Gryphon's Keep
~*~*~*~*~
One of the deadliest, fiercest hunters known to specter or man still exists-the gryphon. Majestic though they are…there is no longer a "they," seeing as Skulker has hunted all but one and crushed their eggs. Still, he has the final gryphon on the run, badly wounded….and is about to add another check on the "extinct" chart before Danny steps in. After chasing the hunter off, Danny is kidnapped by the selfsame creature he protected-and whisked away to the Ghost Zone!
Hello, everyone. Yes, I know I already have half a dozen or so projects to complete, but seeing today IS New Year's Eve and I plan on actually staying AWAKE for it this year, well….I guess I can bid adieu to 2009 with a smile…and, a new tale for the future.
I have always, always, always wanted to have a bird capture one of my favorite characters. ^^ Asinine idea, I know…but the thought was still fairly entertaining for me, and I decided to incorporate Danny with the last gryphon, Malachite.
….it sounded like a good name. Please don't kill me….
Anyhoo, please tell me whether or not I should continue this story!
Doomo arigatou gozaimasu! And, a very peaceful shogatsu be yours.
~*~*~
Quote:
"Oh I have slipped the surely bonds of earth
and danced the skies on laughter silvered wings.
Sunward I've climbed and joined the tumbling mirth of sun split clouds
and done a hundred things you have not dreamed of,
wheeled and soared and swung high in the sunlit silence.
And there with silent lifting mind
I've trod the high untrespassed sanctity of space
Put out my hand and touched the face of God."
~*~
Before science raised its ugly, domed head-and began to sniff out tangible answers to the eternal, forever ravenous siege of questions about the universe…others….were born, likewise.
And, like the human, they became flesh, and passed on.
~*~*~
It is said that the restless souls of those from the….beginning….are formulated into today's ghosts.
But no, others argue. That cannot be correct.
Some say that ghosts are the spectral imprint of those who once walked the Earth. In short, anyone can leave a shadow behind-with an obsession, sorrow, lust, time old anger, and thirst for revenge.
Others, however, claim that while no one really does know where the spirits from the "Other World" reside, ghosts can still exhibit many behaviors that are those of the living. Having children-and being able to genetically pass down traits-is but one sign.
But a ghost had to come from SOMEWHERE. How could the shadows suddenly decided to begin to walk the Earth in its breaking Witching Hours out of a whim?
People argue. People fuss.
And, again, there is no final answer-or, at least, there is no answer that leaves the flesh walker remotely "satisfied."
But people are aware of this: Whether the nocturnal wraith that stalks your mind sheds blood or plasma, there is one thing very evident to a frightened child who is peering uncertainly under his bed.
Wherever it comes from, WHATEVER it is, it feels real enough.
As does the fear that invokes the child to bury his head in his pillow, and devoutly wish for daybreak.
~*~*~
Where this particular creature had come from, no one knew.
But, as like the child, they reacted in the most sensible and rational matter of expressing emotion when an enormous, black bird-like a raven grown nineteen times its original size was shrieking in the skies:
They panicked. And mayhem was being well insured that late chilly afternoon in the outskirts of Amity Park as black feathers tore away from the extraordinarily rumpled plumage like raindrops.
The chill was beginning to soak in-even through the sleek, glossy feathers that adorned the crown of her head's plumage.
Weary, fatigued, and with exhalations that made her heart pound ever fasterfasterfaster beneath her crest, an enormous shadow continued to whip past the harsh, frozen wasteland below.
Each beat of Malachite's wings was ever more tiring, and ever more burning, as if she'd decided to wade through an ocean of fiery coals-but nonetheless, the bird continued to soar, occasionally screeching as her enormous talons tore through the occasional telephone lines, leaving a fresh horde of dazzling sparks and panicked people screeching in her wake.
Her side continued to scream in continued protest as hot, rich, emerald green plasma continued to lazily slid down her scaly leg-splattering the many concrete sidewalks below from the gash that left many of her now congealed feathers glued to her side.
