Traitor // A Warriors Mafia Minigame

Round Five, Scene Two

The killer stretched themselves in their nest. Another night, another unwilling target to join StarClan. It wasn't like they wanted this either, but...

The cloudy memory flashed in their mind- a stranger, a semi-transparent white and ginger she-cat appearing in a dream, dragging a promise out of the cat... What did I promise, and for what price? The cat shook their head. They'd made their choice, and with a cat already dead, they couldn't turn back.

Suppressing a sigh, they hauled themselves to their feet and scanned the warriors' den. Which warrior would become a sacrifice to their cause? The killer eventually settled their eyes upon a silver tabby tom, the cat who was least likely to put up a fight.

Reluctantly, the killer bunched up their haunches, preparing for a quick kill without struggle. They sailed over the bodies of two other cats and landed square on their target. Preparing themselves to take the life of another cat, the killer reared and bared their fangs.

Just as the killer bit down, the other cat wriggled away. Hastily, they stood up and unsteadily ran out of the den.

No! The killer gave chase, determination filling them as they tried to catch up to their target. They ran through the forest, neither knowing where they were headed, until the camp was far from sight.

"Why are you chasing me?" The silver tabby tom yowled.

"I-" The killer paused, not wanting to reveal their desperation. "I have to sacrifice you," they growled in a low tone. Without giving any time for questions, the killer pounced, but the other cat dodged away.

"I don't want to fight you!" He backed away, ears flattened. His claws were still sheathed.

"That's exactly why I chose you. Out of all the warriors, you'd be the easiest to kill." The killer lunged again, but the other cat slipped away once more.

"I won't fight another Clanmate, I won't."

"Noble and naive to the last, then!" The killer feinted to the tom's left side, and he fell for it, dodging to the right. The killer intercepted him and at last struck a blow to his side. The other cat collapsed to the ground.

"W-Why are you doing this?" he rasped, horrified.

The killer said nothing. Silently, they watched as the silver tabby tom's flanks stopped rising and falling.

... Why am I doing this? Is it right to betray my Clanmates?

No. It's wrong, but I swore to do it, and it's too late to turn back now.

***

"Nightstripe?" Stoatnose called. "Nightstripe, where are you?" Stoatnose frowned. He had just gone for an early walk by himself; no other cat should've been awake yet.

Spiderpool and Prickleblaze poked their heads out of the warriors' den. "Keep it down, will you? I'm a light sleeper, and it's not even dawn," the white she-cat complained.

Next to her, Prickleblaze stiffened. She slunk out of the den, tasting the air. "Is someone wounded? I can taste..." She sniffed the air, confirming what she'd scented. "I can taste blood."

Stoatnose froze. "Did something happen to Nightstripe?"

Spiderpool and Prickleblaze glanced at each other, coming to a mutual agreement. "We'll go look for him. Stoatnose, wake the others." Spiderpool meowed. Before giving him a chance to answer, Spiderpool and Prickleblaze raced out of the camp, following the faint blood trail.

***

"Today brings both good and bad news." Meadowstar raised her head and swept her gaze over her waiting cats.

"The good news is that Frostcloud has been voted innocent." She paused to let the others congratulate her; Frostcloud was quite the popular warrior.

"The bad news is..." Meadowstar hesitated, not wanting to announce this new information. "Today, just before dawn, Stoatnose reported Nightstripe missing... And at sunrise, Spiderpool found his body." Meadowstar signaled to Spiderpool with her tail, grief flashing in her eyes.

Spiderpool, who had been sitting at the entrance, gripped Nightstripe's scruff in her jaws. His eyes were glassy and glazed with death. Claw marks decorated his body, and matted blood caked his fur around the injuries. The white she-cat lay him gently onto the ground. "I found him in the forest. He... He was already dead when I found him. No cat could've helped him." Spiderpool closed her eyes. "He was a valuable addition to our Clan."

Meadowstar swished her tail. "Another cat will be accused at sunhigh. You will await my verdict. This Clan meeting is over." Meadowstar resided to her den, leaving her Clan to mourn for Nightstripe.

***

At sunhigh, the Clan gathered outside Meadowstar's den, wanting to know who had been accused. The moment the pale ginger she-cat stepped out of her den, she was swamped with questions.

"Be quiet, all of you!" Meadowstar meowed. The warriors went silent.

"The accused cat is Prickleblaze."

"Never!" Blossombird rose quickly to defend her friend. "She searched for Nightstripe this morning. No disloyal warrior would even bother to search for a missing Clanmate, especially of her own free will." Splashpelt and Kestrelface nodded agreement.

Emberwhisper scoffed. "She probably killed him in the forest right where she found him." He turned his back on the other warriors, tail lashing.

Spiderpool stiffened. "You have no proof of that, Emberwhisper," she growled. "Besides, if that is your reasoning, you might as well be accusing me." She crouched low to the ground, poised to leap and strike the insensitive ginger tom.

Meadowstar narrowed her eyes at the bickering warriors. "You will make your decisions and tell me whether or not you believe in Prickleblaze's innocence." Sighing in exasperation, Meadowstar turned away to let her warriors decide Prickleblaze's future.

Is Prickleblaze innocent or guilty? Leave your votes in the comments!