The CASTLE Team

Angelus watched as the elder brother, the charizard, made his way to the buck and his unconscious companion. While Angelus herself wouldn't turn her nose at the offering of such a meal, the buck and feline had proven themselves enough in the battle with the moth to earn some of her respect. Part of that was her refraining from attempting to eat them. Still, his advances amused her, and her pale gaze was fixated upon them and their silent warfare. The buck showed enough courage, not backing down despite his opponent being one of the few that could utterly devestate him. It reminded her some of Caim; he showed the same attributes, if not a little more... passionately. Surely if met with a similar situation, the ninetales would merely attack the instigator and get himself in trouble. However, the plucky buck's companion woke and Angelus felt the need to intervene before things turned ugly.

"They've proven themselves useful, Ashes," her grating voice called as she made her way closer. "We'll find food soon enough. Let's just move out of these blasted sands."

Caim, however, stayed put when Dragon began to go off on her own, to the others that were doing whatever amongst themselves. The only one near him was the snake, trembling against the abrasive sands. "If he survived that kind of a cave in...is it possible the moth did as well?" she asked. He shrugged, uncertain. He'd never known a foe like that to go down so quickly, even with six or seven pokemon working together to kill it. Almost pitying her as she shivered in the storm, he was about to offer his leg for her to climb when she said something else, something that nearly caused his heart to combust right then and there.

"A woman turned into a stake will hold the world in a basin of fire."

Suddenly, his face was in hers, his intense sapphire eyes boring down into her, a sense of urgency about him instead of the normal malice. ~"Where did you hear that from, Snake?"~ he asked her directly, his telepathic voice invading her mind. However, it seemed Fate wasn't about to let him have an answer, fire suddenly erupting nearby. Turning, he found a dark blotch in the sky, roaring. He knew that shape anywhere, even as marred and decayed as it was.

Hydreigon.

The pokemon that had nearly single-handedly ruined his life, Caim was filled with such a rage, he missed the ghost nearby timidly greeting him. Angelus turned as well, spotting the creature after Caim began running after it, earning a grunt of frustration from her. "Damned fool!" she cried, tail lashing as she heaved herself into the air. "You're racing to your death!" She turned back to the others, eyes on all of them. "Find shelter, something." He eyes strayed to the hole, which seemed to shift. She would have prayed for it to be a simple illusion, a traick on the eyes from the shifting sands, but knew that such an act was futile. "That bug isn't dead yet, and I'm not interested in taking on two Jackals at once!" She flew after Caim, racing to catch him before the other dragon did.

~"Where did you hear that from, Snake?"~

The sound of the voice screaming in her mind caused Deanna to tense and coil in fear, the end of her tail rattling in her nervousness. Monster's eyes were boring into her and the realization struck her that it was actually the dark fox himself who was speaking. "You...you can TALK?!" Why the hell hadn't he been doing that to begin with? Why had he been silent this entire time and only tried making those funny squiggles in the ground? She hissed in his face before backing up, her eyes still meeting his but not willing to be so close to biting distance.

Why? Why did he want to know? What could he gain from such knowledge when the speaker of those words was long since dead? But before the Ekans could answer the angry fox a blast of fire scorched the blistering sands beside her and caused her to jump once more, although it was right back in to the protective shadow of Monster. But all too quickly his protection was moot as he began charging a great blot in the sky, the elder dragon scolding him for the act. "That bug isn't dead yet, and I'm not interested in taking on two Jackals at once!"

It...it wasn't dead yet?

Deanna wasn't sure what to do with the current threat, much less the old one, so she slithered over to Harrow and Starling just as a strange ghost settled near the group. "H-hello t-there-re?" But Deanna couldn't reply, to terrified of the fox going after what she could now see as a deeply wounded and bloody dragon. First the fire moth and now a three headed demon? They were all going to die here...there was no getting around it.

((OOC: Hey Snitch, think at some point Deanna can climb on Harrow? It's the only way she would get enough height to take on a Hydreigon, lol.))

“… Touch her…And I’ll kill you.” The buck grunted, his voice carrying the threat well. But the Charizard only scoffed, the dragons' soft voice mixing with the deep reverberations of his throat.
"Oh, how I'd love to see you try, little reindeer..." He mocked, sauntering around the deers' presented antlers to get a better view of the bucks' face.
...Try killing something that's already dead.

The Absol quickly regained consciousness, to whom the bucks' attention soon got diverted to. The slender feline insisted that she was in decent health, and made a dazed inquiry.
“What happened?”

Ashes grinned at her, offering a small nod of his head as his piercing eyes met the Absols.
"Welcome back to the world of the living, madam. I'm sure you wo-"
"They've proven themselves useful, Ashes. We'll find food soon enough. Let's just move out of these blasted sands."