Where she was-she did not know, and, quite frankly, did not care.
Trees continued to whip past her body, one haze of bare branches after another.
Winter had never been her favorite season. Such a cold, merciless, dead time of the world. It was a marvel that the skinling humans below managed to stand it for such a long time.
Emphasis on dead. Completing an aerial spin, Malachite doubled back several inches before continuing in the opposite direction-Northeast, in the hopes that HE would get somewhat befuddled.
A few seconds was all the bird truly needed to make her escape. But even if she DID choose to tear a transdimensional hole straight into the ghost zone-that wasn't going to help her too much. Skulker would simply follow in the split time the makeshift portal had in the spirit dimension.
And then, sooner or later, corner the wounded, falcon like creature.
What delicious irony. She, the glorious hunter-and she, the stuff of human myth and legend-was on the run from the very selfsame dark soul that she had desired to slaughter to obtain her long awaited revenge.
Skulker's face loomed in the darkness of her mind, even as he-in a flurry of emerald flames and sparks from his additional rockets on his back-kept up the chase from far behind her, occasionally firing his crossbow with a rogue, sadistic smile. Thankfully, there were small-so he was only doing it to torment her. Still, when the arrows DID find their target, they stung like hundreds of little wasp stings.
~*~*
Her brood-mate and fellow soul, Kalzite, had been slain when Skulker had treacherously landed a shot directly to his noble heart. In his last, few moments, he had squealed a warning to Malachite before staggering about wildly in their home for a few, strangled minutes.
And then, he'd dropped dead.
Malachite had attempted to kill Skulker in retaliation. For, while he'd hunted most of her kind throughout the millennia, she was still alive.
And more then ready to fight.
But then, Skulker had decided to hurt her even more.
He had lured her away from her home- a small, secluded cavern deep into the eternal outskirts of the Zone-and, while she'd been hunting him, he crept into her resting-place.
And broke the final gryphon eggs two weeks before they were due to hatch. When Malachite had returned for a brief drink at the waterfall that flowed over her cavern entrance…
The eggs were smashed, their terrible, frozen fruit motionless.
In her tremendous rage and grief, she'd known that there had been nothing left to live for.
For while she was the final emblem of majesty and regality, her unsuppressed and deep pride had been shattered beyond anything else.
But she would not be left to cower before the hunter and his terrible, terrible smile….oh, gracious, no.
She had continued the pursuit, not really caring if Skulker really found her, not really caring if she'd die shortly after the metal one's death, and not really trusting keen senses she'd took great care to hone over the thousand years she'd been alive.
But Skulker had trapped her, like a mouse by a cat. She HAD attempted to fight him, but he'd torn into her with his weaponry, and placed that awful shackle around her leg when she'd been stunned.
Survival instinct had taken over, and she, with her beak and talons, had torn herself a way into the human world.
Into a town called….Amity Park.
~*~*~
But Skulker, reading the device's transmission cuardnets, had followed, sure enough.
And the chase continued, though with her handicap-she wasn't exactly certain if she'd be conscious for much longer.
Cynically, she had to acknowledge it, even as she dove straight through the wooden structure of a nearby billboard-
CRASH!
But, even in the haze of exploding splinters and other debris, she continued to fly, knowing in her state, that intangibility would not last too long. That accursed tracking device -one that would-not-come-OFF, no matter how many times she'd pecked at it-would merely tell continue to beep and tell him where Malachite was.
And, where and how to finish her off.
Heh. She detected a sense of bitter amusement as she continued to ascend altitude.
Death was a curious thing.
One can really only ponder about the exact nature of the grim and happy specter while at its door.
And she knew herself would soon be knocking, if Skulker shot another blast with his sniper.
It was not a common legacy for one so proud and regal for she to anticipate the end so readily. It was not exactly….customary.
But Malachite had never liked tradition, other then keen instinct.
Her eggs had been shattered.. Broken to pieces. As had her husband been.
If she could join them all the sooner, that would be fine with her.
~*~
The flicker of a stern, dilated, crimson eye at the Hunter still in pursuit, still smirking. No doubt he still wanted her head on his wall.
Let him go ahead and try.
But would he never cease?
It seemed quite doubtful…and, with good reason.
As people continued to shriek at the appearance of the two ghosts, she hurried into a small den of trees surrounding the sides of a tall, brick-and-white-wash building.
Her vision flickered, and she exhaled.
If she was to make her last stand here, then she would do it.
And gladly.
As she swept her wings in to complete the land, her pupils narrowed into catlike slits as she stumbled onto the ground, using whatever composure and dignity she had left not to stagger onto the Earth.
It hurt.
A lot.
Serpent he was, and, as serpent, he should die. Were it possible to slaughter a ghost, rather then to merely wipe them out of existence-Malachite felt that it quite suitable to readily tear him apart and feast on his insides-no….no.
Who'd want any of THAT nauseous material in HER. And she hated biting metal.
Pecking through it with an iron beak, however….
The sallow ghost soon landed, a deliciously cruel smirk beginning to slide onto his face, green eyes narrowing as he took in the once majestic bird's defiant and broken form.
Fingering his sniper fondly, Skulker began to pace around the glaring bird with a soft, slight chuckle escaping in spite of himself.
~*~*~
Fiery hair rippling with the wild adrenaline that he'd come to love and cherish as a stalker, the ghost soon smiled quite pleasantly at Malachite as his fangs glinted ever so slightly in the freezing hue.
Even better. It simply added to the pleasure and challenge of bringing down one of the final birdbrains he'd pursued for so long.
Their meat was quite tender…and sold for a good token of money in the Ghost Zone. Needless to say, supply would soon be….unable to meet demand. What a pity.
But maybe he'd keep the once lordly bird as a keepsake hunting trophy. It wasn't as if he hadn't been satisfied with ripping the feathers out of her husband, and placing the frozen stiff bird on display with the other fifty-six he'd already…settled….time now long past.
Malachite pawed the ground as he approached. The smirk grew wider.
"Oh…I do love it when my prey puts up a fight. Such a delightful change of pace."
Skulker replaced the sniper in his pack, and drew out something else.
A well monished, somewhat bent to an angle, dagger was brought to the scene, Skulker's gloved hands closing around the hilt in well practiced, easy satisfaction.
"Now, then….shall we…?"
~*~*~
Admittably, while Danny Fenton had scene worse days, he'd also seen better.
Mainly because he'd been forced to borrow the sack from Sam's lunch, and bury his head in it as the jeers continued to taunt him.
It was amazing how Jazz managed to stand it. But then again, her long term claim of, "I was adopted!" hadn't gone completely rotten yet.
It was lunchtime. Jazz was amiably chatting with her friends a few tables away, head underneath a hood she so rarely wore…except in cases like today.
Sam, Danny, and Tucker were at a thankfully deserted table, and Danny still had his face buried in his hands, occasionally groaning.
He REALLY ought to be used to this by now…
~*~*~
Why, oh why, had Mom and Dad found out today was Career Day? He and Jazz had their reminder forms meant to go to Jack and Maddie Fenton shredded, burnt, and then tossed into the Ghost Zone.
Again.
Ever since elementary school, the duo had soundly humiliated the two siblings while they discussed their techniques on…hunting specters.
While that wasn't so bad, considering the enormous population of ghosts that plagued this miserable town to no end, the WAY they did it…
Tucker gave him a sympathetic glance from beside him, casually sipping from his soda as he shook his head.
Thankfully, HIS Dad was just a technician in computer programming. Short, sweet, and to the point. Sam's parents were entrepreneurs….and didn't do much to humiliate Sam, though they often droned on about economical matters that left Sam banging her face against solid material merely to relieve herself of the boredom that plagued her.
But Jack and Maddie Fenton often had the habit of not only pointing their children out from the audience, they referenced the most humiliating tales in their ghostly misadventures.
