Welcome to another chapter!
I hope I have the next one up soon :) But don't get your hopes up! Despite having the next two chapters planned out, I do have to add descriptions and character speech! Otherwise the chapters would be 50 words long and filled with grammar mistakes P:
Anyway! Enjoy!
Crimson, Crimson, Crimson Moon. Your fear fills the bellies of the dead. Your eyes strike fear and send nightmares to the living. Is there no end to the power you hold?
Another day had come and gone. And for the contestants it meant another day closer to their inevitable death. Others however were certain they would win.
Wildstorm watched as Badgerstrike stalked across the clearing, head and tail held high as if he was the most important cat in the world. If I get to watch anyone die…I hope it's him. The thought made him shudder. He had never been this cruel before. Growling, the calico tom slid out of his dark corner and padded over to the fresh kill pile. Obviously he had come last because the only thing left on the pile was a small mouse. He sighed as he looked down at the tiny morsel. He'd go hungry today that was certain.
An angry yowl caught his attention and he turned to find Badgerstrike towering over Burningmoon. "How dare you speak to me like that!" the huge black tom screeched. Wildstorm watched as Burningmoon arched his back.
"I will talk to you however I please!" he snarled. Badgerstrike hissed and pounced on top of Burningmoon, his claws tearing into the tom's ginger fur. Wildstorm shrunk back as they rolled towards him, hissing and spitting. Blood splattered the dirt ground, coating the few rare leaves with crimson red, drowning them in a sea of blood. Wildstorm looked down at the leaves, sadness creeping up on him. He knew he would drown in blood. May it be his blood or the blood of another.
A sudden feeling of dread washed over him as fur brushed against his. There had been no one near him. "Such a shame to see them fighting already," a dark voice murmured with sarcasm. Wildstorm didn't even have to look to know that the stranger was watching the fight with hungry eyes. "Those two will keep the High Star's entertained for sure."
"Hello Brokenstar," Wildstorm greeted. "I take it you're not here for a friendly chat?" Brokenstar made a sound deep in his chest that resembled a chuckle and ignored the question. Instead he crouched down low to the ground, paws kneading the ground. His amber gaze followed the two fighting toms until he saw his chance. Wildstorm jumped when Brokenstar yowled loudly and leapt into the fight. He watched in horror as Brokenstar raised an unsheathed paw, claws glinting in the dull sun, and brought it crashing down on Badgerstrike's head. The blow was strong enough to knock the huge tom senseless, giving Brokenstar enough time to turn on Burningmoon.
"Back off Burningmoon, this fight is pointless and you know it," he ordered blood dripping from his claws. Burningmoon obeyed and limped over to Sinkingsun. The yellow she-cat looked at the injured tom with sharp sympathy and helped him clean his wounds.
Badgerstrike however was still out cold. A few heart beats later the tom groaned and everyone in the clearing sighed in relief. Wildstorm however was looking at Brokenstar with a new sense of respect for the broken leader. Despite being known as a blood thirsty leader, he had set out to stop the fight before one of the cats were seriously injured. Maybe he isn't so bad…
Time for thinking was over and Brokenstar was already gathering the contestants for their next training session. "Everyone follow me!" he commanded. "Your teacher hates to be kept waiting." The dark tom padded over to Wildstorm. "Walk with me."
Wildstorm obeyed. Not out of force. Because he liked the tom. He liked the way the dark leader demanded respect from others. The way he made sure it was him that was in charge. Wildstorm made a promise to himself in that moment. If I go home I will stand up the cats of PheonixClan, demand respect from them and someday…someday I will become a leader like Brokenstar. Strong, cunning, deceptive, a true leader.
XxXxXxXxXx
Thorntail walked beside Galesong, grumbling about how far they had to walk. "Grow up," Galesong whispered. "This is easy compared to what I expect the games to be like." Thorntail was taken aback by the she-cat's comment, she had never spoken to anyone like that before. Or too many cats at all. All he could do was nod stupidly and slow down so that she could speed up. His mind had already registered Galesong as a threat. One that was to be taken out. Sooner rather than later.
His ears snapped forward when he heard Berrypaw squeal. Looking up he saw the red patched she-cat standing in a puddle of mud. He watched in amusement as the apprentice splashed mud onto Screech, who Thorntail assumed had pushed her in. "Those two are getting rather close," he muttered to no one in particular.
Surprisingly most of the group nodded their heads, even Shadepaw who was walking at the very back. It made Thorntail feel unsafe knowing that the cats around him were listening to his every breath like he was a piece of prey. The thought made a shiver race down his spine. Before he could think about anything else the training ground came into view. A midnight black shape sat in the middle, his claws flexing into a mangled body of a crow. His eyes flicked up as the contestants padded into the clearing. "Welcome to my training session," he rasped. "Today you will learn about the dangers hiding in the shadows of the games. Brokenstar you can go." Brokenstar dipped his head in respect to the black tom and turned away. Before he left he flicked Wildstorm on the shoulder.
"Good luck," he whispered and then left. Thorntail watched Brokenstar talk to Wildstorm and a dark thought crossed his mind. Why does the loner out of us get the chance to spend most of the time with Brokenstar? If anything Badgerstrike should be the one.
