Four lives. That's all I had. Four lives and a very worn and tired body. I knew this, and so did he. Him. The being of darkness and my current hatred. His sharp long claws stayed placed over where my heart would be, and he kept me pinned. He heaved, taking in long deep breaths. A wicked smile of pure insanity was on his face. Yet he was calm, and collective.
"I could very much kill you now." He said, his other paw dabbled up next to my cheek. He brushed the fur gently down, taking in the moment. He chuckled darkly, his sadistic nature beaming through. His ears twitched, listening to the echoes of the fight far behind us.
"I will give you the satisfaction of knowing that indeed, your Warriors are stronger than mine. Across the endless water where my clans thrived where nothing like you all seem to be. There is a difference…" He paused, moving the paw back to my neck and pressing down. I inhaled and held my breath, scowling and bearing my fangs at him. He licked his jaws.
"There are clans all over this world. Yet, I feel as Shadowclan, Windclan, Riverclan and… Thunderclan were the original. Yes yes, of course once you had Skyclan…and that long forgotten Snowclan… But they are only an imitation now. As are my clans. Many will arise all over the world, under different names. Ranging from everything to…. Oh I don't know... 'Roseclan' to 'Iceclan' …there might even be as something as simple and hilarious as 'Dirtclan'… whatever it may be my dear… you'll be happy to know you're the original… you're the top of the top…"
Dracma's phrase was anything but warming. It was scornful. He pressed down on both paws, the claws beginning to dig into my flesh. It stung. That's all I can say about the pain.
Suddenly, he leaned down his muzzle next to my left ear. A soft chuckle, followed with a forced purr. His glowing red eye looked into mine as he whispered darkly to me.
"We are so insignificant… You and I… and even then those below us. You cannot even begin to comprehend what this is. What we are doing, what am I doing. What you are the symbolic… representation that the heavens have chosen to make…" He paused, gently licking my cheek with his blood soaked tongue, and continue to hiss the vile of his speech.
"After every evil falls there is just another generation behind it. Have you not learned? First… there was Scourge. Your love, your life, your mate. You extinguished the cold flame of his hatred, and in doing so and altering the course of history you allowed that festering, boiling hatred of your enemy to burn deep within the Dark Forest… and you then too eliminated Tigerstar." Dracma leaped forward, his back claws slicing the bends in my legs.
He landed a bit away as I rolled over, lifting up my head to face him. I opened my mouth to speak but he interrupted me before I was able.
"And in the loss of the Dark Forest greatest leader and Warrior, the oldest cold of winter was drawn out. She would have stayed in her slumber if you had left her. Solitaire was awakened, and she was released with the hail and ice that plagued your clans. And like a virus, she spread deception and fear throughout Thunderclan- throughout the lake and the forest. Perhaps, if you had never stepped forward you would have never let her out. But, as it would have it… you defeated her with compassion and forgiveness… the very thing that would be your downfall."
"Never the less you took her place." I started, finding my footing. It was getting hard to stand up, a massive headache roared in my skull and the world around me was fading into a faint blur.
"Precisely!" he yelled, laughing. He threw his head back and laughed like thunder.
"And, if for some mystical magical chance that you even come close to defeating me and my army of the dead!- If you somehow slay the Emperor of the Dead, then who, let me ask you then who! Will take my place? You are alone in your battle! Because I promise you, the only pure promise I will make to you Felidaestar, is that there is someone else out there. Watching us, waiting for their chance to walk in my footsteps. He is there, with all the evils and powers of hell with him. What will you do then? Fight him? Then what so! There is yet another truly damned individual behind him as well! Do you not see? It is pointless! You are fighting an endless battle of life and death! Pointless I tell you, pointless!"
Dracma laughed maliciously, spittle flinging from his jaws. His intense madness frightened me. Because he could- he was telling the truth. Someone, somewhere would get it in their head to take over.
