Her snarl continued to curl her lip, though a thread of doubt ran through her. What if it were true..? She remembered, the first time she'd seen it--she'd distinctly heard Eythan's voice crying out. Calling, "Dad!"

Was she killing Azazel's only living child..? Then I will not kill him... for now. Though I cannot trust him either, she thought to herself, grimly. She could see him breaking free of her fungus' effects, his talons flexing, his preparation for combat.

She wasted no time with words, instead charging straight in to try and catch him before he was fully back on his guard. The hyena's aim was to sieze hold of his spotted neck, from the side--to grip it in her jaws, to crush it there. She missed anything vital--she wasn't aiming to kill just yet, regardless, though in her haze she was hardly sharp-witted.

Giggle merely tried to snap her steel-trap jaws around his neck, her throat roiling with growls, and fling his smaller body to and fro.

To shake him, and shake him, and shake him, and shake him, and shake him, and shake him, and shake him and shake him and shake him and shake him, and shake him, and shake him, and shake him, and shake him, and shake him and shake him and shake him and shake him, and shake him, and shake him, and shake him, and shake him, and shake him and shake him and shake him and SHAKE HIM

________________

ROLL THE BONES

Round: 4
Attempt: Grab him, and shake him and shake him and shake him and shake him
Defense: Inky Cap
Injuries:

@Eythan

YOU GOTTA FACE UP, YOU GOTTA GET YOURS
YOU NEVER KNOW THE TOP TILL YOU GET TOO LOW

Despite his admission, that muzzle only contorted more in the half-light. The glint of teeth and a bright red stone vanished with the hurried thrum of paws. They fell heavily on the floor, pounding ever closer. Eythan threw himself upward, sending a dizzying feeling through his head. With a single flap of his wings, he managed to catch only his neck in those trap-like jaws. Unaware of the hyena's attempts to merely incapacitate him, the gryphon thrashed in her grip, just as she thrashed him back and forth with sheer force he hadn't quite expected.

He gurgled, sticking his hind legs out in a futile attempt to somehow stay on the ground. His wings flapped wildly, beating against every available surface in his panic. Eythan screwed his eyes shut against the pain clouding his vision, tears pricking at his eyes. He waited until his side met the ground again, jabbing out with both forelegs and hoping to stick his talons into something and give himself something to hang onto. But, as fate would have it, he swiped through thin air. A soft whine escaped him as he realized this, sharply hitting the ground again and again and again.

♫

Round: 4/?
Attempt: Hook his claws somewhere on Giggle's front.
Injuries: Possible bone fractures, deep (nonlethal) wounds on his neck, slightly off-balance from minor hallucinate.

@Giggle

The hyena let out a throaty rumble as she heard the whine, part fury and part raw bloodlust.

Don't kill him. She stopped herself, mentally, the guttural growling still rumbling, jaw still gripping the hybrid's neck. She felt warm fur in her mouth, felt the beating of his pulse against her teeth, tasted the metallic, bitter tang of blood on her tongue. I need the truth.

The hyena stared, her adrenaline sending the world into sharp violence, her own heart pounding and her breath coming fast. She stared at the spotted fur inches from her dark eyes, and for an instant, time seemed to stop.

She held his life in her jaws.

And then she summoned up her magicka, another low growl escaping her as she willed her fungus to engulf him, to take root and to grow in his flesh and his fur. Not to kill him, not yet, no... but to control him. Magic was one thing... blackmail was another altogether. She felt it taking hold--or at least her magic thrilling through her, and to him--and just as quickly as she had attacked, the snarling hyena violently released Eythan. She stepped back, not bothering to let go gently. She wanted him to fall.

To fall as Azazel had. To fall helpless and alone.

"I will give you one chance to save your own life-... for now. And if you betray me, my mushrooms will slowly consume your flesh, to the bone." Her voice was lower than it had ever been, a gravelly bass threat. The word bone was emphasized with cold fury. "Tell me what happened. And tell me... where is Azazel's stone."

She stood stiff and tall, tufted tail high, the fur on her back all erect and her rounded ears pressed forward toward the hybrid. "I am claiming it as my own."

________________

ROLL THE BONES

Round: 5
Attempt: I N F E S T him with fungus
Defense: Inky Cap
Injuries:

@Eythan

YOU GOTTA FACE UP, YOU GOTTA GET YOURS
YOU NEVER KNOW THE TOP TILL YOU GET TOO LOW

To his surprise, the violent shaking stopped and Eythan felt only a moment's reprieve before he was sharply thrown to the ground with a snarl. He landed stone first, feeling a sharp bolt of pain course through his being. His right wing then fell awkwardly away from him, splaying out across the floor. The hybrid bit down another whine, gurgling sounds rising from his throat. Blood, hot and sticky, trailed rather eagerly down his neck and began to dribble on the floor. Involuntarily, he tucked his limbs underneath him, trying his best to get in some sort of ready-position for escape, despite the numerous strains across his body and the prospect of bleeding out.

