"Blazeburrow, what do we do now?" Cuminseed asked. He tried to keep his voice even, but it still wobbled slightly.

Blazeburrow took a look around.

Sedgeflake still had his muzzle buried in his dead sister's fur, his eyes shut tight and brimming with tears. Rosemary stalks pricked at his eyelids, but if he noticed, he didn't seem to care.

Violetshard nuzzled her brother gently, murmuring things to him. Her face was calm... a liar's mask of calm. Blazeburrow hadn't the need to use one of those in a while, but he could still recognize it when he saw it. Violetshard's stiffness and her dull eyes betrayed her sorrow.

Snookstone stood by the cat he had mentored, his presence giving silent support. Meanwhile, Swanwhistle was pacing the clearing restlessly and muttering things under her breath, obviously distraught over her best friend's death.

Blazeburrow couldn't stand seeing the Clan like this.

"First, we must give Primroseskip a proper burial. After that, we should all rest, just to recollect ourselves." Blazeburrow's voice caught in his throat. Primroseskip didn't deserve to die, especially so young.

"Violetshard and Sedgeflake, you were her family, so you should do it."

Violetshard nodded absently, and Sedgeflake reluctantly pulled away, but not before murmuring something under his breath. The pair gently slipped the body onto their shoulders and trudged away.

"Wait."

Swanwhistle's haggard meow caught the Clan off guard. Usually she was cheerful, the light of the Clan alongside Primroseskip. Now, with Primroseskip gone, it seemed like a part of Swanwhistle had died with her. Anguish swirled in her eyes, and her once melodious voice was sandy and broken.

"Please, let me go with you. She was my best friend; I must see her off, please!" Swanwhistle's voice cracked as she pleaded the two to let her follow them to the burial site.

Violetshard's eyes softened. "Of course. We all loved her very much."

The three cats disappeared from view, no one else saying a word.

Another death. Blazeburrow found himself afflicted with fear; it was a rare feeling for him. How long until the next death occurs? Hopefully, Honeystar finds something out from StarClan. We'll need the help, or else we'll be wiped out, won't we?

"The only thing we can do is pray." Blazeburrow flinched; he had forgotten that Cuminseed was standing right beside him. He met the white and brown tom's gaze.

"Have faith, Blazeburrow. Sooner or later, this will end." The weakness in Cuminseed's voice was replaced with a stony determination. Blazeburrow couldn't help but wonder, how could he recover so quickly?

"Violetshard was right," Cuminseed continued, reading Blazeburrow's thoughts. "Our fallen Clanmates wouldn't want us to mope around, would they? To honor them, the Clan must move on."

Blazeburrow considered his words. It wasn't exactly easy to move on from the deaths of dear friends. But they would've wanted us to be happy. And perhaps the fact that they had passed on was further incentive to respect their wishes.

"Thank you, Cuminseed. You're stronger and wiser than we give you credit for."

Cuminseed nodded wordlessly, his eyes betraying no emotion- a contrast to his hesitation and shock earlier- and padded off.

Blazeburrow stared at his paws, pondering the events of the past few days. So many dead... But for what?

Oh StarClan, let Cuminseed be right. Sooner or later, this all has to end, doesn't it?

***

The traitor stuck their head out of the warriors' den, quickly looking around to make sure they wouldn't be seen. No one would expect them or any other cat to be out this late, which was good; if their predictions were correct, their victim would already be alone.

They slunk into the forest, racking their brain to remember... Word had spread across the Clan three days ago about how Primroseskip had killed a viper during her warrior assessment. They were sure that someone had mentioned where it was...

... At the boulders, of course! Snakes live in dark places, don't they?

It was a bit hard to orient themselves in the dark of night, but luckily for them, they were able to find the boulders quickly. They opened their jaws and tasted the air, and soon picked up a scent- an unpleasant, musky, rotten scent, yet not an unwelcome one.

There was, without a shadow of a doubt, still at least one viper living in those boulders.

Now for the bait.

The traitor bunched their haunches and launched themselves onto the nearest tree trunk, pulling themselves up onto a low branch. They scoured the interlocking branches of the old pines and firs, looking for one thing and one thing only.

There!

In the crook of a twisted branch sat a small bed of twigs and wilted stalks and stems. Nestled in it were a number of fragile, round things, their copper-speckled shells reflecting the pale, mottled moonlight. These were bird's eggs, and the perfect bait for a viper. Sitting on the eggs was a sleeping black and gray bird, no doubt the eggs' owner. But not for much longer.

Light step after light step, the killer moved down the branch, drawing closer to the nest. When they finally got close enough, they lashed out, killing the nesting chickadee. Normally, it'd make good prey, but all the killer cared for was... well, killing. They cast the still-warm body onto the ground, and it landed just a few fox-lengths outside the boulders.

The killer turned their attention back to the nest. Five, six, seven eggs. Just enough for tonight's task. Had the boulders been any farther from camp, the traitor would have needed to hunt down another nest, but eight tidbits in the trail sufficed for a path this short.

Clenching an egg gently in their jaws, the traitor climbed back down the tree and laid it on the ground a little way away from the place where the bird had fallen. It took a while, but finally there was a trail leading from the boulders all the way back to camp- specifically, the last egg in the trail was positioned inside the leader's den, just behind the vine and lichen screen.

They couldn't see into the leader's den when they put the last egg in there. It was pitch black; the walls weremade of stone, and they were blocking the only exit. They were well aware of Honeystar's absence, and that normally no one else would be allowed in there. But they were sure that a certain someone would go there tonight because of Honeystar's absence, the only reason being their mutual relations and that that certain someone knew they wouldn't get in trouble for it.

