It didn't take long for Draow to climb up to his feet. He shook himself a little. His stance was a little wobbly. The strain of his legs doing a split moments ago showed obvious signs through a slight hint of agony in the bat wolf's expression. Yet, despite this minor set back, he was still able to move with ease as he rushed towards Snap, mouth agape.
Snap narrowed his eyes and waited for the right time. When Draow got close enough, Snap quickly moved out of the way, allowing the bat wolf to rush by him. He watched as Draow attempted to stop himself, skidding his feet on the ground. He managed to stop himself and then turn around. He pawed the ground angrily and snorted. He opened up his mouth and let out a roar. Little bits of blood shot everywhere from the bleeding wounds on his tongue. Then he ran towards Snap once more.
Snap lowered himself, bending his knees. If he could just get on top of Draow again, he could attempt to wear him out like he did before. Hanging onto Draow seemed to work. It appeared to be a weak point of Draow's. As much of a vicious fighter he is, Draow is a little helpless if someone were to grab onto him. Well not completely helpless, but he had little ways of knocking Snap off if he did get on his back. Snap waited for Draow to come, waiting for the right time to jump onto his back.
But Snap had made a miscalcuation. He hadn't taken into account that Draow may have realized what he was going to do, and would do whatever it took to prevent him from doing it. Draow waited until the right moment before he changed direction a split second before Snap attempted his move.
The change in direction caused Snap to jump towards one of Draow's legs instead. Jumping was still painful as it was. It was even worse whan his injured foot slammed against one of the bat wolf's sharp talons. Eyes widening and tears forming, Snap let out a cry of pain. Before he had time to react, he felt Draow snag him into the air by his scarf.
Snap gagged, the scarf pushing up against his neck. It was getting a little hard to breathe. He struggled to pull himself free. Draow shook him a few times before slamming him into the ground. Snap landed on his sotmach in a hard thud. He groaned and attempted to get up. Draow was having none of his. He slashed his claws along Snap's side, leaving behind red gashes. Snap was knocked to the side and slammed against the wall. As he tried again to get to his feet, Draow rushed forward, snarling viciously. He raised his wing claw and struck down.
There was no holding it back. Snap screamed loudly as the claw cut into his back. The force knocked him a few feet away. He crashed into the ground, groaning in pain. He realized, in horror, that the attack was just like the one Draow gave him when he was kidnapped and taken to Mr. Cosmo's. That attack...it had been the start of his suffering at the hands of Mr. Cosmo. And when it was left untreated, one of the reasons he almost died was because of that infection.
And Draow had attacked him in the same way, in the same spot, with the same force as before. Only this time, Snap managed to stay awake. He kept fighting to keep himself conscious. If he let himself get knocked out, his friends were going to die. He had to stay up as long as he could. He had to keep fighting as long as he could. There was no one else here who could save Rudy and Penny in time.
Snap tried to get up, but a wave of pain kept him on the ground. He let out a groan. It, along with his other words, made it hard to move. His body shook in pain. It didn't help that he had landed on his stomach, right on his other wound he got from Draow. With a deep cut on his sides, back, and front, there was no place he could crash without damaging his old injuries even more. His fresh wounds stung immensely while his old ones ached in a constant dull pain, intermixing with a few sharp jabs. It was starting to feel like every part of his body was on fire.
He saw Draow was heading towards him. His heart started to race. He had to get up before that beast got to him again. Snap attempted to get up again. And once more, the pain caused him to fall back down. His whole body was throbbing. He let out a few whimpers and he looked over at Draow. Despite his rising fear, he just glared hatefully at the approaching bat wolf. He was not going to give him the satisfaction of seeing him afraid.
Draow stopped a few feet in front of him. He stared down at Snap, licking his chops slowly. He started to walk slowly around Snap. He was clearly enjoying what he saw as victory. He could see Snap couldn't get up, and the more he struggled, the more Draow's smile went wider. He circled Snap like a vulture, like he was just waiting for Snap to curl up and die. Snap followed his movements, glaring hatefully at him. Then, for a moment, Snap looked over at Penny, whose eyes were wide in fear. Snap wondered if Draow had done this to her and Rudy at some point, just circle them to scare them.
