His spell had worked, lashing out like a violent, nearly visible verdant snake towards Bevy's offspring. If it wasn't for the canine, perhaps he would have killed Remedy once and for all... But the three headed dog was larger, harder to infect. The avian opened his beak to snap a biting remark at the canine when a sudden, invisible force nearly knocked him clean out of the sky. The bird went tumbling through the air, nearly shoved into the waterfall--

Roshan found his wings again and twisted around, diving down to the surface of the water and riding out the air. Mist sprayed up under his momentum as he lunged towards the canine, reaching out with his magic. His wings curved upwards as he slid to a stop before the canine, bacteria surging through the air.

"Out of my way, mongrel," he demanded, "you hybrids can't protect each other forever." The sickness would take the cerberos, the all mighty guardian, and then he could take the life of their kin and put an end to the Cave's suffering once and for all. He would destroy every ounce of poison that had seeped through his skin, snuff out the flames of life that took place in their stone and magicks.

{ FIGHT STATISTICS }
BEVY V. KERBEROS
ONE ???

{ ATTEMPT }

~ sicken the canine

{ DEFENSES }

~ flying out of reach

{ INJURIES }

~ injuries;;

• sprained shoulder

Roshan tried to work the bacteria in the mutt's stomach, trying to get him to heave-- a distraction, if anything-- but the canine hardly seemed bothered. The dog lunged up, teeth snapping, and the pitohui bird let out a squawk. Jaws snapped down on his tail feathers and he frankly flapped his wings, getting away with just a few plunked bits of feather. On the plus side, the dog had made a grievous error-- Bevy's plumage was filled to the brim with toxins from their diet.

Oh, if Roshan could smirk he would. For now he simply swept around the rim of the waterfall, eyes dark as he summoned his magic again. He would strike the dog now while the poison was crawling through his jaw. Then he could go after Remedy-- finally finish the job. He had lost his moment of surprise, but he knew he could still do this. He knew he could end it all.

Quietly, a soft voice struggled through the heavy fog of venomous thoughts. Why are you doing this... Enna whispered, too weak and cowardly to stop him. Please, don't... But the words fell on deaf ears. The crimson and ebony bird lashed out with his swell of bacteria. All those cycles practicing medicine, perfecting the art of healing... How easily those skills could be twisted to hurt.

It was all for the greater good of the caves, didn't she see?

{ FIGHT STATISTICS }
BEVY V. KERBEROS
ONE TWO ???

{ ATTEMPT }

~ sicken the canine

{ DEFENSES }

~ flying out of reach

{ INJURIES }

~ injuries;;

• sprained shoulder
  
• plucked tail feathers

The three headed dog came lumbering towards him but he knew that the canine was out of commission. The magic had worked its way into the dog and soon he'd be incapacitated. Victory within his grasp, he flew off towards Remedy now. Enna was a soft, distant voice that he couldn't even make out now.

... Abruptly, however, a strong blast of nuclear energy hit the bird square in the back as he was flying away from Kerberos and towards Bevy's child. The intent to murder was snuffed out entirely as the beam of pure, raw energy broke through the bird's ribs and crashed into the red and green stone.

In a last, quiet, dying effort, Enna's magic surged through the bird. As the remains of the pitohui bird crashed to the damp slate, her gem glistened with a warm, blue light and the remaining, large chunk of gemstone broke into three clean, medium pieces.

There was no sound-- in fact, there was just silence-- as the feathers fell to the earth, quiet and cold.

