After Nettle was done with his fun, Fever took this chance to lay herself down to the ground so she had direct line of sight with the fox, and she giggled and grinned at him. "Stupid carnivore. You shouldn't have stepped foot in herbivore territory. If you don't die, you should remember to never come here again."

With that, warm heat seethed through her teeth, her eyes wrinkled with mirth, and she unleashed her heat at him once more. She hoped to make this his crypt, his grave.

ROUND: 3/3
ATTEMPT: Burn burn burn.
DEFENSE: None
INJURIES:
None

Todd vs. Kingsfoil + Deadnettle + Feverfew

Character: Todd Age: +2 (2 Cycles) Magic Level: +1 (Fledgling) ROUND 1 Attempt: +15 Penalties: -0 ROUND 2 Attempt: +14 Penalties: -0 ROUND 3 Attempt: +3 Penalties: -0 Total: 35

Character: Kingsfoil Age: +1 (1 Cycle) Magic Level: +1 (Fledgling) ROUND 1 Attempt: +17 Penalties: -0 ROUND 2 Attempt: +3 Penalties: -0 ROUND 3 Attempt: +0 Penalties: -0 Total: 22

Character: Feverfew Age: +3 (3 Cycles) Magic Level: +3 (Brawler) ROUND 1 Attempt: +12 Penalties: -0 ROUND 2 Attempt: +18 Penalties: -0 ROUND 3 Attempt: +17 Penalties: -0 Total: 53

Character: Deadnettle Age: +3 (3 Cycles) Magic Level: +3 (Brawler) ROUND 1 Attempt: +18 Penalties: -0 ROUND 2 Attempt: +20 Penalties: -0 ROUND 3 Attempt: +12 Penalties: -0 Total: 56

WINNER: Kingsfoil + Deadnettle + Feverfew

He was thinking that it was about time to check back into Orion, where Hasira and his herbivore friends lived. Not that Caravaggio really considered them friends - from his time in Polaris, he had learned a lot about real friends and how to earn them, and being the snobby Lord of an elitist group of grass eaters certainly wasn't a good way to do so. Hasira had dissuaded Caravaggio from loyalty to his ranks the moment he told the cow he couldn't be a Lord like him, but that was alright - Caravaggio had found something better. He had found White, and Polaristown, and all the other Gembounds he met in Polaris and he decided that that was where he belonged. Being a Lord sounded boring anyways, always, well, lording over everyone had to be kind of lonely. The only good thing about it was that Caravaggio could command them to admire his beautiful rippling muscles, but they'd do that anyways, wouldn't they? And the more he thought about it, the more he realized that there really wasn't anything he wanted from being in charge. He just wanted to be observed from afar, like a fragile painting.

In any case, he figured Hasira might be wondering - not only that, but he had to check in on the status of the herbivores. They hadn't harmed any of this friends so far, but White told him about the one time she encountered Hasira and he was as much of a stiff jerk as he described him being, and he had heard just as well about them hunting down and harming other Gembounds. A strange pastime for herbivores, but a deplorable one none the less. Caravaggio's morals rarely reared they head, but when they did, they were pristine and gleaming white, pure as the freshly fallen snow. He could have been a knight if he wasn't so... highly opposed to physical combat.

Before he had located Hasira, the cow was alerted to what sounded like a game. The loud crashing of a few Gembounds as they chased another through the city, and he could see the spark and lash of electricity and flame, hear the rambunctious voices of the pursuers. His better judgment told him to ignore them; he was here for Hasira, nothing more, but his curiosity begged him to investigate when he spotted a young stag urging a pair of rhinos after their quarry. Caravaggio's brow knitted and he followed them, just barely able to see a flash of silver before it dove into a crevice in a crumbling building only for it to be bathed in destructive magic.

Still, it didn't take his usually lumbering brain long to make the connection. He recognized that small form, no matter how fleeting the image had been. Even if it wasn't him, that do-good compulsion inspired him to charge forward and save the small carnivore from the wrath of the herbivores. "WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!" The massive cow bellowed angrily, drumming up as much volume and fury as he could while simultaneously wrestling with that inherent fear of confrontation. He charged towards the three, flaring his nostrils and ducking his head in threat, intending to frighten them away from the crevice.

