The 4th Annual Smoothie Games // [Enter Your Pet!]

[koushi.]

Tribute 31



Max couldn't stop his teeth from chattering as she huddled in a damp heap in a crude den nestled underneath an ancient oak tree. She wrapped her tails around her in an effort to keep warm, but the damp black fur felt even worse than she'd thought. Her blue eyes struggled to focus on something other than than the killing rain falling just outside. She took back everything she had said about the games being staged. Every last word. The pain that she was feeling could not be recreated by anything the Capitall might cook up in a movie studio. In an effort to get away, she took a long breath, the frozen air ripping her throat, and closed her eyes.

When she opened them again, she was standing on the soft Milkgrass of her home. Looking out, she could see the shacks that made up District Eight. Max breathed in the scent of bread baking in Mrs. Celinas's bakery and the sweet smell of summer flowers. "Home." She breathed happily. With her heart beating quickly in her chest, she trotted into town with a skip in her step. There were many foxes out today, many of whom she knew very well. She saw Kixx helping his mother by carrying his sister in her tattered blanket while his mother carried groceries. He looked to her, but said nothing. Max swallowed and moved further up the road. Cooper Riken cackled outside the trading post with his posse. He winked at her and then doubled over in laughter. Max rolled her eyes. Idiot. Also at the trading post was Spiro and his weird tail, Henry. He had a bouquet in his mouth and padded north towards the cemetery. Max stopped and stared after him, something in her mind clicking into place.

Back in the damp, dark den Max's eyes flew open and she let out a cry. Her heart beat fast in her chest and her body began to jolt this way and that. She tried to suck in air but it seemed her throat had closed off the way to her lungs. She tried to sink back into the world she had created but it was ripped away by the tremors, turning it black and throwing it just out of reach. The fox emitted small squeaking sounds as her entire form was tossed around. Finally, tiny black dots began to stretch across her vision. Max took one final breath before her eyes rolled back in her head.

The cannon sounded as the last wisp of frozen breath left the fox's battered body. Outside, the rain continued to fall. It forced some tributes to make fires even though it was signing their death certificate. Some even began letting other tributes into their shelters in order to keep warm. But for the gamemakers watching from Control, it was their ticket to a promotion from their president.

[koushi.]

Tribute 5


"Darn these stupid branches!" Ester hissed with chattering teeth as he threw the wet sticks back onto the pile. He sat back on his haunches and tried to burrow himself into the thermal blanket that had been included in his pack. It wasn't doing much, but it kept the freezing rain off his back. He closed his eyes when a gust of wind brought another battalion of the freezing drops into his face. Hadn't the gamemakers done enough to them? "/Maneros/." He muttered, hoping that the stupid feather-brains up above knew the Felis language so that they could fully understand his rage. There was a crack of thunder in the sky and Ester was almost convinced that somebody was mad at him. The cat smirked and continued to make his damp fire as the training instructor had taught. Thank goodness that the chickens had taken some pity on their victims and given them more training beyond weapons and killing blows. Sure they had things on herbs and whatnot, but it wasn't very informative. Just the basics. Enough to survive if you needed to.

"Oh, yes! Yes! Burn, my tiny flame! Burn!" Ester leaned down and began to blow on the tiny flame seeping through the pile of wood. Even with the pounding rain, the tips of the flame slowly moved further and further towards the sky until it became a meager fire. It moved erratically in its wooden cradle. The heat hit Ester's quivering body and it felt like someone had squeezed heaven onto a sponge and letting him bathe with it. Ester paused for a moment to evaluate that particular thought and shook his head, chalking it up to the stress of the situation. He huddled by his creation desperately trying to soak up any warmth that he could. His breath came out in rapid wisps of gray smoke that disappeared into the darkness. In the back of his mind, he wondered how long he could last with his tiny fire and his stupid thermal blanket that looked like a sheet of metal he got in the marketplace. Turns out, it wasn't long.

