PR 15: Ember
All new! All new, no more prewritten chapters that I have to follow… not sure if its a good thing or not. On the one hand I can just go crazy with everything but on the other if I get stuck I'm just going to be stuck and have to figure my way out… Let's hope I don't get stuck.
Cause if I get stuck I just know I'm going to get irritated and start playing my new video game I got the other week… my gosh the Harvest Moon series are freaking addicting… I've had it for like a week and already logged enough hours to pass the games one year mark. Which is actually a lot even if the game time passes one minute for every one of our seconds. Oh gosh it's so addicting though, I keep telling myself I'll just play it for a few more minutes and before I know it a week in game passes and nearly my whole day is gone.
Anyways I've got to warn all of you before you read this chapter. If any of you don't like blood and violence then I suggest you turn around now cause this chapter is almost only action and lots of blood.
Disclaimer: I don't own the PPG or their base characters but everything that happens here is all my own. Hope you enjoy, hope you don't get grossed out. I don't think it's going to get that bad.
•••000•••
Rabid's… Rabid's were on their way here. Of all the things that could have happened this week. She'd already had to take on a small trove of not only Basilisk but Hell Hounds too and now a whole PACK of Rabid's?
For one person to go after Basilisks and come out unscathed was a miracle in and of itself. The wounds she now sported we're a testament to just how hard they were to handle. But Rabid's were on a whole nother level. A single Rabid could make an army of Basilisk look like a walk through the park. After all they weren't called 'Rabid' just for show.
Bursting through the basement doorway Blossom barreled over a tall form. A glimpse of wide green eyes and she knew it was Butch. Not bothering to stop and check on him Blossom jumped back up.
"You ok bro?" Mitch's voice somewhere in the background was the last thing she heard as she charged out the front door.
Things were about to get messy and it couldn't possibly have happened at a worse time. Her day had been a long one, the nights endeavors particularly draining on her reserves. Add the internal and external damages to her body on top of that and Blossom was dancing a fine line. If her powers ran too low, there would be no turning back, SHE would most definitely step in and try to help Blossom out.
Blossom didn't want help, she didn't want to have to rely on HER. She would protect them on her own for as long as she could. And if that wasn't enough then she would just have to try harder.
Sounds of rolling thunder shook the very ground, the earth beneath her feet buzzing ominously. They were getting closer…
"You could always turn back."
"No!" Blossom growled, SHE would not interfere, not tonight, not when it came to her family's safety.
"Then le'me help… you know ya can't do it without me."
"Watch me!" The teen hissed defiantly, shoulders tensing as the rolling thunder grew louder. Grabbing the useless jacket she stripped it from her shoulders, tossing it off to the side, reveling in the feel of the cold night wind as it whipped wildly around her. "I didn't want your help before and I sure don't want it now!"
"We'll see how long that lasts."
The light vibration beneath her feet grew violent, towering trees at the edge of the clearing cracking loudly as they fell to the ground.
"They're here."
Blossom didn't bother to speak this time, her response a feral growl as the colossus Rabid's tore out of the underbrush, renting the earth beneath their paws.
No beast looked quite the same as the last, some had horns while others had claws, one in the back even sported translucent bug like wings. Some ran on two legs, some on four, others on more, one with no legs at all. The only constant was that each beast moved like lightning, freakishly large maws hanging wide, some looking as if it should never have been able to stretch so far.
All had sickly grey tongues dangled over rows of shark like teeth, bubbling froth of various colors dribbling out as their heads bobbed wildly. Pasty looking hides glimmering under the moonlight, crazed red eyes casting sightlessly about.
"Now's ya last chance."
Blossom shook her head, forcing the voice as far away as possible, barring fangs at the incoming threat. Before they could get any closer she darted at them, limbs burning as icy air pierced her skin.
The world around her blurred, shrinking, refocusing, bleeding red. Hot liquid spurt around her as she tore into the first Rabid within reach.
Claws raked, flesh tore, jaws snapped, spit flew, dirt danced around them. Shrieks, bellows, howls, grunts, hissing, any and all animalistic cries raged, the sound bouncing off the high mountain walls, growing louder with each pass.
Blossom snarled in agony, a Rabid with reptilian characteristics clamping its serrated fangs into her already injured thigh. Pressing her feet against the chest of the bear Rabid in her grasp, Blossom twist around launching herself at her attackers back.
The Rabid snarled, fangs tearing into her leg as it tried to keep a hold of her, head bent awkwardly. Sinking her nails into its scaly hide she pressed her leg further into its mouth so that it wouldn't rip the muscle, bending in close, forcing the Rabid's head further back at an unnatural angle.
