Chapter VIII - Ghost
Growing into the same size of a grotesque midnight gray wolf, Marceline snarled and barked at the Black Wolf and Ash takes on full possession of Finn's inner soul. Bloodlust consumes Marceline's fiber being as she approached Ash, while still taking on the appearance of Finn, who was now a Midnight Black Wolf with grey stripped eyes and a ghostly aura surrounding his body. Ash snarled back as she got more close to him with her white claws, Ash in Finn's body proceeds to stick his tongue out, with the following words shortly afterwards.
"Bitch.." Without hesitating, Marceline the Midnight Grey Wolf grabs Ash by the neck with one hand, pinning him up against the Treehouse. Ash retaliates with a kick to the chest, sending Marceline backwards a little bit, dragging her feet along the grass. The clouds became to cover the skies of Ooo, with the moon displaying it's waxing gibbous phase shinning before slowly being covered by the clouds. Marceline pondered to herself on how to defeat Ash once again, but the current issue is to hurt Ash without hurting Finn in the process. "Fuck.. I'm basically fighting Finn, how should I do this-" Ash cuts her thoughts short by giving a straight kick to her chest. The force drags her back a bit, knocking half the wind from her lungs. She clenched her chest with her right arm, unhinged her jaw in an attempt to breath some air. She looked up at Ash, who started approaching her. She got to her feet and stumbled slightly and spits to the side. "I'm sorry in advance.. Finn." She said in her head, before having her eyes turn red, and charges at Ash.
The first set of attacks came from her claws, running across his face, his chest, abdomen, and legs in that order, before brawling her paws and delivering the same kick to Ash's chest, pushing him back. He clenched his chest and got to his fours, slowly approaching her. Marceline stretched her arms out a bit and bent her knees, taking a stance for Ash's next barrage of attack. Finn's wolf form began to twitch a bit, catching Marceline slightly off guard, but still having her defenses up. She snarled a little bit before he twitched again. It appears to Marceline that Finn was trying to internally fight with Ash in his soul. His arm and leg twitching once confirms this. "Finn..?" Marceline softly, but gruffly said. Ash barked, bringing Marceline back into focus and he charged at her, with Marceline doing the same. They rammed into each other, forcing them to stand on their hind legs, gripping each other's shoulders. Snarling and barking at each other, Ash bites Marceline on her forearm. She clenches her muscles and attacks back with a hard and impactful right hook, making both of them lean to the side. Ash gave a crazed looked at Marceline. She dropkicks him and pins him to the ground. Holding his arms down, he foamed at the mouth and his head twitched once. He barked and then there was the sound of thunderclaps. It became to roar across the skies as the night grew darker.
At Lady's house, Jake and Lady were watching a suspenseful movie, Jake was at the edge of his seat, with their kids in bed. Lady looked over to him, seeing that he was interested and zoned out into the film. She reached out both of her arms to him, trying to make him up. She grips him on his shoulders and he yelped like a little kid. "Lady!" Jake exclaimed. Lady chuckled a bit. Thunderclaps roared near Lady's house, making the both of them. They looked at each other. "Man, it sounds like it's about to rain tonight." Jake said to Lady. Lady gets up to peak out the window. She sees that the night is more darker than usual, due to the moon being covered but by the dark clouds. "Yea, it probably is. The sky is darker than usual, maybe it could rain all night." She moved away from the window. "Are you still spending the night here Jake?" Lady asked Jake. "Well, yea. I had brought some clothes. I wouldn't wanna leave due to some rain." Jake said, Lady smiled and moved back to the couch. "Is Finn okay?" Lady asked. Jake looked at her a bit.
"Yes, he should be fine, although I should call him just to confirm. Thanks Lady." Jake said. He gets up and pulls out his phone from his bag. "Excuse me." He said, he had opened the front door and walked outside to call Finn's phone. It rang for a bit before Jake saw a lightening strike in the far distance, followed by a thunderclap that shook the ground slightly. The phone still continued to ring, no answer. "He must be asleep, being battered can do that to you." He said to himself. Jake walks back into the house, closing the door behind him. "Did he pick up?" Lady asked Jake. "Nah, he didn't, he must be asleep due to his injuries." Jake replied. Lady seemed worried about Jake's statement regarding Finn. "Injuries? What happened to him?" Lady asked with concern. Jake sits down. "Long story short, Finn and I encountered Marceline's crazy ex-boyfriend. It didn't end so well. It's a lot of drama, and pain if I can say so myself." Jake said, closing his eyes a little. The TV started to watch them as they talked. "Is she okay?" Lady asked once more. "Marceline? About what you'd expect. She's still suffering from her wounds but the both of them are healing up slowly." Jake concluded, thinking about the pair. "What if.. nah.." Jake said in his head, thinking if Finn and Marceline already made a method of self-healing.