The fungus was another problem stacked onto a million, and Eythan's breath hitched, quickening. He shifted, trying to shuffle away. F-for now? He nearly whinnied, drawing a hooked hand to his neck and trying to somewhat staunch the flow of blood, the mess seeping into his fur. That was hardly fair, but he had to work with it. Okay. Okay... Rapidly approaching black dots on his vision were ignored. Survival was priority, not the unknowns of death (even though he was quite sure that they truly were bound to their bones, as the late King had said). D-dad and I were up i-in the chambers and I—I was yelling at him because I was so fuckin'—furious at him for being so absent and wallowing— he drew in a shaky breath, wallowing in his own misery, and he t-tried to apologize and I s-swiped at him and d-didn't think he'd j-just take it. I didn't want him to. A sob interrupted his thoughts, wracking through his entire being. But h-he didn't even try to not fall. He c-could've turned and f-flown away. He had strong magic, he c-could've but he let himself die.

A revelation washed over him, sparking something not too unfamiliar to him: guilt and grief, bereavement and horror. I think he w-wanted to die. He said to me... 'I don't know if I'm even worth anything anymore.' Before I threw my claws through his t-throat. As for the final question, he turned wildly, trying to peer through the dark, whole body sent through violent convulsions. I-it's. Somewhere up there. I-I can't see. The lights will come back on s-soon.

♫

Round: 5/?
Attempt: Cover up his neck wound.
Injuries: Possible bone fractures, deep (bleeding) wounds on his neck, slightly off-balance from minor hallucinate.

@Giggle

Giggle stood silent, still, her dark eyes staring at--and through--Eythan. She heard his voice, as it came; and her magicka was flaring, linking her mind to his, a dream-walk but without the dreams.

"D-dad and I were up i-in the chambers and I—I was yelling at him because I was so fuckin'—furious at him for being so absent and wallowing—" She could hear that--but behind it, an echo, as if the voice that she heard came across impossibly vast distances. "You hurt me by not being around. You hurt Carni! How was he supposed to be the Bone King without proper guidance? I wish you'd tell me what was wrong about Carni and I and what we could do to fix it."

Anguish flooded her, and it was not her own--anguish enough to tear at her, to make it impossible to breathe, squeezing all hope from her chest. Guilt, rending through her, and again she knew that it was not her own. "But h-he didn't even try to not fall. He c-could've turned and f-flown away. He had strong magic, he c-could've but he let himself die."

Another voice--one she knew well--echoing in Eythan's mind, over and over. A voice that twisted her again with anguish, but this emotion was purely her own. "...I don't know if I'm even worth anything anymore." That was Azazel's voice. Those were Azazel's words. Those were Azazel's last words.

Giggle froze, going cold with grief of her own... and then Eythan's mind-link was flooding her further.

Self-hatred. Bleak misery, and terror. Fragmented shards of emotion, spinning down around through Eythan's mind like shattered glass. Acceptance. Fear. Homesick-...

The realization hit her only a moment later. He misses his father. He misses Azazel. Giggle slammed the link shut--though not before her own rage, her own calculating fury, her righteous anger and her overwhelming grief--and her singular intensity of purpose--had all bled through.

She stared at Eythan, for awhile. Stared, deciding what to do with him. At length--slowly--she began to speak.

"I can answer for you the question that he never did. And you will answer for what you have done. But first I must find my bird," Giggle growled. "You will accept my authority over you, as advisor to your father, as friend to Azazel-... You will do as I say, until your fate is decided, or I will kill you." It was not a kind and reasonable request, but nor was it driven by anger, this. It was, instead, a matter of necessity. "Go to my den of bones. Azazel would have wanted you controlled... and guided," she snapped, "as I guided him. I will come to you, and spare your life, and tell you the words you seek! But only after I have his stone." She stared at Eythan, for a moment, sourness lacing her features. She could not hate him--not after that horrific glimpse into his breaking mind. "Go to my den and sleep and do not think anymore, or you will break," she added matter-of-factly. Yet there was a hint of pity in her tone, as curt as her words were.

And Senka..? What if he is serving the cat? I suppose I will have to find out, with time, and break his link to her, if there is one.

"If you flee, I will find you," she warned, her voice again dropping to a growl. She wasn't sure how much of his prior lies had been meant to misdirect, to incite pity, to gaslight her and make her doubt herself--but she now knew that she could not only ask the bones, but peer directly into his mind.

A faint thrill of power ran through her, though she quickly tempered it. Her jaws set grimly as she eyed Eythan again, and then spoke further. "There is no longer a Bone King. I name myself Bone Queen! You will obey me, and I will see you cared for. If you do not, then I will stop you being a threat to the other children of the cave! And by that," she added--a strangely motherly tone entering her voice, now--"I will kill you."

She stared at him with her near-black eyes, making her point clear: she was the mother, the matriarch. If he obeyed, she would guide and mend him... and see his justice brought in a way that would not kill him. If he did not, she would put an end to the threat that he posed--to her, and to others.

