The lick of pain across his left side flared and raged, engulfing his mind with the memories of fire and rain and mud. The scars, aged and bitter on his neck and rump, burned with the memories. The new wound spread as the flames ate away at darkened hair and skin. The excruciating bubbling of skin and fur would not dull, the Dauntless knew that. He knew he needed to press on, continue towards his goal of demolition and devour her for all she was worth. He should have known she would choose to fight with a fiery arsenal. She was, after all, the daughter of the Sun God. Her father had burned the herdlands of Helovia without relent years ago in a fit of rage. His anger was only quelled by the conception of Israfel. Massive, steel-clad front hooves touched the hardened ground in the reprieve of his rear and his mind twisted, dark and gruesome and dishonorable thoughts tapping the backdoor of his warrior's mind. Would he have to mount this demigod to quell her fires? He grimaces, teeth gnashing as he rounded on the fire and the thoughts, pushing them away forevermore. His irritated side growled and groaned as he pushed past the burned grass of her first assault. Golden eyes watched as she crumbled to the ground and screamed her agony. Snorting, Archibald continued in his attempt to close the distance between them. Loretta had already managed to do so, and as the filly staggered and stumbled towards the edge she made an assault.

Another round of fire, quick and bright, engulfed the grey like a shield. Loretta did not shy, did not retreat. Like her bondmate, she knew the pain of fire well and was not afraid of it. Even as Archibald's heart jumped into his throat at the idea of Loretta's hide singing and boiling, he knew he could not stop her. Her emotions ran rampant and free. Mourning her sister had left her raw, open to the rage that consumed her for no reason at all. Archibald's concern for her safety hit the overpowering rage in his mind like two titans, but the rage won out without fail and without effort. The slight worry, the one moment of hesitation (the first since Loretta's puphood) perished under the cur's rampant vehemence. Loretta's amber eyes, blinded by her fury, did not catch the quick snap of Aithniel's hoof until it was almost too late. The flinty weapon struck and Loretta ducked her head, stopping her forward momentum. The whoosh of the hoof clearing her head left a sick taste in her mouth. Instead of crashing against her skull, the cloven hoof scraped over her thick scruff. A snarl left the bitch's throat as she snapped her jaws at air, the dull pain of the scraping kick throbbing as Aithniel retreated once more to the skies. COWARD! The bitch roared over Archibald's mind, barking into the wind.

Archibald had stopped just as Aithniel kicked out, lifting his head away from her bites, leaving nothing between her teeth but air. The sudden pull of the muscles on his side sent spasms down his thick, tree-like legs and his face contorted with the effort. He felt the warmth of her fire shield, but not the pain of it. No flames touched his hide as she called her magic to defend her. Golden eyes pinpointed on the demigod's as she fell into the hands of the wind once more. His earthquakes would have no use here today. Even if she did stay on the mountaintop and fight him face-to-face, Archibald did not think he would bend the earth beneath them. It was too dangerous for his own sake. He could bring this whole battleground down, losing all three of them to the will of death. Gritting his teeth, Archibald focused instead on the woman and her fleeting actions. He needed to bring her down to him. He wanted to feel her bones crunch beneath his feathered hooves. As his desires twisted and danced within, bits of rocks levitated around him. Loretta backpedaled, wide-eyed at her master's new display of power. As he focused harder on the flying demigod, the rocks propelled forward. They moved at a velocity the bonded pair had never seen before, and some began to ignite and light fire. The rocks all seemed to follow his unspoken command, as they hurled themselves towards Aithniel in an attempt to gun her down.

It did not take long for Archibald to process what must have happened to him for this power to take flight within his breast. Seasons ago, he had defended Loretta from the crazed assault of a chimp. Instead of attacking the dog, it had injected him with a serum. This was its effect.



[PC: 2/3 | WC: 798 according to wordcounter.net | Archibald Magic: :: [ Magic: EarthxWind | Able to summon and project shards of flint and with such velocity they begin to ignite. :: Restrictions | Projectiles fly 10m from body. ]