By now the tom was speaking again. "You already know who I am. But in case any of you were not listening I will introduce myself again. I am Eternity," he confirmed. Thorntail found himself looking at Eternity with distrust, the black tom was not telling them all that he was, Thorntail could feel it.
"Settingsun told us you have powers," he commented watching for Eternity's reaction.
His reaction was not what Thorntail had expected. Eternity nodded. "I do. I am in charge of the creatures of this world. A kit is not born without my approval. I knew all of you before you were born."
Thorntail watched as Eternity stalked away, tail held high. "Typical leader," he muttered.
A paw clouted him on the head and he looked over at Burningmoon in shock. "Watch what you say around these cats," the ginger tom snarled. "They have enough power to send you into eternal pain." Then he stalked away, limping slightly on one side. Thorntail stared after him with a smug expression on his face. Maybe if you win your next fight I might pay more attention to you!
Eternity stopped by a pool of murky black water. It looked like it had been stagnant for hundreds of seasons. "The creatures you will face within the wall of the arena can be compared to the creatures you face every day. Tactics used to fight dogs can be used against wolves in case you come across them."
"What are wolves?" Berrypaw piped up her nose scrunched up into a funny shape.
"They are similar to dogs but twice the size, more cunning and smarter. And they have teeth the size of your paw," Eternity stated. Berrypaw's jaw dropped open in shock. Teeth the size of my paw!? Eternity continued on with his lecture, choosing to ignore Berrypaw's terrified face. "Like dogs however they cannot climb trees, nor can they fit into small dens. That is why the tactics you use to fight dogs can be used to fight wolves."
"Badgers. You may or may not come across one of those within the arena. The likelihood of coming across one of these in the dark however does increase. Remember, a big injury during the Games can lead to death."
"Mountain lions. A lone cat's worst nightmare. Once a mountain lion catches your scent it will never leave you alone. It will stalk you through the shadows, trespass in your dreams until you give up. Then it takes mercy on you by swiftly taking your life. There is no way a cat can even come close to slaying a mountain lion. It is wise to steer clear of them."
Thorntail shuddered as the thought of being slaughtered by a mountain lion crossed his mind. The Games were beginning to look like a death trap. Realisation hit him sharply, it was a death trap. How could it not be when only one cat out of twelve comes home?
Eternity concluded his lesson shortly after, sending the contestants on their way. Before they left the hollow he called out to them.
"But beware," he warned. "Some things are not what they seem"
XxXxXxXxXx
A cold breeze stirs the dead leaves that litter the floor, pushing them along a faint path. The path looks as if it has been traversed before but a long time ago. Dank weeds spill onto the path, hiding the edge where path meets untamed forest.
Leaves crunched under a wispy grey tom's paws as he walked along the silent path. Despite the chilling breeze and eerie atmosphere he showed no fear, only contentment at his dark surroundings. It was if he felt at home amongst the shadows.
However he failed to notice a pair of pale blue eyes watching him from underneath a thorn bush. The owner of these eyes found it strange to see the tom wandering down the path, especially at this time of the year. Taking care not to stand on the crackling leaves, he began to tail the tom and he was surprised to find that the cat named Death was oblivious to anything around him.
As he followed Death further into the Dark Forest his surroundings darkened considerably. He realised with fear that Death was travelling towards the darkest part of the Dark Forest, a place where the devil himself is said to rest. An uneasy feeling washed over him, urging him to run back to safety but he shrugged it off. "Cool it, Silentstrike," he murmured to himself.
The path twisted and turned in violent patterns in vain attempts to through the walkers off. Crossroads appeared more than once but Death never faltered. Maybe he's walked this path more than once? Silentstrike wondered. As his mind began to wander he noticed that Death had stopped and was now standing strangely still. Dark mist poured into the clearing hiding Death from Silenstrike's gaze. Thunder boomed, lightening flashed a strange voice whispered to him.
"The time has come for the stars rain."
Then as swiftly as the mist had come, it vanished leaving no trace that it had ever been there. It baffled Silentstrike. But as he turned his eyes back onto Death he stiffened. The elderly cat was no longer alone.
A lean, well muscled, pure black she-cat stood before him, a strange power emanating from her. The two cats began speaking with each other in hushed tones, Death's eyes flashing from time to time. He suddenly stopped speaking and pricked his ears. "We are no alone," he rasped. Silentstrike felt his blood run ice cold and shifted his gaze away from the two cats. How did he know I was here!?
A loud hiss sounded near Silentstrike causing him to look sharply up. His mind tried to make sense of what he was seeing but failed. Two blood red orbs stared at him. It took Silentstrike a few heart beats to realise that these blood red orbs where in fact eyes. And the eyes belonged to an extremely menacing, black she-cat.
The she-cat's muzzle twisted into a smile of pure joy. Her paw flashed out, slicing through Silentstrike's neck. Blood poured from his neck spilling onto the ground and over the she-cats paws. They were no longer black but a rich crimson.
And then she turned away from her kill, leaving it to rot amongst the dank shadows.
Another chapter down! Some really high number left to go!
Okay, this will most likely happen a few times again but don't count on it!
Have any questions regarding the Clans, cats, Game? Has the fact that Ivypool is on the dark side confused you?
Ask me any question in your review and I will answer it to the best of my ability, without giving away the storyline as well!
Ask away!
Hunter Out~