This chapter is dedicated to Diety, for reviewing the last chapter within
five minutes of me posting it. yay!
Telepathy (thoughtspeech) is in :.:, yes, this is the same way Mercedes Lackey writes it, except hers is in italics too (which mine IS until I upload it. grumble grumble.)
Animorphs quote in here, cookie (flavor of choice) to anyone who sees it!
Well, this chapter is definitely a break from the angst, so you'll have to wait a bit for your mountains.
Still looking for ideas for a title change. do you guys actually LIKE the title, or are you just to lazy to think of ideas? Plz tell me if its one or the other.
I had a really hard time writing from the manticore's POV, so tell me honestly if it sucked. I don't mind flames, really, although the more creative the better.
AND I HAVE REACHED 50000 WORDS!!!!!! THANKS YOU GUYS FOR REVIEWING, IT'S REALLY WHAT KEPT ME GOING ONCE SCHOOL STARTED!!!!!!
Sasina (Sass for short) Chapter 16- Taunting and Tests
He followed the nurse out into the hall, following her up to the library on the third floor. "Do you really think she just forgot?" Poppy said, breaking the silence.
"I don't know," Remus replied. "I'd guess she was reading and either lost track of time or got started on something and didn't want to lose her train of thought."
"I suppose you're right," Poppy said as they entered the room. "Shea?"
The librarian looked up from her work, frowning slightly at the intrusion. "What is it?"
"I was wondering if Miss Celeborn was in here. She was supposed to report to me at ten-thirty, but we haven't seen her. Remus thought she might be in here."
"Miss Celeborn?" Shea Pince said, surprised. "She left hours ago, shortly after lunch, if I remember correctly." Remus frowned. /Shit, if she's been alone with her thoughts for almost twelve hours. I am going to /kill/ Snape if he had anything to do with it./ "Well, thank you anyway," he said, turning to go.
"Wait a minute," Shea said, surprising him by wearing a slightly dazed, frustrated expression. He was taken aback at the sharp contrast from the controlling, strict, expression she had worn as a librarian even when he was a student. "There's something else that happened to do with her. but I can't /remember/ it! This is the most exasperating. Well," she said, suddenly seeming to realize that Remus and Poppy were both still in the room, gaping at her, "I'll let you know if I remember what it was. Good evening." And with that, the irritable librarian disappeared, as was her habit, into the dusty shelves that were the Hogwarts library.
Remus and Poppy departed in silence. When they were out of earshot, he shook his head and said fervently, "Now /that/ was the weirdest thing I have ever seen."
* * * * *
Severus was still sitting at his desk when the interruption came, no closer to finding his apology than he had been an hour and a half ago. He'd /expected/ to be struggle for the rest of the night. He'd /expected/ to be left alone during aforementioned night. He was wrong on both counts.
"What did you /do/ to her?" were the words that broke into his self- inflicted depression, delivered by one very angry Remus Lupin.
Severus' first instinct was to jump, but he quickly quelled it and instead turned around slowly, drawling, "Do to /whom/, Lupin? And next time you enter my office, please leave the door intact." He smiled inwardly as Lupin flushed. No matter what state people came to him in, he had always been a master at making them embarrassed, angry, or terrified, whatever suited his purposes. But he had to give the werewolf credit- he collected himself far sooner than many others would have, under the unforgiving gaze of the Potions Master.
"Sass, of course. Who else do you torture for /absolutely no reason/? She hasn't been seen since noon, and was supposed to report to Poppy two hours ago. /What/ did you /do/?"
Severus would have been worried, if he didn't know where his daug- what? Sass was. So he sighed, a calculatedly drawn out expression of disgust. "/I/, my dear Lupin, have not done anything. Sass is currently sleeping off the effects of a very strenuous workout in the Teachers' Training Room, which she visits quite often, I have reason to believe."
Remus glared at him suspiciously a moment before answering. "And how, exactly, do you know this?"
Severus smiled lazily, not commenting on the fact that Remus, despite his animosity, had accepted the facts of the Slytherin's story immediately. Score one for the un-trusted spy. "I, too, work out regularly, and saw her there when I went this evening. You may go check on her, but she is quite tired, and probably won't wake up."
