Round Two

(Set July 24th, closed to 627 and 'Tani for the most part but it'll be open later for other Heroes to come in and help.)

Vitani breathed in a deep sigh of relief. She was finally declared fit enough to resume training which she was very glad about, merely sitting around the camp and wandering through the jungle had quickly bored her. To add to her boredom, she was told she couldn't have fun with Mooch and Gurri for fear of injuring herself more.

But that was over now. She was a hundred percent healthy and eager to get her claws into training or adventures with her two friends.

The young lioness walked back from the MASH tent, her sapphire eyes darting around for any sign of either Mooch or Gurri, intending to surprise them with her good news that she was finally able to play with them again. It was still fairly early in the Heroes Camp so not many people were around, either still sleeping or away to get some food from the Mess.

It was then that a familiar scent filled Vitani's nose and it caused her to stop in her tracks. A low growl ripped from her maw and her lips pulled back to reveal her teeth.

He was back. The experiment who had busted her rib to start with. He was back again.

Back indeed, and taking an enormous risk. But he didn't care. It wouldn't be the first time the experiment had acted recklessly without really thinking through the consequences, but this time he couldn't help himself. That bloodthirsty voice had reared its ugly head in his subconscious, the same voice that seemed to reverberate throughout his entire being, drive his actions, drive his thoughts toward one singular, solitary goal - doing evil. It was so strong, so powerful, that it was all he could think to say.
He lay crouched in the grasses close by the young lioness, his lips pulled back in a horrible snarl. He could hardly even remember the reason why he was so intent to kill this young lioness....L...Leroy. Yes. She killed Leroy. The sad irony was that his intentions before hardly mattered now. He just wanted to kill. Kill because the voice in his head said so. The voice in his head said 'do evil' ... do evil. Evil. Evil. Evil. "Evil..." He muttered under his breath, not even caring if Vitani heard him.

He wasn't even invisible. He was laying for all intents and purposes in plain sight, his bright orange-red fur impossible to miss even by the least observant of eyes. He just didn't care. He had one purpose and one purpose only: To kill Vitani.

"EVIL!!" With a roar he sprung from the grasses, charging on all fours at the young lioness in an attempt to bowl her over.

"EVIL!"

Vitani knew what was coming before she heard the experiment's roar. A snarl ripped from her throat as she turned to face the charging experiment. He was coming at her fast and she quickly side-stepped him, he'd unbalance himself easily if he tried a turn at the speed her was going.

This time, Vitani assured herself, she would be the one who had that experiment under her claws. He'd be the one in pain, not her. Still, she didn't understand his motivation for a return visit to the Pridelands. He'd gotten his revenge last time...what more could he possibly want with her?

He's a villain. He doesn't need a reason to hurt people. She reminded herself. He was, using his own word, evil.

It shouldn't have been so easy for her to dodge him. Wouldn't have, if he was thinking clearly. But he was too bloody mad. So when she sidestepped him, he tried to turn around to lunge at her and wound up taking a tumble into the dirt. Clumsily he stumbled back to his feet, coughing out dust. "Evil!!" He shook his head roughly, flinging dust everywhere, and charged at her again, on two legs this time. He wanted to feel her flesh in his claws.

"Evil, evil!!"

Vitani crouched to the ground baring her teeth to the experiment. He came charging wildly at her and she knew that she had the advantage this time.

The experiment seemed to pay no heed to anything and simply ran at her screaming like some fluffy red demon. He was wild and not paying attention to anything other than desire to cause her serious injury, and that's where the young lioness saw her opportunity.

With a roar she pounced at 627, her claws unsheathed and ready to cleave into his flesh if when she connected with him.

Unfortunately for her, this time 627 was able to see the attack coming. He skidded mid-run, trying to stop, and ducked just before the lioness cub connected with him, waiting as she went sailing over his head. Lightning fast, he whipped his head around and blew hard, letting out a blast of arctic wind that would freeze Vitani where she stood if she wasn't fast enough to dodge it.

Vitani sailed over 627's head and barely managed to dodge his icy blast by twisting left at the last moment. She remembered that from the last time that she had fought him.

She gave a low feral growl at the experiment. She had gotten ahead of herself, she knew this experiment was both very very strong and very smart. A leathal combination if he was in his right mind, which Vitani could clearly see that he wasn't. He was unhinged, wild and manic, he definately was not thinking clearly and that would be her only advantage because he could easily best her in almost everything else.

The lioness circled around him, careful to keep herself out of arms length, growling all the while.

"FIGHT ME, LION!!" 627 barked, aggravated by the fact she was being cautious and not rushing headlong to attack him. A memory had just burst into his conscious, fighting through the maddening voice commanding him to do evil. Evil, evil... "YOU KILL LEROY!!" He roared, "I KILL YOU!! RAGGGGGGGHHHH!!" And he charged at her again, as though he intended to tackle her to the ground again. However, this time he reared his right fist back, and as he did, it began to glow with an unknown substance. He threw his fist forward, and the substance expanded into a beam, a laser, which headed in Vitani's direction with deadly accuracy.

