"Of course, Jaystar. We'll return quickly with their decision." He dipped his head to his leader before he glanced around at the assembled cats. Many of them were helping to prepare Russetfern and he didn't want to pull them away from that. They had the right to be with their clanmate as he journeyed to join StarClan. If they were still watching anyway.

His eyes landed on the trio of apprentices, "Finchwing and Ashenpaw, you're coming with me." Maybe allowing them to see the grief and beliefs of the other clans would make them understand why they had to do this. Might teach Ashenpaw a bit more respect as well, visiting the other clans. He looked around to see who else was mostly unoccupied. He didn't want to bring too many along lest Silverstar saw it as a threat, but he wanted enough for them to be safe in the event of an attack. "Greenpool and Squirrelpaw, you as well." The apprentices would be seen as less of a threat, but would be quick enough to run back to camp for help if need be.

He nodded to himself, that should do well enough. "Grab something to eat quickly and then we leave." He padded over to wait by the entrance to camp as they did as he asked. He sat down and curled his tail around large paws, watching the sun begin to fully crest over the horizon and rise above the trees. A sunrise that Russetfern, and many others, would never get to see again thanks to these murders. He could feel the grief beginning to creep into his mind once again and shoved it violently down. There wasn't time to mourn, not yet, so he let the grief fuel the burning fire of rage he could feel. At least one of the other clans had to see how wrong this all was.

"I don't like any of this." Squirrelpaw meowed softly as she followed behind Ashenpaw to the freshkill pile and picked up a mouse. "There has to be a better way to sort all of this out than fighting. I mean, I'm just as upset as everyone about what happened to Russetfern, but this doesn't seem right."

Finchwing stepped up behind the two apprentices as Squirrelpaw spoke, "We'll just have to play it by ear right now. With luck Silverstar will see the ridiculousness of all of this. It's Emberstar I'm more worried about. He's always been arrogant and impulsive, but never one to put his clan to unnecessary harm, so there's a chance he won't agree either." She sighed, "I would recommend keeping quiet while we're at MistClan's camp though," she looked imploringly at Ashenpaw, "Now let's hurry up."

The sound of Greenpool's voice pulled Wolfheart out of his thoughts and he looked away from the sky towards the brown and white she-cat. "We need to have enough cats to deter anyone that might be watching for weakness, but we don't want Silverstar to see a war band approaching her territory. The killers should be much less inclined to attack a group of five even if two are apprentices." Long claws sunk into the ground from where they were hidden under his tail, "They're nearly old enough to be warriors anyway, and they'll be quicker to make it back to camp if something should happen." He would not lose anyone else to these murderers. The clan has already been through too much and his patience was running thin for answers, and justice.

He looked past Greenpool to Finchwing approaching with the two apprentices and stood up, "Lets be on our way then. We still need time to make it back and send a patrol to ThornClan." With that he pushed past the entrance and into the forest.

"I think she will. Even if we've only seen her speak at Gatherings she seems level-headed enough to at least want more information before she makes a decision." Squirrelpaw's voice was quiet as she responded to Ashenpaw. Finchwing blinked warmly at her apprentice as they went to join Greenpool and Wolfheart at the entrance.

Wolfheart felt a little bit of the tension drain from his shoulders at Greenpool's words. Given everything going on right now trust was something that was sorely needed if they were to survive this. "Thank you, I appreciate that trust. The last thing I want is for anyone else to get hurt, or worse." The idea of anyone else ending up like Russetfern made him want to be sick or drive his claws into something. No one else in the clan was going to go through the pain that Braveleap was right now, not if he had anything to say about it.

Amber eyes flickered across the two apprentices and Finchwing before he gave a nod and they all trotted into the forest. He kept to the forefront of the group and padded quickly through the trees. He found it somewhat difficult to ignore that sounds of twittering birds and the scuffling of small paws in the underbrush, but that wasn't what they were out to do. He kept his ears pricked for any noises past those of prey, thankfully hearing nothing, but pausing every so often to remark the borders as Jaystar had requested.

"What's MistClan like?" one of his ears twisted back at Squirrelpaw's question, "We've only met at the Gathering before and that isn't a super long time to get to know them."

"Many of us have friends in MistClan and ThornClan both. There's been peace for so long it's hard not to. They're usually very warm and welcoming," Finchwing responded. Hopefully they'll be that way when a bunch of BirchClan cats show up on their border.

He paused at the edge of their border with MistClan, looking out across the expanse of marsh and reeds. "It'd probably be best to wait for a patrol to come by. I don't think they'd appreciate us just traipsing into their camp with words of war."