Remus bristled at the /permission/ to go visit a girl he obviously thought of Severus as having no claim over. /Which, in all rights, you don't/, a treacherous little voice whispered. /Remember what you did to her? Your only hope of redemption is on Thursday, and it is doubtful she will forgive you even then./ Severus told that voice fiercely to shut up. He had no intention of letting things stay as they were between him and Sass, and that wasn't the point right now anyway. Right now all he had to do was make the last of his childhood tormenters feel as subordinate as possible.
"You just stay away from her, /Snape/," the werewolf snarled. "I meant what I said before. Pick someone else to play with, because I'm taking care of her now." Then he turned on his heel and left. Severus sighed, wrote something on yet another piece of parchment, and stared at the scripted words for a moment before throwing it, too, into the fire.
* * * * *
"Honestly, Remus, I'm /fine/," Sass said for what had to be at least the third time that day. "And you know it. You saw me in class this morning, hardly took your eyes off me at lunch, and just got finished watching me through /another/ lesson! I'm so sore I can hardly move, but that's /it/! What's bothering you?"
Sass watched her teacher carefully as he shook his head, apologizing for being so protective but not really meaning it. Not that she really minded having someone so worried about her. /It's just. well, strange/. "You know I just want to make sure."
"Yeah, I know. Are you going anywhere for the holidays?" she asked, trying to change the subject.
Remus shrugged. "I don't know. I might just travel." He grinned. "That's really why I don't have much money. Got the 'wandering feet,' so I end up spending far too much on lodgings and food. What about you?"
"I'm going home," Sass said, rolling the word around in her mouth, "you know, to Tokyo. Emara and Michelle have something planned, I can tell- you should have seen their last owl! I could almost /smell/ the secrecy!"
He laughed. "Well, I'm sure whatever it is will be interesting. You free after this?"
"Yeah. Why?"
"I was wondering if you wanted a tour of the Forbidden Forest. It's really not dangerous if you can get the trees to recognized you- they'll protect you as best they can from all their inhabitants, some of whom won't attack you at all if you're on the 'ok' list."
"If it's that simple, why isn't everyone accepted?" Sass wanted to know.
"Well, the Forest won't accept just anyone," Remus said. "I honestly don't know what criterium it uses, but I just have this feeling, I think maybe the Forest can hear some of what I'm thinking. and if it works, the Forest's protection could come in handy. You can ask the trees for favors, sort of, and if they feel like it they'll help you out. Would you like to try it?"
Sass nodded uncertainly. "Sure, I guess so. Lead on, oh fearless leader." /I'm really glad I went out to the training arena last night. God, I feel so. strong. Like I could handle anything right now. Even. him. Yeah, I think I'll go to Potions this week. He has no right to keep me from learning anything/. She grinned, suddenly feeling as if a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. Remus nodded to other teachers they passed in the hall, but Sass just ignored everyone. /This is so. weird. I'm so happy. I'm not sure whether I should make sure I don't get used to it or just make the best of what time I've got. Oh well, let's see how this Forbidden Forest thing goes./
"I thought students weren't allowed in the Forest, though," she said. Remus smiled, almost smirking.
"Yes, but there are so many loopholes in that rule it looks like a piece of swiss cheese. Firstly," he said, ticking them off on his fingers, "you are with a teacher. Secondly, where exactly /are/ the boundaries of the forest? Hagrid's cabin is in the trees, so now that he's a teacher, every lesson could be considered 'in' the Forbidden Forest. Thirdly, the rule just says that you may not 'risk bodily harm to oneself or others' by entering the Forest. So when- if- the Forest accepts a person, they are technically not risking themselves, as the Forest will protect them."
Sass raised an eyebrow at the teacher. "Well. Now I see why you ended up with so many detentions in school. The Marauders, were you?"
Remus nodded, not abashed in the slightest. "True enough- the loopholes were basically the only reason we didn't get expelled- and the Hogwarts Code of Conduct was a lot more specific by the time we graduated. Which I suppose was a good thing- right?"
Sass just laughed. They reached the treeline, and Remus stopped. Sass looked at him. "So what do we do now?"
