Huckleberry's senses were jerked back into him when the beak connected with his talon. Pain, ripping skin, blood welling from beneath. He didn't register much at first before he screamed out. "MAMA!" he wailed, loudly. "IT HURTS, MAMA!" He suddenly wasn't concerned with fighting, just trying to get the bird off of his talon.

Fear jerked through him. What if the bird ripped off it leg? What if it ripped off his whole body?! Get off get off get off!! With as much strength as he could muster, he swung his leg around, trying to dislodge the bird, not thinking about it taking his skin with it.

Round: 7
Attempt: Throw him off
Defense: none
Injuries: minor bruising, deep wound on front foot

@Xervas

Xervas felt a deep, unexplainable satisfaction when Huckleberry cried out. Of course, he did not enjoy being swung around. He was losing his grip rather quickly.

He felt that he was barely hanging on; and then, at that moment, he was flung off. He did his best to focus on Huckleberry, aiming for another round of dispel. And he summoned it!

...but it wasn't directed at Huckleberry. The vulture knew that he had made a grave mistake when he sent himself flying up through the air, the shot having gone awry. He let out a cry of pain, as the magic hit his wounds.

The lammergeier went high up, high enough that Huckleberry was several feet below him. He wanted down, but definitely not in the manner of hurtling back down to the cave floor. Not that he seemed to have much of a choice. And in his head, there was only one thought, repeating itself like a chant: bad bad bad this is bad.

Round: 7
Attempt: Dispel
Defense: Nothing
Injuries: Burns, minor bruising, shallow cut on foot,

"Speech."

@Huckleberry

At her child's painful wail, Blackberry longed to jump into the fight, to rip the bird from his talon and shred the feathers off his back. Soak in his blood. Send him into hell. But she forced herself to stay where she was. Huckleberry had to learn pain, he had to learn how to deal with it. He had to learn swift retribution, merciless revenge. But it hurt to stay away, to hear him crying out. If that bird defeated him, she would show him no mercy.

But it seemed that her child was getting the situation back in control, flinging it off quickly. She raised her head proudly. He was a quick learned, despite his strange flaws. This battle was coming to an end. "Now is the time, Huckleberry, make him submit to you!"


___________________________________________________________

"Lock the doors and close the blinds"
We're going for a ride.

tags:
notes:

The instant the bird was flung from his leg, Huckleberry calmed. He watched with interest as it went flying through the air and then abruptly changed direction. Had it tried to use his magic? Was it intentional? How strange. He giggled at how silly it looked and pranced a little bit bellow him. He heard his mother's call and nodded enthusiastically. "Yes yes, I shall. Submit, make him submit. Make him hurt until he submits!"

He cast the spell upwards, but he was having trouble aiming with the bird fluttering like that. He narrowed his eyes, trying to get a decent shot, but it wasn't working. Confused, he cocked his head at the bird. "I'd like to make you hurt, but if you submit to me I won't have to!"

Round: 8
Attempt: Speed up his heart until it hurts
Defense: none
Injuries: minor bruising, deep wound on front foot

@Xervas

Xervas could, at this very instant, not care less what the others were doing. He distantly heard the hybrid calling for him to submit. And perhaps he would, assuming he lived through this, of course. He wasn't exactly high up, but that didn't stop his mind from racing to conclusions.

The bird tried to slow his descent, but he wasn't exactly sure what he was supposed to be doing. He hurtled back to the ground, his fall barely slowed at all.

Everything hurt. Was something broken? What he did know was that everything hurt. It hurt to move. He hadn't felt pain like this before; how was he supposed to know that he was lucky, that nothing actually was broken? That it was simply all the other injuries expressing their great anger at him?

Weakly, though, he spoke: "I submit."

Round: 8
Attempt: Slow fall
Defense: None
Injuries: Burns, bruises, shallow cut on face

"Speech."

