Post by Amaya on Dec 17, 2009 20:11:21 GMT -8
But her body barreled on, her throat beginning to thirst for revenge. Her limbs grew stiff with the throbbing of scars, firmer with the arrival of nearly foreign emotions - almost unstable with the fears of her mind, breaking through her barrier. Only he had the ability to do this to her, to disable her further than her mind could ever overcome.
The scent of blood slammed full force into her nostrils, and she nearly flinched. Her silence was disrupted, as she grew unstable and skidded for a moment. Lurching to the side, she narrowly avoided collision with tree bark - and then she froze.
Stained snow. The snow had been beautiful before - but now, it was horrendous. Crimson life stained it nearly everywhere, corrupted it deeply.. and the victim was in the middle of it all, its expression blocked by its hair, clothes shredded and revealing the goriest of injuries. And standing above it all was the master of death, with his enrapturing, petrifying rubies glinting - glinting so dangerously, staring directly into her silvers.
They stared at each other, for a moment. The entire world seemed to hold its breath, including the ashen huntress. And then the silence broke, as soon as a sneer - no, a deathly smile, played at his lips. The movement itself seemed to have a sound, of skin sliding slowly over perfectly equipped pearls. And he took a step forward. The smallest crunch, it made, but the loudest scream roared within her mind, causing her to nearly flinch, nearly lose it.
It was him... really, really him... The monster who terrified her, but fueled her with a determination to kill him - a flame that probably would lead to an attempted kill which would be almost like suicide.
She took a breath - but without a calm exhale, a snarl rumbled. Her barriers, without any of her realization, had crumbled. Fearful hatred slammed into her - and unstable rage embraced her muscles.
".. You...," she hissed through her teeth.
His smile seemed to grow. ".. Yes.. me..," he proceeded one paw-step, "Frightened, dear niece?"
She stiffened, fear slipping around her muscles as of now. But her body and mind were not cooperating - at least, not consciously. Subconsciously, they were perfectly in sync.
He laughed, a terrible laugh to her ears - but a chillingly enticing one to the foolish. And she nearly took a step back.
How foolish of her to have so willingly run here. It was as if she was asking to die. But it was her instinct, to go demolish and avenge. Even if it meant facing her fear. In this case, her greatest fear. Her own blood was her greatest fear.. just like her greatest enemy was herself.
Without warning, the beast, basically twice her size, charged. Her subconsciousness knocked her consciousness away, seizing control.
Their snarls were in unison, like a deathly harmony duet.
She backed up three swift steps as he approached - there was no turning back. Turning back now meant certain death. Without a feel in the world, she bolted, and right at the moment she knew was right, she propelled herself. High she went, very high for her size, and she cleared him as he surged past under her, her claws goring his back. But as she went for the landing, he knew.
He had lived more than twice her age, and probably fought and killed hundreds more than she ever bothered to try. So he knew. And she knew the risk.
But it was too late.
His fore claws dug into the Earth, and he used his momentum to throw himself around. His hind legs shot back, and for a moment, time seemed to slow down. She saw it coming, almost too slowly - but she knew avoiding it was futile. A single movement would leave either her neck or the back of her skull in firing range. Besides, her mind could not transfer movement fast enough to use her agility to avoid it.
His hind paw slammed into the side of her face, hard, roughly coaxing out the faintest yelp and sending her gliding. For two seconds or so, she was airborne, and then she crashed to the ground, rolling. Dizzy and disoriented, her lips peeled back to reveal her pearls. She knew he was coming; his footfalls were too obvious, too heavy to conceal in battle on snow.
Blocking out the pain, ignoring the disorientation, she rose to her paws, glaring at the near blurry figure that was bolting toward her.
Update! 12-18-09, 4:36 PM [my time]
He was approaching far too swiftly to create a clean avoidance of damage. She would have to compromise. Not to mention, even if he had gone a little slower, and she was able to go a little faster, her mind wouldn't work with her body fast enough in this state. Taking a crucial second to shake herself and regain as much awareness as possible, she tensed herself and prepared to piece a reaction to her mind.