Remus' gaze lingered on the barren canopy for a minute before he spoke. "We make our petition and wait. If the Forest is interested, it will send someone to talk to us."
"Alright," Sass said. "How do we make our 'petition'?"
Remus sat down on the damp ground, grimacing as the moisture soaked through his robes. Sass followed suit, smiling at his expression until she, too, got wet. "We sit here, and think of what we want- for you to be accepted as a denizen of the forest. Close your eyes, it feels less ridiculous that way." He grinned at Sass and she shrugged, allowing her eyelids to drop closed. /Forbidden Forest/, she thought. /I want to be accepted, I want to be under your protection, and I will protect you as well, the best I know how. I want you to listen to me, I petition the right to be heard. Forbidden Forest, this is my request. / It seemed like ages before Sass was brought out of her trance by a very cold and very wet nose nuzzling her cheek. She opened her eyes, and thought, /Breathe. It isn't here to hurt me, the Forest is answering./
:Not quite true, little one,: an amused voice said. :I am here to test you, to see if you are worthy of our notice.: Sass looked over at Remus, and he nodded, so she stood up, facing the manticore. Sass forced her breathing to slow, and calmed her mind.
"What are the rules of this combat?"
:No poison, magic, or long-range weapons are to be used. You may, however, Summon a weapon by magic now. The combat is until surrender or unconsciousness. I will not harm you further if I defeat you, and you will do likewise. Is that understood?: Sass nodded. :Then let us begin. Do you choose a weapon, or to fight without?: Sass turned to Remus.
"You know the training arena where you found me last night?" At his affirmative, she continued. "I want you to Summon a pair of swords, rapiers, about this long, maybe three centimeters wide. They have sort of a blue sheen and a bit of tooling in the handles, they're wrapped in leather- second row down, fourth and fifth to the right as you enter the room."
"Sure. /Accio swords/!" After a moment, the two blazes of steel whirred into sight, coming to a stop just in front of Remus. "There you go. Good luck, Sass," he said, and she noticed a flicker of concern in his eyes before she turned to face the manticore again. /What's wrong? Is this somehow different than what he did when he was accepted?/ She shook her head to clear it. /Completely centered./ She took her beginning stance and tilted her head to her opponent.
"Are you prepared?"
The creature surprised her, replying with the traditional words. :As ever the sun is prepared to greet the moon, we shall begin.: Then it bowed, a brief but unmistakable gesture of respect. Then it pounced, leaving Sass to roll out of the way and flip to her feet. /Damn, this thing is faster than I expected. I can't forget that it's magical, and so doesn't necessarily have to obey the laws- of physics/, she thought, twisting out of the way once again, barely parrying the tail that whipped behind, trying to catch her off guard. /Note- tail seems to be able to get longer or shorter/. She advanced this time, trying to catch the head between her blades. It eeled out of the way, somehow forcing her to avoid being pinned. /I'm not going to win against this thing/, she thought. /It's too fast. Well, I'll be damned if I ever give up an easy victory./
Sass twisted and kicked, aiming for the soft connection between the head and neck. No such luck. She hit high. /Well, that's going to leave a bruise, but I haven't slowed it down/. They came together again, and this time Sass managed to score its flank, leaving a wound that bled freely, but when she retreated, a warm wetness on her cheek told her that the manticore, too, had drawn blood. Sass tried to hit a shoulder, but the manticore batted her sword away, and Sass only managed to hang on by sheer luck. She saw the attack coming, saw she had left herself open, not much, but enough, just a little off-balance-
Wham. Suddenly Sass was on her back, shoulders pinned, swords useless at this short range. /Oh man, what now? I have to yield. Wait/! She saw an opening and took it, tucking in her legs and shooting them out again, straight into the manticore's stomach. She rolled under and behind it, narrowly avoiding the tail. No swords anymore, she noticed. And was that a hint of a smile on the creature's face as it turned to face her again? Sass knew that she was pretty much screwed now, that every moment was simply prolonging the battle. /But sometimes every second counts for you./ She continued to circle, now simply avoiding capture and connecting a kick or punch whenever she could. And then, without warning, she was on her back again. This time, no escape presented itself, and she yielded dizzily.
