Catsim Event #4

   The newly named Lynxclaw was sitting with Lilacbloom under a small bush, trying to get out of the scorching heat. The two had just finished their warrior vigils and were incredibly tired since just the day before both had been on long hunting patrols. The fawn warrior grinned at the memory- he had caught a rabbit on his first patrol of that day! Lilacbloom had also done well, and the two had been awarded their warrior names. It was a surprise to Lynxclaw, he thought that it would be at least another moon before Lightningstar even considered giving him a warrior name. The suffix was neat, although Lynxclaw wished that he had gotten something less fierce- like Lilacbloom. The tom wasn't keen on fighting, so it was a surprise to get the suffix of -claw, which typically went to skilled fighters that were incredibly strong. But it really didn't matter to Lynxclaw, he was just proud to have his name at last. Finding a nesting place in the warrior den was hard, but luckily Softbird had helped him out, the kind elder moving the wall of the den a little with skilled paws. Lynxclaw was incredibly happy that she had helped, and planned to go hunting for her favorite prey later on.

    The tom was brought out of his thoughts as gasps rang out along with the shaking of the entrance of the Stormclan camp. Lilacbloom, who was next to him, sucked in a breath with wide eyes. Curious, the tom looked over to where he assumed the commotion was coming from and froze. Cinnamonrust and Redwhisker were carrying the body of Softbird, who was limp and bloody. Lynxclaw's ears pinned down, disbelief in his bright green eyes. He had seen her last night! Softbird couldn't just be dead! Shaking his head, the warrior refused to acknowledge that the elderly she-cat was dead. She was just injured, right? She was fine. Lynxclaw shakily stood up, padding over to where the two other warriors had laid her down. Others had gathered around her body, murmurs rising up as the clan looked at her wound. Lynxclaw heard talk of murder, that she had tripped, it was suicide, a fox got her. No one was sure of what had happened. But the fawn tabby didn't care, he just saw that the elder was dead. Looking at her more, Lynxclaw saw the gash on her neck and the look of terror frozen on her soft features, clearly, the she-cat had not met a pleasant end.

   "Well," the voice of Cloudsong rang out, quickly settling down the clan, "At least that's one less mouth to feed!" the medicine cat tried, and it sparked anger in Lynxclaw. How dare the other try to make things better with a joke? Softbird was dead and the fluffy white medicine cat was making a joke! Lynxclaw was about to say something but Lightningstar beat him to it- and the fawn warrior wouldn't dare to speak above his leader. "One fewer? More like two!" he spat, making some cats look around for what he meant. Lynxclaw caught on almost instantly- the kitty pet was gone! "The kitty pet has fled! After all we've done!" the tom announced, sending the clan into a frenzy of accusations. Lynxclaw kept quiet though, he understood what Lightningstar was implying but perhaps it was just horrible timing for their guest. After all, he had just talked with Drakyn days earlier, and the she-cat did not at all seem like a murderer. "Oh! Perhaps it's a coincidence? I always thought that she was a bit soft. I'm aware of who this is coming from, of course!" Cloudsong purred, and he curled his tail over Redstorm. Lynxclaw 'tsked' at the medicine cat, the other was having too much fun with the current situation- and wasn't that in bad taste. As Cloudsong told Redstorm condolences, Lynxclaw looked to the body of Softbird and his mind pointed out that a kitty pet would not be able to kill a seasoned warrior- elder or not.

   Redstorm then spoke, silencing the clan that had by then fully gathered. "We must find  her," the deputy growled, making Lynxclaw agree slightly. Without the prime suspect there to defend herself, the clan would most likely assume she did it. "This cannot be a coincidence. If she is alive we must find her and question her," she demanded, setting many cats on edge. Some of the warriors wanted to hunt Drakyn down on the spot and kill her in revenge- which Lynxclaw thought was absolutely stupid. Not even Starclan knew if the kitty pet had killed Softbird, let alone some trigger happy warriors. Redstorm was right, Drakyn needed to be found and questioned. Lightningstar whispered to his deputy, but in the silence and how close everyone was, Lynxclaw could catch barely what the leader of Stormclan was saying. As Lightningstar pretty much told Redstorm to give up on finding the truth, Lynxclaw's hackles rose. Drakyn needed to be found! Justice had to be given!