Character: Bevy Age: +8 (8 Cycles) Magic Level: +5 (Master Level) ROUND 1 Attempt: +4 Penalties: - ROUND 2 Attempt: +19 Penalties: - ROUND 3 Attempt: +15 ? Penalties: - Total: 51

Character: Kerberos Age: +7 (7 Cycles) Magic Level: +5 (Master Level) ROUND 1 Attempt: +19 Penalties: - ROUND 2 Attempt: +9 Penalties: - ROUND 3 Attempt: +14 Penalties: - Total: 54

WINNER: KERBEROS

Perhaps it was a good thing that Leon hadn't been able to see who had cast their votes, though he had a feeling he knew who would vote for him and who would vote for Cancer. At least, there were two voting parties he knew would be on his side - even as he joined Cancer away from the group, turning his head from them and casting the leopard a side glance, speaking nothing in response - he could imagine who it was walking towards the den he shared with Makyna and who moved elsewhere. He didn't want to name names for the possibility that perhaps he was wrong. If anything, Makyna would have voted for him - this he knew. Why was he so bent out of shape about it, anyway? It wasn't as if Leon had been particularly hankering for the leader position. He was perfectly happy doing his job and doing what he was told. And yet... Bevy's insistence on reigniting the rivalry with Cancer had him subconsciously hoping for a victory.

Before long, the bird had come fluttering towards them, speaking up over the roar of the waterfall to inform them that the votes had been cast. Leon nodded and turned back around, following the bird to the group. His eyes had instantly landed upon Makyna and his family, presenting them a warm smile and taking his seat next to them, and he waited. That small moment between his return and Bevy's announcement felt like a lifetime, dragging on in anticipated silence, each word she spoke stretching on it eternity, until finally the verdict had been announced.

It was him.

The bear blinked over at Bevy, and then to the rest of his groupmates. Orange eyes lingered long on Makyna then branched out to the others, and for a breath he felt the weight of responsibility, and then the sudden doubt that he wasn't really the one that everybody had wanted to lead them, but he had won the vote, hadn't he? At least half of them wanted him to. So thus was the empirical evidence of his deserved success. His gaze had danced over those gathered until it landed upon Amaria and Cancer, but fixated mostly on his younger sister. His smile broadened, but it wasn't cocky - it was anything but that. It was genuine, it was hopeful and warm. Even though Cancer hadn't won... He wanted her to stay. Oh, how he wished she would. "Thank you, Bevy." The bear finally answered, tearing his gaze from Amaria to look back upon the bird.

So that was that. The meeting was adjourned and everybody would carry on with their prior engagements, save for Leon, who would have to prepare for the long four cycles ahead of him as Maji Walezi's new leader. Thinking about what he had to do was suddenly overwhelming, and he hadn't realized that he'd zoned out staring rather helplessly at Makyna, but once he finally snapped back to reality the bear huffed and rolled his shoulders. "Haha, okay! Come on kids, maybe this fishing lesson will be a little more interesting now that the new leader of Maji Walezi's teaching it! What do you think?" Fat chance, but it didn't hurt to try. The bear snickered, and he hesitated for a little while more before moving towards the lioness and gently bumping her face with his own, then turned back to the lagoon, expecting Baroque and Sonata to follow - even Cadence, if she wanted.

They were well on their way towards the lagoon, about half way there, when a vicious voice had suddenly snarled out. Leon jumped at the ferocity of it, whirling around just in time to catch sight of the great three-headed dog lunging forward, and a burst of magic that crept through the air all through the cave of Pisces. Leon's eyes widened in surprise and he was momentarily stunned until his brain could process what he was seeing. It was Bevy. Bevy and Kerberos. But why?

"Kids, stay back. Where's Makyna?" He blurted, shouldering his way in front of them and casting his eyes across the cave; she had gone back to the den, and he hoped she was safe in there. A sensation reached out towards her, pleading her to stay, not to intervene. He didn't know what was happening, but he knew better than to get in the way of the three headed dog. Once he caught sight of the den and Makyna up on the ledge, Leon huffed and turned his eyes back to the fight, his massive paws churning, taking him closer, torn. His loyal nature pleaded to run in and save Bevy, and his pace had picked him, preparing him to burst into the fight - only Kerberos had suddenly loosed a beam of electric pink plasma, and his nerves jump and simultaneously froze, anchoring him to the ground.

