Sun's Up, Blood's Out

(April 3rd. Open to all three sides of the army for a battle. HIGH RISK THREAD. YOUR CHARACTER MIGHT DIE IF THEY ENTER INTO A BATTLE THEY CAN'T HANDLE.)

It had started with a hunting accident but Bubbha couldn't have given less of a crap. His dagger sharp, hook shaped claws clicked a flat stone beneath his feet. Zira had sounded the alarm. That was all he needed. He didn’t need a backstory to the fight. He just needed the fight. His chest heaven in air as he lifted his head and let out a loud holler. “YEEEEEEEHOOOOOO!” He clucked up at the air. He watched the stray antelope get out of the way. The temptation was great to take one down but he had a job to do.

His eyes flicked to the creatures before him. He spotted some heroes, some villains. The call to arms had just been announced so many hadn’t found an opponent. That wasn’t going to be him for long.

The male lept upwards; the agility of his species shining through like the sun on his claws. The sun was going to make it a hell of a lot easier to sink his teeth into whoever was unfortunate enough to be on the receiving end.

(Bubbha's gonna land on whoever so, anyone who wants to be his pin cushion be my guest.)

 It was the second sunrise the Pridelands had seen for countless days, and Malkia was intending to make the most of it. She, and a small group of heroes who had wanted to accompany her, had decided to go on a stroll through the Kingdom, and really see it for the first time since what felt like an eternity.

 Malkia had been intended to visit all the major animal families of the Pridelands, to make sure they were all okay and had not left or perished in the Great Darkness. She had just finished with the giraffes and was making her way over to the gazelles when she saw the villains.

 She let loose an involuntary trumpet of alarm, which coupled with the appearance of the villains, and sent the gazelles into flight. She made a mock charge at the back of the herd to make sure they were out of danger's path, and then turned her attention on the real enemies.

 She cast one glance at the heroes who were with her, then charged straight into the ranks of the animal-based villains, bravery coming with bulk. Her head was lowered, her tusks were thrust forward, and were eyes were locked on Zira. Of all the villains on either side, she hated her, her mate, and their "pet hyena" the most. The elephant was of the opinion that if she could cut off the head, she could kill the snake.

  She was so focused on the ground however, that she was not paying attention to the air above her, and was totally unprepared when the raptor hit her like a hot knife. Bubbha's claws only narrowly missed her eyes, but still caused a stream of blood to flow out on instant contact. The elephant roared in displeasure and staggered backwards as the dinosaur attempted to grasp his mouth around her forehead. Her head shook and her ears flapped, as the pillar-like legs churned up a storm of dust. The pain was totally unexpected and surprisingly unbearable, the ancient carnivore's weapons were unexpectedly well adapted to thick hides.

Her vision was blocked by the scaled and feathered body, but nonetheless she brought up her trunk in fruitless attempts to swat her attacker down.

Keening and caterwauling clamor pervaded the stage as the sodden ground became oily with ichor, and the bitter, mordant miasma of corpses emanated from it, enticing an opportunistic hyena cub like a moth to a flame. Janja skulked close by, searching for an easy meal. Buddha sprang.

---

From a high ledge, Kaiser and Hakeem conscientiously scrutinized the grassland. Beasts of assorted shapes and sizes pullulated and swayed below them like corn in a field. It seemed that there were more of them than a thousand bushels could hold. An unrelenting tempest of barbed arrows and gunfire sprang onto the somber sky. They fizzed and sizzled before striking their targets. Cerise blood  sprayed into the air. It was butchery. Soon, the effluvium of death shall envelop them all.

"Are you sure you're up to this?" Kaiser asked Hakeem for the hundredth time. "It's not too late to go home..."

---

Buddha landed on an elephant's head. Janja's eyes grew to the size of dinner plates. The not-so-gentle giant unleashed a fearsome roar as she staggered. A big shadow encompassed him. "Oh no." To avoid getting crushed in the process, the pup quickly ditched his hiding spot and fled right into the open, putting himself in harm's way.

---

Last time Nasira was in the Pride Lands, she defeated Shang, but a brave bordering stupid mongrel prevented her from delivering the final blow. Even though the mutt was no match for Nasira, he did distract her long enough for a medic to take Shang away. That was why Nasira brought Sol with her this time. She needed somebody to watch her back in case anybody tried to stop her from doing her job. She was also eager to see the "Silver Shadow" in action. 

