eyes. She rolls back onto her feet and launches herself forward with a burst of speed, ripping her tail out of his mouth.
It hurts, quite a lot actually, but Blake barely registers the pain. A second, larger calico moves to block her path as she nears the exit of the camp, the first one now chasing after her again.
The larger cat leaps forward to tackle Blake, but she dives between his legs, kicking one of his hind legs out from under him as she goes. His ankle buckles and he crumples with a pained yowl, the smaller calico sliding right into him and sending them both sprawling to the ground.
Blake dashes through the forest without looking back, sprinting away from the camp as quickly as she can, her short legs carrying her faster than she even thought possible.
She's running so fast that it hurts, her still healing paw and injured shoulder protesting each step, but Blake keeps going.
If this is the universe's way of punishing her for experimenting on animals, fuck is she sorry for ever working with Merlot, she's so so so very sorry.
"I would've caught that runt if you hadn't gotten in the way." Fennec growls, glaring at his brother as they stop at the foot of a tall oak tree, panting for breath.
"Oh fuck off." Corsac spits back. "This is your fault for not looking where you're going. Do you even have eyes?"
Fennec sneers. "Do you have a brain? You let her run right through your legs!" He snaps, beginning to pace angrily.
Corsac rolls his eyes. "I'm not the one that-" He pauses at the sound of approaching footsteps and turns around, Fennec mirroring the action.
Adam is walking toward them, a surprisingly neutral expression on his face. "Two of you and you can't catch a single little cat." He drawls, scorn dripping from every syllable. "I'm disappointed."
"S-sorry, sir." Fennec mutters, quickly bowing his head. "Corsac-"
"I don't want to hear whatever idiotic excuse you've come up with now, Fennec." Adam cuts him off sharply. "Your incompetence astounds me every time." He shakes his head, turning and beginning to walk away. "Leila will surely be headed for the city, I want daily patrols into the city to find her."
"But sir," Fennec speaks up as Adam walks away. "That's not-" His brother smacks him on the head with a paw, causing him to yelp and go quiet.
"We'll start sending out search teams tonight." Corsac interjects hastily, nodding quickly. "We'll find her, sir."
Fennec turns to his brother with a scowl once Adam has dissappeared. "But that's not Leila." He mutters, rubbing the spot where Corsac hit him.
"Do you want to make him mad?" Corsac hisses under his breath. "If Adam believes that this cat is Leila, then there's no convincing him otherwise. You know how stubborn he is."
"I suppose you're right." Fennec sighs, shaking his head as they start heading back in the direction of camp. "Ugh, I hate going into the city, it stinks there..."
As Blake breaks through the treeline, she spots a house just ahead of her, a large willow tree growing in the backyard. She runs toward the fence at top speed and leaps into the air with as much power as she can muster, catching the top of the fence with her front paws and pulling herself up.
Blake flips over the fence and lands in an ungraceful heap on the other side, grateful for the soft grass for cushioning her landing. Standing back to her feet, she begins looking around at her surroundings, her gaze falling upon a pair of toms lying in a sunbeam on the porch.
One of the toms, a slender cat with a blue-grey coat, glances up at Blake, and she freezes as their eyes meet. "Sun," The grey cat murmurs sleepily, nudging the larger golden tom next to him with a shoulder. "There's a cat in our yard."
The other cat, Sun, opens his eyes and lifts his head to stare at Blake as well, looking a little surprised. "Oh hey, you're Ghira and Kali's kid, right? What are you doing all the way out here?"
Blake has no idea who Ghira and Kali are, nor why this cat thinks she's their kid. This is the second time today she's been mistaken for someone she's not and she's starting to feel confused.
"I'm lost," She begins as she approaches them. "Could you-"
"Me and Neptune can show you the way back home." Sun offers, stretching and standing up. His companion yawns before nodding in agreement, standing as well after a moment.
Blake hesitates.
She really has nowhere to go now that Yang's place is no longer an option, and she can't exactly go back to her old apartment anymore. Perhaps Ghira and Kali will be understanding enough to let her stay for a few days if she explains her situation to them?
It can't hurt to try.
"I'd appreciate that." Blake replies, beginning to follow the cats as they jump the fence and begin walking down a road into town.
The walk isn't all that long, probably only about twenty minutes or so, but with how tired and sore Blake is it feels like an eternity until they arrive at another house.