The manticore stepped back, looking very pleased with itself. :An impressive display of skill,: it said, :but you are still young. Too young to defeat me. And now, the decision must be made. Shall we accept you on the promise of future skill, or allow your talent to develop more slowly and make you come back then?: Sass was breathing hard, still lying on the ground. /I think it hit one of my bruised ribs that last time it knocked me down/, she thought before the roaring blackness came to capture her and envelop her pain its dark arms.
* * * * *
The manticore paced forward when the girl-child passed out, wondering what ailed the human. The Ally knelt by her side, swearing in his language. :What is wrong with her, Ally of the Forest? Did I hit her too hard?: The Ally shook his head.
"No, she is simply in pain from previous injuries. She fell down a staircase and is recovering from pneumonia, but I knew this would be her last chance to prove herself for several years, and I don't know if she will need protection before that." The manticore nodded gravely, relaying its memories of the recent combat to the Grove. It conversed briefly with its home, weighing all the factors.
:Tell me, Ally, why do you believe this human child needs the protection of this forest? Is she in some kind of danger?:
The Ally looked up at the manticore, knowing it would see any falsehood. "I know she has some demon in her past, which she has not confided in me. But I know that many in the school hate her, and she needs things that will stay steady to keep her sane through their trials. If she could be a part of this forest, I believe it would help ground her. I also think that she may become important to the wizarding world, in a subtle way. And not least, I care for her, and any protection she can have would make me easier at night."
The manticore was silent for a moment more. :Revive the girl,: it said. :We have come to a decision.:
Diety- YOU ROCK!!!!!!!!!!! You reviewed my chapter like five minutes after I put it up! It was so cool!!!!!! Thanks, you're prolly my most loyal reviewer, your reviews always make me wanna go and write more, so. *fanfare* this chapter is dedicated to you!!!!! Thanks!!!!!
Acy- I'm sure you'll never read this, but I would like it if you would tell me WHY you think Sass is a mary-sue. And I hate people who aren't brave enough to sign in when they criticize/flame.
OK you guys, I know this chapter went up fast, but do you really think that giving me LESS reviews is a bad way to reward me? Next time I get 2 done in a weekend I may just wait until more than ONE person ask me to put up more.
Telepathy (thoughtspeech) is in :.:, yes, this is the same way Mercedes Lackey writes it, except hers is in italics too (which mine IS until I upload it. grumble grumble.)
Animorphs quote in here, cookie (flavor of choice) to anyone who sees it!
Well, this chapter is definitely a break from the angst, so you'll have to wait a bit for your mountains.
Still looking for ideas for a title change. do you guys actually LIKE the title, or are you just to lazy to think of ideas? Plz tell me if its one or the other.
I had a really hard time writing from the manticore's POV, so tell me honestly if it sucked. I don't mind flames, really, although the more creative the better.
AND I HAVE REACHED 50000 WORDS!!!!!! THANKS YOU GUYS FOR REVIEWING, IT'S REALLY WHAT KEPT ME GOING ONCE SCHOOL STARTED!!!!!!
Sasina (Sass for short) Chapter 16- Taunting and Tests
He followed the nurse out into the hall, following her up to the library on the third floor. "Do you really think she just forgot?" Poppy said, breaking the silence.
"I don't know," Remus replied. "I'd guess she was reading and either lost track of time or got started on something and didn't want to lose her train of thought."
"I suppose you're right," Poppy said as they entered the room. "Shea?"
The librarian looked up from her work, frowning slightly at the intrusion. "What is it?"
"I was wondering if Miss Celeborn was in here. She was supposed to report to me at ten-thirty, but we haven't seen her. Remus thought she might be in here."
"Miss Celeborn?" Shea Pince said, surprised. "She left hours ago, shortly after lunch, if I remember correctly." Remus frowned. /Shit, if she's been alone with her thoughts for almost twelve hours. I am going to /kill/ Snape if he had anything to do with it./ "Well, thank you anyway," he said, turning to go.
"Wait a minute," Shea said, surprising him by wearing a slightly dazed, frustrated expression. He was taken aback at the sharp contrast from the controlling, strict, expression she had worn as a librarian even when he was a student. "There's something else that happened to do with her. but I can't /remember/ it! This is the most exasperating. Well," she said, suddenly seeming to realize that Remus and Poppy were both still in the room, gaping at her, "I'll let you know if I remember what it was. Good evening." And with that, the irritable librarian disappeared, as was her habit, into the dusty shelves that were the Hogwarts library.
