#chervilthorn

Jetstar stood atop the highest cliff, her cold amber gaze raking through the crowd of cats gathered below her. Her face was contorted into a harsh frown, and the body of Sagestar lay in the center of camp, cold and dead. Her voice boomed out through the clan.

“Sagestar was murdered,” she snarled. “And this snake will not remain hidden for long. Believe me, we will find you, and ensure you die a painful death.” Her eyes lingered on every cat, sending a chill through the air. “I will not rest until justice is served.” Whipping around, she stalked back into the leader’s den, leaving a deadly silence to settle over the group. 

Softwhisker cleared her throat, stepping carefully to the front of the stone. 

“Jetstar clearly is in a state of extreme emotion right now. However, Clan life will remain as normal. As senior deputy, I will travel to the Consul to receive my blessing from StarClan. A new deputy will be appointed shortly.” She gave a curt nod and padded into the leader’s den as well, leaving only Chervilthorn on the stone. 

He shifted awkwardly, unsure of what to say. Murmurs were already spreading through the camp, and he simply gave a short nod and followed Softwhisker.

Smokepaw sat next to their grandmother’s body, staring somewhat emptily at her. She had cared for her son’s children, and to see her die such a gruesome death-- Smokepaw shook their head to clear the bloody thoughts out. Archpaw approached their fellow apprentice, lending a gentle tail to rest on their shoulder. The dusky gray cat blinked and looked up at Archpaw, who had a kindly sympathetic face on. 

“I’m sorry, Smokepaw.”

Smokepaw nodded absently and continued staring at the corpse. Sootswirl and Tinypaw were crouched next to her, whispering and combing through her fur gently. Perhaps they were looking for a claw caught in the attack or a tuft of fur. Tinypaw looked rather shaken, and was trembling as Sootswirl tried to guide her through the process. Aspentuft- Smokepaw’s father- was sitting close to the medicine cats, shakily recounting the scene as he saw it.

Never before had the clans seen a murder. Nobody in the camp seemed quite sure what to do. Most cats stuck closely to their friend groups, looking suspiciously at their enemies and muttering amongst themselves. Sunbriar padded forward, sitting next to her apprentice, with an intense expression painted across her face.

“This cannot stand, Smokepaw. We will find who is responsible for this.” A fire seemed to be lit in her eyes. She bowed her head to come closer to their ear. “Keep an eye on Ravensplash. He has been aching to become leader since we were apprentices. And stay close to me. We don’t know who we can trust anymore, but you’re sharp, just like me. I know we can smoke out this rat.” She gave a brilliant grin, which Smokepaw weakly reciprocated. 

The words seemed to stick to the young apprentice, however. Could they trust anyone? If Ravensplash killed Sagestar, then Rookfern, his loyal mate, probably helped him. And would Softwhisker be willing to kill her own grandmother for power? What if it was an assassin from another clan? The world seemed to warp and slide around. Every cat looked suspicious. One thing was clear to Smokepaw.