Daughter

''This is the pilot episode of Clues, season 1. Written by Rainy. Read, enjoy, & comment!''

Daughter
'''northern nova province. moonhigh. '''

The conditions were perfect. It was pitch-black, the new moon night an inky black cloak. The croaking of bullfrogs and wheedling tunes of the crickets offered up a loud cacophony, which could mask the soft crunch of stealthy pawsteps easily.

The she-cat was walking home. Had been out with her boyfriend, and still wore the traces of a content smile about her face, confident that she would reach home and wake up the next morning without her parents ever knowing about her secret rendezvous. The darkness did not seem to faze her; she had grown up in this place. However, there was a brief moment when, just for an instant, she seemed to hear something, or think she did. She paused, her eyes scanning the brush, whiskers twitching, before apparently deciding it was just a stray mouse underpaw, and continuing on her way.

And the shadow pounced.

It was almost nonexistant, the line of time between a world with her and a world without. Hardly two seconds till her blood hit the ground, three till she followed suit.

There was the sound of leaves rustling, and the pungent smell of herbs. Then the shadow crept away. 

'''western nova province. sunrise.'''

By the fifth day in my new home, I pretty much had my routine down. Wake up. Stumble, bleary-eyed and messy-furred, down to the tiny brook across from my den. Get a drink. Sit down and attempt to groom myself. Then back up the hill to watch the sunrise from atop my dugout.

It was incredibly quiet. The lack of company was refreshing. My old life and old home had been too loud, full of things I never wanted to dwell on again. Watching the sun peek over a new horizon, noting how different the light looked over Nova's rolling hills and heather-dusted fields, made me think think that maybe I could start anew here too.

Today, though, the stillness was interrupted by the sound of running pawsteps. I straightened, immediately alert, and watched in confusion as two cats crested the hill and jogged towards me. The cat in the lead was a lean silver tom whose partner, a shorter gray-and-white she-cat, was struggling to keep up with his easy lope. "Hello there!" called the tom as soon as he was within earshot.

I waited till the two of them were closer before cautiously replying, "Hi."

"You must be the new girl!" The tom beamed at me.

"Yep, I guess you could say that."

My lack of enthusiasm had no effect whatsoever. "I'm Chase. This is Anna." He gestured to the she-cat, who smiled in a slightly apologetic way. "We were just visiting Miss Sandy, so we thought we'd drop by and say hi to you too."

"Miss Sandy?" I repeated cluelessly.

Chase looked baffled. "Don't tell me she hasn't dropped in to say hi yet? Possiby with a bundle of herbs to make your den smell nice, or to soothe your pretty paws after a long day?"

<p style="font-weight:normal;">A vague memory of getting home one evening and throwing out a bundle of leaves I found on my threshhold surfaced, and I glanced guiltily at the ground. "Maybe I wasn't home when she came."

<p style="font-weight:normal;">"She'll come again. She's pretty persistent. But the sweetest cat you'll ever meet," said Anna.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">I gave her a pained smile. An over-friendly nosy neighbor was the last thing I wanted.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">"I didn't catch your name, by the way," Chase said.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">"I didn't throw it," I deadpanned.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">Anna and Chase exchanged glances. On the one hand, I felt like maybe I should tone it down a bit, since they actually seemed like genuinely nice cats. On the other hand, maybe if I was rude enough, they'd warn everyone else in the neighborhood, and I wouldn't have to deal with any further interferences.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">"So what are you doing up so early?"

<p style="font-weight:normal;">"Could ask you the same question," I parried. Anna laughed lightly, but I saw Chase's eyes narrow slightly, sizing me up, trying to figure out why I was being so defensive. I sighed. Toning it down now. "I just wanted to get a drink, enjoy the sunrise. I'm an early bird."

<p style="font-weight:normal;">"So it'd seem. We're not. Anna couldn't really sleep, so we decided to take a quick stroll," said Chase.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">I glanced between them. "Are you guys...?"

<p style="font-weight:normal;">"Together? Yep." Chase wrapped his tail around Anna and drew her close, but I didn't miss the look of brief surprise on her face. What was with these two? "Sandy always cheers Anna up, and we were going to visit her. Say, why don't you come with?"

<p style="font-weight:normal;">"I..."

