There was no doubting it anymore. Fauna was right. There was a traitor in their midst and they had to put an end to the madness immediately!
Fauna thought back to the firs time she suggested to Lord Bruce that they should start a clan. He had looked at her as though she had lost her mind. Tigers didn't live in close proximity with one other. While it was a little more common for siblings, even they had to separate eventually, else they'd start to fight for food, territory and mates.
Despite the difficulties though, they managed to find Hailey who had a sweet mouth and was good at convincing other tigers to join them.
It had been a difficult journey. There had been incidents of tigers fighting themselves and almost taking one another out, but never had they had to deal with the idea of a tiger scheming with a lion to take them all out. It was totally illogical.
"Do you think we should call for a clan meeting? You know, to warn the others that there may be danger looming over their shoulders?" Zara suggested, but Saber immediately shook his head.
"That'll throw the clan into panic and we know what happens to tigers when they're panicked."
"They start fighting," Hailey noted and they all nodded.
"Who was in charge of guarding the territory, Ryker?" Lord Bruce turns to Ryker who hummed in thought as he tried to recall all the people he posted.
"I remember I was talking to one of the cubs who wants to become a Sniffer, then Wilson offered to patrol this area. Yes, it was Wilson. I can't believe he would do this to us." Ryker's shoulders slumped. The thought of any of his Sniffers being a traitor troubled him.
"Calm down, Ryker. We aren't sure of what happened here yet," Bone reminded Ryker.
"But Fauna saw-"
"We aren't sure it is accurate. Until we know what happened, we cannot jump to conclusion."
"As much as I love watching you both bicker like cubs, we have bigger fish to catch." Zara gestured to the burnt area. "Fauna, can you locate Wilson right now?"
Fauna nodded and closed her eyes. With her mind, she reached out. She could sense the auras and feelings of tigers in the clan as they went around their business. Many of them expressed shock at the sudden invasion of their minds, but others ignored, already used to her randomly popping in.
"Has anyone seen Wilson?" She pushed the thought into various heads and heard murmurs of no. She sighed deeply. Going through the whole clan would take a lot of time and effort and time wasn't something they could afford.
"I just saw him. He's patrolling the East-side. That tiger just doesn't take a break." She suddenly heard and without stopping to decipher who spoke to her, she severed the connection and turned to the rest.
"Apparently, he's at the East-side," She narrated t them and before the words could completely leave her lips, Hailey and Ryker were on their way with Hailey morphing as she ran.
"I suggest we catch up because Hailey will kill him. This is so much fun!" Zara called out as she sped and the others joined.
Fauna who was considerably slower than the others, and already tired from hours of practice started to slow down, her breaths coming out in pants. Saber was the only one who noticed and he stopped and circled back from her. He shook his head before he lifted her as though she weighed nothing – which she kind of did.
"Slow poke," he teased as he ran, not stopping until they caught up to the others. He set her down behind them, not wanting them to know that he had carried her like a cub, and walked up to them.
Bone was holding back Hailey who was struggling to reach out to a terrified looking Wilson.
"He set fire to our home!" Hailey bellowed. "Let me at him."
Bone looked bored as he effortlessly held the half-morphed tigress and Zara watched Hailey with eyes shining with amusement.
"Fire? Wh-what are you talking about? Why would I do that?"
Fauna couldn't feel any animosity coming off of him. The only thing she could feel was fear and confusion and she shook her head. It made no sense. None of it made any sense.
"He's not the one." Ryker sounded certain. "I smell no smoke on him."
At his words, Hailey visibly relaxed and allowed herself return to human form. Her chest rose and fell with the aftermath of adrenaline, but she offered no apology for almost ripping his head off his shoulders.
"And why would you? I don't even know how to light a fire. What is going on here?" Wilson demanded, but Lord Bruce didn't care to offer him an explanation.
"Why are you guarding here? Shouldn't you be at the North-side?"
"I was on my way there when I was told I could guard here instead, and who wouldn't want to?" The smallish tiger gestured around.
He was right. The East-side was easily the most beautiful place in the whole territory. From where they stood, the sound of a waterfall could be heard and it was soothing and therapeutic. The grass was greener on this side and the tall trees covered the sun, making the area a little dim and colder than the rest of the forest.
From the edge of the cliff, one could easily see the waterfall wash down far beyond the eyes could see. The place felt so sacred that even the Hunters rarely killed whatever animal they found there. even the chirping of the birds sounded magical.
