The Hunger Games - Warriors Edition

CHAPTER NINE - murder by a holly bush

Dawnpelt's P.O.V.

The big golden sun shown bright in the sky, late day sunshine flooding into the hollow. Today we were arriving back from a small hunting patrol; me and a cat named Lakefrost from RainClan, Cherrynose and her Clanmate Dovewhisker from LeafClan, Silverfrost from ShadeClan, and Marigoldpaw, Poppystem, and Meadowleg from SunClan. 

Robin had ordered us to drop our prey off at the base of the Death Stone instead of taking it straight to our dens like usually. He said that today they were playing...a new game.

I was just placing my recently-caught water vole down onto the pile when two cats padded into the entrance, un-escourted or ordered by the rogues.  All our heads spun around. 

Blackberry raced to my side. Nightstream, one of my other Clanmates, came racing from her den. "What is this? What's going on?" she yowled breathlessly as she reached me. "Who---"

She stopped mid-speech as two kits followed the warriors a heartbeat later. A tiny group of more cats filtered in, and soon a crowd of seven or so cats stood at the entrance to the Hollow. They all gazed around in awe, jaws wide and breath raspy. 

"What is this place?" I heard one of the kits say--a small brown-and-tan dappled tom-kit with amber eyes. He blinked as he gazed around, unbearably curious.

His obvious-to-be sister stood beside him, trembling, her ruffled gray streaked pelt on end and her dark blue eyes round and hollowed with dread. "What's going to happen, Mommy?" she sniffled, rubbing up to her mother's sleek black legs.

"We surrender!" the night-black she-cat yowled, bowing her head to Merca as he charged up yo the the small group.

"Do you now? After putting up such a great fight?" The dark tabby tom slithered up to her side. He unsheathed a long, jagged gray claw and placed it up against the she-cat's throat. He whispered something into her ear, and she winced. "Do you?"

"Y-yes," she croaked in a tight raspy voice. She swallowed, trembling. "We surrender, Merca. After such...a long...fight."

Merca dropped his claw and sheathed it again. "You're lucky I didn't use this on you. I've been itching for a fight. But I'll get it anyways when the time comes." I know he made his point on the last sentence. He was probably going to kill us all, one by one, and make each other watch. He was a sick, cruel individual, and deserved nothing more than death.

Without another word he stepped away and returned to the Death Stone. "Cats of the four Clans!" he called, a glint of menace shining in his eyes. "I would like you all to get in a circle over here. Now!"

Without hesitation, we all leaped toward him, greatly afraid.

"Heh. You too, newcomers. You're with us now." Har nudged the black she-cat's haunches and snatched the kits away, disappearing with them behind the Death Stone where his leader stood.

The she-cat started crying. "No! My kits! Please, Har. Give them back, don't hurt them! My kits..."

"Anyways..." Merca grumbled harshly. "Let's get on with this. Now who's hungry?!"

The crowd cheered--us and the toms. "Yes!" we all shouted hopefully in chorus.

"Well, then. Let's begin..." he hissed. "SunClan, come forth."

When Marigoldpaw raced forward, Poppystem gingerly followed. "Margioldpaw!" she whispered. "Get back here! Do you want to get your tail ripped off and stuck onto your forehead?"

Marigoldpaw then cowered, ducking her head and swishing her tail submissively. "Yes, Poppystem. I'm sorry."

"Anyways! SunClan, ShadeClan, come forth!" he shouted. He scanned the two groups evilly. "Meadowleg, you will take on Hollypaw. Springheart, you will take Silverfrost. You four will batte to near-death to decide which Clan eats first. May I wish you all a good moon," he hissed, and disapearred behind the Death Stone to watch the battle go out.

After entering the Fighting Grounds, which was a large patch, a dip in the earth, filled with sand and other debris, that lay just outside the Death Cage entrance, the she-cats began circling each other immediately.

Meadowleg leaped at Hollypaw, who easily jumped away with a short his of defiance. Springheart slashed out a forepaw at the meek and cowering Silverfrost, who had her tail low and was ducking beneath a fern clump, whimpering.

"Get over here, you wimp!" Springheart yowled.

"That's it! That's my girl!" Merca applauded, watching as the white-and-silver patched she-cat tumbled over and over with Silverfrost, kicking and snapping with all her might. "Gett-'er, Spring! Kill her!"

I rolled my eyes as the fight went on. Seriously? Is this what it took to get a scrap of prey, not even a decent meal?

I stopped watching for a moment longer, until I heard a shriek split the air, along with a victorious howl from Hollypaw. "Oh no! She must've killed Meadowleg!"

My heatr was thumping fast, and I gazed aruond with wide-eyes, worried for her, but then I remembered; we were all in this by ourselves. Strong against weak, big against small. We weren't picking sides. We didn't have BFF's that we stuck to like sap. Each of us had to take care of ourselves, or else we would never make it.

Ugh, whatever. That useless piece of SunClan rabbit-dung wasn't worth two scraps of moss anyway!

Right then and there, I knew something had changed inside of me. I was turning, turning into one of them...as Death Clan rogue, brainwashed and stolen from myself. My real self was gone.