The room was cold and dark...and full of tributes. Her competition. Some of them could eventually die by her claws. One of them might eventually kill her. Don't think about it. Focus on your gamemakers. 'Ana Crow.' It was time. --- Ana could the feel the eyes of the gamemakers staring her down as if she was an insignificant little beetle to them. /Don't look down on me/ she thought, glancing at the towering mountain of mud that stood in front ofher. /I'm one of your youngest and best careers, and you know it./ Mud. She've dealt with it in training, but it was still daunting to have to climb up a rather tall mountain of it. /I need to be as agile as I can be if I don't want to mess up. And I have to do it good enought to impress the gamemakers./ She could feel them getting even more bored by the minute. It was now or never. With a running leap Ana bounded onto the mud and started darting from one place to another. Her steps were quick and graceful as she made progress up the monstrous mudslide. Suddenly, a shadow appeared. /A fallen tree. RIght, this is supposed to be a mudslide simulation./ Ana leapt over it as it crashed into the mud. She hissed lightly as it scratched her paw pads, but refused to show it to the gamemakers. /I'll look weak. A good Crow doesn't- no, don't think about it. My /step/-parents can go die in a pit./ She was nearly there. Just a few more jumps and- A nearly invisible, transparent figure leapt at her. /Are you kidding me? Three holograms? As if a mudslide wasn't enough.../ She felt herself slipping as she ducked their nearly fatal swipes at her throat but regained posture as she continued up the hill. She needed the high ground, now. Her plan was simple. Lead them to the top, then knock them down the mudslide. But the holograms were fast. They caught up to her, biting her tail and dragging her down again. Ana hissed with immense pain, trying to fling them up to no avail. She then turned towards them, clawing them to get them off. The holograms finally fell back, seemingly shaken, then simultaneously leapt at her again. Ana was nearly there again. She felt exhausted, but she couldn't give up yet. With a final stretch, she grabbed the flag from the top of the mud, but felt the hologram's claws dig into her back and drag her down the mudslide. They tumbled around, trying to rip out each other's throat. Finally, Ana's hind leg kicked one of them in the head, making it vanish. A branch from a tree took out another as it was crushed under it, and Ana bit the other near the neck, feeling mud gather into her mouth as it disappeared. Then finally, finally, she was at the bottom and the mudslide was gone. The flag was in her mouth. But she was bleeding from cuts everywhere, and covered in damp, heavy mud. Ana had had enough. 'Praise be Imperium, I guess' she muttered. Ana then glared at the peacemakers and threw the flag to the ground, ripping it into shreds in the process. Then, she stalked out of the room, murderous thoughts circling in her mind.