This house is in a rather wealthy looking neighborhood, the kind of neighborhood Blake would've killed to live in back when she was human, though she'd never in her life have been able to afford a place somewhere this nice. Her standard of living has never been all that high, some years she's been lucky to even afford food and a place to sleep, and she's become very familiar with the feelings of jealousy and bitterness that so often accompany being poor.
"Well, here we are." Sun says, stopping in front of the hedge that surrounds the house's backyard. "You should be able to squeeze your way through there without too much trouble."
"Thanks." Blake replies, inspecting the hedge more closely to see that a small tunnel has been dug out at its base, allowing access to the yard. "Um, bye."
"You take care." Sun calls over his shoulder as he and Neptune start walking away. "Be careful wandering so far from your home next time. It can be dangerous for a cat as small as you to be out alone, especially near the forest."
Blake nods before turning back toward the hedge, crouching down and beginning to crawl through the tunnel. Some of the branches scratch her a little, and she gets some leaves stuck in her fur, but overall it doesn't take too much effort to wriggle her way through to the other side.
The backyard is very spacious, with a large flower-filled garden, several blossoming cherry trees, and even a pond with a stone bridge crossing it. It's absolutely beautiful, and Blake can't help but admire the view for a few moments.
"Leila?"
Blake turns in the direction of the house, noticing a small black cat exiting through a cat flap in the door. She's a queen, with short fur, short legs, and golden eyes, Blake can definitely understand why Sun might think that she's related to this cat.
Leila? Does this cat also think she's her kid?
Blake opens her mouth to respond, to tell this queen that she's not her kid, but before she can even get a single word out the cat is speaking again.
"Ghira! Ghira! It's Leila!"
Only seconds later Blake hears the sound of hurried footsteps and sees a second cat squeezing through the cat flap, a large black tom with fluffy fur and equally golden eyes as the queen bursting through the door.
Ghira stops beside the queen, who Blake gathers is probably Kali, and simply stares at her, an expression of complete and utter shock on his face. Blake swallows nervously as they continue to stare, feeling suddenly very awkward, seriously considering just turning and running away.
"It's not her, Kali." Ghira whispers after a moment, still looking shocked. "We saw her die, Kali. It can't be Leila."
"But it is her, Ghira." Kali insists, walking over to Blake now. "She looks exactly like Leila-"
"Leila is dead." Ghira growls, his eyes narrowing now. "Kali, this... this is just some cat that happens to look similar to her. It has to be."
Blake is honestly too surprised by everything that's going on to speak, staying quiet as Kali approaches. "Look," Kali continues, lifting a paw to gesture to her face. "She has the bits of green in her eyes, that one little white whisker that sticks straight up, the spot of pink on her nose-"
"Kali, it's not Leila!" Ghira snaps, his voice rising sharply in volume.
"Ghira! She looks exactly like Leila! She smells exactly like Leila! This can't be anyone else in the world but Leila!" Kali argues angrily, turning back toward Ghira and raising her voice as well. "I don't know how she's back, but she is!"
At that, Ghira opens and closes his mouth repeatedly, clearly struggling to find words. He pads closer to Blake, looking tentative, nose twitching as he sniffs the air.
After a moment, Ghira's eyes suddenly go very wide, and he swallows thickly. "Leila..." He whispers, rushing over and burying his nose in Blake's fur.
Blake has never felt more confused in her life as she's sandwiched between the two cats, Ghira and Kali purring and nuzzling her from both sides. She wants to tell them that she's not their dead daughter, merely a cat that somehow happens to look a whole lot like her, but she doesn't have the heart to say anything right now.
"But Kali, she's different." Ghira eventually mutters, slowly pulling away from her. "She's..."
Blake wonders if he's about to finally realize that she's not Leila, but Kali quickly shakes her head. "Obviously the gods don't want her to suffer the same fate as last time." She purrs, regarding Blake with a very fond smile.
Well, that's ominous.
"Oh, you're probably starving." Kali suddenly exclaims, taking a step back from Blake. "Come, our human left out some tuna for us earlier."
Blake's definitely not opposed to having some tuna right now.
"So..." Ghira begins, causing Blake to glance up from the can of tuna she's been eating from. "How long have you been back, Leila?"
Blake hesitates, licking her lips as she considers her answer. "About a-" She pauses, unsure if cats use weeks as a form of measurement. "I've been back for eight days." She says instead, dipping her head to take another bite of tuna.