Time was quickly running out.. Probably ten seconds left before he would reach her with his dreadful wrath. Her mind flipped through ideas so swiftly, she almost couldn't keep up. Nine seconds left... eight... An idea came to mind, as she observed him, to slide under him and gore his stomach... Seven... But it was far too risky, for he could easily kill her if she was to mess up even slightly... Six... Even if she didn't fail, he knew how to evade death far better than she.... Five... But what choice did she have?!
As soon as that final thought crossed her mind, her body seemed to tell her there was another choice.
It charged, throwing snow with each small but powerful paw-step. In not even a second, they were half a foot from each other, and just as both sets of jowls opened, she lurched to the side, clamping her jaws onto his neck scruff. This time, he couldn't put his momentum to good use, and so he launched himself to the side, attempting to throw the female off.
But she clung on, each of his movements causing her jaws to apply even more pressure. Slowly, her claws found a hold and allowed her to remain firmly upon his neck, waiting for the moment he would slow, and that window of opportunity would allow her to thrash and reek havoc for his throat.
Problem was, that moment didn't come soon enough. He had found a tree sturdy enough to slam her into, and he immediately bolted to it. Instinctively, she released him, kicking his side to knock herself away from the tree. And not a moment too soon. A split second after her tail flicked away from his shoulder, he slammed into the tree, causing it to tremble. But that didn't slow him down. Using his shoulder, he immediately pushed himself from the tree after failing to slam the huntress into it.
Thanks to his nearly impossible flexibility - for his size at least - he managed to wheel around, staring straight at his niece. A smile began to creep onto his lips again, and the glint in his crimsons grew greater.
The pallid dam coiled her muscles, her next attack already planned out. But it would have to take time; it was the only way her plan would be able to work. But he didn't seem to want to slow down anytime soon. At his speed, and at his rate of attacks, her plan would never work. So, when he charged, she swiftly put her plan on hold and charged as well.
She knew she couldn't take the brunt of his attack, and she knew she couldn't go under without high possibility to being crushed or at least knocked unconscious. Normally, the risk would be nothing, compared to what she went through in her solitude. However, he was a monster, and he would slowly rip her apart - and she had a feeling she would wake up to agony before he would let time finish her off. And she definitely couldn't allow that to occur.
The split second his jowls were about to sink into her flesh, she ducked. Not the severe duck that made one sink completely, but the duck that lowered her just a few inches, just enough to avoid being torn into yet feel his hot breath upon her skin. Launching herself at his side, her claws slashed ferociously, tearing off skin and allowing blood to stream freely down his side and to drip onto the snow. But, once again, her getaway did not go as planned.
As soon as she managed to get half of her bodice out of harms way, his side slammed into hers, staining her white fur with his blood and knocking the breath right out of her lungs. She hit the ground with a thud and rolled again. Perhaps he had calculated, for she stopped rolling and laid on her back for a vulnerable, helpless moment. He knew it wouldn't take more than two seconds for her to recover - but she knew that was all the time he needed to rip open her stomach.
She didn't need to smell his scent to know he was upon her; she already felt pearls make contact with her skin and, taking a severe risk, she immediately rolled over, paying with light scratches from her belly to her side - but it was better than having her intestines ripped out. Once upon her paws, she bolted for a tree, whisking around to have her tail touch the tree, watching her uncle like a hawk.
And it was then that she realized why his muzzle was so.. clean. And why his ivories were so cold. He had placed snow into his maw, stained it. From what she had seen, he probably bit into the victim once she hit the ground. And once the mortal was down, he probably took a bite of snow and bit into her stomach. She inwardly winced at the thought; that probably hurt like Hell... and she definitely didn't need to experience it. Snow covered bite after snow covered bite... She shuddered.
"Contemplating, my dear?" His voice was too close for comfort. Snapping into reality, she realized he was slowly approaching, now not even a yard away. Her heart seemed to speed up, if that was even possible, what with how much its pulse had increased since the battle began. He was planning something... And the stare he gave her, it burned into her own gaze, her glare, her death glare - it horrified her, renewed scars and much more.
The younger, much more vulnerable Amaya was returning. The Amaya she hated so, the one who ran when told to, who left her family to die. The one who -
"The one who deserved to die, and still does today..." She flinched. Had he just read her mind? No... No, it was something else... And it took her a moment to realize; her eyes. He could read her eyes.
She began to bare her fangs. "... Die..," she hissed under her breath, fearful hatred returning.
