❦ story ❦

the smoky tom wandered around the forest. black pines encircled him as he walked, as if imprisoning him. that was fine. he didn't want to leave anyway. the ground was littered with inky needles, covered with a fine layer of dust, aside from a trail of paw steps where the tom had walked over them. the sky held no stars tonight. that wasn't a difference from last night, or the night before. starclan didn't watch over them in this rancid place.

he settled down where the woods ended and the slimy river flowed just fox-lengths away. this was the allotted meeting place, where his mentor would hopefully bring...

"there you are."

a cat slipped noiselessly out of the endless shadows, his amber eyes glinting in the eerie moonlight. a matted white coat, once glossy and smooth, was now riddled with twigs and knots that he hadn't bothered to clear away, and his dark gray paws blended so well with the shadows that it looked like he was floating.

"greetings, raintooth. did you bring her?" the black tom stared raintooth in the eye.

raintooth didn't flinch. "don't question me, apprentice. you're not going to be accepted as an equal unless you win this next fight." raintooth's eyes gleamed with anticipation. "yes, i brought her. i also took everyone else who wanted a good show."

on their cue, a mass of pelts emerged just as silently as raintooth had. hundreds of them formed a ragged ring around the two cats. some sat on the brittle branches, watching from the trees like birds. it was impossible to make out one single cat in the mess- it was all a blend of muted, dirty colors and unkempt fur.

two muscular cats escorted a smaller, scruffier she-cat forward. her fur looked like it hadn't seen the light of day in moons- which was true, since sunlight never dared touch this forest. her pelt was an evil black interwoven with tongues of fire, a sequence the black tom recognized and hated. her eyes flashed with anger as her yellow gaze fell on the tom.

"jaguarflame," the tortoiseshell hissed.

"magpiefire." jaguarflame stood his ground against the cat who had made his kithood a misery. "it is finally time for me to take revenge on you." he relished the thought, purring audibly with a malicious delight.

"you can try, but you're weaker than a moth," magpiefire jeered. she lowered herself to the ground. jaguarflame did likewise, and the two prowled around each other by some unseen signal.

"even here," magpiefire continued, "you need to prove your nonexistent mettle. i was right all along." magpiefire licked her lips hungrily. "you were destined to be an outcast."

at that last word, jaguarflame froze. despite himself, his eyes widened, his breathing quickened. the word clattered around his skull, infecting his mind with pure helplessness, undiluted panic. outcast.

how many times had magpiefire used that insult? how many times had naïve jaguarkit believed it?

jaguarflame started to hyperventilate, and his limbs turned to stone. magpiefire's eyes blazed with triumph, and she pounced.

jaguarflame stumbled away just as magpiefire's claws were about to tear through his pelt.

"are you trying to fight like a kittypet? even they can do better than that." magpiefire spat out another toxic jab at her son. abusing him must have been second nature to her by now.

"what are you doing, jaguarflame?" raintooth's harsh meow cut into the black smoke tom's mind. "she holds no power over you! we trained so hard just to prove this cat wrong. show her what you are capable of!"

jaguarflame's heartbeat steadied. fear still rattled in his chest, but he forced himself not to show. he readied himself into a battle stance, trying to act confident; hopefully his lungs would follow suit.

raintooth was right. jaguarflame had gone to great lengths just to show his power... he'd grown vindictive under magpiefire's tyranny, he'd trained here since warriorhood; under raintooth's training regiment, he'd fought, he'd tricked, he'd killed. but it had worked. unfortunately, magpiefire had died from a wasting disease before jaguarflame could try out his skills on her... but at least she never got the death of a true warrior. at least it had been painful.

the two battlers lunged at the same time and collided midair, immediately locking themselves into a mad frenzy of clawing, biting, pummeling, rolling across dry, dark blades of what this place had for grass.

the black smoke tom launched a powerful kick with his hind legs just as magpiefire went in to bite his shoulder. the tortoiseshell she-cat was sent flying towards the river, landing on the riverbank.

both cats were covered in scratches, and tiny streams of dark crimson pooled out onto the dust.

jaguarflame stalked towards magpiefire.