Ghira frowns, nodding slowly. "I see. Do you... remember how you died?" He asks cautiously.
Blake swallows her mouthful of tuna and shakes her head. "No, I don't."
She should probably feel guilty about letting them believe that she's their dead daughter brought back to life, but if doing so will get her free food and a nice place to stay then Blake can overlook the dubious morality of it all.
Besides, won't she be making Ghira and Kali's lives better by pretending to be Leila? Won't they be happier believing that their daughter has been brought back to them?
"I'm glad you don't remember." Kali murmurs quietly. "It was horrible."
That makes Blake pause, debating whether or not to ask what happened. "How did I die... Mom?" She asks after a moment.
Kali takes a deep breath before looking up to meet her eyes. "You died giving birth." She replies, a very pained look on her face. "Your kits were too big, you were too small, none of you survived."
"Oh." Blake shudders, staring down at the can of tuna in front of her, suddenly feeling a little sick.
"It's a good thing you don't remember." Ghira mutters, shifting closer to Kali and allowing her to rest her head against his shoulder. "It was awful enough just witnessing your death, I can only imagine how traumatizing it would be to remember dying in such a gruesome way."
Blake remains silent for a while. She wants to say something comforting, to make some sort of reassuring comment, but she really has no idea what to say. Honestly, she's still just processing everything herself.
She's the lookalike of Ghira and Kali's dead daughter Leila, who they're convinced has been magically brought back from the dead, and to top it all off that creepy forest cat Adam wants her as his mate.
Blake's head hurts trying to understand it all.
"Can I rest for a bit?" She asks, forgetting the can of tuna entirely now. "I've been doing a lot of running today and my shoulder and tail are killing me."
The other two cats exchange concerned glances before Kali nods. "Of course, Leila, rest as long as you need." She turns and beckons for Blake to follow. "Come, let's get you to a nice, comfy bed."
A nice, comfy bed sounds wonderful right about now, and Blake eagerly follows after her into the living room.
"I'm just worried about her, y'know?" Yang says with a sigh. "Blake's young and she seems pretty clueless about a lot of things, I doubt she even knows how to hunt. How's a cat like that supposed to survive all on her own?"
"From the description you gave of her, Blake sounds a whole lot like Ghira and Kali's kid." Qrow replies as he cleans a paw. "Why don't you go stop by their place and see if Blake is around?"
Yang frowns. "But Blake said she didn't have any parents. She said she'd been alone for moons."
Qrow shrugs and continues grooming himself. "You said that Blake had never eaten any kind of prey before, yeah? And that she used to be a housecat? Do you seriously think a cat like that was on her own for any significant period of time? My guess is that she's probably living it up back at home with her parents and her owners right now."
"So... you're saying that you think she lied to me?" Yang asks slowly, her frown deepening. "Why would Blake do that?"
"I dunno, housecats are weird sometimes." Qrow answers with another shrug. "I'd go check out Ghira and Kali's place if I were you. It's in that real fancy neighborhood close to the edge of town, I'll show you the way if you'd like."
Yang nods. "Yeah, it's worth a shot, I guess." She agrees, standing to her feet and stretching, her joints cracking audibly. "I could do with a walk, anyways."
"Here's the place." Qrow announces as he slips through the tunnel in the hedge, Yang following close behind him.
It's quite a tight squeeze for Yang, the tunnel obviously being made for cats much smaller than her, but she's eventually able to make it through.
Qrow gives her an unimpressed look as she emerges from the hedge. "Looks to me like you're getting fat." He says before turning and heading over to the house.
"I'm not getting fat!" Yang protests indignantly, letting out a huff as they approach the back door. "Not everyone is as ridiculously skinny as you, Uncle Qrow!"
A small black cat suddenly steps out of the cat flap in the door, and for a second Yang mistakes her for Blake. She does look rather similar to Blake, like an older relative of the cat.
"Qrow, how nice of you to stop by." The queen purrs, smiling at Yang's uncle. "And who might this be?" She asks, turning her attention to Yang herself.
"Kali, this is my niece, Yang." Qrow replies, nodding his head toward her. "She wanted to know if your daughter is around."
Kali looks a little confused. "My... daughter?" She questions slowly, tilting her head to the side. "Er, yes, she's just inside." She turns and beckons for them to follow, slipping through the cat flap into the house.
