Glory stared back at Jayberry, victory and triumph glowing in his eyes. There was nothing the wolf could do now that a dragon had shown up to strike her down. She was done for - she would be destroyed. He waited for the fire to come surging down towards her...but nothing came.

An ear-shattering roar made Glory leap and look back at Dread. With horror, he realized that the wolf had captured him in the same terrible magic that had caused him to light himself on fire.

Fury burned his stomach and it could almost be seen in his eyes as he turned to face Jayberry. His friend was hurting, maybe not physically, but his mind was under attack. The wolf was truly pure evil and he would be the one to wipe the scourge of him out of the caves.

He was shivering with rage and it seemed to lite a literal fire within him. He stepped forward, ignoring the shriek of the dragon and glared at Jayberry. "You horrible scum!" he screeched. "Nobody hurts my friends in front of me! I'LL BURN YOU TO A PILE OF ASHES!!" He sucked in a great breath and, when he opened his beak, a roaring inferno erupted from within. It seemed, for a moment, with the heat and glow of the flame illuminating his body, that he was truly a phoenix wreathed in fire. The gem on his head seemed to dance with the light of fire.

With his pyrogel still clinging to the wolf's fur and the roaring flame that approaching him now, Glory wondered if there was any chance the wolf would survive long enough to attack again.

Round: 5
Attempt: fire EXPLOSION
Defense: none
Injuries: lots of burns, bitten wing

@Jayberry

omg rip

The she-wolf's eyes never left the Dragon, waiting to see if her spell-casting would work. and then, it seemed, it did. There was a horrid roar, making her ears twitch back, and then it was flailing its head back and forth.

She gave that horrible laugh again, bursts of air forced through a tightened throat. Oh, this was brilliant! Jayberry hadn't been certain that it would work on a beast as large as this, but it seemed that, indeed, it would.

The bird's screeching, however, drew her attention once more. It was furious, calling her scum and threatening to burn her to ashes. And then, before she could react, she was set aflame.

The wolf screamed.

Rearing up on her hind legs, she flailed, desperately trying to put the flames out. Her head snapped back and forth, awful, horrible sounds spilling from her throat, high pitched and agonized.

Round: 5
Attempt: PUT IT OUT
Defense: none
Injuries: burns, covered in pyrogel, chipped teeth, ON FUCKING FIRE

@Glory @Dread

"Speech looks like this."
Thoughts look like this.

It took a moment for the darkness to clear, to fade, dripping down the walls around him in trails of fear that seemed to be tangibly draining away. He still felt it even then, lingering, uncertainty gripping him--but then the black wolf laughed.

Had it done anything else he might have questioned what had just happened, shocked as he was out of his bestial state--but its cruel, dry laughter immediately ignited his rage like sparks on tinder. There was a blast, and flame, but Dread was already inhaling, a snarl over his features as he drew his head back--and then thrust it forward, jaws springing open.

As the wolf began to squeal, his own flamethrower blast guttered forth, bright and burning hot, sputtering forth from his gullet to further engulf it.

They would annihilate this thing. Whatever it had done, Glory said it was evil--it would be destroyed!

Perhaps it had not said "thank you" for a gift.

Dread did not contemplated it particularly hard--he simply breathed his fire, his bass growl thrumming deeply behind the breath. When he had fully exhaled he drew back, glaring down with ember eyes at the pathetic thing that had dared to do-... whatever it had done.

@Glory

Character: Glory Age: +5 (5 Cycles) Magic Level: +5 (Master) ROUND 1 Attempt: +13 Penalties: - ROUND 2 Attempt: +2 Penalties: - ROUND 3 Attempt: +13 Penalties: - ROUND 4 Attempt: +16 Penalties: - ROUND 5 Attempt: +20 Penalties: - Total: 74

Character: Jayberry Age: +5 (5 Cycles) Magic Level: +1 (Fledgling) ROUND 1 Attempt: +10 Penalties: - ROUND 2 Attempt: +2 Penalties: - ROUND 3 Attempt: +14 Penalties: - ROUND 4 Attempt: +12 Penalties: - ROUND 5 Attempt: +5 Penalties: - Total: 49

WINNER: Glory

Glory hopped back as flame exploded before him and satisfaction rang through at the sound of the wolf's screams. This was what he was meant to do - fight evil, destroying those that dared hurt him and his friends. Dread himself was breathing his own flames on the wolf. Glory wondered how it would escape this battle alive.

He could still feel blood dripping from his wing - a small wound, but one he refused to keep. He would let this battle simply be a burned scar on his flesh for days to come - he would spend no time letting it heal. He sent magic along his skin and a tiny flame burst into life along his wound. He closed his eyes to hide the pain and his beak clamped hard as he tried not to squeal. It was extremely painful, yes, but it would be worth it. Once he felt the wound had closed, he stopped and the flame went out. The wound had healed, leaving a small scar where it had once been. He pulled his aching wing back next to his body - he would dip it in water when he returned to his cave.

