Bonds as strong as Time [[For LoneDigger and Myself]]

[LoneDigger]

"Kisame is an idiot... Besides, it's not all fun and games to me. I didn't want you to go alone and get lost, or hurt."

 

Dakari answered simply, it was the only answer he could think of at the moment though it wasn't exactly everything. The hyena jogged after the snow leopard, not wanting to loose him. He didn't want Katsu to loop him in the same category as the shark just because the other had lead him into another bickering match.

[Full_Moon_Rising]

Casting a side eyed glance at the hyena, Katsu couldn't quite stop the purring sound of amusement that swelled out of him.

 

"While you concern is not unwelcomed, it is misplaced. Have you forgotten who I am. Dakari, I'm an Alpha, a Sentinel, and a Soldier....even if I were to run into some trouble, it's not as if I can't take care of myself. I've been doing so for centuries now, you really don't have to waste your valuable time worrying about me.....However, it would be safer for you to be with the calvary. There is safety in numbers, Princeling."

 

It wasn't that Katsu was ungrateful for the boy's concern, if it truly was honest and genuine, it was simply that Dakari was a Prince and as much as Katsu didn't go out of his way to treat him special...that fact could not be forgotten or changed. As it was, it was unheard for a Prince to travel on foot to a frontline camp beside a single Sentinel. In all the times he had attended to wars or battles, the Royal family member joining them had always been safely encased in the middle of their calvary. Dakari, though, seemed to be making sure he didn't follow that age long tradition.

 

"Besides, after last night, it would be best you rested as much as you can" he added a moment later.

 

They might not have done much last night but Dakari was still new to all of this and he wanted to make sure the Prince was a hundred percent ready to face what awaited them.

[LoneDigger]

"That again? Don't get me wrong, it was great and all... But I can handle a hell lot more than that. I'm not even a little tired."

 

The hyena bragged, but he really did feel in top shape. In fact, maybe he felt even better and more energized than before. But that could just be all in his head.

 

"I know, I know... But you shouldn't just run off like that. Things aren't the same, even as sorry as I'd be for the animal who would dare to challenge you I don't think it's wise to risk your life. Kisame doesn't mean to be so fucking annoying, you have to forgive him."

 

Pfft, and Dakari wasn't even going to mention that he was half of the snow leopard's headache most days. But he was really trying to be more mature now and reason with the elder.

[Full_Moon_Rising]

"Well then we'll have to remedy that problem soon enough"

 

Katsu put out in a burst of laughter as he looped through the forest next to Dakari. While he wouldn't do anything too intense or serious just yet, if the Prince thought he could handle more then Katsu would see just how far the boy's boasting could go.

 

Feeling the traces of pleasant surprise at Dakari's effort to sound at least like one of his royal blood, Katsu reached across with his tail to gently sweep in down the hyena's back even as they made their way through the woods.

 

"I am aware of that....and I am not truly angry at him and your bickering. I am just not in the mindset to deal with it as well as I normally would. My kind prefers solitude and silence and while I have had centuries to get used to Kisame, having what feels like two of him bickering at either side of me, is a bit much. More so when I haven't gotten any proper sleep and I have many other things to concern myself over"

 

Katsu admitted a bit bashfully, casting an apologetic glance over at the hyena. At another time, like last night in the springs, he could have enjoyed the arguing but right now his mind was racing with other thoughts.

[LoneDigger]

"Oh... Did our activities together last night keep you up past your bedtime?"

 

The hyena nipped at the tail waving in front of him gently, but then quickly released it and walked up closer to the snow leopard's side. Even in these forms Dakari had finally grown bigger than the one he had looked up to both figuratively and literally.

But he could sense that something was bothering Katsu, maybe he was even more worried about the future then the male had previously thought. Which scared him a little too since Sentinels weren't supposed to be afraid of anything. They were nearly immortal. But yet, no one was...

 

The prince let out a chirping sound as he pressed against the snow cat's side, it was meant to be a comforting action. Even if the other had just said he needed to be alone it was difficult for a creature that lived in groups up to eighty individuals strong to understand the need of introversion.

[Full_Moon_Rising]

"As if you could ever wear me out, brat" Katsu purred playfully.

 

Wiggling his tail out of Dakari's range as soon as the Prince had released it, Katsu cast the teenager an amused glanced. As much as he wished he could as carefree as the boy was, his life had never been quite that easy. No matter the high status he held or the power rippling under his skin, things were never simple. As he had told the boy last night. He was worried, there was just no denying that he couldn't afford to let anyone know just how worried he was.