It shrieked, hissing and snarling, thrashing in random directions in an attempt to dislodge her. Blossom pressed harder, a loud snap and the Rabid convulsed violently, jaws crunching down. The girl hissed at this, scrabbling at its mouth, prying it back open and leaping away before another Rabid could pounce on her.
She hit the ground running, ignoring the burn of her thigh, circling the outer edge of the Rabid pack. Several of them stumbled at this, tripping over their own feet as they attempted to follow her. A catlike Rabid seemed to understand though, breaking away from the group, circling in the opposite direction. With no time to avoid it Blossom chose her only form of action and tackled it, latching on to its throat, tumbling head over heals as her momentum sent the Rabid flying back.
The feline Rabid wrapped its grey fleshy limbs around her, claws sinking into her sides, hind legs somehow squeezing up between them before it snapped the legs straight again and again tearing into her belly. Blossom thrashed, ripping at the Rabid's throat as it in turn tore into her, the two of them being batted into the mountain wall as the bear Rabid took a swipe at them.
The rocks trembled, hairline fractures spiderwebbing under the impact. Having taken the brunt of the impact the feline moaned, it's grip loosening before the Puff rammed it harder into the mountainside. Blossom leapt away, crimson ribbons trailing between her and the Rabid's claws before the wall gave, boulders tumbling down to crush the feline.
A hulking Rabid caught her by surprise, hooking its horns into her and tossing the girl straight into the air. She yelped, twisting around to land on her feet until the bug Rabid side swiped her sending the Puff into a spiraling dive.
She landed heavily on her side, the air whooshing out of her lungs. A deer looking Rabid appeared in her line of sight, cloven hooves trying to crush her as they descend upon her skull. Bleary eyes widened, the female rolling away just in time, the Rabid's hooves clipping her ear and gouging the earth.
Rolling to her feet Blossom turned, keeping the Rabid's in her sight, backing up towards the house. The beasts closed in, separating into a half circle to surround her. The girl felt her hackles raise, an angry growl bubbling up out of her throat, waiting to see which Rabid would be stupid enough to come after her first.
A blob of red in the corner of her eye captured her attention, stupid as it was Blossom couldn't help but turn to gape. The Rabid's took the opportunity to charge.
•••***•••
'Holy mother of crap!'
Brick would never admit it aloud but even he knew that he'd occasionally have stupid ideas. On a scale of one to ten this was probably a fifteen though.
To be honest he hadn't thought much… ok so he hadn't thought at all, about what would happen. All he knew was that, at the time, if she could go then why couldn't he? Besides, how could any of them expect him to just hide out like a frightened rat while a girl was fighting to protect them from whatever it was. He had pride you know! Pride he was currently choking on at the moment.
Coming out of the Utonium house he hadn't been able to see much with the cloud cover. He could sure as hell hear though, and whatever was going on sounded violent.
Once he was able to see clearly Brick had to admit that he was mildly unnerved by the appearance of the colossus mangy looking creatures running around on the front lawn with bubbling foam flying from their mouths. It wasn't hard to guess that these were those so called 'Rabid's' everyone was talking about.
Now don't get him wrong, they were disgusting sure, but Brick was by no means frightened by their grotesque appearances. Disgusted perhaps, afraid no, he'd seen worse things come crawling out of the deepest pits of HIM's realm in the middle of the night. Now those had been scary for a child to witness, desensitizing him to visual fears of anything he had come across in the past.
Just because they looked creepy or strong didn't mean they were. Most of those things, as mind boggling as they were, had been no match for him and his brothers. Unfortunately these things weren't a part of that category. Brick found that out the hard way.
When the cloud cover had cleared Brick found that none of the beast were paying him any mind, too focused on a large blur of ember red dancing within their midst.
Taking advantage of the opportunity he flexed his arms, red hot energy blazing through his muscles. Focusing it into the palms of his hands he flattened the rounded spheres into disks of crackling fire.
Whirling around he flung the disks at the many legs of a centipede looking Rabid aiming to sever the limbs. The focused energy had always been a specialty of his, quick and brutal, effective enough to slice though the densest of metals like a hot knife through melting butter.
What he hadn't expected was for the attack to have no effect. Actually, no effect was a gross understatement, the disk had done nothing more than skim over the creatures hide, to add insult to injury it even bounced off before slicing into the soft dirt.
It had caught the things attention though. Pincers snapped as the front end turned to him, spear like legs waiving about for all of a second before the wriggling body charged him. In the time it took Brick to blink the Rabid was upon him, pincered maw snapping close hairs from his face. Bursts of cold air explode before him, chilling mists surrounding the area in rolling fog.
The centipede Rabid screamed a loud piercing sound that stabbed into his brain like needles as it thrashed about.
Brick ran, energy crackling wildly about, darting under around or over the Rabid's trying to find an opening. Hell, just finding a spot that wasn't two seconds from him being squashed or gored would be welcomed.
A shattering rumble to his left knocked the boy off his feet, the avalanche of boulders shaking the ground too much for him to keep his footing. Brick tumbled across the lawn, a Rabid batting him away like a fly, not even looking like it noticed him. Brick sure noticed though, the searing pain blossomed out across his chest with the resounding crack. There was no doubt the hit had broke a few ribs.
Brick crashed bumpily across the grass and dirt, bouncing each time he hit the ground. Kicking his legs out he whipped around in a corkscrew using the turns to right himself. Still spinning around he rent the ground beneath his feet in spiraling patterns as he skid to a halt. He coughed hacking up blood and clutching his shirt over the broken ribs.
Unbeknownst to the Ruff the bug Rabid had broken from the pack, dive-bombing from behind. The buzz of its wings reached him at the last possible second. Bricks eyes widened before squeezing shut, his arms braced around his face as he await the inevitable.
CRUNCH
'Crunch huh?' Brick never thought the last thing he'd hear was crunch. Kind of pathetic really, getting crushed like a bug by a… well, bug.
The last time he had 'died' Brick remembered exploding in a blast of searing hot energy that consumed him from the inside out. Apparently death was different each time though for instead of the heat Brick had expected he felt cold. Freezing really. As if he were dropped into a bath of ice without so much as a cloth to protect him.
'Didn't expect it to be so soft either… wait, soft?'
Brick forced his eyes open, a solid wall of ember red splayed out before him consuming all he could see. He blinked, reaching out to touch the wall. It was cold, right up until his fingers passed though the top layer, warm silk fibers engulfing his palm.
It wasn't until the wall began to buzz, a loud growl rumbling from the other side, that Brick realized it was in fact alive. His head whipped back instantly, eyes wide as he looked up at the tower of red fur above him.
A wolf.
It looked like a wolf.
A monster sized wolf that stood at least twelve feet into the air.
It shook its head, flinging the smallish bug Rabid away from them with its jaws. It ducked then, narrow muzzle darting under its belly towards the dumbfounded boy, snatching him up with its ivory teeth.
Brick felt like a rag doll dangling from his shirt, grabbing fistfuls of the long hairs around its snout so that the running wouldn't toss him about. For some reason it never occurred to him to fight the beast off.
It jumped, landing on the back of the now frozen centipede Rabid, racing the length of its back and using the arch of its tail to launch itself up the mountain ridge.
Landing against a solid wall it tossed him over its back, a coil of fur that he could only guess was its tail snaking around him. It launched back off the wall, just before the tail surround him completely, catapulting down at the Rabid's below.
Brick could feel himself being jerked about, the soft silk of the tail slithering around him, allowing small glimpses of the outside.
The cool fur suddenly became warm, something sticky and wet drenching him as the hairs plastered against his skin. He coughed the wet fur clinging to his face making it hard to breath. Brick blinked and he was in the air, wind whipping around him, drying the liquid into a coppery sheen across his body.
Swiping furiously at the crusting gunk he looked down at the scene below him watching it unfold. The wolf didn't seem to be doing so well, even with the three dead Rabid's scattered across the lawn there were still twelve more, and they were all ganging up on it.
Landing on the broad back of a steer horned Rabid the wolf dug its claws into the thick muscle. The creature bucked wildly, kicking a smaller k-9 Rabid, breaking the things jaws with a howling spray of foam. The snake took this chance, striking out with dagger fangs for the wolf. On surprisingly thin paws the wolf leapt off the steer horns back, kicking the snake in the head and forcing its teeth into the bulls shoulder. It wasn't in time to avoid the next Rabid though. Long tentacles slapping it out of the air, pounding the wolf into the ground.
It rolled with the impact, ducking under the bear, snapping its jaws into the sickly grey foreleg of the deer Rabid. Another raptor looking Rabid with various spines clamped its wide mouth over the wolfs lower back in that same instant. The deer tossed its head around, ducking down to force it's sharp horns between it and the wolf but not before its leg bent oddly, the wolf tugging it with a crack.
The wolf twist around then snapping its jaws at the raptor but unable to reach. It snarled, twisting in any direction it could, trying to reach the raptor when an even larger saber toothed cat Rabid snapped up one of its legs. The wolf howled, tail whipping wildly, and before Brick knew it the singular appendage somehow multiplied wrapping around both the saber and raptor Rabid's. It tugged, howling and snarling viciously as the two Rabid's came away with mouthfuls of bloody fur.
Brick didn't have the time to watch any further as a Rabid the size of a rig leapt into the air, a bat by the looks of things, with sickled blades at the end of its wings. The thing flew up at him like a literal bat out of hell jaws wide and fangs bared shrieking all the while.
Thankfully it wasn't nearly as fast as the bug and Brick managed to dodge it in a fairly decent manner. Diving out of the sky he aimed for the ground again changeling direction just before he hit, the Rabid's momentum carrying it into the concrete pavement of the driveway.
It hopped back up, shaking itself off like the hit didn't hurt in the least. It dart at him again, faster this time, swiping the sickles at Brick. Flipping back he dodged most of it, the very tip catching his side, tearing the cloth and knocking him back to earth. The bat hopped over him, crunching its fangs around the Ruffs neck.
Like magic Brick felt the soft cold silk slipping between him and the bats jaws, the thickness of the fur too much for it to close completely. It lurched back, hacking as it attempt to spit out the fluffy stuff. The Ruff found himself snatched up once again, his shirt tearing a little more. The wolf didn't hold him this time though swinging him around and tossing him across the yard towards the house where he fell into a previously gouged trench.
'Oww.' Brick groaned, rubbing his head. He cast the wolf a dark glare. 'Shit! Not again!'
The bat was headed his way for another go at him, globs of yellow foam streaming in the air behind it, the moon casting an eerier than normal glow over its sickly hide. He rolled over, grabbing at the edges of the trench, his aching ribs screaming at him to stop.
A bright orange blob chose this moment to tackle into his side just then, knocking the Ruff back in. He cursed, the feel of hard warm scales pressing into him as the creature shoved him down, the bat crushing the both of them just in time for another blast of icy air to burst across the lawn blocking them from sight.
•••***•••
'Damn it! Damn it! DAMN IT!'
She didn't have the time to deal with this. She had a family to protect! Why in the seven hells would that idiot come out here! Why would he follow her? Was he that stubborn? Was that male that much of a fool? What sort of wet-behind-the-ears pup would be that much of fucking retard?!
…
'SHIT! NOT NOW! PLEASE NOT NOW!'
'Ya too late princess. Way too fucking late. It's MY TURN, BITCH!'
•••***•••
GGGAAAAAUUUUUUUUUU!
"What IS that!" Boomer questioned, looking worriedly at the screen his brother had just been on.
"Docent sound like anything I've ever heard…" Butch mumbled, gazing blankly at the roof above them as though it would answer his question. "Animal, monster, or otherwise…"
Buttercup and Bubbles froze up immediately, the room echoing eerily with the loud bone chilling cry.
"… That-" Bubbles began.
"-means we're fucked." Buttercup finished, punching her fist into her other hand before running both through her matted bed hair. "I knew you assholes would be trouble but I didn't think it would be this bad this fast…"
"Why? Is that thing that bad?" Boomer asked again, finally tearing his gaze from the hologram to look between the two Puffs. "And is Brick gonna be ok?"
"Your brother'll be fine…" Bubbles answered, her voice sounding funny as she tugged absently on her long, untied, blonde curls. "It's my sister that has to worry now…"
"Why?" Butch asked looking apathetic, the only tell tale of his emotions manifesting in the shaking of his clenched fists. "You keep saying that our brothers in trouble but that he's going to be ok. You keep saying your sisters in trouble and you're worried about her. Yet you won't fucking tell us WHY!"
"…"
"…"
The Puffs went silent once more, the only sounds coming from the monitors now that the cry had died down enough to stop echoing. Bubbles sucked in a deep breath, sighing breathily before going back to her monitors, reaching out to touch various ones.
"If you can see it… that's why…" Bubbles mumbled, turning her back to them as the hologram returned to the fight outside.
Boomer stared blankly for a good minute, not really understanding what he was supposed to be looking at. As far as the blue Ruff was concerned it was just a bunch of blurry images that he couldn't quite make out no matter how hard he tried. The only thing he could distinguish was that they appeared to be animals judging by the general body shape… except for the tiny one, that one he really had no idea about.
"What is that…" Butch stared intently at the screen, his eyes focused with some kind of emotion Boomer couldn't figure out.
"You can see them?" Buttercup whipped around, eyes wide and lips parted in surprise.
Butch gulped, nodding his head in reply. "…That's not the thing going after our brother is it?"
"No," She turned back to the screens in front of her, green eyes glowing lightly. "that's what's protecting all of us."
"Wait- you mean?!" Butch gave the Puffs an incredulous look, utter disbelief clear on his face. "No fucking way."
"Why? What are you seeing?" Boomer tried focusing better on the screen, leaning in to get a closer look.
"Don't tell me you can't see that thing."
"See what thing?"
"Ok, I know you're blonde and half blind but don't fucking tell me you can't see that shit!"