"It's all pretty damn human." I called, taking a step forward as the wind beat down on me. It whipped at my sides, through my fur and down my back. A storm was forming. "And if it's all true, then with Starclan as my witness I will fight till my last breath! All of Thunderclan, all of Lionclan- All of good will! And Dracma, if you are so certain that someone will take your place, then you must know that you will lose."
He stopped laughing. His crimson eye focused on mine. His smile disappeared into an unreadable expression. He tilted his head just a bit and heaved a sigh.
"Yes." He simply said. My eyes widen in shock at the simplicity of his answer. He seemed to have taken it so seriously, and given me the truth.
"But we all lose in the end." He started walking. Keeping his head low, swinging from side to side.
"Everyone loses in the end. The heroes in your stories have all lost. Even if they win the battles and wars. I will lose someday. And my loss will become a legend, again." I backed up as he kept walking. His shoulders rolling with each step. His claws tore up the earth with each press of his paws. He hissed darkly "Legends become stories. I will be a story. And you, my dear… will be the nameless she-cat that faded into existence under my glory-"
There was a sudden force that struck Dracma in the side. He wheezed, caught off guard as a heavy tom nearly Dracma's size bellowed him over. The tom leaped back, circling and keeping distance. His tabby pelt was scratched up, patches of fur missing, blood oozing from old and new scars. His amber eyes of solitude gleamed in the darkness around. Dracma turned on him, and like a match he erupted in flame.
"TRAITOR." He screamed in an ear shattering howl. Dracma darted at Tigerstar like a grey bullet, but he never met the tabby head on. Out of the brush, a slightly smaller dash of light intercepted him and the tyrant was tossed, and rolled in the dirt. He rolled, standing up and leaping back to get distance.
Scourge hissed, keeping his head low. Tigerstar prowled around him, his shoulders arched and head low swaying with each step. The two bitter enemies where one, faced against the darkness before them. I perked my ears, hearing a third voice join.
"You're wrong."
Solitaire emerged behind them. Her coat spotless of any wounds or blood. She must have just arrived. She walked around to Scourge's other side, but kept her head held high. She snarled at Dracma and growled to him "Someone might replace you, but then too will someone be here on the side of light. Even if we are the shadows of what you are."
Scourge moved around, keeping low to the ground and eyes fixated on the enemy at hand. He stopped by me and gently nudged my sore shoulder. He mewed a whisper "Are you alright?" I nodded, and looked to Dracma.
His eyes darted from Scourge and I, to Tigerstar and Solitaire. He was at a disadvantage. And no matter how good of a fighter he was, he could not take on four at once.
"Give up." I yelled, finding courage in me. I stepped forward, and in doing so I felt the sensation of hope fill me. Dracma looked left and right, he seemed to be thinking. A panic, to my pleasure. He looked down at his shadow and became calm. Just a quick glance, I almost missed it… But I didn't. In fact, I didn't think anyone did. The four of us, eyes of amber, gold, fire and ice all drifted down from Dracma's stance to his shadow.
It was nothing but a shadow. But a chill of curiosity, and fear clawed at my spine as the outline was different. It was not his shadow. Not his. Someone else shadow, someone else was with us.
Dracma leaped forward in utter silence while we were all distracted at the displaced shadow. He tore through the air and knocked Scourge and I over. I fell to the side and rolled, while Scourge was bellowed over and snagged in the jaws of the enemy.
Dracma tossed him down, and like a fish he gripped and flung the black tom at Tigerstar. The two collided with a great force and in a domino effect, smacked into Solitaire. The dark tom turned on me, and I had little time to comprehend what he did next.
He pushed forward with his front paws, and flipped up in the air. With a spin of power he came down with a crushing blow right on my back leg. There was a pause, a SNAP as the ground under me broke under the pressure. I screamed.
And screamed. And clawed at the ground. Never before had I felt such pain. A deep agony as my bone split under Dracma's star finishing move. The tom remained on the broken back leg, and sneered at me as I gasped quickly for air, any air. Tears soaked through and blinded me.