The young Charizard glared at the interrupting old hag, the festering rage only noticeable not through his expression but the flaring gray flames upon his tail.
You, dragon, are going to be one of the first to go....

A sudden roar tore him from his thoughts, just as flames rained down upon them. Without hesitation, the Charizard bounded for the small Charmander and grabbed her up in his foreclaws.

(@_@ Sorry if it's rushed, it's probably the only post I can make for now. I'm printing my portfolio today)

"They've proven themselves useful, Ashes. We'll find food soon enough. Let's just move out of these blasted sands."

Ashes mocking jibe provoked no reaction from Harrow, his hard glare never leaving the prying fire-type even as the other dragon offered a warning from afar. Supposing useful equalled strength rather than a future food source, Harrow was at least thankful he and his companion had been taken off the menu. Still, he didn’t like this Ashes creature. Were they not stranded in the middle of a desert, Harrow would’ve insisted they leave long ago. Whether the female Charizard said so or not, they were not safe amongst this group.

"Welcome back to the world of the living, madam. I'm sure you wo-"

Starling met the Charizard’s eyes only to quickly look away at the intensity of his gaze, undeniably uncomfortable. Her body tensing, the Absol found herself adapting to consciousness far more quickly than her mind would accept, her instincts screaming at her to get away from Ashes. Despite years in the police force, seeing every sort of psychopath imaginable, this single Charizard continued to unnerve her. It was a rare feat given the feline’s occupation – maybe she was just losing touch. But he was soon interrupted by the female dragon. Thankful for her presence as a figure of authority, Starling rose to her full height, nodding appreciatively at the creature.

"Find shelter, something. That bug isn't dead yet, and I'm not interested in taking on two Jackals at once!"

The Hydreigon gradually approaching the group’s gathering was something neither Harrow nor Starling desired to be met with. The Ninetales went recklessly racing towards the giant undead, his concerned dragon companion hot on his heels to leave a quick warning of their situation. The moth wasn’t dead!? The three-headed, well two-headed, beast would be a force to be reckoned with on its own, let alone partnered that demonic fire-insect bursting from the ground. Speaking of fire. Harrow stampeded out of the undead’s blast of fire, Starling following suit to stand panting, still slightly dizzy aside the serpent and a newcomer. The ghost couldn’t have turned up at a worse time.
“I’d leave while you can,” The Absol muttered quickly, genuinely upset to find another innocent mixed up in such a disastrous situation. The Sawsbuck had trotted to her side, seemingly unwilling to go charging into another battle whilst she wasn’t in the greatest health. Even with only half an expression, Starling could tell so much. “Harrow, I’ll be fine,”
“No…” He replied gruffly, trying to formulate a reason that his gravelly speech continued to inhibit.
“Harrow, they’ll need help. You can’t babysit me,” Whilst the deer was doubtful of whether he wanted to help his company, his gaze fell to the Ekans aside his companion. Lowering his head to offer his antlers as a means of transportation having remembered the serpent’s admiration of them earlier, he gave in to Starling’s rationality. She could take care of herself. She knew her limits. She would fight when she felt she could.
“You… want to… fight?” He addressed the snake, unsure whether he wanted to invite the serpent into a battlefield. But on the other hand, knowing she was atop his form would give him extra incentive to escape the situation alive.

Iajyra was ignored at first she was upset, had she really become this invisible to others? But as the heat of a burning fire attack washed over the area she screamed internally in frustration. Overcome by overwhelming rage she looked to the sky as she hovered away from the blast."HOW DARE YOU FUCKING DO THAT YOU UGLY EXCUSE FOR A DRAGON?"Iajyra screamed to the undead behemoth attacking them. Visibly a dark aura was building up around the Spiritomb.

The attack on her had triggered her, swapping her mindset to that of one more suited for battle against undead beasts like this one. That dark energy building up being her first attack against the beast though the attack would due little damage Iajyra knew she had to try because she was furious. Firing the carefully aimed Dark Pulse a burst of dark energy radiated outward angled in a way to go upwards as apposed to outwards.

Glaring angrily she didn't even wait to see if the attack would hit. She hid behind a crumbling pillar trying to decide her next course of action.

(short post is short and poorly done because stress and other things)

No light, no light, no light…

Seth had been in these ruins for so long that the dark was starting to get to him, he felt like he was seeing things now, but he managed to keep his sanity under control. He had been to every corner of these ruins in search of Dean, but to no avail, he was starting to lose hope that his trainer was even here, what if he had given up looking for Seth and went elsewhere to find him, should the snake do the same?
Seth shook his head, trying to not think of the anterior, that Dean had been taken from this world, that he was dead out in that desert, there was no way he was going to think of that, no way in hell was he going to think of it.
He let out a hiss before turning and ramming his head into the wall, feeling some sand fall from the roof onto his slender form. He wasn’t going to think of that, he would never believe his trainer was dead, he wouldn’t believe it, not until he saw his bloody corpse in front of him with his own eyes. It was something he dreaded seeing.
“He’s not dead. He’s not dead!” Seth said to himself, the last phrase he shouted as he slammed his tail onto the ground. His eyes widened. He had been down her too long, the dark and the low air was starting to get to him, he needed to get outside and get a breath of fresh air.

