Thanks for all the kind words. I hope you enjoy this next bit :)

More Than Enough

The fear in his eyes grew as he flinched away from her. He held his hands up in front of him as if he was trying to ward her off. But she knew that it wasn't really her that he was afraid of. She'd said a name that only the desperate would dare let pass their lips. Belle held her breath while drawing her muscles tight. As soon as she had room, he was getting kicked right in a specific area, and she was as good as gone. Of course, she should have known it would only take a moment for the whole game to change. The air grew still, all around them. It began to simmer and heat, sparking with a weight of foreboding.

Belle's mouth dropped open in a silent gasp and she wasn't surprised when her attacker was effortlessly ripped from her. She covered her mouth as he was thrown across the clearing, and his back slammed into a tree in her line of sight. Belle winced at the sound of bones breaking, and bark chipping. Bones, as in plural. And she didn't want to hazard a guess of which ones. The oaf turned his head and coughed. The bark stained red. Just as she'd stained the ground. He groaned and started to slide down the trunk towards the ground. She looked around. The road was clear. But although she couldn't see him, she knew that he was there. Belle almost felt sorry for the brute. She watched as he continued to slide down the bark. He wasn't going to reach the ground. Sure enough, just as he would have settled into the base of the trunk. A powerful set of claws dug themselves into his collarbone. They lifted him into a standing position, making him level with their owner. Belle gasped out loud this time, and her heart jumped into her throat.

He twisted his wrist, as she'd seen him do many times for a simple trick. More bones broke under the punishing pressure. Belle winced as the nails dug deeper into skin. He wiggled his fingers and it made a sloshing noise. She had to cover her mouth to suppress the bile. Blood flowed through the wide open wounds. Golden, and grey hues…mixing with red. The brute screamed. He screamed louder than she had. She didn't blame him. A hand clamped over his mouth to silence him, but his eyes still did the screaming in it's place. The lids stretched wide, staring at the furry in front of them. She couldn't see his torturer's face but she knew that there was some form of leer present.

He glanced over his shoulder, and she could see his face. And she wasn't imagining things. It really was him. She truly hadn't meant to actually call him. Though she doubted very much that the fact of that would matter. Especially not in this situation. He was here. And it looked as if he had very clear intensions. She stole a glance directly as his eyes and saw the murderous intention written there. His dangerous gaze did not fall on her. Instead it landed on the branch that sat just beyond her reach by her ankles. Belle blinked as it rose up in front of her. "Ahhhh…" she heard him express. The ring of it did not sound like a good one.

The branch floated towards him, dancing on the air. He dropped his hand from the poor brute's mouth. Belle watched tears fall over bright red cheeks as the branch stopped beside them. Strong fingers wrapped around the end of the wood. His skin glistened amongst the darkened texture. Belle swallowed, as he waved the branch in front of the man's face. The movement reflected that of a time keeper. Tick tock…went unspoken. Belle slowly started to get to her feet. The movement was labored and accompanied by a fair amount of pain. She counted the back and forth progressions of the branch. Concentrating on anything else, other than what she felt.

The continued watch of what was in front of her grinded to a halt when the stupid oaf spoke and she had to stop all that she was doing. That…was not, a good idea. When he was angry, words only made it worse. Especially if he didn't like them. But he only continued flipping the branch back and forth, watching his prey with a steady gaze. He was way too still for her liking. He was never still for very long.

"You?" the brute repeated, coughing out blood in the process. He moved then, smiling, and delighting in the brute's shiver of dread. The branch stopped it's repeated motion and came to rest silently atop his fingertips.

"In the flesh," he chirped. He stepped closer to the tree and she could see his face. His smile widened, showing his teeth. He stopped for a moment, and his next words came out smoothly. "Yours…" he told the frightened mess in front of him. He looked at his hand to emphasize his point, tapping one of his nails against his cheek, and blood smeared his golden skin. Belle's eyes widened with his smile, and she hurried more than before to get to her feet. That idea wasn't as inspired as she might have first thought. She jerked her body too much when she pushed against the ground for support. Yelping against the pain was all she could manage. Groaning, and placing her hand to her stomach, and finally getting herself upright. She looked up, through the veil of her hair and saw what she knew she would. His eyes were on her and he really looked at her for the first time since his arrival. His gaze traced the flow of blood, wherever it was, dried or flesh. His pupils rested on the hand clutching her stomach.

