ROUND 2

[Darkstar]

Poof.

Moonfeather arrived in the Shared Clearing once again, her face a mess and her white fur stained. Around her, the seven remaining tributes surrounded her.

"The next round will be self-explanatory. It's a shame it will be so much like the first round, but I suppose that is how the wind will blow," she cackled.

Disappearing in a puff of smoke, Moonfeather left the tributes alone, until that poof of smoke started a fire that quickly grew and engulfed the trees.

"Run, my pretties."

(If you were not contacted to die, then you will not die. However, you can do whatever you want in reaction to the one who is dying this round. The 8 tributes and Moonfeather are the only ones who should be posting here. Any other posts made will be deleted and subtracted from you post count. Please give everyone a chance to post in this thread, and don't go crazy over making as many posts as you can.)

Crystalclaw Cloudbreeze Crimsonsky Falconwing Tuftfeather Willowbreeze Ibiswing Cherryleaf

[Ibiswing]

Smoke.

It became quickly apparent as Moonfeather seemed to disappear into thin air. Ibiswing's eyes began to water, and the air took on a choking scent. Moonfeather didn't have to tell them twice. Ibiswing ran, her legs working furiously, as the fire spread quickly and began to fill the surroundings with an unbearable heat. Her thick pelt itched, but she hardly noticed. This was no time to stop. She had to keep moving.

A tree. Could she climb a tree? No. That would be suicide. The fire would trap her. But she was going to get too tired to keep running at some point. Still, she ran, her fear keeping her muscles moving, however much they ached. She breathed in short breaths, partially from sprinting and partially from the smoke, which was growing thicker by the second. She felt her lungs straining for air, but she ran.

"Cloudbreeze!" she screamed. She wasn't going to let her friend get separated from her. "Cloudbreeze!"

[Falconwing]

Falconwing stood, his paws pressing into the ground. Smoke rose where Moonfeather had been standing, until it turned into a flickering flame. His fur shot up and looked at the other cats. He glanced at Crimsonsky, hissing. Treeclan's forest had caught fire so easily, making them stay with Iceclan for moons. Would the entire forest burn down?

"Crimsonsky, run! Go to a river!" he shouted and turned, nearly stumbling over a few rocks. He was determined to get to Crimsonsky as quickly as he could, remembering their alliance. He coughed as he sucked up some smoke from the fire. The tabby passed Crimsonsky, trying to lead the tom. With a small leap, Falconwing nearly landed on a root, the large fire behind him. It scared him, knowing that everybody was vulnerable. The smoke stung his eyes as he ran from the raging fire that began to take over the forest.

[Cherryleaf]

Cherryleaf watched the she-cat be there, then leave, her ears twitching wildly, her claws flicking in and out. Would there be a fight? Would she get to tear skin? Blood spraying everywhere?

Nope.

As the fire started, Cherryleaf's eyes widened and stayed dilated. She'd stood, but her paws were rooted to the spot. She was completely unable to move, unable to look away.

There was no fire.

Instead, there was a thunderpath, and it was the same thunderpath as before. She saw Tuftfeather running toward it, and Cherryleaf turned her head a bit. As expected, there was a twoleg monster coming straight for the she-cat.

"N-no," Cherryleaf whispered, still rooted to the ground. "Tuftfeather, don't... Tuftfeather, th-the twoleg monster will get you." Cherryleaf shook her head, her whole body still and tense, fur rising slightly. "Tuftfeather, you can't cross yet. You have to wait. Wait."

[Willowbreeze]

Tongues of fire reflecting in Willowbreeze's bright blue gaze, she felt the bile rise in her stomach and immediately took off away from the other tributes and especially away from the fire. This wasn't her first fire; there had been another one in FireClan's territory when she was a young apprentice. But that was a minor fire and quickly extinguished by a heavy downpour. This was a gaping wall of flames threatening to burn her pelt off by the second.

Smoke stung her throat and her eyes began to water. Gasping with shock, the silver tabby nearly jumped out of her skin as a charred branch collapsed before her and burning leaves and embers showered in the air. Snarling with frustration, she bounded away in the other direction and found herself back where she had started; with the other tributes. Mouse-dung! There's almost nowhere to go from here!