@Huckleberry

Character: Huckleberry Age: +1 (1 Cycle) Magic Level: +3 (Pupil) ROUND 1 Attempt: +14 Penalties: - ROUND 2 Attempt: +20 Penalties: - ROUND 3 Attempt: +8 Penalties: - ROUND 4 Attempt: +14 Penalties: - ROUND 5 Attempt: +6 Penalties: - ROUND 6 Attempt: +11 Penalties: - ROUND 7 Attempt: +15 Penalties: - ROUND 8 Attempt: +3 Penalties: - Total: 95

Character: Xervas Age: +2 (2 Cycles) Magic Level: +1 (Fledgling) ROUND 1 Attempt: +14 Penalties: - ROUND 2 Attempt: +2 Penalties: - ROUND 3 Attempt: +8 Penalties: - ROUND 4 Attempt: +9 Penalties: - ROUND 5 Attempt: +10 Penalties: - ROUND 6 Attempt: +20 Penalties: - ROUND 7 Attempt: +1 Penalties: - ROUND 8 Attempt: +2 Penalties: - Total: 69

WINNER: Huckleberry

Huckleberry watched the bird fall to the ground and didn't at all comprehend that it would hurt them at all. But at the words 'submit', his face lit up with delight. "Good idea, bird! You submitted! Good, good!" He turned to Mama, so happy he could leap with joy! "Did you hear that mama, he submitted! Did you see my fighting? Was I good? Was I?" He wanted mama to be impressed with him. He wanted to know that he was getting better. Because he was! Of course he was!

He looked down at the bird and wondered what he was to do next. "Do I take the gem? Hm, no, I would feel bad. What a pretty gem! No need to take it. But mama has a lot of gems on her neck. And feathers. And claws. Isn't that what you're supposed to do? What do you think bird? Can I take your gem? Or am I not supposed to ask permission?"

Blackberry stepped up so that she was next to her child. The fight had been successful, especially for Huckleberry's first time! She was proud of her child, as she was proud of all of her children. If the strangest one, the smallest one, could do this, she was hopeful that the others would succeed as great as well.

An instinct that had never before been awoken in her, probably because of having a child so close, she reached forward to prune feathers on the back of Huckleberry's neck that were sticking up and stopped herself in time. She froze. Her beak, it was so sharp. Too sharp. She could hurt her child, perhaps kill him if she scratched too deep.

Instead, she shut her beak and gave him a small, affectionate nudge to his neck before stepped up to the bird's side. "No, Huckleberry. We will not kill this one. We have no need. It has done nothing wrong. We will not take his gem either." She looked down and saw its strong body, although young. It was a little torn and bruised, but it would heal. She narrowed her eyes. Did she dare? Would she? How would Huckleberry react? But he had fought well. With a little training, he could be a great fighter and a great member of the family.

"What is your name, young one?" Her voice was not gentle, not as it had been with Mulberry. This was a different child, older, more aware. And her child had just beaten it.


___________________________________________________________

"Lock the doors and close the blinds"
We're going for a ride.

tags:
notes:

@Xervas

Xervas sat on the ground for several long moments. The pain was slowly but surely ebbing away, allowing him to properly think.

He missed whatever Huckleberry had said, but the bird was speaking. He sat up-- this sent pain shooting through him-- and turned his attention to her. The vulture knew that it was far from a good idea to answer her question, but he did so anyway. "I am Xervas," he said, offering only that.

He stared at her. Waiting to see what the bird's response was, if anything. What she would do. She had said that they wouldn't kill him, but she didn't give Xervas the impression of being trustworthy in any way.


"Speech."

@Blackberry

Huckleberry looked at his mother and huffed. But hadn't he beaten him? Shouldn't he get to kill him? Mama had always tried to kill her opponents, right? Why couldn't he just kill this one? "But Mama..." But at a flashing glare from the goose mother, he fell silent and bowed his head. No matter how many switches he did between moods, he always knew one thing - never question Mama.

Instead, he turned to the bird, suddenly perking up and jumping forward playfully. "I like you, bird! Or, Xervas. Friend! Sorry for hurting you. Maybe Papa can fix you up." He turned to Mama and cocked his head. "Papa can heal Xervas, right? Papa knows a lot! Grows plants and vines and nice smelling flowers. He can do anything!" He turned back to Xervas and reached forward to lick the cut on his face. "Don't worry, we'll fix you up! And then we can play!"