fall of a shadow

[[don't]fear[the]reaper]

==For those of you puzzled, this is, yes, a private thread between myself and Foxx. Afterwards, others can join in.
I'm rating it PG-13, just for safety. Those of you who feel comfortable with what promises to be a very... dark thread may continue.
It takes place during the Gathering, by the way. Just for kicks.


there's something inside me that pulls beneath the surface

The moon shone in the sky, full and such a bright white, it illuminated everything, even the normally black waterfall. The waters roared past the rocky ledges that surrounded its pool, past the violet eyes that watched the clear sky with hate and loathing for all the heavenly bodies. The stars, the moon, the sun, the clouds: all were hateful, symbols of a life she had never been allowed to live, much less share in.

consuming, confusing

Eclipse had once been a nice cat, I suppose. Her past was shrouded in shadows enough that the pathway to this new form was invisible. She had certainly fallen far from what she'd once been, though. Her paws, jet-black though they were, were stained a deep rust-red with blood, and her muzzle fur had dried into hard spikes. Her eyes, once bright with hope, were now cold, devoid of all emotion save anger and hate.

this lack of self-control, i fear, is never ending

Now Eclipse struggled with the Voice. The Voice, who had guided her this far, had taught her everything she knew. During the new moon, when the sky was dark, she'd let it control her actions, move her limbs and guide her thoughts. But, during the full moon, its power seemed to wane, weaken. The one sliver of perhaps-sanity that Eclipse still possessed chose this time to speak up, but it was promptly pushed back by the Voice. You need me, Eclipse. We've come so very far together; would you get rid of me like a prey's carcass? it said so gently, so calmly, Eclipse found her resolve weakening. We can do it, you know. Clean the world of all the refuse, the trash. Why not start now?

controlling, I can't seem to find myself again

[angels.to.demons]

ooc - "shrouded in shadows"? xD That was soooo a set up.

this world will never be
what i expected
and if i don't belong
who would've guessed it?

Ah, yes, the world could be so cruel. Why give someone the chance of happiness, then pluck it from beneath them when they had their guard down? After a hard life, Shadow wasn't sure what to do anymore. Abandonment .. was that all he would ever know? Just the look in his kin's eyes only a few hours before had startled him so bad he'd backed away, fear placing icicles in his spine.

and i will not leave alone
everything that i own
to make you feel like
it's not too late; it's never too late

As the stars lent shimmer to Shadow's smudgy silken pelt, and gave their silver glow to the tom's already lustrous sapphire eyes, he felt the essence of all of his ancestors leering at him, mocking him from the skies. They had done this to him, he was sure .. given him and his two closest friends in the world a taste of happiness, only to pull it from their mouths and throw it in the water.

Demon had had Redblood to make her feel happy .. until they called him away to GorgeClan without reason. Shroud had her beautiful kits, the children she'd vowed to do good by .. until they, too, had a calling to the Clans. Shadow had found solace in the fact that his friends' losses were greater than his for one main reason: they're unhappiness was futuristic. He still dwelled on things long forgotten by most others.

no one will ever see
this side reflected
and if there's something wrong
who would've guessed it?

Long, long ago, in the dark crevices of the Faithful Shadows, a vicious, back-stabbing she-cat and a haughty, snooty but darkness-filled tom had copulated to bring out the worst and best of their sides .. their child. Shallowstorm and Squirrelpelt did not love each other; they used one another to scratch their itch, and when the beautiful gold femme was left with child, the gray tom snorted and asked her what she intended to do about it.

He later died in battle, but Shadow didn't know if his father had died a coward's death or if he'd gone down with some honor stuffed down his throat.

Squirrelpelt had tried to raise her child, but she wasn't the mothering type; she was still strongly hormonal and would leave her child alone at night for some pointless, circling rendezvous. Shadow -- then Scorchedpaw -- felt as though all hope was given to the Clan cats and to the free cats -- the loners. His cousin, Flamepaw, and one of his friends, a she-cat in his position, Leafpaw, had joined together to form a trinity of legendary loyalty.

At that Gathering, the Fight of the Faithfuls, Scorchedpaw had been wounded by a pale gray she-cat -- Mintleaf, she was called -- and Squirrelpelt, enraged, had felt one small tug of maternal instincts and defended him. At least Shadow knew his mother had died loyally.