"Get off of her!" Scourge screamed as he recovered from the throw and leaped. Dracma was prepared and slid to the side, and bashed him away like a ball. My mate hit the ground rolling, but leaped up again. He arched his back, and spat at him. Dracma arched his own, and the two fierce toms screamed as they leaped at one another. Claw met claw. Fang met fang as they rolled off in the dirt and stone. Solitaire leaped past me as she leaped onto the back of Dracma and pried him off of Scourge. The two pushed him farther and farther from me.
Tigerstar padded over to me quickly and sniffed my leg. Blood oozed out from the underside, where I'm sure the bone had broken the skin.
"Can you stand?" he asked. My only reply was a shake of my head, as I rasped for breath. Tigerstar hesitated for a moment, this his worried glance turned into one of scorn.
"Weak." He hissed, his breath hitting my cheek. I could not tell, if it was a genuine hate or if it was a worried fear that captured him.
"Felidaestar!" Solitaire's cry echoed among the tree and I looked. While my attention had been diverted from the battle, Dracma had somehow retained the upper hand. Solitaire was trapped under his weight, Scourge was awkwardly caught between his jaws and one of his claws. If anyone moved, Dracma could just twist his head and Scourge's life would end. Again.
"Stop." I twisted around and lifted my torso up. Blood dripped from my chest down to a puddle underneath me that was beginning to grow. I whispered it out again "Please, stop." I tried to stand. My broken leg useless, the other slipping in my blood.
"Surrender." Dracma demanded. He lifted his head up, and dragged Scourge over Solitaire. Scourge hissed in hatred, but dared not to make a move. He knew the position he was in. Dracma dragged himself, and my mate back. Away from us.
I looked to Scourge for any plea. He mouthed something to me, his voice cut off by the weight of Dracma's jaws. He seemed to be saying "No."
I dragged myself a few inches before Tigerstar finally decided to lean himself up against my bad side. I ached, I was tired, I was scared, almost dead on my paws. And him? Dracma?
Only now did I see what he was backing up to. The gorge. The ugly scar with foul smells crawling up over the edge. Like a festering wound that never was treated. He was going to throw Scourge in.
I owe some explanation to my long break, I know. I'm sorry but I got caught up in drawing more then writing, and school as well. Along with progressing in the background of a few of these Warrior characters and backstories that lead into them. All in all, I will take this time to give you some answers to repeatedly asked questions, one which a anonymous user has made me decide to answer.
Anonymous User asked "What exactly are Forever Dark and Everything and Nothing? Is Ecplise some sort of avatar of the Abrahmic God or is he like the truth from 'fullmetal alchemist'"
Well, I apologize for not making Forever Dark clear enough. Forever Dark is Dracma. it is just the... 'story book title' that was given to him. You know, when things we are afraid of adopt names like "the Bogyman". That was just what Solitaire and other Forbidden Forest cats had labeled him as. Dracma was once a cat, who was just power hungry and had the ability to make use of that hunger. His mother was a stray she-cat, his siblings where of no significant importance. He never really knew his father, until after his death when they finally met. And, for you smart cookies out there can actually 'spot' his good ol' dad in this chapter. Will he be named? Will he be of any importance? *insert fart noises here* Most likely not :p
Everything and Nothing, or as Felidaestar has dubbed him, "Eclipse" is an actual person. He is not God. Nor any type of God. Sorry but I try to avoid Mary-Sues for all you speculating intelligent Warriors out there. Nightmare is borderline that. lol. He is what you intemperate him to be. But, all I will give you is that he is a good entity.
Now, that last tibit about 'the truth'. Well, interesting concept to bring up, and quite an eye you have my good sir! If any of you fans out there caught that voice in "Bargaining with the Truth" chapter, that was not Eclipse speaking to our hero. Will we meet this voice?... Of course! Right?... It's not like me at all to leave you all with a cliffhanger... c:
