COUP DE GRÂCE - SIEGE PART II

[Benjamin]

No one would ever wrongfully claim Benjamin to be a heavy sleeper. Even during the most relaxed of down times for the Legion, he would be up bright and early to attend to whatever duties he was to perform. And yet, recently, namely the past week or so, the dog had taken to sleeping curled up against his friend, Tucker, and for whatever reason being in the other dog’s presence was enough to cause Benjamin to relax more than usual. Enough that he slept deeper than normal. Now, he still wasn’t a deep sleeper by any means; he was still always up when he needed to be. Now, however, was not the time he needed to be up and so he was snuggled up against the warm blanket that had been given to the two canines as a bad, his nose gently pushed underneath the soft fabric while his body was curled up into as tight a ball as it could go.

…

BANG!

Benjamin’s whole form became rigid as he leaped straight up onto his feet. Head frantically darting side to side trying to discern what in the holy hell was going on. The sounds of various forms of fighting quickly reached the Labrador’s ears and it only took him a few seconds to realize that they were under attack. Turning around, dark brown eyes quickly scanned the room for signs of Tucker but finding none. While a brief flare of panic rose up in the dog’s chest, he quickly pushed it away because he had more important things to worry about.

"Demolish them all! I want no survivors!"

Benjamin dashed from the room and down one of the halls of the palace, almost instantly finding Tucker standing up with his front paws on the sill of one of the windows. “Tucker!” he barked. Running to his friend’s side and jumping up next to him to observe the chaos down below. The city was all but on fire. Benjamin’s ears pulled back at the sight and he instinctively pushed his nose into Tucker’s fur, closing his eyes against the view. Taking a deep breath, he looked back out at the world before him and then turned to Tucker, who had moved away from the window to sit next to Thomas, a look of determination coming to his features. “Let’s go! I have to do what I can to protect the army that my Charles pledged his life to.” With that said, Ben turned away from Tucker and continued on down the hall, intending to do everything in his power to help wherever he could in stopping the Rogues’ from getting any farther than they already had.

[Lucas]

A shadow passed over Lucas's head, and at first, the lion thought nothing of it. It didn't matter if anything caught him from above. Lucas was in a very secluded space. Well... somewhat secluded. However, someone could have definitely spotted him. But who, or what could actually watch him? His fur rose up. His back was to a large piece of debris. There was an open sky above him. Lucas was isolated, and he didn't think that could make him a target. However, it did.

The shadow, larger now, had passed over again. This time, Lucas definitely took notice and looked up. His eyes widened. OH...MY...GOSH! HOLY CRAP! Lucas had no idea what it was. He had never seen it before, and it looked almost... otherworldly. However, the Blackblood was unaware of what exactly this thing... was.

The creature was diving right towards him, their talons outstretched and their yellow eyes directed at him. This did not settle well with Lucas. At first, the lion looked like he was frozen, and at first, he was. But then it changed into a tactic. If he stayed still long enough, he could roll or dodge out of the way at the last second. Lucas dug his claws into the ground, making sure he didn't move prematurely. He could tell the creature's intention's as they got closer. Or at least, what they were about to do.

To Lucas, it was clear. To pick him up. And do what? Throw him? Throw him into the open? He wasn't sure exactly what their intentions of picking him up were. But to Lucas, that didn't really matter. The creature was close, and it was time. In a swift and agile movement, fit for a predator, or warrior, he dodged and rolled out of the way at the last possible second, unsure if this would work.

[Morren and Esca]

Thomas's lack of confidence only seemed to make Morren more anxious. His admission that he believed they would lose and the likelihoods that came with that made her yellow eyes widen. In that instant, she was a scared young woman and not the head healer of the Blackblood Legion. Her lip wobbled but she bit down on it to screw what courage she had left. It was pointless to hope for mercy in a war, she didn't offer that as a possibility.

"We have to do what we can then while there's still time." she said in a small voice as if trying to convince both herself and Thomas then with a small sad smile she offered: "If you want to go and fight with Shan Yu then you can. I'll be alright down here on my own."

Suddenly, Esca's ears pricked as if he had heard something and sniffed the air. Slowly, he padded his way back towards the Infirmary, nose low and sniffing as if following a trail until he reached the doors and then he let out a low growl. At that noise Morren looked back at him, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion as to what was causing Esca to act like that. Still, she trusted her wolf implicitly and something was clearly setting him off. She gave Thomas one last look before she walked over to place a hand on Esca's raised hackles.

The doors to the Infirmary swung open in time for Morren to see a...creature of some kind with its jaws wrapped around the neck of one of the injured soldiers. She let out a small scream of horror when she saw the blood and she knew they were already dead with their throat torn out by whatever that was.

"Get away from them!" Morren shouted, notching an arrow in her bow and raising it as Esca charged forward, his jaws open wide to snatch the creature and tear it asunder.

[Tucker]

The older police dog cocked his head at Thomas’s question as to the whereabouts of their leader. “I would of thought she’s out there battling?” He glanced out the window seeing no sigh of the massive purple dragon which wouldn’t be hard to miss at all. He turns sharply as Facilier comments about them getting their asses to the courtyard to which he snorts. “I’ll stand guard inside.” He explains quickly before watching Morren and Thomas speak

“I just don’t see how we’re going to make it. The Rogues have us surrounded.”

“Don’t give up so easily-come on man!” Tucker snaps in disbelief, ears pinned back against his skull giving the young man an annoyed look. As a police dog the last thing he wanted to do was give up all hope, he expected the others to do the same.

“Tucker!”

Brown eyes turns and he lunges towards the owner of the voice.

“Ben!” He greets, pressing back against him in a quick nuzzle. “Let’s go! I have to do what I can to protect the army that my Charles pledged his life to.”

Tucker nods before glancing towards Thomas. “You can guard from here if you want. I’m going with Ben to try and protect the east side of the palace!” He barked out, then raced after the black Labrador.

[Nereus]

    BANG!

    Oh, the rogues were really bearing down on them now! Nereus could hear the screams, the hollering, and everything else that came with war. The scent of blood just hung in the air with everything else, and it unsettled Nereus' stomach. She wasn't one to usually be unsettled by a lot of things, but this was almost unbearable. Almost. The mer creature was made of tougher stuff so she could get through it. 

    There was still no one in sight, which made the creature a bit annoyed. Was she really that far from anyone that was an ally? Apparently so, but Nereus then heard someone familiar. It took her mind a bit to understand who she was hearing, but the grin on her face made her happiness evident. It was the boss lady! Well, the evil boss lady with the crow and the undead human boss lady. But the undead boss lady sounded angry as did evil boss lady (who was now... small?), and when Nereus turned the corner, they were being literally cornered! Oh hell no, she wasn't going to let a leader be cornered like that! 

    "Oi! Leave the undead boss lady alone!" Nereus snarled, and basically skidded to a stop in front of Nasira and Maleficent and hissed out a very deep warning. Teeth bared, fins flared, and pupils turned into the barest of slits. She was serious and wasn't going to leave Nasira and Maleficent without some back up. 

[Thomas]

"Battling," Thomas repeated sardonically. His frown deepened into a scowl. "I thought you said she could 'just torch everyone if she really wanted to.'"

"If you want to go and fight with Shan Yu then you can. I'll be alright down here on my own."

Thomas looked down in shame as if he were using his bangs as a shield. He did not dare to look back at the overseers. Any disruption to the chain of command or authority constitutes insubordination, and the consequences would be even more severe in a time of crisis. They would show him no mercy. But Thomas could not bear to be selfish anymore. Besides, Facilier never told him where to go...

He looked up. "I should like to come all the same." Thomas just about managed to keep his voice steady. "L-lead the way, Morren." 

The doors suddenly swung open as if a strong wind had blown through, and the three beheld the beast.

"HOLY SHIIIT!!!" Thomas shrieked like a banshee. He could not help himself. He would have to say sorry to Jesus for using profanity - assuming he'd live long enough to get the chance to apologize. Had Morren screamed too? Thomas was afraid to ask in case the answer might be no.

Esca sprang, and Morren and Thomas took aim. The old long-barreled gun had a matchlock mechanism, and the lit match was ready to be put to the flash pan. Both eyes open, he heard John Smith calmly remind him.

He squeezed the trigger.

[Clopin]

Facilier and Mekonnen ran out into the thick of the battle, the two of them nearly back to back fighting off the Rogues that seemed to be pouring endlessly from the massive hole in the wall that separated the palace from the rest of the city. Facilier shot as many magical blasts as he could, while Mekonnen swung his massive paws with a roar.

(These two are open to fight with someone)

------

At one of the cities massive food stores (Clopin had told them that Agrabah had only two), Bob held up a torch, with a fire burning at the end of it.

"You think these torches'll take care of the entire thing?" Bob asked, turning to his sister. She held a simliar torch aloft with her magic, nodding to her brother.

"There's no need to waste a lot of energy to destroy all this. The quicker we do, the quicker you can get out there to help Clopin and Taylor, and the quicker I can get to injured soldiers." Sophia said, before throwing the torch onto the rows of stored food. Bob followed suit, before galloping out of the quickly rising blaze alongside his sister. But before either of them could get anywhere, two shadows loomed overhead, blocking their path.

"I knew I smelled unicorns." Alastor sneered, as he ran his tongue over his fangs. Bob began to shake, as Sophia stood her ground, furrowing her brows as she locked her gaze onto both Corson and Alastor.

"I'd suggest the two of you get out of our way." Sophia said, her horn beginning to come alive with magic. Both duocorns glanced at each other before laughing.

"Oh Corson, it looks like the little one has some spunk!" Alastor exclaimed, as electricity began to crackle around his horn.

------

"Taylor! We've got to get back to the others!" Clopin shouted. He wasn't even sure how it had happened. One second, he was leading Jenn and the others out of what was left of Mal's chambers, and the next, he and Taylor had gotten separated from them, on their own in the midst of the chaos. To avoid getting hit by stray attacks, they'd run back into the palace.

"I know! But--!"

"YOU."

Shit. Taylor thought, as she froze nearly instantly. Before her stood the necromancer that had caused her to stay out of battle for a few good months. The scar from Nasira's previous attack throbbed in response, and Taylor stumbled back into Clopin, who held his scythe aloft in one hand. She felt him nudge her in the back, as she stood up straighter, grabbing her dagger from the hilt at her side.

There was no time like now to get her revenge. But as the trauma of the previous attack replayed in her head, she silently prayed that wherever Bob was, he'd get to her side soon. Against a magic user, Taylor knew she could only do so much, even with the King at her side. But before either of them could make a move, a fish...person...thing hopped in front of Nasira and the little black thing that both Rogues had identified as Maleficent, yelling something about leaving the two of them alone.

"Ha. That's not likely." Taylor said, as she moved first with her attack, dagger poised to tear at whatever it could. Clopin wasn't too far behind, opting instead to swerve and attack Nasira directly.

[Maul]

Pterodon talons shut over the air and soon Frei found her claws gripping stone on the ground instead. Her already outstretched legs landed first before she touched down with her wings, assuming a quadruped stance for stability. Frei jumped a couple times on the ground before stopping, winding down from the momentum of flight. Massive head turned around to find her missed target.

She screeched, rearing onto her hind legs briefly before moving in sort of a gallop, her wings folded up and out of the way. Frei knew having the height advantage would suit her best, but she did make a swipe using her beak as a blunt weapon as she passed before spreading her wings to fly again. With a great hop, the reptile entered the air and was lifted by the wind under her wings.

Frei accelerated and flapped to try and get out of range of the lion’s claws.

~*~

Maul’s pupil dilated in response to the light. Like a rat being surprised, she reared and hissed, strings of blood-coated saliva webbing her gaping mouth. Thinking nothing of danger, she jumped down and prowled forward, fixated on making more kills. She started to break into a run before she was intercepted by a creature she recognized as sharing canine origin like her -- not that it changed anything.

She stopped and turned her body sideways. Suddenly she appeared much larger, as meter-long quills all along her back and tail spread. Ears pinned as she swiped her mace of a tail at the wolf. She struck out with a dirty claw, though it doubtless would be her spikes that would cause more damage. A crackling of spit and mucus rose from her windpipe.

“ b y e - b y e . “

Creaked a mockery of a voice.

Just as Maul was gleefully turning her attention to the two human-things, something bit her hindquarters. Maul had no understanding of weapons outside claws and teeth so was unable to process being shot as anything other than a bite. Pale blue eyes flashed with confusion as she stumbled and tried to turn her head to face whatever attacked her only to find nothing. Viper?? Quills rattled as they struck each-other when her skin trembled. Defiantly, she held her ground, though she found her back leg pulsing and somehow fatigued.

[Emily]

Emily had to leave Clopin to make sure their first wave had managed to get into the grounds of the palace for the fight otherwise their pre-emptive strike would have meant nothing. She wanted the thrill of being in the thick of the battle and so she had willingly volunteered to lead the charge into Agrabah's palace. Her goal were the other higher ups of the Blackbloods, if Maleficent was down then they were the next biggest threat and likely the most fearsome fighters. She had caught a glimpse of a hulking man barking orders but she had lost sight of him as the melee unfolded. He seemed like an excellent person to down next. 

The magic blasts nearly caught Emily as she dashed forwards into the fray. A shield brought up just in time stopped a red-maned lion's claws from cleaving into her head as she kept low and ran forwards, an almost certain end if she had been just a second too slow. She pushed back against her shield, sending it rushing forwards with enough raw force to blast away anything unfortunate to be in its path with quite a stunning blow. Like being hit by a speeding truck with no brakes.

"'Scuse me, gentlemen." she quipped "Haven't got time for a dance right now."

----------------

Esca let out a loud and pain-filled yelp as Maul's quills made contact with his face. The wolf stumbled back, head low, shaking furiously, pawing at what he could reach, to try and rid himself of the large quills which were now covering his face. One side, his left side, was nearly covered, quills sticking haphazardly from his grey fur and even his mouth had quills jammed inside where his jaws had been poised to grab and tear. It was a miracle that the wolf didn't lose an eye although one quill stuck in dangerously close, just under his left eye which was beginning to swell shut from the sheer force of the blow the creature had given him.

Morren too screamed at the same moment, her hand flying to the left side of her face despite no visible injury at all. The arrow she had fired had missed its mark with her sudden movement and flew high over Maul's head to embed itself in the wall at the back. Unknowingly she had almost shot the cubs who had been cowering for shelter in the infirmary.

"Esca? Esca!" It hurt to talk as if her own mouth were filled with sharp things biting into her gums and tongue. The wolf whimpered back in response, clearly this creature would be very difficult if not impossible now for him to strike without further injury.

Morren raised her bow and aimed again, left eye closed despite the difficulty it would make in making sure her second shot hit true.

[Kopa]

Alright Kopa, alright Kopa. Get a hold of yourself, man. You're in the middle of what seems to be a battle, what do you do? How do you take advantage of it? Kopa thought. He had been pretty injured. That b- that disturbing lioness had pretty much beat the crap out of him. Sometimes he'd scream, others he'd mostly just stay silent. Kopa was currently trapped inside the dungeon. He was weakened from the multiple bashings Kula gave him, but that didn't mean he lost his spirit. It just meant his body was sore, and it hurt like heck. He waited. He watched. Kopa had to be careful. Then, he got his chance.

BOOM!

He looked up. The debris had cracked his chains or at least weakened them. He broke the chains because they were weaker. He then saw the hole and stopped. Was it really worth it to escape? To go back to Canada? To get bombarded with yelling, because he had made a stupid decision? To face the wrath of all the Dawnseekers, and be even more untrustworthy than he already was? He hesitated. Then he shook his head. No, it didn't matter. He still cared for his family. And to be honest, to him, the decision wasn't all that stupid. At least, a part of it wasn't. But Kopa wanted to get out of this dungeon as well. He had heard screams. Of the other prisoners there. It was not pleasant. Honestly, it'd give him nightmares for years. Maybe it would have been the torture that Kula put him through that'd give him nightmares. But in all honesty? The screams would give him even more nightmares. They were so unsettling. The screams would haunt the young lion for his enter life. He truly saw, and unfortunately felt the cruelty of the Blackblood Legion in this cell.

It made him want to destroy the Blackbloods even more. His hatred from them had intensified tenfold. Kopa shook his head and leaped through the hole and onto a ledge. Alright. Now what? He scanned the area. It was filled with soldiers. Okay, he had to be careful. He saw that they were a bit occupied though. He knew they were the Rouges. He hoped Kula didn't see him. He expected she'd be occupied with this battle, or siege really. Suddenly, the young lion dashed across the field, dodging debris and trying to stay out of the eye of either army. He needed to get out of the palace. But unbeknownst to him, he might never get out of the palace.

(perhaps any others who see him?)