Just standing at the border and waiting made Wolfheart nervous. He didn't like the idea of staying still for too long with everything that was going on. He extended and retracted his claws into the dirt and leaves underneath his paws as he kept an ear out for a MistClan patrol. Silverstar would understand where they were coming from, she had to. He didn't know if they'd lost cats to these murders, but she wasn't one to sit by and let killers run rampant across their territories.

He tensed when he caught movement in the reeds beyond but relaxed almost immediately after when he saw the familiar yellow fur of Lightningnose. He blinked warmly at the she-cat and felt a surge of relief that she didn't seem upset by their presence. "Dawnwing and Tigershine returned to us with Russetfern's body. We want to speak with Silverstar about doing something to stop these murders before this goes any further and any more innocents die." He flicked his tail towards the patrol behind him, "Our numbers are simply for safety, we don't wish any harm on MistClan; only to talk."

"What's going on Lightningnose?" he heard another voice call out from beyond the reeds as a second head joined the first; a mottled gray and black that he was pretty sure belonged to Reedmask. He saw the same surprise flicker across the tom's face as his eyes looked over them before settling on the apprentices for a moment. "I can't imagine this is just a social call, but Sedgepaw'll be happy to see some familiar faces I'm sure."

Ashenpaw was more than pleased with the MistClan warriors' reactions. It was like they were seeing old friends. She felt a tug at her heart as she turned to give her sister a small smile. Maybe this would all be a useless trip. Maybe they would come back without MistClan's alliance and that would dissuade Jaystar from waging war on DuskClan. She perked up even more when she heard that they would be seeing Sedgepaw. She liked the spunky apprentice, even if he was a bit too silly for her sometimes. He had a lot of things to talk about at Gatherings, though.

"We're very glad for MistClan's hospitality," Greenpool purred, sharing the same warmth that the other cats expressed. Her thick, bushy tail swayed behind her calmly. "Do you think Pikeleap will let me take a couple of fish home? I've always liked the taste, but I'm a terrible fisher."

Lightningnose giggled at Greenpool's mew. "I fear that may be asking for too much," she meowed before she turned away and began to lead them back to the camp. "Come on, camp's this way."

Relief washed through Wolfheart at the ease with which the two MistClan cats permitted them to come and meet with Silverstar. He'd expected at least a bit more resistance given what had just happened with Russetfern, but he wasn't going to complain. He dipped his head towards Lightningnose to reinforce what Greenpool had said. He locked his eyes with the yellow she-cat, "We're grateful that you're so willing to help us. It means a great deal."

He shook his head fondly at Greenpool's request and turned slightly to look back at his patrol, just to make sure they were all prepared. Squirrelpaw smiled warmly at Ashenpaw and said something quietly to the other apprentice that he couldn't quite catch, but he could pick up how nervous Finchwing appeared to be. He'd make sure to keep an eye on the brown she-cat.

He turned back around and nodded,"Lead the way." He always felt a little bit uncomfortable stepping over the border, even with a guide. He always made sure to respect the other clans in hope that they would do the same for BirchClan, so being able to do it so easily made his fur prickle slightly. Stepping through the marshland was as unpleasant as always though, with the mud that got in between his toes and stuck to the thick fur around his legs. He could hear a faint grumble of discontent come from behind him though he was unsure who it came from.

"How is MistClan faring?" He directed the question towards Lightningnose. "Any exciting news?" He kept his voice friendly and mildly curious. He didn't want them to think he was fishing for information about the clan when in reality he was mostly trying to avoid the dead silence that would follow them all the way to camp. Learning about any new warriors or apprentices would be a bonus.

He hoped the walk to camp wouldn't be too long, but he wouldn't give up the opportunity to talk to Lightningnose, and Reedmask, outside of their camp where there weren't prying ears other than his own clanmates.

Wolfheart nodded along with what Lightningnose was saying. It sounded like Silverstar had a good handle on everything going on in MistClan. She would be a valuable ally if they could get her on their side. His pelt immediately began to prickle with unease at the idea of three cats being taken down by one singular foe. It didn't make any sense, unless the killer wasn't a cat, but they would be able to scent anything else with the bodies. "That's good to hear. Jaystar and I are doing our best to make sure everyone is kept safe. The last thing we want is to have any other cats we care about get hurt."

"Could it have been some other creature like a fox or a badger that took out those three cats? I know you said it's just a rumor, but there's usually some truth to it." Finchwing meowed towards the front of the group.

Reedmask's head turned back towards her, "I don't think so, but that'd be a better question for the ThornClan cats. We only heard snippets of the conversation." The brown she-cat nodded in agreement.

From Lightningnose's phrasing he assumed that meant that their medicine cat hadn't received any signs from StarClan either. Jaystar had informed him that StarClan had been silent and it made him nervous. He pushed past the reeds to follow after the two MistClan cats and couldn't help but grimace at the droplets that slipped into his thick fur. He was just thankful it wasn't raining, his pelt would take ages to dry.

