**FORUM PLOT* Spark of Calamity

[demin]

Whatever this thing was, Ammon hoped to never see another like it. The damage his attacks did seemed superficial at best and in no way hindered the beast. It seemed to even relish the pain the flames cause, an assumption that proved to be correct as it spoke. What are you? the Emperor thought.

The insane eyes of Goth again grabbed Ammon's, seeming to hypnotize him as he prepared to strike. This was another split second that would cost Ammon dearly, attempting to dodge Goth's strike just a little too late. He felt a searing pain and an intense pressure along the right side of his face. Goth had bitten down on the emperor's head, his fangs tearing huge gashes along his eye and face. Ammon leaped back, stumbled, and fell to his knees. He stared at the ground, gasping, large drops of blood escaping the wounds on his face and the remnants of his ruined eye. He tried to blink away the blood, but noticed that even his eyelid had been ripped away by Goth's fangs. Then, an intense, agonizing pain shot through the wounds, making the emperor cry out in pain and use both front paws to try to remove whatever had to be causing such agony to no avail. His voice then ceased, cutting off in mid-scream as if someone had come and quickly ended his life. He felt is body go rigid and fell to his side. He lay almost perfectly still, his lungs barely drawing in air. Whatever Goth had done to him had paralyzed the Ohm, but did nothing to dull the pain. Ammon sat there, helpess, in agony and could not even scream.

[Addykins]

The sight of her son beside her gave her strength to face the falling Alpha. She closed her eyes briefly feeling her shield strengthen within her mind. It shimmered a more solid gold and her eyes snapped open to stare up at the Alpha wolf, no anger or fury, just determination. When the Alpha crashed onto her shield Phobia was sure it would hold, but the headache that the free falling wolf would cause would be a testament to her ability. Her ears pressed back to prepare for whatever was about to transpire, her determination to protect her niece and son were greater than her fear. Phobia's red marks grew deeper red and her white eyes stared up, the only one she really saw was the one she was trying to keep away.

[Aveilthé]

Lacrimosa could see everything move at slow motion. The soft wisps of her aunt's fur billowed from the onslaught, and the dirt at their feet smoked and furled with debris like a dream. She could see blood fling into the air from all around her. And when she turned her head to see Ammon, things were starting to speed up again.

Ammon was on the ground, unmoving, dead.

Thick gobs of tears came in slushy rivers before she realized they were there. Her heart stopped, as did her breath. It happened. He was dead. In shock, the Empress numbly stretched out a paw to him... and then he disappeared when a couple of wolves jumped into her sight, blocking her vision.

Many things happened at once. A flash of blue enveloped Lacrimosa in cold fury, her screams of rage extending to even the heavens. Her fur whipped violently all over her body as the fiery energy savagely flickered on every surface of her physique, until she disappeared in blinding blue light.

Then something fantastic happened--a beast of unimaginable size emerged from the sapphire flames, black wings stretching outward in an impressive length. A beautiful blue plumage billowed from a slender neck as it reared up from the fiery depths, a vicious beak of silver parting to release a stream of blue fire to the sky. The scream this thing emitted was not of earth; it was a wild shriek that would make submission creep into the hearts of many who hear it. Blazing eyes of blue, pupiless and menacing, looked out upon all with one thing in mind: revenge. Immediately, assailants sent their magic upon her, and though it seared into her black feathers, it only furthered her anger.

Never had anyone witnessed such a transition in before. Lacrimosa appeared as a great bird of some kind, perhaps a phoenix. Legends told of such a bird that could traverse among the spirits and tame them.

And Lacrimosa rose, as a bird-giant, truly beautiful but undeniably deadly. A plume of iridescent feathers trailed behind her, as did a plume of smoke. In a fit of pure rage, her first target was Wyndbain. Giving a mighty scream, she charged at the white beast, curved beak apart and energy growing inside her throat, ready to release it at any time. Fierce talons groped the air, desiring nothing more than to sink into the Alpha's flesh and rip her into bloody shreds.

