Hostile

5

      Almost another moon had passed, and Frostcloud laid in camp with Buckheart, who rasped his tongue across her shoulder. "You're covered in dirt." He murmured.

  Frostcloud yawned. Sunlight spilled into her fur, and with her belly full of squirrel, she struggled not to completely topple over. The only reason she wasn't using this opportunity to nap was because she was expected to run a border patrol closer to sundown. "That happens." She said, and though she knew she shouldn't, she allowed herself to shut her heavy eyes.

  "It's just so noticeable when your coat is dusty!" He went on.

  Frostcloud purred, "Well, I can't spend every waking moment grooming, can I?"

  "You're barely awake now, mouse-brain." Buckheart teased.

  Frostcloud flicked her tail, hitting the tom lightly. "Your coat gets dirty too, you just can't see it so much." She said. Buckheart did get covered in dirt throughout the day; just like every cat. But the layer of dust only dulled his dark red fur.

  "That's because my fur looks like dirt. Yours," He said, his voice suddenly more gentle, "yours looks like snow."

  Like snow? Frostcloud repeated mentally. She swerved her eyes to Buckheart, uncertain about his phrasing. "What do you mean?" She asked. That sounded like some prophecy from StarClan.

  "I just..." He said, "I wanted to talk to you about something-"

  "Rosepaw!" Warmheart yowled.

  Startled, Frostcloud swung her head to the camps entrance, where the calico apprentice just burst from the bramble. The fur along her spine was raised, and her tail so fluffed it was almost the size of her body. Her eyes were wide in horror, and she only gave a brief scan of camp before dipping into the leaders den.

   "Rosepaw!" Warmheart cried again, chasing after her daughter and disappearing into the same den.

  Frostcloud and Buckheart were already on their paws, "What's going on?" Buckheart demanded, but Frostcloud only shook her head in confusion.

  "Was that Rosepaw?" Crowfur asked as he slinked out from the warriors den.

  "Did you see any blood?" A nearby Ferretkit asked.

  They weren't being attacked, were they? Frostcloud hadn't gone to the Gathering from just a few sundowns prior, but Mosspool had, and she relayed the news that fur wouldn't lie flat between ValleyClan and StoneClan.

  Maybe StoneClan was feeling antsy and sent a battle patrol to warn PineClan to stay away? It's happened before.

  "Is everything okay?" Mosspool asked, stopping her run next to Frostcloud.

  "I've never seen Rosepaw like that." Frostcloud murmured. The apprentice was so short-tempered and hard-headed that she never had the sense to feel frightened.

  As quickly as Rosepaw had disappeared into the leaders den, she was making her way back out with Whitestar and Warmheart at her side. The apprentice fidgeted, shifting the weight on her feet and shaking like she was prepared to run to StarClan. Warmheart, clearly frazzled too, coated her kits fur in licks.

  Whitestar immedielty split away from the she-cats, leaping atop Clanrock. "Let all cats old-" he began, but cut himself off. Every cat in camp was already surrounding the meeting spot, watching their leader with rose fur and itching claws.

  "What's going on?" Dustclaw demanded from the midst of the cluster.

  "Where's the rest of Rosepaw's hunting patrol?" Doeface asked quietly from behind Frostcloud, presumably to Feathertail who sped through the clowder to reach Dawnheart at the base of Clanrock.