 

While he was confident in their abilities to provide support to the other pair of Sentinels and their troops on the frontlines, Katsu couldn't quite get rid of a sense of dread running through him. If they were up again the two Dark realm Generals he had been thinking about, two that had once plagued his nightmares as a child, then they were in for quite the fight. While the Generals of the Dark realm hadn't quite had the power Sentinels had, when Katsu had faced them with Kisame at his side in his first battle as a child...just days after the deaths of their parents, they had seemed larger than life. And despite having defeated the Dark realm armies with the help of the other Sentinels, if they had grown in strength through the years just as the Sentinels had....then the fight awaiting them would not be by any means easy or clean.

 

Blinking out of his thoughts surprised by Dakari's sudden actions, Katsu turned his head to face him even as affection and fondness bubbled in his chest. In a rare act of softness and vulnerability, he pressed the lenght of his body back against the boy and buried his face briefly against the fur of Dakari's neck. Nuzzling against the boy for a moment, Katsu murmured softly in a solemn tone into the warm fur:

 

"Dakari.....I need you promise me that no matter what you see, no matter what you hear, and no matter what happens, you will follow orders. You won't argue, you won't hesitate, you will do as you're told. No matter if your orders are coming from me or Kisame or Yuuta and his partner. Please, I need you to be willing to follow their every command and remember always that your life is far more important than ours. Keeping you safe will always be our first priority".

[LoneDigger]

Dakari may not have been so perfectly plush and soft as the pelt of a snow leopard, there was still something warm about him. The way he radiated heat and was perfect to lean against being built so sturdy. The hyena curled his head around and pressed Katsu closer to his side, as if shielding him against his body while they shared this rare intimate moment.

 

"I'm sorry... I'm supposed to be this noble prince and I just act like a brat... You weren't like this at half my age... You were still practically a child and going against the darkness itself... It must be pretty disappointing to look at me, especially after everything you've put into me."

 

It was even rarer to hear the teenager apologizing and admitting his faults. Dakari knew he was a spoiled, living a life of luxury and fun all his childhood and now he had to learn what it meant to feel real pain. He wasn't ready... He couldn't take things seriously.

Shuddering, he curled Katsu closer to him. His muzzle pointed right against the soft round ears of the leopard as he whispered.

 

"... How did you do it? Back then when you were still a child winning against the most black hearted monsters?"

[Full_Moon_Rising]

As much as he hated showing weakness, or appearing soft and vulnerable, the snow leopard couldn't help but press further into Dakari's warmth. He knew this wasn't a normal display, he knew if anyone else saw this they would question his state of mind. However, he needed this reprieve for just a few moments. He needed to center himself again and remarkably enough, feeling Dakari's warmth around him had the chill of dread slowly easing from his limbs. He didn't know why, but there was just something about the Prince that was capable of both boiling his blood and cooling his anxieties in nothing but a few seconds.

 

"You're far from disappointing, Prince Dakari. While have your moments of stumbling....you would never truly disappoint me. You are special, unique....something new that this realm has yet to understand. You are the heart of our Kingdom....never think yourself as a disappointment. No matter what anyone else says"

 

Katsu whispered against the boy's neck. Having closed his eyes when he felt Dakari pull him closer, Katsu did his best to wrap his tail around Dakari the best he could when he felt the boy shudder against him. He could feel it in his bones that Dakari wasn't as ready to face this war as he claimed to be and though Katsu could no longer shield him from it, he could do his damn best to provide comfort and support.

 

"....I wasn't alone. We had just lost our parents to the hands of death, and I was filled with rage, grief and the need to avenge them. I wanted them back with all my heart, but I knew that was impossible....We all knew that it was impossible. So to honor their memory, to stand for what they died protecting, Kisame, Hiyori, our cousin, and I stepped willingly into filling the role they had left behind. We fought with the anger in our hearts, we used our grief to fuel our strikes, we focused on keeping our realm protected when pain became nearly overbearing. Our adoptive parents fought by own side, keeping us from faltering, helping us to our feet again when our legs buckled beneath us"

 

The Sentinel whispered silently into that fur his voice carrying an almost hoarse tone in reflection to grief and anger he could still feel hidden deep in his heart:

 

"We continued to fight because we knew our parents had sacrificed everything to protect what was important to them. We fought for the lives of the innocents in this realm. And we fought for the lives of the Royal family, a family who had always lead us with wisdom and pride. It wasn't easy, and the toll on our bodies and spirits was massive....but we pushed back the darkness with every fiber of our beings. To protect the future generations, to assure others wouldn't feel the pain of loss that we did, we deafeated the opposing armies and sent them back to the hell they came out of....It wasn't easy, but the resulting peace and the Royal family that leads us now has been truly worth it....Even if we are called fo battle once more."

[LoneDigger]

"I've never been more excited for anything in my life... I thought war ran through my blood, but... I'm not enough a real man. Not like you..."

 

Dakari added in softly, acting more vulnerable than ever before. Maybe it was because he was unconsciously feeding off his future mate's own worries. He kept his neck draped over the snow leopard, even as the other leaned into his side he didn't want to let him even slide away an inch.

