Fear of the Dark [M]

[Lion]

"What a lovely idea!"  He hissed at the bite of her nails but still his hold on her didn't relent.  He rushed her hard with the intent of knocking her clean down and the others in his stead following to surround her.

"You just couldn't make this easy on yourself could you?"

[DragonSong]

She gave a sharp cry of pain as she was knocked to the ground, her head cracking into a tree root. Seeing stars, Gwen tried to push herself up, but she was held in place by the others, the creatures he'd brought with him.

"Burn in hell, Darryn," she spat, kicking out and catching someone- she wasn't sure who- in the knee.

[Lion]

"I don't know what father sees in you.  But he always keeps his possessions close!" 

Darryn growled to keep her under control and what she had latched onto was one of his thralls, a tall and thin flesh-marred creature with no facial features.  It reached down and plucked Gwen from the ground, holding her firmly with inhuman strength.

"It was nice chatting, Gwen, but it's time to go home."

[DragonSong]

"No, no!" She was panicking now, throwing herself this way and that in the creature's arms, but to no avail. "I won't go back, I won't!" she shrieked desperately. Gwen twisted and sunk her teeth into the thrall' neck- then reared back with a cry of disgust.

Whatever ran through the thing's veins, it wasn't blood.

[Lion]

She'd get little more than a mouthful of dust at that bite.  The thrall released a hissing sound but didn't budge in its hold.  They were moving again through the trees as Darryl led the way and soon there were hooves ringing out behind them.  The thrall paused and made a grunting noise.

Darryl turned around and the hooves stopped and then swerved away. A a deer rushed passed them, making noises of terror and Darryl grunted in annoyance.  "I hate the forest," he mumbled and continued on.

A blade struck out and severed the left arm of the thrall and the creature turned abruptly about, stmbling from the blow as Decebal stood at the ready, cutting the thrall at the knee.

[DragonSong]

It happened almost too quickly for her to process. Once she realized the grip on her had weakened though, Gwen tore away from the thrall and spun in a circle, hissing and snarling like a wild animal as she lashed out at the others as they moved toward her.

Her eyes lit on Decebal and briefly widened, but she didn't get out more than, "You!" before she was on the defensive again.

[Lion]

"Hey, meatbag!  Find your own dinner!" Darryl growled.  Without prompting the others around him lunged for Decebal and Gwen.  "Don't damage the merchandise dammit!" He growled and stomped on a smaller thrall that clawed at Gwen.

Decebal slashed head after head, dust clouding up and around, billowing about and clouding his vision.  Teeth sunk their way into his right arm and he wrenched the thrall from his shoulder, stabbing it through the heart.

[DragonSong]

Gwen's eyes flared, almost glowing blood red. Her body suddenly started to move on instinct as she lashed out at the thralls. Her nails and teeth ripped at throats, gagging as the taste of grave dirt coated her tongue.

Her eyes flicked to Decebal. "On your left!" She lunged forward to knock an incoming thrall away from him, unwittingly putting herself in Darryl's path.

[Lion]

Decebal didn't have time to realize how narrow that was or the fact that Gwen had taken it upon herself to team up with him.  As strange as it was, he would take it.  The enemy of my enemy is a friend, right?  For now that was all they had.

When she moved into Darryl's path, he lunged for her, changing abruptly and projecting himself outward.  Body doubles, three of them in fact all appeared around them, and when the last of the thralls were torn apart, they set upon Decebal, clawing and biting into his flesh.

The hunter howled and turned to slash at one of the images, but it seemed to vanish and reappear behind him.

[DragonSong]

"Stop! Stop it!" Gwen threw herself at Darryl- or what she thought was Darryl, but the figure disappeared, insubstantial as smoke. 'Leave him out of this- he's got nothing to do with this!"

Hissing, catlike, she spun and lashed out with feet and fists. She'd never been properly trained in hand to hand combat, but the past few months of experience coupled with her heightened strength and speed went a long way.

Seeing an opening, she did the stupidest thing she could ever recall doing- she launched herself at Darryl's throat, fangs bared.

[Lion]

Darryl tumbled backward with the weight of Gwen's body launch.  He felt teeth sinking into hia flesh, but grabbed her firmly by the shoulders and flung her away from him.  "Stupid bitch," he growled before throwing himself at her. 

Even without his influence, the projections were capable of harrassing Decebal.  He turned and lunged his blade in time to disrupt one.  But with Darryl distracted, it gave the hunter the moment he needed to disrupt the rest.

Darryl clawed at Gwen's face, trying to hold her down, even as blood gushed from the wound in his throat.

[DragonSong]

Gwen shrieked like a wild thing and lashed out with nails and teeth whenever she was able, but there was only so much she could do. She was still a fledgling among her kind, still coming into her powers, and for all that Darryl was only half vampire, he was still much older than her. Much stronger.

"Get off! Let me go!" she cried, though she knew it was useless. She squirmed under him, wincing and hissing as his blood spattered over her skin and clothes. "Let go, let me GO!"

Something happened. It was only a flash, but for one moment Gwen's voice seemed to almost double, as though there was a choir of her speaking, and it carried an undeniable sort of authority that seemed to almost deaden the air around them.

But it was only a moment. Then the world righted itself and she was stil pinned under the dhampir, clawing desperately at his face in an attempt to free herself.

[Lion]

The shriek was deafening and sent a chill down Decebal's back unlike anything he'd ever felt before.  It was terror, and he turned to see the monster that threatened to tear the throat out of her.  Darryl was monstrous and his eyes glowed red and his skin appeared burnt. 

Decebal bolted after them and kicked hard along his side.  Darryl was stunned that he was knocked away, rolling until he struck a tree.  He was swiftly on his feet and lunged for Decebal's neck.  The black deformed hand struck forth, wrapping around Darryl's neck and sticking his thumb into his open wound.

With one strong yank his throat was torn open, blood draining in droves.

[DragonSong]

Suddenly she was free. In an instant Gwen was on her feet, ready to attack- but she didn't need to.

Her eyes widened and for a moment she just stared, almost unable to believe what she was seeing. Dhampir or not, Darryl was one of the most powerful creatures she'd ever met. And Decebal had just ripped into him like paper.

Maybe he really could kill Lorian.

[Lion]

Decebal growled, dropping the corpse to the ground.  Eyes were blackened and filled with a primal rage, but he stayed still, looking at Gwen and seeing prey.  He stopped himself though and he eased out a steaming breath.  Relaxing the black dissipated from his eyes.

"Didn't...I tell you to stay....put?" he panted.

[DragonSong]

For a moment Gwen was speechless, stunned and panting. Something primal in her recognized the predator that stood before her and she took a few steps back.

Then something about him seemed to change and she let herself relax fractionally.

"You did," she said softly, breath still coming rather sharp. "I never explicitly agreed to do so."

[Lion]

Decebal could only now feel the throbbing from his wounds, the deep scratches and marks where the teeth of thralls and Darryl's clones had set in.  He sighed and too careful steps toward Gwen, his arm still dripping with the vampire's blood.

"Now just who was that?" he asked, kicking the corpse on the ground.

[DragonSong]

She stared at Darryl's body. "One of his- Lorian's...sons," she answered quietly. "One of the middle ones. He-" She cleared her throat. "He never liked me very much..."

[Lion]

"I see.  Then I guess you're glad he's gone," he sighed, and looked her over.  Decebal approached and held out his normal hand to her.  "What do you say now?  Are you willing to work with me?"

[DragonSong]

Gwen continued staring at him for a moment in silence, then let out a sharp breath and reached out to take his hand.

"Alright," she said quietly, meeting and holding his gaze. "Deal."