Instead of replying directly to Harepaw's barbed words, Screefoot allowed Pearpaw and Amberleaf to do the talking. For now, she'd decided, it was better to leave it to them: there was only so much Harepaw you could take in one day before resorting to returning his insults, and if she spoke to him again she feared she would. Besides, it was probably the nobler thing to do to ignore him anyway. So the only indication that she'd heard the apprentice was a flick in the end of her tail as she followed the patrol. The truth was that she was afraid, not excessively so, but enough that the thought of rogues in BoulderClan's territory made her pelt prickle. 

It was just a heartbeat after Amberleaf started to speak that the scent of freshly-killed prey wafted into Screefoot's nostrils, followed by the smell of a loner or rogue. The fur along her back rose and stood on end, a reaction she couldn't at all help, but she acknowledged the deputy's instructions with a curt nod. Her assumption was that someone was hunting for themselves on BoulderClan territory, and whether or not the situation ended in violence that could not be tolerated. She followed the patrol at a tense trot with her ears pricked and her mouth slightly open to drink in scents. 

––

Burrpelt did not appreciate Sharpthorn's treatment of the former kittypet, and his ears fell back slightly. He had wanted the warrior to say [i]something,[/i] but he'd gone too far. As much as he disliked Sunflame's flirty behavior and lack of ability to take much seriously, he felt that, especially among fellow warriors, it was unfair to call names like that. Burrpelt himself had been, he remembered, practically just one step above "kittypet" status: his life in the barn, in the beginning with Screefoot, had been so easy that he and his sibling had been as fat as if they'd had twolegs lavishing food on them. Before he could voice his displeasure at Sharpthorn, Oakstar had (thank StarClan!) finished whatever business he'd had to attend to and joined with the patrol. Burrpelt nodded in agreement with the leader's reply to Sharpthorn's question and added, "We try to reason with them at first, and only if that fails do we resort to violence." 

It was as they were heading toward the entrance that he addressed Sharpthorn. "Now, whatever quarrels you have with Sunflame, I do not want you calling him a kittypet to make your point," he told him. "That is in his past; there are no kittypets in OakClan. We are all warriors here and we all deserve to be treated as such." He turned his head toward the longhaired tom and gave a slight nod.

Before he could reach the entrance, and with no warning, the deputy felt tiny paws all over him. He let out a surprised mew, turning his head to see a whole litter of kits attacking him. Despite having been caught off guard by [i]kits,[/i] the little furballs made him feel warm and fuzzy. Deciding that it would be mean to scold them off, he fell dramatically. "Ach! Noooo! You've got me!" he yowled. He smiled toward Oakstar, hoping the leader would catch his meaning–– he'd catch up with the patrol soon.