These ruins where like a maze, he couldn’t even find his way to the exit, and he didn’t like the rumbling of the caverns as well, he felt like the whole place was about to fall on top of him. And the sounds of battle where easy to hear through the echoes’ of the ruins, but he couldn’t tell where they where coming from, it was like they where coming from all directions, front, back, even through the walls and ceiling. He hated it.
His tongue flickered out of his mouth, but shook his head as some falling sand had gathered on it and began to spit it out. He was sick of all this sand, he couldn’t wait to be rid of it. Rid of it and this damned cave.

He had finally found an exit, only to enter into something worse then the ruins, a raging sandstorm. He felt like shouting in anger, but kept his mouth shut so he wouldn’t get any of the irritating sand in his mouth again. It made his mouth feel dry, and the taste was not something to be desired. I hate the sand, he thought to himself as he slithered over the shifting sands, though he didn’t get very far till he saw something in the distance. It was a small group of pokemon.
He couldn’t make them out through the sands, only there salutes, there shadows, as there was something in the sky as well, a large beast, and it didn’t seem like it was friendly.
Seth hissed as he slithered closer to the group, till he was able to make out some of them. Two Charizards, one with a smoking tail and the other with a normal flame. Though he wasn’t about to find out what the others where at the moment, right now he simply wanted to know what they where all looking at, so he looked up himself to see what it was, the form of a Hydreigon could be seen in front of them, and from the way it looked, undead was a good word to describe.
“You need any help?” He asked as he slithered up to them, his gaze shifting from them all, though it seems one of the Charizards had gone after one of it’s friends as it went to take on the Hydreigon, at least that’s what he believes it was doing.

((I didn’t know how to introduce Seth into the rp, so I’m hoping this is all right.))

((Skip. Caim and Angie are both with Paladin. :\))

At the offered horns Deanna coiled in delight before lunging and tangling herself into the branch-like appendages. Hissing sweetly in pleasure her tongue trailed out to taste the sweet smell of Autumn that came from the leaves, smiling happily. Oh how she had missed the climb! "Thank you," she hissed down to Harrow before turning to glare at the Undead dragon currently ruining their lives. "Now let's go get that bastard!" Everyone else already seemed to have joined in so it was high time she put in her effort, or at least whatever she had left.

But something else caught her attention first “You need any help?” It...it was an Arbok! Her own evolution! So why was it asking a stupid question? "Noooo..." she spoke down, voice dripping with sarcasm. "I think the five of us who aren't injured can take on a demon all by ourselves." Shaking her head she pointed to the Hydreigon with her rattle before glaring down at him from Harrow's horns. "What do you think?!"

((OOC, don't worry Dara! Deanna will warm up to Seth eventually, she just tends to be piss face at first. Especially around other male serpents considering her history. XD))

"Whoa!" The Charmander exclaimed breathlessly as her brothers' large claws swept her up and held her tight against his chest. She gasped as she saw the charred skin peeling away near the claws to reveal bloodied flesh underneath.
When did he get hurt?! From that giant bug?!

But her attention turned as he landed with a soft thud, a small distance from the battle in a crop of rocks.
"Stay hidden. Whatever happens, don't move." He growled, a claw firmly on her small shoulder.
"I'll come back for you."

The small Charmander grabbed his claw in protest, anger stirring in her eyes. "But you always leave me out! I want to help!"

The Charizard said nothing as he gazed down at her, his jaw clenching.
"Stay here, Mara. You're too weak right now." He said firmly, expanding his wings and launching himself upward.

Mara watched angrily as her brother flew off, trailing after him slowly.
Not this time! I'm not just going to be tossed around!
The Charmander trudged through the thick sands, weak flames licking at her tiny jaws as she tried to summon an attack.

____________________________

Ashes flew higher into the sky, keeping his eye on the multi-headed dragon when another blot appeared, not far from them. The Charizards' eyes grew wide as he recognized what it was.
It's still alive!
The dragon snarled as he turned his sights on the wounded fire moth. Flames shot from his mouth as he raced towards the giant insect, enveloping the creature in the intense heat. His wings beat faster and faster, his powerful body gaining speed as he barreled towards the aerial beast.

