Ch. 5 Control
Cyborg could only stand in cover and watch as the two dots in the sky he had identified as his teammates plummeted towards the ground. Obviously, he'd watched his friends fly in combat before, but there was always something about watching them in a nosedive that made him uneasy. It wouldn't take much for something to go wrong and he could only imagine that flight was hard to control when your speed was that extreme. But then again, he was firmly stuck the ground, what did he know about flight?
Cyborg felt a tap on his shoulder. Turning to Robin, he watched as he motioned with his hands to move into the street. It was time to make their move. Cyborg ran into the open, while Robin used his grappling hook to get a slightly higher vantage point. Cyborg strode out into the middle of the road, sonic cannon ready, weaving through overturned vehicles and flaming debris. He almost wished he could watch himself as he moved. He must have looked like a badass for sure. The last the time the Titans fought Malchior, they had been caught off guard. This time, they were ready and the dragon didn't stand a chance.
"Hey you, you overgrown reptile! Who said you could come in here and trash my city!"
Malchior stopped breathing fire and turned to look at the one who dared to speak against him. Finally locking eyes with one of the Titans involved in his first defeat, a cruel smile appeared on his face.
"Ah yes…Cyborg….or should I say Victor Stone? Tell me, why do you defend these people…this city…you are nothing but a freak to them…a monster…a monster of your own father's creation…am I wrong?"
Cyborg could have had a thousand guesses at the first thing the dragon would have said to him, and he still wouldn't have been prepared for the statement that came from his mouth. He tried not to show the shock on his face, but inside, he was reeling. It wasn't like his identity was a massive secret. He had been an athlete in school. His name was in academic registry's. It wasn't something he ever entirely tried to hide, but not something he blatantly advertised anymore either. However, no one knew about his father's role in in how he looked today.
He could worry about that later though. Right now, he had a job to do. Cyborg raised his sonic cannon. "Freak?…is that the best you got? ….hate to break it you, but I've been called a lot worse and by villains a lot tougher than you." Cyborg fired his sonic cannon towards Malchior, who responded by wrapping his wings around his body to block the shot.
"Alright BB…Star…I've got you your opening…please don't miss".
As the dragon's wings curled in front of his body, his line of sight was completely blocked. Starfire's timing was perfect. Having approached from directly overhead, she was completely out of Malchior's vision and by the time she was close enough to be spotted, his defences had left him vulnerable for a few precious seconds With a battle cry that would scare most mortal men, Starfire unleashed a flurry of star bolts, connecting with the base of Malchior's left wing, before putting her hands out in front of her and tackling it full force. Malchior gave a surprised cry of pain, the momentum of Starfire's impact forcing him to his left side to ground, his right wing unfurling into the air.
It didn't take much longer for Beast Boy's appearance. Only seconds behind Starfire, her initial attack gave him an unobstructed view of Malchior's other wing. The pterodactyl nose-dived towards his target; changing into a great white shark at the last moment, and bit down hard on the muscle connecting the wing to the massive body of the dragon. Malchior let out a roar of rage. Standing up on his hind legs, he shook his body wildly, attempting to free himself of his attackers. Starfire was able to navigate her way through the flurry of wings and swinging arms, but Beast Boy was still latched on. Cyborg could only watch as Beast Boy's jaw strength finally gave way, and he was launched a solid thirty feet, straight through a building wall.
"Beast Boy!", screamed Starfire, flying to the air of her friend. She flew through the hole Beast Boy had created to find the changeling unsteadily getting to his feet, a nasty gash prominent on his right arm.
"I'm okay Star….but I think we got his attention".
Beast Boy looked past Starfire, resulting in Starfire turning around to come face to face with the black eyes of Malchior, boring a hole into the pair of them.
Starfire swallowed. "…..shall we move towards the docks Beast Boy".
"….yep that sounds like a plan".
Beast Boy, in the form of a hawk, and Starfire both flew out of the ruined building, just as Malchior let out a stream of fire into the newly created gap. Starfire was relieved to see that Malchior had indeed chosen to pursue them, his massive body causing the ground to tremble with every step he took. But that did also pose the small problem that they were now being chased by a massive dragon…and he was not happy. Starfire ducked down as another blast of fire whizzed over her head. She was about to launch her own volley of attacks to keep the dragon's attention when Malchior began to speak.
