Beowulfie's here with the second one-shot of the challenge. Next one up….. Sinking! Ooh, gonna have fun with this one. *grins evilly* I just had an idea! *face flares up with inspiration and world explodes* Yeah, I'm very, very hype right now. I feel like I just had coffee which I didn't because it's like 12:00 AM right now. So, it makes no sense. Am I hype from coffee….or NAW….. No need to incorporate Vines and Memes into this, Beo. *slaps self in the face* Tigerstripe, would you do me the honors of slapping me in the face? (Tigerstripe: Why, I would be honored. *slaps bomb into Beo's face*) AHHH! *explodes* I'm back from the dead with the one-shot. YAYYY! Tigerstripe, tell them the disclaimer thingy so I don't die. *begins typing away*
Tigerstripe: Beo/Brooke/Wulfie does not own Warriors no matter what you think. She's not the master of the series. The Erin Hunters own Warriors, not her! Okay, canceling all doubt from your brain: SHE DOES NOT OWN WARRIORS! Ugh, still a small remnant still thinks she owns Warriors. Eh, I'll just kill them with my knife. *slices their throats and smiles* That's better. SHE DOES NOT OWN WARRIORS AGAIN! On to the one-shot, peepzies! Enjoy!
G
Why do you ask me that question? Every time you ask, I go in deeper. I sink deeper into this pit of regret I'm building. Why do you ask me? I beg of you, why don't you kill me now and release me from this place? I'm just sinking. No harm will be done to you.
My name is Wolfflame and over the countless seasons I've stayed here, I've learned the mistakes in my previous life and memorized those horrible memos thousands of times over. I did a terrible thing when I was young; to be exact, I was about your age, nineteen moons, still rejoicing over my warrior ceremony.
I was at a Gathering and out of bitterness and jealousy, I killed someone. To be exact, it was my father, Flamestar. The leader was strong and had many lives ahead of him. He had only lost three so far and I was too impatient to let the tom lose the others on his own. So, I killed him, stopping his heartbeat and every time he took his last breath, he would rejuvenate, stronger than ever. It was very hard to kill him as he just became a more powerful enemy rather than weakening him.
But when he was on his ninth life, I struck a killing blow to his head and finally, Flamestar was gone and I was free to become leader. I washed my paws clean of his scent and blood and licked my fur smooth over my wounds so I didn't even look ruffled. I walked into the main clearing in the middle of the Gathering, looking distraught and crying out, "Flamestar is dead!"
A ripple of surprised murmurs ran through the Clans. I wasn't satisfied, though with what I had done. I killed Flamestar's loyal deputy, Greywhisker as well. She was hard to get through to as she was suspicious of her leader's death. Greywhisker wasn't leader for long; in fact, she was only a 'star for less than a day. I killed her soon after. I was appointed deputy for being Flamestar's son but I noticed Hollywing, the old medicine cat that was nearly batty mumble something almost incomprehensible about the ginger leader's mysterious death.
That night, I killed her, too and received my nine lives at the same time. She was with me in StarClan and after they had visited, giving me my nine lives, I looked at Hollywing. The scruffy dark brown she-cat was speaking with another StarClan cat so I patiently waited until the starry warrior was gone before I sliced her throat, breathing out murderous threats that if she warned my deputy about my treachery, she would die a second time.
I was now Wolfstar, but there was something wrong with my life. I didn't know what it was, but it kept on bothering me. One day, I realized what it was: it was guilt. I hadn't wanted to kill Hollywing, Greywhisker, or even Flamestar. My father had been loyal to his Clan and all I had done was cheat to get to the top. I was no leader at all.
So, I killed myself, running off a gorge and into the deep, swirling waters. Death sunk in soon after I jumped in, the shock tiring and weakening me. But then, I was stuck there. I kept on floating underwater, but I was dead. My paws were numb and I felt no feelings as I anchored myself to the bottom of the rushing river.
From there, I killed. I killed every single cat that needed to die. I didn't care nor was I ruthless. I didn't misuse my power; I only used it in the way it was meant to be used. Here I am, sinking deeper into this pool of regret…Guilt still haunts me and all the murderers are haunted, too.
So, if you're jealous, enraged, or negative in any way, don't follow my lead and kill someone. Because that leads to a deadly, deadly drowning…..One day, I was sitting at my post watching a young she-cat, Tigerstripe destroy the Clans in need of revenge. Then, I decided I needed to teach her what it meant to be a murderer, what you would have to face in the end.
