::Swiftstar's POV::

Dead (8):Apollo,Arjanna,Hazeleyes,Bismuth,Angelfeather,Comet,Midstrip,Silverpaw

Tributes:

Coldice

Dodre

Kelive

Swiftstar

Dappleheart

Splash

Shadestar

Alex

Tundrafrost

Skycloud

Burnflight

Bearpaw

Echostrike

Skyfire

Firefly

*Anybody else realizing my group still has the most O.C.'s left? o^o PLEASE DUN'T KILL ME ;-;*

Swiftstar lowered her head in a silent prayer for the two dead she-cat that had died-died at her paws.The she-cat lifted one of her paws to see it dried with blood.So was her pelt.And it wasn't even her own.

It should be...

Putting her head in both the fur of the two she-cats,Swiftstar slowly stalked off into the undergrowth,not once looking back at the two dead bodies that had died at her insanity.

********************************************************

The blue smoke with white she-cat decided to clear her mind where she felt calmest-out on the open moor.Immediately,she found herself pushing through bracken and leaves that led to an open meadow.Feeling her spirits brighten slightly,she trudged on.

However,the meadow wasn't quite as welcoming as she had hoped.The flowers,once verdant,were now starting to dry out and turn brittle and drown.Swiftstar was aimlessly wandering the arena as the scorching sun beat down on her.Her tongue felt as dry as dust and her vision was becoming hazy.Every pawstep felt heavy stone weighing her down.Her eyelids were constantly drooping,no matter what she did to stay awake.It was like a drought in green-leaf all over again.

Great StarClan,she thought,even green-leaf droughts never seemed  this dry!

The she-cat finally found a willow tree far off in the distance,its branches ever so slightly moving in the slight breeze that did nothing to cool Swiftstar down.Squinting her ice blue optics against the glaring sun,she thought she could make out five shapes-one of them limp,bloody and lifeless,just like the other two she-cats Swiftstar had killed-against the tree.And they looked like Webkinzluver5 O.C.'s.Well,at least most of them.

Feeling a new spring in her step,Swiftstar bounded across the once sprouting meadow towards the willow tree.She relished the feel of the wind whipping through her fur,and how she seemed to glide right over the ground as she leaped into the air in strides.

As she neared closer,she realized Dappleheart,Splash and Alex were near a limp silver tabby body that looked somewhat like...Echostrike's?

NO!They've killed her!!

Finding a new burst of speed fueled by rage and grief,she bolted forward,barely feeling the ground underneath her paws as if there was no such thing as ground.Nearing closer,she let out a fearsome caterwaul and threw herself onto Alex,landing squarely on his shoulders.Unsheathing her claws,she dug in as deep as her claws would allow her.Satisfaction crept upon her as a pained and shocked yelp erupted from the brown wolf.

Swiftstar realized another wolf,a light electric blue wolf with blue and white markings,was throwing herself against Alex as well.Good!Now I've got back up!

The call of Dappleheart suddenly snapped Swiftstar back into the real world."SWIFTSTAR!What are you doing?!"

"Avenging Echostrike's death!!"she snarled back,making herself look menacing.

The wind was suddenly knocked right out of her lungs.Swiftstar's lungs seemed to crush as her back was suddenly pushed against the ground.Her mouth was filled with fur and it reeked of wolf.

Alex,you idiot!Get off me!! she cursed in her head.

Scrabbling her paws,she only managed to swipe her paws at more dark brown fur.When Alex finally rolled over onto his side,Swiftstar spat out the fur and drank in huge gulps of air.Regaining her composure,she realized the other wolf was staring at all of them in confusion.

"Echostrike?That's Silverpaw!Unless I've mistaken one for the other,"the wolf grumbled.

"You mean?That's not Echostrike?"Swiftstar exclaimed.Embarrassment prickled at her skin.Great!Now I've just attacked another O.C. from my own group for no reason!

"No!That was Silverpaw,from the xXIshehXx group!"the wolf growled,pointing her muzzle sharply at Alex."And this bonehead went and killed her!"

"It was never on purpose!"Alex wailed.

