Chapter 4

The leader of the WindClan patrol stepped forward. Rosefur recognized Crowfeather, a senior warrior and the deputy of WindClan. He bared his teeth at the ThunderClan cats, his tail lashing.

"Well, what do we have here? ThunderClan have stooped so low as to killing off apprentices, fresh from the nursery at that!" He spat every word out furiously, his eyes like two blue flames. Rosefur couldn't suppress a shudder. She had never seen a cat so angry.

When none of the ThunderClan cats replied, Crowfeather went on, flexing his claws on the dirt floor. "This has gone far beyond a border fight. This," He paused, letting the words sink in. "is war. War, you hear me? We will drive ThunderClan out of the forest, and we won't stop until we have succeeded!" He hissed.

Rosefur could do nothing but stare like a startled mouse. War? Are we prepared for war? What if there is a patrol headed for our camp at this very moment? As her thoughts raced, she felt Bumblepelt's tail being laid on her shoulder. She looked at him with round green eyes. Bumblepelt licked her head as a calming gesture.

"Don't worry, we won't let that fox-hearted excuse for a warrior defeat us." He mewed in her ear. Rosefur's heart just about melted away. Her ears burned with embarrassment. Then, she shook her head to clear the mushy thoughts from her head. Not now, mousebrain!

Then, Briarclaw spoke up. "If it is war you want, then it's a war you'll get!" She growled. The brown deputy raised a paw and extended her claws. "ThunderClan will be ready." She waved her tail passively. "Let's go. We need to report this to Hollystar."

As the ThunderClan patrol walked off, Rosefur was stupefied with shock. Can WindClan really just declare war like that?

Then her stomach dropped as she remembered the dead apprentice laying the middle of the battle, its pelt stained scarlet with blood. Yes they can. If it was Lillypaw who was killed, Rosefur knew Briarclaw would have done the exact same thing.

Rosefur looked at Bumblepelt. He was staring ahead with troubled yellow eyes. She felt a pang of sympathy for her clan, not just Bumblepelt. They were probably as shocked as she was, if not more.

Suddenly, a cat yowled. Afraid that WindClan had followed them, Rosefur whipped around to the source of the noise. Surprisingly, she found herself looking at her brother. Toadear's eyes were pools of guilt and sorrow, and he was tearing up the ground with his claws. "It's all my fault! I'm the reason WindClan declared war on us! I wasn't trying to kill Creampaw, I just…I just…" He let out another sorrowful caterwaul and then took off towards the ThunderClan camp.

"Toadear!" Rosefur cried. Without putting any thought into it, and without any care that her clanmates might not like it, she took off after her brother, knowing Toadear would put it upon himself to do whatever punishment he thought he should unto on himself. She heard Bumblepelt call her name, but she paid no mind and kept racing after Toadear.

The loud pattering of paws told her the patrol was following her. She didn't care. She just ran until she saw the entrance of her camp. She slowed her pace slightly, and when she entered the camp, she saw Toadear in the center of the clearing, yowling like a lost kit.

Rosefur did not hesitate to approach her brother. She entwined her tail with his, trying to calm him "Toadear, it wasn't your fault! I'm sure it was an accident." Toadear was unresponsive, and he was gasping for breath, as if he suddenly realized how much energy was lost in his desperate flee to the camp.

"Toadear!" She heard a gasp from the warriors den. A few moments later, Blossomflower barged past Foxcatcher, who mewed angrily in indignitation, to run to her mate's side. She began licking him furiously on the head. "Toadear! Are you alright?" She mewed between licks. She froze suddenly, and then whipped her head around at Rosefur. "What happened?" Blossomflower demanded.

Rosefur shook her head woefully. "I'm not quite sure myself All I—"

She was interrupted as the rest of the patrol crashed through the entrance. Every cat turned to look, ears pricked. Bumblepelt burst out of the circle of cats, and ran up to Rosefur. "What happened? Is Toadear okay?" He was panting heavily from the run back to camp.

Ignoring Blossomflower's hiss of annoyance at being interrupted, Rosefur sighed. "He thinks that it's his fault that WindClan declared war on us." She looked down dejectedly. "He won't even listen to me."

He stared in bewilderment for a heartbeat, but then his gaze softened and he pressed his cheek to hers. "I'm sorry."

Rosefur's breath was taken away. She rubbed her cheek softly against his in gratitude. Bumblepelt purred softly in happiness. She purred back. Rosefur thought this moment couldn't get any better As she looked up, though, she saw Hazeltail, who was a warrior before she was even born, glare at her angrily through narrowed eyes. Shock numbed Rosefur's paws. What did I do?

"ThunderClan, come here beneath the Highledge at once!" She heard Hollystar yowl. Rosefur reluctantly broke apart from Bumblepelt. His gaze locked with hers for a second, then he looked at the ground. "The rest of the patrol must have told Hollystar what happened."

Confused and unhappy, but determined not to show it, Rosefur nodded briskly. "Let's go." She cast one more glance at her brother. He was padding, head down, towards the Highledge with his tail entwined with Blossomflower. Rosefur walked beside Bumblepelt.

The rest of the Clan was beneath the Highledge in a matter of a few moments. Most of them were muttering worriedly, waiting for Hollystar to explain what the commotion was about. Rosefur sat down, and Bumblepelt seated himself nest to her. As Rosefur looked around at her clan, she spotted Hazeltail seated next to her brothers, Mousewhisker and Berrynose, Hazeltail noticed, and her eyes narrowed. Rosefur narrowed her eyes back and turned her head pointedly away. She heard Hazeltail hiss.

Once Hollystar saw that everyone was assembled, she didn't hesitate to start talking. "WindClan have declared war!" She yowled. Hollystar waited until the shocked and angry caterwauls died down before she spoke again. "Our patrol found them on our side of the border, so we attacked. According to our patrol, a member of it killed a WindClan apprentice."

A horrified silence spread out over the ThunderClan cats. It was broken only by a dejected whimper from Toadear.

Hollystar looked around at her Clan. "Well?" She growled. "Whoever killed the apprentice, speak up!"

More uncomfortable silence. Then she heard trembling, quiet mew. "It was me."

Everyone swerved their head to look at the speaker, a quaking, dejected Toadear. Toadear bowed his head and whimpered, only to be comforted by Blossomflower licking his ear quietly and glaring at anyone who showed hostility to him.

Hollystar seemed to pick up on Toadear's uncomfortability, and softened her voice considerably. "Toadear…" She looked at him thoughtfully for a minute. "Please tell us what happened."