(Since Lulu is in SH, I figured we needed another enemy to deal with. I hope it's okay I reintroduced the Volcarona)

"Thank you. Now let's go get that bastard!"

Harrow smiled to himself, admiring the serpent’s enthusiasm and desire to help in the battle with the three-headed behemoth. Still, he hesitated. Looking to Starling, the Absol fighting off dizziness with her usual determination, unwilling to reveal her fatigue, the Sawsbuck gave her a firm look.
“Know… your limits…” He warned, turning to take off to join the battle when another newcomer slithered over. An Arbok offering his assistance evoking naught but a venomous response from Deanna entangled within his antlers.

Starling, however, was significantly more civil towards new company. Ushering a tired smile at the serpent, she gave a nod of her head in greeting. Now wasn’t the time for introductions, a group effort was required to bring down the Hydreigon and the Absol felt obliged to assist. But as Harrow suggested, only when the world stopped spinning. A grunt escaped the deer as he turned away, breaking into a sprint as he headed towards the fray.
“Hold on…” Was his mutter to his serpent passenger as the duo headed off to battle, the Absol left stood aside the newcomer. The other arrival, the ghost, had taken the hint and set off to help fight almost immediately, but she couldn’t blame the serpent for being hesitant. Rationality was precious these days. Why help those who didn’t need it? Why endanger your life for nothing?
“Any help would be great,” Starling answered to the Arbok’s earlier question, taking a deep inhale as the sandy plains finally fell still. Pleased to find the ache in her head dying away, the Absol however soon found the earth was still trembling, the warm sands cascading over white paws.

It happened all too quickly.

The moth; that same demonic moth burst from the ground, the fight still left in its haggard form. Starling’s jaw opened in shock, breaking into a sprint as the sands began to shift more aggressively about her, her only instinct to get out of distance of the ravenous ground. Dodging a flame attack, the Absol felt a shadow pass overhead as the brutish Charizard returned, his efforts focused on the Volcarona rather than the Hydreigon. Sandwiched between two monsters of the highest calibre, Starling knew that there was no time to sit out now.

Using Future Sight, her eyes glowing a vibrant pink as the psychic attack latched onto the writhing fire-moth, Starling looked across to see how the others were faring. Harrow stood between the two gargantuan opponents, probably averse to the fact that both had fire on their side. Still, that had never stopped the deer before. Knowing he would be alright not matter who he targeted, Starling’s attention was soon stolen by a small, orange creature within the sands. Frowning, she soon realized it was the Charmander – a relative of the currently airborne male. Running to the youngster’s side, maternal instincts kicking in, Starling took up a protective stance in front of her.
“You need to stay out of this, darling,” She warned the child, eyes on the moth as it remained mainly distracted by the Charizard setting it alight. “You could get hurt,” Genuinely worried for the wellbeing of such a small creature, Starling refused to leave her side, ready with a Protect were it necessary.

Harrow had seen the moth return, skidding to a halt between the two undead as he was left clueless on who to target. His gut instinct told him to return to assist Starling, but that was selfish – the others couldn’t fight the Hydreigon alone. Straining to catch glimpse of the Ekans in his antlers, he spoke as loud as his damaged voice would permit.
“Which way?” He called, knowing her answer would remain untainted by bias.

(( Phoe, for your next post, just say Harrow ran in the direction of whatever Deanna’s reply was. xD ))

(Skipping since I can't really do anything without Lulu.)

As Caim foolishly ran towards danger, Angelus pumped her wings hard against the biting sands, knowing that if she didn't get to the warmongering ninetales first, he was likely to die. Swooping down with speed she'd once boasted in her prime, she snatched Caim in middair as he'd jumped to clear a large dune of sand. His yelp of surprise was somewhat entertaining, but the red dragon was far too annoyed and angry to give time for a laugh. Especially since he wouldn't stop squirming... "You careless, bloodthirsty, psychotic buffoon!" she roared, carrying him by his underarms through the air, letting his hind legs kick and thrash. "You know as well as I you can't take a behemoth down like that yourself! You were running headfirst into naught but suicide!" Angelus grunted as she had to further adjust her hold on his wriggling form, kicking him with one of her own hind legs to make him stop. "Stop squirming, you ungrateful whelp!"

~"You have no business stopping me, Dragon! That was a Hydreigon! One of Manah's little damned puppets that made both our lives completely and utterly miserable! Or have you conveniently forgotten that?! Is it your old age, hag, finally catching up to you?!"~ He'd expected some sort of angry retort, but instead, he soon found himself harshly shoved face first into a dune with Dragon's weight on his back. She'd landed on him... He was then roughly turned around, Dragon's snarling, cracked face sneering down at him.

"I have all the business in the world to stop you, Caim," she growled, her teeth bared in her threat. "I am the only reason you are still alive, you insolent, ungrateful swine. That was not Manah's Hydreigon, and so you have no business throwing yourself at it like some rabid beast. I will not let you undo all my endeavors because you can't tell which dragon from which! It seems my old, withered memory is better than your bloodstained one!" With that, she lunged her fangs forward, latching onto the metal collar he wore, and then flung him straight back toward the others. He was helpless as he flew through the air, landing hard on his shoulder, earning a pop as it dislocated from the rest of his body.

As Caim bellyached where she'd flung him, Angelus' eyes went to the moth remerging from the collapsed ruins. Of course. Of course it was not done. She'd figured as much, knowing anything that stubborn would never go down in a single fight. Look who her company was... Launching herself back into the air, now following her fellow charizard, she flew over Caim, who was struggling to follow. She paused, hovering in the air to further gripe at him. "You stay there, and keep yourself out of trouble. You can't help with this battle."

~"You withered old crone!"~ he roared, his mental voice audible to any nearby, ~"You dislocated my goddamned shoulder!"~ His injury, though, only caused Dragon to give a mere snort of approval. "Good." With that, she was off, flying toward the behemoth. Snarling furiously, watching her fly away, Caim picked himself up and limped to a nearby rock, where he began to smash his dislocated shoulder against it. He would not be left behind. He would not be abandoned to watch as others fought a fight he could fight. That damned DRAGON wasn't going to get away with this! A snap sounded and a wave of pain and relief simultaneously coursed through him, earning a shuddering gasp for air. He turned, sapphire gaze locked on the writhing moth. He sprang forward, after the others. He would not be left behind.

"Charizard!" Angelus called, bidding to catch her fellow dragon's attention. "Any bright ideas?"

The new serpent remained quiet, suiting Deanna just fine. Despite being raised by a snake breeder she was uncomfortable around others of her kind, especially since that Seviper...but now was not the time for that. Hissing in irritation she drew her attention to loud roars in the distance. It seemed that the moth was not quite dead yet as she had feared and was currently locked in battle with one of the Charizards. Of in the other direction was Monster and Dragon keeping the Hydreigon very busy. But they wouldn't be able to go to the aid of both.

“Which way?”

Harrow seemed to have come to the same conclusion and Deanna was forced to decide for them both. While she didn't particularly think her low level would be of much help in either case her poison had gotten to the moth once. And it seemed Monster and Dragon had things fairly well under control on their end. Lowering her tail before Harrow's eyes she pointed it in the direction of the lone male fighting off his fellow fire type. "That way." Her words were short and to the point but she could feel the Sawsbuck begin to run in the direction she had indicated, leaving Deanna a few moments to power up her Poison Sting once more and take aim as they drew nearer to the beast.

As Mara blundered weakly through the thick sands, a sudden white and furred body bolted to her side before standing defiantly in front of her. Mara tumbled to her knees from the harsh winds, her claw shielding her eyes from the biting sands. The young Charmander gazed up at the large feline. “You need to stay out of this, darling, You could get hurt.”

She hissed angrily, her frantic gaze darting to the sky, where her brother was fighting. "No! I need to do this! I need to help!" She whimpered, her deep voice quickly snatched away by the winds.
The Charmander Growled at the Absol, knowing it wouldn't do much, but was desperate to get past. "Get out of the way!" She dashed to the left of the feline as fast as her small legs would carry her.

_______________________

"Charizard! Any bright ideas?"
Ashes ceased his flamethrower, using aerial tactics to avoid the crazed thrashing of the moth before flying closer to the old hag. The flame dragon opened his mouth to respond when a shrill and painful buzzing erupted out of the enormous fire bug. Ashes roared in shock and pain, his claws going to his head as he began to fly out of control. The sound was like none he'd ever heard before- it was like a thousand bees were suddenly placed in his head and shaken past rage. In a fit of disorientation, the Charizard barreled into the ground.

Moments later, the Charizard got to his feet, sand falling off of his scaled body in torrents. Ashes snarled in pure annoyance as he looked up to the bug in the sky above him.
The wings. No more wings.
Extending his wings, he forced them downward, heaving his body upwards. Dashing past the dark skinned dragon, he barked out a command.
"Follow my lead!"

(Starling is free to do what's needed to stop Mara from getting herself in trouble. Volcarona used Bug Buzz to attack them, so everyone knows. And Silv dear, he's gonna tackle one of the Volcaronas' wings. They're gonna eventually tear off its' wings, but I think the others wanna get in some action first, so maybe they can do some clever flying first to disorient it while the others get in some attacks)

"That way."

Harrow merely gave a curt nod as the serpent’s tail fell into vision, single eye registering the gesture as he set off. Stampeding through the sands, growing more accustomed to the unstable ground with each footfall, the Sawsbuck kept his head level in a bid to ease the Ekans’ bumpy ride. As he neared the moth, the male dragon already keeping the thrashing beast occupied alongside the other fire duo – the Ninetales of which boasting a new limp - the deer skidded to a halt.