[Wyndbain]

A horrid scream split the air and several wolves scattered, the movement catching the alpha's eye even as she was battling with the hard, force of magic shielding that stood in her way. In a second though, her magic shards of wind shattered, causing her to plummet into the barrier and bounce back onto the cold ground...or she would have if her winds hadn't been their to cushion the blow. Her feet shuffled along the ground as she turned, curious to see what manner of beast made emitted such a sound and was surprised by the sight she saw. Her opponent, the druin she had been targeting before at any rate, had mutated into something far more sinister and much bigger than what had originally stood there.

She felt the warmth of two soldiers sidle up next to her on either side, their expectant faces pointed towards her to show that they were ready, though awaiting the one thing that would propel them forward and possibly into their doom.

"Alpha?" She heard one of them ask, his eyes looking over her face. Wyndbain had expected that he would look worried, or terrified, but this one was a confident warrior, focused on the battle at hand, already having pushed the fear of death from his mind. She felt a moment of pride at the fighters that she had under her command and looked forward, undaunted, to show them that she too, would fight with them.

"Don't die!" She simply yelled as she ran forward, jaws open and bearing her fangs while she ran at the beast that flew her way. Wyndbain's heart pounded from the fear, the horror and the absolute adrenaline that pumped through her veins. In only a short moment, with both of them charging one another, Wyndbain's flesh met the cold hard feel of talons. In the heat of the moment, she could feel no pain and simply lashed her claws through the air, reaching for the feathers that protected the flesh of her enemy.

[Felypsa]

With immense satisfaction, the beast watched as his victim fell, the side of his face gaping and bleeding, and the rest of his body frozen. Wounded as he was, it would be a mercy to kill him now. But the Stormwing was anything but merciful. The poison that was in his system would burn for a long time. And abandoning him here would leave him vulnerable to any other soldier in the field. Humiliation on top of his wounds. The Dark Soldier chuckled darkly to himself. This enemy was defeated, it was time to move on. The flames that Ammon had fired at him had scorched much of his fur, and no doubt that when he slowed down, he would feel the pain. But now, he was too high on adrenaline of the battle to even notice. As long as he was physically able, he could keep fighting.

He was about to gloat a little more when the commotion from not far away caused his head to turn. Before his very eyes, then, the transformed Goth witnessed a mutation that impressed even him. An enormous birdlike thing rose into the air, bearing the same coloration as the empress of Giaku. The Stormwing’s own large draconic wings flung out, and with a growl, the monster dug his hind legs into the ground, preparing for takeoff. That thing was definitely an enemy. And he could already see it attacking his alpha, Wyndbain. Full of battle frenzy he might be, but there was still a deep loyalty to Wyndbain sinking in his bones.

The beta pushed off the ground, leathery wings opening wide and sending him toward the humongous bird. It was rage against rage, fury against fury. The long, sharp, venomous claws of the Stormwing were extended, his fangs dripping with drool and poison, and he was quickly approaching the bird. He watched as Wyndbain lashed out against Lacri, and using that as a distraction, quickly swooped in. His own attack was from behind; he had no qualms against that. He just bore his claws down, hoping to sink them into the back of the bird, deep enough to get the venom running through her veins.

[Aveilthé]

Enormous talons made contact with wolf flesh. Though successful, Wndbain made a retaliation of her own. Though powerful, Lacrimosa was no exception to the consequence of one being impaled by serrated claws. Blood spewed from her wounds, only further rankling her into a storm of fury. Flapping her giant wings, she attempted to keep a strong hold on Wyndbain before ascending back into the sky. Little did she know, something grappled and invaded her from behind, something that was of little concern to her... at this point, her rage will only subside until her revenge has been well appeased.

Giving another horrendous cry, the animal ascended further into the sky with Wyndbain in her talons, feeling her skin smart painfully by the Alpha's onslaught. To the great Towers of Giaku did she fly, circling it once with the Alpha in her possession. That was when she felt a horrible pain in her back, which made her lose control--she flew towards one of the spires of the great stone Towers. Soon she will collide with it. Her talons slackened, enabling Wyndbain to escape if she had the mind to think about it seconds before the collision. Lacrimosa had seen Stormwing as she craned her plumed neck to see what had attacked her, but it was too late to gain the air with her wings. He was the one who killed Ammon...