Beginning to cough violently from the smoke burning in her lungs, Willowbreeze managed to hear Falconwing's call to his clan-mate. She felt mouse-brained for not thinking of it herself, but was there even any water around them? Not taking the chance to think about it, she bounded off after the IceClanners in hope their strategy wouldn't be in vain.

[Cloudbreeze]

Cloudbreeze had glared out at the clearing when smoke hit her nose. The tabby and white cat gagged, giving a small cough before heading her name being called.

'Cloudbreeze! Cloudbreeze!'

"Ibiswing! Run! Follow me! Run now!"

The gray cat found the other she-cat nudging her forward as she took off, paws flying off the ground as she ran as fast as she could. She was trying not to breathe in the smoke, but it was hard when you were running away with a fire behind you.

"Ibiswing! Are you there?"

[Crystalclaw]

CrystalClaw had become disoriented in the smoke caused from the fire. She felt lightheaded from lack of oxygen. She looked upward straining to see the stars for some sort of direction. Nothing. She felt so alone. Where was everyone? She felt as though she were in a cocoon. She new she was getting weaker. CrystalClaw knew that if she didn't do something now she would die. That thought made her angry. Not here, not like this, not now. From somewhere deep within her she began to draw on some inner strength and she began to put one paw in front of the other and move forward. Her legs felt like lead weights but she pressed forward not quite sure if she was moving in the right direction. Her feline senses kicked in and urged her on, on, on. Finally she collapsed from sheer exhaustion, she had not an ounce of strength left in her. White fur now blackened with sweat and smoke and dirt Crystalclaw fell.

She struggled to get up she needed to keep going, there was barely an ounce of breath left in her. She got up and fought the urge in her body to fall down again. She pushed forward, again and again.

[Ibiswing]

(It's been an hour, so we're allowed to reply again nowww.)

Ibiswing glanced back for a moment and noticed a cat rambling about Tuftfeather, the one who died. Wasn't her name Cherryleaf? She widened her eyes. "Get out of there, Cherryleaf! You're going to burn to death! Hurry! Run!" For a moment, she considered running back and dragging her forward, but the fire was spreading quickly and there was no time. She forced herself to look away, and then heard Cloudbreeze calling. Ibiswing! Run! Follow me! Run now!

The she-cat ignored her screaming bones and tore after Cloudbreeze. "I'm right here!" she yelled hoarsely, hurrying after Cloudbreeze's silhouette. The smoke was making it hard to see and hard to breathe now, and she tried to suck in small lungfuls. "Don't wait for me! Just run!"

[Crimsonsky]

He awoke suddenly to the smell of smoke. It burned his eyes and filled his lunges, making him cough and attempt to blink it away. But it was futile. He had been a fool to sleep. He took off running, Falconwing at his side. He was going completely blind. His only sense of direction was following Falconwing. He'd never been to these parts before. Were they running to the same river that IceClan had?

Why did that even matter? "Stupid," He told himself, as he was distracted for a second and nearly tripped over a root. The fire was catching up. The smoke was becoming thicker and thicker. Soon it would fill his lungs, if he didn't hurry and get out of here. "Where do we go?" He yelled, coughing on smoke. "I'm following you. Don't die," He rasped. He needed oxygen. They had to find this river, and quickly.

[Falconwing]

Falconwing nodded quickly, feeling weighted. A life depended on him. He tried to scent out the smell of water, or even listen to it, but the smoke and roar of the fire deafened his senses. He coughed, hearing Crimsonsky's coughs as well. Falconwing growled and stumbled forward, narrowing his eyes. They needed to find somewhere safe, and quick. The heat from the fire began to bother Falconwing's skin.

"Just, run for now! Try to keep up and follow," The tom meowed loudly, and began to struggle to even move forward. He growled and picked up his pace, keeping a lookout for a small cleft, a river, or maybe even a cave. He quickly ran forward, his eyes peeled for something. Anything. A sign of safety. Climbing in trees would be a stupid idea. Besides, Iceclanners can't climb trees. They were built for rocks and mountains and swimming.