"Does it look like I care?!"the light electric blue wolf snarled,baring her fangs to reveal glinting,yellow teeth.Swiftstar swallowed.She didn't want to know what it would feel like to have those fangs rip through her flesh.

"I'm going to rip out your guts until there's nothing left!"Lunging at Alex,she narrowly missed his throat as the male wolf barely dodged her cold,unforgiving teeth.Alex retaliated and threw himself at the she-wolf and sinking his teeth into her shoulder.She let out a howl as she thrust her head around and aimed for his neck.Alex let himself fall to the ground just as her jaws nearly came in contact with his throat.

Rage pulsed underneath Swiftstar.Letting out a yowl,she threw herself at the she-wolf,landing on her head.Slashing madly,claws unsheathed,the blue smoke with white she-cat thrust her head forward and bit down hard into her head until her fangs met bone hiding underneath flesh.A wail erupted as the she-wolf collapsed to the ground and desperately tried to fight back.Splash and Dappleheart were nipping and slashing at her legs while Alex stared guiltily at the limp body of Echo-no,not Echostrike-Silverpaw.

Letting go of her grip,Swiftstar leaped off the great she-wolf and landed gracefully on all fours.She turned around to see Splash and Dappleheart let her up.A spark of fear seemed to ignite in her eyes before she quickly limped off only StarClan knew where.

"Do you think she'll be alright?"Splash asked.

"I don't know,"Dappleheart mewed,shaking her head."We gave her some nasty wounds,Swiftstar the most.I wouldn't count on her living to see tomorrow unless she gets ahold of some herbs."

"Before we do anything else,Swiftstar!What are you doing here?"Alex exclaimed,tearing his gaze away from Silverpaw's lifeless body.

Swiftstar suppressed a shiver,remembering the same form the two she-cats,Comet and another one she hadn't known the name of.Sudden guilt throbbed underneath her,though she pushed it away.

"Echostrike and me...we part ways,"she mumbled,not wanting to tell the others how hurt she really was.

"No wonder you attacked Alex,"Dappleheart murmured,sympathy glowing in her blue eyes.

"It's been hard,but I've managed.Where's Shadestar?"she questioned,eager to change the subject.

Splash snorted."Probably killing any tribute that comes too close,or at least has tried to."

"That fox-heart can die in a hole for all I care,"Dappleheart grumbled.

"We still should keep our eyes open for trouble and our ears perked,"Alex said briskly.

The other three nodded when Feather's tan head began illuminating in the sky.Swiftstar scowled.She'd better pray she doesn't have to face me in battle one day,she thought bitterly.Glumly,Swiftstar added,Who am I kidding?She's too powerful.I'm the one who should be hoping I don't meet her in battle one day.

"Tributes,me and the other Gamemakers have added a new type of water!"For a moment,Swiftstar began realizing she hadn't had anything to drink in...well,she wasn't even sure how many hours.

"As you all know,it's day three,and every day gets harder by the minute.So,to make sure your suffering isn't too long for those of you who do end up dying,"Feather continued,"we've added Death Water.It's so toxic,even we Gamemakers don't know most of the chemicals are.It's up to you to figure out what water looks like it."Flashing a small grin,her face faded into the sky.

"Great!That's perfect!Just what we needed!"Splash howled out,his eyes blazing."It's day three,the forest is going to burn up from this heat,and now there are some water sources we can't even trust!"

"Then we just have to be careful,and in the meantime,try to stay away from the forest,"Alex ordered,his voice noticeably raspy.

"Are you tail-flipping serious?!"Splash growled."We're not only out in the open,but there are barely any trees except for this stupid willow!Are you trying  to get us all killed?!"

"Maybe he's not,but I  am,"a nearby voice growled.

Swiftstar slowly turned her head,and the sight made her belly churn.Standing in front of them,a dark brown wolf with a tan underbelly and pale green eyes stood in front of an O.C. group consisting of mouse-brained Shadestar,a blue fox with a white underbelly,tail tip and wings and amber eyes,a young looking wolf pup,a dark brown apprentice,Burnflight,Firefly,and...Echostrike.

