Fallen Down - Power discovery, 100th post

[Ares]

For the Record, this is self-destructive
For the record, [color=red]I'm aware of that.

It had been regular for her to go into the forest for herbs, grabbing more than what was usually needed but she did it to delay the inevitable. The ever growing feeling of fire in her chest, the itchiness in her legs that turned into fierce pain, the headaches. She had a feeling something was going to happen, something like it. She didn't want to hurt anyone, she was so close to hurting someone back then and the idea of doing it again hurt so much worse than the pain.

Her legs buckled at the wrong time. The high wind cliffs had been a small haven for her, despite what had happened to Mazekit, but now, as she felt the pain spiral into agony and body contorting once again like before, there was no safety there. She felt wings sprout from her back and fur falling away for scales and feathers and paws reshaping into talons and claws and suddenly she was falling, falling, falling.

A terrible scream followed her down, sound coming from rows of sharp teeth. Cut off by the splash of water, the beast thrashed and head surfaced, another scream erupting as flames were spat out, bright white like quartz flames. The deinonychus continued thrashing as it tried to reach shore, panic overriding any predatory instinct. Soon the water became shallow, beast staggered onto shore, heat waves radiating off it- her body. She shook her feathers out and opened her jaws, a menacing hiss leaving her. Fire licked at her claws and she looked at them, flexed them.

— Reggan

[WINTERHYMNS P.]

Winterhymns had gotten up that morning to do the usual of making a morning tea for himself and sitting outside of his porch, he drew in a soft breath enjoying the birds that sung in the sunlight. He supposed that he should probably get inside and make some breakfast for his children before they rose yet the sound of a terrible scream made the fur on his body begin to rise with a discomfort, it only reminded him of that day Mazekit had... No, he mustn't think so much on it yet the way the screech had been interrupted did not help at all either. Winnie frowned setting his tea down deciding that he should go investigate even if he avoided the area for his own personal reasons but his pawsteps already carried them there. He could hear the loud splashing of someone down there making his concern grow as he slowly and carefully made his way down with both of his ears twitching lightly.

What the legate didn't expect was to see a dinosaur reach the shore, he could feel the fur rising on his spine though he stood his ground with a frown present on his maw trying to figure out what to do. He took a deep breath deciding that it would be best to take on a bigger form than the one he currently possessed so with a soft breath leaving him "Right. Relaxed posture and take a deep breath." Winnie murmured to himself as he closed his eyes slowly, it was not long before the small cat shapeshifted into a large ursine. The polar bear proceeded to rise to his hind legs to make himself bigger and potentially scare the dinosaur that stood before him "Who're you?" His claws flexed momentarily as he stood there hoping that no one else would approach them. It could very well be dangerous.

[Ares]

For the Record, this is self-destructive
For the record, I'm aware of that.

If Winterhymns had stayed in his feline form, maybe the dinosaur would have reacted in a more.... relaxed or tamed way. But the shift only reminded her of that lion who turned into a reptilian creature and squeezed the life out of her. It made Ares hiss, any prior recognition of Winter lost within the burning anger in her eyes. Wings flared, feathers atop her head raised up. Who was she? Oh, nobody had asked her that back in the swamp. The dinosaur tilted her head, [color=white]"You are the first to ask that, and so I shall answer. I am what the medic girl has tried to hide. I am her true nature."

Then she screeched again, launching herself up and attempting to hit Winter right in the chest to throw him down. There was no remorse, no hesitation, no resistance from the tiny, sleeping girl inside.

— Reggan

[rhosmari]

It was by pure chance that he stumbled upon this scene. Just a mindless coincidence that could very well be deadly for someone as small as himself. But he had always liked coming down here where the waves reached the sands. He was not as adventurous as some of his siblings but he did like to go out. See what he could if the place that he called his home. The only place he knew. It was the sounds that had him pause, the harshness of words. The flaring and flashing of odd lights across the sands that made him finally move. He needed to know what was happening. As his half blind gaze landed on the horrific beast his gaze widened, body becoming stuck. Glued to the sands in which he had walked just a few times in his own life.

Fear engulfed him and he wanted to scream and to run away. Yet when he saw the creature going after mapa the fear shifted. Odd for a child so young. Instead the fear became not for the creature but fear for the threat to his parent. "MAPA!" He squealed out as it most certainly had been him. His voice he had heard it and he was not that thing. Couldn't be that thing. With tiny legs churning he raced across the sands and attempted to slap his tiny paws against the gigantic dinosaur's foot, at least trying to stop this course of fate. "No! Stop it! Don't be bad!"

[WINTERHYMNS P.]

As the large reptile answered him, he found a frown on his maw uttering with his own tilt of his cranium "Ares?" But then the creature launched herself at him pushing him down not giving him much of a moment to react as he grunted quietly, he felt his lips peel back getting ready to figure out his next attack but the scream of his child was enough to stir an immediate reaction. He mustn't let Ares hurt his baby. His pupils narrowed into dangerous slits and the polar bear used his back legs in an attempt to kick Ares off of him, if that had succeeded would he hover over his son protectively with a low snarl. Ears pressed flat against his skull as he lowered his head lightly to try to nudge Goldenkit behind him still keeping an eye on the creature that stood before him.