Remus and Poppy departed in silence. When they were out of earshot, he shook his head and said fervently, "Now /that/ was the weirdest thing I have ever seen."
* * * * *
Severus was still sitting at his desk when the interruption came, no closer to finding his apology than he had been an hour and a half ago. He'd /expected/ to be struggle for the rest of the night. He'd /expected/ to be left alone during aforementioned night. He was wrong on both counts.
"What did you /do/ to her?" were the words that broke into his self- inflicted depression, delivered by one very angry Remus Lupin.
Severus' first instinct was to jump, but he quickly quelled it and instead turned around slowly, drawling, "Do to /whom/, Lupin? And next time you enter my office, please leave the door intact." He smiled inwardly as Lupin flushed. No matter what state people came to him in, he had always been a master at making them embarrassed, angry, or terrified, whatever suited his purposes. But he had to give the werewolf credit- he collected himself far sooner than many others would have, under the unforgiving gaze of the Potions Master.
"Sass, of course. Who else do you torture for /absolutely no reason/? She hasn't been seen since noon, and was supposed to report to Poppy two hours ago. /What/ did you /do/?"
Severus would have been worried, if he didn't know where his daug- what? Sass was. So he sighed, a calculatedly drawn out expression of disgust. "/I/, my dear Lupin, have not done anything. Sass is currently sleeping off the effects of a very strenuous workout in the Teachers' Training Room, which she visits quite often, I have reason to believe."
Remus glared at him suspiciously a moment before answering. "And how, exactly, do you know this?"
Severus smiled lazily, not commenting on the fact that Remus, despite his animosity, had accepted the facts of the Slytherin's story immediately. Score one for the un-trusted spy. "I, too, work out regularly, and saw her there when I went this evening. You may go check on her, but she is quite tired, and probably won't wake up."
Remus bristled at the /permission/ to go visit a girl he obviously thought of Severus as having no claim over. /Which, in all rights, you don't/, a treacherous little voice whispered. /Remember what you did to her? Your only hope of redemption is on Thursday, and it is doubtful she will forgive you even then./ Severus told that voice fiercely to shut up. He had no intention of letting things stay as they were between him and Sass, and that wasn't the point right now anyway. Right now all he had to do was make the last of his childhood tormenters feel as subordinate as possible.
"You just stay away from her, /Snape/," the werewolf snarled. "I meant what I said before. Pick someone else to play with, because I'm taking care of her now." Then he turned on his heel and left. Severus sighed, wrote something on yet another piece of parchment, and stared at the scripted words for a moment before throwing it, too, into the fire.
* * * * *
"Honestly, Remus, I'm /fine/," Sass said for what had to be at least the third time that day. "And you know it. You saw me in class this morning, hardly took your eyes off me at lunch, and just got finished watching me through /another/ lesson! I'm so sore I can hardly move, but that's /it/! What's bothering you?"
Sass watched her teacher carefully as he shook his head, apologizing for being so protective but not really meaning it. Not that she really minded having someone so worried about her. /It's just. well, strange/. "You know I just want to make sure."
"Yeah, I know. Are you going anywhere for the holidays?" she asked, trying to change the subject.
Remus shrugged. "I don't know. I might just travel." He grinned. "That's really why I don't have much money. Got the 'wandering feet,' so I end up spending far too much on lodgings and food. What about you?"
"I'm going home," Sass said, rolling the word around in her mouth, "you know, to Tokyo. Emara and Michelle have something planned, I can tell- you should have seen their last owl! I could almost /smell/ the secrecy!"
He laughed. "Well, I'm sure whatever it is will be interesting. You free after this?"
"Yeah. Why?"
"I was wondering if you wanted a tour of the Forbidden Forest. It's really not dangerous if you can get the trees to recognized you- they'll protect you as best they can from all their inhabitants, some of whom won't attack you at all if you're on the 'ok' list."
"If it's that simple, why isn't everyone accepted?" Sass wanted to know.
