Traitor // A Warriors Mafia Minigame

Round Six, Scene Four

"Poppyfoot has been voted guilty," Sleekstar said coldly. "She will be exiled and will not be allowed to ever return."

"I knew it!" Dovefern shot an icy glare at Poppyfoot, her tail lashing wildly. "You tried to kill me! I'll be glad to see you gone!"

"Let's get rid of her now." Perchberry's lips were pulled back in a snarl. "There's no sense in letting a murderer stay in our custody."

"You deserve to d-die just like y-your victims did!" Swiftshine collapsed to the ground. "S-So many lives were lost..." Tigersong had to comfort her, telling her it was okay now.

Poppyfoot's gaze flitted around, darting from one cat to another. Her former Clanmates were closing in on her. The fact that she'd served her Clan only to be repaid with this made her furious, and she shrieked in fury.

"You just want some cat to blame! Just because none of you are close to me doesn't mean I'd kill you!" She curled her lip in disgust. "I- I'll go with what you want for the last time. I'll leave for good. Then you'll see I wasn't the fox-heart who killed Ivygorse and Flaredapple." The black she-cat turned her back on her former Clan. "There'll be more deaths, that's for sure. You'll regret banishing me, but it'll be too late." Poppyfoot stalked off, her fur still spiked with rage.

There was silence after Poppyfoot's departure. Then Sleekstar finally raised his head and yowled, "Poppyfoot is gone!" But his call was hollow and empty, not triumphant; even Sleekstar had doubts about whether or not the Clan had chosen correctly. But the Clan failed to pick up on their leader's anxieties; they disbanded from the meeting, satisfied and relaxed for the first time in days. But little did they know, Poppyfoot was telling the truth. She didn't commit those murders...

***

And Bubblewish had suspicions of that. While the rest of the Clan slept, he lay in his nest, wide awake. If Poppyfoot had been telling the truth, there was still a murderer loose in the Clan. He tried to rest, but his worry kept him awake. Sighing, he got up and prepared to exit so that he could get some time alone to think- but then he heard another cat get up.

"Oh? Someone's already awake?" the other cat rumbled in a low tone; their voice was so quiet that Bubblewish couldn't make out who it belonged to. "Then it'll be you... You're the one who'll be my meal tonight."

"...Meal? You...!" Bubblewish gasped, stumbling back. "You're the murderer! Get away from me and go back to sleep!"

The cat chuckled in amusement. "But one has to sleep on a full stomach, right?" Their purr exuded a dangerous calm. "Otherwise, they'd never be satisfied..."

Panicked, Bubblewish bolted out of the den, closely pursued by the predator. "Someone, wake up! I need help!" He ran for dear life around the camp clearing, knowing that if he paused to turn and look at the other cat, they would kill him without hesitation.

"They're all fast asleep, I made sure of that." Bubblewish heard the other cat pause, and he jumped aside just as they pounced at the spot where he'd been just a moment ago. "Why would I attack when a simple cry can wake them? Only if I deliberately wake them will they stir, and only then will I feast."

Why hadn't he thought of it before? All he had to do was wake another cat on purpose with a physical disturbance.

The murderer seemed to read his mind. "Oh, but I'll make sure you can't awaken your friends. Should you turn tail and make a desperate attempt for the den, I'll block you way and kill you."

Bubblewish formed a plan in his mind- a crazy, risky plan, but a plan nonetheless. If I can't reach the entrance to the warriors' den, I'll have to make one. He ran in a slow, curving arc, trying to make it back to the den. The killer chased him down, trying to catch him, until they realized what he was doing. Once again, they paused briefly, drawing their weight into their haunches to pounce. Just as the killer leapt, Bubblewish leapt too, onto the bramble roof of the warriors' den, ignoring the thorns that pricked his pads. He tugged at the brambles with his teeth and claws, trying to remember which branch they'd woven into the den the least tightly.

One branch came free.

Then another.

Please, please, please...

The murderer snarled and bunched their haunches again, ready to jump. Just as they leapt up, Bubblewish tore open a hole barely big enough for a small cat to squeeze through. He quickly snaked in, silently thanking StarClan for his naturally small stature, and promptly landed on his brother's tail. The gray tom yowled in pain, but Bubblewish spared no time to apologize. "The murderer's here! They- They tried to kill me!"

"Relax, Bubblewish..." Pebblestrike murmured lazily. "Who would want-" He stopped short as the other cat wriggled through the hole in the roof, snarling in frustration. "Oh." He pushed himself to his paws. "Never mind what I said. That cat wants your blood."

"You've gone on quite the run, Bubblewish." The murderer was still speaking in the low, threatening growl. "But you can't outrun me forever. You've awakened Pebblestrike, but that just means more feasting for me."

"Go back to sleep, mange-pelt!" Pebblestrike snapped. He swiped and scratched the cat's nnose, leaving a fresh, clean cut. Then he whispered to Bubblewish, "Wake the others. They can't take the entire Clan." For once, Pebblestrike's tone was deadly serious.

Bubblewish nodded. He slipped away while Pebblestrike tried to take on the killer without dying. He worked fast, intentionally stepping on cats' tails, until every cat was awake. Grumpy, but alert and awake.

Finally, the murderer seemed to realize what Bubblewish had wanted to do- and it had worked. They growled in irritation, realizing that they couldn't win tonight, and slipped away into the crowd.

***

"Another safe night..." Sleekstar looked relieved as he counted his cats and noted the lack of a bloodstained body. "This may be too much to hope for, but maybe the murderer is losing their ability to kill other cats silently in the night."

"They only failed because I was wide awake, not drowsy." Bubblewish looked at his paws. "Had I not been fully awake, they'd have killed me easily."

"This also means that Poppyfoot wasn't the murderer," Brindlespring pointed out. "She was telling the truth; she was never a threat to the Clan."

Sleekstar nodded, deep in thought. "I wish we knew who it was, or at least how to counter them. For now," he added, "we should hold another vote. We'll have to be more careful this time, though. We must avoid exiling another innocent cat."

The cats sat in the clearing and told the others what they thought, until Sleekstar called, "Enough!" He climbed to the top of his den to give his announcement.

"I believe I have an accusation now. I accuse Tigersong!"

Tigersong gave no visible reaction and continued to groom his fur.

"He is seductive, mysterious and persuasive," Sleekstar continued. "He is seen as loyal, but who knows his true intentions? We will vote on his fate today."

Is Tigersong innocent or guilty? Cast your votes in the comments section!