Stood fearlessly before the flames with the intention to get a good hit, the buck’s demeanour only faltered when a ferocious buzzing ran through his head. Wincing, head subconsciously lowered in a bid to quell the frenzied sound, Harrow was relieved when it finally silenced. Muttering a quick, near-unintelligible apology to his passenger for the sudden movement, the buck made a particularly fast recovery. Composure regained, almost valiant in his stance, Harrow refrained from attacking.

The Thunder Wave could damage the Ekans perched atop his head and any other attack would be out of range. Watching the moth locked in an aerial battle, Harrow could do nothing more than stare up at the beast, expertly dodging the flames that were prone to toppling towards land.

---

"No! I need to do this! I need to help! Get out of the way!"

Starling was taken back at the child’s ferocity, stumbling at the feeble attack as her energy was sapped even more significantly. In the second of recovery, the Charmander has sprinted past her, headed for the fray and no doubt dead-set on helping what Starling could only presume was some kind of relation.
“Wait!” She called after her, a maternal instinct kicking in at the sight of the child running towards the monstrous Volcarona. Pursuing her, the Absol suddenly immune to her own lacking health at the risk of seeing the youth harmed, the feline’s pace quickened as the flames neared. A rogue Flamethrower was headed straight for the child. Knowing there would be no time to dodge it, Starling leapt over the Charmander, landing directly in front of her to face of the moths’ attack. The Protect engulfed the duo just as the flames hit the barrier.

Her stance as strong as her force field, Starling still felt the heat of the attack seeping into her bones. Past the fiery wall, she could see that the battle had been taken to the skies, the moth thoroughly distracted as the flames were soon quenched. Turning to Mara, the Protect dispelled, the feline’s features were hard.
“He’ll be okay,” She said sternly, not wanting to harm the youngster’s feelings, the bond holding her to the unnerving Charizard more than apparent in her few words. “He downed that moth once, he can do it again – this time for good,” A small, determined smile formed over her lips as she took another look to the chaotic scene behind. This was no place for a child. “Now, don’t struggle,” Starling stooped over the youngster then, gently lifting the dragon in her jaws before beginning to run out of harm’s way.

(( PM me if anything needs to be edited. ))

(OTL skip i don't have the time to post i didn't even realize i had a warning yesterday even though i checked the thread.)

((Please skip, I don't know what to have Seth do at the moment.))

"HOW DARE YOU FUCKING DO THAT YOU UGLY EXCUSE FOR A DRAGON?" With the Ninetales racing at him with the Charizard in tow, the Hydreigon didn't know whether to feel insulted at the Spiritomb's remark, or laugh. The Dark Pulse set his way hit the dragon's chest, but Paladin barely reacted to the move, busying himself with watching the black fox as it sprinted towards the dragon's battered and burnt body. As the fire-type leaped, the older dragon had caught Caim, flinging him away.

In mild amusement, Paladin flaoted higher in the sky to watch as another undead, a Volcarona, arose. The group was busying themselves in fighting it, all with the exception of the lone ghost-type. His eye catches the sight of the Arbok as well, and grins with malice. Flexing his jaws, they begin to crackle with life as electricity stretches like vines across his face. Suddenly he speeds downwards, targetting the purple serpent, the Thunder Fang growing swiftly in power as he fell towards the Earth. "You're... MINE!"

"Follow my lead!"

Angelus had been worried when the buzzing attack had caused her fellow fire dragon to fall, but with renewed vigor, he flew back upward, rocketing toward the moth. His call spurned her on, indeed following his aerial trail as the sands continued to mercilessly sting at her eyes. But such trivial damage was nothing compared to the threat that moth posed, nor the hydreigon that they left behind. She gritted her teeth in thought; that jackal would have to come later. This moth was the first priority.

She dove in, going to a wing opposite the other charizard, one right in the middle. She pierced through the thin appendage, but had to circle around once more for her to begin gnawing on it, ripping it easily from its body. The flame-colored wing fell to the ground, and soon, she spotted a moving ebony spot making its way over the falling wing, desperately trying to latch onto the moth.

Curse your stubbornness, Caim...

It didn't take long for the ninetales to catch up to the others, taking a place beside the buck and the little snake. At least she'd found a more suitable and willing perch... As Dragon and the other charizard flew about the moth, Caim quickly realized that the bug was far too high in the air to try and get a hold of. And without his flamethrower, all he could really hope to do was bite out the other eye. Damn that dragon for laming me-- if not for her meddling, I could have already gotten atop that beast.