"crawl here to die? you have nothing over me!" magpiefire's eyes were slitted; even now, she was so aggressive to her son.

jaguarflame relaxed him muscles, making it look like he wasn't going to fight, that he wasn't a threat. he stepped back, and magpiefire pushed, stepping forward, her eyes lighting with sadistic joy. she'd done it; jaguarflame was finally backing down.

but he wasn't really.

jaguarflame flailed out a paw, claws extended, before magpiefire could react. his strike hit its mark.

magpiefire wailed in agony as a new vermillion torrent burst out of her left eye socket. she jolted backwards, her hind paws just brushing the river water.

without missing a beat, the black smoke tom sprang forward, reaching magpiefire in a single bound. he threw a feint towards her chest, and the tortoiseshell reared up and deflected it. instantly, jaguarflame slipped under her and sliced a new gash into her stomach, his claw mark running all the way down her belly- not too deep of a mark to kill her, but deep enough to bring great pain.

magpiefire let out a tortured screech of agony. it was music to jaguarflame's ears, and yet, he wasn't done. he grabbed the tortoiseshell's scruff and, jerking his head up, threw it into the river. the observing cats jerked aside as the projectile shot through and splashed into the water. 

the black smoke tom bunched up his haunches and jumped, like a fox into a mouse burrow, on top of magpiefire, landing square onto her side, the impact forcing all the air out of her lungs.

jaguarflame was barely tall enough to stand in the river by himself; his chin brushed the streaming, gooey liquid if he didn't stand on his tiptoes. but now, using the body of the cat who had birthed him as a stepping stone, his shoulders beached above the water by the tips.

magpiefire struggled, her legs flailing and churning in an attempt to fight back, but she didn't even land a blow on jaguarflame. a mix of surprise and elation fixated jaguarflame in a new kind of satisfaction. magpiefire was helpless. he had pinned her down!

jaguarflame had endured too much because of this cat. all this- the wounds, being pierced by slimy, icy river water, the half-blinding, the roguelike slash across her belly, topped off with the most painful, torturous form of death- was jaguarflame's revenge. for all the pain magpiefire had unleashed onto him, he was now returning.

but he had one more thing to do.

when he felt magpiefire's strength weakening, he leaned down, pushing his muzzle through the water. his nose touched her body. he opened his jaw, using his tongue to first feel the heartbeat of the heartless.

without hesitation, he sank his fangs into the fur. roughly yanking his head back, he tore away a piece of flesh. more flesh came with it, and jaguarflame felt bony ribs beneath his teeth. magpieflame let out one last scream, dulled through the slimy river, then fell limp.

jaguarflame's head rose above the water, the slab of flesh in his jaws. hooking his claws into the body, he dragged it and himself out of the slimy water. his golden eyes glittered with a dark, grim triumph.

he tossed the body onto the riverbank, the action nonchalant and ungracious. it landed with a flop onto the sodden grass. once it hit solid ground, magpiefire's corpse faded away into nothingness- except for the chunk in jaguarflame's jaws.

jaguarflame waded out of the water and dropped his prey onto the ground and began to eat. the observers watched on, some shocked, some intrigued, some pacing on their paws as if they wanted a bite. the flesh tasted not so different than a piece of forest prey- like a shrew, perhaps, but slightly less sweet, more savory and lean.

"well done, jaguarflame." raintooth approached the tom just as he finished his meal, his amber eyes gleaming with a sick malice. "you've earned your place in the dark forest."

jaguarflame dipped his head. "thank you, raintooth. not only for the opportunity to prove myself, but also for the chance for me to eradicate that excuse of a cat magpiefire." the tom's tongue swiped across his jaws, searching for the last juices from the flesh. "you've raised me better than that monster ever could."

raintooth's amber eyes glimmered with pride for his former apprentice. "and now you've conquered her for good."

jaguarflame rose his head as the dark forest cats cheered his name. magpiefire had been wrong; he was no outcast.

he belonged.

❦ winners ❦

first place: cinnamonbunns- with jaguarflame

second place: smoltea_ with jaguarsmoke

third place: ashfeather- with jaguarlunge