(Just wondering, do you want 627 to be injured in this or not?)

Vitani stared at the experiment with wide eyes. He thought she'd killed his friend...that was why he came back for her. Yet she hadn't been near the other experiment since she had injured him over a month before. She didn't even know he was dead! This experiment seemed convinced otherwise and maybe that was why he seemed so unhinged.

"I didn't kill --" she began but had to dart away when 627 charged at her again.

He fired some kind of laser at her and although she tried to avoid it, it singed her fur on the way by and burned the skin beneath on her left flank. Vitani grit her teeth to prevent herself from roaring in pain which took nearly all of her self restraint. It seemed that even if she stayed out of the experiment's reach that he could still hurt her.

"I didn't kill Leroy!" she yelled at him, using the name he had given the other experiment "I didn't kill him!"

The fact that she seemed so convinced she was innocent made 627 even angrier. He roared, a sound not unlike that of a grown lion or a bear, and began shooting beams at her repeatedly, trying to hit the little lion so he could knock her to the ground. "YOU KILL HIM!! IF NOT FOR YOU, LEROY NOT BE INJURED!! HE NOT DROWNED!!" He kept firing the lasers. Firing, firing, firing, working himself into a frenzy. "YOUR FAULT!! YOUR FAULT YOUR FAULT YOUR FAULT!!!"

(I wasn't planning on it xD but I guess it'd be unfair if she didn't get SOME hits in.)

Vitani kept having to twist out of the way as the experiment became angrier and angrier. She didn't kill his friend but he pinned the blame on her nonetheless. Apparently he had drowned, she had heard that the Outlands flooded but she hadn't heard that there had been casulties. Still, Scar would be too proud to move his troops if the flood waters began to rise.

She began to slow, she was getting tired of dodging but the experiment was showing no signs of stopping. He wanted her dead. He wanted to kill her for something she was innocent of. While she admitted, yes, it might have partially been her fault that the experiment Leroy had drowned because of his injury but it would have been nearly completely healed by the time the floods had come.

Another beam caught her and she found herself thrown back, she hit the ground hard on her right side and slid through the dirt for a few yards before stopping. Her right side smarter and her left flank still burned. She pushed herself back to her paws again and stared her attacker down.

"I know you're upset." she said "I know what you're feeling. I've been there too. Killing me won't bring him back and it won't make the hurting go away. I didn't kill Leroy and I think you know that. It's okay to feel hurt but killing me isn't the answer."

Strangely, Vitani's words seemed to sear through the heart of the monster. He squinted at her, gritting his teeth as angry, pain-filled hot tears squeezed out of the corners of his eyes. Because deep deep down, part of him knew she was right. The stronger half still wanted her dead. "RAAGGHHHH!!!" He screamed, torn between the two halves of himself, still shedding unwanted tears. It WAS her fault, it was HER fault and she KNEW it. She was just trying to upset him!!

"EVIL, EVIL!!" He cried and resumed firing lasers at her. "YOUR FAULT!! Your fault!!"

For a brief moment, one brief glimmering moment, Vitani thought she might have gotten through to the red-furred experiment. He had stopped firing those lasers of his at her and had stilled for a moment, squinting at her. She considered it a victory that he had even stopped at all.

Then that moment ended.

He roared at her and resumed firing. Vitani grit her teeth, attempting to dodge and out manoeuvre the experiment's wold blasts but she couldn't go on forever. She knew that soon enough she would run out of energy but it didn't seem that 627 was tiring. She would be unable to stop him from killing her.

Still, she gritted her teeth and kept dodging.

627 continued for several minutes, pouring his anger into his laser blasts, teeth gritted and eyes shedding hot tears. Eventually though, his emotions got the better of him. He snorted, breaking down completely, and his blasts slowed and ceased altogether. He dropped to his knees, snorting noisy tears. It hurt it hurt it hurt Leroy's death HURT. And it wouldn't stop hurting, and it hurt worse that he couldn't kill this little lion. He still believed killing her would bring some sort of sick satisfaction, but his heart had been seared by her words. He couldn't stop thinking about what she'd said..that killing her wouldn't bring Leroy back. But it would make him happy...wouldn't it?

These thoughts went through his mind, as he snorted out tears, unable to keep them inside any more. It was as if someone had unplugged a cork in his heart.

(mph...hope this is believeable for 627 x.x)

The experiment stopped for a second time and Vitani could only watch as he sunk to his knees, sobbing noisily. She blinked at him, he seemed to go from vengeful to heartbroken in an instant and it shocked her slightly to see the experiment in such a state. She stood for a moment, watching him.

She could easily escape, run and tell someone about the experiment and 627 would probably be taken somewhere to be held as a prisoner...but she didn't. Instead, for a reason she didn't quite unstand herself, she took a cautious step towards the sobbing experiment. Her ears flattened against her skull, her muscles tense in case the experiment returned to his previously hate-filled state.