Ava, George, and Kael huddled together, their voices low as they devised a plan to expose the true culprit behind the bird poisoning.
"We need to gather evidence," George said, his brow furrowed in thought. "We can't just accuse Emily and Gronk without proof."
"I agree," Ava said. "But I think we can use their own tactics against them. Gronk was spreading rumors and inciting the tribe members against me. We can use that to our advantage."
Kael's eyes lit up with understanding. "You want to set a trap for them."
Ava nodded. "Yes. We can spread a rumor that we've found evidence and we are getting closer to finding the culprit, If they're involved, they'll likely try to cover their tracks."
George's face set in a determined expression. "And we'll be watching. We'll gather evidence and catch them in the act."
The three of them leaned in, their voices barely above a whisper as they finalized their plan. They would expose Emily and Gronk's sabotage to the entire tribe, and bring justice to the poor dead birds who died for nothing.
The three went back to meet the shaman after the meeting and decided to make announcement, Ava announced to the tribes people that the cause of the birds death was poison, that some how the birds got poisoned to death and that they had found a substantial evidence that proved that this was the work of a beast man.
Gronk and the other mates of Emily stood far away from the gathering, their voices hushed as they argued in tense tones. The sun beat down on them, casting long shadows across the ground. "Are you sure you got rid of everything?" Bran asked, his voice laced with worry. "We can't let anything point back to us. It'll be bad if Emily gets implicated."
Gronk, the wolf Beastman, sneered, his sharp teeth glinting in the sunlight. "I'm sure, nothing will point back to us. And even if something does, we'll just deny it. As long as we deny it without evidence, they won't be able to hold us accountable. Our mate's plan will come to fruition."
The others seemed to relax a bit, their tense postures easing slightly. Torin still looked uncertain, his brow furrowed in concern. "But what if they find something? What if—"
Gronk cut him off, his voice firm. "We won't let that happen. We've been careful. Now, let's get back to the tribe."
As they turned to leave, they were met with an unsettling sight. The Shaman, the Tribe Leader, George, Kael, Ava, and a few other Beastmen stood before them, their faces stern and unyielding. The air seemed to vibrate with tension as the two groups faced off.
The Tribe Leader's voice was cold and commanding. "You," he said, his eyes narrowing. "What were you just discussing? We couldn't help but overhear."
Gronk and the others tried to deny it, but it was futile. They had been caught red-handed, and their guilt was written all over their faces. "No, we were just... uh... discussing the weather," one of them stammered, his voice barely above a whisper.
But it was too late. The damage was done. The Tribe Leader's eyes narrowed, his expression unyielding. "Don't lie to us. We heard everything. You're coming with us."
As the Beastmen closed in, Gronk and the others tried to flee, but they were quickly pounced upon. The Shaman's voice rang out, his words firm and authoritative. "Bring them and the other two mates to the village square. And bring Emily too."
The game was up, and Gronk knew it. He struggled against his captors, but it was no use. They were going to face the consequences of their actions, and Emily would likely face them too. The thought sent a surge of fear through him, and he knew that their plan had ultimately failed.
As they were dragged away, Gronk caught a glimpse of Ava's face, her eyes triumphant and her expression satisfied. He knew that she had won, and that he and Emily had lost. The thought was bitter, and Gronk's anger and frustration boiled over.
But for now, he had to face the music. The Tribe Leader's words echoed in his mind, and he knew that justice would be served. The question was, what would be the cost of their actions?
(At the village square)
At the village square, Emily was dragged through the crowd, her feet kicking and struggling to break free. As she passed through the sea of faces, her eyes widened in horror as she saw her mates surrounded by guards, sharp sticks with sharpened rocks at the tips pointed menacingly at them. Some of the sticks even had sharp fangs attached, glinting in the sunlight. Emily's heart skipped a beat as she took in the sight. Could it be that they had already been caught?
She took deep breaths to calm herself, trying to assess the situation. Her mates looked up at her, their eyes filled with fear and desperation. Emily's mind racing, she tried to think of a way to get them out of this situation.
As she arrived at the center of the square, the Shaman stood before her, his eyes piercing. "Emily, we've discovered the truth," he said, his voice firm. "Your mates have confessed to killing the birds. Why did you order them to do it?"
Emily's eyes widened in shock. "I didn't order them to do it," she protested, her voice rising. "I don't know what you're talking about."
The Shaman's eyes narrowed. "Don't lie to us, Emily. We have evidence. Your mates have confessed."
Just then, Gronk spoke up, his voice defiant. "I did it," he said, his eyes flashing with anger. "I killed the birds. And I did it on my own. I wanted revenge against Ava for causing our mate so much pain."
Emily's eyes widened in shock. "Gronk, no!" she cried, before quickly composing herself. She began shedding fake tears. "See, I told you, I never ordered them to poison the birds to death with the poison berries. Gronk was only trying to appease me, if only I had known I wouldn't have allowed it."
Ava, Kael, and George smiled widely as Ava stepped forward and spoke, "That's funny, when we announced this morning that the birds were poisoned, you were still in the punishment cave, and your mates never visited you this morning, so how did you know they were poisoned?"
Emily blinked her eyes in confusion before it dawned on her. Stammering, she replied, "I heard it on the way here?" Ava's eyes narrowed. "Who did you hear it from?"
Emily's confidence grew as she continued to speak. "I don't know, a lot of people were talking, and I was being dragged to the front in a hurry, so I didn't have time to see who it was." Ava took two more steps towards Emily, her eyes locked onto hers. "Okay, let's assume you really heard about it just now on your way here. My question now is this: how did you know that the birds were poisoned with poison berries?"
The crowd leaned in, intrigued by the exchange. Ava continued, "It is true that the birds were poisoned, and our thorough investigation showed that someone added poison berries to the feed that was fed to the birds last night." The crowd gasped at the news.
Ava's voice was calm and collected. "But I never announced the poison that was used. Only me, my mates, the Shaman, the Tribe Leader, and the dog Beastman who helped us discover it knew about it. And we never told anyone. So, how come you knew about it if not because you're the culprit? You, who was in the punishment pit, even the Beastmen guarding you don't know about it. So, how come you knew?"
Emily's face darkened in frustration. This one was on her, and she knew it. The tribespeople were already getting noisy with anger. Ava finally hammered in the last nail on the coffin as she added two new pieces of information. "We just got new information that last night, when the feed was being prepared, Gronk, who was not part of the crew whose turn it was to care for the birds, suddenly offered to help out last night."
The anger in the crowd increased even more. As if that wasn't enough, some Beastmen came to the square, presenting an animal skin pouch to the Tribe Leader, who opened it and showed the contents to the Shaman, who shook his head.
The Tribe Leader spoke loudly, "This was found hidden in the home of Emily and her mates." He threw the skin bag on the floor, and its contents, which were mostly half-dried poison berries, rolled out of the bag. The crowd went up in uproar, Emily and her other mates all looked at Gronk accusingly, while Gronk's eyes were wide in disbelief. He never even went near their home with the berries. How come it was found in their home?
With this, their plans were exposed. The crowd's anger boiled over, and Emily knew she was done for.