He stepped forward, glaring at the wolf. He would give her one final chance to repent. After all, it was never too late for one to turn from the dark to the light, but he had a feeling that it was far too late for this creature. But he wanted to try anyways. If Glory had nothing, he would still have hope. "Have you had enough yet?"

@Jayberry

The she wolf was only barely aware of the dragon as it added flames to her inferno. And, oh, it hurt!

She wanted her family. She wanted Mama and Papa, Elderberry Baneberry Huckleberry, even Mulberry! Why weren't they here?!

The she-wolf screamed, staggering back on her hind legs as she begged mentally for the pain to stop. And, perhaps, out loud, although she couldn't quite comprehend. "Stop stop stop please it hurts ithurtsithurts pleasestoppleasestopplease" she keened, flailing her head.

She staggered back, collapsing to the ground on her stomach. Pitiful whines spilled from her throat, high and pleading, sounding like the innocent pup she had once been. The pup she had been before being molded and changed, twisted beyond repair by the evil that plagued the caves.

"Please, stop, it hurts, please,please!"

"Speech looks like this."
Thoughts look like this.

The dragon peered down, listening to and watching the wolf burn and scream. Some part of him was trying to make sense of it--to decide whether it excited him, or bothered him.

He was still on the fence when it began begging, and, without waiting to see what he himself would decide, he (purely out of reactive instinct) plonked a big hind foot over the wolf. It took him a moment to get right, what with his balancing, and the wolf's thrashing and all, but a cage of curled talons carefully slammed down around Jayberry. It briefly squeezed, aiming to extinguish most of the fire--if not all--with a puff.

Dread looked to Glory, horned head tilting.

"What do you want to do with it?" he asked, peering toward the eagle.

It was a moral question, as much as a practical one--Dread didn't really know what would be 'right' or 'wrong,' and didn't particularly care, but he didn't know what to do in this situation, either. Glory's answer would undoubtedly shape some of his future demeanor--as well as decide Jayberry's fate, of course.

@Glory

Glory watched the wolf with a gaze cold as ice. She deserved this - every bit of pain. But still, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of pity. Even now, when watching evil be destroyed right in front of him, he couldn't help but feel like he should make it stop. Like he should save her. He didn't understand it. It was like being torn in two - one half wanted her to die - let her burn into nothing so that her torment would end. The other half, give her another chance. Let her crawl back to her nest, beaten and injured. Perhaps that was a better punishment then letting her die. Let her live with the pain. And perhaps learn.

Of course, Glory had no idea that it was possible that the wolf was beyond saving, but still, he was a noble, honorable bird. He would not kill her now. He couldn't, not in cold blood.

He was thankful when Dread put a stop to the flames. The wolf's screaming had started to dig into his head. He stepped forward, wincing at the pain across his body and glared down at the wolf, pressed to the ground. "And now you know the pain that you cause. Unlike you, I'm a creature of nobility. You can leave with your life. But I promise you - if I ever see you causing any kind of harm again, I won't hesitate to burn you into a pile of ashes." With a threatening hiss, he stepped away and nodded to Dread - a clearn indication to release the wolf. "Let her go - she's learned her lesson."

@Jayberry

The crying wolf cringed as a shadow came over her, fearing herself to be crunched like a bug. However, she was merely encaged by curling talons, glistening sharply. But, to her greatest relief, it merely extinguished her flames. Her whines took on a grateful tone, and she went limp, tongue lolling out of her mouth as she panted.

She rolled her eyes up to look at the approaching bird, flattening her ears and twitching with the pain. The wolf cringed, expecting him to order the dragon to crush her. She nodded rapidly when the bird told him to release her, and she staggered to her paws, turning and fleeing.

-EXIT JAY SO HARD-

"Speech looks like this."
Thoughts look like this.

Dread watched the wolf run, retracting his foot to sit back beneath his bulk. She was staggering, clearly badly-wounded, and he turned with dim curiosity to Glory.

"Who was that? What did it want?" he asked bluntly. He wasn't the sort to think to ask if Glory was all right--to be worried. Instead he was looking forward, and inward; logical and predatory rather than in any way a sympathetic friend. Still, he'd come to Glory's aid, which at least showed some measure of loyalty. Perhaps he simply had a warrior's mentality.

He did, however, briefly lower his head and flare nostrils to sniff over the bird, his breath a loud "whoosh" as he inhaled. Then he pulled back, and spoke again.

"Why did it attack you? Or did you attack it? And why did you let it go?"

The great dragon lifted a massive clawed hind paw, arching his neck back and to one side, and began to scratch his neck like a dog as he awaited a response.

((sorry, I was not tagged!))

@Glory