"Koriand'r of Tamaran…quite far from home aren't we….protecting a world you have no need to have loyalty too…but then again, I suppose your experiences with your own family aren't to be reminisced upon…tell me….what was worse…your time on the Citadel…or your time with the Psions? I am simply dying to know".
Starfire froze in mid-air and if it wasn't for Beast Boy tackling her out of the way, she would have been caught in Malchior's next ball of fire.
Beast Boy and Starfire hit the ground, tumbling a few times until they came to a stop. Starfire looked around wildly before jolting as Beast Boy grabbed her by the shoulders.
"Star, I don't know what any of what Malchior said means, but you can't let him get to you…not now. It's in the past whatever that is…but we're both here…in this moment. Now come on, head in the game".
Starfire looked at Beast Boy, slowly coming back to her senses. She was vaguely aware of the rampaging dragon slowly getting closer to their right. But she couldn't help but take a second to look at Beast Boy. In that moment, he looked older…he sounded wiser…this wasn't the little brother she had come to know over the past few years. Starfire gave him a firm nod.
"You are right, Beast Boy. Just because he knows some things about me does not mean he can stop us kicking his butt in the present".
Beast Boy smiled. "That's what I like to hear".
Beast Boy and Starfire shot into the air again. Malchior had been distracted by the start of Robin's assault. Swinging from a higher vantage point, Malchior's hind legs were now littered with numerous cuts from his sword. However, as the two Titans rose into the air, Beast Boy locked eyes with Malchior.
"Garfield Mark Logan….son of Mark and Marie Logan…but then again…you probably don't remember them that well. The wearer of such a brave face…so happy…so free…not a care in the world…is that what you want people to think? So they forget about the beast inside you? Maybe if you showed that side of yourself, Raven wouldn't have dismissed you as easily as she did? You saw how easily I was able to twist her around my finger the fir-"
Malchior didn't get to finish his monologue. The battle had arrived at the docks which meant to two things. One, they were going to keep the fighting here and two, beast boy could go for a knock-out shot. With a cry of rage; Beast Boy, as a hawk, fired himself at the head dragon, changing into a Grizzly bear at the last second, and crashed into the head of Malchior, bringing his speech to an abrupt end. At the same time, Cyborg and Robin double-teamed Malchior's right leg. The momentum from Beats Boy's impact was enough to send the dragon over on it; the leg bending at an awkward angle, causing Malchior to howl in pain. The dragon was grounded. Now, to finish the job.
Raven was not in a good mood. Her cloak was burnt in several places, her head was pounding and she kept having to wipe the blood from her face so she could see where she was going. All in all? Not the best condition to be flying a disc made of dark energy into a battle to fight a dragon.
But that didn't matter. Her friends needed her and she wouldn't let them down. She could see the imposing figure of Malchior in the distance, and two figures flying around his head. Malchior lashed out wildly with his forearm, and she could only watch in horror as Beast Boy was sent rocketing into one of the many warehouses on the docks. Illuminations of blue and red occasionally lit up Malchior's lower half, no doubt Robin and Cyborg employing every tactic they had to bring him down. Raven threw caution to the wind and increased her speed, her energy disc moving haphazardly along the Jump City skyline.
Robin could tell when things weren't going the way of the Titans. Malchior had tried to fly at one stage, but Starfire's and Beast Boy had done enough, and his wings had given out when he was barely twenty feet off the ground. One of his back legs had been rendered useless by the efforts of him and Cyobrg, but that didn't change the fact that the dragon was one of the toughest opponents they'd ever fought. Beast Boy was yet to emerge from the warehouse he had crashed through. Cyborg was doing his best to take out his other legs, but the battle had been raging for too long. He couldn't have that much battery left. Starfire was desperately trying to keep Malchior's eyes towards the sky, but she'd taken so many bumps at this stage, her flying was becoming erratic. It wouldn't be long before the dragon could land a knockout punch of his own.
Robin dived out of the way of another fire blast and rounded back on his opponent, launching a series of birdarangs into the face of the oncoming dragon who had lunged forward in an attempt to catch Robin in his jaws. Malchior recovered from the attack quickly, eyes honing in on the Titan leader when his attention was grabbed by something in the distance. A cruel smile formed on Malchior's face. Robin turned to see what had distracted his enemy and felt his heart sink. Raven was typically the epitome of composure on the battle field, but something must have gone wrong in the building clearing. Robin could see the streak of blood down the side of Raven's face even from the distance away he was. Her flying, normally calm and controlled, was erratic at best.