"Jazz was so scared, wasn't she, Madds? Poor baby….to this day, she still cuddles Bearbert, or Little Mr. Fuzzyfunnyface at night."
"Danny was two years old when we first invented the thermos…oh, Jack, wasn't the cutest? He and Jazz used to dress up all the time back then-and I still have the photo where Danny and Jazzy decided to dress up in your tuxedo and my wedding dress….!"
"Yeah. Too bad the tux was a little big, but when Jazz made him try on the dress-"
~*~
Even Mr. Lancer had shot him a pitying glance as Dash meandered over to their table, still smirking.
"Hey, Fentina! Cute pic of you in a dress-your mother handed out complimentary photos! But don't worry-I'll put it to good use….on the internet!"
Qwan snickered as Danny took off the bag, rolling his eyes.
"Gee, thanks." He commented sarcastically, sighing ever so slightly. "Shouldn't you be-oh, I don't know….admiring a brick wall somewhere?"
Dash smirked ever so slightly.
"Well, I dunno about that-it seems like a hobby YOU'RE taking up soon enough, once I squeeze your face INTO one, Fentina."
Looking bored, Dash drew away, nevertheless punching his fists into the opposite palm.
"And…put the bag back on. PLEASE."
Still guffawing, the two absentmindedly ground their fists together, grinning as they made their way down the opposite hall.
Sam sighed before patiently tugging the bag from Danny's hands.
"Danny….c'mon. It could be worse. So your parents are….eccentric," she weakly improvised as Danny groaned and buried his face into his hands.
"But they're gone now, aren't they? And you only have two classes left before it's time to go home."
To this, Danny shook his head.
"Nope. Mom and Dad decided to-"
The lunchroom doors slammed open….causing everyone but Danny and Jazz to startle slightly as Jack and Maddie strode into the room….
…….decked out in eighties hairdos, complete with clothing and jewelry.
Jack lowered his shades as the lunchroom suddenly fell to a deathly, hushed, silence.
Sam's mouth dropped as Jack began to speak.
"Hey, hey! What's up, homies?"
~*~
A split second of silence.
Then, the laughter began.
It exploded like a horde of firecrackers from every side of the lunchroom, as people began to raucously howl into hysterics.
Dash was pounding the ground as he did so, tears of laughter sliding down his face as Jazz slid ever so slightly in her seat….
…..and buried her head in a spelling dictionary as Tucker turned to Sam, and yanked the bag back.
"C'mon, dude. You might need this."
Danny bit his lip as the laughter continued, deftly wishing for it to-
BANG!
~*~
Like the roar of a gunshot, a blast of emerald, ecto energy fired directly from the opposite wall, brilliant hue flashing in a torrent of sparks as it quite literally tore from the outside….
…straight into the school's foundation, a smoking crater in its wake.
The laughter died almost instantly as Danny staggered up, a whisp of blue mist trailing from his mouth.
~*~*~
As terrified students began to flee the campus, the teen shot a desperate glance at Sam and Tucker, who obliged almost immediately.
The two students hurried in front of their lunch table, just as Danny ducked under it.
Breathing heavy, and vaguely wondering if he should be grateful or not to the specter that was currently running amok at Casper High, Danny managed a small smile as the twilight rings burst into life at his waist.
With a flash of translucent light and sparks as the unearthly chill took over his human flesh and blood, leaving Danny Fenton to disappear in the Phantom's wake.
Danny phased through the wood of their table, green eyes flashing as he-
Froze.
Maddie had staggered back a step-but thankfully, she hadn't noticed the ghost boy's sudden appearance.
Giving a troubled frown to Jack, Maddie seized her hood and goggles that lay underneath her eighties get-up, and seized the Fenton lipstick that hung on her belt.
Jack had already been one step ahead as he seized the Fenton boooomerang and bazooka that oddly accessorized his clothes.
"LET'S ROCK, BABY! Madds, get the RV! I told you there'd be ghosts afoot!"
