Frozen Blood || A Warrior Cats Mafia

Round 2 - Scene 2

A/N: When we get to the voting scene, the deadline will probably be longer than the last one due to the holiday season, I know its not celebrated by everyone but we don't want to be spamming people on days like Christmas, so there will be an estimated date for voting closing on the next chapter.

Silverfeather sat at the edge of the clearing, looking around as the Clan went about their day like nothing had happened. He saw Sleetpaw and her new mentor Shiverhawk leaving camp to go train with Rootfrost and her apprentice Lynxpaw.

He also noticed a lot of cats talking in pairs, shooting the occasional glance towards him. It was obvious who they were talking about; Ashenblaze.

He looked to his right when he noticed Dawngaze sitting down next to him. "Hey son, are you okay?" The old tom rumbled. Silverfeather shook his fluffy head, "No, not really.."

"Do you want to talk about it?" His father blinked at him in understanding. "I... I just don't know what to do... I miss him so much Dawngaze, it hurts so much!" The old cream tom rested his tail on his son's shoulders.

"I know how you feel. Back when Heatherdusk just died I felt like my life had lost all purpose. What could still be left for me? But then I realised I still had you, and Rootfrost, and my Clanmates. They all care about each other, and about you, Silverfeather."

The silver tom looked at his father as he spoke, nodding his head in understanding. "I know... But it doesn't feel like that right now.." Dawngaze nodded. "It took me a moon or two to fully recover too. Hey, why don't we go for a walk? Some time outside of camp will do you good."

Silverfeather wanted to go back to his nest and sleep, not go out into the cold of the territory, but he found himself nodding anyway. "Come on, then. I've had enough of sitting around all day, I could do with some exercise," Dawngaze said, looking at him, a glint in his eyes.

As they got up and padded towards the camp entrance, Silverfeather caught a bit of the conversation Everest and Thistlehaze were having near the nursery. "He's a good cat, surely he wouldn't?" Everest asked, looking at her mate anxiously. "Shh, you'll scare the kits," Foxdawn whispered, looking at Flykit playing with a moss ball near them, Breezekit tucked into her side.

Silverfeather quickly padded on, Fogwhisper and Cedarcloud were murmuring together as Gustpaw listened, they broke off and stared at him as he passed though, so he assumed they too were talking about Ashenblaze. Owlstride and Deershade trotted through the entrance as Silverfeather arrived, and he moved aside to let them pass, before ducking through it into the woods.

He only barely listened as his father started talking about basic things, like how beautiful the snow was, but he quickly moved on to memories of Silverfeather's kithood, exactly the part he didn't want to talk about.

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Silverfeather stared down at his paws as his father kept talking next to him, slowly making their way toward the Clan's frozen river.

"Ashenblaze was such a great cat you know, I'm so glad you chose him for a mate. Oh StarClan, I remember when you two were just apprentices, so oblivious and in love," Dawngaze chuckled, tilting his head to look at his son.

"You know... he'd want you to move on," Dawngaze started, before Silverfeather whirled around, rage in his eyes.

"I can't just move on!" Silverfeather yowled, as his father fell silent, gazing at his son in confusion. Silverfeather paused, shaking his head.

"I just can't... One day, everything is fine, and we're happy, and everything is normal, and then the next he's gone, by one of our own cat's claws no less, and yet I'm supposed to just move on, and pretend he wasn't murdered? And now, you tell me to leave camp to feel better, and yet you're acting like his death was normal?" Silverfeather wailed, his voice getting louder.

"I can't do this. I need to be alone," the tom muttered, before racing off, ignoring his father's cries for him to come back.

Neither of them saw the silhouette in the shadows, observing the two with a dark look in their eyes.

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Silverfeather panted with exhaustion as he finally reached the riverside, groaning as he sat down, wrapping his tail around his paws. He sighed, staring down at the ice as he recalled his harsh words from earlier.

"Maybe I should go and apologise..." he murmured, guilt filling his heart as he thought of Dawngaze all alone.

"It's a little too late for that, don't you think?"

Silverfeather leapt to his paws in surprise as he turned to look at another cat, confusion in his eyes as he spotted them standing behind him.

"What... What are you doing here? I thought-"

The cat ignored him, turning their gaze away as they walked towards him.

"You think the brother of the deputy would set a better example, would he not? Than to leave a poor elder like Dawngaze all alone in the forest," they meowed mockingly, unsheathing their claws as Silverfeather took a step back.

"It was you, wasn't it?" Silverfeather whispered. "You... You killed my mate."

The cat grinned.

"Don't worry, you'll see him again soon enough."

Without warning, they leapt at him, Silverfeather struggling to keep his balance as he was thrown backwards onto the rough ice, screeching in pain as his attacker knocked his head to the ground, trying to swipe at his throat.

The cat growled, angrily swiping at his fur as he tried to roll away, dazed from the pain in his head.

"All of Dawngaze's talk of the good old days, your innocent apprentice years, you think the rest of us were so lucky? Cats like you could never understand," they spat, forcefully aiming another harsh blow at his vulnerable chest.

Silverfeather groaned in pain, his eyes beginning to glaze over as he stared at the blurry form of the cat above, trying to kick upwards as the cat easily leapt to the right to avoid him.

"Sweet dreams, Silverfeather."

A final blow, and his body fell limp.

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"Silverfeather!" Dawngaze screeched, wailing for help to the passing border patrol that had found him alone earlier, as they rushed to help him.

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Glacierstar sighed as she looked at Silverfeather's body, turning sympathetically to a grieving Dawngaze.

"And you're sure you didn't see anything?" she questioned, as Dawngaze nodded.

"We were together, I think I pushed him too far by talking about Ashenblaze, one minute he rushes off... and when I found him he was already gone," the elder whispered, closing his eyes.

TundraClan cats were beginning to surround them, anger and shock prominent among them as they spotted the body of their clanmate.

"How do we know he didn't do it, huh?! We can't trust anyone!" Fogwhisper growled, lashing her tail as Owlstride glared at her.

"How dare you speak to an elder in that way!" he yowled back. "Show some respect..."

"Oh please, unlike those two, Rootfrost isn't dead yet Owlstride, so you can't order me around like the deputy!"

The two continued arguing, until Glacierstar reached her limit with their antics.

"Quiet! I won't have my clanmates acting like foolish apprentices when another cat has been murdered. How long until they get all of us, hmm? We need to make a decision now, we need to accuse another cat," the leader ordered, as a cat within the crowd nodded.

"I accuse...!"

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Attacked: Silverfeather

Healed: Foxdawn (incorrect)

Accused: Accuser, please check PMs.

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