Well, how are we all doing after the last chapter?
*LITERALLY EVERYTHING IS ON FIRE*
oh
But anyway, happy Thanksgiving! (If this chapter gets out on time)
I've figured out how this story will go. There will be multiple sub-plots, split across three-chapter sections. These won't take away from the main plot of the murder mystery, but they will flesh out the consequences of the two trials, and how the ripple effect still haunts the clans to this day. So, with that being said,
Let's get back into it.
DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING INVOLVED. CREDIT GOES TO THE WARRIOR CATS FANDUB ON YOUTUBE FOR THE INSPIRATION, AND ERIN HUNTER FOR THE WARRIOR CATS BOOKS AND UNIVERSE.
As the cats of Thunderclan padded into the camp, most went their separate ways. Jayfeather walked away to inform the cats in the camp of Firestar's death, and Dovewing wandered towards the leader's den before Thornclaw stopped her.
"What're you doing, Dovewing?" He asked.
"Oh, I was just going to look for evidence, but I doubt there's anything in there. Actually, while I have you here, mind if I ask where you were?" She replied.
"I was on patrol with Brambleclaw and Ivypool, near the Shadowclan border. Before you ask, we didn't see anything there."
"Thanks, that's all I need to know-" Dovewing mewed happily before a yell reverberated across the camp.
"I know it was you, Brambleclaw!"
"Hollyleaf, what has gotten into you!?" Brambleclaw yowled back.
"Don't even try to shift the blame! You couldn't take anyone but yourself having power over the clan, so you lured Firestar to the gathering island and killed him!" Hollyleaf screamed, stepping closer to Brambleclaw with claws unsheathed.
"Be quiet, Hollyleaf. Don't try to hide your murder by accusing Brambleclaw!" Ivypool spoke, stepping closer to the two, with Thornclaw right behind.
"Yeah, I bet it was you and Squirrelflight. You've been wanting to try and kill Brambleclaw for so long, and this served as the perfect opportunity to get it started!" Thornclaw accused.
"Hollyleaf, I was on patrol. Do you think so little of me, that you believe I would kill Firestar just to gain power-"
"SHUT UP!" Hollyleaf growled as Brambleclaw dodged a bite aimed at his throat. "I'LL KILL YOU!"
"You won't get the chance!" Brambleclaw yelped, slashing Hollyleaf across the jaw. The two cats vanished in a tangle of fur and claws, as the rest of Thunderclan watched the spectacle unfold. Flashes of black and brown fur were seen through the cloud of dust kicked up by their brawl, as the sun-high heat beat down on the camp.
Suddenly, a flash of dark-brown fur was seen diving into the scuffle, before Hollyleaf and Brambleclaw were forced away from each other, to reveal Dustpelt standing in between the two.
"Both of you, stop. This is getting us nowhere, and I will not have this ruin Thunderclan!" Dustpelt meowed sternly.
"Thunderclan was already ruined the second this fox-heart was born!" Hollyleaf screeched.
"Both of you, be quiet." Dustpelt spoke, as Jayfeather and Brightheart re-entered the camp.
"Oh, Jayfeather. What did you find in your autopsy?"
"Well, that's just it." Jayfeather spoke, sarcasm lacing his words. "We didn't find anything."
"We did find three possible causes of death, but nothing that would indicate how he actually died." Brightheart finished.
"Well, what are they?" Ferncloud questioned.
"You'll find out at the trial." Jayfeather rebutted, as he stalked towards the medicine den, with Brightheart in tow. Taking this as a signal, most of Thunderclan began to return to their dens, but Dovewing saw a glimpse of Ferncloud leaving camp. Thinking nothing of it, she would go to sleep, trying to get some rest before the second trial.
"Hey, Dovewing?" Brambleclaw whispered. "Let me give you some advice for the trial."
"Whatever you do..."
"Don't believe a word they say."
Several hours later, the accused cats began to file onto the gathering island, only to see all four clans there to witness the spectacle, and the leaders perched atop a stump in the center. As they formed a ragged semi-circle, Dustpelt lept up on the stump, declaring "I will be acting as Thunderclan leader for this trial. Jayfeather and Brightheart, please state what you found in the autopsy."
"Thank you, Dustpelt." Jayfeather mewled, before continuing. "We have three potential causes of death. Our first theory is that the murderer drowned him, given his position near the shore. The second theory is that he was poisoned, given his pose, and the fact that he was foaming at the mouth. The final theory is that he was mauled, given the deep scratch across his belly. We couldn't find any conclusive evidence to rule out any of the theories, so this was most likely planned in advance-"
"That's it, I've already had enough of this!" Lionblaze yowls. "I know who did it. Nice attempt to hide it, Breezepelt!"
