Criminal Claws [UnitedWarriors]

Day 2

"Noooooooooooooo!"

Graystar scrambled to her paws, blinking fiercely. It took her a moment to recognize the walls of her own den, and then to realize why her ears were ringing and why her pelt was bristling with danger.

She slipped out of her den and into the camp clearing, noticing that it was barely dawn and that pale light was just barely starting to flesh out the world even as she stared at the scene in front of her.

Snowsong was exiting the warrior's den, moving awkwardly due to the large shape that she was dragging out with her - a cat, in fact. The reddish brown tabby pelt, long tail, and lifeless amber eyes identified it to be Pinestep.

Snowsong was wailing, a high keening noise full of raw, violent despair that tore at Graystar's heart as though claws were digging into her chest. A few more high-pitched cries joined Snowsong's as other warriors, woken by her screams, saw and realized what had happened.

Pinestep was dead.

Pinestep, who had always been so eager to take charge of a situation, who was always battle ready, who was clever and strong and loved.

Gone.

Graystar padded closer, unable to believe her eyes. How could this have happened? She approached until she was standing in front of the body. Snowsong had collapsed over him, wailing into her mate's dark russet fur, already cold.

Graystar felt as though the very earth had split apart underneath her, and she was plunging into the starless depths below. This was the second cat killed. She knew now that Ratflame had not been the murderer, or if he was, he was not the only one. How many more traitors were there, lurking among her clanmates, ready to take down her clan from the inside?

"Snowsong," Graystar murmured, her voice shaking. "I need to see what happened to him."

Snowsong didn't look up. She shook her head, her nose still buried in Pinestep's fur.

And then Dawnpetal was there. With gentle, encouraging words that Graystar couldn't hear, the medicine cat coaxed the distraught she-cat away from Pinestep's body.

A thin layer of blood coated the fur around Pinestep's neck, the dried crimson liquid barely discernable from the color of his pelt. It looked like someone had slit his throat while he slept. Pinestep probably hadn't even had the chance to defend himself.

Graystar's frame shuddered. She couldn't believe it, couldn't understand how one of her most senior warriors was now dead when yesterday he had been so absolutely full of life.

"Poor Pinestep," Rosepool whimpered, her sea-green eyes brimming with sadness.

"He will be missed," Crowtail said softly, head bowed.

Featherwing stepped forward, and with a brief glance at Graystar for permission, touched her nose to Pinestep's forehead. "May StarClan light your path, dear Pinestep," she whispered, but even though she spoke quietly, her words were easy to hear. "Though your light will shine over us from StarClan, we will miss it here, in our clan, brightening all of our lives."

A few cats shifted and murmured their appreciation of Featherwing's thoughtful words. Kestrelberry moved beside her to touch his nose to her shoulder. "Thank you, Featherwing," he murmured.

Snowsong sobbed, leaning into Dawnpetal's fur.

~†~

It was early afternoon when Graystar finally emerged from her den once more. She had spent the morning grieving, as well as going over everything she knew to try and figure out who would have killed Pinestep, and why. The results weren't very encouraging. As far as Graystar knew, Pinestep had been well-liked by nearly everyone, even if he did get under some pelts once in a while with his tendency to immediately take charge of a situation. She was no closer to an answer than she had been last night, when she had sentenced Ratflame to a life in exile.