Traitor // A Warriors Mafia Minigame

Round Two, Scene Five

"Thistlecloud has been voted innocent," Eaglestar announced. He turned his face away, then added, "All of the votes so far have ended in the accused one staying. Be careful about your decisions; is there a real point to voting if you choose to cling on to trust?" With those ominous words, Eaglestar dismissed the Clan meeting.

***

"Barkfox, how're you doing?" A cat slunk into the medicine den, making sure to keep their voice low to stop the other cats from waking up.

"Okay, I guess." The brown tom sat up in his nest. "But none of us are really okay, with a killer on the loose."

The other cat yawned. "They'll have to stop eventually, won't they?" They licked a paw and drew it over their ears, letting their claws glint in the dappled moonlight. "After all... you fools will all be dead eventually."

The cat lashed a quick paw at Barkfox's throat. This time, he wasn't on guard; the killer's blow struck true. Barkfox was dead within heartbeats.

"That'll teach you to cheat death," the killer snarled. Malice gleamed in their eyes as they nudged the body of their newest victim. "Sooner or later, you'll all become my victims. Just you wait."

***

"Barkfox is dead!" Smokewhisper's screech rang through the camp, waking the rest of the Clan. It was just a bit past dawn when Barkfox's body had been discovered dead in the medicine den.

"What? Why?" Ryefrost stared in horror at Barkfox's dead body. "He survived the killer's attack once, why would they target him again?"

"The culprit must've really hated Barkfox..." Cloudfeather muttered.

"But no one hated him!" Shellmist meowed exasperatedly. "We still don't know who the killer might be!"

Petalfern swished her tail. "We know it couldn't have been Ravenflight, since he got attacked. Other than that..." The ginger she-cat kneaded her forepaws on the ground. "Any of us could be guilty."

"That's right. No one here is clear of suspicion." Ravenflight stepped forward. "I was the murderer's target once. I may not know who attacked me, but I know that they were dangerous. And what good is knowing that, seeing as everyone here is a trained warrior?" He shook his head, frustrated.

"Ravenflight is right." The warriors turned to face Eaglestar. "All but one of us here is a true warrior, but we don't know who that one cat is." The mottled brown tom raised his voice and announced, "Another cat has been accused- Cloudfeather."

"Why me?" Cloudfeather stepped forward, both shocked and angry at the same time. "Why would I want to kill innocent cats?" She looked to her Clanmates for support.

Smokewhisper frowned. "You turned against the accused cats in the last few votes. You might have been trying to shift the blame."

Shellmist flicked an ear. "She could've just have been anxious, like all of us," she meowed softly. "That alone is no reason to condemn her. We can't afford to jump to conclusions."

"We also can't afford to make the wrong choice," Ravenflight pointed out dryly. "If we do, all of us will get killed off, one by one."

"Both sides speak true, but we don't have any way if knowing if Cloudfeather is truly innocent or guilty," Thistlecloud stated quietly. "We can only choose wisely and pray that we choose correctly."

Eaglestar watched in silence as his cats made their choices.

Is Cloudfeather guilty or innocent? Cast your votes by tomorrow, and the votes will be counted!