"We're both not that different, are we?" She knew what he was talking about. Half of her wanted to deny it, the other half wanted to agree. But, it was the truth. She wanted him dead, he wanted her dead. She wanted him to suffer, he wanted her to suffer. She was a murderer, and so was he.
Raising her tail, she dared to stare into his eyes. Her emotions faded away, her barrier returning. But the venom remained. And the only reason she knew, was because her reply was filled with it; ".. No... We're both monsters."
He smiled again. It was as if he was proud of her, proud of her acceptance of the fact that they were both damned, cursed. When he raised a paw, she did not flinch. No, her emotions died away as the barricade came back to life, and she merely proceeded one minuscule step.
His paw came to rest upon the back of her neck, and it soon pulled her somewhat closer. He now whispered into her ear, "Remember that very day, where I made you believe? Made you believe that I loved you as if you were my own child?" Her subconscious caused her fur to bristle.
Her jowls immediately flew into his face, without a single sound. It tore his flesh, caused blood to run down his entire face and drip onto the snow. "Ah, yes.. You certainly seem angry... at least, subconsciously.." He sneered, before swiping a paw at her. She managed to duck, before propelling herself at him.
Slamming into him, her anger cracked through the barrier; she growled, "Teller of untruths, you shall perish!" And once she was thrown off of him, landing on her side with her breath fleeing from her body, her barrier began its slow, crumbling descent.
Update! 12-19-09, 10:58 PM [my time]
She was being far too foolish; never had she ever thought of the disadvantages of the barrier's death. If she had, perhaps she would have realized that pain would arrive in such powerful amounts that it would be overwhelming. If only she thought of it sooner, if only she prepared herself for this very confrontation. Perhaps then her risk of being torn apart so easily wouldn't be so high.
The moment she attempted to get up, pain tackled her so excruciatingly, she buckled and collapsed back to the white-covered Earth. Pearls clenched tightly together, she clamped her silvers shut. The pain from being kicked in the face, from landing on her ribs, from being scraped on the side.. Add that all to the pain her barrier had kept from her; the burning of the scars, both physically and mentally, laced with the physical punishment of the battle.
For once in her life, fear gripped her heart, which beat much more fiercely than it ever had before, when she realized, I probably won't make it.
Then she felt a sudden surge of pain, of urge to cry a river. The pack. And most of all.. Seiko. They needed her - and she didn't want to die yet. She couldn't die like this, she just couldn't. Seiko... Seiko. She needed to see him. She wanted to be with him, to... He was just too important to her...
A paw slamming onto her neck snapped her from her tormenting thoughts, and it was almost as if that jolt of reality brought forth amnesia. She couldn't remember what made her want to cry, what made her feel her eyes sting and water in ways physical injuries could not do. But the breath on her neck did not allow her to remain still and ponder.
Instinctively, she writhed, pearls baring as her orbs reopened to glare directly into a crimson gaze. She could see that glimmer - the glimmer that she had struggled to remember the previous times she saw it. But now, so close up.. she remembered why it meant so much to her.
As a pup, she had loved those eyes. They were the sign of her source of comfort - and that glimmer was so familiar. It was once the sign of safety, of happiness. He dried her tears when she cried, whispered fatherly words when she needed guidance, taught her when she was foolish.. and she loved to be near him, because.. they were the same in the eyes of the pack. Outcasts. Cursed. Infected. Deserving to die.
Agony screeched in her mind. "Fuck you!" she snarled, breaking from her reminiscent state. In that split second of returning, her ivories sank into his maw, causing him to flinch and jerk back, a snarl coming forth as blood streamed more than steadily onto the snow.
He rose to his hind legs, thrashing his cranium before he propelled himself into the air. It was a risky move he planned, but what did he care? Once reaching the highest height he could obtain, he jerked his apex only twice, before shifting into a position where he would nosedive - but the huntress would be in the way and take the blow. Or at least, it was his plan.
The female really could have let go and gotten out in time - if he wasn't so large. His momentum, plus the air resistance, made it difficult to escape harm. And so, a violent yelp escaped her as they slammed into the ground, and, going along with his plan, he sank his teeth deep into her chest. She clawed at him for a second, before she paused. Her movements stilled as he bit down harder, almost squeezing the life out of her, in a way.