The two rushed outside the newly made, still smoking crater in the cafeteria, a fierce cry spilling from Jack-emerald blasts of light still exploding into fruition as Jack wildly aimed indiscriminately from his blaster.
~*~
Danny shot his friends a bewildered look as Jazz made it over to them in the onslaught of fleeing students-albeit with some difficulty.
"D-Danny!"
Sam threw Danny a concerned glance, as ectoblasts continued outside, as well as the occasional "A-HA!" from Jack.
"Uh…Danny? D'you just wanna let your parents handle this one? Because you'd just be making your Dad's day if he finds Danny Phantom is somehow invo-"
Danny had been casting a confused glance towards the school's newest…innovation, but, brow creasing, he shook his head ever so slightly.
"A blast like that isn't gonna be from the Box Ghost, Sam. Mom and Dad might not be able to handle this one."
Tucker gave him in an inquisitorial glance, and Danny squeezed his shoulder, a casual grin on his face.
"C'mon-it may not be all that bad. I'll stay outta sight. Meanwhile, you guys better take cover."
With that said, Danny permitted the prickling, tingling sensation of allowing his body to turn intangible take over.
And, Jazz gave the empty air an anxious glance, Danny soared out of the building's stone foundation, white hair rippling as he did so.
~*~
She was losing.
With a frustrated growl of despair, Malachite slipped ever so slightly as she threw her entire, midnight raven clad force at the Hunter…..
…who sidestepped as she did so, feathers dark with ectoplasm as she continued to bleed.
Skulker had finally grown impatient, and he'd reached for his sniper once again.
And his aim was vastly improving.
Malachite rose to the air, swooping slightly as her beak was ridgened for the strike.
But Skulker easily sidestepped the devastating blow, and, while Malachite had swung about in midair to counterattack, he knew he had his chance.
He fired.
Malachite had been forced to roll over in midair as he shot once again, the explosion crackling in midair as the chorus of bolts continued to reverberate into the empty air.
Suddenly, Skulker did a double take, and swung around.
CRASH!
Maddie's aiming was more precise-and had managed to send an ectoplasmic blast directly in the back of Skulker's neck.
With a cry, he stumbled heavily, falling onto his hand as he exceedingly rubbed his now steaming, slightly melted, ectoskeleton appendage.
Maddie glared at the ghost through her goggles, readying to fire again. Jack cheered as he inched beside her, gleaming bazooka set to "liquefy."
"You go, babycakes!"
The woman managed the slightest of smiles-but continued to allow the lipstick to recharge for another attack as the Hunter staggered up, panting.
His smug look had been transfigured to that of cold, blinding fury.
"Stay. Out."
And, in a flash, he angrily reached for a control trigger at his waist, immediately flicking the switch as he held his wrist out.
"OF MY WAY, FOOLS! I will NOT share my hunting spoils with ANYONE!"
BANG.
In a binding CRACK, Maddie Fenton let out a startled cry as she was wildly thrown backwards, an ectonet readily enclosing her body as her back slammed directly into the school's steps..
CRUNCH.
With a gasp and a groan of pain-that bruise was going to leave its mark-Maddie pressed a hand to her spinning head, she exhaled slightly.
And passed out, not hearing Jack's frantic cry.
"MADDIE!"
~*~
But, as Jack whipped around to face Skulker, a furious glare on his face-the hunter, much to his bewilderment, had disappeared.
Suddenly, the hairs on the back of his neck were standing up as a chill wracked his body.
"Peekaboo," said Skulker quite cheerfully, as he fired at Jack's back.
~*~
"Oooompph!"
The large man was forced directly into the titanium of the Fenton ghost assault vehicle, a grunt escaping him as the air from his lungs transfigured into a pained gasp.
"Aaaa…..ahh…….uugghhh…."
With a final grumble of protest, Jack staggered to his knees, and slipped to the ground.
Skulker smirked before turning around ever so slightly.
Now ONE minor annoyance accounted f-
The hunter never finished that thought.