It was only a bluff, though; he skidded to a halt before making contact with any of them, lashing his tail and scuffing his hoof against the ground. "Step away from my slave! How dare you?! Don't you know that Todd belongs to me?!" He scowled, pacing around the rhinos and the fawn towards the opening. If given the chance, he would position himself between the opening and the offenders, his sculpted form an intimidating Adonis looming over the young herbivores.

@Todd @Kingsfoil

"Speech" @Kingsfoil @Caravaggio @Deadnettle

Todd once more felt that pain, but he couldn't muster up the strength to do anything else. He struggled to move, dragging himself away with his front paws, but the more he did so, the more pain there was. He didn't understand. It finally seemed to dawn on him that there were bad things in the world. This pain was proof of that but... in Todd's mind, the pain was his, and his alone. He didn't care about the pain of anyone else. He wanted them to go. he wanted them to die. He didn't feel their pain, so how could it exist?

Todd's paws rasped quietly against stone, and finally, he began to softly cry in a little whining voice for someone who just wasn't there. Little sobs echoed out of the hole. And then suddenly there was another voice. Yelling, angry, frightening. But familiar. He remembered it from his very first day alive.

"Cara... Caravagg..." he never finished his words, and simply broke down, little sobs replacing his fragmented voice. He wanted to move, he wanted to get out of here. He wanted to see Caravaggio. In that moment that was the only thing he cared about.

He struggled to stand, his back limbs barely twitching, claws front paws scrabbling on the rock. His body had never felt so heavy, even his gem felt like lead. He moved his back legs, twitching, heaving... but the moment his exposed, burned skin touched rock, there was pain again and he cried out. He kept trying to move still, his efforts growing more and more fervent, because in his mind, he thought he could run away from the pain, make it all go away by simply leaving it behind. He pushed and pushed and pushed... Managed to push his back paws so they were to the side, only causing more and more pain.

So instead, the little one used his front paws, dragging himself forward towards the opening. His face poked out int the light, and Todd could see him there, the one who'd given him his name, like an angel standing over him, bellowing.

Todd began to cry again, but this time it was with joy as he dragged himself out towards the bull. "Caravaggio, Caravaggio!" he cried out, tears soaking into the fur around his desperate brown eyes. "I've not seen you, I see you! You came to make it go away..."

As he removed himself from that tiny hole, the damage the three had done was immediately apparrent. His back legs couldn't move except for odd twitches, and patches of fur still gleamed red. On his back end, what didn't glow red was exposed, blistering skin. Only some patches of fur had escaped the blistering heat and these stuck out at odd angles, curled and reeking.

Perhaps he was young enough to recover, but anyone looking at him would cringe, knowing that he'd always keep a mark or two.

Both Fever and Nettle turned towards the sound of a thundering herbivore, furious and bellowing at them, to land before the opening where the stupid little cooked rat lay. He wasn't quite dead yet, Fever knew, because he was still making that annoying whining sound, but unfortunately the fun had to come to a stop.

He blew an angry snort out of her nose and looked up at the bull with an annoyed glare. "If he's your slave," She said in a blunt tone of voice, "Then he should've known that Orion is off-limits to any and all carnivores. We were simply doing our duty of keeping these filthy fangs out."

"So us hurting him is your fault." She said with finality. "Because you didn't watch over him well enough."

Deadnettle had no patience for the big cow that showed up to stop the fun, and Fever was handling him well enough, and Nettle had no problem with that.

But when the nasty rat came out of his little hole crying and weeping and begging, the rhino's vision started to turn red. What a pathetic little worm - Nettle had been subjugated to being set on fire multiple times, half blinded, and shocked over and over and he never once lowered himself like this, never once begged, and he wanted to kill him, wanted to murder him a thousand times over for showing such weakness that Nettle wasn't allowed.

He said two very soft words to the fox.

"Shut. Up."

And his hooves started to crackle. He didn't make it jump to the fox, no, not yet, because he couldn't do it with the stupid fat cow in the way. But it was there, that quiet threat.