However, Shadow had always promised himself never to let his children from under his wing too early, as he and his friends were forced to do under the circumstances. Shallowstorm and Squirrelpelt .. Furyscar and Twilightsong .. Icespark and Foxfrost .. what kind of parents were they, to leave their children in the Faithful Shadows for all eternity?

For Shadow never really left it.

He just shoved that darker part of him into the dust beneath his paws.

i have left alone
everything that i own
to make you feel like
it's not too late

it's never too late

Glancing up, he realized where he was .. the Whispering Falls? Why had he come here? Only then did he notice the lone, dark figure of a warrioress, silently contemplating death, and not for herself.

the world we knew
won't come back
the time we've lost
can't get back
the life we've had
won't be ours again

this world will never be
what i expected
and if i don't belong

[[don't]fear[the]reaper]

==the title was a setup, m'dear. that sentence was just a mistake, i think. -shrug-

crawling in my skin

Eclipse looked down from her murderous contemplation of the night sky, and saw another feline standing there. Was he lost? Was he searching? Was his arrival here intentional, or a mistake? Either way, it mattered not to her. He was a trespasser here, where the water's roar masked the screams of the tormented.

these wounds, they will not heal

Go on now, the Voice said gently, taking control of her body to move her to a standing position. He's filth, isn't he? No one comes here innocent, Eclipse. You know that best, don't you? The Voice laughed as Eclipse's mind flinched. He should die. It will make amends for your own crimes, won't it? The Voice faded away, but Eclipse continued to stand, glaring daggers of pure hate and venom at the strange tom before her.

fear is how i fall

"Trespasser." The blood-stained maw opened to let a cold voice cut across the water's sound. Eclipse stepped closer to the blue-eyed tom, claws sliding out from her stiff-furred paws unconciously. "Leave now by your own will, or stay and leave by mine." The jet-black she-cat was devoid of feeling right now. She felt neither the spray of the falls, nor the cold of the stone beneath her feet. All she wanted was to kill, rip, tear this cat's body to shreds, but still that tiny bit of her pulled at her violent will, telling her to at least give him a chance to leave alive. Normally, Eclipse would ignore that, as the Voice would silence it quickly, but this time, the Voice stayed silent. So Eclipse let it have its way. She would give this tom a chance, futile though it may be.

confusing what is real

[angels.to.demons]

Shadow felt a little insane himself.

After all, this obviously psychopathic she-cat was intending on murdering him or chasing him away with his tail tucked between his legs, but he smiled brightly at her -- an expression that hadn't brushed his muzzle in a long, long time.

He tilted his head and from his jaws flowed this:

You? Kill .. me? He laughed softly, though it sounded not jovial, but resigned. He was not mocking her killing skills; oh, no, she looked very capable of killing a washed-up drudge like Shadow. No, he was chuckling at the idea.

An end to all of the problems of Shroud, of Demon, of Crimsonstar, of his beautiful, lost-to-him children. They would never have him on his conscience again .. if they ever did. The son of Shallowstorm and Squirrelpelt, the grandson of Crimsonlight, Flowerpetal, Stormfaith and Wingedflight, met the eyes of this she-cat and sighed; dark, rich blue with cold, pale ice-blue.

Hate was the expression in her eyes. Defeat was the expression in his.

However, he would not allow himself to go down so easily. Shadow, for the last time, gave himself a let-down. Fight her, you idiot. If you're going to die like spineless filth, and least fight her for it.

Rage in his clear blue eyes, the handsome black and silver warrior, named after the darkness in his heritage, rushed at Eclipse, lunging for her in a vicious way that he knew would lead him straight to death.

Goodbye, Scorchedshadow, whispered his mind as he barreled into Eclipse, not quite with strength. He was at her mercy now .. however little that may be.

ooc - I'm a little sad now. -hides in shell- But I still want him dead. I've been prolonging this for a long time. -strokes angsty dying Shadow ((whose name bears a powerful resemblance to a certain hedgehog))-

[[don't]fear[the]reaper]

[[apologies for any powerplaying.]]