Seeing the silver tabby,her sky blue eyes glaring at her icy blue ones,her tail tip twitching,her claws sheathing and unsheathing,nearly made Swiftstar want to turn tail and flee as far as she could go.As if running will get rid of my problems,she thought bitterly.

Guilt tugged at her belly.It got rid of Echostrike...

::Shadestar's POV::

*If you wanna know WHY Shadestar and Swiftstar hate each other so much is,because,back when they were Swiftbreeze and Shadepelt,Swiftbreeze did something horrible to Shadepelt,causing a rift between their friendship that later turned into a barricade.So,yea,the two have been at each other's throats for a while XD*

Shadestar curled his lips,revealing his yellow-stained teeth.He could already see victory when he saw Swiftstar and her pathetic group of what she calls O.C.s was badly outnumbered by Dodre's fierce and ambitious warriors.

This is going to be as easy as killing prey, he thought triumphantly.

"What do you want from us?"Alex,the only wolf O.C. from his group,snarled,so Shadestar could see he failing at trying to hide his fear.

"Simple-we fight you,you don't fight back,we kill you all,and you're eliminated from the competition,OK?"Dodre said mockingly.

"Isn't that a bit harsh,Dodre?"Echostrike murmured.

"Shut up,"Dodre spat,his pale green eyes showing rage.Echostrike shrunk to the ground as his intense gaze burned into her skin.

Turning around,he faced the other group again."Now,do we have an agreement?"

"Over our dead bodies,"Dappleheart hissed,her claws unsheathed.

"That can be arranged,"Firefly snarled.Swiftstar,particularly,glared hard back at him,her ice blue eyes now chips of ice.

"It won't be,because we'll run.And you'll never catch us,"Splash growled.

Dodre just grinned at the Aussie pup."Look how cute you think you're being!This is an arena,pup,"he growled,"and there's limits to where you can run.You could run until you fall off a cliff for all I care,but if you don't die before we catch you,we'll find you.And there will be no place to hide."

"Take it to the Dark Forest and say that!"Swiftstar snarled,her chips of ice that replaced her eyes now growing colder.

Dodre snarled at lunged at the Clan leader,who quickly dodged out of the way,rolling onto her side and landing near Alex's paws.

As if it were the signal,the Goldscars immediately plunged into battle,though not that Shadestar was worried.Not only had they all had their methods of fighting,but they were fueled by Dodre's words.

"None of the other tributes stand a chance against us.Because we're stronger,faster,and smarter than any-no,all of them,put together."

There's seven of us,and only four of them.We can't lose.

Shadestar launched himself at Splash,who opened his jaws and threatened to clamp them around his muzzle.Unsheathing his claws,he slashed at the Aussie pup's muzzle,which he managed to get a few scars on before the pup retaliated and scraped his blunt claws against his eye.Shadestar never thought much of dog claws,seeing as they couldn't even pull a dog his size up a tree,but he had clearly underestimated how much damage they could do.He let out a loud hiss as pain shot through his right eye,though he ignored it and began slashing at Splash,who was quickly backing up in an attempt to avoid his glinting claws.

As satisfaction rippled under his muscles,a weight bowled into him,knocking him over and sending him flying into another battle with Skyfire and Dappleheart.Not knowing who's fur belonged to who,he definitely didn't recognized the light blue and white fur in front of him.Lashing out,he scraped what must've been the underbelly as warm blood poured onto his brown fur.Shadestar tried not to let any of it get into his mouth as he felt something lash against his sides.Rage pulsing under him,he saw a blur of dark brown fur and no tan underbelly,meaning he was lashing at Alex.Sinking his claws in deeper into probably his leg,he realized with a jolt that something ridiculously sharp was attached over his claws-dog teeth!

How did he get ahold of them?!

There was no time to think about it when something grabbed him by the scruff and threw him into the air.Shadestar yowled as realized a branch was right above him.Too slow to think,he collided into the branch and futilely attempted to cling on as he felt his grip loosen and fell from the branch.Yowling,he frantically twisted his body around,not knowing how far the ground was when a massive paw slammed into his face.Dizziness and sparks exploded in his head as he thudded to the ground.Forcing himself to get up,throbbing pain pulsed in his head,though he refused to give in.That's when he realized a turning point had occured in the battle.

