Claire charged up the mountain, feeling her feet and heart pounding with pain and exhilaration (respectively). Her motion could be summed up using words such as "juggernaut", "momentum", and other expressions that might double as sports cereals. She ran straight through a patch of bushes and shrubs, tearing through them like they were made of paper mâché. Nothing could possibly stop her rampaging. She was a not-so-lean, green, June-fighting machine. She tossed her head and gave a valiant cry.

"Moo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo!"

She looked over her shoulder as she heard another set of footsteps stomping across the moist leaves. She saw Owen struggling to catch up to her, and slowed down.

"Owen? What are you doing here?"

"I came to avenge you, but it turns out you're alive. Can I just say that I'm so, so happy about that?"

"Mhm."

He tried to give her a hug as they ran, but instead, she leaned into him until he was draped over her back. Then, she ran at full speed up the mountain, grunting in concentration.

"What are you doing, Clairebear?" Owen asked as he made himself comfortable behind her frill.

"I'm going to stop June."

Owen nodded.

"Count me in. I just have one question. How are we supposed to defeat a giant semi-demonic spinosaur sadist?"

Claire shrugged.

"We'll just have to find a way."

And with that, she uttered a loud, trumpeting bellow and began to fly.

***TSJWFEW***

June tried to climb down the mountainside in the hopes of finding Claire's body, but somehow, she ended up at the peak. Her disorientation seemed to be caused by some sort of magic, and she wondered if Neithhotep had decided to betray her. If that was the case, the dragon would have to be eliminated as soon as possible. It would be hard to take down a magical being, but if June could find a way to attack her while her back was turned, it shouldn't be a problem.

As she felt around for a safe place to climb down, June found herself worrying about Claire's fall. She didn't know if the flower would remain intact after the event, given the nature of its powers. If the hybrid hadn't died immediately, the Lilylotusdrop might be able to heal her wounds, and June's quest would be for naught.

Her theoretical situation was proven true when she heard an insect-like buzzing coming from above her head. She snarled and snapped at the sky, furious that she had once again been denied the right to a normal life.

"Fool! Have you come to challenge me? I won't hold back, now that the Lilylotusdrop is gone!"

June stumbled as the buzzing shifted to the other side of her head, making her dizzy and disoriented. It took her a moment to steady herself.

"The plant is still inside of me, June!" the stegoceratops called boldly as she hovered in midair, "I was healed by my guardian angel."

June growled and dug her claws into the cold stone beneath her feet.

"Then why have you come back?"

"I won't let you hurt another soul," Claire replied icily, landing nearby. June sniggered at the comment and shook her head.

"What makes you so sure that you can stop me?"

"Because I am invincible!" she declared fearlessly, "I can't be killed by any creature woman-born! It says so in the stegoceratops' prophecy."

June chuckled. Her laughter soon evolved into a devious cackle, and she could sense a feeling of unease in her opponent.

"What's so funny?" she asked.

June heard a set of paws approaching her from the side. She recognized the distinct stride of Bernie, the foolish dog who worked for Neithhotep. The hound gave a barking guffaw as he stood beside June, knowing very well what she had been laughing about a few moments prior.

"June was, from her mother's womb, untimely ripped!" he explained dramatically, "She is not woman-born."

Without warning, the stegoceratops' partner, Owen, sprung forward and landed on Bernie's nose.

"TURN, HELLHOUND, TURN!" he shouted fiercely.

The four of them erupted into a vicious battle, snapping and clawing at each other in pure, unholstered rage. Owen was so sprightly that June often found herself tearing into Bernie unintentionally, aiming for the place where the man had been standing a millisecond before. This pattern continued for a long time, with Claire giving the occasional jab as she fluttered around their heads like a dive-bombing moth with horns.

After a minute or so, June grew frustrated with their evasive maneuvers. Giving a shrill scream, she made one last lunge for Owen, but he grabbed her sail and slid down her back in one daring swoop. She slammed into Bernie's side, knocking him down like a giant domino. The dog was suddenly torn away from the battle, and it took June a few seconds to realize that she had pushed him over the side of a cliff. She heard his howling grow faint as he tumbled down the slope. Then, there was a sickening snap, a pathetic whimper, and absolute silence. June leaned over the ledge and listened, but the dog didn't make a sound. Undaunted, she snorted and turned to face her opponents.