But she remained unmoving, staring at him, watching that smile form at his lips. Her paws.. They were probably in perfect position, if she could just... a light shift... there. She waited a second, before abruptly snatching him. Her forepaws sank their claws into his shoulders, hanging on tightly, while she brought her head over his. Biting his forehead, she gored her hind legs down his stomach, ripping his underbelly - and yes, damaging his private slightly - and causing blood to spill onto her own stomach.
He howled, almost roared, in pain, releasing her from his grasp and jumping back, right as she released him.
He watched her, as she got back to her paws. And then he sneered; blood of blood had been spilled - and he just savored the smell. With a dark laugh, he barked, quite loudly, "Now, isn't this a fun way to go, my lovely niece?"
Update! 12-22-09, 1:45 PM [my time]
At this point, her barriers were bipolar. They were fading and returning, fading and returning. The emotions were crying to be heard, to be used, but she only had grip on them for seconds at a time. Knowing it would be difficult to reply verbally in this state, she merely lifted her lips, allowing them to peel back and reveal her pearls.
Senshi laughed, cackled enough, but she dared not make a move. He was quick, especially his reflexes - and he was strong, and large, with much more experience in murder. Attacking him when he seemed to purposely make himself vulnerable was foolish, idiotic. A death trap. She knew it all too well. But she also knew the feeling of numbness all too well, and it was, once again, returning and departing. At this time, the ashen dam wished she had more control over her emotions, over her barriers.
But she snapped from her thoughts the moment he charged. His footfalls were now thuds, frighteningly loud. Without much hesitation, she took a step back, invisibly scanning the area for something to get him to stop. Every plan she created had backfired or dissatisfied her. She had to make another plan, form another method of battle.
However, when her mind concluded, it was the same method. Risk her damned life; die fighting, rather than fearing. So she dared place the snow, and nearly dying, into her plan. In a split second, the idea formed. Without bothering to justify it - there was no time, after all - she whipped her paw into the snow, throwing chunks of it at his face.
A normal beast would slow down or veer off course - but it was that, that he had used against others. Normally, they would think it would work on him, stop him and slow him down. But all they did was blur his vision for a moment and waste their time. Amaya knew that was how he was, and so used it to her advantage.
He laughed as the alabaster crystals slammed into his eyes, and he shook his head as he continued to barrel toward his target. But she had already crouched, too low for him to reach, and just as he reached two feet away, she propelled herself. Twisting, she clawed both his sides by slipping under his stomach, fore and hind claws spread out. Once more blood stained the Earth, she curled up, allowing her to avoid hitting his legs and roll as she landed in the snow.
Swiftly, she immediately got to her paws, knowing that his bark was a signal that he was turning around to attack once again. She didn't have much time.
As soon as he whisked around, she bolted for his throat, knowing that she probably wouldn't manage to sink her teeth into his weakness just yet. She just needed to concentrate on that spot; her plan would come later. Besides, she now had to avoid getting run over by her bulldozing uncle. After a split second, they were about to collide. Without a second thought, she leaped for the side of his face, quickly clamping her jowls onto the left side of his face. Using her momentum, she threw herself onto his back, claws digging into his neck and the area near his spine.
As he abruptly halted, she slipped her jaws from his face to the back of his neck, slamming them down hard and causing more of his blood to splatter. But he did not scream or show any signs of pain; he merely sneered and dropped into a roll. Too fast for her to avoid.
Now it was her turn to scream - and that she did. As his weight began to crush her, she writhed, attempting to free herself. But the roll was approaching too fast; he was going to be halfway done in not enough a second - but her mind refused to give up. Instead, as his bodice came completely over her, she used all her strength to kick, adding on a vicious bite. It got him to roll backwards; she had acted just at the exact moment to prevent death - but she was panting harshly as she scrambled away from him.
Alas, she collapsed when she only managed to put seven yards between them. Gasping for breath and aching, she knew her barriers had died. And now, she began to wish Seiko was here. She needed him - needed him desperately. But she didn't want anyone other than her and her uncle dead. No one else needed to die.. No one..
Update! 12-26-09, 6:something PM [my time]
Those thoughts began to mix in her mind, mixing with rage and the whispers of vengeance. Her energy slowly returned, and it felt.. wondrous. Ice upon wounds, water washing out salted injuries. She could have spent time to savor it, she really could have - but she knew better than that. Wasting time meant death - and she could hear his footfalls, slow and taunting, as he approached her from behind.