"Oh boy, now we've got him started..." Jayfeather remarked.
"What in Starclan's name are you talking about!?" Breezepelt yowled back.
"You know full well! You mauled Firestar, systematically taking every last life he had! And when the body was discovered, you were downright gleeful that Firestar was dead! And, you tried to attack me-"
"That never happened, Lionblaze!" Crowfeather interjected. "Hollyleaf attacked Breezepelt, and tried to drown him!"
"I heard you both talking about a kill, what else could it have been!?" Lionblaze screamed.
"We were talking about a kill we made on a hunting patrol, you mouse-brain!" Breezepelt yowled with claws unsheathed.
"Sure, lie all you want! I know what you really meant. You just want to tear Thunderclan apart, to see us all dead!"
"Well, you have that part right, but I didn't kill him!" Breezepelt admitted, to the shock of every cat watching.
"I knew it!" Lionblaze yelped triumphantly. "That's all you Windclan cats ever do, your small brains can't fathom anything else! We don't even have any proof that you were on a hunting patrol, or what passes for hunting among you. You're all welcome for figuring this out so quickly-"
"No, that's wrong!" Dovewing interjected, stopping Lionblaze mid-rant. "Sure, we might not have evidence now, but we can get some! Onestar, did they go out on patrol at all on the day of the murder?"
"Yes, actually. They found so much prey, we had to get half the clan to help carry it back to camp!" Onestar remarked with a wry laugh.
"And were they gone for longer then they needed to be?" Lionblaze accused.
"I will not be revealing that information to half-clan creatures." Onestar hissed, to be met with an angry yowl from Lionblaze, and a glare from Hollyleaf, who was raking her claws along the charred soil.
"Drop it, all of you." Dustpelt yowled, as Hollyleaf and Lionblaze stalked towards Onestar. Onestar blinked, astonished that Dustpelt would try to order him around.
Regardless, Dovewing thought, Dustpelt had a point. 'We won't get anywhere except under the ground if we stoke the flames of war like this.'
"Does anyone else have an alibi they would like to share?" Dustpelt said after a lengthy silence.
"W-well," Ferncloud stuttered, "I was on the Riverclan border."
"That's true, I saw her." Leafpool agreed.
"Wow, thanks for digging your own graves!" Thornclaw growled accusingly.
"What are you saying!?" Ferncloud hissed.
"I'm saying, that Leafpool murdered Firestar, and had you as an accomplice, a spy within Thunderclan!"
"Yeah!" Hollyleaf yowled. "Leafpool's been trying to ruin Thunderclan since she was outed for the Starclan-forsaken, faithless, lying bitch she is!"
Leafpool looked appalled and ashamed at that remark, as Ferncloud stepped up.
"Hollyleaf, that's enough! I won't have you accusing Leafpool like that-"
"Let it go, 'Fern." Leafpool spoke softly, taking Ferncloud by surprise.
"Oh, trying to defend the spy, are you?" Lionblaze growled. "You probably orchestrated the killing!"
"Lionblaze, do you have nothing but paranoia and rage behind those ears?" Sandstorm hissed. "Riverclan would never want to start a war, with leaf-bare nearing."
"Yeah, exactly!" Dovewing agreed.
"Which is why they would have a spy, an accomplice in the murder, someone to take the fall if they were discovered! You didn't prove anything with that." Thornclaw meowed.
"Lionblaze, just think about this for a second!" Dovewing spoke up. "Why waste all that time and energy crafting a plot to kill Firestar, when they need to hunt as much as they can before leaf-bare actually begins?"
"Well, uh-" Lionblaze mewed, seemingly taken off-guard.
"And furthermore, how could you accuse Ferncloud!?" Sandstorm yowled. "Out of everyone here, she's the least likely to murder! What's the real game you two are playing, huh? Trying to cover your tracks? Well, guess what!? You can't fool me, you murderers-"
"THAT'S ENOUGH!" Dustpelt screamed, grabbing every cat's attention.
"You'd all be surprised what secrets Ferncloud has." Thornclaw muttered, just loud enough for everyone to hear.
"Yeah, we should stop accusing each other for a bit." Greystripe interjected, stepping out from within the crowd. "This is only going to make the truth harder to find, and it risks starting a war. So, who can provide an alibi without starting a fight?"
"I was deep in our territory, collecting herbs with Jayfeather." Brightheart mewed, breaking the silence.
"Very badly, I might add." Jayfeather remarked. "I mean, how do you manage to trap yourself in cobwebs, trying to gather catmint?"