Skyfire was standing over a brown body with dark brown paws and a tail tip.A horrible realization crept upon Shadestar.A loud thunderclap followed by lightning echoed in the sky.She's killed Burnflight!

"No!Burnflight!"Bearpaw wailed,though nothing seemed clear to Shadestar has his vision blurred and his hearing seem to slowly fade away.

The dark brown apprentice rushed over to the dead tom as he desperately tried to get him to wake up;Burnflight never stirred.It was clear enough to anyone that the tom had been killed by Skyfire.

Fuming,Dodre had stalked over to the blue vixen and slammed her against the ground,a massive paw on her neck and another on her back."You idiot!!Do you have any idea what you just flipping did?!You've killed an O.C. from the Goldscars!"he howled,his pale green eyes blazing with fury.

"B-But it was an accident!"Skyfire stammered."I-I thought-."

"WHAT YOU THOUGHT KILLED HIM!"Dodre snarled,his entire body trembling."Now,I'm going to avenge his death."

"Dodre,no!It wasn't a death caused on purpose!"Echostrike yowled.

"SHUT UP!IF ANY OF YOU SPEAK FOR THIS TRAITOR,YOU'LL JOIN HER!"Dodre snarled,his voice terrifyingly loud.

All the O.C.'s fell silent,even Echostrike,who looked like she wanted to say more,but clearly thought better of it.

Dodre smiled down menacingly at Skyfire."This is what we do to traitors like YOU."He thrust his brown head forward,sinking his fang deep into the vixen's throat.Her shrill of pain quickly turned into a gurgle was blood pooled around her neck and stained her fur and the ground.A loud thunderclap and lightning sounded in the sky,announcing Skyfire's death.

As Dodre lifted his head from her neck,a long,eerie silence lasted for what seemed like moons until Echostrike finally spoke up,her eyes brimming with tears."That's it!I can't take it anymore!Pretending I enjoy watching you all kill eachother,watching the innocent die...It's too much!"she wailed,tears flowing down her cheeks."That's why I'm leaving the Goldscars."

For a while,nobody spoke until Firefly gazed expressionlessly at the silver tabby."Fine.Leave the Goldscars.Go die in a hole for all we care.It won't matter to us.You're no O.C. as long as you live."

Echostrike's eyes widened at his words."Firefly!You don't mean that!"

Swiftstar snarled,her eyes now blazing as fierce as a fire."YOU...YOU...!"

Dappleheart put her tail gently over her mouth as the silver tabby she-cat padded off into the distance.Her head hung low and her tail trailed after her as she disappeared over the horizon.

"Don't think this is the end,"Dodre snarled,his voice dark and unforgiving,like venom from an adder's fangs.Motioning for the Goldscars to leave,Shadestar padded after him.Trailing in the rear with Firefly,he whispered to the tom,"Is it wrong that I feel...a little bit...guilty after all that?"

Firefly padded alongside him,his flame orange eyes giving nothing away,as if he wasn't seeing anything at all."There's no such thing as guilt in the Games,Shadestar,"he said simply.

Shadestar thought over what he said over in over during the long trek back to camp.Is that true? Those three words seemed to question Shadestar to no end,and the answer would always be the fact he didn't know.

Then again,I don't know what I should know now...

The Games will break people. ;-; That's all I have to say.

JK I WON'T MAKE AUTHOR NOTES THAT SHORT

Yea,I felt kind of guilty killing Skyfire. D: Despite she had helped Bismuth try to kill Splash at the start,killed Hazeleyes and joined Dodre's bloodthirsty group the Goldscars,I really like her. ;-; Oh...Oh well,that's not even the saddest death in the story. o^o

Sorry I didn't update sooner =_= I didn't have it in me to update over the weekend,plus I had to research for school.It's Monday,so,yea...things have been kind of miserable.I took a test today,it's been raining ALL DAY,my brothers were keeping me from getting anything done,so...yea,it's been a mess. :/ I MIGHT be able to start writing a new chapter tonight then finish up tomorrow if I'm lucky enough to get a chance. c:

~Webkinzluver5