He thanked his lucky stars that the two rhinos had given him space between themselves and the little nook that Todd was hiding in, otherwise he'd have been frightfully embarrassed, not to mention he'd have to think of another way to rescue the poor little fox. Todd's rescue was in the bag, yes, but now he had to cover his ass and try to get away from these two terrible terrors without rousing any suspicion. His tail lashed furiously, his nostrils flaring, hoof scuffing the dirt - the fox crawled out from behind him, singing desperate praises of his arrival, meanwhile the one rhino was administering an explanation and a challenge.

Caravaggio arched his brows, as if aghast at her claims. "You really think he's smart enough to listen? You give this pathetic meat-eater too much credit! How can I be responsible for the actions of something with half a brain?!" Caravaggio bellowed, stamping his hoof once again as his voice rose in anger. There was fire behind his eyes and he had inadvertently leaned closer, and he made a show of the fire slowly leaving, a cruel smirk shooting across his fat snout. "I'd bring this to Hasira, but by that logic I guess I can't claim him responsible for you either!" The cow chortled and turned his shoulder to the twins. "I'll let you get away with it this time. But lay your elements on my slave again, and Hasira will know of it." The cow threatened, shooting them a cold glare from the corner of his gaze.

"Come, Todd." Caravaggio spat and stormed away - careful in his first few steps to give the fox a chance to start after him, but he knew he couldn't spare too much caution. His pace eventually picked up and grew brisk, more anxious to leave than anything.

@Todd (exit Gio)

Todd looked up at Caravaggio, and his eyes widened. His gaze went from sheer joy to confusion as the cow's voice brought with it an unsettling aftertaste, hanging on the air. He didn't dare say anything though, just looked, fearfully, between the rhinos and the cow and the fawn.

Then, abruptly, it was over. Caravaggio called his name and turned away. Todd knew what he had to do. He knew. He had to get out of here. The fox's burns ached and stung as if giving a pathetic whine. He didn't want to move but he needed to get out of here. Maybe it was a test. It had to be a test. In Todd's mind, if he just got away from this awful place, he'd get away from the pain as well...

"I'm c-coming, Carava... Cara... Caravag-gio! W-wait for me!"

The cow was already making headway. Todd struggled to stand. He really tried, but neither of his legs responded anymore. The more he moved, the more pain there was. So in the end, Todd picked himself up onto his front paws and dragged gimself after Caravaggio, his hind legs occasionally giving tiny pushes. Sharp stones caught on his skin, causing him to whimper, but he had to keep up with the cow.

Todd felt like his life depended on it.

-Exit Todd-

@Deadnettle @Kingsfoil

Fever sneered back at the annoying cow, disregarding the fire in his expression. This bozo knew nothing of fire! His was a mockery, a false imitation, a candle to a burning inferno that Fever held in her breast! Why, if she wanted to, she could just breath molten air at his pretty little face and melt it right off the bone and they would both see who was firey!

But the threats of bringing the matter to Hasira made her bite her tongue. Both Fever and Nettle were both young and unsure, and half the time they were so unsure of the rules that they hardly knew whether or not Papa would praise them or scold them. Who knew, this clown could be important to Papa, and he could say they put Kingsfoil in danger with their reckless foxhunt.

So she let the big guy pass with his limping sniveling whelp of a slave and snorted, creating a small dustcloud. At least they taught the little monster a lesson in humility today, even if they didn't kill it for the crime of existing.
[exit Fever]

Hmph. How like a coward to call up the Lord's name as a shield to protect a monster. The cow was probably a monster-lover, a thing that Papa had warned them both about on multiple occasions. Monster-lovers were to be held on the same contempt as carnivores, and treated exactly the same. With horns and with fire and lightning.

But without Papa to guide them, and with Fever's hesitance in her stance, Nettle held back and watched them leave, even though it sang in her blood to kill the monster where it cried. To see it crawl away still breathing set his teeth on edge and made his veins boil.

But then his mouth curled into a rare smile. There was nothing stopping him from asking Papa's permission and hunting that fox down later....then it truly would be a foxhunt.

He glared a the back of the fox with a silent promise to see it again...this time with its insides on the outsides, cooked to perfection. Isn't that what carnivores liked?

[exit Nettle]