"See. What?!"
"Butch!" Buttercup snapped, pulling the Ruff's attention back before the older one could pick a fight. "He honestly can't see it, he can't see anything, he's not SUPPOSED to see anything, YOU'RE not supposed to see anything. I don't even fucking know how, cause you should still only be able to make out blobs of static, so why don't you tell us what you see."
"I don't know…" Butch mumbled, eyes flickering over the blurry figure. "I've never seen anything like it…"
"Describe it." Bubbles stated, both girls apparently paying attention even as they returned to the figures in front of them. "Just tell us what you DO see."
"… I wanna say it looks like a wolf… maybe a fox…, goat horns, bat wings, six- no, nine tails, three look like rat tails with spiked clubs at the end." Boomer glanced from his brother to the blurry image and back again, a disbelieving look in his eye but he stayed quiet letting the raven continue. "Red fur,…scales? The ass end looks like its scales… back legs look like those raptor things from that game with blades at the ankles…, funky looking spikes on the shoulders- what the fuck is this thing supposed to be anyway? It's a fucking buncha mismatched crap!"
"Exactly."
"That's why we have to worry so much."
"She's unstable."
"It's also why she won't loose."
•••***•••
Brick didn't know what the hell was going on anymore. The wolf, the Rabid's, the bat… everything confused him. The most confusing yet was the funky whatever-it-was with the orange scales that was currently hovering over him holding him still in the hole under the, still unmoving and possibly dead, bat Rabid. And for some reason he could swear he smelt sugar…
That sound from earlier was still ringing in his ears too. It had been so loud he was afraid his eardrums might just rupture.
Speaking of sounds he could hear some weird rumbling coming from the orange scale thing again. Something between a growl and that bubbling sound that comes from your stomach before you burp.
The bat shifted then, one side of it lifting just enough for the orange scale to be visible from the outside when the space lit up. The lizard looking thing had dropped its jaws wide open and flicked its tongue over the roof of its mouth as pink gas erupt from its throat. The smog caught on fire instantly, spouting through the opening into the face of whatever had attempt to dig them out. The bat went flying, rolling away like a rag doll, the pained squeals of the other Rabid piercing the Ruffs ears.
The orange scale sprang from the trench, long legs with sickled blades stretched out to claw at the Rabid. It dug the blades deep into the other raptors shoulders, decently lengthed arms gripping either side of the much larger creatures face, mouth clamping around the throat and tearing through the jugular. It jumped back instantly, the move so fast Brick saw nothing but a blur, it hadn't even gotton blood on it it was so fast.
Landing in front of the Ruff the lizard planted its feet in the grass holding still just long enough for him to see what it looked like. A velociraptor…
Tangerine orange scales coated the frame, electric blue stripes tearing across its back from shoulders to tail. Long cobalt blue feathers laced the tip of the tail, a sharp, bleached white length of bone glinting beneath the fluffy blue. It's forearms were much longer than the general raptor though, heavily muscled as though it ran on four legs instead of just two, it was probably capable of both.
In general it looked almost exactly like those Dromeusgigas from that 'run' they participate in the previous day except that its neck was much shorter. That and the fact that it was actually wearing what looked like a hornless Dromeusgigas skull on its head, a short bladed spike jutting out of the back right before the point that curved like a sharks fin, holding the bleached bone in place. It crouched on all fours in between the Ruff and the dying Rabid, still nearly eight feet in height, a leathery burnt orange frill standing out to frame it's face as it hissed angrily.
The orange scale backed up, hissing all the while, stopping at the Ruffs side and crouching lower until its belly nearly touched the ground. Brick just stared blankly at it, neon orange eyes glowing beneath the skull as they rolled towards him, the orange scale looking at him with diamond slitted pupils. Brick blinked.
Those eyes… that shade of orange. They seemed so very familiar to him just then but he had no idea why they would. The Ruff knew for a fact that he had never encountered a monster like this one before so how on earth could it seem familiar?
He didn't have time to think about it though. The orange scale hooked its muzzle around him and knocked Brick over. Falling against its side Brick had just enough time to register tough fabric under his hands before the things muzzle pressed lower, scooping him off the ground and onto its back, everything instantly blurring as it took off.
Gauu!
•••***•••
Step, step, dodge. Step, step, slide. Step, step, jump.
He had to run. Run faster. The adrenaline coursing through his veins had him practically flying. It wasn't enough, he needed more, to run until he was literally one with the wind. To feel the burn in his limbs as his body broke down the concentrated sugars into energy that would put even rocket fuel to shame.
He was fast, faster than lighting could ever hope to be. It wasn't good enough, his body may look like nothing but a blur to the naked human eye but that just wasn't cutting it. He couldn't rest until he was invisible, fast enough that no one would ever catch him, as it was the Rabid's might still catch up.