From the sounds of it, he was four yards away, and closing the gap steadily. But then she heard a puff, and his padding abruptly became dashing. Instinctively, she got to her paws and braced herself. But she did not turn around; it would make her next move next to impossible, and she really couldn't risk that. With a deep breath, she allowed the barriers to return and numb her from everything. And then she felt his hot breath - so close, so fast -
- and she pushed her hind legs up. She nearly flipped, allowing her hind paws to slam into Senshi's chin, knocking his apex higher and throwing him into temporary, quick disorientation. But she did not allow herself to remain in his path. Swiftly, she transferred her energy to her fore legs and pushed herself off the Earth. Airborne for a split second, she used her flexibility to twist, and the next split second allowed her hind claws to slam into the beast's muzzle and knock her onto his back. For a second, she balanced herself - and then she was gliding through the chilled air, focusing on a very, very far landing spot.
The focus didn't help as much as she wanted it to. Instead, she landed short about a yard, due to her injuries, and her landing was far too rough. Due to uneven handling of the impact, she instinctively pushed herself into a roll, and upon pausing point, she merely laid there. Deep, nearly controlled breathing allowed her body to relax and recover. Paradise, she needed a miracle now - she really did.
She heard him turn around, heard his light growl. Slowly closing her optics, she cleared her mind, thinking of nothing and feeling nothing. Perhaps, just perhaps.. Someone - or something - would arrive to rescue her. Because, she knew, despite how long she had held out, it wouldn't be long until his pearls had a grip upon her throat.
[Sei's] Update! 12-27-09, 12:10 AM [our time]
Paws left a winding trail behind the wolf as he padded through the snow, nose lowered to the ground for no reason as his tail hung limply between his legs. He was not sad, angered, or anything really. He was simply wandering wherever his feet took him. And so far, they were taking him, unknowingly, farther away from where the damnation of Amaya's kin would soon take place.
His black fur stood out in contrast to the virgin snow he trekked through, but Seiko didn't pay attention to that. In fact, emotions did soon begin to show themselves, but only inwardly. The brute was past letting emotions betray themselves to the world, having learned to shut them off so long ago when he was still nearly a pup. But once more, confusion slowly clawed into him. Shai and him had broken apart a while ago yes, but Amaya and him still hadn't seemed to completely patch things back together. And her coldness lately... All Sei could do was blame himself for that, and yet, that made him grow more determined to try and brighten her once more.
That was when he heard screams, faint and barely echoing to him through the forest, grace his ears. The brute stopped, lifting his head to its full massive height, pierced ears slowly bringing themselves forward to listen. Uneasiness settled over him for a few moments, and he debated with himself as another cry of agony ripped across the landscape. Why should he risk anything and go toward the source? It wasn't his problem if someone was dying from their own unintellegence. And yet, he knew that if he turned his back to helping, it'd stalk him for the next week, despite everything. Snorting roughly Sei turned slowly around, and not too quickly did he make his way toward the fading sounds, walking in his trail.
The tall brute was in no rush, until he heard an even fainter scream reach him, only preceeded by a howl of what sounded like rage. Seiko froze in place, his heart skipping a beat or two as his normally narrowed optics widened. Ebony fur fell flat to him, and his tail once more fell between his legs. He didn't need a moment more, and soon was a simple gray streak across the white, his adnormally large body taking even more adnormally large strides and bounds through the frozen crystals. Both of those cries he had recognized, one of his mates, and the other of the one hated by both.
Senshi, Amaya's uncle. The ebony brute had met him once before, and once had been enough to spark a hatred within the cold brute. Dodging around a tree Seiko caught the first scent of blood, and with a small flicker of sick glee recognized it as Senshi's. But Amaya's tainted with it a few strides later, and only then did Sei slow. His mind began clicking things together, stradegy barely reigning over his need to find and protect Amaya. Approaching swiftly was necessary, but it had to be slow enough to be nearly silent. Bundling in to a fight with this wolf would be suicide. Surprise, yes, he needed it. And so, he slowed to a mere trot, each step more agonizing then the last, but he knew it was all too necessary.