The prince knew the possibility of loosing Katsu was very real, so right now he was doing everything he could to stay close and share each other's embrace. Because maybe this would be the last time.

 

"How could I ever understand... Or be strong when I've never even lost someone important to me? I don't want to hide while everyone else suffers, but what if I can't help them? I want to be seen as a prince who is capable of defending his kingdom, not a cub who never learned to grown up."

 

The hyena said, mostly to himself in reflection of what Katsu had explained. He had to rise to greatness like the Sentinel had.

[Full_Moon_Rising]

He didn't know when exactly he began to do it, but it was sometime during Dakari's words that Katsu realized he had begun to run his tongue gently over the hyena's coarse fur. His gesture brimming with the need to comfort and provide even the briefest traces of protectiveness than ever before. It squeezed his heart to hear the Prince doubt himself in such a way, but Katsu had no way of saying he was wrong. At least not fully. Dakari had never been to war, never felt the pain and sorrow that the snow leopard and most of the other Sentinels still lived with to this day....But that didn't mean he was useless or just another cub still.

 

"You're time will come, Dakari. No one will be able to tell you when or how it will come, but it will arise when you most need it. The calling to fight, to protect what is yours....it will rise in you heart like nothing else and when it does, nothing will get in your way of keeping what is most precious to you safe. It's different for everyone, and it's not something we can predict.....Have patience, Princeling and trust your Sentinels. You're presence amongst the soldiers will do more good than even you know. You don't have to draw blood to rise the hope and fires in the hearts of those around you"

 

Katsu stated gently, long tail sweeping up and down Dakari's back even as he shifted a bit against the other young one's embrace. There would be a long journey ahead and times would not be easy, but Dakari wouldn't be alone. He'd have his Sentinels to watch over him and none of them, especially Katsu himself, would allow anything to happen to him.

[LoneDigger]

Dakari let out another chirping like sound as he felt the other's tongue dragging over his neck. The gesture was always a welcomed one and seemed to bring out a calmer, more submissive nature of the prince.

The hyena even lowered himself so that he was no longer leaning over the feline, but letting the snow leopard tower over him for a moment, also making him easier to reach with his tongue.

 

"Thank you Katsu... I really value your words... even if I know I don't exactly always take you seriously, I think... I think that's just my stupid way of handling problems is by trying to act like I don't care, or it's just a joke. But... War scares me. I wish I could laugh in the face of danger, but I don't want everything you and the others have fought to protect fall apart... Everything you sacrificed back then can't be for nothing."

[Full_Moon_Rising]

"If you were to laugh in the face of danger, Dakari, I'd definitely grow worried about you. Might even go as far as throwing you in with Kisame's insanity"

 

Katsu chuckled, continuing to gently run his tongue through the boy's fur, his licking was soothing in every way possible. Almost as if he were trying to convince the Prince even without words that everything would work just fine. Maybe things looked far from manageable right now but morning always came after the dark. The demons that taunted and tormented them could not stay forever.

 

"You shouldn't be ashamed to admit that war frightens you. I've been in more battles than I can count and it still scared me too. I believe that the moment you stop feeling fear is the moment you need to take a step back and question your sanity.....You are still very young, Dakari. There are many things you have yet to experience, yet to fully be able to comprehend....But with time, you will learn all you need to and more"

 

The snow leopard advised kindly, bringing his gentle grooming across Dakari's round ears and against his muzzle briefly. Yet just when he was suggesting they should probably get a move on again....the feline froze. Literally froze. Eyes gazing straight from where he had been lifting his head away from the hyena, Katsu's ever muscle grew tense. Ears were pressed forward with alarm and his long tail had curled much more tighter around the young Prince. The fine fur on his neck bristled slightly as Katsu turned to face the direction to his immediate right. His movements slow and careful, wary and far from at ease.

 

It was quiet, much too quiet. The noises of the forest around them had come to an abrupt stop and the tension that filled the air could be cut with a knife. Evil soon made its presence known. It wasn't the immediate appearance of anything or anyone, but the feeling of darkness, of cruel intent and bloodlust that became nearly suffocating.

 

"Stay behind me. Do not move even an inch away from me and do not speak. If I tell you to run.....Dakari, you run" Katsu ordered silently, never once looking at the Hyena as he straightened, slowly shifted his form to his human body and kept his eyes firmly in the direction he suspected their enemy lay in wait.

 

"Erai....Come out!" Katsu called out a brisk command and it was just a second later that a much too familiar face filled his vision and his blood ran cold.