"True nature or not. It is wise if you stop." Came the snarl of the legate and it began to make a bit of sense now, why Ares had potentially ended up here. She was a danger to herself and those around her but Winterhymns chose to keep a steady ground depending on what this overgrown lizard decided to do next would he have to be rough and inflict damage which wasn't what he necessarily wanted to do. Not to a clanmate or let alone his own apprentice but if the girl tried anything against him or any of his children then he wouldn't hesitate throwing him back into the ocean from where she had come from.

[Ares]

As long as breath comes from my mouth,
I may yet stand the slightest chance.

The beast shrieked, the momentum of being kicked off sending her sprawling in the sand, movements slowed. The child's scream made her halt, hauling herself up and staring at them. Pain flashed in her eyes and the fire vanished from her arms. [color=red]"No... no no no!" She whispered, staggering back. Something - someone had fallen way, someone had woken up. She kept whispering to herself, "no not again.. not again! I can't do this again! You can't make me!"

But the beast snarled again, lurched forward, malice in her eyes once more. Eyes focused on Goldenkit and she dove to bite. But teeth met with feathers and the beast was confused. She didn't let go and kept her grip strong, to the point that she was threatening to break her own arm. With a fierce SNAP she let her arm go limp. Again she staggered back. "Get away! I'll hurt you and I don't want to! She'll hurt you, hurt you all!" She cried, "GET AWAY!" It was a replay - it was happening again. Oh, god, it was happening again.

— Reggan

[WINTERHYMNS P.]

With lips drawn back into a snarl, the polar bear stood his ground but the sudden movement of the large reptile going towards his son made the ursine's eyes widen but they narrowed as he was quick to react lashing out a large paw. Even if Ares had stopped herself, his attack was already in motion aiming to slam large paws onto her skull, claws threatening to sink into flesh, but it was more of an attempt to shove Ares away. It was a powerful shove and it was enough to likely make the giant brute stumble or fall back into the water. The legate would stand over his son with hackles raised, the fur along his spine prickling in several directions. He wouldn't have cared if he got hurt yet... The attack was towards a mere child, his child. Winterhymns could only feel his blood boiling at the thought of anyone ever hurting his children. It seemed whatever true nature spoke for Ares had made a poor decision.

Ares or not. They had torn and cut at the trust that Winterhymns held for his own apprentice and the medici of Palm Glades. He stayed where he was not knowing what would occur next after his attack but Ares was crying out that they needed to get away. Get away and what? Let her loose and have her potentially attack allies or neutrals? There has to be a way to subdue her. He thought with his claws sinking into the sand underneath him, he did not wish to hurt Ares... But if push came to shove... Well, he'd have to if it meant the safety of his group was ensured.

[Ares]

As long as breath comes from my mouth
I may yet stand the slightest chance.

The force of the shove made her scream, some thread in her mind that kept Ares in control straining. She stumbled back, feet touching the water now. it made her realize what she tried to do. What it tried to make her do. Wings flapped wildly, something screaming in her mind to burn them. All of them. Burn the forest, burn the Glades. It made her stagger back more, and she looked around, as if searching for someone. All she wanted was... was..

"Dumb girl... Always thinking she needs others when a war goddess should be alone, alone with her anger and hate for the world. A pathetic girl she is." The thread was so close to snapping. But still she held on. Her voice reached out again, pushing for control. "I wasn't talking! She... I can't keep control for much longer! You have to stop me, I don't know if I can stop myself!" She cried, and cried and cried. No one would believe her. No one would trust her. She wanted her. The lioness. She wanted.. "Pretty Mother.. please.."

— Reggan

[WINTERHYMNS P.]

With claws flexing, Winterhymns knew what he had to do yet he didn't like his own thought process of it really. Brute force was the last thing that Winnie wished to use but if push came to shove then he would do what was best for his group, he took a deep breath listening to the dinosaur speak to herself unable to feel anything but frustration bubbling from within him. "I'm sorry. This is for your own good." The polar bear murmured under his breath only to charge forward with his powerful jaws gritted, he lunged forward aiming to bite down on Ares shoulder to latch on if he managed to do that would he lift his massive arms into the air before attempting to slam his paws onto her skull in an attempt to knock her out.

[rhosmari]

Truly the kit had never been so frightened and terrified in his life. This was the first time where he felt like maybe he wouldn't be here tomorrow. Or he would be really really hurt. It wasn't a good feeling and he was happy to have Mapa standing over him protectively. Yet as large teeth suddenly raced down to grab him Golden couldn't help much the scream that left him. He stumbled back just as his father went on the attack. He was breathing hard and he watched from behind the bear with wide eyes. What was this thing that was trying to hurt him? Why was it trying to get at Mapa? He shook as he tried to stay away from it and let his father handle it.

When his father said this was for their own good and apologized the kit closed his eyes then. Not wanting to see what happened next. He felt a bit sick.