"Well, the Forest won't accept just anyone," Remus said. "I honestly don't know what criterium it uses, but I just have this feeling, I think maybe the Forest can hear some of what I'm thinking. and if it works, the Forest's protection could come in handy. You can ask the trees for favors, sort of, and if they feel like it they'll help you out. Would you like to try it?"
Sass nodded uncertainly. "Sure, I guess so. Lead on, oh fearless leader." /I'm really glad I went out to the training arena last night. God, I feel so. strong. Like I could handle anything right now. Even. him. Yeah, I think I'll go to Potions this week. He has no right to keep me from learning anything/. She grinned, suddenly feeling as if a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. Remus nodded to other teachers they passed in the hall, but Sass just ignored everyone. /This is so. weird. I'm so happy. I'm not sure whether I should make sure I don't get used to it or just make the best of what time I've got. Oh well, let's see how this Forbidden Forest thing goes./
"I thought students weren't allowed in the Forest, though," she said. Remus smiled, almost smirking.
"Yes, but there are so many loopholes in that rule it looks like a piece of swiss cheese. Firstly," he said, ticking them off on his fingers, "you are with a teacher. Secondly, where exactly /are/ the boundaries of the forest? Hagrid's cabin is in the trees, so now that he's a teacher, every lesson could be considered 'in' the Forbidden Forest. Thirdly, the rule just says that you may not 'risk bodily harm to oneself or others' by entering the Forest. So when- if- the Forest accepts a person, they are technically not risking themselves, as the Forest will protect them."
Sass raised an eyebrow at the teacher. "Well. Now I see why you ended up with so many detentions in school. The Marauders, were you?"
Remus nodded, not abashed in the slightest. "True enough- the loopholes were basically the only reason we didn't get expelled- and the Hogwarts Code of Conduct was a lot more specific by the time we graduated. Which I suppose was a good thing- right?"
Sass just laughed. They reached the treeline, and Remus stopped. Sass looked at him. "So what do we do now?"
Remus' gaze lingered on the barren canopy for a minute before he spoke. "We make our petition and wait. If the Forest is interested, it will send someone to talk to us."
"Alright," Sass said. "How do we make our 'petition'?"
Remus sat down on the damp ground, grimacing as the moisture soaked through his robes. Sass followed suit, smiling at his expression until she, too, got wet. "We sit here, and think of what we want- for you to be accepted as a denizen of the forest. Close your eyes, it feels less ridiculous that way." He grinned at Sass and she shrugged, allowing her eyelids to drop closed. /Forbidden Forest/, she thought. /I want to be accepted, I want to be under your protection, and I will protect you as well, the best I know how. I want you to listen to me, I petition the right to be heard. Forbidden Forest, this is my request. / It seemed like ages before Sass was brought out of her trance by a very cold and very wet nose nuzzling her cheek. She opened her eyes, and thought, /Breathe. It isn't here to hurt me, the Forest is answering./
:Not quite true, little one,: an amused voice said. :I am here to test you, to see if you are worthy of our notice.: Sass looked over at Remus, and he nodded, so she stood up, facing the manticore. Sass forced her breathing to slow, and calmed her mind.
"What are the rules of this combat?"
:No poison, magic, or long-range weapons are to be used. You may, however, Summon a weapon by magic now. The combat is until surrender or unconsciousness. I will not harm you further if I defeat you, and you will do likewise. Is that understood?: Sass nodded. :Then let us begin. Do you choose a weapon, or to fight without?: Sass turned to Remus.
"You know the training arena where you found me last night?" At his affirmative, she continued. "I want you to Summon a pair of swords, rapiers, about this long, maybe three centimeters wide. They have sort of a blue sheen and a bit of tooling in the handles, they're wrapped in leather- second row down, fourth and fifth to the right as you enter the room."
"Sure. /Accio swords/!" After a moment, the two blazes of steel whirred into sight, coming to a stop just in front of Remus. "There you go. Good luck, Sass," he said, and she noticed a flicker of concern in his eyes before she turned to face the manticore again. /What's wrong? Is this somehow different than what he did when he was accepted?/ She shook her head to clear it. /Completely centered./ She took her beginning stance and tilted her head to her opponent.