i don't know what's worth fighting for
The fool. Eclipse did not dodge Shadow's lunge, as so many others would have. Rather, she lunged back, knocking into the tom and pinning him to the ground. Her claws were extended, and the pupils of her eyes had dialated to the point where her eyes were almost entirely black, ringed only by cold amethyst. Eclipse smiled thinly. This is what it came down to, eh?
or why i have to scream
"You play games you know naught of, tom," Eclipse snarled quietly at her victim. "Undoubtedly, you've left your mate and kits to do as you please. It's what your ilk do best." Her smile grew colder still. "But I have a cure for it. I know how to make it all better for you."
but now i have some clarity
Against her will, Eclipse felt a vision pulsing, pushing at her. She found herself in a whirlwind of the past: this tom, fighting together with two other she-cats; leaving one of them; having two kits; leaving the kits to the second she-cat's care; finding his kits again; and now leaving them. Arching her back as she watched the past blow by her, Eclipse pressed her claws down on Shadow's throat. "You get one last chance, tom. Explain." She gasped finally, voice wickedly cold and icier than before.
to show you what i mean

[angels.to.demons]

Pulling his head up, Shadow's eyes shot daggers at his would-be murderer. Considerably younger than him, this black-pelted she-cat was nonetheless much crueler and, yes, much stronger. However, Shadow wasn't going to go down without a fight.

After she pinned him, she felt it was all over; needless to say, he was sure she was going to remove his life's blood and hit his jugular with more force than needed with those needle-like teeth of hers. He dreaded it, and yet, he longed for it; he was not suicidal, but he was so damned .. tired, you could say. Tired not of life, but of losing.

However, he was surprised when her voice hit his twitching, velvety dark ears. Explain! What the hell was she thinking? Explain? Leave his mate and children? That had been the last thing on his mind. This ignorant fool knew nothing of his background! This idiot did not know his name!

He snarled involuntarily at her, wanting to hurt her as she'd hurt him by implying he did not care for his kin, when that was the only thing on his damned conscience night and day. He'd left his comfortable home in the loners' terra, left his distraught, beautiful wife and loyal cousin. He'd sought the truth behind the reasons of his kits' departure; and when he'd found out, he'd been pondering on how to break the news to Shroud, and tempt her to move into the Clans with them.

Now he was being accused of not caring by this cold-blooded idiot? Rage pounded in his ears and in his veins; he felt as though claps of thunder were booming throughout his soul. Angrily rearing his head up, he spit at her, this thoughtless rogue, How dare you imply I don't care for my kin? How dare you act like you know me? My kits left me. My mate is lost. I was .. I was .. this isn't your territory.

Struggling beneath her, he attempted to slide away, tail curling against his paws as he panted. Claw marks had been gouged lightly into his flanks, so as to keep him into place; staring him down, barely two mouse-lengths from where he sat, was the dark rogue.

I came here to think of ways to bring my family together again, he snapped hoarsely, stepping forward menacingly. And I'm failing this task .. so if you're going to kill me and leave my kin in tatters, do it. For the last time, Scorchedshadow lunged, claws unsheathing. Por fin.

ooc - "at last". xD i powerplayed a bit, too .. heh.

[[don't]fear[the]reaper]

[[meh.]]

all this time i really thought you knew

For a moment, Eclipse stared across the tiny chasm at Shadow. Nothing was said by her. Then she laughed. Insanely, perhaps, but a laugh nonetheless. As Shadow lunged at her, she lashed out at him with her claws, aiming for his eyes.

the game was not meant for winning

She didn't want to kill him outright, not yet. Eclipse hadn't had this much fun in ages. Death seemed to bring out the best, in her mind, of her. To others, it made her more insane, more dangerous. She liked that. Eclipse thrived on the fear of her prey, her victims. And the more pain she caused this tom, the more fear he'd have. All the better for her.

explanation for the things i do

"You really want me to kill you?" Her voice said, still full of her dark humor. "You're a fool, little tom. But at least you're amusing. I'll kill you slowly, tom, abandoner of your family, like all toms."

no, but i'm constantly grinning

[angels.to.demons]

Suicide is for the weak, taunted Shadow, rising and shaking out his fur, which was bristling considerably. Rage and hatred shot through his eyes, through his blood veins; stepping forward, he smiled coldly.

Yes, you bitch, I left my kits. I left them in MireClan. They wanted to be left alone. So they've been left. Yes, whore, I left my mate. I left her to find a life without a chained-down cat like me. Yes, you fuc.king murderer .. I left everything I owned for this moment. Leaping forward, he growled, The moment of redemption .. no. I feel no regret towards anything I've done. And you can't make me be afraid of .. you!

