WARNING: For those of you who can't handle blood, growling beasts, nightmarish images... plz don't read... I don't want to cause anyone having to go into theropy... if you can handle that stuff... and even better like it... then read on my friend and enjoy!

So what do you guys think will happen now? Getting intense right? plz say yes... I don't want to be marked as a dork... though it might be too late already...

Ch 10: The Beast Within

They all stared. Slam had had to grab Lightning Lad and Triplicate Girl had had to grab Brainiac 5. Ace was holding Lexi tightly. All three of them had made a movement to go and assist Shadowflames who had landed just ten feet in front of the group of heroes. Now all eight of them were starring, worry replacing fear, as their comrad transformed.

She grew more beast like with every twitch, with ever growl and snarl. Her teeth sharpened and lengthened. Her fur shifted and stiffened a little. Her tail grew bushier and claws came out of her hands that were becoming more paw like. But the most frightning transformation were her eyes. Their usual dark green had darkned to black, then started turning red. Well... her visable eye turned red. Even in this all fox state her red bangs still covered her right eye. Although her black hair seemed to merge and become part of her fur... even changing color to match the orangish-red of it. The beast rose its head and let out the loudest snarl yet. Then it charged the scorpian head on, blood splattering on the ground from its side and mouth.

The Scorpian, though visably shaken by the sudden transformation, lifted his spear, ready to impale her once more. But the creature clamped its jaws around the shaft and yanked it out of the scorpian's grasp as it pushed him back with its front paws. The shaft snapped in two and fell, sparking feebly, to the ground. The scorpian stared at his now useless weapon and then stared at the creature coming at him, ready for another attack.

Okay. He thought, preparing himself. If that's the way you want to play.

He rose in the air a few feet out of the creatures reach, or so he thought, and started to transform himself. The beast lept up and slamed the scorpian down with one of its giant paws. The scorpian let out a loud cry as he landed on his back and felt one of his wings breaking. He laid there, unable to fly, and unable to walk. His transformation finished, he crawled over to the creature who saw that the alien's body had also changed. Its wings were biger, his teeth were also sharper, along with the claws on his good foot.

"Hahahahaha! Pathetic!" laughed Shadowflames. The Legion and Loonatics cringed when they heard her rough deep voice, not at all like her human, or even anthro voice. "Your mine!"

Brainiac 5 noted that in this state, she didn't talk normally. He wasn't talking about her voice, but she didn't move her mouth at all. It was like she was using telepothy but that wasn't quite it. He couldn't understand it.

Fire flared in her eyes as she pounded the ground with one paw, geting ready for the kill. But before she could, the scorpian raised one of his arms and managed to punch her hard in the chest, sending her flying back.

She twisted in thin air and landed on ther feet, digging her claws in the ground as she skitted to a hault. Blood still flying everywhere from her wound. She bounded forward again and pounced on top of the scorpian, holding him down.

"NO!" the scorpian yelled as he felt the brute land on him and blood dripped down on his face.

"Don't worry." the beast growled. "I'm not going to land a fingure on you."

The scorpian shook, scared and confused by her words.

The sun had been right behind the scorpian when Shadowflames attacked, and right before she pounced, she mentally grapped his shadow.

"Now, you're going to find out what happens to those who threaten my city." And with that, his shadow, now solid and still in his form, walked over to her. She opened her mouth wide and bit down hard on his neck. A second later a loud SNAP was heard around the clearing as the scorpian's shadow fell, and the scorpian beneath her went limp, his head rolling to the side, off his sholders.

Shadowflames lifted her head and let out a growl, staring at the other scorpians. "You honor your word! I won, now you leave!"

One of the scorpians walked up to her and made a bow. "Let us have the honor of taking our leader home with us." He said.

Shadowflames growled then got off the body. The scorpian bent down and with his top two hands picked up his leader's head, with the middle two, the body. He turned his back on the fox beast and raised his spear with his bottom hands and blasted a bolt of lightning in the air. Where the bolt blasted apart, a wormwhole appeared. All the scorpians rose in the air and allowed themselves to be sucked in. The one who had oppened the portal turned back around and faced the creature who made a deep growl.

"Thank you." He said before rising himself and entering the swirling blue and white whole.

Shadowflames stayed rooted to the spot for a few seconds before she colapsed on her side.

"Shadowflames!"

I heard them call my name, but I couldn't answer. Something was blocking my tongue from moving.

I felt someone roll me on my back and felt what ever had been blocking my tongue seep down and start choking me.

"Don't do that Chief! Roll her over, but keep her held up!" I heard someone yell.

I was rolled over onto my stomach and lifted up a little, a pair of arms wrapped around my chest to keep my face from hitting the ground.

All at once a wave of blood came out, splattering all over the ground beneath me. I was dizzy, my vision was blurry, and above all else, I was tired.

I reached up and tried to push who ever had me away, but I wasn't strong enough.

"It's okay Shadowflames. You're okay." I heard a female's voice tell me softly.

"Let's get her over here. I need to stop her bleeding now. She's lost so much already it's amazing she's still alive."

I was lifted in someone's arms and carried over somewhere.

"No, don't." I muttered. "Just take care of the others, I'll be fine."

"Everyone else is stable, you're not." someone told me. I opened my eyes a little, trying to make out who was carring me.

"You're okay, I've gotcha ya." a red haired figure said. Lightning Lad?

I looked down at myself, I was again human.

"Whait! You can't help her Brainy. She needs medical attention at a hospital."

I was going to protest but couldn't find the strength. All I managed to do was caugh up a little more blood.

"Is there anyone near here?"

"Let me check."

"Saturn Girl?" I asked.

"She's checking to see if there's anyone we can give you to. It'll be okay." I heard one of the girls say. Lexi maybe?

"Bouncing Boy?"

"He'll be alright. He's just gotta rest."

"But..." I couldn't think. I could barely talk... I drifted into darkness. The last thing I heard was one of them saying "Come on Shadowflames, stay with us girl."

Is she going to live? Is this story nearly over? I'm deafenately not ending it... but soon... the battle's done so now I just have to do some wrapping up and it'll be all set to go... hope you enjoyed and plz don't forget to COMMENT! thank you...