Poor Crimsonsky. The tom was probably choking to death from the lack of oxygen. Suddenly, Falconwing nearly slipped off a small hill. It wasn't even a hill, just a bump in the ground. Wait a moment...It was a rabbit hole! The entrance was facing away from the fire. They might be safe in there.

"Crimsonsky, get in here! It might be big enough for the both of us," Falconwing waved his tail, sliding into the hole, struggling. Iceclanners were also well built. Well, most of them were. He hoped that Crimsonsky was close behind him as Falconwing crawled and squeezed his way through the hole, grunting with effort.

[Cherryleaf]

Cherryleaf scarcely heard Ibiswing. The fire still appeared as the thunderpath, and Tuftfeather was still running toward it. The twoleg monster was growing closer and closer, as did the fire in reality, and Cherryleaf shook her head to Ibiswing. "No," she whispered, "Tuftfeather is my Clanmate. She's going to get herself killed if she runs in front of the monster... I-I have to... I have to push her out of the way before she gets to the thunderpath. She can't be killed. Her message for her father..."

The TreeClan cat began stumbling forward, her white paws becoming brown with dirt, her tail dragging behind her as she fumbled blindly forward. "Why does it hurt to breathe? I guess it's the thunderpath." Cherryleaf's words were almost completely incoherent as she mumbled them, taking a few more steps closer to the fire.

[Ibiswing]

"No!" cried Ibiswing, stopping again. She turned around and shook her head violently. "Tuftfeather is dead! That's no Thunderpath, that's a fire! Get away, now!" Tears stung her eyes, and her throat felt raw. The fire was too close. The heat was hurting her skin. She had to get away, or she would die. "Please! Tuftfeather isn't there! You're going to die if you stay there! Run, now!"

Taking her own advice, Ibiswing turned and sprinted after Cloudbreeze, attempting to catch up with her. "We have to go to the river!" she said loudly to her Clanmate. "Hurry! It's getting closer!"

[Cloudbreeze]

Cloudbreeze glanced backwards, staring at Ibiswing.

"I'm not leaving you! We're making it out alive!"

She paused, waiting for her to catch up. Then, the tabby she-cat noticed Cherryleaf.

Oh no.

"Cherryleaf, come with us! Run!"

The tabby and white cat sprinted off, giving a few coughs as smoke came into her lungs.

[Cherryleaf]

Cherryleaf tensed up and stopped moving, ignoring the calls of the other cats. "No! How dare you tell me to leave my Clanmate?! Tuftfeather will get killed by the monster!"

In Cherryleaf's eyes, Tuftfeather was getting closer and closer to the thunderpath by the moment. In reality, the fire was still several tail-lengths away, but the heat and smoke were radiating powerfully off it.

The moment Tuftfeather's paw hit the cement of the thunderpath, Cherryleaf broke into a run. "NO! Tuftfeather! You can't! THE MONSTER!" She screeched helplessly as she ran.

A paw-length from the fire, Cherryleaf shoved off the ground, her paws leaving the grass behind and being surrounded only by air, then fire. "TUFTFEATHER!" Cherryleaf's screech sounded as she leaped into the fire, and for only a few moments after. Her fur, skin, her whole body burned, melted, until Cherryleaf was nothing more than ashes. Her screeching had continued until she was no longer living, and the sound echoed for a few moments after.

And when the daylight comes, I'll have to go...

[Crimsonsky]

Crimsonsky followed Falconwing through the smoke and fire. He didn't exactly know where he was going. Was this really the best chance for his survival? Well, he couldn't leave Falconwing, now. He'd made a deal, and his last actions wouldn't be to break it. Old Crimson would have, but he wasn't that cat anymore.

He yelped as Falconwing fell into something. A rabbit hole? Yes. Their only chance. There was no escape from the fire, it seemed, They had probably gone the wrong way from the river. The fire was literally right behind them, and if they didn't get some cover now they were both going to burn. He jumped into the rabbit hole with Falconwing in disgust. He didn't want to be this close to a cat he might end up having to kill. He didn't think Falconwing would betray him, if he wanted to, he probably would have already, but it still made him uncomfortable.