His thoughts were cut when Draow let out a dark laughter. He turned his head and glared back at the bat wolf, baring his teeth at him.
"You really think...you can w-w-win?" Draow said. The pain in his tongue was getting a little better, but it still apparently hurt the winged wolf. "G-Give it up! You'll never win! Without the magic chalk..." Draow said, taking a step towards Snap. "...you c-can't beat me.."
Snap snarled at him. He put his hands on the ground and pushed himself up a little. He moved his head so he could keep his eyes on the monster. He said nothing as he watched Draow circle him.
Draow shifted his head and looked back towards the direction Penny and Rudy were in. Snap's eyes widened as a sinister, satisfied smile spread across his face. His heart clenched. Was this...did this mean that...? Oh no...Penny... Snap tried to look over, but as he turned his head, he felt something slam against him. He screamed as he tumbled across the ground and landed on his stomach. He groaned and, before he could react, he felt something heavy slam on top of him.
Draow now stood behind him, holding his body down with his foot. His talons dug into his back, at least one right into his open wound. Snap whimpered in pain, his head low to the ground and eyes closed tightly. He felt Draow's hot breath against his face. When Snap opened his eyes, he could see the sharp fangs from Draow up close and personal. He shuddered at the sight of them.
"Ah...fear... F-Finally... I've been w-waiting to get that look from you..." Draow said in a darkened voice. Snap stared up at him, narrowing his eyes. "You c-can try to hide it. B-But I can tell you are afraid, Snap. And you sh-should be! For you see, you have failed...!"
There was a shift in weight. The monster put his foot in Snap's head. His toes were highly flexable and they gripped his head. Draow yanked his head back and forced him to look at where his friends were on the ground.
Snap's eyes widened in horror. Now Penny was on the ground unconscious. No...it wasn't good that they were both unconscious... With those injuries...they might not wake up again... Snap's eyes watered as he stared at their prone forms, his breathing becoming heavy and shaky. Draow's cold laughter was like a sword through his heart, making his emotions a lot worse. No, he couldn't be too late...no...
He could see their chests moving up and down. He could tell they were still alive. A small smile spread across his face. That was short lived. Horror came back when he noticed that the breaths were very shallow and far between. And they were slowing down. Rudy and Penny...they were dying... More tears fell from Snap's eyes. A low whimper escaped his mouth as Draow chuckled at him. The bat wolf released him and became to pace around him again, once in a while, brushing his body with his thick, furry tail.
"You had no chance to start with, S-Snap." The stutter in Draow's voice started to go away. "There's so little t-time left. You wanna know how little time?" Draow asked in a mocking voice. He stood in front of Snap. When the zoner looked up at him, Draow lowered his head. His teal eyes stared into Snap's. "They've got an hour and a half left now." Snap's eyes widened in disbelief at this. He shook his head in denial. "Deny it all you want to... B-But you've lost."
Draow moved in behind Snap. He positioned himself, raising a foot off the ground. He placed it on Snap's back, pushing him down. He opened up his wings, his injured one a little shaky from that slam against the wall. Draow positioned his mouth near Snap's head.
Snap didn't attempt to struggle. His eyes were focused on Rudy and Penny. His heart beat heavily against his chest. There was less than two hours to save them... He was running out of time. He might have already run out of time. They were...so still on the ground. Much like how he was with Mr. Cosmo. Still and quiet...very few signs of life. With them unconscious, they...they might not make it. He silently begged them to wake up, but of course, they stayed on the ground, eyes closed.
"It is a shame you c-came all this way...just to lose." Draow said. His voice was a little softer than usual, but the cruelty was still there. He moved his head down, his eyes tracing along Snap's back and towards his legs like he was taking mental note of his injuries. B-But should you be surprised? Without the magic chalk...you're nothing... You can't create anything. Not even a little armor to protect yourself. You lost right from the b-beginning. You never stood a chance."