The cat flap isn't as bad as the hedge tunnel, thankfully, and Yang doesn't have to squeeze all that much to get inside. Kali leads them into the living room, over to a sort of nest shaped like a tiny human house, and crouches down in front of it.
"Leila." Kali speaks softly. "There's a cat here to see you."
A moment passes without any response before a very familiar looking cat eventually slinks out, blinking sleepily. "Oh, hello Yang." Blake greets her, yawning and rubbing at one eye with a paw. "How have you been?"
Yang feels both relieved and irritated at the sight of her. On the one paw, she's happy that Blake is safe and well, on the other, she's mad about having been lied to.
"I don't think I've seen your daughter around before." Qrow remarks as he turns back to face Kali. "Is she not usually home?"
Kali shakes her head, but another cat replies instead. "Leila has always been rather independent, she left home when she was hardly more than a kit." A large black tom says as he enters the room, and Yang assumes this must be Ghira.
Ghira walks over to them and sits down next to Kali, the queen nodding in agreement. "Yes, this is the first time Leila has been home in moons." Kali adds.
Yang raises an eyebrow at that. "If you haven't been living with your parents, where have you been living this whole time, Leila?" She asks Blake, unable to keep her voice entirely free of accusation.
Blake, or Leila, or whatever her name is, suddenly looks nervous, shrinking a little as her ears go flat and her fur begins to bristle. "I-I..." She stammers out before going quiet for a moment. "I was living in the forest with a cat named Adam." Blake finally answers, looking away. "I was his mate, and he's... he's trying to get me back."
Adam?
Blake was Adam's mate?
Horror fills Yang as processes the small cat's words. She's vaguely aware of the ashamed looks on Ghira and Kali's faces, but she's far too distracted by her rapidly growing panic to pay them much attention.
"Qrow." Yang hisses, quickly turning toward her uncle. "Can we talk outside?"
Qrow doesn't even have time to respond before Yang's marching over to the door and into the backyard, her uncle appearing shortly behind her.
As soon as they're outside, Yang whirls around to face him. "This is obviously the reason Blake lied to me." She states bluntly. "Because she's trying to escape her past and wanted to start afresh."
"I suppose that could explain it." Qrow agrees, nodding slowly. "Why exactly are we outside, Yang?"
"I have to help her." Yang mutters, beginning to pace the length of the porch. "If Adam is after Blake-"
"No!" Qrow snarls abruptly, cutting her off. "Fuck no! You are not getting involved in this, Yang!"
"Qrow," Yang growls, stopping and fixing her uncle with a glare. "If I don't do something to help Blake she's doomed!"
Qrow shakes his head. "Yang, stay out of this." He warns her in a quiet voice. "There are other cats who can protect Blake. Her parents-"
"No, Qrow." Yang interrupts firmly, lowering her voice to barely more than a whisper. "If Adam really wants Blake, he'll slaughter any cat that gets in his way. I guarantee you that Blake's parents will be killed if she stays here with them."
Qrow looks worried as he steps closer to her. "And what makes you so certain that you won't?" He whispers back. "Yang, I don't want you risking your life for a cat you barely even know. Trying to involve yourself in anything to do with Adam is suicide."
"Adam's not a normal cat, Qrow, the only kind of cat that stands a chance protecting Blake from him is an equally abnormal one." Yang replies before turning and heading back inside.
She walks over to where Blake is sitting with her parents, Ghira and Kali talking in hushed tones. Blake looks nervous again as Yang approaches.
"Ghira, Kali, does Adam know where you live?" Yang asks as she sits down next to them. "If so then he's sure to look for her here."
Kali gives a small nod. "Yes, Adam does know where we live." She answers quietly.
"You two aren't safe if Leila is here with you." Yang continues in a more urgent tone. "I know what kind of cat Adam is, he'll kill you to get to her."
Blake's parents exchange a quick glance before Ghira replies. "Are you suggesting that we abandon our daughter?" He growls, taking a menacing step forward.
Yang quickly shakes her head. "No, I'm just saying that she shouldn't stay here." She clarifies hastily. "Listen, if Leila comes with me-"
"You?" Ghira immediately interrupts her, looking both skeptical and suspicious. "We don't even know you. What makes you think that you're a better choice to protect our daughter than us?"
"Because I live in a part of the city far away from the forest, and Adam definitely doesn't know where I live." Yang explains, beginning to feel a little exasperated. "If Leila comes with me, both you and her will be a lot safer!"
