I'm back with another chapter! I did this one a bit differently but I hope you guys like it! If you have any questions just ask me :)

Read on my, Duckies!

*~*~*There are little secrets surrounding every kingdom, little secrets that can crumble the strongest walls and set fire to the world around them*~*~*

Chapter 12: Tale of Nightmares

Death padded through his shadowy kingdom, the place where few cats dare stray. It was here he could be himself and do what he please. Or as much as a blind cat can do. His paws traversed his private path, sinking into the smooth dirt he had created all those seasons ago. No other cat was allowed on his path. Death made sure of that with fang and claw.

The smell of roses drifted over his nose and he sighed at the smell of his precious roses. Even without his eyesight he could tell that they were black in colour as they gave of a more potent smell than any other rose. A smell that he found intoxicating and addictive.

His ears snapped backwards. Death could have sworn that he had heard the scuff of paws on his path. "So, your hearing is much between when you're blind," a smooth voice purred.

Death gritted his teeth as he turned to face the haunting she-cat he had created. "No one is allowed here."

"That's a shame," she murmured. "It's quite pretty down here."

"You want something. What is it?" Death snapped. He was growing tired of her mind games. Despite creating her himself he hadn't expected her to be so devious. As soon as the news of the founder's abrupt and bloody deaths had reached his ears he had known who the killer was. And now she was standing in front of him, her power beating like the pulse of a heart in his ears.

"I suppose you heard of the..tragic deaths of the four founder's?" she replied simply.

Death nodded, no word spilling from his mouth. "Well. I have decided that my reign should transcend further than that of StarClan. I do not want to be a leader over a weak kingdom. I want a strong kingdom. One that could withstand the horrors I may release. Therefore I have decided that your time has come to an end," she finished.

Death stared at his creation with shock and horror vibrating through his bones. All he had wanted to do was create a cat evil enough to strike fear into the hearts of StarClan to keep them at bay, not a cat that would become ambitious and lust after more control! "That is something you cannot and will not do!" he cried angrily. "Your power may be strong but the High Stars and I are stronger."

She let out a small purr, "And you think that you and your precious High Stars can stop me? You are foolish, Death. You were blinded when you created me, concerned with Iceshard's decisions over this seasons Game. And it as when you were creating me that you made a fatal mistake. You gave me all of your powers."

"No!" Death snarled back. "I am careful when I create cats! I would not have made such a-" He stopped as he remembered that he had lost control during the creation of this she-cat with no name. He remembered the strange sensation he had felt, as if something was sapping his power from him. "I did..I gave you too much. But you are something that I must destroy!" He leapt at the place where his paws told him she was standing, only to find it empty.

A paw collided with the side of his head, knocking him over as claws pricked at his pelt. No matter what way he twisted or turned, she was never where he though she was. It was as if she was lightning, flashing from place to place within seconds. "Give up, Death. Become the thing you are named after!" she taunted from behind Death. He spun around, claws slashing only to find the place where she had been empty.

"Why won't you fight me coward?" Death screeched. A sudden weight on his back made him collapse onto the ground. He could feel blood seeping from many cuts but the weight on his back was what he feared the most.

"You created me," she sneered. "Shouldn't you know what I'm going to do before I do it?"

Death writhed around under her weight, trying to set himself free. "I'm sorry for creating you wrong! If you let me up I can fix you!"

"Fix me!?" she spat. "Why would I want you to fix me?"

"Because you are a freak! Something that should never have been created!" Death roared back.

Silence followed Death's outburst. The smell of his potent roses grew stronger, filling their noses with its strong smell. The weight on his back was suddenly lessened but she was still holding him down. "I'm going to let you go, Death. I'm going to let you run back to your High Stars with a message. Tell them that I will come for them when the time is right. Things will happen over the next few moons, things that will be so horrific that you will know that it was me who did them. And when the time comes, I will hunt you all down and slay you."

Then the weight was gone and so was the smell of another cat. All that was left was the claw marks upon Death's ragged pelt and the blood that oozed from them. He shook his pelt out and hurried back down his path, mind set on telling the other High Stars his mistake.

XxXxXxXxXx

"You did what!?" Iceshard shrieked at Death, her fur bristling at the thought of a murderous cat on the loose in her territory.

"Her creation was a mistake!" Death protested. "I had meant to create a new leader to watch over StarClan for us but…but something happened during her creation and I gave her too much power!"

Iceshard stepped off her throne of stone, eyes aflame with anger stronger than a badger's jaws. "You have put all of us in grave danger, Death. Let's just hope that this she-cat you have created is killed before she strikes again. Now leave us, you have a lesson to teach." She flicked her tail as a sign of dismissal and returned to her throne, Sinkingsun and Eternity watching her closely.

As soon as Death had vanished from the clearing their conversation began again. "We cannot kill him, Iceshard! He plays the most vital part in the circle of life. If he is killed then who would bring the dead cats to us?" Sinkingsun hissed.

Iceshard stared at Sinkingsun with a cold gaze, "He has put us in danger to many times, Sinkingsun. Surely you have not forgiven him for the death of Freezingheart?"

"Freezingheart knew what he was getting himself into," Sinkingsun replied sadly. "He knew what might happen to him if Death found him snooping around."