"You were told by whom?" Saber demanded and Wilson's eyes darted between Bone, Bruce, Saber and Ryker as he didn't know who to address.
"You better start talking before I shove my paw far up your –"
"Well, it was... No, no, no! It's not possible. Not fire. No." He interrupted Hailey only to trail off and start muttering to himself.
Impatiently, Ryker stepped forward and grabbed the smaller tiger by the shoulders, easily pulling him off the ground.
"A name! Give me a name!"
"It was – it was Ginger!"
"And the plot thickens!" Zara piped, too excited for the situation they were in. Fauna could swear Zara was not alright in the head, but it seemed that not even the Healers could tell what was wrong with her.
Perhaps she fell off a cliff as a cub, because how could she be so happy? They were facing treason! It was a matter of grave seriousness.
Everything suddenly made sense to Fauna the moment she heard the name 'Ginger'. Ginger was an unusually quiet tigress and the only female Sniffer they had in the clan. It made sense to Fauna because as stupid as it was, only a female would be bold and idiotic enough to betray their own to the lions.
This was because of the mindset of the tigers. While tigers and lions were both werecats, their similarities ended there. Not only were tigers solitary creatures, but they also believed in male superiority. Even within the clan, they believed the females should be limited to just being Healers and Helpers.
As a female Soldier, Zara got a lot of hate, and she was once attacked by a group of Soldiers who ended up spending two nights in the Healer's quarters. That was when the attacks on females ended. However, it didn't stop the snide comments, and as the only female Sniffer, Ginger must have gotten a lot of hate.
In the lion's pride however, everything was mostly run by the lionesses. They went hunting, they cared for the cubs and they ran the pride. Ari was the only male and his presence was for mostly protection against other males, and breeding. Mostly breeding.
"Fauna, find her!" Bone commanded, but Fauna was already ahead of him. The moment her name left Wilson's lips; she had already started searching the clan for the traitor.
Everyone's aura felt different; like a fingerprint. She passed through various heads, not bothering to apologize for the invasion. Midnight was approaching and she was starting to feel sleepy. They had to find Ginger now.
Fauna felt angry for not suspecting sooner. Ginger was a small tigress; the type that always went unnoticed and was never perceived as a threat, not even by prey. Fauna should have known that would make her angry. She should have felt the brewing hatred, but she didn't.
She was the reason her clan was in danger.
"I think she's by the lake," Fauna told Bone who furrowed his brows at her.
"You think?"
"Well, It's pretty far and I cannot say for certain, but it feels like her. Let's go."
Ryker shoved Wilson aside and raced towards the lake, Hailey strong on his tail. The others sighed and left a confused Wilson behind. Thankfully, Saber scooped Fauna up before he took off.
They were at the lake in seconds.
It was pitch black, but luckily, the tigers could see in the dark. Fauna didn't really need to see though. She was only needed for her mind and if it came down to fighting, she would do everyone a favour by backing away.
The smell of damp grass and fresh water was pungent, but it didn't do anything to calm Fauna's racing heart. She could detect a hint of smoke in the air, and judging by their scrunched noses, Fauna could tell the others could smell it too. Probably more than her.
Also, beneath the smoke was the pungent scent of an intruder. Every clan, every specie had a unique scent probably formed from the smell of all the members, mixed with the environment. They were unsure. But an intruder smelt different and triggered an adrenaline release in the werefolk in order to get them to prepare for attack.
The faint smell of the lioness lingered in the air like an unwanted fragrance, refusing to fade away, refusing to mask itself from the public. Despite the smoke, it was there, and they could all smell it. They could also smell Ginger. She was around, but where?
She had sensed Fauna in her head. She had smelt the council running towards her. She had smelt the smoke on them, so she knew she had been discovered. However, she knew she had nowhere to run to, so she decided to hide.
"She's hiding under the water," Fauna suddenly spoke up with certainty, though she didn't know why she did so. She wasn't even sure the young woman was there, but at the same time, she was.
The others stared at her in disbelief. Weretigers despised water. Some would say they were afraid of it. Saber however trusted Fauna. He always did. He believed in her more than anyone did and without questioning, he dived into the still lake where he and the young girl would mostly spend their free time.
Less than two seconds passed and Saber emerged from beneath the lake, a trashing and crying Ginger in his grasp. Despite her effort to break free from his grasp, he pulled her to the surface and before he could let go of her, Hailey stepped forward with protruding claws and swiped across her face, tearing her skin.
