Disclaimer: If you recognize it, I don't own it.

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"I came as soon as I heard the news. Pelli had been my good friend, and I was determined to find her killer. I sat down and began to talk with Soren.

'What exactly was Pelli doing on the night of her death?' I asked. Soren hesitated as he thought back to that night, most likely filled with pain.

'We were attending the Harvest festival. Pelli and I had been dancing together when we flew out into vines, a perfect place for some secret kissing.' He lowered his head embarrassed. 'Inside the vines, were two couples. There was Murky, a bulky masked owl who had been hitting on Pelli before she choose me as a mate, and his partner Shamren, who was a grass owl. Those two had been rivals for the position of Tracking Ryb, and Pelli had received the position. Both of those owls had been nursing grudges against Pelli for quite some time.' Soren paused to take a breath.

'And the other couple?' I prompted. Soren grimaced.

'It was just Glyfie dancing with a another elf owl she liked. His name was, ermm, Sandy.' I made a mental note.

'Okay, suspects are Glyfie, Sandy, Shamren, and Murky.'

'Wait a minute,' Soren cried out, 'Glyfie can't possibly have done it!' I turned and looked at him.

'You didn't see it happen did you Soren?' He shifted back and forth.

'No,' he finally said, 'when we went behind the vines their was a blinding flash of light, then she was hurt and dying in my talons.' I looked at him with a scowl.

'Sounds like it was planned my friend. Until we find someone who saw it, then everyone is a suspect.' As I left I gave him a meaningful glance. 'Including you.' Perhaps I was too harsh on him, perhaps I wasn't harsh enough. But no one could be trusted. Things like these tend to end up in ways unexpected.

So I knew the obvious suspects. Who had wanted Pelli's job. Who had her job now that she was dead? Who also had a grudge against her and could breach her neck with his bare talons. They had the motive, that was sure, but still. I decided to go to the tree's medical records and see where she had been injured.

Apparently she hadn't been injured in an obvious way. Her heart had been stabbed, and the hole in her breast had been barely a fraction of an inch wide. There had been no weapon on the scene. Interesting. I noted. This case was taking a turn, only I didn't know where it was heading,