Squirrelpaw snickered quietly from where she stood next to Ashenpaw, "Well they're practically related to fish at this point with how much time they spend in the water." Her voice was quiet, but Wolfheart couldn't help but faintly roll his eyes at the two apprentices. They weren't doing any harm, but they better not let anyone hear them.

He pulled his attention away from the patrol towards where Pikeleap had moved to step towards them. The tom looked very similar to him aside from the sharp blue eyes that watched them and he dipped his head respectfully to the deputy. "It's good to see you well Pikeleap. We've come to speak with Silverstar about the recent discovery at the Moonbrook." He ignored the curious glances and heads peeking out from other woven dens. He hoped she would be receptive to their idea of a preemptive strike against DuskClan, or if not then she might have more information to give them about what was happening.

The eyes of the rest of the clan prickled across his pelt, and Wolfheart had to resist the temptation to glare, pace, or dig his claws into the ground as Pikeleap ran off. They were strangers in MistClan's camp, they had every right to be curious about what a bunch of BirchClan cats were doing in their home. He would feel the same if any other clan came barging in and demanding to speak to Jaystar. It wasn't exactly something that happened frequently.

He caught movement out of the corner of his eye as Squirrelpaw moved slightly closer to Greenpool, and he saw Finchwing lean down to gently touch her nose to Ashenpaw's ear as the apprentice leaned against her mentor. She didn't push her away and instead returned the pressure; seemingly appreciative of the contact with the tension that was swirling around the camp. It was soft, but Wolfheart couldn't entirely blame them.

He turned his full attention back to the camp as he heard Pikeleap returning, with Silverstar following behind. He would always be fascinated by the swirling black patterns that swept across her silver fur and the icy intelligence in her blue eyes. She was truly a leader to be respected, but he couldn't help but notice the sheer size difference between her and her deputy. She was almost engulfed by his shadow and he had to stop his whiskers from twitching in amusement at the thought.

Silverstar blinked warmly at the two apprentices and nodded in greeting to the rest of the patrol. She sat down next to Pikeleap and curled her tail around dainty paws, seemingly waiting for Wolfheart to speak.

"Of course we don't mind. I think this something that everyone needs to hear." He saw Silverstar's ears twitch and her eyes narrow slightly, hopefully he wouldn't be overstepping his bounds here. "Early this morning our medicine cats returned with Russetfern, one of our newest warriors, who had been murdered and his body thrown into the Moonbrook." There were a few murmurs from the cats that were around, but they were quickly silenced by a wave of Silverstar's tail. Maybe she hadn't told the whole clan then. He took a deep breath and continued, "We believe DuskClan is responsible for this, how could they not be when the body was so deep in their territory, and Jaystar wants to know if we would have your aid if we were to take the fight to them. Before anyone else gets hurt."

He could feel his fur prickling with nerves as Silverstar dipped her head to stare at her paws in thought. After a moment she looked back up, "Lightningnose," she looked to the yellow she-cat, "You were there and saw the initial reactions. What are your thoughts on this?" She turned to look at her deputy, "And Pikeleap, I want your opinion as my deputy of course."

Wolfheart couldn't begrudge her for wanting to include her clan in the discussion, this would involve all of them after all, but she was their leader. She could decide and then they'd be done with it. He made sure none of his internal thoughts showed in his posture or expression as he waited.

Wolfheart watched as more members of MistClan stepped out of their dens or turned their attention to the conversation. Ears were pricked and eyes bright as they started to process what he had said. He caught sight of the apprentices settled next to their mentors and a queen poking her head from the nursery. Squirrelpaw shared a concerned glace with Ashenpaw behind him. There was a brief moment where the anger slipped in his mind and he wondered just how many of them, including the young, might get killed in this fight. He pushed the thought away, more would die if they did nothing.

He kept quiet as Lightningnose spoke, he hadn't realized she'd been one of the cats to actually go and see what had happened. He only saw the late aftermath and he couldn't imagine what it'd been like there in the moment. There was a flash of vindication as Pikeleap spoke up. Finally someone else other than himself and Jaystar that truly saw the gravity of the situation. He'd always gotten along well with the other tom, but this further proved he was a solid ally to have.

Silverstar's posture and expression remained carefully neutral as she listened to the other members of the clan. The only sign of any inner turmoil was the slight flicking of her tail tip around her paws. She dipped her head towards Lightningnose and fixed icy blue eyes on her deputy. "You're right Pikeleap. If they've reached all the way to BirchClan it's only a matter of time before we lose one of our own."