Snorting in anger, he didn't see his opportunity until Dragon ripped a wing off, its giant form floating harmlessly down as the creature wailed in rage. His sapphire eyes widening in realization, his legs carried him quickly over the distance that separated them, leaping onto it as it fell. Trying to outrun the falling wing to gain enough distance before the leap, Caim's shoulder quickly protested, causing him to flinch and fall with the rest of the wing.

DAMN IT! he snapped in his own mind, emerging out of the wing back to his place by the buck, pacing like a caged animal. There was the battle, right there, and all he could do was bloody watch. It was maddening. He even got a glimpse of the satisfied smirk Dragon held after his failed attempt of boarding the moth. Oh ho. No, that smirk would not be there long. He paced more, tails twitching and thrashing, eyes intent on the bug before him as Dragon continued to fly about the moth. There were five more wings, five more chances.

((Just to be clear, Angie took out only one wing, the middle one on one of the sides. The moth is still up, and shouldn't fall until it's down to like two or three wings.))

Deanna was more than aware that Harrow wasn't participating because of her as a passenger. Monster had never been so careful so it was confusing the Ekans as she tried to coil herself away from the dodging flames. She watched as the two dragons went after the moth and witnessing Dragon tear off one of the wings made her realized just what they were trying to do. They were going to ground it. Realizing that tearing off just one wing wasn't going to do, and knowing that the Sawsbuck was going to need it closer to earth to help, Deanna made her decisions.

"Harrow get closer!" she hissed, tensing herself in the branch-like horns. "I have an idea!" As the deer moved dangerously close to the moth Deanna loosened her coils and reared back, waiting for just the right moment to leap from her pedestal and latch her mouth onto one of the lower wings of the great moth. She hung there like a cheap piece of jewelery for several moments, struggling to shift her weight back and forth until she finally felt a shift. Her body went significantly lower very quickly and soon the wing tore completely off.

Gravity took hold of Deanna immediately, the large delicate membrane doing nothing to catch the wind as the Ekans plummeted to the ground, ember scales flying off of the Volcarona's wing and making a trail showing her descent. She hit the sands with a thud, sand pouring around her as more fiery embers exploded out and melted the sand into glass. Deanna was buried beneath wing and glass and no movement could be seen. Anywhere. She had been buried alive.

((Okay guys! Let's go with the plan! Everyone think Deanna is dead and don't try to help her.))

“Wait!”
Mara bolted forward, the deep sands tugging at her feet, as if it too was trying to hold her back. But her green eyes were on the battle above them. But the lizards' dash came to a halt as an enormous flame blast came rushing towards her. The Charmander held her breath in fear, unable to move. A sudden blur of white fur suddenly appeared in front of her; and instead of searing hot flames, a bubble engulfed them.

Mara looked up at the Absol, her mouth agape in shock. The feline had a fierce look on her face; something she saw on her brothers' face all too often. The little dragon curled her tail under her instinctively, hoping the white furred creature wouldn't hurt her.
“He’ll be okay. He downed that moth once, he can do it again – this time for good.” She said, a small smiling curling her lips.
Mara blinked in confusion, her head raising a bit from her defensive posture. The Charmander followed the Absols' gaze to the battle above them, her eyes on her brother.
He'll be okay...
“Now, don’t struggle,” The Absol said softly, stooping over the lizard. Mara flinched slightly, but allowed herself to be lifted up and away by the scruff of her neck. She watched the fight continue from the jaws of the feline, clinging to her tail and tucking in her legs as she was carried away.

________________

Ashes grinned with a giddy ferocity as the other Charizard joined him, plowing into the giant moth. Ashes roared as he collided with the bug, his claws slashing at the bright, fiery wing. The undead screeched thrashing its' body to fling them off. The Charizard stole a glance at the other dragon, and realizing the snake had also joined in the fray, latching onto the lowest wing, and the others waited below, seemingly knowing what they intended. The young Charizard slashed at the thin membrane, severing the thick cartilage just as he heard the monster shriek and toss frantically. He latched onto the monster tightly, watching as the Ekans fell with the fiery wing in mouth.
The heat will be too much for her type...
Stupid...but brave.

Hadn’t the hazardous flames been enough trouble for the grounded Sawsbuck, the addition of dismembered, fiery wings was rubbing the matter in. Dodging the falling appendages as best he could, finding a particularly riled-up Ninetales now pacing aside him, Harrow was left mainly unable to assist. His attacks couldn’t reach that high up, and whilst he now understood the dragons’ plan, he was still unable to partake. But his company seemed unfazed by the matter. Watching the canine attempt and fail to reach the skies, Harrow snorted, half-amused at the spectacle until his attention was robbed by his passenger’s demands.

"Harrow get closer! I have an idea!"