"I can fight you alone."

"But why bother?" Claire stressed, "What could you possibly gain by killing me?"

"I want that flower!" June growled through clenched teeth.

There was a pause. June decided that Claire must be demonstrating some sort of visual cue, like a facial expression or a noiseless gesture.

"June, having the flower won't make you any happier."

"Of course it will! I'll be able to see . . ." she hissed.

Another pause, shorter this time.

"No, June. If you knew anything about the world, you'd understand that that's the last thing you want. If you ever get your vision back, the first thing you'll see is a crowd of angry faces. You've hurt people, June. But you can stop. You're only as good as you allow yourself to be."

June snarled.

"Being good gets you nowhere. Those who are kind to others end up at the bottom of the food chain."

There was a lengthy pause. June clenched her teeth. She was growing impatient.

"You can choose to be alone at the top, but I think you'd rather be with your friends at the bottom."

June chuckled malevolently.

"Poor, naïve Claire. What does it matter how many friends a person has? Without power, you are nothing."

She heard Owen step forward.

"June, you tried to take everything away from us, because you wanted more for yourself. But you won't gain anything by robbing others of their happiness. If you choose to give instead of take, people will make sure that you get what you deserve."

June frowned bitterly.

. . .

June frowned spitefully.

"Enough! I grow tired of your useless advice. Are you ready to end this, once and for all?"

Owen shifted slightly, giving away his exact position.

"June, you can't-"

In the blink of an eye, she reached out and struck him hard. She heard him tumble down the mountainside, probably out of sight. Claire ran over to the ledge and called out to him in panic.

"Owen!"

He coughed as a shower of dust poured over his head.

"Claire . . . I'm alive, but my leg is broken. I don't think I can move."

She gave a little choke.

"Owen . . ."

"Run, Claire. Don't let her catch you."

June heard Claire's feet shifting on the stone. She cut in front of her before she could run away.

"You're not going anywhere, your highness . . ."

Claire pawed at the ground.

"I didn't plan to."

There was a clap of thunder.

That's when the real fight began.

***TSJWFEW***

Neithhotep glided over the mountains, searching for the location of the final fight. She has leveled out the top of a mountain for the express purpose of a one-on-one duel between Claire and June. By her calculations, it should be taking place in . . . about fifteen minutes.

She swerved to the side as a bolt of lightning cut through the sky. She turned her head in puzzlement, wondering why the storm had been set off early. She had specifically stated in her rough draft that the first bolt of lightning would strike at the very beginning of the final fight. It was her signature, after all. What had caused it to be activated so early?

And then, everything became clear. The lightning had been set off early because the final fight was already taking place. Claire and June were preparing to charge at each other, but it was too damn soon. Someone must have meddled with the story, but who would be stupid enough to-

Ellie.

She had escaped, hadn't she?

Neithhotep shook uncontrollably as she spun in a sharp nosedive. She spread her wings abruptly, slowing herself down for a rushed landing. When her feet made contact with the ground, she immediately changed into her human form. She was so furious that she expected steam to come shooting out of her ears at any moment. She clenched her fists until they were white and stormed up the mountain.

"Damned idiot, I'll kill her if I ever see her again!"

She stomped briskly up the spiral pathway, still fuming.

"Who does she think she is? I've been writing for years! Bloody novice . . ."

She whipped around a corner.

"All she does is mimic that moronic dragon. I swear to god, she-"

As she rounded the next corner, she came face to face with a disturbing sight. Bernie was lying on the ground with his legs hanging limply over a pile of rocks. His mouth was open, and one of his ears was folded above his head. Neithhotep walked forward slowly, her hand over her mouth.

"Bernie? . . ."

She reached out and placed her hand on his shoulder. His bristly, brown fur carried no warmth. He was dead.

Neithhotep gulped and wiped her eyes.

"I guess this makes us even, then," she whispered as she made her way up the path.