I am dying, she thinks, my blood, it must be boiling.
But then it stops. There is still a fog of pain around her, but she no longer is certain that she is going to die.
Then everything comes back, like emerging from deep under water, and she is thrown back into panic. Burning flesh, the scent is everywhere. Fire, she sees fire. She is on fire. No, Paladin, Paladin is on fire. Lazulli is burning him alive.

She watches, through wavering sight, as his skin bubbles and boils and melts until she is certain Lazulli is going to kill him, burning him alive. She tries to use her connection to him and tell him to stop, but she finds that she cannot. She is merely a spectator to the actions being carried out, screaming inside at what she sees. Then the fire stops and the flesh melts no longer. Her eyes lock on in horror as she watches it slowly reform as it cools. The bubbles and boils slowly coming to a stop. She knew that Lazulli had done what he had done in order to save her, but she couldn't help but feel as if it could have been avoided somehow. Perhaps that thought was just wishful thinking. Her attention was changed then as she sees Paladin rousing himself from his pain and throwing an angry, final effort her direction. She watches with a sad expression as his angry one turns her way. She only ever wanted to have a happy relationship with her daughter's family, but what would Sol-bug think of her now? She didn't think that that their relationship would be good, even if it was known that he had only been burned in self defense.

So he turns to her and she dodges his attack to the best of her abilities,fighting through her burning blood. She pivots on her front legs, her hind swiveling around to avoid the worst of his damaging attack. His feet miss, but his horn scrapes a painful cat-scratch from the middle of her barrel to her hip. It is not extremely deep, but it crosses over the bite and, like rubbing salt in a wound, of course hurts more than it would have otherwise. Everything seems to hurt more now though, with the blood boiling affecting her. Her muscles scream and ache as she moves and finds herself perpendicular to him as he just was to her. She avoids the parts of him that are still somewhat like melted butter and goes instead for a place she hasn't managed a bite yet, his muscular upper hips, the side or top. It would be painful should she hit, but not as bad as getting your melted hide ripped off or your already bit back being bit yet again. She keeps close while she does this to prevent any real attempts at kicking out, even though the scent nearly chokes her into a colic. Though she is close and aims that a bite, she is mostly trying to minimize his movement and attacks, as she doesn't want any more effort or pain to be doled out in this fight. Her body aches, as she know his must, but his body is worse: flesh burned, hide broken, and still burning with a fire that does not come from anywhere but from within. Such anger and hate. It is not a way to live. He would not have been hurt as badly had he not been consumed by it.

{Post: 4/4
Word Count: 590
Gossamer, still in great pain,watches in horror as Lazulli burns Paladin. Lazulli stops and Gossamer does not see where he goes, but does notice that Paladin still manages to run through his pain, and pivots on her front feet to avoid the worst of his attack. However, she is then in the same position he is in, but avoids aiming anything at his already battered parts and goes for his hip area. She then stays close so he can't get any effective kicks in. She also does this to try and minimize his movements so he can't attack too much anymore.}