Snap tried not to listen to Draow. But his piercing words kept hitting him. Again and again, they struck his heart, attacking it. He felt like swords were being cut into him. The more Draow spoke, the more Snap wondered...was he right? Had he really come here just to lose? His eyes, he couldn't turn them away from Rudy and Penny. He watched as their breathing slowly, very slowly, became lighter and more shallow, the breaths becoming further apart.
He felt Draow's hot breath on his legs. He could feel the droop dripping on them. He knew what Draow was going to do. He could already feel the teeth in his legs, and Draow hadn't even bitten him yet. Snap knew that, in a matter of seconds, Draow would bite down on one or both of his legs and crush them. Even with just one missing leg, that was going to be a great hinderence. He wouldn't be able to protect himself, let alone Rudy or Penny, if his leg was broken...
He felt determination rise up inside of him again. Rudy and Penny didn't give up on him back at Cosmo's place. He wasn't going to give up on them. They were still alive. And as long as they were still breathing, he was going to fight for them. He turned his head to see Draow preparing to bite. His foot was still laying across his back. The toe was pretty close to his head.
Snap's mind flashed back to Mr. Cosmo. He remembered being on that edge in the Chalk Mine. He recalled being stuck up there with the deranged man. He remembered how he had lost his temper and had attacked him. He had bitten down on his leg, which was within reach, just like Draow's foot...
Without hesitation, Snap put a hand over Draow's closest toe, opened his mouth, and bit down as hard as he could on the sensitive chalk flesh just before the toe exited the digit. The bite got the reaction he had hoped for.
Draow screeched loudly. He lifted up his foot from Snap and took a step back. This gave Snap some time to get up to his feet. But when he tried, and he stepped on his twisted ankle, he let out a cry of pain and fell back down. He picked himself up by his hands, his legs laying behind him. He managed to turn himself around on the ground and glared directly at Draow.
When the bat wolf finally stopped screeching, he glared down at Snap. His teeth were bared, gums exposed. The fur on his neck, back, and tail was raised in rage. His pupils shrank a little. He took a step towards Snap, slamming the ground on purpose in an attempt to scare Snap.
"I can't believe y-you..." Draow growled. "You filthy little beast!"
With that, the bat wolf struck Snap with his foot, kicking him against the wall. Snap howled in pain as he slid down, leaving behind a bloody mark. He let out a few whimpers of pain, but the angry expression never left his face. He growled in Draow's direction.
"The only...filthy beast around here...is you." Snap said, panting from a mixture of pain and exhaustion. This fight was taking more out of him than he thought. He wondered how he was going to do in the fight against Bardot. "And you're wrong.. I haven't failed. As long as Rudy and Penny are still alive..I'll do what it takes to save them. I'm..I'm not giving up. I can't give up now, not after I came so far."
As he spoke, Snap started to climb up to his feet. He was very careful to go slowly as to not aggravate his wounds further. Draow narrowed his eyes in disgust as Snap started to pick his torn and battered body off the ground.
Snap said, "If I can survive almost being tossed into a grinder through a sinkhole, being mauled by chocolate bunnies, being hunted by zombies, almost shot to death by flying bots, nearly falling into acid, being chased by a snake, riding down an ice slide, being thrown about, and whatever else I had to put through getting here..." Now Snap stood straight up. There was a hint of pain in his face, but he did his best to conceal it. He glared in Draow's direction. "I can survive you."
Draow's eyes widened at this. He took a step back. Then his ears lowered and he snarled. "I can't believe you can stand a-after that..." Then a creepy smile came onto his face. "Then again, you always were stubborn. No wonder my master had to put the nail in you while you were awake to break you." Snap's eyes widened at that. Memories flooded back to him. "Oh yes, it was on purpose. Not that you should be surprised. He did it not just for the plan. He did it solely to break you. And it worked really well. He said it was a lot of fun... He loved to hear you whimper like a baby."
Snap began to shudder a little. The memories, even just thinking about it, he could feel the pain. Not much he experienced had been as bad as that. Even being mauled by the rabbits was less painful than what Mr. Cosmo had put him through. Sometimes he could still feel a sting on his forehead where his head was dissolved open by that water.
