She's mad.

That's the thought that rampages through his head as he stares upon his sister, his heart pounding in his chest and his muscles tense in preparation for battle. She is his sibling, born from the loins of his magnificent father - why, then, does she want to kill her niece? He can understand that she may be an equine supremacist like Tyradon, but both Vitani and Victorina are equine. Merida should be wanting to save them, not destroy them.

That's what convinces her that she's broken. That's what makes him realise, with a cold shiver down his spine, that she needs to be destroyed. He is a family man, and Merida is a sibling that he could dote upon, who could join his herd and help him to greatness. But, more than anything, Volterra is a father. His daughter is threatened, and hell hath no fury than the Indomitable protecting his child. He's already lost one from Isopia's womb, and thought he'd lost Vezér to the madness of her dam. He never wants to feel that crushing grief again - so when it comes down to it, Merida's life is a small price to pay for Victorina's survival.

If it comes to that, of course. The beast hopes he can save her, but he is not optimistic. He's seen madness like this before, in Airlia; this is eerily, painfully similar. There is no cure except death, as much as his mind still tries to convince his body that she can be dragged back from the brink.

The little bitch is going to die just like her pathetic mother. His eyes flash; mentally he commands his dragons to take up a position in front of Victorina, protecting her should Merida escape his grasp. They obey, placing their glimmering bulk in front of the filly as Volterra marauds forwards, his eyes locked upon his sister. "Don't be a fool, Merida," he growls, his voice a savage, thunderous snarl. He is not a merciful man, but this is not just an ordinary opponent. This is his flesh and blood, and thus gains more leeway than his usual foe.

He lunges forwards, seeking to slam his chest into her own. She's smaller than him, although not by much, and has clearly inherited their sire's brute strength; her build suggests power, albeit less than his. She will be no pushover, that's for sure. The ground they fight upon is unremarkable, but the trees could prove a hindrance should he crash into them during their fight. For now, though, he just wants to prove his own strength by trying to crush his chest against Merida's in an attempt to barge her backwards and away from Victorina. He flails out his left foreleg at the same time, trying to smash it into Merida's right knee in an attempt to badly bruise the area and hinder her movement.

For now, he's not trying to kill her - she still has a chance to apologise, to back away from his daughter and leave them be. Vitani's death has pained him, as she was his friend, lover and herdmate, but Merida is his sister. If he can preserve her life then he will try to....but if she refuses to repent, if she continues to tread along the same path Airlia did, then she will face the warlord's wrath.

________

Fight for @Merida ! Continuation of this thread.

Merida will be dying at the end of the 3 round fight.

1/3 - 561 words