"You are weak!" Iceshard snarled. "So weak that you cannot show anger towards the tom who killed your mate!" Sinkingsun glared at Iceshard, claws slipping out from their sheaths. She sprang at the she-cat with sharp claws aching to tear the pelt off her body.

Iceshard kicked Sinkingsun in the stomach, sending her skidding across the clearing. In one short bound, Iceshard had reached Sinkingsun and pressed her head to the ground, clutching Sinkingsun's skull with her claws. "Never try to attack me," Iceshard growled. "Your time as a leader in this Dark Forest rests upon my shoulders; I can take away your power with one swipe and leave you to bleed to death on this forest floor again."

Sinkingsun hissed and pushed herself up off the ground. "Your ambition will be the death of you someday, Iceshard," she warned as she padded away into the surrounding forest, her orange pelt flickering like a flame amongst the shadows.

"Why do you push her so much?" Eternity asked once Sinkingsun had vanished from sight.

Iceshard looked up at the powerful tom. "I will push her until she becomes the cat I need her to be. A cat so strong that no other being will threaten her reign."

"My daughter will become the strongest cat in this forest, despite her father's stupidity."

XxXxXxXxXx

As Death sat in the clearing waiting for the contestants to arrive he couldn't help but think about the life he had had before Iceshard had blinded him, before he had found about Sinkingsun's father. He couldn't help but wish that Iceshard had never found out that he knew about her treachery. A sigh escaped his jaws. This Dark Forest is caught up in a vicious tangle of lies and secrets, and all of them seem to work their way back to Iceshard..

A snap in the nearby bushes brought Death back from his idle day dreaming and he sensed the arrival of the contestants. Usually he would tell them about the previous winners and where they were now. But today he decided to tell them a story. A story filled with nightmares and blood. A story of Iceshard's past, present and future. But they would not know who he was talking about; all the contestants would know was that it was a story about the bloody past of the games.

"Death, the contestants are here and awaiting your lesson." Death recognised the voice as Breezepelt.

"Thank you, Breezepelt. You may leave now." He sensed the tom leave the clearing and turned to where he could hear the beating hearts of the contestants. "Welcome to my lesson," he rasped.

A rough voice spoke up; one that Death had not heard, "What are we learning today?"

"I am going to tell you a tale," Death told them. "A tale that so little have heard and so few believe. And it starts in this very clearing, hundreds of moons ago."

"A she-cat waited patiently for her love to arrive. She had brilliant news to tell him but was scared of what his reaction may be. Her love slipped from the shadows, stars studded in his pelt, purring and whispering words of love in her ear. 'My love,' she said, 'I am having your kits.' His reaction was one that she would never forget. At first he seemed shocked but then he was happy, smothering her in loving licks."

"For moons they continued to visit each other and for moons the she-cat had to hide her pregnancy from the other cats in this Dark Forest. Until the day came that she gave birth. She was all alone during her birth; no cat was there to help her through it. And because of that all her kits were still born, no life born into them. Her mate was just as sad as she was but gave her hope."

"They tried for kits over and over and over again but all the kits she gave birth to were still born. Her mate grew tired of having a mate who could bear no kits. So one day he found another cat, one from his side of the border. She gave him many litters of kits. And the she-cat who could bear no kits was left alone."

"She tried for kits with so many other toms, all of them swearing to stay with her even if she couldn't bear kits. But all the toms she tried with left her for another. The she-cat was heartbroken and left the thought of ever having kits behind. She became a leader after her mother's death and her heart grew cold and icy. The she-cat had lost the will to love again."

"Two seasons later a new tom appeared in the Dark Forest, his fur darker than the shadows surrounding him. He fell for the she-cat who refused to love and was heartbroken when he found out that she did not love him back. But he would not be rejected that quickly. Instead he followed the she-cat out on one of her walks. And when she was not paying attention he pounced on her and raped her thinking that he might buy her love this way."

"But the she-cat did not love him after what happened and instead hated him with a fierce passion. She hated him even more when she found out that she was pregnant to him. Little did she know that this pregnancy would end so much differently."

"When the time came for her to give birth she snuck away from prying eyes so that she and she alone could bury her still born kits. But fate served her a surprise when she gave birth to a single living kit whose fur was a colour that stood out in the darkness. The tom had followed her and watched her give birth but now he made himself known. The she-cat suddenly became enraged at him for bestowing a kit upon her at this time in her life and clawed his eyes out."

"Those two cats have never seen eye to eye since."

Death's story was met with stunned silence as the contestants processed the information they had just received. Some even tried to guess who the cats in the story were but none guessed right. Death just sat there, his blind eyes glazed over with sadness. "Lesson over," he rasped. "You may return to the camp and prepare yourselves for tomorrow. No more lessons await you, tomorrow you will be cast into the Game."

He waited until he could no longer hear the beating hearts of the contestants before he too slunk off into the forest. His heart was heavy and his mind was abuzz with the memories he had just shared with the contestants.

Yes, thats right! The Games are starting next chapter!

If you want to vote for who you think will win then there is a poll up on my profile :) Feel free to vote if you want!

Until next chapter;

Hunter Out~