   Redstorm clearly didn't like what she was told, and in the moments it took for her to form what she wanted to say the clan erupted into a storm of sound. Some called for justice to be dealt, others agreed with Lightningstar. A few though were like Lynxclaw, the fawn warrior thinking that the clan was big enough to split duties. To find a kittypet, Stormclan would only need not even ten warriors- and as hunting from the day before showed, the clan was not short on warriors. "Very well, Lightningstar. But let us think of how much justice really means to cats. Let us ask them, see if they think it's too hollow to find the kitty pet," Redstorm told Lightningstar, looking to the hoard of warriors, apprentices, and queens. Her response made the shouts louder, everyone wanting to be heard. It was incredibly loud, and the tabby only heard snippets of conversations. "We need to find the cat who did this. And make him pay for it," growled Spruceclaw to Lynxclaw's left, the warrior clearly not believing Drakyn murdered Softbird. The other quickly went over to  the group that was massing around Lightningstar, and Lynxclaw could agree with the other tom's reasoning. Spruceclaw wasn't wrong, the murderer needed to be found- after all, what if they struck again? Having such a ruthless killer in their territory would be a huge mistake on Lightningstar's part if he truely decided to not investigate Softbird's murder.

   A voice rose up that caught Lynxclaw's attention as well, Mintwhisper. "...with Flintfoot. Drakyn didn’t have any training, and even if she did, what did she have against Softbird that would make her want to kill her? Drakyn might have seen something and ran away in fear. Another animal, rogue, or even a Clan cat could have killed her. For all we know, the killer could be in our ranks. We could be speaking to them right now! But the important thing is that we find out as much as we can to prevent something like this from happening in the future," she reasoned, and Lynxclaw nodded along. While Lynxclaw wasn't sure what Flintfoot had said, the tabby warrior agreed with Mintwhisper as well. The other warrior was following his line of thought and added on to the argument in a positive way in Lynxclaw's opinion. The she-cat gave a bigger view than what Lynxclaw previously had, and the new angle was useful. A mumble from Lynxclaw's right made his ears angle to the noise, and the  baritone of Graystorm reached the new warrior's ears. "We need the truth ...Bloodshed or not..." the warrior mumbled to himself, and Lynxclaw quickly looked the other way, not wanted to eavesdrop. Graystorm didn't provide an argument as far as Lynxclaw heard, but what the other warrior said made the tom rethink. What if someone was hurt in their attempt for truth and justice? Was it worth it?

   "We are not a bunch of loners, but a clan! We are Stormclan, and we must show respect to our clanmates. Elders were once in our paw steps, hunting and fighting just as we do today. Do we not owe Softbird's spirit to be put to rest at least? Has she not earned her final rest?" Poppysplash's voice rose above the other calls, and a few cats stopped to hear the wise medicine cat's words. Many cats agreed with her, nodding and looking to Lightningstar for his reaction. Lynxclaw didn't look to the leader though, his brain whirring for an answer. Poppsplash, like the other voices he heard, was right in a way. Softbird deserved justice, no matter how one looked at it. The elder had served her clan well and was well-liked by all, she perhaps deserved justice the most. Since Lynxclaw had yet to say a word, he figured it was about time to say something.

   "While I agree with some cats here," he started, drawing the attention of a group. Because Lynxclaw was reserved, he drew attention often when he spoke out. Lilacbloom, who was still beside him, nudged the warrior forward to speak more closely with Lightningstar and Redstorm. "I think we can find the truth about Softbird's murder and keep an eye on Mountainclan," Lynxclaw told the two, as well as the rest of the clan. "Lightningstar, you mentioned that Starclan was restless, but wouldn't they become even more so if we do not find the killer of an elder? We are to honor elders and it seems like breaking the code to not find Softbird's murder or to at least try to," Lynxclaw said, gaining some confidence as he spoke. The group around him was silent, listening to his words as some others still argued or spoke. "And besides that, what if the murderer kills again? Most likely the killer is still in our territory and will kill again. If you don't want to find the murderer for Softbird's sake and for what you called 'petty' and 'pointless' then find the killer for the clan. It is better to stop this all before another body can be found." the tabby stated, having a few nod at his words. "Personally, I think finding Drakyn is a good way to start. And besides, she's a kittypet, it would only take a small patrol to find her! We would have more than enough warriors and apprentices to fight off Mountainclan, and we would perhaps get important information from Drakyn," Lynxclaw reasoned to Lightningstar- in the chaos he almost forgot about Stormclan's missing guest.

   "As you've probably guessed by now, I do think that Softbird was murdered- brutally at that. She has large gashes on her neck, and there is clearly terror on her face. Drakyn may have seen what happened, it is best to interrogate her," the tom told Lightningstar, looking to the body as he did so. "And even if Drakyn has nothing to give us, we would be in better graces with Starclan because we attempted to find out more on Softbird's death- regardless as to the main reason  we tracked down Drakyn," Lynxclaw was finishing up, his statement made. "So, I think that a small patrol should be made to hunt down Drakyn for  interrogation while the rest of the clan can focus on Mountainclan."