finale - Printable Version

As the seal made to leave, the the power of Mother's commands rippled through his muscles and he stepped forward, eyes flashing. He would follow Mother's commands. He would stop them from leaving, whatever it took.

He sucked in a breath and threw all four arms out to the side. "YOU DO NOT LEAVE," he snarled summoning as much strength as he could to send the surrounding area into pitch darkness, so that the fools could not see. Those of the hive would know where each other were, through the link, but the magic sputtered and failed almost immediately.

He blinked. Shit. That was supposed to work.

Lamia had expected things to go smoothly. She thought that Tethys would trust her, that she'd take the bait. She held no ill will for her friend - after all, mother's presence was kind and good. Why shouldn't she accept the gift?

And when she didn't, and Mother's command boomed through her head loud and powerful, she shivered, her muscles moving without her consent. She didn't want to attack Tethys, or any of them mind, but...this was what Mother was asking of her. No, she demanded this. And Lamia would not disappoint.

The point was to keep them here, yes? To keep them from leaving? She remembered the spells that Tenzin had shown her, how to create ice, to freeze water where it was. If she froze Tethys to the ground, then that would complete the mission. She threw forward her magic towards the seal as she tried to escape from the cave, forming a thick layer of ice around her to stop her from moving.

As soon as the order rang out, Pallas's senses overwhelmed him. He would not see this plan fail- not now. He easily grabbed a hefty chunk as his head shot back from its place beside Mother. He couldn't let them get away that easily.

He shoved off of the roots, eyes wide and ears flattened against his skull as he moved with the fluidity of a snake, claws aching in how far they were pushed out. Mud sprayed with the force of his kicks. Mother's fungus taste bled into his mouth, and he surged behind Orlaith in the chaos to Tethys.

The ice had grown up around her, thanks to Lamia, and she was in the perfect position to be inducted. Mrowling with a hiss under his chunk, he forced himself to step directly onto the ice and ignore the shooting cold underfoot. Not that it mattered to his adrenaline. He didn't have time to worry about semantics- he ripped out half of the piece of fungus with a claw and shoved the piece to her lips with his other paws scrabbling for purchase.

"EAT!" The demand came louder than was typical of the linsang from behind Mother, his pupils drawn to mere pinpricks of their usual selves.

Reji pushed out, panting. Mother herself was pressing harder than she'd ever felt it--overpowering, almost frightening.

She carried a clot of fungus in the corner of one side of her jaws, and after hesitation, she darted for Tethys. While the sea leopard was briefly restrained, she could try to slip some in; all it would need was the slightest few spores for it to take hold...

...Of course, getting so close to the massive jaws was a terrifying prospect. The leopard seal could kill her with a bite; but Mother's command was an imperative. Trembling, she ran for Tethys, aiming to press fungus for her face while she was held.