Might…
•••***•••
The red Ruff could do nothing but cling to the coarse halter fitted on the orange scaled lizard for all he was worth as it bobbed and weaved.
Running headlong into a rat looking Rabid the orange scale leapt clear over it, circling the thick group of sickly grey flesh. One of the larger Rabid's took a bite at it only for the raptor to dodge lithely to the side with a little half spin. Twisting and writhing like a snake it slipped through the spaces between the Rabid's, constantly staying in the midst of the flailing limbs, the Rabid's still focused on the blur of red Brick assumed was the wolf.
Making a sudden hairpin turn the orange scale darted under the belly of another Rabid dropping to all fours as it did so. The mob instantly took off after him, the creatures bright coloration a painful eye catcher in the darkness. The blur of red chose precisely that moment to launch itself from the crowd, its large form blotting out the moon as it sailed over the orange scale. Claws renting earth it crashed down directly in front of them. The orange scale ducked even lower, sliding down under its belly as it reared back on hind legs, cold silk tails brushing softly against the Ruffs cheeks.
'The fuck?!'
Brick gapped, eyes glued to the thing. Ember fur shimmered under the moonlight, tendrils of icy fog dribbling from its maw, the cool mist oozing across the lawn in sheets. Six puffy tails curled lazily into the air. Three more, nearly triple the length, arched back poised like vipers, the third length of each covered in bristled spines. Scaled raptor legs planted wide and firm into the ground, providing balance along with the space the orange scale had used. Velvety red wings spread wide flapping threateningly against the Rabid's. Its wolfen head reared back, thick spiraled horns nearly pressing to its neck.
A bright magenta orb began to form rapidly between its fangs, the mist snaking around its body as the white fog converged upon the ball. Thin forepaws slammed back to earth, the sickled blades on its ankles biting down for leverage.
BOOM!
The magenta sphere blast off smoking mist in its wake. The sheer force of the attack shoved the red beast nearly thirty feet across the lawn. Brick lay personal witness to the writhing form of the decapitated deer Rabid and several others that were now missing large sections of their body's.
Twisting around itself the thing darted after Brick and the raptor, its towering form easily dwarfing both. Neon orange eyes rolled back, the raptor sliding in close to the red beast, faces aligned as they looked each other in the eye. The raptor shrieked suddenly burnt orange frill spread wide it sprang away from the red beast. Headed straight for the mountain ridge it pounced, all four limbs clawing into the sheer rock face, it's body slithering like the lizard it was as it tore its way up the wall.
Literally descending from nowhere a toad Rabid crashed into their path, its sticky toes holding it steady to the vertical surface. Brick gripped tighter, ducking low to the raptors back the second he felt the tell tail vibrations coming from the lizards belly. Jaws snapped open, soft blue smoke emerging from the raptor throat a split second before it flicked its tongue across the roof of its mouth once more. The resulting jet of flame seared the amphibian in their path, its screeching cry faded as the charred form dropped to the ground with a loud crunch upon impact.
Passing through the smoldering fire the orange scale dragged itself onto the cliff top rising up on hind legs to survey the scene below them.
Surprisingly enough there only seemed to be four Rabid's left. The hulking steer horn off to the far right looked pretty mangled, well more so that it already did anyway, one leg twisted at an odd angle even as it forced itself to its feet. The bear on the opposite side looked a little less worse for wear, the only visible damage being the bloody wound on its neck that didn't seem to bother it in the least. The snake Rabid that still slithered about was the most damaged by far, several of its ribs jutting from its sides, at least a quarter of its back end missing completely, the bloody spine sticking out.
Much to the annoyance of the red Ruff the damn bug Rabid seemed to have survived as well, the stupid insect just refusing to stay down as it aimed for the Ruff and the raptor once more.
"Just die already!" Brick cursed, shooting at the wasp lookalike with eye beams. Keeping one hand firmly on the raptors halter he formed a sphere of energy once more, condensing as much as he could handle into it with one hand before flinging the orb at the bug. "Eat that fucker."
The orange scale darted to the left, jumping out of the way as the orb clipped one of the bugs wings. Knocked off balance it went crashing into the rocks where they had just been. Talons grinding over stone the orange scale skid to a screeching halt, head bowed, tail whipping wildly. The feathers seemed to fall away then, cobalt tufts curling towards the base, bleached bone whistling an ivory trail through the inky dark.
Blurring into an orange mass it circled, tightening slowly around the downed bug. The bladed tail hooked around slicing at the Rabid. Curving close enough to touch, the orange scale twist its tail around, swaying it lazily up and down, carving the bone into the Rabid's patchy grey hide.
