This is really good!

But, oh dear, I'm not sure I want to be the murderer...

Oh well. 

Oh no! I'm dead! Oh well, at least I'm not the murderer...

Also, Cazuu says ~bonkn~

Goodness gracious! My apologies that I haven't been commenting--I've been quite busy with family things. I have a suspicion that it's Reuby, but I'm also not entirely sure because she was chasing me and someone else--oh, right, Skuttles.

Thank you for including Poe so much in the story! 

@Scuttles yep! at least Avara new victory

@Avara ty! you are not the murderer. Alas you are dead

@Suki yes! you are dead but hey! you are right to look on the bright side

@Echo thats fine! you don't have to comment. and no prob! Poe is a great character to have in this story

Day three- early evening 

The burial for Suki and Avara certainly put a damper on the day. As a few campers carried the bodies, others followed the way to the burial site. 

“And so soon,” Darkvine murmured to herself, “Zealatom just…”

Well. There were only 4 days left of camp here, and obviously the murderer was trying to be fast. The thought sickened Darkvine.

“Come along, set Suki in the water,” The Mistress had already entered the clearing where they had all just been this morning.

Echo and Hawkstar set Suki in the creek, and Luna and Scuttles stood there, still holding Avara between them. 

“What-” Scuttles started to ask, but was cut off by The Mistress. 

“Fly into the air, and drop her. She will return to her element that way.”

Luna and Scuttles glanced at each other, and then flew into the air. Once they were above the trees, they both dropped her. 

Down she limpley fell, and then disappeared in a gold flash at the same time as Suki. And then, there they were, there, but not there, and a golden cat-eared figure was with them. Suki who was Suki and yet wasn’t, flicked her cloak behind her and gazed meaningfully around. Then, they all vanished.

There was a brief silence, and then everyone filed out of the clearing. Some went into the forest, others over to the clearing with the tents, and some, like Darkvine, stood just beyond the clearing, pondering thoughtfully. 

“Whelp,” said Reuby to Hex, who were the only others nearby, “I guess you can x out Avara on the suspect list.”

“Yeah,” said Hex, glancing at Darkvine.

“You guys talking suspects?” Darkvine ventured a little closer to the two. 

“Yes,” said Reuby shortly, “And you are one of them.”

“She is?” Hex said at the same time Darkvine said sarcastically, “Really.”

“Yes, she is,” Reuby snapped. “Everyone is.”

“Even yourself?” asked Darkvine dryly. “And if you didn’t know, I was just getting let out of jail when we all heard someone scream.”

“Hmmm,” said Reuby, skeptical.

“Well,” said Hex, breaking in, “Why did Avara’s spirit flick her cloak? Does that mean something?”

“Probably not,” said Reuby dismissively, and turned her gaze back to Darkvine. “Who was letting you out of jail?” 

“Scuttles,” said Darkvine. “I think they wanted to gloat a little about their team’s victory, leader to leader.”

“So, they can’t be the murderer,” said Hex, “And Darkvine can’t either.” She looked at Reuby, who sniffed, and stalked off.

“Goodness,” Hex rolled her eyes. “Want to come and see a cool place I found when exploring?”

“Ok,” said Darkvine, and they set off. 

As they walked, or rather in Hex’s case, floated, Darkvine was distinctively aware of the whispering of the plants and trees, who were passing on gossip, and a nice new tree that was starting to sprout even though it was the end of summer, and a strange, dead snake…

Darkvine paused, and then shook her head. Snakes died all the time, right? But why would it be strange?

“Coming?” Hex had paused too.

“Yeah,” said Darkvine slowly, “Is it much further?” 

“Nah, we’re nearly there,” Hex flew forward a little quicker. 

Darkvine hesitated a little longer, and then jogged forward. She followed Hex over a stream, and then came to a stop beside Hex, who had landed on the ground.

“See these big ol’ oaks?” Hex was saying. “Look at the moss!”

And the oaks were very large, and mossy. But instead of feeling at peace with the trees, the way she felt with old ones, Darkvine felt uneasy. 

“We helped a crime we should have resisted we are weak…” the old oaks whispered.

Looking down at the roots, Darkvine could tell that the ground had been recently disturbed, and that disturbed Darkvine. And then the trees sent out a call, a short fill of what had happened. She couldn’t see figures, obviously, trees couldn’t see, but she realized that The Mistress, she had made the murderer on this very spot. Darkvine backed away from the tree, and hopped back over the small river. Hex had found this spot when exploring. Did that mean…?

“I have to go,” Darkvine said abruptly, and Hex turned around in surprise. 

“Oh,” she said. “Ok.” and Hex turned to fly after Darkvine. 

“Can I go alone?” Darkvine said. “I would like to think.”

Hex looked like she wanted to protest, but recognized the dismissal. She flew up and over the trees, disappearing from sight almost at once.

Not really wanting to go back to camp, Darkvine set off in a different direction. She walked and thought, she thought a lot, and she was so deep in thought that she didn’t notice Scuttles until she almost ran them over.

“What are you doing on the ground?” Darkvine asked in surprise.

Scuttles looked up, and to her even greater surprise Darkvine could see that they held in their hands a snake, apparently dead.

“It’s my Fluffles!” Scuttles wailed. “So harmless, so nice and cute, dead.” They let out a sob and started to cry.

“Oh,” said Darkvine, flashing back to minutes before when the trees had whispered about a strange, dead snake. “I’m sorry.”

It took several minutes to convince Scuttles to bury the snake beneath a dogwood tree, though it would not flower until spring. Dakvine had the dirt scoop a clean hole for Fluffles, and Scuttles gently lay him in the hole. Then Scuttles buried him, and Darkvine pushed a seed into the earth, and poppies grew over the grave. Scuttles was much calmer by this time, and they gave Darkvine a grateful look.

