WRITING COMPETITION! -JUDGES: BREEZE(ME) AND DAWN(@Dawnshine0903)

Round 1-Lucky_Writing's Story

The tom stared into the night. The night was alive, humming softly. A cricket chirped, adding to the chorus of voices. As he enjoyed the music, he suddenly heard a horrible sound. He looked up and saw a large, smoky gray, almost black, cat glaring at him, a low and harsh snarl coming out of his throat. 

Darkthorn leapt backwards, his fur bristling and his claws unsheathed instinctively. The music had stopped now, as if the small insects that inhabited the long, lush green grass knew that he was in danger.

The cat shot forwards, his claws extending as he pulled at Darkthorn's fur. He screeched in pain and annoyance, hissing as he plunged his teeth into the cat's fur. Darkthorn lashed his claws at the cat's flank, creating marks from which a crimson liquid dripped out, leaving a red, shining pool on the grass. They tussled on the ground, flattening the grass and disturbing the crickets, until the cat pinned Darkthorn down, his teeth grazing Darkthorn's neck.

"Who are you?" Darkthorn demanded, trying to escape.

The cat was hesitant to reply, letting out a low hiss first. "I am Smokeburn. You'll regret forgetting me."

"What did I do to you?" Darkthorn retorted indignantly, shoving Smokeburn's head off him and picking himself off the ground quickly.

Saliva dripped out of Smokeburn's jaws as he prowled closer to Darkthorn. Darkthorn's head pounded as he inched backwards until he hit something solid. A tree.

The tree would've been Darkthorn's downfall, except his quick mind saved hi. His Clan had always valued quick thinking, agility, and intelligence. He had been trained in all three categories as an apprentice and had been very curious as a kit.

Darkthorn dug his claws into the oak of the tree, scrambling up. He perched on a low branch, watching Smokeburn as he slunk towards Darkthorn, his tail rippling in the darkness.

"Come get me now!" Darkthorn taunted Smokeburn. But he just gazed up at Darkthorn, an almost forlorn expression on his face.

The cat didn't show any signs of oving or letting him go, but rather, just stared at him. Darkthorn stared right back, his tail tip twitching. Smokeburn's amber eyes met Darkthorn's green eyes, neither of them willing to admit defeat.

Finally, Darkthorn broke off, growling in frustration. Was Smokeburn going to watch him for eternity? And Smokeburn had acted like he knew Darkthorn personally, but Darkthorn couldn't  recall meeting Smokeburn at all. He knew he couldn't try to escape though, in case he was caught and killed. 

I can't stay in this tree forever, he reminded himself. Gathering his courage, he bunched his muscles and leapt off the tree, using his weight to his advantage. His black pelt shot through the sky as he landed on all four paws, racing off back towards his Clan.

Darkthorn checked to see if Smokeburn had followed him, and to his relief, he hadn't. He rolled in some leaves so that Smokeburn would lose his scent and padded through the undergrowth and back to his camp. It was dawn by now, the sun just coming up, lighting up the valley. The birds resumed their song and Darkthorn felt as if he had been running forever. Silently promising himself that he would keep what had just happened a secret, he took a deep breath and entered the camp, wriggling into the warriors' den and collapsing in his nest.

The next day, or really, the next night, as Darkthorn preferred hunting and guarding at night, he crept through the shadows, finding his favorite spot in his Clan's territory. Darkthorn as his best friend, a pretty golden tabby with teh name of Honeytail, had found a tall tree in the corner of their territory, a corner that was rarely patrolled and used. 

Darkthorn and Honeytail, as apprentices, had snuck out almost every night to challenge each other. They would race to climb to the top and play fight in the strong branches of the tree. Darkthorn hadn't visited the tree in many moons, but tonight, his mind was troubled, and he needed peace and quiet.