For a brilliantly green wave of fire had directed itself straight at the astonished hunter, just as Malachite had swung down to strike at him once again from the air.
~*~*~
While Skulker JUST missed Malachite's beak, he hadn't been so lucky in escaping Danny's ectoblast.
Glaring, he rolled over, carelessly triggering his rockets to once again become airborne as the young hybrid swept into the scene, enraged green orbs twisting into Skulker's own before glancing downwards.
And the younger hybrid abruptly went pale.
"Mom! DAD!"
Thankfully, Maddie answered to that-albeit with only a groan. Jack muttered something vaguely about "Five more minutes…" and then, something that seemed to be about fudge.
Danny directed his attentions back to Skulker-
Too late.
The ghost fired at him, catching the surprised teen straight in the shoulder, sending him directly to the school lawn with a surprised "Agghh!" of pain.
Skulker growled.
"ENOUGH, ghost whelp! I'll have your pelt soon enough! Now kindly allow me to finish my-"
Danny's eyes widened as Skulker turned his back on him.
But even the thought of attacking had left him as an enormous-an absolutely enormous-bird screeched wildly in the air, ectoplasm readily dripping from its side.
~*~*~
Sam's mouth dropped as she rushed to the scene on her scooter, heart pounding.
Mr. and Mrs. Fenton were dazed-but they seemed fine enough. While Jazz helped her father into a sitting position, she and Tucker worked on freeing Mrs. Fenton from the constricting ropes.
Well…she had been, until her mouth dropped.
And she abruptly froze.
There, in the heavens-the size of a fully grown dragon-was a…big bird.
And it didn't seem interested in teaching her the alphabet.
A cruel, sharply intoned beak, with large, crimson irises, it opened its beak to part another shrill screech, gigantic black feathers spilling away from its body.
Tucker swallowed, mouth very dry.
Danny was going to have to fight….that?
"That…is one big chicken."
~*~*~
Malachite glared at the figures that dared to interfere in HER skirmish.
Pitiful creatures. But the silver-haired-youngling had, at the very least, bought her some time.
Should she flee?
Inwardly, she snorted at the cowardly thought.
As if. There was nowhere TO run. Unless she succeeded in killing Skulker, her footsteps would forever be ghosted, and forever bloody.
Fight or flight time. Or, rather, Fight AND flight.
Hopefully, the odd one-the one that neither smelled of ghostly plasm or human flesh-would get out of the way. She was grateful to the hatchling-but she could manage no mercy in her next assault. The boy, for his own sake-had better get out of the way.
~*~*~
Danny's breath constricted as he threw himself back up, gasping.
The bird had bore him a gaze with bloody eyes for a moment or two, then decided to relaunch an attack on the hunter once again, talons extended.
It was bleeding-if ghosts could bleed-rather profusely. Danny had to admit-he was quite amazed the specter had managed to stay afloat for so long-let alone conscious..
Skulker must have been chasing the injured thing for quite a distance, if the incriminating marks were any indication. While it didn't seem interested in attacking him, it certainly had the bloodlust set on Skulker.
Danny flew out of the way-just as Malachite tore at Skulker, roaring as she did so, sending the Skulker directly into the ground with a sickening thud.
Clasping the Fenton thermos, the hybrid winced as Skulker staggered up, brandishing sniper once again.
He was probably going to try and capture the bird once he caught the hunter. Surprisingly, the thought was slightly disappointing.
While the…ghost…bird….thing was magnificent, it would probably attempt to gouge him to pieces once Skulker was gone.
He readied the thermos, aiming it carefully at the ghostly hunter's back.
Easy….easy….now….
~*~
What happened next was surprising. Surprising…and most unfortunate.
Skulker had twisted around ever so slightly before taking to the air, desperate to avoid Malachite's beak once again.
But, from the corners of his eyes, he saw Danny aim at him from a distance.
His insides constricted with rage.
No way was the whelp stealing HIS trophy!
