The Kill wrote:
Today was a rough day for the murderers. They’d just lost an ally and a friend, in turn realizing just how vulnerable they truly were. They could be voted out at any given time, and they’d have to return to Riverclan and beg for their mercy. The dread that was looming over them made it difficult to plot out a complicated kill, so one of them offered to do what they did best.
Taking what they could from the medicine cat den without looking suspicious, the killer snuck out of camp with a leaf folded and rolled around various herbs. Stalking around the territory with their head held high, the ill-intentioned cat headed for Shadowclan’s border, passing over the weak scent line with no expression. Trudging through the pine-needle laden forest, they carefully followed the stench of rotting two-leg waste, arriving at the Carrionplace without any confrontation from Shadowclan.
Feeling luck was on their side, the killer snuck underneath the wire gate that guarded the trash heap, sparing the shining pelts of rubbish a quick glance before laying out the herbs they had brought with them. There were a few random herbs which seemed edible enough and some poppy seeds coated in a small slather of old honey. They let out an amused huff at the contents of the bundle- it was always poppy seeds, wasn’t it? They wished they had Pigeonpaw’s or Aeron's knack for creative plans.
Laying out the leaf beside a small pile of rubbish, the cat moved to sit a few tail-lengths away, watching the improvised rat-trap with patient eyes.
Soon afterwards, a black form slithered out of the shadows of Carrionplace, it’s beady eyes reflecting the artificial two-leg lights that adorned the space. Baring its flat teeth, the rat scurried up to the herb bundle, sniffing the strange mixture for a few beats before quickly eating away at it. The honey slowed the rodent down, forcing it to focus its efforts on eating the poppy seeds and herbs. Only after it had eaten every one of those trusty poppy seeds did it bother licking up the honey, its feet getting stuck in the substance and sticking awkwardly to the ground.
Crouching to the ground, the murderous feline waited for the right moment to strike, watching as the rat’s movements gradually slowed. The honey had clung to it’s fur and feet, making it harder to move, and the herbs were clearly starting to affect the creature. Waiting for the rat to finish eating it’s poisoned meal before slowly approaching. When they were only a few tail-lengths away, they pounced, pushing the rat into the ground with their paws and carefully wrapping their jaws around its back. The rat immediately tried to bite them, struggling despite it’s tired state, but the murderer quickly stopped it by pressing down its head. After a while the rat stopped squirming altogether.
Satisfied with their work, the cat gently carried the rat out of the Carrionplace, grimacing at the foul taste it left in their mouth. On their way back they dropped the rat in some dill, rubbing the stems together to mask the stench of Two-leg garbage. Marching back to camp, they silently slipped into the warrior’s den, locating their victim. Carefully creeping over to Saffronsky’s nest, the murderer gently placed the rat in the senior warrior’s nest, deliberately pointing it’s sharp teeth towards his throat.
Tucking themself into a nest inconspicuously, the murderer stared at the rodent, waiting for the slightest sign of movement. When the rat finally opened its eyes once more, the killer lashed out a clawed paw, pricking the tired creature’s sensitive tail. Startled and confused, the rodent lashed out at the closest thing it could find, tearing with claws and teeth.
The entire warrior’s den was woken up by Saffronsky’s shout. Several cats rushing to his rescue as the killer snuck out the den. The rat was quickly killed and tossed to the side, Saffronsky dragged over to the Medicine den, a trail of blood following him. Cobwebs and herbs were pressed into the neck wound, hushed conversations and worried whispering surrounding the medicine cats as they worked. In the end it proved to all be in vain- Saffronsky bled out beside Jaybird and Spiraeapelt, Wrenpaw having left to fetch Honeystar.