The bug thrashed across the ground, spindly legs vainly attempting to push it back up. Wings buzzed rapidly, straining to reach air sucked away by the raptors steady stream of soft flame aimed just below it, slowly cooking the bug from the inside out. Snapping jagged frothing pincers the bug reared back, fuzzy posterior arched, the serrated barb on the end biting into the raptors leg. Stumbling the slightest bit, the raptor slowed just enough for the bug to clamp its pincers into the orange blue scales across its flank.
'I'm an idiot. I'm an idiot. I'm a freaking idiot!' Like a broken record, it was the only thing going through the Ruffs head. His brain seeming to instinctively know he shouldn't be doing this but his body had already moved, blazing red fist bashing down on the pincer closest to him.
Surprisingly the bug shrieked, hairline fractures crackling across the shell like appendage, its grip loosening enough for the raptor to get away.
"FUCK!" Brick howled along with the Rabid, his fist, now covered in the sickly froth, burning profusely.
He tucked his hand against his chest, tearing the rest of his shirt and using it to wipe the foam away as fast as he could. He discarded the shirt quickly, the fabric disintegrating in seconds but damage was already done. Once lightly tanned skin was now a blistered red, flakes peeling at the edges. If he had to compare it to anything it would be likened to a corrosive acid being sprayed on him. For all he knew he could be right too.
Using the bugs distraction the orange scale skipped back a few more paces. Darting back in for the kill it ran straight at the Rabid, seemingly intent on ramming into it, but stopped abruptly just several paces away. Spinning sharply with built momentum the tail sliced through the air as it bashed into the Rabid's damaged pincer shattering the appendage. Not satisfied with that it continued spinning, turning a full 360 on the spot, this time it's leg came up the sickled blade lopping the bugs head clean off with a painfully familiar styled backward kick.
The orange scale skittered to a stop sides shaking, wether from exertion excitement or something else entirely the Ruff didn't know, it's hot breath puffing clouds of steam into the night air. Brick followed suit taking this chance to finally breath, greedily sucking in the oxygen he had been mostly deprived of during his time on the raptors back. If there was any one thing he could say it was that the orange scale was, without a doubt, the fastest thing he had ever encountered. The sheer g force caused by its speed had all but crushed the Ruff to the things back giving him severe whiplash on every turn.
Finally regaining a semblance of composure Brick looked at the raptor, the reality of the situation finally dawning on him that he was currently seated on a monster. A monster that had killed a bunch of other ones that he had hardly been able to scratch, a monster that could probably kill him with a flick of its tail… yet he wasn't the slightest bit concerned. It was as if some distant part of his brain or some latent sense or instinct was telling him he was ok, that he had nothing to worry about… which honestly bothered him even more.
He wasn't quite sure how to approach the situation… or where to begin for that matter.
With a shuddering breath the orange and blue scales shifted beneath him not unlike a bird ruffling its feathers or a dog shaking its fur. The raptors large skull covered head swung around then with a quiet grunt, intelligent neon eyes considering the teen once more. Brick stilled under its scrutiny weary of the stronger creature, mostly buried senses of self preservation warning him not to piss off the thing that had just saved his ass.
It wrinkled its nose at him, long rows of two inch fangs barred at the teen. The burnt orange frill made its appearance once more as it stomped its feet against the ground cracking the stone beneath.
GGGAAAAAUUUUUUUUUU!
Both teen and lizard cringed at the booming sound. The lizard stooped down, curling in on itself, forepaws clasped over its head in a useless attempt to block out the sound. Brick wasn't much better, hands pressed so tightly over his ears he would have worried about crushing his own skull if not for his desperation to escape the sound.
The echoes rebound off the cliffs, vibrating through every solid surface long after the sound ceased to be. Seemingly forgetting about its passenger once more the raptor cautiously made its way to the edge of the cliff. Brick was fine with that, it gave him a little more time to work through the nauseous feeling the vibrations had caused, although he was a little jealous of how easily the raptor had shrugged off the effects.
The orange scales abrupt stop didn't help him in the least. The urge to empty his guts became more prominent as the lizard tensed beneath him. Leaning over its side he complied with his body's demand.
"Gross…" Brick grumbled, wiping at the corners of his mouth with the less damaged portion of his arm. He wasn't too comfortable letting go of the halter just yet less the raptor take off again like it had before.
Something red in his peripherals chose that moment to move drawing the teens attention. Brick's crimson orbs widened, not for the first time that night and probably not the last either, his lips parting in mild surprise at the scene before him.
