Criminal Claws [UnitedWarriors]

Seventh Exile

Tigersplash had placed Blackpaw's body in the center of the clearing. There was a slight irony to it, Graystar thought grimly as she watched cats start to gather around it. They had gotten Blackpaw back just to lose him for good.

Dewpaw and Echopaw both had their muzzles buried in their denmate's fur, grieving quietly side by side. Viperpaw was sitting off to the side, looking down at her paws.

Tinypaw, however, was staring at Blackpaw's body with a completely hollow expression -- one that Graystar could relate to. She knew what it was like to have the ground crumble from beneath you and to feel like you had nothing left.

"We found him in the river," Honeyrose was telling Graystar. "Caught against a rock. It looked like he had traveled downstream quite a ways - his body was completely cold when we found him." Honeyrose took a deep, shuddering breath. "Dewpaw and I traveled upstream a ways, but we couldn't find any scents or signs of a struggle."

"This wasn't an accident, though," Graystar meowed dully. It wasn't a question.

"No, it wasn't," Honeyrose agreed. "But it- it's possible that Blackpaw s... fell in on purpose." Her gaze flicked sideways, as though she couldn't say that and still meet Graystar's eyes. "He was really distraught about Redpaw."

Graystar shook her head. "I don't think so," she huffed. "I'm certain it was traitors."

"Probably," Honeyrose murmured.

Graystar flicked her tail, dismissing the warrior. She had an idea about who it could be -- only one patrol had been sent in that direction, and it already had problems.

She wanted to talk to the cat in question first, though. So she had to find Basilwisp.

She found him alone in the warrior's den, curled up in his nest, staring at the den wall with a sorrowful expression. "Basilwisp," Graystar said. "I need to talk to you."

Basilwisp sat up obediently, blinking at the leader as though struggling to find the energy to focus on her.

"What really happened on your patrol?" Graystar demanded. "The truth, please. I know you have an affinity for lying. But Blackpaw's just been killed and right now you're the biggest suspect."

Shock filled Basilwisp's eyes. "Blackpaw?" he echoed hoarsely. "Killed?"

"That's right," Graystar meowed. "And I need to know what happened on your hunting patrol, so that I can figure out who did it."

Basilwisp bowed his head, then spoke softly. "When we started the patrol, we realized that four cats together was too many to sneak up on prey," he began. "So we decided to split into pairs, but Shademask got suspicious, and wouldn't let me and Leafsky hunt together. So Shademask and I were paired. We started hunting together, but then Shademask just went their own way and left me behind." Basilwisp swished his tail in frustration. "So I decided, if they didn't care about the pairs anyways, I would go find Leafsky. Which I did. I convinced Iriswhisper to let her hunt with me instead. But..." he trailed off, stifling a sigh. "Leafsky got mad at me. I wanted to leave the clan, to protect her, but now she just thinks I'm a coward."

Graystar was quiet. So some warriors really did think that it was safer to go rogue than stay in the clan.

Basilwisp lifted his gaze, looking pleadingly at Graystar. "Please, Graystar, I just wanted to protect my mate. I didn't kill Blackpaw, I swear."

Graystar nodded. "I believe you," she told him honestly. "But I need to know who did, then."

"It wasn't Leafsky," Basilwisp said immediately. "She was with me the whole time."

"What about the other two on your patrol?" Graystar asked.

Basilwisp hesitated. "We found Iriswhisper again, when we came back, and she seemed happy to see us. But then Shademask came back even later than us, and they seemed angry about something. So my guess is Shademask."

That made a lot of sense, Graystar reflected, and she supposed that she suspected Shademask as well. They seemed to be more than averagely suspicious these past few days.

"Thank you, Basilwisp," she mewed. "If you'll excuse me, I have a meeting to call."

Graystar wasted no time in getting to the top of the Highrock and calling out to her clan. She watched as warriors gathered around, many of them looking subdued and sorrowful. A few cats' expressions caught her eye, though -- Smokeflash looked devastated, nearly as much as the apprentices. Snowstrike appeared to be frustrated, and kept shooting sour glances at Smokeflash, Iriswhisper, and Tigersplash. Leafsky looked angry as well, but she kept her head high and her gaze straight towards the leader. Tinypaw's face, unlike her denmates' expressions, was nearly emotionless. Losing Redpaw, and then Blackpaw, had affected her in a way there might not be any coming back from.

"Warriors, it is my deepest regret to announce yet another death today. Blackpaw was found drowned in the river today," Graystar began.

Most of the cats had already known, but a couple craned their necks to look at the apprentice's body, laid out in the clearing behind them.

"However, today we know the culprit," Graystar continued grandly. Her amber eyes sought out the warrior in question. "Shademask, you are hereby exiled from the clan."

Shademask blinked a few times, as though they were trying to make sense of what the leader had said, then suddenly their eyes widened in shock and they jumped to their paws. "What?" they cried in disbelief.

"You killed Blackpaw," Graystar meowed, struggling to keep her voice steady. "You are banished from this clan."

Shademask gaped at her, then at the clanmates around them. "I did not!" the warrior retorted furiously. "I never touched Blackpaw! Why would I?" The dark grey and black warrior hissed. "I'm the one that got abandoned on that patrol, not the one that snuck away from their hunting partner!" Shademask turned to glare at Basilwisp.

Basilwisp had the decency to look embarrassed. He twisted one ear back. "You're the one who separated me from my mate," he told Shademask. "And you're the one who's too oblivious to notice when your hunting partner walks away from you. I was with Leafsky the whole time afterwards. We didn't see Blackpaw at all. Right, Leafsky?" he asked, turning to look at his mate.

Leafsky looked like she didn't want to answer at all, but finally she said "right," without looking back at Basilwisp.

Shademask hissed, affronted. "You shouldn't abandon your hunting partner!" they cried fiercely. "I lost my vole because I chased it towards where you said you would be, but then you weren't there! And then I spent the rest of my time looking for you! And I couldn't find ANY of you!" The masked warrior stamped the ground with a paw. "You were gone, and Leafsky and Iriswhisper were gone. Finally I just gave up and went back to hunting, and when I finally managed to catch something, you were all sitting around waiting for me like I was the one wrong!"

"You did take forever to catch that finch," Iriswhisper pointed out, hiding her smirk.

Shademask just hissed back at her.

"Enough," Graystar commanded. "Shademask, you must leave. Now."

Shademask looked surprised again. "What? No! I'm not leaving. You can't exile me. I didn't kill Blackpaw!"

"You can either leave right now of your own free will, or you can leave being chased by my warriors," Graystar offered.

Shademask looked around at their clanmates gathered around, but found very few sympathetic faces. Almost everyone suspected them.

"Fine," Shademask huffed finally. "I'll go. I won't hide behind others like the scaredy-cats you all are." Shademask turned and walked out of the camp, their tail held high.

Shademask was innocent.

Also, a turnpelt has changed allegiance this chapter. One innocent cat has become a traitor.

4 traitors left.

Thank you to everyone who voted last chapter! Day 8 will be coming out soon!