The young woman let out a loud cry as her skin sealed back up. The fact that she healed herself only seemed to upset Hailey even more because she tried to strike again, but was once more held by Bone.
"Let me at her! Can you smell the lion on her? It's faint, but it's still there!" Hailey trashed as Ginger's sobs pierced the night along with her cries for mercy which were falling on deaf ears.
Saber forced her on her knees before his father who stared at her with anger in his violet eyes. He was furious, but was trying to hold himself back from hurting her. She deserved a hearing before her punishment would be dished out. It was the law. The law which he made.
"Explain yourself," he commanded. She stared at him with tear stained eyes, but when she saw her cries were fooling no one, she scoffed and looked away in defiance. She held no remorse whatsoever for her actions.
"YOU WILL SPEAK WHEN YOUR LORD ADDRESSES YOU!" Came Bone's thunderous bellow as he struck his staff against the earth with his free hand.
It caused everyone to visibly flinch. Even Lord Bruce who was not easily intimidated. Bone really was a scary man when he needed to be and crossing him was unwise.
"Now, let's try that again. Explain yourself." Bruce demanded, but Ginger bit hard on her lower lip, refusing to look at him; a sign of disrespect.
Saber's hold on her shoulder tightened and she winced slightly, but still didn't budge, and Hailey was getting impatient.
"Damn. If you weren't on the dark side, we would have gotten along. You're feisty. Shame!" Zara shook her head before she stared at Lord Bruce, waiting to see how he would make her talk.
As per laws, he had given her the opportunity to defend herself, but she refused to take it. He had every right to pass judgement.
"Fine! Don't speak then. Zara, have her locked in the prison. She will be beheaded at first light for treason, jeopardizing the safety of our home and setting fire to our grounds. Get her out of my face."
"I love being a Soldier!" Zara giggled and took the woman from Saber. Bruce started to walk away, but realizing he meant his words, Ginger's tongue loosened and she cried out.
"I'll speak! I'll speak," she pleaded.
"You had your chance," Ryker spat with anger and disdain, but she continued to cry for the hearing of Lord Bruce who halted in his steps and turned to her.
He eyed up the young woman who was struggling against Zara's surprisingly firm grip. Lord Bruce raised a hand and Zara nodded and let the traitor go.
"Please don't kill me," she pleaded, her eyes darted around until they fell on Fauna who she thought could do something. Fauna was the most compassionate and Bruce had a soft spot for her. However, Fauna looked away, refusing to feel pity for her.
"START TALKING!" Bone once again barked and she jumped, not expecting it. They could all hear the erratic pounding of her heart. She knew she was going to die, but she didn't want to.
"For the love of all things nature!" Hailey finally broke free from Bone's hold and walked over to the girl. She grabbed her by the neck and yanked her off the ground. "If you don't start talking now, I swear to mother earth, I will rip your pathetic head clean off your miserable shoulders. Are we clear?"
Hailey's voice was soft as always. Almost seductive, but the promise was clear. She had every intention of keeping to her words. Ginger trembled uncontrollably, but she managed a nod.
"Sabrina told – she told me that you all treated me like a nobody."
"A nobody? I made you a Sniffer on Hailey's request even though your sense of smell is questionable. You are a nobody. You lack fighting skills, or tracking skills or healing skills. And you cannot even keep a place clean. We made your useless self feel wanted when we could have left you for dead out there."
Ryker was visibly holding himself from morphing and charging at her. He was beyond livid. With a growl, Hailey pushed the tigress to the ground as though she couldn't trust herself to be close to her.
"You did. But the others –"
"I'll advice you to watch your words, sister, because these tigers want to rip you apart here and now," Zara said in a sing-song voice and Ginger nodded frantically.
"Sabrina promised I would be heard, not just seen."
"Sabrina lied to you," Fauna spat, tired of being a silent spectator. "The lionesses don't care about you. They were only using you to get to me."
"That's not true." Ginger shook her head. Genuine tears were falling down her face. Fauna almost felt sorry for her. She knew that Sabrina could be convincing when she wanted to be, but the lady wasn't to be trusted.
She almost felt sorry for Ginger. The tigress was vulnerable and Sabrina took advantage of it.
"Sabrina would have toyed with you and when they got tired of you, they would have murdered you. You were a fool to trust the lions." Fauna shook her head in disdain and Lord Bruce had heard enough.
"Silence!" He commanded and Fauna nodded. "My judgement remains. You will be executed at first light.