Back at the Treehouse, Marceline delivered blows to Ash's face once more, with each hit being more impactful than the last. After her barrage, Ash headbutts her from below. Making Marceline jump back a bit, she grabbed him by the fur on his chest and slings him far into the air, causing Ash to howl, with her jumping after him. Charging at his body and sending the both of them far away from the Treehouse, the two land near the Dark Forest, hitting a tall tree in the process, causing it to collapse. Both stanced as wolves fighting for their territory, they stared each other down, as it became to rain. "Get out of his body Ash! It doesn't belong to you!" Marceline growled, expressing a deep voice. Ash replied with a cackle. "Of all the the things I could do to your previous friend while I further consume his soul. He will never be the same." Ash said. Marceline growled and charged at him head on, bumping heads and leading on with a barrage of swipes from her razor sharp pink to red claws. Ash continued to cackle. "You hurting your friend more than you are hurting me. Can't you see that?" Ash gives off an evil grin. "He's not just a friend." Marceline said as she approached him again, slowly going into the Dark Forest. "Then what is he? Your toy? Like you were to me?" Ash standing up on his hind legs. Lightning hits one of the trees, causing one of the branches to snap from the side of another tall tree. In quick movement, Marceline stood up and jumped towards the branch that was falling, grips the base of the branch, and manages to bring it across Ash's face, sending him flying further into the Dark Forest, breaking smaller branches. She looks at it, grabs the base with her free hand and runs her hand across the entire branch, breaking the rest of the smaller branches that were housed on the main branch. Now a makeshift weapon, Marceline growled and further trails into the forest, encountering Ash once more. Hunched back and full of rage, she took her stance. Ash wipes the leaves and debris from his face and snarled.
"So what are we left with huh? You finish me off, you'll finish your lover off too. You can't have both." Ash said in a gruff and serious tone. "I'll fine a way.." Marceline said in a gruff voice also, walking towards him, swatting Ash in the face with her makeshift weapon. The attack made him fall back, catching himself with his hand before landing on the ground. The rain slowly grew heavier as the standoff continued. "Get out of his body." Marceline ordered Ash. Ash proceeds to spit at her, with it landing under her eye, in the way way that Finn spat in her face during their very first standoff in the cave. She wiped it away with her arm and growled. "Fine.." Marceline said, then she breaks the branch in half, allowing to have dual weapons. Ash cracks his knuckles. Marceline charges at Ash once again, rushing in for a headbutt, but Ash counters it with throwing a fist at her. It dazed her, but he damaged his Finn in the process. An idea came about in Ash's mind. While using Finn's body, he could damage it more than what Marceline would do, eventually attempting to kill Finn. She attacks him with her two dual weapons, bringing it across his face multiple times to create hard blows. Doing this, Ash pulls out a claw and pokes his left eye, catching Marceline off guard, he claws himself in the face. It took a bit for Marceline to realize what Ash's plan was. Destroying Finn's body. Marceline lays off on her attacks, trying to figure out a plan for herself to try to get Ash out of Finn's body. "Ooooh yess.. you like that?" Ash teased Marceline, using Finn's voice, making her look up in distraught. She closed her eyes and shook her head. Ash decides to break his finger, knowing it won't have any affect on his own soul, but will cause excruciating pain to Finn's body. The dark aura around his body grew bigger, with Finn yelling through Ash's voice. Having enough of the site she was seeing of Ash self-mutilating Finn's Wolf Body, she threw both branches at Ash, having one impale his arm and the other hitting his chest. She tackles him to the ground and upon doing that, thunderclaps roar the skies and a lightening strike touches down a few yards away from the the too, shaking the ground in a rapture-like manner. She brought out her claws and swiped his face again. Realizing she is doing more harm than good, she thinks of a solution. She grabs Ash's head and starts to pound it against the grass and ground, creating a dent in the dirt. Slightly dazing Ash's soul, she looked down towards Ash's body and forms a fist. She figures the only way to get Ash's soul out of Finn's body was to forcefully beat the wind out of him. Forcing the impaled stick in his arm through the ground, she closes her eyes and starts to pound at his solar plexus. Not wanting to physically see the damage she's doing, she can only here the impacts of her attacks. The pace grew faster and faster to where it would be four hits in a mere second. She growled as she continued, forcing herself to keep going. Finn's soul was being battered around and so was Ash's own. Finn's actual body began to convulse due to the fast barrage of punches to his chest. Thunderclaps roared the skies and Marceline began to loose her sanity, as if she was fully fighting Ash once again like back in the cave where her house once stood.