Finally, Seiko reached the place of carnage, and silently, barely breathing, sunk down, dragging his paws almost unmovingly through the snow. All they had to do to see him was turn, the wind to shift, anything. One false paw step and they'd hear him. Barely moving at all Seiko froze when he saw Amaya's move. Launching up and away from her uncle by using him. But it wasn't enough, no, of course it wasn't. It never was. Seiko's lips lifted in a snarl, a full blown look of rage beginning to creep onto his face as he saw Amaya fall still and not move. It was his last chance to get closer, to make the split seconds of his dash to Senshi that much shorter.
Taking advantage of them he slunk further forward, muscles rippling in anticipation. Silence hung around him still, a silent, deathly shadow was all he was. And then, that first paw step forward by Senshi. It set Seiko off quicker then someone slapping him in the face would.
The larger brute's only warning to Seiko's approach would be the two times the snow crunched under his falling weight. Two strides, two monstrous strides was all it took to fall upon that brute. A moment before Seiko's weight crashed into Senshi a snarl ripped up from his stomach, echoing off the trees before he fell tooth and claw on that brute. The initial attack was for as long as he stayed though, because the moment after he felt forepaws touch the older brute, the moment after he bit into what ever he could, Seiko flew back away from him, leaving Amaya exposed for only a moment. And then, he leaped forward again with even more power then before, landing just before the brown and white mixed brute and using all the strength in his shoulder and neck to throw him away from Amaya. (like Darcia did to hige when hige tried to get close to blue xD)
But Seiko knew he couldn't stand still. He had seen it when he had first come to this fight. To stand still, if even for a moment, would be death. Senshi was fast, unbelievably fast, but as was Sei. Speed, it was what Sei was built for, what he lived for. Baring those fangs of his for a moment again another growl followed before he lashed out at Senshi's face, standing onto his hinds legs for only a second to swipe at him. Long legs, ending in large paws, and the muscles that rippled down Seiko's entire length of legs, sides, yes.. Everything spoke of the speed Sei had fought to perfect, to master his control of. He may not be the strongest, in fact, possibly far from it, but he was one of the fastest, if not thee fastest.
Dropping down onto all fours Sei winced slightly for no reason; it was almost a subconcious wince. He knew pain was to come, he knew it very well. But, what would this pain be conpaired to the pain of losing his mate again? Miniscule, nothing, a drop in the sea. "Away.."His cold voice rasped out, electric green eyes flaring with anger that was beginning to cause his fur to spike. Baring the full length of his fangs he rasped out three more words before launching himself into Senshi once more, claws and jaws both outstretched to rip anything from him he could. "Away from Amaya."
Update! 12-27-09, 12:32 AM [my time]
There was a loud crunch, and then another - but his niece remained still. Those sounds were from somewhere else - and just as he turned around, expressionless, a snarl sounded and then a mass slammed into him. Pearls tore into his flesh, and he felt more of his blood ooze from the newish wound. The new opponent was fast - but he needed only the scent to know who it was. The beginnings of a sneer grew apparent, but the brute cut it off by throwing him away from his target.
For a moment, Senshi was dissatisfied. But then his sneer redeveloped, the faint sound of lips peeling over ivories sounding again, and then he jerked his cranium back, narrowly avoiding the swipe. Oh yes, he knew this brute was fast - quicker than him, even - but did that discourage him? Never. Slowly, a faint chuckle slipped from his maw. From the corner of his vision, he could see his main target. Amaya. He could see his niece slowly stirring, responding from her mate's presence, most likely.
Tooth and claw, the male confronted him, slamming into him with vicious weaponry. Quickly, almost unconsciously, he lurched, causing a violent ripple to go down his body, very capable of knocking any opponent off. But what did he care if it didn't work? His prey was in view - full view. How foolish of the bastard, to focus on attacking him and not standing their beside his mate.
A laugh escaped him. No, a cackle. A chilling, echoing cackle, filled with dementia and darkness. Oh, how beautiful this scene tasted.
He attempted a roll, but it only lasted a split second. Once upon his paws again, he bolted forward without warning. Like a bullet, he barreled toward his niece, leaving hardly any time for his minorly dripping blood to hit the ground as much as it should.