Robin's eyes snapped back around when he heard Starfire's cry. Malchior had managed to catch the Tamaranean with a bite, and Starfire's leg was caught firmly between his teeth. Before Robin could even process what he was seeing, the dragon swung his head to the side, releasing Starfire and launching her out into the bay.
"STARFIRE!" With renewed vigour Robin rushed Malchior, drawing his sword as he ran. Malchior turned his attention away from the bay and back towards the approaching Titan leader, preparing to swipe at him as he did so. He was caught off guard as Cyborg changed his focus, moving from his legs to his head, using his sonic cannon. Unfortunately for Cyborg, using his sonic cannon forced him to move from being in close combat to having to take a stance further away. With Cyborg no longer fighting him, essentially inside his guard, Malchior was able to line up a swipe of his claw, sending Cyborg flying into the incoming Robin, sending both Titans sprawling to the floor.
"Well Robin, it has been fun, but I think's it's time I spend some time with Ms. Raven. I'm sure she has missed me so".
Before either Robin or Cyborg could react, Malchior whipped around, allowing his tail to swing freely, crashing it into the prone titans, sending them flying. Robin hit a warehouse wall, with a sickening thud, falling to the ground in a heap, while Cyborg's additional weight was enough for him the break through the section of wall that he collided with. With all four titans who started the battle temporarily disposed of, a wounded but very much still lethal Malchior turned to face the Titan half-demon, a sadistic smile on his face. He was going to enjoy this.
Raven hadn't been close enough to help any of her friends, but she had been close enough to see them get disposed of, one by one. Raven had lost track of Starfire in the Bay, Robin wasn't showing any signs of movement, Cyborg hadn't emerged from the hole he created in the warehouse and Beast Boy was MIA. Normally, Raven would always back herself in a fight. But now, with no back-up and almost certainly sporting a concussion amongst other injuries, and staring down an injured but angry dragon, Raven was pretty sure the odds weren't in her favour. She looked to the dragon to find he was already staring at her, a sick smile plastered across his face.
"Ah Raven, how wonderful of you to join the fun. I was wondering when you would make an appearance, although it seems you've already encountered some of my handy work. Did you miss me? I know for certain that I was looking forward to our next encounter."
Raven did her best to steady herself with her powers and stared down Malchior with defiance. She would not give him any satisfaction. She was Raven. She had to keep control of her emotions.
She raised her hands, black balls of her magic forming at her finger tips. Malchior sneered at her.
"Why must you go straight to violence Raven? Is this how Arella raised you to act? Can we not talk…for old times' sake?"
Raven tensed. She knew his game…she knew what he was hoping to achieve. He would not get what he wanted. Raven would keep it short and simple.
"No". Raven surged forward, using her powers to send pieces of debris from the surrounding area flying towards Malchior. Normally, her projectiles were dangerous, almost impossible to avoid. But Raven was wounded and almost completely drained. Malchior batted her attack aside with ease before lashing out himself, Raven just managing to move out of the way.
"Now Raven, there is no need for hostilities. I seem to remember a time when you were quite fond of me. Can't say I ever felt the same but…you were enamoured with me, no?"
Raven grit her teeth, rounded back on the dragon and released a concentrated beam of her magic. Malchior, who had seen this move before, opened up his enormous maw, and released a massive plume of fire. The two attacks collided in the air, pushing and battling against each other. A bead of sweat dripped down Raven's forehead, mixing with the blood that had nearly dried in at this stage. Raven could feel her strength fading. With one final push, Malchior overpowered Raven's magic, hitting her with both his flames and her own attack. Raven fell to the ground, hitting the wooden docks with a dull thud.
She didn't register that she had been lifted into the air, but she could feel her head lolling to one side as it had no support. It wasn't until she was brought to the face of the dragon that she realised that he had picked her up.
"You see Raven…your struggle was pointless…you weren't good enough when I first tricked you, and you're not good enough now. Half-human….half-demon…all monster, and a monster that doesn't even have the ability to pose a challenge. You simply aren't wor-"
"HEY!"
Malchior stopped his tirade and looked last Raven, confusion evident on this face. Raven also tried to turn to see the person who had interrupted Malchior's monologue, even though she had already recognised his voice. Beast Boy stood on the ground in front of Malchior. He was sporting a nasty cut over his left eye, forcing it partially closed. His uniform was torn up in places and he seemed to be favouring his right knee.
