Arquia doesn't do anything, so the three of them are left startled at the appearance of each other. There's not much they can do besides wait to see what happens, run, or attack. He has a feeling he himself won't be able to outrun that kind of creature, no matter how fast his legs can keep him going or for how long. The sick one ran for so long before slowing down, he'd rather not risk chrysalising.

He feels the adrenaline hit him, the formed teeth itch with the burn to do damage - something he hasn't felt this entire time so far. The deer moves, aiming for the throat of the creature. To bite down as hard as he can with the surge of this new magic within his body. He's learned something new, somehow - it doesn't make sense but he'll figure it out with trial and error.

Time to test it out.

Its gaze tipped, sweeping with flaring nostrils toward the fallen carcass not far away. It was this--the sudden distraction at the sight of the first Deinocornus, paired with a soft 'mrrp?' again--that bared its neck for Aran.

The creature rose up, thrashing, the bone-jagged teeth jammed firmly in its throat, and flung this way and that. A guttural snarl escaped it, and talons lashed for Aran in an attempt to snag him and jerk him away.

Perhaps the best would flee, if allowed--certainly the sudden attack was shockingly unexpected. Or perhaps Arquia would finish it before it could.

@Arquia

She thought the Deinocornus would be the first to attack, but to her surprise, it was Aran who struck first. And strangely, with a different form of magic. Before it had been a battle of attrition, slowly wearing down the dinosaur with disease until it collapsed. But this was much more straight forward. And efficient. But it was still a shocking sight to see a deer bite down on the predator. Shouldn't it be the other way around? Well, it was Aran after all. He was full of surprises.

But the Deinocornus struck back, and Arquia knew she would have to do something before that idiot of a deer got himself killed. She channeled the feeling of adrenaline, but this time, it came from her stone. And it told her to strike. Fast, and hard. There was not a single moment of hesitation, though it could be said she was a bit surprised that the magic worked. She did not trust magic. But it obeyed her this time. The dragon lunged forward in an attempt to sink her teeth into its back and bite down as hard as she could to inject the venom that her fangs had stored inside. If this worked, the dinosaur would be instantly paralyzed for a few seconds, and be slowed for long enough that Aran would hopefully be able to go in for another attack.

@Aran

Aran feels his 'teeth' connect, and he chomps down as hard as he can. He's gotta do as much damage as he can before this thing decides what it wants to do. And then the creature's claws hook in, and Aran goes tumbling down to the grasses below him. There's not much he can do here, besides retreat or take more damage.

He chooses the first one, quickly trying to move and scramble away while Arquia goes for her own attack.

The second Deinocornus broke into a guttural, growling roar of protest, thrashing. It thrashed back, still attempting to pull free, turned, lurched, lunged for the bushes--and keeled over facefirst, stiff and frozen.

There it lay, motionless in the underbrush--its neck bleeding, paralyzed by venom.

@Arquia

She watches from the corner of her vision as Aran retreats. It was up to her to end this fight. Arquia had almost forgotten she had venom, and it was surprising that it, well, worked. Now that it was paralyzed, it was the perfect opportunity to kill it. This situation was all too familiar. She remembered how the previous dinosaur had suffered before she could end it. Arquia would not let that happen again this time. It would be quick, and painless. Or at least, less pain than the other had to endure. She went for a swift stroke to slit its throat.

Content Warning
This post contains potentially sensitive material:

gore

This beast--in its brief, horrified attempts to escape--was quickly thwarted.

There was a tearing of flesh, like a zipper unwinding--and then a splatter of hot blood steaming onto the leaves. This spray became a rain, pouring in rivulets down along the dirt.

For the briefest of instants, the gemstone began to spread--then faltered, failing. It went dim, the Deinocornus's breathing slowly shifting into rattling gasps before falling silent altogether, its bright blue eyes fading into unseeing blankness.

@Aran @Arquia

Aran watches, from a safe distance, as Arquia finishes the creature off. He wondered if the two of them were related somehow, but it's a little too late to worry about that particular detail. The two creatures are dead, and even the spreading of the stone the creature had didn't save it from it's quick death - at least it died quickly this time.

He moves to grab the stone the same way as before, and deposit it with the other.

Semi-blood-coated, Aran watches Arquia, wondering what she thinks about all of this. Plus, that odd new magic that surged through them... Surely it was the same thing? But how did they learn it out of the blue like that? He's not sure...

"was that new magic?" He questions to the air, of course it's new - for them anyway - but he needs something to think about while he hopes another won't show up.

@Arquia

She stands there for a few more moments as the life fades from its eyes. Dead. Another life taken. Arquia's breaths slow as the adrenaline fades from her once more. Was this all necessary? Had she just killed another dinosaur for no reason just because she could? No- she was protecting Aran, that's why she did it. But at the same time, they were the ones who instigated the fight. Looking down, she sees her claws soaked in blood. Murderer. That's what she was. But at the same time, wasn't that what she was trained to be? Kethri, the owl- but that was long past her. It was like a previous life. And hadn't she proven that she was more than that? More than just a killer? And here she was now, taking lives without reason. They were just lessers... right?

Arquia doesn't watch Aran snatch this stone too, becoming increasingly sickened by the sight of the thing. Her head turns to look at the deer as he speaks. "Seems so." That strange magic fueled adrenaline. Or was it more like a mix of both? That had surged through her body was unlike anything she had felt before. But strangest of all was how it was not the magic she knew of. She knew the magic of plants, and had chosen not to go down that path. But this was different. It was magic meant for fighting. Arquia would make an exception for this. It was the one spell she would use. After all, it didn't seem too different from how she usually fought. "Helps you fight better. Rather useful."

The Deinocornus was slowly dissolving, and the sight of it reminds her why she was here. And why she should leave. "Do you plan to continue?" She hoped not, Arquia didn't think she'd be okay with killing another dinosaur, at least not for a while. But she left it open to Aran to see what he thought about all this. How did he feel?

@Aran

Gaining new magic is strange, but it's not like that kind of thing hasn't happened before. Every time he learns something new it seems random, not really attributed to things happening most of the time. This new thing, here, though, had to be because of the struggle with the first deinocornus. There's no way they'd randomly figure something out like this without it being the reason.

Not that Aran liked fighting (he does, but that's something to think about later.) but she was right, the spell is useful. He's not good for fighting close-corners, but it worked out here for the most part. He's bloodied, injured, and its slowly drying to cake into his fur. Annoying, but removable. He needs a good bath.

"No, no more. I think i've had enough of this cave for today." he says lamely. If another shows up he doesn't want to kill it. There's too much death here. At least the bodies turn to oil somewhat quickly...

This place is dangerous, and he'll have to remember that.

@Arquia [Feel free to exit if you'd like!]