"Quiet, you." Brightheart laughed.
"Yeah, Brightheart told me before they went out of camp." Brambleclaw agreed.
"I was hunting with Blackstar." Tigerheart says at last, to which Blackstar nods.
"Maybe this was spurred on by a dispute with Firestar, or his kin?" Squirrelflight meowed, shooting a glare at Brambleclaw.
Brambleclaw stood up, growling. "Or, maybe this murder was committed by someone who wanted to frame their former mate for murder-"
"Wait a second," Greystripe interjected, trying to stop another fight between the two, "What will happen to the murderer until we can consult with Starclan, to see if we have the right cat?"
The leaders and Dustpelt began to murmur amongst themselves, before Dustpelt spoke up.
"The murderer will be held on this island, guarded by two cats from each clan."
As the discussion was about to resume, Ferncloud seemingly broke, yelling out "This ends here!"
"I know it was you, Lionblaze!"
"You must be mouse-brained." Lionblaze snarled.
"No, I know it was you! You killed Firestar, because you needed an excuse to eradicate the other clans, and take everything for yourself!"
"Thanks for the idea, Ferncloud!" Hollyleaf interjected.
"Everyone, leave Ferncloud alone!" Leafpool yelled. "You're supposed to be loyal to your clanmates-"
"Oh, you're one to talk, Leafpool!" Jayfeather, Lionblaze, and Brightheart hissed in unison.
"Hey, lay off of her-" Crowfeather tried to say.
"Be quiet, you two are the reason we're in this mess!" Dustpelt yelled.
"Dustpelt, stay calm. We're not supposed to get involved-" Mistystar began.
"No, let him say the truth!" Ivypool screamed before her voice was drowned out by the yowls of the rest of the clan.
"Why would Lionblaze-"
"I'll rip out your claws, Sandstorm-"
"Try me!"
"It was Ferncloud, I know it was-"
"No, it was you, Hollyleaf-"
"DO YOU HONESTLY THINK I'D BE THAT FOX-HEARTED!?"
"This is pointless, we're getting nowhere-"
"Everyone, please calm down-"
"Leafpool did the right thing, leaving you rogues-"
"FIRESTAR DESERVED TO DIE!"
"I'll shove your paws so far up your ass and down your throat, they'll touch in the middle-"
"YOU DID THIS, BRAMBLECLAW!" Squirrelflight screeched, gaining every cat's attention. "You killed Firestar to get the power to exile me, I know it!"
"Are you an idiot!?" Brambleclaw yowled, stepping towards her. "Firestar made me his deputy, do you seriously think I would do that to him!?"
"Yeah, Brambleclaw's been through enough, with what you did. Let it go!" Ivypool yelled. Ferncloud and Sandstorm yowled their agreement, as Squirrelflight shrank back.
"He's manipulating you, just like he did to me! He's been out to ruin me since the trial, he's just like Ashfur! Besides, he doesn't even have an alibi!"
"No, that's wrong!" Dovewing yowled. "I heard him say that he was on patrol with Ivypool and Thornclaw."
"That's right." Thornclaw mewed.
"See, I have an alibi. Your argument falls apart here, you fox-hearted murderer!" Brambleclaw yowled, unsheathing his claws as he stalked toward Squirrelflight. She promptly did the same, teeth bared in a snarl.
"In fact, I saw you leaving camp with Firestar before he died!" Dovewing meowed, with heartwrenching guilt for lying. "Combining that with your lack of an alibi, it has to be you!"
"Exactly, so let's kill her now and get it over with!" Breezepelt snarled, leaping towards Squirrelflight, prepared to bite her neck. Swiftly, Onestar slammed into his flank, holding him down with a hiss.
"Wait!" Squirrelflight screamed, terrified. "I-I was in camp, trying to heal from my injuries that I got fighting with Hollyleaf."
"That's true, I was helping to treat her." Jayfeather said, his cloudy eyes staring daggers into Dovewing. "So, with that being said... Why did you lie, Dovewing?"
"It worked, didn't it?" Dovewing mewed confidently. "We know where she was now!"
"Dovewing, that was dangerous." Ferncloud spoke softly, tail lashing anxiously. "I can respect that, but be careful."
"So then, everyone has an alibi?" Tigerheart questioned.
"Not everyone." Lionblaze replied. "We still don't know where Sandstorm, Dovewing, and Hollyleaf were."
As the attention of the clan focused on the three cats mentioned, Dovewing twitched her tail nervously. Looking around, she saw Sandstorm, clearly offended, and Hollyleaf looking intently at the ground.
"Oh no."