He managed to push those memories aside, though it was hard. He knew Draow was bringing up such painful memories just to psyche him out. If anything, it was just making him more determined. Knowing what he had gone through, knowing what his friends were going through, the memory of the pain was making him more determined than ever to win this duel. He narrowed his eyes at Draow, who clearly looked disappointed that his method wasn't working on him.
"I see the fire in you still burns." Draow commented. By now, the stutter was gone. He licked his lips. His tongue was still stained in his own blood. "I don't know if this determination of yours is annoying or amusing. You're like a cockroach. You just won't die, will you?"
Snap smirked at this. "I'm glad you're starting to understand, Draow. I will not stop until I save my friends. You are not going to stand in my way. I love Rudy and Penny. They're family to me. And family looks out for each other." He took a fighting stance, flinching at the pain. "No matter what you do...you will not make me surrender. I would rather die than accept defeat."
At this, Draow laughed darkly. "Okay, very well." He lowered his head, narrowing his eyes. "I can accept that..." He pawed the ground, his talons scraping across. "You know, your stubbornness just might be your downfall, Snap. I guess you really do want to go to your grave..."
Snap just stood there. He glared at Draow and motioned with his hand to try to get him. Snap knew it was risky, but he did have an idea. He planted his feet firmly on the ground, waiting for Draow to make his move. And soon the bat wolf did. In seconds, he was rushing towards Snap.
All common sense was screaming at Snap to get out of the way. The snapping jaws..they were getting closer. If he got stuck in them again, it might be over for him. He didn't know if he could land another blow like that twice. No doubt Draow would do whatever it took to keep him from succeeding in that again. Snap waited until the right time, and then moved out of the way.
Draow, unable to stop himself, slammed his snout against the ground. The force of the impact caused Draow to break his own nose. Blood dripped from his nostrils. He shook his head, sneezing painfully. He then turned his head, looking for Snap. A broken nose wasn't going to slow him down that much, but it did provide Snap the momentary distraction that he needed. As Draow snapped his jaws at him, Snap had managed to move to the side and gripped onto Draow's neck once more.
Snap hung on, pulling on Draow's ears. The bat wolf immediately started to try to throw him off. He shook harder and this time, Snap found it more difficult to hang on. He refused to let go, pulling on the ears tighter, trying to force Draow to run into the walls in an attempt to slow him down.
"Oh no you don't..." Draow snarled angrily. He opened his wings a little, shaking in fury. Drool dripped from his jaws. "I'm not letting you do this trick again!"
Snap didn't listen to him. He just pushed his legs harder against the sides of the beast's neck and yanked on his ears, forcing his head to move from side to side. He kept trying to steer the bat wolf. But unlike before, Draow had long stopped running. He kept trying to fling Snap off of him, swaying his body from side to side. Snap's eyes widened when he realized that, this time, his plan wasn't going to work. He couldn't steer Draow anywhere if he wasn't going to run.
Draow smirked, as if he sensed Snap's surprise. "You must be an idiot if you think I'll fall for your little trick again. Did you really think you could force me into the wall again? I really hope you have another plan...because this is the end for you."
With that, Draow lowered his head and, swiftly and with much force, he flung his head upwards. The force caused Snap to lose his grip and he was sent up into the air. As Snap sailed in the air, Draow opened his jaws wide, intending on catching Snap in his jaws and crushing him in a single bite. And there was no way Snap could move out of the way this time.
Snap felt like time was going in slow motion. He stared down at Draow's open jaws and gulped. He couldn't dodge them this time. In a matter of seconds, he was..he was going to die. He shifted his gaze to Rudy and Penny. He shed a few tears and silently apologized for not being able to save them. He had let them down. He let everyone down.
He looked back down that the jaws below him. Soon, gravity was going to do its work. It was going to pull him down, right towards this creature's jaws. He had nothing he could grab onto to save himself. Gravity soon started to work against him. He felt himself slowly stop rising up higher into the air, then he started coming right back down. Snap didn't know he was going to go like this. He didn't know he was going to die from falling in the jaws of a vengeful wolf.
Then a thought crossed his mind. Gravity... He felt himself slowly fall faster and faster. He remembered what Penny said about gravity once. The stored energy, and how all that energy is unleashed when the object hit the ground. He wondered...
