Traitor // A Warriors Mafia Minigame

Round Six, Scene Two

Sleekstar stood over his Clanmates on top of his den. It was almost moonhigh, but tension had kept the Clan awake. The warriors waited for Sleekstar's announcement- was Perchberry going to be allowed to stay?

"Perchberry is innocent," Sleekstar meowed, resulting in relief for most of the Clan, although Poppyfoot, Swiftshine and Pebblestrike, who had voted guilty, still shot suspicious glances at the silver tabby she-cat.

"You must all get a good night's sleep. Those who wish to hold vigil for Ivygorse may stay awake, but the rest of you will need time to recover from the shock of the murder..." The black tom gracefully leapt down from his rock and retreated into his den.

***

"You're not going back to sleep?" Bubblewish stifled a yawn and blinked wearily. It was a little past midnight, and now only a few warriors stood by Ivygorse's body- Bubblewish, Flaredapple and Pebblestrike, who had fallen asleep.

"You can go back if you want, Bubblewish." Flaredapple tucked her paws under herself and looked up at the small white tom. "But I want to stay the whole night. Ivygorse deserves to be honored."

Bubblewish muttered something under his breath. "Suit yourself." He padded past Flaredapple, picked up his sleeping brother by the scruff on the way, and headed back towards the warriors' den.

Now left on her own, Flaredapple turned back to Ivygorse's body. He didn't deserve to die like that. Sure, he was kind of arrogant and annoying, but... Flaredapple sighed. "Why is this cat killing innocent cats?" she murmured.

"Because I want to make a feast of your fear-scent and your blood," a voice purred.

The tortoiseshell she-cat jumped and whirled around, trying to locate the source of the sound. From the mouth of the warriors' den stood a silhouetted cat, their tail whipping over the ground in anticipation. Before Flaredapple could react, the cat leapt, neatly clearing Ivygorse's body, and crashed into Flaredapple, toppling her over. A shriek ripped free from Flaredapple's throat just before the murderer tore it open in the same fashion as they had done to Ivygorse just the previous night. The tortoiseshell she-cat went limp.

The killer let loose a broken laugh and bent down, burying their muzzle in the tiny red stream that spouted from the dead Flaredapple's throat until their muzzle was coated with blood. "Delicious..."

"Flaredapple!" That was Bubblewish's cry.

A small figure burst out of the warriors' den. Suppressing a growl of frustration, the killer slipped back into the shadows, licking the last of Flaredapple's blood from their lips.

"Flaredapple!" The white tom rushed towards the tortoiseshell cat's body, but he was too late; Flaredapple was with StarClan now.

"No... Why?" His wail cut through the air. "If I'd just stayed with you, this wouldn't have happened," Bubblewish moaned. He pressed his muzzle into Flaredapple's already cooling fur.

"Bubblewish?" Two more cats emerged- Pebblestrike and Swiftshine. "What happ-" Pebblestrike's sentence was abruptly cut short as his gaze fell on Flaredapple's body.

"I-It's the same awful k-killer," Swiftshine muttered. She slid her claws out into the earth. "This is a-absolutely disgusting."

"I agree. Not only do they take our Clanmate's lives, but they do it in such a horrible way..." Pebblestrike's meow hardened; for once, he wasn't brushing it off and was actually taking the situation seriously. "What do we do?"

"W-Wait until morning and have Sleekstar hold another v-vote. What else can we do?" Swiftshine shook her head. "For now, w-we can prepare Flaredapple's b-body for burial. She deserves that much."

***

Sleekstar watched as his warriors shared tongues with Flaredapple for the final time. Why is this happening to us? Worry shone in his eyes as his turn came to share tongues with the fallen warrior. Bowing his head, he whispered, "I pray that we are able to stop this killer in time."

Raising his head, the black tom called a summons, and his Clan turned to him. "Another vote will be held," he meowed. "I must have another word with my deputy." Once again, he vanished into his den with his deputy tailing behind. When he came out, his face was stormy and grim, but he managed to voice the accusation.

"The accused cat is Starlingtalon."

Starlingtalon opened her mouth to speak, but Sleekstar swept his tail to silence her. "I, for one, believe that you are innocent. But the deputy, however ..." He frowned in the general direction of the crowd. "Just... cast your votes."

As he padded away, Pebblestrike glared in his direction. "How does he have the nerve to openly accuse his daughter of murder?"

Brindlespring cuffed his head. "If you were listening, Pebblestrike, you'd know that this was the deputy's decision, not his!"

"That's not important; right now, we just need to vote," Lichenleaf scoffed. "Why does it matter who made the decision?"

Brindlespring and Pebblestrike both glared at the brown tabby tom, then Pebblestrike said, "Fine, whatever. But don't you think it's strange how he couldn't change their mind? I mean, he would've tried to convince the deputy that Starlingtalon was innocent, right?"

"What kind of deputy would accuse someone so close to Sleekstar anyway?" Brindlespring agreed.

"...Let's just get this over with." Starlingtalon pushed the three debating cats apart. She looked annoyed, and her voice was barely restrained from rising as she continued, "It doesn't matter if Sleekstar could convince the deputy to change their mind. You are all voting for me, and tomorrow I could stay or leave. Just get on with it, before I get so sick of your bickering that I leave on my own."