Traitor // A Warriors Mafia Minigame

Round Six, Scene Three

"Starlingtalon is innocent, just as I suspected," Sleekstar called, swishing his tail impatiently. Starlingtalon raised her head defiantly, but her twitching whiskers showed the nervousness beyond her brash exterior.

"However," Sleekstar continued, "that means there may be another murder tonight. Stay safe, my Clanmates."

***

Dovefern shifted in her nest, hoping to find a position that was comfortable. She sighed heavily and opened her bright copper eyes. Sleep had been scarcer than usual since the murders had started, and these days the she-cat rarely ever felt tired. She didn't even know how her Clanmates could sleep peacefully with a murderer on the loose. Pushing herself up from her nest, she shook off the moss scraps from her pelt.

A sudden swishing resonated in the den. Dovefern pricked her ears, listening. Who else could be up this late?

Cautiously, Dovefern crept towards the bracken lining the exit of the den and let out a screech as a figure, its face shielded by the darkness, launched itself towards her. Gasping, Dovefern sidestepped, accidentally trodding on some cat's tail. The warrior yelped and jolted up in alarm, leading the other warriors to stir. Immediately, the shadowed figure panicked and raced out of the den.

"Who was that?"

"What happened?"

Confused murmurs rippled throughout the den. Dovefern shuffled her paws, feeling slightly guilty for waking the others so late. From the camp entrance, a meow rang out, and Poppyfoot darted into the den, her pelt ruffled. "I was watching guard at the camp entrance," she puffed. "I saw some cat run out of camp... but I couldn't catch them..."

"What is the meaning of this?" Sleekstar poked his head into the cramped warriors' den. "Why are you all awake and screaming?"

Dovefern herself answered him. "It's- It's the killer! They tried to kill me... I accidentally woke everyone up, and they ran away, and Poppyfoot tried to chase them but she couldn't catch them..." The words tumbled messily out of Dovefern's mouth.

Sleekstar's expression remained the same as his stare silenced the crowd.

"So the murderer has struck again, but has failed to take another victim. However, this is not over yet; we now know that the murderer is still among us."

"Poppyfoot ran in here just after the murderer fled. Her pelt even blends in with the darkness- it has to be her!" A voice rang out from the crowd, and yowls of agreement followed the accusation.

"Quiet!" Sleekstar's authoritative yowl silenced the entire Clan.

"As much as I hate to admit it, our deputy is right. Poppyfoot was the only one out of camp when the murderer fled."

Poppyfoot stepped back, realizing what was happening to her. "I swear, I did nothing of the sort!" Her meow, though charged with fury and shock, thinly masked immense fear. The black she-cat whirled around frantically, eyes landing on Bubblewish. "Please, you have to believe me!"

But the small white tom's gaze was locked on the ground, refusing to meet Poppyfoot's. "I... I don't know what to believe anymore..."

"It's not over for you yet, Poppyfoot. It's up to your Clanmates to decide," Sleekstar told her. "But now, we must vote and see if more of your fellow warriors think you're guilty or innocent."

What do you think? Do you think Poppyfoot is the killer?