And with a colossal explosion, Lacrimosa and tower crumbled together in a smoking heap.

[Wyndbain]

Wyndbain had only begun to feel the pain when she felt a tug at her fur and suddenly the ground had slipped away beneath her. When she realized she was in the talons of the great bird, her mind made the connection and pain seared through her back where the curved hooks skewered her skin. There wasn't much she could do in her position, but with eyes tearing up from the wind and pain, she simply continued her onslaught, reaching out and swiping with her claws where ever she could reach.

Then she felt the tight grip of the druin's talons loosen and Wyndbain, continuing to fight against her enemy, wriggled free from her grasp. Though trying to right herself in mid-flight while injured introduced another task altogether. Her wings fluttered in a state of confusion, having little strength left to pull her from such a steep fall. Suddenly, Wyndbain's vision was filled with a sinister looking building as the wall loomed closer. As Lacrimosa had done, Wyndbain's body slammed into the side of the tower, though her smaller form had barely made a dent. Wyndbain's claws scraped and scrabbled at the side of the building, trying to find some kind of grip, as her wings fluttered frantically to regain control. Finally, one of Wyndbain's paws caught the edge of a brick and grappling with her other paw, pulled herself atop the edge of a partially demolished wall, looking down on the dusty scene below. The rubble and debris of the destroyed tower blocking her view of where the ominous leader of Giaku had landed and whether if she were dead or still alive from all that.

[Felypsa]

Success! His claws sank in deep enough to cause the giant bird enough pain to send her careening around. The Stormwing tried to retract his claws and fly clear of the collision, but he couldn’t pull free in time. The empress slammed into the tower, and he was caught in the explosion, knocking him back and landing on the ground with a great oomph. The blow almost knocked him out completely. It did shock him to the extent that his monstrous extremities retracted, turning him back into the more normal Goth: on all fours, a simple-looking black wolf. His blood settled, the fury was gone.

He breathed in and winced. He had broken some ribs at least. And his vision was swimming. He beheld Wyndbain, his alpha, also fall, but she was now standing at the top of a wall, looking down at the destruction, the fallen empress. He tried to pull it together, to stand up and go to her, but he couldn’t. After a few minutes, Goth lost the struggle to stay conscious and fell into darkness.

[Aveilthé]

Dirty smoke lessened as soon as the rubble calmed. Unlike Wyndbain, a part of Lacrimosa was seen buried beneath slabs of stone, but there was a kind of certainty judging by lack of movement that the Giaku empress was either badly wounded, or dead.

But it was not so... she stirred, moving rubble with her, and soon the giant bird lifted her head. Ebony plumage rippled in the wind as she thudded her enormous claws on the tower, finding her balance before spreading out her wings in victory and releasing a menacing scream.

Electra had seen the whole thing, watching from a distance in awe and fear as all the wolves more experienced than her fight for their territories. She too had fought, but had since lost sight of her companion, perhaps lost in the fray of all the wolves clashing together in an insane frenzy.

She hastily scampered away in time before a couple of wolves collided into her. That was when she heard the deafening crash of stone. When it came hurling towards earth, she realized that she was far too close for comfort, and hurtled away before she got hit by a pointy spire. The impact was great and made the ground quake, making her lose her footing...

In the chaos, she noticed that the great hell-beast fell to the ground. And that hell-beast was... no one other than her own father...

With a shocked cry, Electra ran to her father's side, wailing in despair. But her cries would go unheard as she constantly shouted her Goth's name.

"Goth!"

Bits of debris fell like confetti around them.

"Goth! Dad! DAD!"

At this point she was trying to urge him to move by using her nose to pick up his body, but he was far too heavy and far to great of a wolf to be picked up by a mere wolf her age.

"DAD! NO! DON'T DO THIS TO ME! WAKE UP!"

She couldn't tell, but there were streams of tears going down her face. She cannot imagine a world without her father.

Please, Lord Karasis, god of life... please give my father the strength to get up and walk again... don't let him die...