"Put…her…down."
Malchior actually snorted in amusement. "I'm sorry, are you speaking to me? Surely you can't seriously believe you have any power to tell me what to do Mr. Logan. Now if you'll excuse me, I would like to have a few more words with –
"I think you've said enough."
Raven looked up at Malchior's face, still unable to angle herself so that she could see Beast Boy. He clearly seemed amused by whatever Beast Boy was doing. But slowly, that grin started to disappear, and he became caught somewhere between intrigue and…apprehension?
"Well well, what have we here? Is this your legendary beast form I've been told so much about? I must admit, I thought it would be bigge-"
Raven was suddenly released from Malchior's grip and she had just enough to sense to slow her descent enough so that she didn't completely plummet to the floor. Standing up and ignoring the wave of nausea that overcame her, Raven turned to look for what had happened to Malchior and Beast Boy and her eyes widened.
The Beast had tackled Malchior, sending the pair of them sprawling backwards. Raven had never actually seen Beast Boy in this form and she had no idea that it was that strong. Malchior was stuck on his side, desperately trying to get a hold of the rampaging beast, who was simply tearing into whatever part of Malchior who could get his claws on. Climbing around the massive body of the dragon like a lizard on a wall, the Beasts claws and pure strength were enough to break through Malchior's thick hide, and he was soon left covered in dozens of deep cuts. Malchior's attacks became more erratic as his initial thoughts of killing Beast Boy had been replaced with simply trying to survive the beast. He frantically tried to get a grip on the Beast, and spewed fire in every direction, but the Beast was relentless. With no ability to fly, and limited movement, Malchior suddenly found himself at the Beast's mercy.
The beast climbed up Malchior's thick neck, digging his claws in every with every movement, before arriving at his head. Malchior furiously tried to shake him off, but the Beast was not to be stopped. Upon arriving under his jaw, the Beast delivered a massive upper cut, right beneath his chin. Malchior's head whipped upwards, and the Beast quickly ran up the length of his snout, before launching himself into the air, using the dragons nose as a springboard.
"Raven! Are you harmed?!" Raven had been so engrossed in the battle unfolding her that she hadn't realised Starfire had come up behind her. She was thoroughly soaked, and looked to be leaning heavily on the leg Malchior got a hold of, but otherwise seemed okay. Raven couldn't bring herself to answer her question though, all of her at her attention still on the scene in front of her. Starfire followed Raven's gaze to the ensuing battle and her eyes widened before a frown came across her face.
"Oh no…Beast Boy…what did he do to you?"
Raven and Starfire both watched as the Beast reached the height of his jump, Malchior prone beneath him. When he started to descend, the Beast turned around, and aimed his fists downwards. Cyborg, who had finally emerged from the warehouse he was knocked through, was watching the scene with a mixture of horror and awe. Robin was finally starting to stir but had no idea what was going on. The beast collided with the skull of the dragon, driving his head into the ground, the impact causing the ground to shake. Dust and debris flew into the air, blocking out everyone's line of sight to the two creatures. Then…there was silence. After all the fighting, the sudden lack of noise was surreal.
Raven was the first to snap back to her senses. Stumbling forward, she reached out with her powers, looking for the changeling's signature. She could hear Starfire behind her, who had reacted once Raven started moving. Cyborg went to go help Robin, who was struggling to get to his feet.
"Beast Boy!" Starfire called out. She had taken to the air to try and get a better view. Raven decided enough was enough. She didn't know if she had the energy for this but she needed to know what happened.
"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" Reaves spread her arms in front of her, sending out a wave of energy, clearing the dust and sediment out of the air, to put the aftermath of the fight on full display. Raven fell to one knee, her energy completely drained, before looking up at the scene. Cyborg and Robin had caught up with Raven, Cyborg helping Robin walk by looping one arm under shoulders. Cyborg eyes widened to the size of dinner plates at what he saw.
"Oh man….BB…."
Beast Boy had delivered on his intentions. Malchior was in a complete heap. His wings were bent at several odd angles and the numerous gashes, that had been provided courtesy of the Beast made him look liked he suffered a death by a thousand cuts. If it wasn't for the faint rise and fall of the dragons chest, it would be easy to mistake the body as deceased. Malchior's head lay flat on the floor, in an indent in the ground. Raven assumed the crater was made by the sheer force the dragons skull had hit the ground with. There was a stream of blood trailing out of one of his nostrils. In front of the head of the dragon, the beast sat, on his haunches, facing away from the approaching titans. He seemed to be inspecting the results of his efforts. He had patches of red over his fur, but it was most certainly not his blood. Raven could hear him panting heavily.
