Felicia's muscles felt tense as her mind slowly began to comprehend what was going on around her. There was blood, and gore strewn about like abstract art on the ground, coupled with cries and shouts as lights burst and spells were flung through the air. It was a charge in the air, like static that set goose-flesh to rise on her arms and her breath to quicken with each sharp movement of her head and eyes. She had never been in a battle before, or even a child's tussle over some trifling matter. Where she had grown up with Robin there had been few children her own age, but even if she had lived within a larger city she doubted very much that she would have ever ended up in any sort of fight. Fighting required some form of indignation or strong feelings toward the other person, a hatred or loathing or simple irritation that sparked the initial confrontation. Felicia had never had such emotions toward another person. There was simply nothing in this world really worth fighting over.
Whoever the man was, whatever the bear was, they were... monsters. Terrible creatures from a child's bedtime telling that warned of their coming should the child misbehave or stray out past dark. Death was something Felicia could understand. It was the ending of life, the closing of a chapter for a person as their body decayed and returned to the soil from which it had come. Death was natural. These things, from what Felicia could see through cold watchful eyes, reveled in the gore and blood lust around them. She had thought the bear was odd, but now she was certain. It wasn't an animal. And the man wasn't a man at all. They were lest than beasts. Maybe they were the nightmareish things that came from the fracture, and if so the bear must have been mocking her with the irony of its own warning.
The world split once more as still more figures stepped out of no where. More monsters. So it was that Felicia almost smiled when 'Necromancer' was spat out with such vile distaste. A Necromancer only animated the not living, she did not revel in the slaughter. When the hound was released Felicia had just a bit to see Alistair appear, suddenly, to confront its master before she was forced to spin around the trunk of the tree to avoid the snapping, slobbering jowls of the animal as it flung itself at her.
She forgot the rest of the world as she suddenly focused on her own life, something she had only done but very rarely. The animal let loose on her was quick, it's jaws open and ready to tear her throat out and rend her flesh from bone. Hit panted in exertion as it skidded to avoid a dense patch of brush while it came to a halt to reorient itself to face her once more. As she stood, staring at the animal Felicia instantly recognized one simple truth. She couldn't win a fight with something like this. It was too strong, too fast, and much much more blood thirsty than she was. Her slight frame, while heavier, did not have the same knotted cords of muscles the wolfhound hid beneath its flank, and it's eyes shown with a wild ferocity the girl could never hope to match. All of this she took in, and accepted, in the time it took the beast to come at her once more.
It's just an animal.
I am just a girl.
Felicia could almost hear a derisive snort in her mind at the feeble protest. Again, just as the beast grew near Felicia spun around the trunk, staying close to its rough part to let the hound sail past her, off balance in its blind fury as it attempted, and fail, to snatch her in its hungry muzzle.
You will die if you don't act.
I've not been trained to survive something like this.
You are pathetic.
As the animal came again Felicia made to once more turn around the tree trunk, but for some reason she could not move her feet. Glancing down she noticed at last that she held the ribbon in her hands, two long pieces she was lacing together and pulling taunt between her hands. She looked up just as the dog bounded at her, mouth open, lunging for her. Sucking in a quick breath Felicia's hands moved and snapped the ribbon around the hounds neck as she half slid, half fell to the side and it passed over her. Never releasing her grip Felicia twisted the ribbon around itself, tightening the makeshift noose as she was jerked forward by the animals momentum and fell with it to the ground. There was the briefest pause as the animal lay stunned by the impact of its hitting the ground, and her landing on top of it. Felicia took that time to scramble to her knees, gripping the ribbon hard as she pulled the animal's head back by its neck even as she put all of her weight on its back and side. It began to thrash, clawed paws scratching at her arms and knees but Felicia did not release her hold. She used her entire body weight to pin the animal to the ground, her fingers turning white with the force of her hold. She did not move until, after what felt like trials, the animal stopped struggling and gave a shudder before stilling. Even then she did not stand. Instead she looked back over her shoulder, wary of anyone else coming on her.
No one teaches you have to survive.
Whoever the man was, whatever the bear was, they were... monsters. Terrible creatures from a child's bedtime telling that warned of their coming should the child misbehave or stray out past dark. Death was something Felicia could understand. It was the ending of life, the closing of a chapter for a person as their body decayed and returned to the soil from which it had come. Death was natural. These things, from what Felicia could see through cold watchful eyes, reveled in the gore and blood lust around them. She had thought the bear was odd, but now she was certain. It wasn't an animal. And the man wasn't a man at all. They were lest than beasts. Maybe they were the nightmareish things that came from the fracture, and if so the bear must have been mocking her with the irony of its own warning.
The world split once more as still more figures stepped out of no where. More monsters. So it was that Felicia almost smiled when 'Necromancer' was spat out with such vile distaste. A Necromancer only animated the not living, she did not revel in the slaughter. When the hound was released Felicia had just a bit to see Alistair appear, suddenly, to confront its master before she was forced to spin around the trunk of the tree to avoid the snapping, slobbering jowls of the animal as it flung itself at her.
She forgot the rest of the world as she suddenly focused on her own life, something she had only done but very rarely. The animal let loose on her was quick, it's jaws open and ready to tear her throat out and rend her flesh from bone. Hit panted in exertion as it skidded to avoid a dense patch of brush while it came to a halt to reorient itself to face her once more. As she stood, staring at the animal Felicia instantly recognized one simple truth. She couldn't win a fight with something like this. It was too strong, too fast, and much much more blood thirsty than she was. Her slight frame, while heavier, did not have the same knotted cords of muscles the wolfhound hid beneath its flank, and it's eyes shown with a wild ferocity the girl could never hope to match. All of this she took in, and accepted, in the time it took the beast to come at her once more.
It's just an animal.
I am just a girl.
Felicia could almost hear a derisive snort in her mind at the feeble protest. Again, just as the beast grew near Felicia spun around the trunk, staying close to its rough part to let the hound sail past her, off balance in its blind fury as it attempted, and fail, to snatch her in its hungry muzzle.
You will die if you don't act.
I've not been trained to survive something like this.
You are pathetic.
As the animal came again Felicia made to once more turn around the tree trunk, but for some reason she could not move her feet. Glancing down she noticed at last that she held the ribbon in her hands, two long pieces she was lacing together and pulling taunt between her hands. She looked up just as the dog bounded at her, mouth open, lunging for her. Sucking in a quick breath Felicia's hands moved and snapped the ribbon around the hounds neck as she half slid, half fell to the side and it passed over her. Never releasing her grip Felicia twisted the ribbon around itself, tightening the makeshift noose as she was jerked forward by the animals momentum and fell with it to the ground. There was the briefest pause as the animal lay stunned by the impact of its hitting the ground, and her landing on top of it. Felicia took that time to scramble to her knees, gripping the ribbon hard as she pulled the animal's head back by its neck even as she put all of her weight on its back and side. It began to thrash, clawed paws scratching at her arms and knees but Felicia did not release her hold. She used her entire body weight to pin the animal to the ground, her fingers turning white with the force of her hold. She did not move until, after what felt like trials, the animal stopped struggling and gave a shudder before stilling. Even then she did not stand. Instead she looked back over her shoulder, wary of anyone else coming on her.
No one teaches you have to survive.