Giggle intended to retrieve Omen, and then to retrieve Azazel's stone; to revive it herself, and then to see to Eythan's mental state... and to answer his questions.

You asked what's wrong with you, little cat. I know the answer. Of all those yet living in this cave... I alone know the answer.

________________

ROLL THE BONES

@Eythan

YOU GOTTA FACE UP, YOU GOTTA GET YOURS
YOU NEVER KNOW THE TOP TILL YOU GET TOO LOW

This was it. This was the peak of all that had happened, the lowest of all that would. Eythan was finally breaking down at the point, mentality shattering as he fell into convulsive sobs. He was at Giggle’s mercy and he silently begged to whatever higher power there was that she knew what to do. She had to. She knew it all. All that the bones had seen, she knew. The fire that had raged in Canis so long ago, charring and splintering death reigning in the room. She knew. There was no escaping. There was something crawling beneath his skin and it refused to leave. He couldn’t get into the air; his balance was still off and he couldn’t promise himself lift-off so close to steely jaws and pitch-black eyes.

An invasive prodding found its way into his consciousness, but he couldn’t be bothered to even resist it. Proverbial guts had already been spilled across the floor. It was done and done. Purpose suddenly flowed through him and snapped shut as the hyena finished delving. With shaky breaths, the gryphon stared up at the soothsayer, eyes watering far too eagerly now. I-I’m so sorry, he whimpered. His head spun with a dizzying whirlwind of blood loss and thoughts.

Despite the looming threats of death—which could most certainly be followed up on—he gave off a shuddering gasp and a breathy, hopeless laugh. The hyena had broken her furious demeanor, only edging along the lines of curt demands and requests. All of which were most certainly fair, albeit restricting. They were considerably less oppressive than death, of all things. So, that was a positive. The motherly figure he had seen in her re-emerged in her final words, her first demand of him. To sleep. Trying not to think about his present state would be a tumultuous task, but he would will it. Death, death, death, death loomed. I c-can’t flee. I’ll sleep, he responded dryly, softly. It wasn’t with a sort of sarcastic tone he’d offer his late brother (how screwed up had he been).

I’m so sorry, Eythan repeated, drawing his feet underneath him, but… t-ank you. For the ch—ance. Time would tell if he’d find redemption, if he’d claw his way out of the fractal of self-destruction and chaos he had wound about himself. The spotted hybrid stumbled to his feet, watching as darkness crept in on the edges of his vision. No, he had to get somewhere. The stench of blood and carrion made him gag now, intentionally breathing through his mouth to avoid smelling it anymore. He had to, regardless, from the vicious panic attack raking its way through his being.

Feeling as if he had been dismissed, he took off shakily toward the wall, skirting it to an exit out of Polaris.

♫

@Giggle

She stared, as he spoke; she listened in grim and angry silence.

The shaking would take her, soon enough. She would need to find somewhere... somewhere quiet, someplace safe and dark, to wait until the grief and adrenaline ran their course. But for now she had to remain iron-willed, to see him out, to see to Omen, to see to Azazel's stone... wherever it was.

A final waft of microscopic fungal spores toward Eythan (the better to track him with), and then she simply watched him go. When he was out of earshot, trembling his way into the dim lights along the cave wall, Giggle spoke quietly.

"Don't make me regret this, cat." And then, to the sky: "Your son, Azazel, is a pain in my ass. More trouble than he's worth, I think." This was delivered in drily humorous, irritable tones, and then Giggle began to pace her way toward where her link called her.

Omen was somewhere alone, in the dark--in pain and crying for aid.

Hrmph. Aren't we all?

________________

ROLL THE BONES

//exit Giggle ; @Eythan

YOU GOTTA FACE UP, YOU GOTTA GET YOURS
YOU NEVER KNOW THE TOP TILL YOU GET TOO LOW

At some point, his wing slipped completely out, a breathy sigh escaping him. It was some tunnel exit. Eythan sniffed the air, trying to push down the tang of blood, and found a musky sort of scent radiating back at him. Pisces. He knew where he was now, he supposed. Unsteadily entering a trot, he clumsily took to the air. Home was waiting. But would it be his? Was it still his? He'd have to listen, learn, speak.

♫

/exit eythan

Character: @Giggle Age: +40 (40 Cycles) Magic Level: +5 (Master) ROUND 1 Attempt: +7 Penalties: -0 ROUND 2 Attempt: +2 Penalties: -0 ROUND 3 Attempt: +9 Penalties: -0 ROUND 4 Attempt: +9 Penalties: -0 ROUND 5 Attempt: +18 Penalties: -0 Total: 90

Character: @Eythan Age: +31 (31 Cycles) Magic Level: +1 (Fledgling) ROUND 1 Attempt: +9 Penalties: -0 ROUND 2 Attempt: +8 Penalties: -0 ROUND 3 Attempt: +11 Penalties: -0 ROUND 4 Attempt: +5 Penalties: -0 ROUND 5 Attempt: +18 Penalties: -0 Total: 83

WINNER: Giggle