<p style="font-weight:normal;">"You have to meet your neighbors! And she'd love it if we brought you; she's not supposed to walk too much, 'cause her joints ache her," pushed Chase.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">Before I knew what was happening, I was walking between him and Anna, away from the quiet safety of my solitary den. We trotted past the brook and over the hilll, but instead of heading for a den, Chase began veering off the path, towards a secluded patch of brush.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">I slowed my pawsteps. "What's up?"

<p style="font-weight:normal;">The easygoing, slightly vacant smile that Chase had been wearing vanished, replaced by a much more unyielding look. "Okay. You're clearly a clever she-cat, but I don't want any tricks. I just want the truth."

<p style="font-weight:normal;">"Excuse me?"

<p style="font-weight:normal;">"Quit lying, and quit evading. You obviously have something to hide; you haven't answered a single question straightforwardly."

<p style="font-weight:normal;">I stared at him, then at Anna. "What is going on?" I growled, the hackles on the back of my neck rising. "What is this about?"

<p style="font-weight:normal;">"Chase," Anna said quietly. "I don't think she knows..."

<p style="font-weight:normal;">"How could she not?"

<p style="font-weight:normal;">"She's new."

<p style="font-weight:normal;">"She's so close! She must have at least heard--"

<p style="font-weight:normal;">"Heard what? What is this about?"

<p style="font-weight:normal;">"Stop acting! You're either an accomplice or the perpetrator herself, so please just fess up so we can close this freaking case!" exploded Chase out of nowhere.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">My eyes widened. "Are you guys... investigating something?"

<p style="font-weight:normal;">"Yes," said Anna quickly. "A murder."

<p style="font-weight:normal;">"A what?"

<p style="font-weight:normal;">Groaning loudly, Chase said, "You can't just tell her that, Anna."

<p style="font-weight:normal;">"Why not? If she did do it, it's not really a surprise to her, and if she didn't--"

<p style="font-weight:normal;">"A murder? Are you being serious?"

<p style="font-weight:normal;">Sighing, Chase said, "Trust me, even I can't make a joke about this."

<p style="font-weight:normal;">"I'm going to tell her the truth," said Anna.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">He shot her a dark look. "We really shouldn't. I'm serious. That's a terrible idea. I'm saying that. If I think it's a bad idea, it's literally the worst idea in the world."

<p style="font-weight:normal;">"Look, my brother is a private investigator," said Anna. "He and Chase are partners--"

<p style="font-weight:normal;">"Used to be partners," corrected Chase darkly. "He's never going to talk to me again once he hears about this fiasco. And that's not the only reason he's never going to talk to me again," he added under his breath.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">"He's away right now, visiting family, and he asked me to help out in case something came up. And something did come up. There's been a murder."

<p style="font-weight:normal;">"Who? What happened?" I said, astonished, and still confused as to what this had to do with me.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">"A young she-cat, the daughter of one of the families who lives around a little north of here. She was killed last night, and we've been following a trail we believe to be the killer's. It went down to the brook in front of your den, which was why it made us so suspicious that you were so secretive."

<p style="font-weight:normal;">"Oh." Talk about awkward. I was just trying to avoid making friends, but I managed to convince them I was a suspect for murder. Yep. Sounded about right for the way my life went. "I'm sorry... for your loss. Or, for her parents' loss, I guess. Give them my condolences, even though they don't know who I am. And sorry for runing your investigation."

<p style="font-weight:normal;">"Will do," said Anna, but Chase was still giving me the side-eye. She noticed, too, because she added, "She's clearly not wrapped up in this at all, and let's not involve her for no reason. Come on. The trail might've gone cold, but we still have interviews to conduct..."

<p style="font-weight:normal;">"What's the point?" snapped the tom shortly.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">"The point?"

<p style="font-weight:normal;">"Of doing this."

<p style="font-weight:normal;">"To catch a killer?" said Anna, frowning in a puzzled fashion.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">"We're not going to catch anyone. Not without Weston here," said Chase miserably. "I don't blame you, Anna. This isn't your job. It's mine, I'm just terrible at it."

<p style="font-weight:normal;">"Chase, I mean this in the nicest way possible: This isn't about you at all. It's about catching a cat who killed a she-cat far too young to die. She was a daughter, a granddaughter, a girlfriend. She mattered and was loved, she had a life full of endless possibility ahead of her, and it was all taken away. Do you hear me?" Anna was calm and gentle, but firm. I stared at her in disbelief. Sure, she came across as a nice cat at first glance, but for someone who didn't routinely investigate murders, she seemed more on the right track than Chase.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">And her words had their intended effect. The silver tom gave himself a slight shake and nodded. "Sorry. You're right."