"Are you prepared?"
The creature surprised her, replying with the traditional words. :As ever the sun is prepared to greet the moon, we shall begin.: Then it bowed, a brief but unmistakable gesture of respect. Then it pounced, leaving Sass to roll out of the way and flip to her feet. /Damn, this thing is faster than I expected. I can't forget that it's magical, and so doesn't necessarily have to obey the laws- of physics/, she thought, twisting out of the way once again, barely parrying the tail that whipped behind, trying to catch her off guard. /Note- tail seems to be able to get longer or shorter/. She advanced this time, trying to catch the head between her blades. It eeled out of the way, somehow forcing her to avoid being pinned. /I'm not going to win against this thing/, she thought. /It's too fast. Well, I'll be damned if I ever give up an easy victory./
Sass twisted and kicked, aiming for the soft connection between the head and neck. No such luck. She hit high. /Well, that's going to leave a bruise, but I haven't slowed it down/. They came together again, and this time Sass managed to score its flank, leaving a wound that bled freely, but when she retreated, a warm wetness on her cheek told her that the manticore, too, had drawn blood. Sass tried to hit a shoulder, but the manticore batted her sword away, and Sass only managed to hang on by sheer luck. She saw the attack coming, saw she had left herself open, not much, but enough, just a little off-balance-
Wham. Suddenly Sass was on her back, shoulders pinned, swords useless at this short range. /Oh man, what now? I have to yield. Wait/! She saw an opening and took it, tucking in her legs and shooting them out again, straight into the manticore's stomach. She rolled under and behind it, narrowly avoiding the tail. No swords anymore, she noticed. And was that a hint of a smile on the creature's face as it turned to face her again? Sass knew that she was pretty much screwed now, that every moment was simply prolonging the battle. /But sometimes every second counts for you./ She continued to circle, now simply avoiding capture and connecting a kick or punch whenever she could. And then, without warning, she was on her back again. This time, no escape presented itself, and she yielded dizzily.
The manticore stepped back, looking very pleased with itself. :An impressive display of skill,: it said, :but you are still young. Too young to defeat me. And now, the decision must be made. Shall we accept you on the promise of future skill, or allow your talent to develop more slowly and make you come back then?: Sass was breathing hard, still lying on the ground. /I think it hit one of my bruised ribs that last time it knocked me down/, she thought before the roaring blackness came to capture her and envelop her pain its dark arms.
* * * * *
The manticore paced forward when the girl-child passed out, wondering what ailed the human. The Ally knelt by her side, swearing in his language. :What is wrong with her, Ally of the Forest? Did I hit her too hard?: The Ally shook his head.
"No, she is simply in pain from previous injuries. She fell down a staircase and is recovering from pneumonia, but I knew this would be her last chance to prove herself for several years, and I don't know if she will need protection before that." The manticore nodded gravely, relaying its memories of the recent combat to the Grove. It conversed briefly with its home, weighing all the factors.
:Tell me, Ally, why do you believe this human child needs the protection of this forest? Is she in some kind of danger?:
The Ally looked up at the manticore, knowing it would see any falsehood. "I know she has some demon in her past, which she has not confided in me. But I know that many in the school hate her, and she needs things that will stay steady to keep her sane through their trials. If she could be a part of this forest, I believe it would help ground her. I also think that she may become important to the wizarding world, in a subtle way. And not least, I care for her, and any protection she can have would make me easier at night."
The manticore was silent for a moment more. :Revive the girl,: it said. :We have come to a decision.:
Diety- YOU ROCK!!!!!!!!!!! You reviewed my chapter like five minutes after I put it up! It was so cool!!!!!! Thanks, you're prolly my most loyal reviewer, your reviews always make me wanna go and write more, so. *fanfare* this chapter is dedicated to you!!!!! Thanks!!!!!
Acy- I'm sure you'll never read this, but I would like it if you would tell me WHY you think Sass is a mary-sue. And I hate people who aren't brave enough to sign in when they criticize/flame.
OK you guys, I know this chapter went up fast, but do you really think that giving me LESS reviews is a bad way to reward me? Next time I get 2 done in a weekend I may just wait until more than ONE person ask me to put up more.