After a few seconds of appreciated heat, the fire began to falter. "No, No, No, No, please!" Ester growled as he used his shaking paws to knead at the dying ashes, trying to revive his fire. The fire choked out with a dying breath of smoke before the sparks of light were gone and left Ester cold again. Ester stood up and looked up, squinting into the sky. The moon was gone in the haze of storm clouds, leaving the forest as black as the grim reaper's cloak. Ester knew that if he kept lingering around the dead campsite, he would be meeting him very soon. He started to pad briskly away with his head down and his paws fighting through the mud. Ester got a few paces more before he let out a gasp. His entire body sunk down into the cold substance. He looked down in the terror to see that the mud was up to his hocks and was not budging. He closed his eyes and felt his heart begin to beat uncontrollably. If the hypothermia didn't kill him, then some other tribute looking for an easy kill would. The latter became more and more inevitable when a pungent odor traveled through the rain and reached the nostrils of the frightened cat. Ester's eyes widened. There was only one tribute he knew whose scent couldn't be washed away. "Toxic."

Ester heard another boom of thunder overhead as he began pulling on his limbs, trying to work them out of the mud. He gritted his teeth and continued pulling while also sparing a glance behind his shoulder. There in the shadows was the faint glowing of the silent tributes wings coming straight towards him. What scared him even more was a that the tribute was taking his time. Ester felt fearful tears fall from his eyes and he whipped his head back around, yanking even more at his trapped limbs. A flash of lightening illuminated the scene as the young cat was weeping, exhausted from the futile attempt at escaping. He laid his head down in the mud, panting and defeated. /Just get it over with!/ Ester screamed at Toxic in his mind. His eyes squeezed shut as he felt something cold wrap around his neck and constrict around his neck. The material dug into his skin and cut off his oxygen. Ester began to choke as his head snapped backwards with sudden force that he thought a butterfly wolf wasn't capable of. His lungs began to burn and dots blotted out his vision. Soon, the dots took over and he descended into darkness.

The cannon blast was louder than the thunder. Toxic looked up at the sky through his goggles and then turned back to the cat under him. He quickly unwrapped his wire and watched the cat's head slump foreward. He attached the loop to his belt and jumped off the body, landing softly on the sucking mud. He reached over and snatched the thermal blanket off of the cat with his teeth. With the minimal lift that his wings could give him, he ran swiftly over the pit and hooked his claws into the nearest tree. He climbed up the bark in record time and scurried into the nearest hole, wrapping himself in the stolen blanket and trying to sleep as the night rumbled on outside.

[20lait1]

The cold is really harsh these games... poor tributes. I can't wait to see what happens next!

[koushi.]

Tribute 27



There's an easter egg in this kill. See if you can catch it ^^





The night of the killer cold was not a problem for one tribute. She had won the battles of the bloodbath and walked away with two packs instead of one of supplies and had outwitted her way through the lions and the dragons that had tried to steal them from her. Yes, Lynette had proven herself to be quite the competitor even though she was from District 7: the pony district. It had become quite popular to consider her district the weakest, even though some savage warriors had lost their lives in the games. It just made Lynette more motivated to win these games and prove that ponies were very underestimated by the larger competitors. Now in the midst of a freezing storm, Lyn laid on the cold ground of a cave while she watched the flames of her fire flicker and glow on the ceiling. Lyn smiled to herself and sighed, burrowing deeper into the thermal blankets she had wrapped around her. She almost felt like dozing off when a sickening smell invaded her nostrils. She was on her hooves in no time, spear in hand and pointing it directly between the eyes of the intruder. The intruder just smirked and cocked his head, spraying Lyn with tiny flecks of freezing water that actually made her flinch. "What do you want, you little insect?" She hissed, pressing the tip of the blade further into his forehead.

"Aw, Lynn." The intruder sighed wistfully, not at all frightened by the spear pointed at him. Even the clap of thunder behind gun couldn't wipe that stupid smile off his face. "You wouldn't hurt me? Your itty bitty Colly-Wolly." He puckered his lips and kissed the air.