So, I cut off her life. Her life floated towards me, wandering among the banks of the river. I, frustrated floated off the bottom of the river, covered in ever-shifting sand and silt. I broke my head out of the water. "Tigerstripe," I hissed. "Don't listen to the vengeful voices. All they want is to trap you like they trapped me." Tigerstripe looked at me with vague, blank eyes. "Who are you?" she asked sleepily, her tone sluggish. "I'm Wolfstar, former leader of ThunderClan who ran off of a cliff and died."
Tigerstripe's eyes widened. "But you're dead," she stated, backing away from me. I snorted in exasperation. Of course, I was dead! I had just told her that! "Yes, I am," I replied calmly. "But I killed three cats in my lifetime, three cats that are not here now. Flamestar the leader before Greywhisker, the leader before me who I also killed, and Hollywing, an old, crazy medicine cat." The light brown tabby chuckled at the mention of Hollywing for some reason.
"I killed Hollywing's niece," she smirked. "Yes, I know you did," I said solemnly. "But you weren't dead then!" Tigerstripe protested a venomous look on her face as her hackles began to rise. "Get your mindset out of killing," I croaked, suddenly feeling a need for water. "I will send you off with a word of warning to not kill for the rest of your peaceful moons. I give your life back to the world."
With that, I sent Tigerstripe back to her nest. But she didn't listen; she killed so many innocent souls that I claimed them all so I could protect them from her rage when she came down here. Then the day came. A hungry fox wandered upon Tigerstripe and flew upon her, ripping her apart and flaying her skin to ribbons.
Before her soul could be destroyed like her body, I released it and she appeared next to me, a wisp of darkness trailing after her. "This is where we wait, Tiger-"Then I felt a rumbling and something sticky sucking at my paws. I tried to lift them, but the weight was too great. The earth was pulling me in.
My pit had grown too steep and too tall for me to be saved from. What had started as a tiny impression in the sand had grown into a deep, elaborate cave loaded with guilt and venomous regret. I was leaving, sinking. "Goodbye, Tigerstripe," I meowed sorrowfully watching her jump up in alarm as I dug farther into the ground. "You should've listened to me. The pit will grab you…."I stared at her with unnerving eyes. "You...will...sink." As the last glimmer of the sunlit river's surface disappeared as sand closed in over my face, I saw fear in Tigerstripe's eyes.
She can't handle it alone, I thought with horror. But as it turned out, when I had fully sunken into the riverbed, a dark warrior came to receive her and she was brought to the Dark Forest, a place where cats who were too evil for StarClan lived. I don't know why I wasn't brought there, but I can only guess it was because I was to be the Keeper of the River, the Keeper of Death itself.
It's a monotonous job being the Keeper of Death but I can only hope that someday, a cat will take my place. Why, look. Here comes a twisted, young individual, wandering, looking for revenge after the death of her love that she caused to die herself and her dead lover's kits with another she-cat.
Oh, but there is one kit left: one that will serve the purpose of killing that she-cat. I believe I have found the next Keeper of Death. I have long since forgotten my name….Hmm, I told it to you in the beginning of the story? Ah, must've had a remembering streak. What was it, Wolfstar…formerly Wolfflame? Yes, now I remember. I just call myself Rock now for the stuff shifts all around me in my tunnel.
Rock, former Keeper of Death, Keeper of the River, an ambitious leader hungry for power…..Now you know my story… You might want to know the other stories that dwell here.
I wish this was the beginning chapter. It's like a segment to all the other stories and it's just so exciting. Honestly, when I began writing this, I just thought of a young tom named Wolfflame that was ambitious and so he murdered his father, the leader his father's deputy., and his medicine cat (Bet you can't guess which story she came from :P). Later, he was just going to sink into a pool of regret. I actually didn't mean for him to become Rock! So, yeah, we all know the beginning story that is told, that Rock and Midnight watched the world of Warriors begin over a lake? What if Rock actually began evil and recruits evil for his purposes? I just thought that was an awesome story idea! I may be using this factor in other stories. I love first person point of view for this kind of story! It's so exciting! *giggles* Hope you enjoyed this part of the 100 One-shot Challenge! Not all of these will be from Rock's POV, I promise.
-Beowulfie