“He was murderer,” they said with perfect clarity. “I saw his neck. It looked as though he was strangled.”

Darkvine walked back to the tents now, with Scuttles behind her, and while they turned in for the night, Darkvine explained what had happened to the others. 

“Poor Scuttles,” said Echo. “I would simply fall apart if Poe…” she trailed off. 

“Yes,” said Reuby darkly, “The murderer broke Scuttles’s heart a different way than the others.”

Dead:3 [Zealatom, Avara, Suki, Fluffles [Scuttles's snake]

Alive:8 [Silver Crystal, Hawkstar, Scuttles, Echo [with Poe], Darkvine, Hex, Reuby, Luna 

@Reuby I am sorry. It is much to late for your wolf to join us, for camp will be done on day 8

@Echo thank you for your suspects. But don't worry! I don't think I will kill you off. at leats, not in the sense you are thinking of. You'll see! 

@scuttes I am sorry that Fluffles is dead. But don't worry! I have a wonderful ending to this ski lodge planned. And the cloak flick is very importent

@Silver Crystal tysm! well, you aren't the murderer, as you see below. so ya 

Day four

Silver Crystal slept badly that night. She was in the tent beside Scuttles, and there had been times in the night when they sobbed loudly, and times when it sounded as though they were throwing things around. So when morning came, Silver Crystal stumbled out, feeling for all the world like she was going to strangle Scuttles. But when Scuttles walked from their tent, and Silver Crystal got a glance of their face, she decided to forgive them. Scuttles went straight over to the Mistress and asked to be excused from todays activitys. The Mistress agreed, a bit grudging. When Scuttles trudged off into the forest, they got symathetic pats on the back, and murmurs of comfort. Silver Crystal had never had a pet that she was extremly partial to, but she supposed that losing Fluffles had been like losing your best friend.

“Well, everyone,” said The Mistress, clapping her hands, “today, we are going to go on a hike, and a swim. How does that sound?”

There were nods and tight smiles all around at this.

“Well, then,” said The Mistress, “lets get going! On the way we can eat out breakfast.” 

And then she handed out sandwhiches. 

How odd, thought Silver Crystal, exapting her own, that something so commen could be found in these woods of grief.

The small group of only 8 people trudged half heartedly after The Mistress. They hiked for roughly an hour before they reached a beach, and by that time they were all hungry again. Luckily, there were blackberry bushes a little ways off, and everyone ate their fill of those. And so, chin stained with juice, Silver Crystal was the second in the warm water of Lake Starone, and she dove beneath the sparkling waves. She rubbed her chin and then floated to the top again. This time, before going under, she made a air bubble that would last roughly 15 minutes under water, and then dove. She sunk to the sandy bottom, and then swam forward. Bubbles streamed out behind her, and she waved at Hex, who also had a air bubble, and Echo, who could obviously breath underwater without any aid. Turning around, Silver Crystal lay down on the sand, and her air bubble got smaller, and smaller, and then she rose to the surface. The bubble popped, and before she could make another one, Silver Crystal felt a hand on her shoulder. 

“Hey.”

It was Hawkstar. 

“Do you want to play Marco Polo with us?” she asked, gesturing to Echo, Hex, and Darkvine. 

“Oh,” said Silver Crystal, “sure.”

And so they played for a long while. I’m it, you’re it, no peeking, hey, thats cheating, and so on and so forth. They even forgot all their troubles while they laughed and jumped and splashed while the sun rose to the highest peek, and then started down. They only stopped playing their gamed because of their rumbley tummies. Silver Crystal stumbled out of the waves, and The Mistress handed her a lemonaid and another sandwhich. Shaking her head, Silver Crystal disappeared into the shelter of the trees to eat. She wandered into the woods aways, and the clambered up on a large boulder. To her surprise, Scuttles wandered out from behind a tree, opposite of the lake.

“Oh, hello,” said Silver Crystal.

“Grettings,” Scuttles fluttered their moth wings and landed on the boulder next to Silver Crystal. “Scuttles is hungry. Scuttles is wondering if you have food and drink to spare.”

Silver Crystal looked at her early dinner, shrugged, and broke her sandwhich in half and gave tham all her lemonaid. She didn’t like lemonaid much anyway.

Scuttles nodded their thanks, then settled across from Silver Crystal.

“I’m sorry about Fluffles,” said Silver Crystal, silghtly awkward.

“I am sorry too,” said Scuttles. “But I will get revenge. Who ever did this. Or I will join him soon.”

No sooner had the words left their mouth an arrow, straight and true, sailed throught the air and stabbed Scuttles in the back. Silver Crystal let out a gasp and scrambled backward, nearly falling off the boulder as Scuttles’s body slumped forward. Silver Crystal flew into the air just as an arrow that would have pierced her heart pierced her stomach. Silver Crystal fell, and another two arrows hit her in quick processtion. And then she got a glimps of her attacker.

“You!” she gasped, and then screamed, loud, long and in pain as another arrow hits her chest. She tries to make an air current, but she is too weak, her strength fading.

And then everyon eis crowed around her, including her attacker, wearing a worried expression, being an actor. 

“Who? Who did it?” The Mistress was trying to help her with the arrows, but it was a bit too late. Anyway, Silver Crystal could no longer speak, she couldn’t even point… and she let go, and fell into the welcoming darkness.

Dead:5 [Zealatom, Suki, Avara, Scuttles [with Fluffles], Sliver Crystal

Alive:6 [Hawkstar, Echo[with Poe], Darkvine, Hex, Reuby, Luna 

Was it me or Avara who flicked their cloak?