[Wyndbain]

Wyndbain looked on in stunned dismay, disheartened by the rise of the battered bird, the terrible screeching of her opponent filling her ears. In anger her grip on the bricks supporting her tightened and rubble dribbled down the wall as she barked at the transformed Druin empress.

"Thrilled by the destruction of your own fortress, you monster!?" The block beneath her paws wobbled and gave way, falling to the dust below, but Wyndbain had flared her wings and glided safely down to the ground...into the danger below. Though fear gathered in the back of her mind, Wyndbain's body only trembled in fury. She was sore and injured, with blood matting the fur along her back. Her wings were still good though and her will to fight had not been snuffed. There was still an enemy she had to face.

[jairel]

She knew she was techically trespassing, but considering the circumstances, she wondered if anyone would mind. She was unusally deep within Giaku lands, at least for her status, but her curiosity and the sounds of battle drew her closer. Coming upon a hill, the she-wolf known as Fallon was met with a horrid sight. What looked like hundred of wolves, all engaged in bloody battle. The three major packs of the Shinkou lands-Giaku, Shinkou, and Akeru-all fighting to the death in a never ending battle of pent up hatred and prejudice that began long ago. She'd never seen anything like it. The grounds reeked of death; bodies were scattered everywhere, some with faces so mutilated they were unrecognizable. She felt sick, her stomach churning.

Suddenly, a shadow flew over her head, and she looked to the skies. An aerial attack by one of the packs. They were too high for her to catch a scent, but she knew what the flaming ball headed for her meant. "HEY!" She yelled hopelessly, and managed to dive out of the way as the oversized fireball collided with the earth and singed the ground where she had been standing. A low growl erupted from her throat. It had been a green wolf who had done it, probably mistaking her for one of his enemies. She watched him as he flew towards the large castle that was home to the royal family of Giaku, where he and his comrades were taken down one by one by a single winged wolf. She heard their screams and watched them fall to the ground. She couldn't help but applaud this warrior, whom she realized was a Giaku soldier. So, the failed aerial assault came from Shinkou. Her muscles tensed, and she realized that she had never gotten a chance to test her mettle in an actual battle. As a loner, she never really had to, and not too many wolves would mess with a pack of werewolves, no matter how akin to each other they were. It was like she was a different species, who spoke a different language.

Then it dawned on her. This battle wasn't any regular fight. These wolves, they all were fighting as if they had something to lose. Something, she realized, must have gone horribly wrong to end the uneasy peace the three packs had held with other for so long. And maybe, due to the unusual circumstances, she may have a chance to get into the good graces of Giaku. She had been on her own for years now, and had not joined any of the packs due to the fact that she, according to most wolves she thought, an outsider. A misfit with a mutated gene that made her a monster, in a sense. She was more dangerous than any normal wolf as far as humans were concerned, and untrustworthy to her own four legged kind. But the Giaku wolves...they too were not normal. She knew, as did most wolves living in Shinkou, that the royal family was made up of a long line of druins, and many of the wolves were demons to some degree. Maybe she could win a chance to get an audience with the empress, to join Giaku, if she could prove her worth in battle. With this thought, she ran onto the fields, heading for the castle with a determination she hadn't had before.

[Felypsa]

Reduced to his normal state, though still impressive a figure, Goth looked like a sleeping giant, his eyes shut in spite of his daughter’s attempts to wake him. His furred chest rose and fell delicately, the only indication that he was still alive. There was hope yet: all the same, the blood leaking from his head was not too encouraging. Perhaps the vicious empress had her revenge after all…it still remained to be seen.

But perhaps karma was looking out for Shinkou after all…for as one warrior fell, another was on her way…




The stone that directly beneath the talons of the turned Lacrimosa suddenly glowed white-hot for a few seconds before exploding outward. And the one beside it did the same. If someone were to look around in the sky, to try to trace what was causing the tower to explode, piece by piece, they might see, above, a golden figure blazing its way through the clouds. White and gold flames surrounded this speeding being, a cocoon of fire, both protective and dangerous. It was a wolf, and with wings, her fur a deep, thick gold, her wings tipped with orange, and long colorful feathers dancing out behind her. She was small compared to the giants on the battlefield below her…but her amber eyes glowed bright and furious, and she would not slow down.

