Traitor // A Warriors Mafia Minigame

Round Six, Scene Eight

"Birchtuft has been voted guilty," Sleekstar meowed. He looked down on the Siamese tom, unsure of what to make of the verdict; Birchtuft was seemingly the most loyal warrior in the Clan, but no one except for himself knew his true self.

The rest of the Clan stared at him, waiting for his reaction. None seemed eager to force him away. Birchtuft was staring at Sleekstar in the middle of a small ring of cats, frozen in shock. Then his expression changed into one of intense bitterness.

"My whole life I've served you tirelessly," Birchtuft growled, "and this is how I'm repaid?" He whipped around, shoving aside Swiftshine and Starlingtalon, and went to the camp entrance. "... I suppose I should leave. But make no mistake; this is no act of guilt, merely a final act of loyalty. Then you'll see..." He scoffed and slid out of the camp, his plumy tail swishing with agitation.

The remaining few warriors stood in an uncomfortable silence, staring at the camp entrance. Even though some of them had voted against him, they had still had a bond before, and now...

"Broken like ice." Brindlespring shook herself and stretched her legs. "Some bonds you claim you had with your Clanmates. This is why I don't trust any of you."

"Brindlespring!" Perchberry bared her fangs at the tortoiseshell she-cat. "If you hate us all that much, why don't you just leave?"

Brindlespring flicked one ear, but didn't say anything in reply. She yawned widely, mumbling, "Well, I'm turning in," before padding into the warriors' den.

Silently, the others followed, one by one, each hoping that the next day wouldn't bring another death. Even Sleekstar slipped away to sleep in his den. Eventually, only one cat was left sitting alone- Pebblestrike.

The gray tabby tom fixed his gaze onto the sky, which was dotted with stars. StarClan... He heaved a sigh. Please, end our suffering on Earth. If you ever cared for me, brother... Flinching, he shook his head fiercely. Or is that too much to ask for? I'm being selfish.

Taking a few breaths to calm himself down, Pebblestrike settled himself onto the dusty ground, closing his eyes. His mind flooded with memory- memory of before the murders started, when Clan life had been a peaceful one.

"Oh?"

Pebblestrike barely reacted to the newcomer's presence, merely flicking an ear in the voice's direction.

"Pebblestrike..." The newcomer meowed in a kitlike tone and batted at Pebblestrike's nose. "Come on, what're you thinking about? I've never seen you so serious."

Pebblestrike opened his eyes and found himself staring right into a pair of clear, dilated eyes, almost entirely black.

"It's nothing... Just that, I wish someone would end all this." Pebblestrike swept his tail behind him. "Why can't the murderer stop? They've gotten their fill."

Those eyes stared into Pebblestrike's, their owner wordless. Then, they broke into a soft purr. "All the stars I send to the night sky will never be enough, darling. I will never be satisfied... "

The traitor must've seen the horror in Pebblestrike's eyes, because they let out a laugh and grinned. "You've made yourself an easy target by staying here alone, Pebblestrike."

Pebblestrike started to stand up and back off, but the killer dived under him- faster and with more agility than he would've thought possible- and sliced a gash in his stomach. Pebblestrike let out a yowl and fell to the ground in agony.

"Ah, this is excellent!" The killer's face loomed over Pebblestrike's. "You're missing out, really. All these easily-earned feasts, held just out of reach by that meek warrior code."

Pebblestrike didn't say anything. He felt himself weakening by the second, and his eyelids fluttered.

"Say hello to Bubblewish, darling."

The world turned black.

***

"Great StarClan..." Sleekstar stared at Pebblestrike's body in shock. His warriors stood behind him, looking at one other warily; now that there were so few of them left, there was a high chance that they would die next.

Sleekstar glanced at the five surviving cats- Perchberry, Dovefern, Swiftshine, Brindlespring, and his daughter, Starlingtalon. Who of these will survive to see the end of this? And who is responsible for this despair?

"We... We have to hold another vote-"

"At least this time, the choice is obvious." Perchberry stepped forward, her eyes sparking with defiance. Starlingtalon stood by her side.

"I say we accuse Brindlespring." Starlingtalon bore her gaze into the tortoiseshell she-cat. "She's has a... less than normal reaction to all these murders. She's never even really trusted any of us, even before the murders."

"Just because I don't like any of you doesn't mean I want you all dead, Starlingtalon." Brindlespring's meow was strangely calm, but it thinly veiled a cold, dangerous anger.

"But you're still the most likely suspect," Perchberry countered. Swiftshine and Dovefern exchanged glances, then Swiftshine whispered something to Dovefern, who nodded her head.

"We have no real proof of which side Brindlespring is on," Dovefern told the other two she-cats. "It's more likely that the deputy is throwing random accusations, seeing as Swiftshine got accused two days ago."

Everyone looked up to their leader, waiting for his verdict. The black tom looked at Brindlespring for a long while, before dipping his head. "We have no other leads anyway," he muttered. "You will all vote for Brindlespring and see if more of you trust her... or if more of you want her gone."