Her eyes settled on Wolfheart and he felt himself tense, waiting for her decision. "We will fight with BirchClan." He went to respond but she raised her tail to stop him. "We will fight with you on one conditions. That if a member of either side does not wish to spill blood they be given the chance not to. Even if DuskClan is responsible there may be those who have nothing to do with it and I will not attack innocents."

He almost wanted to argue, to implore her that they needed everyone if they were going to win, but he kept his mouth firmly shut. If this was how they got her allegiance he would take it. "That is more than reasonable Silverstar and we are grateful," he dipped his head low, "We will return to Jaystar and make sure he knows."

She stood, "Keep us informed. I expect Jaystar to take this seriously." She nodded her head towards the two who had escorted them in, "Lightningnose, Reedmask; escort them back their territory. When you return we'll have a clan meeting to decide exactly what we're going to do." She nodded to the patrol, "Stay safe," before flicking her tail to Pikeleap to speak with him away from the rest of the clan.

As Silverstar walked away, Wolfheart felt much of the tension in his shoulders slowly leak away. It could've gone better, they could've gotten her unconditional support, but if this was the best she was going to give them he wasn't about to let even a tentative alliance slip away. He saw many of the MistClan cats either slipping back into their dens or finding places around the camp in preparation for the meeting that Silverstar said she would call. Now they just had to convince ThornClan.

His head swiveled back around as they began to follow the two MistClan cats to the entrance when a voice called out for them to wait. He recognized Sedgepaw from some of the gatherings. His whiskers twitched in amusement as the young tom rushed over; he could remember the desperation to get out of the elder's den when he was an apprentice.

He met Lightningnose's gaze and his expression softened slightly before glancing down at the excited face of Ashenpaw. Well now it just felt like they were ganging up on him. "It's fine with me. I imagine the decision is truly up to his mentor."

Squirrelpaw now fixed a pleading gaze on Reedmask and Wolfheart shook his head in slight exasperation. One would think they were still kits begging their parents to go play outside. "Well," the mottled tom drew the word out and made a show of thinking about it as the three apprentices stared at him, "It's ok with me. He could probably use a break."

A small, excited meow came from Squirrelpaw as she bounded towards the dark tabby and bumped her head against his shoulder. As they headed through the camp entrance, and he could hear the excited chatter of the apprentices, Wolfheart couldn't help but wonder again how many of these cats might not make it through this fight. Normally he would say that was up to StarClan to decide but he wasn't sure how much they were watching anymore.

What was this valley coming to? Silverstar shook head as she watched Wolfheart leave with his patrol and two of her own warriors. Actively declaring war on another clan was not something that had been done in many many moons, and now she going to be the leader that agreed to this. Damning her own clanmates to potentially a pointless death that had no purpose other than mindless vengeance. Is that how she would be remembered? Would Emberstar agree as well or would he stand with DuskClan? Or not stand at all? She sighed looking to her deputy standing resolute next to her as well as her clanmates that mingled in the center of camp waiting for her to address them. She knew they would follow her, but at what cost. She had given her condition to Wolfheart and hopefully he would keep his word and carry it back to Jaystar. "Well no time to waste then," she muttered quietly and took a leap over the shallow pool onto the stone that rose from the center.

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the Poolstone for a clan meeting!" Her call rang out clear and confident, likely much more than she actually felt but this was no time for uncertainty. Many cats had already gathered when the BirchClan patrol entered but the stragglers now made their way out and found spaces amongst their clanmates. She could see Elkheart and Crocodiletooth poking their heads from the elders den, the apprentices pushing their way into a place where they could see; all of her brave warriors who would defend the clan to their last breath.

She took a deep breath, "As you all no doubt saw, BirchClan has come with a proposition. One of their own warriors was struck down, as too many have been in recent moons, only to be discovered by the medicine cats at their half-moon journey in DuskClan territory. Jaystar has asked that we join him in preventing any more of these senseless deaths by confronting DuskClan about what they've done." Her gaze crossed over her clanmates as she gave the surprised and confused murmurs time to quiet; the wide range of emotions she saw only furthered the questions she had about her own decision. "I have told him that we will aid them, but on the condition that those who do not wish to fight be given that chance. We will not attack innocent cats despite what their clanmates have done." She put force into her last statement, making sure they all heard and understood what she said.

If it meant her own nine lives to keep innocent cats safe she would do it. This was not a decision she made lightly and she hoped her clan would also think before deciding whether or not they wanted to wage war. "Please consider this carefully. The moment that Jaystar gives us any other indication of what his plans may be you will know." With that she leapt from the Poolstone and simply let the chatter of MistClan wash over her. She didn't want to listen to what they said, there was too much fear that they would echo her own thoughts and make her doubt. As much as she trusted her clan she had to stand firm in this and hope most of them agreed.