Starfire landed beside the other titans, taking in the scene with the rest of them. No one dared move. The last time the beast had made an appearance, he had been distracted by Slade's army defending Raven. The time before that…it was safe to say that no one knew how the beast was going to behave. Raven took a tentative step forward.
"Beast Boy…?"
The Beast whirled around, causing three titans to jump back, landing in battle positions out of instinct, but Raven didn't move.
"Beast Boy…you don't have to fight anymore…it's okay…please…come back to us".
The beast bored a hole into Raven with his stare, before rising up to his full height. Cyborg cocked his sonic cannon, just in case. If anything, the Beast looked even more intimidating than the last time. Maybe he had grown as Beast Boy had aged, but he could've sworn it looked taller, more muscular, more….savage. Raven took a step forward towards the Beast, feeing like her every move was being analysed under his gaze. She took a deep breath and slowly continued her advance. When she was within a couple of feet. She looked up and made eye contact. The beast didn't seem to be aggressive towards her. It was more curious than anything.
Raven slowly raised her hand, reaching out to the beast. Initially, the beast let out a low growl, causing Raven to halt her progress, but when she resumed, slightly more slowly, the Beast stayed silent. Raven closed her eyes, putting her faith in the friend she knew was in there.
"Garfield…you're a man…not an animal…come home".
Raven felt her hand make contact with the furry snout of the beast. She cautiously looked up and saw he had leaned into her hand. Time seemed to stand still for a moment as Raven and the beast made contact, the other three titans stood observing the interaction, ready to act should it all go wrong. Raven felt the shift under her fingers first. It was just the slightest ripple but it was enough to know that she'd succeeded. The massive form of the beast slowly began to shrink down, until the changeling was stood in its place. His uniform was torn to shreds, his eyes glassy and unfocused.
Once the transformation was complete, Beast Boy immediately pitched forward and would've fallen flat on his face if Raven hadn't been there to catch him. She thought he was going to be unconscious so was little surprised when she felt him adjust in her arms, his arm rising to brace himself against her shoulder.
"…thanks Raven…for pulling me back".
"…anytime Gar".
Raven and Beast Boy both stayed like that for a few seconds as the other titans approached slowly. Beast boy lifted his head and gave them a weak smile, before tiredly raising an arm, motioning behind him. "I present you…with one unconscious dragon". Cyborg let out a whistle. "Damn BB, that was…insane". Starfire piped up next. "Yes friend, your fight was most captivating to watch, but I was so worried for you. I feared that you would not be able to return to your normal self so easily".
Robin was looking at Beast Boy with intrigue. While he hadn't seen the beasts fight with Malchior, he had witnessed his return to normal.
"Beast Boy, you really seemed like you had the beast under control there. I mean…you completed your goal…and then you were calm enough to let Raven get through to you. How…how do you feel?"
Beast Boy looked away from the others. "…I feel fine…that transformation just always really takes it out of me. I still don't remember anything that happened".
Raven eyed her teammate. He felt the spike in his nervousness immediately. He was lying about something. But she didn't want call him out in front of the other titans now. He wasn't lying about being tired, it looked like he could barely stand. Robin nodded at Beast Boy's answer, but he clearly still had something on his mind. Her thinking was interrupted by the sound of wailing sirens.
"Okay Raven, do you think you have the energy to change Malchior's form now? We can always-"
Raven raised a hand to silence Robin. "Yes, I will see this through…I have too."
Raven gently separated herself from Beast Boy and walked towards the still unconscious form of Malchior. Raising her hands into the air, she imagined the form that she wanted Malchior to assume and focused on the image.
"Azarath Metrion Zinthos".
The body of Malchior was cast in a black glow as it slowly started to shrink down, taking the form of a human man, made of paper, just as the Jump City police force arrived on the scene. Robin went to speak with one of the officers straight away, to let him know about the nature of the criminal they had brought in and how he was to be contained. Cyborg turned the rest of the remaining titans.
"…during that fight…Malchior said some things to me that…well that he shouldn't have known about…about me…anyone else have something like that happen?"
