Murder in the Woods: A Warrior Cat Mafia

Round 8, Part 4

Rowanpaw watched first with satisfaction, then shock, then horror, as the vote proceeded. How could things have changed so quickly? Dapplepelt had almost been exiled. Then Bearfoot just had to go and mess everything up with that stupid piece of evidence.

Cloverwing stepped forward, a hurt look on her face. "Rowanpaw, you're one of the killers. Why?" she asked. The ginger tom snarled, quitting his act of innocence.

He took a step forward. "Fine, you've got me. I'm a murderer. All because of Bearfoot. I was going to kill him tonight, you know". Dapplepelt stepped protectively towards her mate, who watched Rowanpaw carefully.

The apprentice continued. "Clearly, that won't be possible. But I'm not going down without a fight". He glanced at his partner, who flicked their tail towards Breezeflight. Suddenly, he leapt at the black and white tom. Breezeflight felt Rowanpaw's claws sink into his chest, and collapsed, struggling to breath.

"Rowanpaw! What have you done!" Tawnyclaw yowled in horror. Hawknose rushed to stop the tom's bleeding. Her son turned to look at her, nonchalant.

"I just eliminated a weak member of the clan. Can you blame me? He couldn't even protect Swiftstep from my partner. Then again, I'm the one who's getting exiled because my father revealed evidence against me," Rowanpaw mewed bitterly. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Briarthorn and Eagletail move towards the entrance to stop him from fleeing.

Skypaw growled, trying to step towards him. Dapplepelt held her back. "Bearfoot is not your father! And you are not my brother!" she hissed furiously. Rowanpaw scoffed.

"Of course you would say that. You, Ashpaw, Dapplepelt, and Bearfoot were just one big happy family, that you didn't want his illegitimate kits to destroy". Tawnyclaw stepped forward, and slashed her claws across Rowanpaw's nose.

Rowanpaw looked at his mother, shocked, as she advanced on him. "Skypaw is right. Bearfoot isn't your father. Breezeflight is," she spat. Sunpaw let out a cry, and ran to Breezeflight's body.

Breezeflight looked up at his son, one of his few moments of willing eye contact, as he coughed up blood. "I . . . I just . . . wanted to see . . . you become . . . a warrior". Sunpaw buried his face in Breezeflight's fur, upset.

"No, please, don't go. I have so many questions. And we need to spend time together! You're my father! I've been looking for you for so long . . . " Breezeflight's head fell to the ground, and he stopped breathing. Sunpaw wailed, while Rowanpaw started to get angry.

"No! That stupid tom is not my father!" he declared. He moved to leap for Tawnyclaw, snarling. "Why would you choose him? I'll make you regret it!" Tawnyclaw, unwilling to kill her kit, remained still.

Before Rowanpaw could kill Tawnyclaw, he was tackled by a raging Skypaw. The grey she-cat tore into his pelt, and it became obvious who was going to win. In all of their previous fights, she had held back, unwilling to truly hurt him. But Rowanpaw had killed Ashpaw. She was no longer hesitating.

Mudwhisker pulled the apprentice off of a severely injured Rowanpaw. "Trust me, you don't want to kill him. Not when you're just an apprentice. I'll do it". He gulped, and with one swift blow, he painlessly killed Rowanpaw. He then proceeded to turn around and vomit.

Swiftstep, who had come out of the medicine cat den, helped him up and brought him away from Rowanpaw's body.

Dapplepelt ordered Slatefur to clean up the bloody scene. He did so. Tawnyclaw and Briarthorn picked up Rowanpaw's body, and took him out to be buried.

Bearfoot stepped forward, with all of the other cats watching him. "There is only one traitor left, which is good. But there is still another. I suggest that we try to exile the other one now, before we all go to sleep". The cats nodded. They knew that someone else would die during the night, as long as the murderer remained in the clan.

Murdered: Breezeflight
Healed: No one
Accused: No one
Revealed: No one
Revived: No one
Murderers Left: 1