"Let's go, Sol. I don't want to run into-"

They'd only gone out to see the sun, to enjoy its warmth as they walked along in a small pack behind the towering figure of Malkia. But as quickly as it had began, the peace had ended, dissolving into utter chaos. Malkia had sounded the alarm, and the heroes behind her leapt into action, knowing exactly what their duty was. Among these heroes stood Clopin, Bob, Dante, and Cinderbelle, who had tagged along with them. Over the weeks she had been staying with Clopin, her hair and fur was no longer patchy and falling out.Her body, although tall, was now robust and strong. Her eyes had begun to show emotion, showing that there was definitely a human side to the large canine. And along with Dante, Clopin cared deeply for her and her safety. But he knew just as well that she was a formidable fighter--she always had been. He finally had a reason to fight again.

"Bob!"

The unicorn had become quite used to the gypsy king's call by now, and while he normally would have loafed around and messed with him, he knew just as well as anybody that now was certainly not the time. Bob gulped as he looked over the increasing carnage, eyes growing wider by the second. But he put his fears aside as he came galloping to the general's side. He had joined this war for a reason, and he wasn't about to back down now. He had to fight, if only so that his precious sister would be safe. Pink tail lashed slowly in anticipation, as Clopin hopped onto his back effortlessly. Rearing up with a powerful whinny, Bob took off with amazing speed, pink hooves pelting the grass as he followed Clopin's orders. From the unicorn's back, Clopin could see his opponents a bit better. Most were animals, but where were the humans?

Suddenly, his dark brown gaze locked onto one human villain in particular:

"It's her." Clopin growled. His voice was low, almost low enough to where Bob couldn't register what he had said. Oh, if she had audacity to show up here, then it was a fight she was going to get, especially for what she had done to his dear Belle. All the pain and misery that she felt...Clopin was going to throw it right back into Nasira's face. He turned Bob in her direction, causing the unicorn to skid slightly, as he rapidly changed direction. As he came closer to his target, Clopin summoned his scythe, raising high above his head as Bob continued to gallop. A slightly dark aura enveloped the gypsy king, and his eyes grew somewhat darker, hiding a faint violet glow in their depths. It was if one was staring into the eyes of the horseman of death.

"NASIRA! Are you looking for me?!" Clopin announced, his voice a mix of his own and something that was not quite human.

-----

Meanwhile, Dante had been left behind with Cinderbelle, watching his king gallop off on the back of the pink-haired unicorn. He turned his silver head to look up at the canine that was twice his size, but who he no longer feared.

"Belle? Are you sure you're ready to go back into battle?" Dante asked, emerald eyes meeting her hazel gaze. He didn't need to tell Belle just how much Clopin cared, and how devastated he would be if something happened to her out there--she already knew. The silver wolfdog sighed deeply, before turning his gaze to the battlefield before them. If she was going to fight, he was going to come with her.

"Allons-y!" Dante barked, as he leapt into the fray.

-----

Sol had heard about the plans long before the fight had even happened. As she and Nasira stepped onto the battlefield, it had already descended into chaos. Her sky blue eyes were filled with a mix of excitement and apprehension. But she knew as well as her handler that this was to be the perfect opportunity fo her to prove herself once more to Nasira. She had absolutely no clue where her siblings were, but if their handlers were at least competent soldiers, she figured they would be here. The silver Akita dutifully walked beside Nasira, as the sorceress spoke.

"Let's go, Sol. I don't want to run into-"

As if on cue, her acute hearing picked up the thunderous noise of galloping hooves, coming straight in their direction. Sol swung her head around to see a pure white horse with a horn on its head, and with a shock of pink hair. The sight of him in the sunlight was nearly blinding. On his back sat a lanky man, dressed in violet clothes, who wore a rather large hat with a golden feather bobbing in the wind as the white horse came closer to them. But she could see it in his eyes...that was no ordinary human. Sol's instincts kicked in immediately, at such a speed that even Leila would be proud of her. She felt no fear, just pure adrenaline. The Silver Shadow took off with her teeth bared, charging at the unicorn before Nasira could even give her any orders, moving quickly, but making almost no sound.

It had worked, his attack. Bubbha grinned through a mouthful of skin. This was what he was used to. Fighting them big monsters. However, he was used to hunting with his pack. So when Malkia tried to throw him off, Bubbha had to scramble to stay on top. His teeth gripped as he let go of the ancient skin, his claws scrambling up the side of the elephant's trunk. Where was Earl or Lurlene when he needed them? His pack mates would distract the elephant and take her down from behind. But the male had no back up. So he was on his own.

He gave a loud snarl, eyes narrowing as he steadied himself, finding himself balancing his claws on her tusks. He glared into her old eyes. A challenge. "Come at me, girl," he growled, "Whatchu got?!"