Nodding his head, the buck remained obedient. Whilst he himself was content to simply observe the battle, he was never one to rob another of their pleasure. Deanna wanted to fight and he intended to help her. Running forward, picking up speed for leaping towards the moth – Harrow felt the light weight of the serpent leave his antlers as he landed on solid ground once more. Turning, he witnessed the reptile hanging from a wing, weighing the undead down as she slowly tore the item from its body. Harrow saw opportunity to help.

Propelling himself to the now significantly lowered moth, the deer made contact with another of the lower wings with a Jump Kick. The brutal contact failed to rip the entire appendage off, but did succeed in shredding the majority of the delicate wing – the buck’s speed the only thing preventing him being crushed by the fiery item. Above him, Starling’s Future Sight had hit – removing another wing with startling accuracy. But as Harrow beheld the rapidly weakening creature, the Ekan’s absence alarmed him.
“Deanna?” He called as loudly as his hoarse throat was permit. Constantly moving, concious of the ongoing threat of falling body parts and flames – the buck failed to distinguish his serpent friend amidst the chaos. The female was gone – along with the wing she had clung to. Unable to dwell on the matter or the fate of the valiant reptile, Harrow’s attention had returned to the dying undead. Just a little lower and they could end this.

--

Starling was pleased the Charmander hadn’t put up a fight, falling limp on orders as she carried the child away from the violence. But of course, things were never that simple. As her body flared with psychic ability, her Future Sight attacking rushing through the undead she’d left behind, the Absol only momentarily looked back to the chaos. Despite the aggression, the pure brutality of ripping the fire-type apart, the group worked well together. She was confident they could deal with that threat at least.

As a roar echoed out from behind her, Starling was reminded of the Hydreigon. The recently arrived ghost was left staring alone in the face of a monster, the three-headed beast now turned to the equally new Arbok. The Absol grew rigid, caught between a rock and a hard place whilst a vulnerable child dangled from her jaws. She wanted to help, but maternal instincts would not permit her to drop Mara. She wouldn’t leave the fire-type helpless in this grand mess.
’Look out!’ Screaming, her telepathic words destined only for the Arbok the beast was targeting, Starling watched apologetically from a distance. Unable to physically fight whilst responsible for such an innocent soul, the Absol could do little more than pray for the best.

(( Harrow and Starling have both had a wing now. Unless anyone wants to get in another hit or two, Harrow will go ahead and push it off the cliff on my next turn.))

(( I'm a little lost on what's happening, so I'll skip again. Seth is simply watching the other's fight. I'll be sure to have him do something my next turn. ))

The battle was a confused mess of fire, sand and more sand. Both dragons above him were circling, each taking a wing off of the beast. As Caim prowled for an opportunity, he only managed to spot the buck sprinting toward the beast in what looked a pretty foolish maneuver; after all, both of the monster's types spelled death for the deer. Nevertheless, it wasn't until he saw the snake's purple body literally flung off his antlers did the ninetales understand. Ears perked, his warmongering momentarily forgotten, he watched with morbid fascination as she clamped onto a wing much as he had, and ripped it from the moth. However, she wasn't strong enough to ride the wing, and so it collapsed onto her, a literal wall of flame.

"~No~!" his mental voice cried out, ebony tails flaring. But he didn't get a proper chance to try and find the small snake amidst the flames as the moth roared in protest, its great bulk slowly descending downward to the sands below as its body no longer held the strength to keep it aloft. In its rage, it let out a terrible pillar of flame, snaking its way through the air to a nearby group of pokemon, obliterating a spiritomb that had been unfortunate enough to run their way from the hydreigon. How a spiritomb had managed movement was beyond Caim, but what mattered now was that the bug was now in reach. Flashing his fangs in both eagerness and anger, he rushed forward and leapt onto the moth's abdomen, ready to tear the undead's flesh completely asunder.

However, it was once more not meant to be. Angelus had been busy keeping the moth occupied as the others tore at its wings alongside her fellow charizard, but the moth seemed to have caught onto her plan. Roaring, he snatched her out of the air with his mandibles, her left wing trapped in the creature's maw. Bones creaked and groaned at the force, the moth trying hungrily to render her flesh from bone. She screamed in pain, retaliating with a flamethrower to the beast's blind eye. It released, and she was cast down into the sands, Caim nearly breaking her fall.

Bruised and battered, it was difficult picking herself up from the fall, only to collapse back down into the dune. Caim stared, unsure of what he should do. He didn't know medicine or basic healing-- he only knew how to deal the wounds, not make them better. Staring at his fallen comrade, he turned his attenion back to the moth and took a defensive stance in front of Dragon. It was all he could do...

((lame post is lame... =_=))

((Skip, Deanna is still trapped. I will post as soon as the Volcarona is dead. ^_^))