Starfire nodded, her eyes moving to look at the ground instead of making eye contact with anyone. "That horrible dragon…he brought up memories…memories I wish I didn't have…I don't understand how he could have known".
Beast Boy scrunched his face in thought before looking up at them. "…what about the tower break in's? We've all got stuff about our backgrounds in personal files?"
Cyborg evaluated Beat Boy's thoughts. "It is possible. This morning, I only checked for security breaches, I never checked for any attempts to access our titans database".
"There are spells and magic of the like that could help someone well-versed in the arts to gain knowledge or insights about a person's history. Perhaps Malchior was simply trying to play mind games with us", interjected Raven
Starfire let out a sniffle and hugged her arms around herself, "…he succeeded".
Cyborg put an arm around Starfire and brought the Tamaranean close, "Hey, it doesn't matter what he said, we've all been through our own battles in the past. But here we are…all of together…in the now."
Starfire looked up Cyborg, and while she was clearly still upset, it did seem like Cyborg's words had a positive effect. The moment was interrupted by Robin returning from his conversation with the police.
"Okay, the police know the situation and have Cinderblocks old cell prepped. Seems like containing him there shouldn't be an issue, until we can get our hands on the book again."
Cyborg let go of Starfire and clapped his hands together. "So what I'm hearing is our work is done for the day and we can head home. I'm in desperate need of a charge and a triple decker sandwich, I'm not gonna lie".
Robin couldn't help by grin at Cyborg's simple sentiment. "We most certainly can, everyone to the med bay when we get in. We need to see how serious some of these knocks are, but we did good today Titans".
Four of the titans started to move in the direction of where the T-Car had been left while one stayed stationary. It was Raven who noticed first that Beast Boy wasn't moving, tapping Cyborg on the shoulder, to draw his attention to the changelings strange behaviour. "Yo BB, you coming?"
Raven followed Beast Boy's gaze to two officers moving the unconscious body of Malchior into a steel security unit, only used for high-level villains. It looked like the changeling was staring through the scene before him, his eyes not particularly focused on any one given thing.
"….eh…Beast Boy?"
Beast Boy snapped back to reality and turned to look at four confused and slightly concerned Titans.
"Yea…you guys go on ahead…I think I'm gonna go for a short fly…just to clear my head."
Robin interjected immediately. "Beast Boy, you took as much damage today as anyone, and had to deal with a stint as the beast. I'm happy for us to take the night off but we need to check your injuries. You could barely stand five minutes ago."
Beast Boy simply shrugged. "But I can stand now, so that's a non-issue…I just need to clear my head…and I can't do that cooped up in the tower".
Robin opened his mouth to argue again, but stopped when a hand touched his shoulder.
"Let him go Robin, if he's not back by eight tonight, I'll go get him and drag him back."
Robin turned to look at Raven, raising an eyebrow at her reaction, before letting out a sigh and turning back to Beast Boy. "Okay, fine, go take some time, but keep your communicator on so Raven can come and get you if needed."
Beast Boy nodded. "Thanks Robin, I'll catch up with you guys later". Beast Boy looked at Raven and gave her a quick nod before shifting into an eagle and rising into the sky. The four grounded titans watched him as he flew away. Raven eventually broke the silence.
"He just needs some time…I know what it's like to lose control like that…it's such a sinking feeling. He'll be okay, he just needs to come to terms with it". She hadn't forgotten that she had sensed him lying earlier, and would be asking him about it when he returned to the tower.
Cyborg looked at the green dot, now far off into the distance. "I hope the little dude's okay. He didn't say it, but I'm pretty sure Malchior said some stuff to him too".
Beast Boy wasn't concerned with what Malchior had said to him. Sure, he was a little surprised, but someone reminding him about his parents wouldn't bother him. Since he already blamed himself, there's nothing someone could say to make him feel worse about it.
Beast Boy's thoughts were fully on the beast. This time had been different. Before, when he took that form, he had lost control, and been overtaken by the beast within. But this time…this time he remembered everything. When he saw Raven in the grip of that monster…and heard the things he was saying to her…he felt the urge within him…and he made the conscious decision to give up control willingly…Beast Boy still didn't know how to feel about that.
So he went for a fly. He could feel the air currents against his wings, the warm fading sun on his back. He glided across the now orange sky and breathed in the slightly salty air above Jump City Bay. He just needed to have that feeling of being in control again, and when he had time like this, to himself…he was in charge.