----

"Naw yo! This is gonna be sooooo cool!"

Hakeem was excited beyond belief. He'd been chatting away the whole time they were headed to battle. He couldn't believe it...he was going to fight! He was going to show them now...show them he could be more than a piddling puppy at the bottom of his class. His tail batted back and forth in a funny little whip as he watched the carnage. He gave his brother a sick grin, ears folded back and teeth gritted.

"C'mon bro! Let's do this!"

Vitani hadn't joined a battle in a long time - she had seen no reason to. Sure, she had went to the required training sessions they had, but that was pretty much it for her. Ever since she had seen Scamp, Vitani had kept to herself for the most part, refusing to come out of the tent. But then... then the sun had come back. And it had been like a breath of fresh air for the lioness.

When Malkia had trumpeted, Vitani had pulled herself out of camp, deciding to fight. Blue eyes glittering as they searched for an opponent. She wasn't sure who to fight yet... there were two opponents that Vitani considered for a moment. The two dogs were together, looking as if they were a team of sorts. Vitani didn't want to get teamed on as soon as she began.

No... the other opponent which was currently open was a hyena. And right now was the perfect moment to attack. With him stumbling out of the way of being crushed, Vitani narrowed her eyes to slits, before silently thanking Malkia for this opening. Vitani rounded on Janja's backside, one paw up in the air, claws out, poised to strike at Janja's back, hoping to catch the hyena off his guard,.

Nasira pivoted. She might as well experienced cardiopulmonary arrest because what the necromancer beheld was equally frightening: "Clopin!" The scythe-wielding master of tomfoolery was back. On the back of a unicorn.

Wait, what?

Nasira did a double take. 

"NASIRA! Are you looking for me?!"

Huh. That was weird. Nasira made a mental note to get more sleep. "I was expecting somebody a bit taller, but you'll do," she sneered.

Nasira hastily analyzed the predicament. They were outnumbered; already, the odds were in in Clopin's favor. Given the self-proclaimed "gypsy king's" dynamic sorcery, premeditating his moves was next to impossible. 

She unflinchingly kept her dark eyes fixed on Clopin's dark brown ones, trying to envisage what he'd do first. She knew he was a proficient magician from their other battles, and by sheer perseverance and candidly, luck, she eschewed dying. Taking him down by her lonesome was unlikely, but that did not mean Nasira had to go home down a couple pints of blood. A direct attack would be exceedingly dangerous. For now, she resolved to solely focus on defending herself until she either learned the extent of Clopin's powers or until reinforcements arrived. 

Sol rushed forward. Nasira held her staff up in front of her and prepared to block anything Clopin threw at her. 

"If it's a fight you want, then have at it."

Kaiser snarled and took a swipe at Hakeem. "This isn't a game!" he snapped. "If you lose, there are real consequences! Remember that!"

To say he was concerned for his younger brother would have been the understatement of a lifetime. It was evident Hakeem was not ready. Everything was just a silly game to him!  I have no choice. Hakeem had a handler now. If he was to fulfill his duty, he must see for himself what they were up against. His life may depend on it. If something happened to Hakeem, Kaiser would never forgive himself.

"Since you're so eager to begin, why don't you select our opponent?" Kaiser suggested. "Who is worthy of our time?"

---

"OW!" The blow knocked the cub off his paws. Janja looked up. "Lion!" he cried. He quickly picked himself up and prepared to defend himself in spite of his fear. He did not recognize her. He was only a baby when Zira's daughter ran away from home and joined the Pridelanders. It was one of those things the hyenas in his cackle seldom mentioned as their queen was still quite sore over her daughter's betrayal and had a tendency to lash out at the drop of a hat. Janja wouldn't have cared anyway. He despised all lions equally, including the ones he served. 

"You're dead meat!" He sprang for Vitani's left paw, intending to snap the bone in two with his powerful jaws.

"JANJA! JANJA! JANJA!"

The loud male's tail batted back and forth as he bounded towards the scene. He'd followed his bestest best buddy out on the battlefield, lost him briefly, but found him again. Fighting a familiar lion! Cheezi gasped loudly. That was Vitani! Zira's lost daughter! His tongue lolled out of the corner of his mouth, ears folding back as he took in the sight of the missing princess. His fur prickled. She was attacking his friend!

"Don't worry Janja! I'll save you!" He bounced towards the scene...and chomped down on the nearest piece of fur. Whether that was Janja or Vitani, only the receiver of the bite would know.

----

Hakeem's ears folded back. Okay so he was doing a piss poor job of showing off right now. He nodded furiously. "I know! Uh...okay!" He looked over the battlefield, eyes narrowed to narrow in on a victim. He spotted Dante and the monster Belle and started to laugh.