Her whole body collided with the remnants of the tower, the white flames leaping from her surrounding shield onto the stone. She crashed through the wall, coming out on the other side to land on the ground with a long skid. Her eyes were almost mad as she looked up and behind her to see the damage she had caused. She didn’t seem to be too fazed by the fact that she had just bodyslammed into a stone tower. If she was injured, she was hiding it. The flames around her had settled down, but there was still a definite adrenaline rush to her, a fiery aura.

Wyndbain might recognize that her half-sister, the former alpha female of Shinkou’s allied pack, Akeru, had finally returned. And in the nick of time too, it seemed.

It was unclear whether Fyramist had been cured of her madness—the reason she abdicated her position and went wandering in the wilderness for so long. It was unclear whether all that soul-searching had granted her peace of mind, or had driven her deeper into insanity. Only one thing was obvious about her expression: she was angry, she was here to fight.

Her gaze was locked solely on the great phoenix that was Giaku’s empress. She did not even seem to see Wyndbain, though in Fyra’s mind, she knew she had to protect and fight for her older sister. The giant bird was much, much bigger than she was, but Fyra showed no sign of fear. Rather, she closed her eyes and opened her mouth. One by one, three extremely bright, almost blinding white fireballs shot out, circling around each other in a rapid pace, looking like a radiant disc of light. Fyramist’s eyes were still closed, and the three orbs shot in the general direction of Lacri: but because Fyra could not see, it might be easy for the enormous bird to dodge the fireballs. Even if the orbs just hit the tower, they would explode by the stone. If they did manage to hit Lacri at all, they would burn her feathers, at least.

Fyra opened her eyes once more to see what she had done. No matter what the result was, she still stood in battle-ready position, lifting her wings up and ready to take off if an aerial fight was necessary. Her eyes were practically sparking. She was back—and she was here to make her presence count. “For the Allies,” she growled, her claws digging into the ground beneath her.

[Addykins]

The beast that was her niece had smashed into the not to distant towers, with the Alpha of Shinkou following. Phobia didn't hesitate to start her made dash to the towers, willing herself to run faster than her steady lope through the throngs of fighting wolves. She pushed her way through with both her body and her shield until she arrived in the crowded field that surrounded the towers. She spotted the leader of Shinkou whom had landed just moments before. A growl burst from Phobia's normally calm maw and she pushed her way to the bigger wolf. She expanded her shield, to hit Wynbain without actually touching her. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO LACRI" She screamed, not seeing the phoenix Lacri burst from the burning reckage until the peircing cry caught her ear. She turned, unable to help herself as a sigh of relief left her maw. Lacrimosa was alive.

Phobia turned back to Wynbain, narrowing her eyes not in anger but in determination. "I refuse to let you hurt her" Phobia stepped forward, lowering her shield so she could get a running start and leap at the wolf. Phobia had no fighting experiance at all and she wasn't used to hunting so all she could do was leap at Wynbain and blindly snap her teeth at whatever fur she could get at. Chances were not good that she'd actually get the Alpha wolf.

[shinren26]