The change was instantaneous. She watched with bated breath as his eyes darkened. The air around him began to spark, shimmering with suppressed magic. The whole area took on a purple hue, and she swallowed the blood that coated her throat. He turned back to the man. The stick was swung and laughter was heard as it hit square across the man's stomach. Just as he had done to her. The man well forward, sputtering and groaning. Her savior dropped the stick at his feet, then.

"Now then," he said, rubbing his hands together, wiping at dirt. The man slouched forward. But an angry hand was wrapped around his throat and he was thrown up against the tree again. The resounding boom shook the forest as the branches overhead bustled. Irritated birds took flight above them, chirping their annoyance. He slammed him into the tree repeatedly. His fist came back, and smashed into the face in front of him repeatedly. Soon, it didn't really look like a face. Belle lost count of how many times it impacted. Her stomach jerked when he finally stop and the man spit out blood and what looked like bits of what had been teeth. But he wasn't done yet.

"I should skin you alive!" he growled into his face. His voice was low and dangerous. There was nothing of a joke in it. Ill intention dripping from every syllable. Belle watched as the man crumpled in on himself, and began to sob. He was a broken mess. His injuries not even comparable to hers. She felt a tear run down the side of her face.

"No," she finally said. Her voice was too soft. She doubted he could hear her over the rushing blood in his head. He was furious. His hand stretched back. The nails glistened in the light with blood as he wiggled them. His smile turned into something almost inhuman and Belle couldn't wait.

"Stop!" She yelled. The scene before her froze.

The man was shaking so hard she could clearly see from where she stood. He must have known that he'd been an inch from being beaten to death. And quite possibly being skinned alive before hand. His eyes were closed and he was whimpering, tears stained his cheek. The claws had stopped from within an inch of his nose. He could probably smell his own blood. He looked to her direction and cracked his eyes open. Anything to keep his focus away from that hand. His eyes pleaded with her, and despite his previous actions she did feel for him. Knuckles cracked impatiently right next to his ear, and he cringed. Belle looked from one to the other and took a deep breath.

"Stop…please," she pleaded with him. He looked over his shoulder and glared at her. His face crumpled into something she couldn't read. More a mix of frustration and repressed rage. His entire body shook from the effort he was exerting to keep still. She kept her gaze on him. Tears slid silently from her eyes and her hand supported her ribs. There was quiet between them. The space in front of her unmoving. He wiggled his fingers a few times. His eyes ever on her. She took a hesitant step closer, winching from the effort it took. He watched her. Groaning, before he closed his fingers in on his thumb. All except his pointer finger. That, he directed at her, before that digit to finally curled into his thumb. He rubbed the two together, unsure, as he stepped away from the tree. Belle let the breath that she'd been holding out, and her shoulders relaxed.

All the tension that had been in the man's frame fell away, noticeably. But it didn't last long. He watched as the stick was once again magically raised into his pursuer's hand. The man flinched one last time, as it was swung across his face. The crack she heard suggested that his jaw was almost definitely now broken. But he was alive. And for that he should be grateful. Some part of her could have easily let him die. But no, that wasn't who she was. His body slumped, and finally came to rest at the base of the trunk. She observed, him, unmoving. She could deduce that his arm to was broken. At least one of them. It had to be from the angle it was now in. She hadn't noticed when he had done that. Too many "snaps" to try and reason out them all.

He watched just as she had. One boot kicked at the unconscious body. "Hmmm," he hummed as the leg fell back, lifeless. It was a sound he always made when he liked something. She knew that sound well. He spoke to him as if it was a regular conversation he would have. But the underlying tone of his voice suggested otherwise.

"Lucky you, Dearie.." he reasoned. "I could have used a new pelt." Belle bit at her lip, uncomfortably. She wasn't sure it was a quip this time. He turned toward her finally. His coat tails swishing around him. The stick was placed beneath both his hands, and planted in the ground. Almost like a walking stick. His eyes fell on her, and they both froze. His name was screaming through her mind. And she wanted to say it, but reconsidered. Once in a day, she reasoned, was more than enough.