<p style="font-weight:normal;">"Can you tell me more about the crime?" I asked, curious in spite of myself.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">Chase hesitated for a slight second before seeming to realize that there was no use trying to be subtle around me any longer. "Weston would kill me," he muttered uselessly, then said, "Here's what we know. Her name was Alison. She was on her way home from a date with her boyfriend, Crowpaw, who lives in Glacia, FrostClan's province. She wasn't supposed to be out; her parents were fast asleep. Her body was found this morning... We had to tell her parents." Chase's eyes grew dark.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">"She was with a Clan tom?"

<p style="font-weight:normal;">"Not with him. On her way home; they parted ways at the province border."

<p style="font-weight:normal;">"Glacia is a long ways to travel for a date," I noted.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">Shrugging, Anna said, "Young love. Crowpaw couldn't believe it. He looked on the verge of collapse. And the parents, I think they're still in shock."

<p style="font-weight:normal;">I shuddered. "That's awful. Losing someone that young. That kind of thing stays with you forever."

<p style="font-weight:normal;">"He'll move on," Chase said rather shortly. Both Anna and I raised our eyebrows. "I mean, young hearts heal quicker too."

<p style="font-weight:normal;">Before Anna could respond, I said, "Well, as great as the emotional impact of losing Alison is for her loved ones, it isn't going to help solve the case."

<p style="font-weight:normal;">With a sigh, Chase said, "You're right. So you're sure you didn't hear anything last night then?"

<p style="font-weight:normal;">"Nothing that could help your investigation. Whoever killed her, if they did pass through my valley, was quiet about it."

<p style="font-weight:normal;">"Yeah, that makes sense. It was a long shot," admitted Chase. "And I'm sorry about potentially accusing you."

<p style="font-weight:normal;">"That's all right. Just doing your job."

"We should move on. We have interviews to do," Anna said.

"Who are you going to start with?" "Well, we already asked her parents... They didn't have much to say. Couldn't think of anyone who didn't like Alison or would want to hurt her, or anything she might have that was worth killing her for."

"Then it's obvious where you go next," I interjected. "Go to the other side."

"The what?"

"Alison had her paws in two worlds. You need to investigate who she knew in Glacia, too. Crowpaw might've introduced her to his friends, his family. Find out if they know anything."

A small smile appeared on Anna's face. "Sorry, it's just you sound like Weston. My brother is one of the smartest cats I know."

"If she's anything like him, maybe we could bring her with," suggested Chase. "We could use the help, and it'd be fun to have someone else."

"'Fun'? Are you inviting me to a party or a murder investigation?"

Chase mumbled to Anna, "It might be nice to have it not be just us."

For a second, Anna looked hurt. I remembered how surprised she looked when Chase had pretended they were a couple in front of me, and wondered again what exactly was up between the two of them.

Then she shook it off. "It'd be great to have you. Please?"

I hesitated.

"There's just one thing, though. We're going to need to know your name."

''One day. They're not your friends or anything, it's hardly even a favor. No strings attached. ''I was simply intrigued by the situation. A she-cat barely young enough to have a boyfriend killed near my valley? I mean, I couldn't live near a murderer, after all. I would be helping myself more than anything by helping solve this case, and with Chase as lead detective, they needed all the help they could get.

"My name," I said, "is Kenna."

"Sweet. Detective Kenna. We can call you D.K. for short!"

"Just Kenna." I shot him a firm look.

"Okay, fine, Just Kenna. Are you hungry?"

"What?"

"Wanna go for a quick hunt? Because it'll be a long trip to Glacia. And if you're on an empty stomach, it's even harder to tune out Anna's dumb roadtrip games and bonding activities," smirked Chase.

"Hey! Roadtrips with me are more fun than with Weston."

"That's true. His idea of fun is pointing out plants and the various ways they can be used to kill people. Botanical husbandry is a great passion of his, as is murder. Put the two together and you've got a party so wild it just might give him a stroke, bless his heart." Chase rolled his eyes, and Anna's whiskers twitched in amusement.

I backed away slowly. "I'm already beginning to regret this."

Chase gave me a charming smile. "Ooh, you're going to hunt! Bring me a mouse, will you?"

'''western glacia province. sundown.'''