"There we go, yo!" He woofed, "Those two! You get the big one! I get the small one, right? WOOF!" Excited to bound away, Hakeem lept towards Belle and Dante, sliding in front of them. His chest puffed out. "Might as well give up now, yo! Less you want a rump full'a teeth!!!"

The storm of dust churned up by the elephant's panic was now reaching new and impressive heights, coming up to above the back of Malkia herself. She could hear the smaller creatures scampering to get out of the way, and just hoped none of them were heroes.

The beast was still shaking her head and bellowing uncontrollably, physically unable to rid herself of her attacker. She felt the raptor's grip loosen slightly, although she could still feel the hateful claws scrabbling along her trunk. She felt a sudden weight drop onto her enormous tusks, and eyes that had been shut tight with fear opened to find those of the prehistoric carnivore staring boldly back at her. She recoiled a little from the broken teeth and pointed snout, and her brow was still slanted back with panic at the unknown.

But then Bubbha taunted her, and her tiny brown eyes narrowed instantly, accompanied by a growl like rolling thunder from her shovel-like mouth. Just because she didn't know what this thing was, did not mean she was going to be scared of it for long. If he wanted a challenging fight, he had certainly picked the perfect creature.

 She bowed like she would have before a new lion heir at their presentation, though much, much faster. Malkia bent her knees and thrust her head towards the ground, in what would have been a veritable head-butt to the dirt had there not been a sinuous body between it and the elephant. Her tusks dug into the soil as she flapped her ears and shook her head, trying to squash the predator under her weight, if he was not fast enough to escape.

Another Outlander stalked the battlefield but this one took a more cautious approach than either the raptor or the hyena. Instead of charging head-long into the fray to sink her teeth into her prey or rushing into the open, Ze'eva held back and observed. There would be no point in simply throwing her life away on an opponent she couldn't easily best, like the large elephant trumpeting and trampling around nor would the lioness make a good opponent either being both larger and stronger than she. Humans carried weapons such as swords and guns which could hurt her easily before she'd even got within striking distance so she avoided them as well.

No, Ze'eva would bide her time and wait for a weak target to strike down. After all, why go for the strong when the best prey was the young, the sick or the elderly. It was more a duty than murder, wiping out the weak so that the strong may survive. That was what the she-wolf told herself.

Although she mainly watched the elephant as she attempted to dislodge her attacker, Ze'eva's eyes were drawn to a nearby ridge where two canines stood. They hadn't moved since the battle had begun. Odd. She didn't recognise them as two of the many dogs she had seen in the Outlands and that made her wary. What were they waiting for? Were they simply holding back like she was or was there something more sinister to their standing back? Ze'eva was intrigued but ever cautious.

Still, the she-wolf circled her way around the battlefield, ready to engage when the time was most opportune.

It had been nearly a year since either soul within Cinderbelle's body had seen the carnage of a battlefield. From what hazy memories she could recall, not much had changed. A slight wrinkle of the female's muzzle coupled with a lowered brow betrayed her disgust with what laid before them. Standing at the crest of a slight ridge monster and dog could see most if not all of what seemed to constitute the day's battlefield. This had started out as such a peaceful outing... A roar of alarm had alerted the wandering heroes to the presence of a hunting team encroaching on what they considered to be their lands, and like that the battle was on. It seemed like, inexplicably, the humans from Agrabah had also found the battle and joined the fray... Somehow. Cinderbelle didn't bother to waste her time wondering how the Agrabah army knew that there was a battle, much less where it was. They always seemed to know.

As Clopin leapt upon his unicorn comrade's back and galloped off Cinderbelle's hazel gaze trailed him like a mother hawk. Her eyes, once filled with only the dullest light of intelligence had gained clarity to almost a human point during the weeks spent at Clopin's side, with him encouraging her every step of the way. A glance was shot down to the wolfdog who had become her companion during her stay with Clopin as he questioned whether or not she was ready for this. Cinderbelle offered a quick smile and a nod before turning back to the scene before them, and back to tracking Clopin's movements. When she saw what he'd fixed his sight on her own gaze narrowed significantly.

Nasira.

Oh, Cinderbelle remembered her all right. With an open-mouth snarl the mutated canine-creature leapt forward at a lope, aiming to follow the unicorn in his charge. She didn't expect a dog to slide into her path, but Cinderbelle's gaze didn't deviate nor did she waste precious seconds spitting retorts at the Akita's jibe. Without breaking stride the female slammed right through poor Hakeem, her jaw locking tight around his scruff. With a great heave of her neck Cinderbelle whipped the poor dog around and flung him back into his brother before continuing forward.