With a slight growl, he ripped a magenta shooter from his waist-one Vlad Masters had once directed him to steal from Axion labs.
One of mankind's most effective warfare artillery….."improved" with ectoplasmic energy.
And he took aim at Danny, shooting once, twice….
Three times.
~*~*~
The first bullet that rushed at him made the boy yelp and nearly drop the thermos, forcing himself into intangibility to avoid it.
But, to his shock, the bullet raced past his thigh-and, the boy could….
….feel it….zip past….
His green eyes widened.
What was WITH these weird-?!
But the bullets seemed to detect his ectoplasmic signature, even in intangibility. With wide eyes, Danny realized that meant-
The second bullet fired.
Catching Danny directly in the leg.
~*~*~
With a frightful crack that echoed like the gunshot, the bullet passed through the bone, effectively and cleanly breaking it.
Jazz's eyes widened in terror as Danny let out a piercing scream….
…and fell.
The bullet had become….intangible….entering his flesh.
But it had readily broken the bone before phasing out. At least Danny wasn't bleeding.
The bullets had been created to only immobilize-not so much as kill.
As the third bullet fired-and effectively whizzed past his arm, leaving behind a large gash-
Danny still began to drop through the sky.
~*~
The wild, cold bolt of agony that had shot through his leg was overwhelming. Danny felt his mind go blank as he phased into human form….
…and began to shoot down towards the Earth, body still screaming in pain as the hunter turned towards Malachite once again.
~*~
Jack had staggered up with a slight moan, unfocused eyes peering dazedly about himself as he watched something faintly with interest fall….or was it flying?
He rubbed at his eyes.
And, got a sickening bolt of absolute and unmistakable terror shoot through him.
Danny.
Danny was shooting towards the Earth like a missile.
And, his left arm was bleeding extensively.
~*~*~
Ignoring the sickening throbs of pain, Jack staggered forward, heart quite ready to stop beating as he extended his arms out.
His child.
His child-!
Gray eyes enormous, Jack began to scream in wild, frantic distress.
"DANNY!
If circumstances were any better, Maddie Fenton would have gladly fainted again.
And that had done more then a good, effective way of waking her up, her mind abuzz with fright as she wildly glanced around herself.
In raw fright, she'd heard her Danny-her baby boy-scream as she blindly tugged through the net ropes that the ghost had flung onto her.
And blearily, after refocusing her vision somewhat, her heart had stopped as fresh, wildly frantic screams and shrieks tore from herself.
Her baby.
Her precious, precious baby-!
~*~
It was only inevitable. Malachite winced as she watched the boy drop with a sullen eye.
When he first appeared, Malachite had worried that he might be an accomplice of the hunter-and she had been ready to tear him limb from limb.
But, seeing as both Hunter and ghost-human-child were readily ripping at one another, that was easily dismissed.
Boy not with hunter-boy not attacking….
He'd been so prepared to spare the humans below.
Boy scared, boy bleeding….
In an honorable battle, was he not supposed to leave the younger or merely address it as an inferior instead of readily attacking it?
She avoided being hit by yet another blast as Danny fell-even faster then before-
Skulker had attempted to shoot her once again.
Bleeding and cracked….fractured child.
Fractured.. She'd heard the bone break in two.
Just like her heart had when her family had been left to dust.
~*~
Hunter will die, yes, Hunter shall die and I will feast on his little, tiny heart-
But first things first.
If there was anything she hated more than getting involved, it was owing someone a favor..
Ignoring the hunter, and now, feeling slightly exasperated, she swept forward.
~*~*~
Jack had been, in his desperation, prepared to catch Danny.
But then, that thing-that oversized pigeon the hunter had been shooting at-
Was swooping directly towards Danny's broken body.
Maddie screamed.
If she shot at the bird, which she so longed to do….
…she might hit her baby-!
Whew! Okay….I really, really hope you liked this. Don't worry-Malachite isn't going to let Danny fall.
However, Skulker's still on the prowl…..*Shudders. Idiot.*