All of the screams were painful for Mesec to hear, but none more so than the one inspired by his face - that horrible, twisted face but still his face all the same. Mesec was looking out of those silver eyes and saw true terror in the face of his friend, terror he had caused. Just as Zero would never forget the face of the warg, Mesec knew he would never forget how this young stallion - his dear friend - looked at him in that moment.

This was his nightmare, his hell, and all because he was too weak to get control of his own body. But hope was not lost, he could not give up when there was the life of someone that he considered very, very important was on the line.

The warg, that monster, was not giving up on taking down Zero. Not now that it learned how special the little cripple was to Mesec. It relished in the pain the demigod was feeling, how its weaker other half had to watch everything since it could not be in control.

But then.

When the massive claws tore open Zero’s flesh, control was in flux between the two opposing minds. “Zero!” The voice that garbled out from the broken jaw then was the same as last time, a quick shout that was still undeniably Mesec but the inflection was different. No taunting this time - just actual concern in the voice now. A part of him that was breaking through, winning control, if it was just of that one broken joint.And he succeeded for long enough to get out those two syllables and it was a victory. That meant it was possible to stop the rest of the body.

Right? That had to be possible.

Mesec knew what to expect when Squishy was called for but the warg was caught off guard. When Zero tumbled, Mesec feared that this was the end - how much more pain would his friend need to go through this morning? - but before the warg could move forward, a shock coursed through its body. Painful but not disabling, the scent of singed fur rose with small tendrils of smoke from where the arc of electricity connected with the warg’s left shoulder. It was enough to force it to stop, to not pounce on the fallen colt right away. Enough to inspire another gurgling snarl in annoyance.

Without the use of its jaws, the warg couldn't strike out and bite Zero. It was limited to its bulk and its claws. It prowled forward toward where Zero lay, moving slowly as Mesec fought against it for control - enough that clear hesitation in its movements began to show. This was not the enraged, quick-pace of the creature that had started this fight. Something was changing - and it had little to do with the wounds that riddled its body from where colt and zephyr had struck.

Lucius continued to fly between the warg and Zero, screeching and beating his four massive wings - dodging most of the strikes that came his way in retaliation. It slowed the warg down, it distracted him, and Lucius could only pray that it would be enough for Zero to get back on his hooves once more. They couldn't give up, Mesec needed them to save him.

There was no way for the zephyr to convey just how close they were to the lightning colt, to tell him how he could feel his bond with Mesec's mind growing stronger through the shadows and rage that dominated the mind of the warg.

Just a little while longer.

They were so close.

When Lucius got too close on one dive, the warg strikes out - its massive paw connecting with one of those great wings and fracturing the delicate bones within it, sending the zephyr off balance and (most importantly) out of the way.

It moved around to Zero's front, where it struck out with its paw - slowly and carefully and - noticeably not in a slicing motion. Instead, it aimed to grip into the flesh of shoulder or neck and drag the crippled little creature up and toward that useless but menacing, dripping jaw.

Confusion reigned in the warg's mind - those burning silver eyes cloudy with uncertainty. Despite the use of the claws, this wasn't really an attack. It was Mesec, doing what he could to see Zero on his hooves. A less painful attempt would have been preferable, of course, but he was still wrestling for control and had not yet won right out.

There was pain all around him now - with his companion, with his friend - and finally he was close to making it stop.


-------
6th attack
792/800 words using wordcounter

injuries for our clarity
- shallow cut and bruise on right cheek
- bruised hip
- bruised ribs
- cuts and pieces of flesh/fur hanging off neck
- broken jaw
- minor electrical burn on left shoulder

+ Lucius has several scratches and a broken wing