"Do you really think that's going to work for m--" After a thorough eye roll, Bleddyn sidestepped when the lithe black cat hurtled by her. But instead of hurtling into the confrontation as weaponless as she was, she stood her ground and waited with a firmly squared stance.
Ash looked from Taylor to River with abnormally fearful eyes, lingering particularly on her dear friend of so long. She'd didn't need Bleddyn to relay Wolfram's demand- rather, urgent suggestion that was going unheeded. We both know we aren't going anywhere.
Ash slowly dropped her support from Connor's middle, hoping that the other two would follow suit and set him down without her having to verbally instruct so. She hurried around to his head and crouched down so that they were eye to eye. She reached out a finger to tap his nose, to draw his attention away from his suffering. "Are you listening to me?" Her lips pursed when the massive wolf stopped trembling and let those vibrant irises bore straight into her relatively drab ones. "Connor, for the sake of everything, do not shift. No matter what. You'll...you'll....you know better." She swallowed hard, her throat burning, and leaned even closer to plant a kiss on his bloody nose. "And then, after this, we'll get you fixed up."
Taylor hastily set Connor down, and whirled around at just the right moment as a flood of Pure came rushing toward them. She barked a laugh, glancing at the dying sun. "You're messing with the wrong people!" She didn't wait half a second; the light bent easily in her hands, and she directed it toward the nearest masked person, wincing as the shrieks echoed harshly.
~
Wolfram was surprised how easily he crushed Mapleshade down. A second to late, though, he realized it was a ploy. She surged upward, flinging him painfully to the ground.
He hissed, landing harshly on his side. He assessed the battle with a quick sweep of his gaze as he struggled to his feet. Creatures that had fled the city were coming back, mostly shapeshifters, but he saw ice and fire and light benders, centaurs and humans alike. But they were no match for the Pure's numbers it seemed.
With a snarl, he launched himself at Mapleshade again. Claws and teeth met flesh and fur, the metallic taste of blood filling his jaws. He wondered, for a fleeting moment, if he should relish in the feeling of spilling the she-cats blood, or if he should be horrifyed.
But he didn't have long to think about it in the heat of battle. Mapleshade grasped him between her claws, forcing him closer to the ground. Her blade-sharp claws met his face, teeth met ever inch of him she could find, biting at hard as she could. Panic welled in his chest, his claws flailing blindly for a grasp at something. He surged up, flinging her off suddenly. She may be larger, but he was quicker.
She yowled, hitting the solid tar with a sickening thud. He stared in panicked horror for a minute, wondering if he had shoved her hard enough to kill her. But she rose to her paws, her green eye gleaming with rage.
But Wolfram met her rage with a even higher intensity, claws unsheathed and tail whipping furiously.
She really thinks she can beat me. Because she can!
She lunged forward, forcing all of her weight against him. He yelped, decided to stop struggling to keep balance, and rolled away, leaping to his feet. Silently, he cursed when he saw Bleddyn, weaponless, still in the clearing. But he didn't have time to warn her that a Pure member was looming up behind her, because Mapleshade caught him unaware, and forcefully pushed him down, jaws dripping blood.
This is it, he mused, struggling furiously.
This is the end of it.