... What's the use of all these different murder methods? Why not just kill them all at once in their sleep? The traitor found themselves asking a question in their head. And it was a question they found surprisingly hard to answer. It was almost as if they... enjoyed this work, clearing out the warriors one by one, and were making the most out of having the power to kill.

But that couldn't be the case, could it? The traitor had a goal in mind: to rid the forest of those who considered nobility and honor more important than the primeval ways of nature. But the mere thought of seeing that little trickle of blood come from a lifeless corpse made the traitor more and more giddy.

That's enough, the rational part of the traitor's mind whispered.

I hAve To kIll thEm aLL. I MighT as wEll enJoy iT.

You'll lose yourself-

The last sane voice in their mind was swamped by a flood of dark triumph.

...hAhAhA. hAhAhAhAhAhAhA.

A crackling, corrupted laughter graced the traitor's ears. It took a moment for the killer to realize that they were making that sound audibly- laughing out that crazy cacophony. The lunatic, psychotic laugh that resonated in the deepest puts of the darkest parts of the Earth, the hysterical, deranged laugh that StarClan would learn to fear.

The traitor's deeds had broken them beyond repair. Made them... harsh. Cold.

And they welcomed it.

***

"Just like the good old days, huh, sis?"

"Remember when we used to steal each others' nests when we were younger...? Then we couldn't do that anymore, because you were too good to just be a regular warrior... But now, just for old time's sake, I think I'll sleep here."

"... Please don't get mad at me for this."

The cat nestled themselves into the moss and feather nest inside the small cavern in the leader's announcement boulder. Everyone else would be asleep in the warriors' den by now, but they had taken this opportune moment to bask in their nostalgia.

The whole den smelled of honey.

The cat's breathing slowed as they gave in to sleep.

...

...

"Open your eyes."

The cat's eyes fluttered open. They did a double take at their new surroundings.

Silvery white fields stretched for forever, with little white sparks glistening in the blades of grass. Behind them, a copse of trees rose towards the misty blue-and-silver sky. A river ran to their far right, the bubbling azure waters inviting cats to approach and take a swim. In front of them stood... a warrior. One that they shouldn't have been able to see... now that she was dead. She was small; her ear tips only barely surpassed the cat's own shoulders. Her orbulent royal blue eyes, once lively, then transformed to glassy and lifeless, were now hardened with seriousness. A pale ginger the color of sunset bloomed from her nose across her face and painted her paws orange, streaked with darker shades.

"P-Primroseskip!?"

"We do not have much time to see each other. Listen carefully." Normally, Primroseskip would've run away from any confrontation, but now she stood before the cat, determined to at least deliver her message.

"StarClan does not know who is responsible for the killings. All we know is that they are growing all the more unstable."

"What? How do you not-"

"As for you," Primroseskip continued, "you must watch your step when you awake. One false movement, and..." Primroseskip trailed off, letting the cat infer her meaning.

She's right. I must be careful in what I do next until... until Sister returns.

She couldn't stand to be more specific, though...?

"I promise, I'll be careful with my decisions." They straightened up, rejuvenated. When they woke up, they would charge out and face the danger with everyone.

Primroseskip studied him. Then she meowed, "The next time you see StarClan will not be as long as you anticipate; we will meet again soon, whether you like it or not. Farewell."

With that ominous message, the cat awoke.

They found themselves in the den once more. Shaking themselves out, they rose, and got out of the nest as quickly as they could.

Only then did they realize what Primroseskip had meant by watch your step.

A searing pain implanted itself into the cat's right forepaw. They suppressed a yowl and looked down. A viper had sunk its fangs into their paw. How did a viper enter the camp unnoticed?

The cat could already feel their strength waning rapidly from the wound. Apparently, this wasn't a dry bite.

Dammit! Why...? How did this happen?

The cat swiped at the viper, but their vision was hazy from numbness, and their strike missed. The snake recoiled and slithered away to who knows where.

But the damage had already been done.

"... H-Help..." The cat breathed. No one would've heard them. They collected their last strength and let out a shriek- a final call to summon their Clanmates, and to let out the new pain at the same time.

The last thing that the cat saw was a hazy vision of their Clanmates standing over them in horror. Beside them stood Primroseskip's semi-translucent form, her expression resigned and grim.

The cat closed their eyes.

The Clan had just witnessed the death of Blazeburrow.

***

"What do we do? Just wait for Honeystar to come back?" Snookstone's tail lashed with anger. "We've done nothing so far, and the killings haven't ceased!"

"Do we have a choice?" Violetshard faced the older warrior. "Without someone to lead us, we have nothing to do but wait."

"If only StarClan would just tell us who was responsible... But their ways have always been mysterious." Cuminseed suppressed a snarl of frustration. "Even so... This dire of a situation calls for immediate and clear answers."

"Perhaps they don't know the culprit's identity," Sedgeflake suggested mildly. "Or they've already told Honeystar and are waiting for her to tell us."

Swanwhistle sighed. "So you're saying that there's nothing we can do but wait and see if Honeystar knows who the killer is."

Sedgeflake blinked. "Well..."

"He's not wrong..." Violetshard spoke up in defense for her brother. "We don't know what to do, and we shouldn't decide a course of action without our leader here. Honeystar told us that we'd vote upon her return. I say we wait for her."

"All in favor?" Swanwhistle looked around. Violetshard and Sedgeflake gave a definite "Yes." Cuminseed didn't look happy about it, but he nodded consent. Snookstone did the same.

"Then we wait." Swanwhistle found herself praying to the sky in desperation. Oh, StarClan...

A/N sry for the long wait I don't really have a reason except for not knowing how to continue

And yeah no vote again soo maybe I should tell the traitor to chill out

I don't actually know how fast viper venom works so

~Bubble and Peony