Ghira opens his mouth, clearly about to argue, but it's Blake that speaks now. "I was staying with Yang before I came here." The small cat says, all eyes suddenly on her. "I agree with Yang, you'll both be safer if I'm not around."
Yang blinks in surprise, not having expected Blake's support, but grateful for it nonetheless. "I promise that I'll keep your daughter safe." She assures the parents in a gentle voice. "Please, it's for the best."
Ghira and Kali both look very hesitant, though Kali eventually nods slowly. "Leila is an adult, we can't force her to stay." She murmurs to Ghira.
Ghira sighs heavily, a resigned expression on his face. "Alright Leila, if that's what you want." He mutters before turning to Yang. "Can you give us a few moments to talk privately with our daughter?"
"Of course." Yang nods, quickly making her way back over to the door and stepping outside.
Qrow raises an eyebrow as she approaches, currently resting in the shade of a cherry tree. "You work things out with the parents?"
"Yeah, they just want some time to talk as a family." Yang replies, lying down next to him on the grass.
"So her name's Leila, but she told you her name was Blake?" Qrow questions after a moment.
Yang nods again. "Seems that way, I'll ask her which name she prefers later." She says, closing her eyes and allowing herself to enjoy the cool spring breeze.
Blake lets out a long sigh as she exits the house, relieved to be finished saying goodbye to Ghira and Kali. Honestly, even though she'd like to stay for the food and comfort, it's probably for the best that she's leaving. Trying to pretend to be their daughter for any extended period of time would likely be impossible.
"You ready to go?" Yang asks as she approaches, and Blake notices that the skinny brown cat that came with her seems to have disappeared by now.
"Yeah, I'm ready." Blake nods. "Just needed to say goodbye."
Yang stands and starts walking toward the hedge, allowing Blake to go through the tunnel first. They walk together in silence for a while, traveling along the side of the road.
Eventually, Yang speaks. "So would you rather I call you Leila or Blake?"
"Oh, definitely Blake." Blake replies immediately, which causes the larger cat to raise an eyebrow. "I... don't really like my birth name." She quickly offers in explanation.
Yang nods understandingly. "You don't have to feel bad about lying to me, Blake. You were trying to leave your old life behind, I get it." She says, shaking her head and letting out a quiet chuckle. "I'll admit, you really had me convinced by everything you said. I can't believe you had me thinking you'd never even touched a piece of prey in your life."
Blake decides that she might as well let Yang believe the story she wants to believe. "Yeah, um, sorry for lying." She mutters, wishing she could just explain this all to Yang.
But Yang wouldn't believe her real story, who would? She's a human turned into a cat, a cat that's apparently the exact lookalike of the dead cat Leila, identical enough to even fool said dead cat's parents.
It sounds insane. It is insane. None of this makes any sense.
And yet, it's the truth.
"Uh, Yang, I need to tell you why I left so suddenly." Blake says, realizing that if she's going to stay with Yang again then Weiss might pose a problem.
"You did leave pretty suddenly." Yang agrees, frowning slightly. "Didn't even wait to say goodbye."
That makes Blake feel a little guilty, though it's not really her fault she left in such a hurry. "Weiss made me leave." She explains, jogging along to keep up with the larger cat's strides. "I didn't tell you before but we have history together, and she wasn't happy about me staying with you."
Yang stops and raises an eyebrow. "You and Weiss have history together?" She questions curiously.
"Yeah." Blake nods. "I'd... rather not say what, if you don't mind. It's a personal thing, something I'd like to work out between us on my own."
"Alright, I'll let you talk things out with Weiss once we're back." Yang says as she begins walking again. "But if she's going to have a problem with you staying with us, then I might need to have a chat with her myself about this whole thing."
The way she says those words makes it sound like a threat, though Yang is imposing enough that Blake's sure she could make anything she says sound like a threat.
"Thanks, Yang, for all of this." Blake murmurs sincerely. "You hardly know me and yet you're willing to protect me... It means a lot to me."
"No problem." Yang dismisses, though she looks a little embarrassed for a brief moment. "I'd do this to keep anyone safe from Adam."
Blake has a feeling that there's history between Yang and that forest cat, Adam, but she decides not to ask. Whatever it is, it was probably very unpleasant, she hardly knows anything about Adam and he already seems positively horrible to her.
So she just thanks Yang a second time and continues walking.