From the cliff face the Powerpuff's entire lawn and surrounding forest easily splayed out for the male to see. The landscape torn, burnt, frozen, you name it. Once nearly two acres of green grass now either black grey charcoal or slathered in liquid life. Still smoldering corpses littered the lawn, some torn or blast beyond recognition, limbs organs and other parts speckling the ground like gruesome sprinkles on a cake he would never want to touch. Some of them were still twitching, unnerving the boy more than he already was. The topping on the cake of this horror fest was what disturbed him the most though. While most of the things had already been damaged beyond recognition what stood in the middle of the lawn like a glorified statue was far from unidentifiable.
The coiled body of the snake Rabid made up the base of things, its sickly grey hide stretched thin and torn over dozens upon dozens of its protruding ribs and spinal cord. Slumped against its left side lay the steer horn, legs twisted at disturbing angles, splintered bones jutting out of brittle flesh. Its side was filleted open, organs spilling out, tangling around broken legs as though it had still attempted to walk. What really got him was what was just behind its back slightly propping it up though.
Standing on hind legs the used-to-be-wolf held itself tall, tattered wings shaved clean to the bone arched up into the sky holding the bear Rabid several feet off the ground. The bones pierced through shoulder blades, clawed paws holding the head back just far enough to crack the neck. Two of the spiked tails steadied it on the ground while the third found itself impaled within the bears chest a good five to six inches of the spikes sticking through the back, the other six tails winding around the bear holding it steady. Crimson black blood dribbled over every surface, rivulets trailing like rain water over the four beasts, coating every surface in its coppery haze before pooling out beneath them covering a sickeningly large area.
With a loud grunt the beast heaved the much larger bear off of it. The Rabid's body crunching heavily on damp earth. Slowly limping its way off the pile of Rabid's it shook itself scattering the iron smelling red further but still retaining enough to plaster it's silk fur down. The bone wings clattered loudly at the joints, knocking together. The beast hissed, looking back over its shoulders and did something Brick just couldn't bare to watch.
Crunch
Cautiously peeling an eye open he watched as the severed wing bones thumped uselessly on the ground, splashing in the blood puddle below. His stomach turned again threatening to revolt once more at the scene.
Screeee!
The raptor shrieked, body jerking violently beneath him, nearly throwing the boy over the cliff as it turned tail running for all it was worth. Brick had one second to process the move, hand grabbing the halter in a death grip. The second and third was spent wondering what the heck had gotten into the stupid thing. By the fourth the clouds had covered the moon once more stealing his vision to the point that he could only make out shapes. The fifth introduced a rumbling bellow not more than a hundred feet behind. The sixth had the earth shaking beneath the two. Seventh and eighth had his blood running cold as twin diamond streaks of red closed in on him so fast he could scarcely blink. Nine and ten brought the moon back out from behind the clouds making him almost wish they hadn't, because eleven and twelve had a massive pair of jaws nearly half his size spreading on either side of him, stringy red slobber and chunks of Rabid flesh spraying out. Thirteen and fourteen had his heart literally leaping into his throat as the raptor launched itself down the mountainside head first.
Clung!
Steel and stone caved under the raptors weight, dagger claws shaving through the metal for traction, all four legs slinging it down a large corridor that the Ruff had no idea how they had reached. Heck, Brick couldn't even tell if it was long or short with how fast the raptor was racing through, the steel literally groaning as they passed. A bright light appeared at the end, he could feel the strain of the lizards muscle beneath him, hear the angry growls behind.
The pair erupt from the end of the corridor, whistling like a bullet as they passed through an even larger warehouse like structure. Brick's dry blurry eyes had just enough time to discern a flash of toxic green and aqua blue, two body's brushing past on either side of him, before the raptor screeched to a bone jarring halt. Even his vice grip wasn't enough to save him this time, the sheer momentum launching him clean off the lizards back.
•••000•••
Sorry I've been taking forever. This chapter was a little more than I thought it would be and I just can't get it quite right. On top of that, me ms antisocial who hates contact with just about anyone, somehow ended up working summer fun this year as a leader with about twenty five third graders. I'm going absolutely insane trying to keep up with them. I hardly have any time for myself between work, setting things up for them and the stuff I have to do around the house. I'm lucky to even get enough sleep presently. Never thought I would say this but I can't wait till summer is over. I want my old job back. At least then I didn't have to worry about where all the kids were, I just had to make sure they didn't break anything. Kids are crazy now days, tell them not to go by the dog they try to pet it, tell them to be careful by the road they try to run across. Tell em to put their shoes on and I gotta go hunt em down and hog tie the shoes on. Goodness I want summer to be over soooo bad…
by the way I haven't had the time to proof read or anything so if you guys find mistakes sorry about that. And also some of the things might change a little more when I finally find the time to look it over cause I will most likely find things I don't like.