No one was going to get in her way.

Sol’s fangs were bared, with the intent of grabbing onto the white horse’s snout and hanging on. As she sailed through the air, Bob moved, using a quick motion of his head to catch Sol in midair. The silver Akita suddenly found herself unable to move, merely floating in a cloud of magic. She snarled and ripped at the trap with her paws.

“Let…me…go!” Sol barked.

Bob smirked at her, teasing her for having been foolish enough to take a leap at him. Now that the necromancer’s new guard dog was out of the way, Clopin focused all his attention on Nasira. She was holding her staff up in front of herself, dark gaze meeting his own. The gypsy king gave her a malicious grin, as the aura around him intensified. The voices, which had remained oddly quiet until now, came in from all directions now, guiding him and his scythe to their mark. He didn’t go in swinging like a madman, however. Clopin was also aware that Nasira was perfectly capable of deflecting his attacks if he wasn’t careful. The gypsy king watched her like a hawk, attempting to find the slightest bit of movement that he could take advantage of.

Bob’s senses alerted him to a growing darkness emanating from his rider. He tried to keep hold of Sol as his ears flicked back, halfway between apprehensiveness and panic. The unicorn was a divine creature of God. If darkness touched him, and swallowed him whole, he’d be no better than the demons that were after him and his sister. The magical hold he had on Sol finally broke, as he reached a breaking point. Bob bucked Clopin off with a wild whinny, as the gypsy king was thrown into the air. The unicorn darted off back towards where they came from, screaming about demons and possession. Sol fell to the ground, tumbling over several times before coming to a stop. As for Clopin, he landed roughly, but neatly on the grasslands, his twisted smile growing ever larger as he approached Nasira.

“Don’t mind if I…do!” Clopin exclaimed in answer to his question. His thin arms swung with the full weight of the scythe, as it curved upwards with inhuman speed, aiming for Nasira’s head.

Dante nodded back at Cinderbelle, who had confirmed his thoughts. There was certainly no stopping the larger canine now. He looked out towards the battlefield, in the same direction that Cinderbelle happened to be looking. The two were watching Bob and Clopin's rapid descent onto one human villain. And from what it looked like, she knew the necromancer as well. Before Dante could even stop her, Cinderbelle was off and running, hackles raised and lips pulled back in a snarl. The silver wolfdog bounded after her, but came skidding to a stop as two Akitas appeared before them: a large black one, and a smaller russet-colored one. 

"Might as well give up now, yo! Less you want a rump full'a teeth!!!"

Dante narrowed his emerald eyes at the Akita, as the fur along his back became ridged, making him look slightly bigger. He drew his lips back slightly, revealing his sharp teeth. Before he could say anything back to Hakeem, or even pounce on him for getting in their way, Cinderbelle slammed right through the Akita like a train, as she grabbed ahold of his scruff and tossed him onto his companion. She then continued running off towards where Clopin and Bob had gone, as if nothing had happened. Dante took a couple moments to register what had just occurred in front of his eyes. He blinked, and then understood that his friend could certainly take care of herself.


The wolfdog then turned onto the two Akitas who had been foolish enough to intercept them. His body was low to the ground, muscles tensed and ready to propel him forward. His mouth was pulled back into a full snarl, and his growling was audible. Emerald eyes flashed, and Dante looked more like a wolf than a dog.

"Foolish bear-dogs." Dante spat, as he leaped towards Hakeem, fangs bared and poised to rip and tear into whatever he landed on. If these two wanted a scuffle with the gypsy king's dog...well, they had chosen the wrong opponent.

She didn't want to talk apparently. That was just fine with him. His eyes narrowed, teeth showing in shock as Malkia drove him to the ground. Luckily he wasn't a T-Rex. his arms were longer so he was able to at least steady himself before he was squashed into a country fried pancake. His eyes narrowed darkly as he stared towards the female, his evolved brain trying to come up with a way to make sure he didn't get squashed. His leg placement was where his mind went first and he got an idea.

An awful idea.

He tilted his long neck slightly before taking the risk. It might work but who knew that it wouldn't get him crushed in the process. His hope was that she'd rear back, give him a chance to leap up and snap at her neck or ear or something. Damnit he needed his PACK!

Releasing the only thing keeping him from being stomped into the ground fully, he pulled back his killing claw and DROVE it right into the eyes of the elder over top of him. He slipped a little on his right leg, possibly just leaving a deep gash under her eye, but his left leg went straight deep into the socket. Hopefully keeping her from crushing him.