"Geez. Those FrostClan patrols are no fun. They frisked me! My fur's totally messed up now," complained Chase. "I mean, border patrol is one thing, but these Clan cats are so uptight about every little thing."

"I don't think they'd even allow non-Clan cats in if it wasn't a Provincial rule," agreed Anna. "Though you shouldn't have been so rude."

"I just invited him to go shove his dumb security stick somewhere painful."

I grinned. "That is seen as impolite in some circles of culture."

"Yeah, all of them," said Anna.

"Detectives! Over here!" A young black tom came bounding towards us.

"Crowpaw! Just the guy we were looking for. Listen, dude, we gotta talk to your fam. Your parents, maybe your friends, anyone who knew Alison or about her."

"Listen, I lied to you."

"What?"

Crowpaw looked distraught; he kept hopping from one paw to the other, his eyes crackling with nervous energy. "Earlier, when you were interviewing me and Alison's parents. They said that there was no one who hated Alison or who would want her dead, so I went along with it. But that's not exactly true."

Narrowing his eyes, Chase said, "Then you'd better start talking."

"Alison wasn't supposed to be with a Clan cat. You know how strange that is, and how much FrostClan would disapprove. But here's the piece de resistance: she was supposed to be with someone else. And I think he killed her," declared Crowpaw.

"Whoa, whoa, back up. Who is this other guy?"

"Yeah, and can you give us a reason to suspect him besides the fact that you're jealous your girlfriend should've been with him?" I added.

Anna nudged me. "We need to work on your sensitivity."

I sniffed. "Don't bother. I won't be doing this again."

"His name's Ace. His parents are family friends to Alison's."

Frowning, I said, "Was there anything more at stake than Ace's pride, though? I mean, if he was around Alison's age, it's a bit early to be thinking of a mate anyway. Just because his parents wanted him to end up with Alison... That's no reason for him to kill her, even if he did find out she was dating a FrostClan tom."

"It was him. I know it was him," Crowpaw burst out.

"Unfortunately, bud, we need more proof than that to make a conviction," said Chase.

"But--"

"Excuse me? Are you Detective Chase?"

Chase turned to face the pale gray she-cat who'd come up behind us. "Yes. You're one of the FrostClan security officers."

"I'm Cloudwhisker. My apologies for how my Clanmates treated you at border check -- but you were incredibly rude, in our defense."

I whispered, "Told you."

Chase's whiskers twitched irritably. "Hmph. What can I do for you?"

"It's more about what you can do. We were asked to pass on word to you: there's been another murder."

Anna's eyes widened. "What? Who?"

"A young tom from Nova called Ace."

I gaped at Cloudwhisker. "Well," I said icily, "that certainly puts pieces into place, doesn't it?"

"S-someone killed Ace? But how? Why?" Crowpaw stammered, shellshocked.

"You know what I think? I think you know the killer all too well," said Chase, cottoning on to my train of thought. Anna appeared speechless.

"You think I killed Ace? I've been right here!"

"Ace was found near the Glacia border," said Cloudwhisker, and Crowpaw let out a groan, shaking his head.

"Crowpaw, you were interviewed with Alison's parents, right? You said so yourself," I said.

"Yeah, so what?"

"So what were you doing in Nova with them? It's an hours long journey. It'd be a lot easier to get there if you were already out of Glacia when the murder happened -- maybe right at the scene."

Looking sickened, Crowpaw said, "You think I killed Alison?"

"I think that Alison gave you a reason to not trust her with Ace, and I think you followed her towards Nova last night."

"That's insane," Crowpaw mumbled.

"Is it really?" Chase jumped in. "Alison was killed in Nova, and you showed up there this morning. Now you're back here, and Ace's body is found at the Glacia border."

"No! It's not like that! I did follow Ali, but only because I thought she might be in danger. But I lost her trail, I swear. If I hadn't, maybe I could've stopped her from being killed..."

"This is too much evidence to be purely circumstancial, Crowpaw," said Chase.

"But that's exactly what it is! It's all circumstance!" cried the tom.

Cloudwhisker nudged Chase. "FrostClan has a den nearby where we deal with wrongdoers; you could question him further there."

Chase nodded. "Let's go. Crowpaw, walk in front of us. You're under arrest."

I, however, began backing away. "Where are you going? If you don't want to watch--" Anna began.

"It's not that," I cut her off. "I have another lead I want to follow."

"What?"

"I'll let you know if I'm right." And without further ado, I turned and began loping back towards Nova.

The End