And Amaya could sense both their presences, mainly Senshi's. He was nearly upon her again, nearly. Without a single sign of emotion, she shifted, still upon the snow, to watch exactly where her doom was coming from. She canvassed every single movement without a single exterior reaction, while her mind pieced together plans according to her uncle's movements. Only a few seconds left - and her moonstones flickered to Seiko. She couldn't die in front of him - she couldn't. But she couldn't allow him to die either...
Senshi was now upon her, jowls gaping as they headed straight for her stomach -
- and she immediately rolled, reaching right under his neck. And then her pearls glinted for a second, before digging into his throat - but only for a moment as he shook himself. He jolted to the side, causing her already loosened grip to be lost - and she was thrown about two feet from him. She lay still for a moment, and then began to get up again - but her stamina for movement had suddenly begun to die.
".. Seiko..," she rasped - and though her voice and tone seemed dead, a passion was hidden within that very word. Her pearls began to bare, as she forced herself to remain standing, to remain alive - for him. If she had time, she could recover, temporarily. But she didn't want too much time, otherwise, they would both be utterly doomed.
[Sei's] Update! 12-28-09, 6:04 PM [our time]
When his initial attack succeeded Seiko didn't feel happy, or even more confident. He became uneasy, and it grew as he saw his uncle-in-law's smirk grow. Backing up a pace he lowered his head, guarding his neck instinctively. And then he was on Senshi again, ripping into him with as much force as he could manage. But that tremor that ran through the older and larger brute shook Sei loose before he fell onto the ground, slipping onto his paws fluidly before skampering back once more, putting distance between the other male. That sick cackle, it made the midnight male's skin crawl, and is responce he let out a snarl huff, breathing between his teeth as he dropped his head once more, his tail instinctively reaching for it's alpha height.
A rumble formed low in his throat, the bass sound purely threatening now as he took a slow pace forward, licking the blood off his maw as he did. Giving a small leap toward the wood colored brute he landed short as he rolled away from him, leaving Sei to whip his body forward once more. Only, he fell short once more as Senshi bolted away from him, leaving Sei to scramble for a foothold in the snow as he rounded after him, jaws open in preparation. He saw the small shift of his mate, and from that shift he somehow had a thought reach to him. If he were to launch upon the brute, what would it really do besides possibly throw him into his snowy mate? Shock him was nearly out of the question, surprising the murderer was like trying to surprise a rock, it didn't work.
Throwing around the options he had in the second left he suddenly dug his pads into the snow, praying that Amaya would be able to move. If she wasn't able to, he minds well have just killed her himself. He was taking a gamble, but he had faith, and thankfully it paid off. Watching with triumphant emeralds he saw her roll underneath the massive brute. As her fangs latched into his throat he knew he'd shake her off, so he didn't stand still for any longer.
Lips slowly pealed back once more before he darted to the side where Amaya landed, and he came to a stop, jerking forward a bit as he did so and sending up a cloud of snow. Lifting a paw he set it in front of the alabastor fae before shifting the rest of his enormous body to almost on top of her, thanks to his height which made that possible. But he didn't take her under him, he remained beside her, the air vibrating at the soundless growl that still rippled around him. He heard her say his name, and it made his fur bristle as he watched her uncle. He shouldn't be able to get away with all of this, what right did he honestly have?
"Alright...?" he breathed to Amaya as she stood beside him, ears and eyes trained on Senshi. They couldn't risk standing still much longer, they had been lucky he hadn't taken advantage of them already. Even in those few brief seconds of stillness Seiko was on edge, they needed to move. And now, they needed to move now. A plan slowly wrapped into Sei's mind, but he didn't have time to tell Amaya, no, he had to move, they had to move.
Hoping she'd bolt the second he did Seiko lurched into a dash to his left, claws ripping almost painfully at nothing as he twisted on himself to go after Senshi. Going for his neck was too dangerous -not that even fighting this brute at all was much better - so Aimiya took a different option. Letting the snow take him Sei didn't fight it as he slipped farther back, hopefully toward the timber colored male's thigh. Revealing his daggers he attempted to rip them into his flesh before darting around to his other side, aiming lower now, almost for his knee. Sei had begun to piece together another plan, although with Senshi's attitude he had no idea how it would work. With Amaya and his luck he'd probably just bare the pain, but Seiko had a fleeting hope that maybe, maybe if they could manage to damage one, or a few, of his legs bad enough, just maybe it'd slow him down, cause him to falter. But even as he thought that Seiko knew it was a slim chance, and a large gamble to place one's face beside those talons. Speaking of which, Sei jerked back away from Senshi, trying to get away before said claws could rip into him. Emeralds scanned for Amaya, and once he found her he darted over to her side, reluctant to leave her now after seeing Senshi's intent. Dropping his head he growled, ready to move with Amaya if the need arouse.
