Poppy shares the news of Ragweed’s death with the rest of the clan and is shocked when they are unsympathetic: Many of them seem to think that Ragweed brought it on himself. Poppy is given the task of holding the white flag of truce in the delegation to see Mr. Ocax; to Poppy, the white scrap of fabric looks more like a flag of surrender. As the mice approach Mr. Ocax’s tree, the owl calls out and Poppy realizes that her father is just as scared of the owl as she is.

Mr. Ocax refuses the mice’s request to move to New House. However, Poppy detects an uncertainty behind his words. Mr. Ocax blames Poppy: If she and Ragweed had not gone to Bannock Hill without permission, Mr. Ocax would not have denied Lungwort’s request. Before the mice depart, Poppy spies Ragweed’s earring in the pile of regurgitated pellets at the base of Mr. Ocax’s tree and takes it.

The rest of the mice at Gray House react to Poppy with anger when they learn she and Ragweed are the reason for Mr.