The gesture irritated Lynn and she snorted, her nostrils flaring in anger. The two had "dated" when they were younger because that was the one thing kids still got to do under President Winter's rule. The fling had ended after her cousin, Lucio, was reaped for the first games. That was when she decided to grow up and leave Collin behind. Though, she never could outrun that cocky, childish, charming, lovi- "Don't talk to me like that. I'm not ten years old anymore." She growled, but the smirk on Collin's face still angrily melted her frozen heart. She let out a frustrated breath and dropped the spear. It clattered onto the stone floor by Collin's hooves. The other pony chuckled and trotted past Lynette, looking at the cave Lynette had made for herself. Her supplies lay tucked in the back corner, organized and protected. Lynette knew the look he had on his face and cleared her throat. "You want to tell me why you're here, Colly?" She spat out the nickname. Collin turned around with a cocky smile.

"Me and my friends needed a place to stay for the night. I figured my old flame would let us st-" He was interrupted by a hoof smacking him across the face. He shook his head and laughed, rubbing his cheek against his neck. "You still have some fire in you!"

"You better shut your snout if you want to stay alive, Taroka." She neighed in annoyance, swishing her tail behind her. "Now, where are your little friends?" She asked, looking over at her shoulder at the dark cave mouth and then back at Colin.

"Why, they're right behind you!"

"What?" Colin looked at an empty patch of air over her shoulder and nodded. Lynette narrowed her eyes and turned. Those narrowed eyes widened as something hard struck her head. The world rang and spun and she collapsed onto the ground. Blood pounded in her ears and she saw two new shapes join Colin's as they stared down at her. She blinked and tried to speak but the words dissolved on her tounge while the world continued to spin. The last image she saw was two gleaming red eyes smiling down at her and the veiw of the boulder filling her vision.

Colin glanced up at the sky as the cannon boomed. He then turned to Jessica, who was inspecting her bloody claws. "Good work." He commented, switching effortlessly from the charming Romeo to the emotionless tribute. He trotted over the entrance of the cave to keep watch as the other two in his alliance made themselves comfortable in the newly won cave. Jessica first got rid of Lynette, dragging her out of the cave and into the rain. Then the extinguished lava dragon lay by the fire in hopes of regaining her firey abilities in the morning. Bluebell scrambled to the heat of the fire, his small body racked with shivers. Rabbits and their thin coats really didn't do the cold. He curled up into a ball beside Jessica's clubbed tail and soon Colin could hear the snores from the two behind him. The pony shifted his hooves and watched the rain pour endlessly. In the distance, he could almost hear the screams of others caught in the icey rain. That didn't matter to him because the more of those screams he heard, the closer he was to winning.

[eltonn]

oh my!
another kill for savage little jessica!

[koushi.]

Smoothie Games Center!

Plurah: "Hello Clusco and welcome to another action packed episode of Smoothie Games Center! Your source for commentary and a live review of the games. If you've just turned on your television, hello yet again! I'm the astounding and very handsome Plurah Victorian,"

Cesar: "And I'm Cesar Cluckman...The host nobody really cares about. We're here know to talk about the latest death inside the icebox- I mean the arena. That tribute is the little kitten from District Two, tribute seven, Anna Fletcher."

"That poor kid. We all knew on some level that she would not make it very far in these games. Good kid, though.

"Agreed. In the end, it wasn't the cold rain or the dark that killed her. It was fan-favorite Sky Snow that ended the little cat's run in the arena. Plurah, will you kindly run the tape for me?"



Tribute 7:


"Anna was unfortunately one of those unlucky tributes who failed to grab a supply bag at the bloodbath at the start of the games.
She took refuge inside a tree but that was not enough to keep out the cold that has already killed so many so far. The gamemakers have really done well tonight! Anyway, Sky was happily snuggled in her blanket as she trotted through the woods, seemingly not at all concerned with the rain.
Deer don't get shaken by anything it seems. She heard the little cat crying and lured her out of the tree with the promise of shelter before finally ending her with a quick swipe of that deadly dagger she loves so dearly.


"That is what I love about Sky. She plays the peaceful friend and plays on her opponents emotions to make them feel safe around her and then turns on them just as easily. That is kind of what we saw with Pillow, her one time ally. She managed to switch off that murderous instinct around Pillow just long to avoid being the one stabbed in the back. That is an excellent strategy!"