Snickering, he unsheathed his claws. This is not the moment of truth; the moment of hatred; the moment of cleansing; this is the moment of .. of Shadow. Swishing his tail, the old Shadow came rushing back over him. Would it be a fight to the death? Would he suicidally rush into this "Eclipse" monster and be slain?

I have a feeling I'll be the first of many, he replied in answer to her question. I also have a feeling you'll be put to a stop some day. A horrible, screeching stop. And when you die, I'll be down there in hell, waiting for the chance to make you miserable. He made no mentions of StarClan or the DarkForest, of course, for he knew nothing of it.

[[don't]fear[the]reaper]

cold was my soul

Eclipse smiled coldly and laughed again. "'Murderer'?" She said, soundly oddly amused. "I am a cleaner of the world, tom. I am cleaning the world of your ilk. Any feline who dares come here asks for death, whether they know it or not." Her eyes were colder now, hard amethyst violet. Without warning, she barrelled into Shadow, knocking him onto the ground. Death was coming swifter now.

untold was the pain

"Do you know what your kind did to me, tom? To my family?" The jet-black cat whispered, claws sneaking forward towards his exposed throat. "My great-grandmother killed herself after giving birth to my grandfather because her mate left her, never came to see their kit. My grandmother killed herself when she thought my grandfather had left her for another. And my mother." Eclipse chuckled darkly, pressing down with her red-stained talons. "My mother killed herself, too, when Venomfang left her, never saw their three kits."

i faced when you left me

"My family is a cursed family, tom." Eclipse pulled her face closer to that of her quarry. "I intend to do away with that curse by redeeming them. And the first road to redemption is to do away with all who would continue our curse. You are the first of those. Be honored."

a rose in the rain

[[Nymphetamine, nymphetamine....]]

[angels.to.demons]

someone told me love will all save us.
but how can that be.. look what love gave us.
a world full of killing.. and blood-spilling
that world never came.

Would StarClan open their gates for the likes of Shadow?

Did he want to go to StarClan?

Weakly lowering his head to fix his color-faded blue eyes on the dark wraith before him, he took her words in as though a thirsty cat would lap in a puddle of rainwater.

Then, giving his last words, feeling the strength leave him with the words, he murmured this:

My family, too, was cursed. Shallowheart's daughter and deputy bore a son full of hate for his kind before he wed up with the daughter of a Clan leader; their children brought forth one of each kind, a good and a dark daughter. The dark daughter wound up with a cruel tom .. and I am the result of all of that.

Glancing down at higs paws, stained with his own crimson life's blood, he smiled weakly and looked away. How sad, to die by a murderer's paws .. but in Shadow's eyes, that was all to be expected.

I just hope you realize you're family isn't cursed .. you are the only curse in your line of kin.

And so the heart stopped beating; the eyelids closed off the beautiful blue eyes forever; the flanks stopped moving.

Shadow stopped altogether.

now that the world isn't ending
it's my love that i'm sending to you
it isn't the love of a hero
that's why i fear it won't do

[[don't]fear[the]reaper]

maybe i'll wake up for once

Eclipse cackled madly at Shadow's words. Her, the only curse? She would have liked to hear more from the now-dead tom. His words were amusing, tainted with the remorse of the truly guilty. She had done right that night. And so, the she-cat began her second ritual: the desecration of the corpse. She ripped it, tore it apart until it was barely recognizable as Shadow anymore.

not tormented daily defeated by you

As the moon began its descent towards the horizon, two things were clearly visible on the rocky plateaus that circled the waterfall: the bloodied, mangled carcass of a once-handsome tomcat, and the sob-wracked form of a jetblack she-cat, mourning her own madness. The voice told her that she'd done right, that his death was justified, that she was clearing her family's name and curse from StarClan's annals. But Eclipse, the part that remained of her still, knew she'd done wrong. And silently, she wished she could have stopped herself. But she couldn't, had never been able to.

just when i thought i'd reached the bottom

[[because we all know Eclipse is really sane. Kinda. Sorta. Not really.]]

[angels.to.demons]

ooc - Reading back over this thread, in a demented sort of way, it's really pretty.

[j a y d e . &]

[ooc - ha, yea, it is.xD can we kill shroud now?]

[[don't]fear[the]reaper]

[[Oh, sure, why not? Wanna new thread?]]

[j a y d e . &]

[ooc - nah. she'll see his body or something. idk. i'm lazy though.]