Update! 12-28-09, 7:04 PM [my time]
Having her mate beside her assisted her, for just a moment, but enough to allow her to gather more strength. She followed his gaze, watching her uncle with subconscious anxiety. Her barriers were firm now, her subconscious emotions the only things fueling her bodice. Deep in the back of her mind, too deep for her to detect but close enough for it to unconsciously affect her physically, a thought echoed over and over; if they died, it would not be her uncle's fault - but hers. She really was a monster..
Seiko's question did not need to be asked. He had asked her thought quite a bit during their times together, and she knew it would arrive whenever she was injured or any other matter relating to that sort. It needn't be asked, because, normally, she wasn't. But not once did she truly admit it to him. His question was useless, always bringing out the lies within her. But after those years of pure solitude, her voice had grown unused, and thus she was accustomed to its absence, just like she long gave up on fighting her barriers and the absence of her emotions. She needn't speak lies anymore, for she would not feel. But her eyes - her traitorous moonstones; they always told the truth when gazed into enough, showing her emotions that her barriers could not prevent from reaching her eyes.
At this very moment, her silvers glinted with fear, hatred, sorrow.. an entire hysteria. And her body unconsciously trembled, though hardly noticeable, from time to time. And to think, all those thoughts, memories, actions, merely occurred in only two to three seconds. Amazing - but typical.
Blinking once to break her unwavering watch, she then closed her orbs and nudged his shoulder in response. She was standing and alive - but it didn't mean she was fine. And she knew that he already knew that.
From that very touch, which lasted only a second, she felt as if all the emotions and thoughts of the ebony brute flashed through her - and she immediately was able to tell that he wanted to move. She couldn't agree more; they certainly needed to move, and from glancing back at Senshi, they needed to move not only now - but fast, very fast.
But, from the moment he bolted, she saw from his direction, that he had it wrong. Terribly wrong. But the warning could not come quick enough. The moment he had already done his deal and nearly arrived back at her side, Senshi was already hot on his heels. She knew, she just knew, that if Seiko dared turn around, he would be blinded.
The monster was growing nearer, almost upon them now - and, without warning, Amaya shot forward. She whisked past Seiko, propelling herself at her uncle the moment his massive paw slammed into the snow. From her move, not only would she protect her mate from being blinded and or stung badly by the swift moving snow, but she could also camoflauge in midair, even if just for a second. It would be enough to give her the upper hand for one single, precious moment.
Closing her eyes against the buffeting crystallian white, she called upon her other senses for use. It was a very high risk, and much higher when one added into the equation her wounds and injuries - but she was a risk taker, just like her uncle, just like anyone willing to make it out alive.
BAM!
She slammed full into his uncle's face, from the shape her claws found, and only then did she reopen her optics. He had recoiled, causing her now bloodied claws to grip at nothing, and so, swiftly, she readjusted her position and landed upon his back, aiming a bite at the spine.
But he shook himself and lurched forward, throwing her off. But she was definitely not losing hope nor panicking. Instinctively, and quite foolishly, she clamped her jowls down upon his hind leg, pressuring her jaws even more as she dug her claws into the snow and jerked her cranium back, hoping to not just slow him down, but also distract him. And, in a way, it worked.
The second before his jaws and talons reached Seiko, he twisted around - with frightening speed and flexibity - and aimed for his niece. It was the end, her mind screamed - but her barriers protected her, for once.
Without caring, she ripped her pearls from his limb and aimed them at his own jaws, slicing the side of his maw - and then she slipped under his throat, propelling herself at Seiko and attempting to knock him backward. She felt a collision but was unfazed. Still, she shook herself, and then she twisted around and bolted right under Senshi, hoping her mate would get the damn clue and get to behind Senshi quickly enough while the bastard was distracted with blood in his eyes. She knew he was accustomed to it, that he took only a second and a half to two seconds to recover from it, but it was enough time for an escape. It had to be.
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