"And an effective one at that. I expect big things out of her in the coming hours. And with that, we're out of time! Enjoy the rest of Games, Clusco!"

[20lait1]

Sky has ruthlessly killed another tribute - poor Anna. Congratulations to Sky for getting so far!

[koushi.]

Tribute 12


Fire. All she could see was the fire. The orange flames surrounded her cradle, making the cub scream in terror. All she could hear was the crackling of the elder wood that made up her childhood cottage as her mother picked her up by her scruff and hurried down the disintegrating stairs and into the wall of smoke. Her father roars from somewhere else inside the house but it is cut off quickly in time with a beam falling. Her lungs burn and her mother lets out a muffled scream as a section of the roof collapses right in front of her, sending up a wave of sparks. She hears herself let out a wail of "Mama!" while the fire continues to rage on. For a second, her mother waivers as flames lap at her paws. Finally, Layla finds herself sailing through the air and through the glass window and onto the grass outside. She can feel the comforting lick of her grandmother's tongue while the cottage collapses with her mother and father still inside. The flames continue to sprout until the rain falls and...a clap of thunder jolts her out of the memory and suddenly she's back in the muddy arena to face her nightmare come true.

The rain has turned into a misty drizzle and the cold has let up again but Layla was not focused on the weather. She was more focused on the dragon standing in front of her, his head is held high and he stared down at her through a pair of cracked glasses. His posture is stiff and his wings are extended fully, blocking much of Layla's escape route. Layla is frozen to the spot, crouched to the ground as memories of her mother's death flash before her amber eyes, the heat of the fire radiating on the burn mark she still carries on her stomach. She didn't even remember why the dragon got mad at her in the first place. With her coat puffed out against the cold of the night, Layla backed up a few steps, shaking her head
"Please, I promise that I won't give you any trouble." She whispered,
"Please, please, just let me live."

The dragon rolled his eyes and reached up to adjust his glasses. "Coward." He grumbled and lashed his tail. He dug his claws into the earth and propelled himself towards the terrified lioness with a roar that shook the trees. Layla screamed and tried to run but the dragon's claws sunk into her shoulder blades like an eagle picking out a fish from a lake. She fell into the mud, her face almost completely submerged in the mud. And then she was brought back up from the mud and then slammed back down into the earth. Her thoughts became one jumbled mess as she was repeatedly dropped into the mud. The dragon seemed to get bored at this and tossed the barely conscious tribute into a nearby tree with a loud thud. Layla could hear her heart in her ears as she forced her glassy amber eyes open to look at the dragon. He just stood there with a proud expression while the lioness forced her battered body to stand. She panted heavily and squinted through the foginess in her head, waiting for the final blow.
The dragon huffed and walked towards her, his movements precise and elegant, almost like the cat tributes in the first games. You know, the ones who didn't take the games seriously and died almost instantly. Those tributes. Layla backed against the tree on her hind legs, her broken claws digging into the soft bark. The dragon cocked his head. "And here I thought lions were supposed to be brave. Can't believe everything you hear, I guess." He spat and lifted a claw, bringing it down on Layla's chest.

Pain erupted through the lioness and she slid down the tree trunk, collapsing onto her side as the wound continued to bleed. She gasped and moved her head away from the blood currently pooling around her stomach. Layla felt another burst of pain and let out an airy sob as another claw mark adorned her chest, making a perfect "X". She shut her eyes as tears streamed down her cheeks. In the darkness, she could see the amber eyes of her mother smiling at her, beckoning her. All she could hear was her silky voice. All she could feel was the warmth of her fur. All she could see was darkness. Sweet, sweet darkness.

The cannon boomed much louder without any pesky thunder to dampen it. Tybalt glanced at the sky with a frown as the pink hues of dawn began to slice through the dark indigo of the night sky. He huffed and looked down at the lioness almost boredly before trotting off into the forest, trying to dry off his wings before his next fight.

Y'all know I love a juicy backstory and I had a ball with Layla's fear of fire. Also, my grumpy dragon boy needs to chill out.

[eltonn]

dang tybalt savage

[67Phlox]

Oml that was kind of intense!