Snap glared down at Draow. He positioned himself so he was falling head first towards Draow. The bat wolf looked confused, but then smiled. He obviously didn't know what Snap was up to. Snap looked at his hand. He tightened it, mustering up as much strength as he could. He let gravity do its work, channeling energy through his hand. Yes, he would use the fall to his advantage. He glared at Draow, showing courage in the face of his open, fanged mouth.
Waiting for the right moment, Snap pulled his hand back, his arm tensing up from his tightening muscles, and, just when he reached the right distance, just when Draow was about to crush his body in his jaws, Snap struck down, slamming his fist with as much force as he could muster right between Draow's eyes. The force of the impact forced Draow's head downard, his mouth shutting, gritting pain. His eyes shut tightly, and his body stiffened.
The blue zoner fell to the ground after that. As he fell back, Draow pulled his back and let out a screech of pain. His eyes remained closed and his once angry expression softened. Snap hit the ground and watched as Draow stumble backwards. Then, in seconds, Draow fell to the ground on his side. There was a bit of mild movement for a few seconds, but then Draow just stayed still.
Snap laid on the ground, staring in disbelief at what he had just done. He stared down at the hand he used to punch Draow. Then he looked at the bat wolf himself. He waited a few moments, trying to see if the bat wolf was going to get up any second and come after him. He soon realized that he wasn't. The force of the punch, where he had punched him, he must have done enough damage to knock him out.
He...he had done it... It took Snap a while to let it all sink in, but he had really, truly done it. Draow was..defeated. He was still alive of course, but he was defeated. He couldn't fight anymore. He had won this duel. He had won.
Snap looked over at his friends. He wished they could have seen that. But more than that, he wished they were awake. He looked at them worriedly. They needed help and fast.
He got up onto his feet. He stumbled a little from pain. He walked..no..he limped over to them. It took him a little longer than usual to get over. But he managed to get by his friends' side. He looked down at them sadly. He knelt down between them, looking at their still faces. He put his hands on their shoulders and started to shake them.
"Guys...wake up..please..." Snap said to them. They didn't respond. He shook harder. "Come on, you guys have to get up... You can't fall asleep. Not now... Please no..." He looked at them, hoping for some kind of sign that they were waking up. Nothing happened. Tears dripped from his eyes. "No guys..no...please don't do this...don't go...please wake up..."
But it was no use. No matter how hard he shook them, no matter what he said, they didn't do anything. They had lost touch with reality. They were alive, but if they didn't wake up soon...they might slip into a coma. They might become too far gone to save. No...he wouldn't let that happen. He couldn't...
Snap tried again. He shook them even harder. "No..please wake up... Please..." Snap pulled them into a hug, his arms wrapped over Rudy and Penny's shoulder. "Don't leave me...please..." He whispered, his voice broken into sobs.
All of a sudden, Snap felt himself yanked from his friends. He waited helplessly as their heads hit against the hard ground, not something that should happen while they're in an already fragile state. Snap tried to reach out for them, but he soon found himself thrown into the ground. He let out a cry of pain, shutting his eyes, and tried to get up. But then something pushed him down, holding him in place.
Before Snap knew it, he felt his arms pinned over his head with a single vice-like grip. Something soft wrapped around his legs, squeezing them together. Something held his body down. He winced and struggled as pressure was put on his multiple injuries. But he found himself unable to move. He opened up his eyes and looked up. His eyes widened in horror.
There stood Bardot. He was grinning down at him, holding him in the exact same position as he did when they first met in his home. Snap attempted to struggle. He had an even harder time than before in getting free. He lost so much energy, was in so much pain, he was unable to budge even an inch from this guy.
Bardot smiled down at him, pulling his lips back to show more of his long, sharp fangs. "I see you finally made it..." He said in a soft voice. He lowered his head, putting his face close to Snap's. "Congratulations... Welcome to the boss level..."
Snap winced as some of the heated venom hit against his face. He shuddered as the venom burned his skin a little. He kept his eyes on Bardot. He could feel his heart pounding. This was it. Everything he went through these past few days, it all culminated to this.
It was time to face Bardot himself.