In five short minutes, from what felt to seem like forever, she stops as she took a look at Finn's shaking body, she stood up and raised her foot in the air, stepping on his chest. She puts her fists up as her aura grew larger. Slowly, with all that she has done, Ash's soul exits Finn's body through his mouth. The black large ghostly shadow had glowing eyes. Marceline experiences an out-of-body moment and dropped to her knees slowly, with her own aura staring at Ash's shadow. It leaves her body and charged at Ash's shadow. Leaving the battle site, the two rise up into the sky, above the clouds where more lightening strikes were present. Two black souls fight above the clouds, with one winning over the other. No words were exchanged. Marceline's Aura grips Ash's shadow spirit. The rage and bloodlust coursing through her aura's veins, drained the light from Ash's white dotted eyes, softly struggling. Still with no words exchanged, her aura rips Ash's soul in half, And upon releasing her grip on it, he stays in the spot for a few, then it slowly floats to the sky, way above the limit in which her aura stayed at.
It looked up as lightening strikes brightened the skies. It then looked down and flew back down to Marceline, who was dazed on the ground. Finn was slowly breathing. Marceline managed to crawl and lay next to him. The rain drops patted their faces, wetting their cheeks. They looked up into the dark skies. The win blew the leaves all in one direction, soft currents, then aggressive, then soft again. The ground all around the both of them were wet. Finn blinked, and then closed his eyes, slowly trying to get his wind back. He could barely feel anything in his body. Marceline's aura looked over the both of them, then entered back into her body, giving her a bit more energy to look at Finn. She slowly regained her sanity, as well as her normal appearance. Apart from Finn, his wolf appearance wore off, but slower than the rate of Marceline. She opened his eyes with her fingers and saw his pearl blue eyes again, before falling back to the ground. A sigh of relief escaped her exhausted body, but happiness consumed her veins. "Mar.. Marceline.." Finn softly called out her name.
Weakened a bit, Marceline turned towards him, getting near his body once more. "Yes..?" Marceline said. "Wha.. what... happened..?" Finn coughed a couple of times, Marceline got up from her back and held him from behind. She didn't mind that Finn had the back of her head on her chest. She rubbed his cheeks a little bit, examining his body for any injuries caused by Ash. "Nothing happened.. how to you feel.. Finn?" Marceline spoke softly to him. "Numb, hardly feel a thing.." Finn said weakly. He looked into her glowing red eyes. It created a silhouette with the trees, heavy rain, and dark night skies. "You..?" Finn asked. Marceline blinked, even though he couldn't feel it, she had tears running down her face. She closed her eyes and sniffled a little bit. She started to embrace him with the left over energy and buried her head into his chest. The pair breathed softly.
Finn coughed, still getting his wind back. "Home.. I need to get home.." Finn raised up a little bit. Marceline held him a bit more. "Not yet.. You need to rest first.. The way back home, we'd both faint not even a few steps from here.. I need to rest too.." Marceline said as she moved the both of them under a large tree where it was more dry and less rain passing through the leaves. Finn slowly raised up and moved towards the side of Marceline, sitting next to her. He tilted his head up, breathing slowly. The both looked at each other, without saying a word, they leaned their heads together. Both of their numb bodies slowly began to recuperate. The heavy rain still continued to pour and the thunderclaps were their source of soothing sounds to get them through the night. Eventually, the both of them passed out, awaiting for the next morning to arrive.
-End of Chapter-