It seemed as though it had been a century since Slade had laid his eyes on the beautiful young wolfess, Lacrimosa. His mind wandered slowly back to the dark night in the cave where they had met by chance. He had been painfully exploring the Tsuyu Packlands when a violent storm struck, lost and starved he found his way to a cave, where he had the good fortune of happening across the young wolfess. He never had a chance to even find out why she was there before he blacked out. Something had happened there in the cave, another presence... something. All he could remember was seeing her face in the niche, speaking to her, and then... nothing. Ajna was silent to him, so he couldn't even ask her. He had awoke the next morning to an empty cave, believing he had dreamed it.
He had continued his journey after that, unwillingly lead towards the Giaku Packlands. Some strange force was guiding him, and it wasn't Ajna this time. He spoke briefly with several other wolves on his way, noting they were all demon species. He half expected them to be violent towards him or ever shun him completely, but they didn't. He concluded it was probably because he was a Demon Khaos. They told him about Lacrimosa and her position in the Lands of Giaku, and his mind wheeled at the information. He had barely spoken to anyone in the past two years, and it just so happened the first person he even told his name to was the Empress of Giaku. Slade resolved, he had to find her. If for no other reason than to tell her he was glad to have met her.
And so... to Giaku. As he drew closer to the Hanagumori Fields, he heard a great clamor. His excitement grew unwillingly, and Ajna emerged from her slumber. Lacri...mosa... She whispered to him, and he quickened his pace, racing now to what he knew was some violent battle. Over the hill he could hear the cries of dying wolves, the screaming, ripping, tearing noises of attackers and victims. He cleared the hill and gazed across the fields in awe, and shock.
The battle that raged here was far greater than any he had expected. He didn't know who the opposing sides were. He assumed Giaku was being attacked, but by whom... he couldn't guess. The only thing he knew for sure was that somewhere in this turmoil was the Empress, fighting valiantly. His fear nearly got the better of him, after all it would be so easy to merely turn a blind eye, head back down the hill and never think on it again. However... he felt some connection here, something to fight for. His heart skipped a beat as he spotted a giant blue feathered bird, beautiful and yet deadly, pull itself out of a rock pile. It was her, he knew instantly. He made it his goal to get to her... and kill as many enemies as he could along his way.
He howled loudly, with pride... a pure battle cry. Growling as he headed down the slope, he called Ajna and shifted into his Demon body. He felt his spine whip as he grew, legs lengthening, muscles heaving and bulking up, his tail thinned and grew as well, tapering down to a thin tuff of hair at the end where a neon blue eye ripped open amongst the black tuff. Tendrils grew from his elbows and the back of his neck, at the ends neon eyes ripped open again. It was the Sahasraram... he grinned through his snarl as his forehead widened and another deep sapphire eye tore open between his eyes. Ajna. Flecks of gold danced in her blue depths as she prepared Slade's body for the battle ahead. Then with a spark of pain, eight electric blue orbs tore open the skin along his sides and began sucking in darkness around them. The Manipura. They were evil, and he could feel their hunger for pain in his mind. His normally weaker Demon Form was strong now, stronger than he'd ever felt it. He thanked Ajna, and the Manipura silently as he raced towards the battle. He spoke with purpose to the other eyes,

"Sahasraram, do not fail me!"

He barked and snarled as he flung himself into the heat of battle.
He saw the first non-demon wolf run across his path, and charged after it. He came up from behind so it was easy to bind the wolf, Sahasraram was resisting slightly, but she was still binding. The wolf lost control of his legs, tripped forward and squealed out a confused yelp before Slade, a six foot tall Undead Demon Khoas rippling with power, leaped on his smaller form and ripped him apart. With blood on his snout and a mission in his mind, he tore through the battlefield towards the Empress.

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[Aveilthé]

In her mind, rage was so heavily concentrated that no other emotion had time to be considered. Great blue eyes glowered like pairs of eerie stars. The great bird folded her wings and lowered her slender head, the crest rising and falling as if she were watching the fight below like a curious child.

Suddenly, the tower she perched herself on became the target of a crazed bitch that came out of no where and further destroyed what was left of the tower. It crumbled again, and started leaning sideways, and landing upon many unfortunate wolves that were too slow to move out of the way. Taken by surprise, the bird lifted her wings again and made to take to the skies and find the creature responsible for destroying her perch. That was when an awful, searing pain tore deeply into feathers and skin, finding it's way deep into flesh. She was unable to see what they were, but she found herself falling--her left wing burnt and searing with intense pain...

Slowly, the giant started to fall. On her back she fell with an enormous thud, an explosion of dirt and debris flying in all directions. A great blue light surrounded her then, and disappeared as fast as it came, revealing Lacrimosa's original wolf form. She lay on her side at first, but she was breathing. Slowly, she tried to scramble on all four of her legs, but her left front leg hurt horribly. She whimpered and struggled to stand.