In a split second, he saw Bevy vaporized, hot magic cutting into her stone and dismantling her existence. She fell to the ground with a soft thump as no more than a bundle of black and red feathers. Leon only stared. He felt lost. He felt like he had gone, like he was a ghost, an observer of some sick tragedy in the unreachable distance.

Then his heart had picked back up. It restarted, and suddenly he was back in Pisces, where his stomach was turning with sickness and confusion and a storm of emotion. Orange eyes stagnated on Bevy's body, where her stone had cleaved into three and suddenly she was no longer Bevy, no longer alive. Just an object whose warmth was slowly subsiding. And his eyes dragged back up to Kerberos, and he remembered to breathe, though it was hard, labored. He watched the dog through wide, frightened eyes. "W-Why?" Leon stammered out.

He couldn't know what to do. He wanted to go back to his children. He wanted to go to Makyna. He wanted to go to Bevy. But he couldn't; his muscles tightened, rooting him to the ground where he only stared.

"Cheer up dude,"

the cat's sheepish greeting caused the lion to frown in disappointment, his friend's tone assured Quintus's suspicion and he could not help but feel a sort of pity for the smaller feline, the poor bastard. The lion would occasionally tear his protective gaze over Bartos to look up as Bevy talked; the mention of him taking trails eventually managing to capture his undivided attention. He was aware of the trial the younger members of Maji Walezi had to take to earn an official rank but he had never taken it unfortunately, with all the time he spent out of Pisces he had never managed to partake in the tradition. The various attention that his newborn siblings was being given would be noted which caused Quintus to keep his mouth shut and turn his attention back to his injured friend, hearing his little brother's familiar crying causing the lion to narrow his eyes in slight annoyance, there he goes.

Everything else would sort of blur out for the gembound as he would almost become lost in his infinite thoughts only to snap out of his little moment once his mentor had eventually cut to the chase and started talking about the election of a new leader, hmph. He already had in mind who he was going to nominate and he was pretty sure that the individual would surely be next in line to being the boss but the nomination of Maji Walezi's first ever leader would catch him by surprise, he's not going ot be getting any votes surely. A feeling of doubt clouded him but eventually the confidence he had in his father prevailing would return causing the brute to smile; he had nothing against Cancer but he preferred Leon taking the position of leadership. Quintus would look around to take note if any other possible rivals to his father would show up but it seemed that it was going to be between Leon and Cancer, this has got to be good.

He had heard tales of the rivalry between his father and leopard and he could not help but wonder what exactly was going on in his sire's head. Quintus would look on as the two rivals would head behind the waterfall and everyone else would go ahead and cast their votes instead of instantly casting his. The gembound would notice Bevy looking at him and Quintus would nod in recognition before heading towards his father's den and becoming the tiebreaker, success. Bevy would confirm it, and Quintus could not help but feel proud of his adoptive father as the cheers filled the caves. After that it seemed that everything was returning to normal as the large amount of gathered gembounds would eventually disassemble one by one to carry on with their prior engagements, the brute would make his way back to Bartos only to carry him once again and would start following his parents and his little siblings back to wherever they was heading to thinking that perhaps he could have his family be more familiar with his new friend. Instead there would be a new change of plans for once they was halfway to the lagoon Quintus would hear the vicious noises and would follow his father towards the horrid scene of a loved one's death.

The sight of the bird's death surprised the lion just as much but instead of looking for answers like his father, the empirical evidence as to who murdered Bevy was there and that was all Quintus needed. Instantly his claws would unsheathe and his jaws would gape open to release a snarl of pure anger, "How dare you!" Ocean blue eyes would slit and narrow at the sight of the familiar three headed dog and before the canine could explain himself Quintus in all of his fury would lunge forward aiming to shred his opponent's frame using tooth and claw whilst using his large bodice in an attempt to push Kerberos away from his mentor's now dead body.

QUINTUS V. KERBEROS
ROUND ONE ???
_____________________

ATTACKS: TEAR HIM APART
DEFENSE: CLAWS UNSHEATHED FOR TRACTION
INJURIES: N/A