 

Cold, heartless cackling slipped out of perfectly shaped lips that took their place within a downright beautiful face. The wavy violet haired man that stepped out of the shadows was gorgeous, holding an almost effeminate beauty to him. Long robes, colored in pale ivory covered a thin frame and delicately long fingers had fingernails colored black.....An exact shade of the man's heart. Cold, soulless pale green eyes gazed out to the Sentinel and Prince yet there was no fear or respect in them. Just cruel amusement and what would almost appear to be lust...and not just for blood.

 

"My beautiful snow leopard cub......My my, well haven't you grown. You've been certainly graced with your mother's beauty yet I reckon you have your father's fierce spirit. How delightful! It makes me ever eager to play with you! I've missed you so!" The man exclaimed smiling and while his tone was light pitched, almost innocent sounding, there was no way of hiding the malicious intent that shown in his eyes.

 

"And would you look at that.....If it isn't young Prince Dakari. I suppose good things happen in twos....though I don't really have any desires to play with you at the moment. You're time will come soon enough" this man, Erai, Katsu had called him, snickered into the long sleeve of his robe.

 

"How have you gotten this far into the realm?" Katsu asked, ignoring all previous words and pushing back a slight rippling of old fear he had once felt for this creature before him. Because that was not a man, no man held as much evil in his heart that this individual and his comrades did.

 

"Your darling King sent a fledgling Sentinel to stand as Vanguard to this post while he sent those more experienced to other posts. Only too late did he realize it would be best to send reinforcements. A pity he didn't realize that sooner.....your dear Sentinel forgot to check a critical loophole in the boundary guards and here I am. And of course, Akuhei is probably greeting Kisame right about now. When we caught the feel of your auras, we were so delighted that we couldn't wait to see you both. Isn't it grand?!" Erai responded ever so cheerful sounding despite the mania seeming to trickle out of him.

 

"Dakari....head back to the others, now....Do not question me, do not go to Kisame...Do not do anything but as I say. Head for the battalion, if they have been slaughtered, follow your nose and the scents that will lead you to our camp" Katsu ordered the young Prince but not once did he take his eyes off Erai.

[LoneDigger]

Dakari could never begin to understand how a creature who was supposed to be so cold, a ruler of ice, could make him melt so easily. The tongue caressing against his fur even made his own insecurities drift away. In this moment all he could feel was him and Katsu side by side, nothing else seemed to exist and time was standing still. But it could never last. Not with a War creeping upon them sooner than anyone could have expected.

 

"I'm not as scared now that I know even..."

 

He chuckled dryly before continuing, underneath his fur he was flushing, because this confession felt childish, but he was being sincere in his vulnerability.

 

"... That even Sentinels can feel fear, yet still rise to greatness."

 

But then something was wrong, Katsu hadn't answered him. Instead he felt the feline's body going rigid against his own and the hyena instinctively curled defensively around the snow leopard. His hackles went straight up, the ridge along his back instantly growing hotter, a soft smoke curled from the sparkling of a small flame crawling all the way down his spine.

 

Something was wrong, he could feel it.

 

The prince wanted to protect the elder, but instead he felt himself being pushed behind. Katsu seemed just as anxious to be the one defending him the same.

The Sentinel was speaking to him, but Dakari could hear his words. Everything had gone muffled somehow. All he could hear was the pounding inside his own chest, like his own frantic heartbeat was trapped inside his head. Putting him more on edge.

The teenager stayed in his spirit animal's body, he should change. As it was harder to understand what was being said. But he just couldn't move. His striking gaze was just locked on the one Katsu called Erai. They were wide with fear, but also hatred.

 

Erai was giving him a sensation that Dakari could only describe as what he had felt when he first saw Kisame touching Katsu, but much much worse. In fact, next to this his jealousy of Kisame was nothing more than a paper cut.

How could he have ever thought he hated the shark when standing right in front of him was someone that practically reeked of wrongful lust.

It made him almost feel like he was choking just standing near him. The impure aura was suffocating.

 

Now Katsu was ordering him to get out. And that should have been the most welcomed request, but instead he found that his paws weren't attached to his brain, or the other way around. His legs refused to move. He would not leave the snow leopard with this demon alone.

Instead the large hyena took his place next to the Sentinel's side, blue gaze still locked on the threat. Chuckling softly at first, until the sound grew into the manic sounding laughter his species was so well know for. Not because he found the situation amusing, it was a war cry.

[Full_Moon_Rising]

Cursing in his mind when he more felt and heard than saw Dakari take a place beside him, Katsu refrained from forcefully tossing the boy out of the area. This was not a game, no where near it. The creature they were facing was one of the strongest members of the Dark realm he had ever faced off against. But Erai wasn't even the powerful. Granted, Katsu had fought him when he was a cub but that didn't make things better. It had been centuries since then and as Katsu had aged and grown in power, so had Erai. The snow leopard could taste the barely restrained dark energy surrounding the creature before them. It was an energy that filled him with horrid memories he didn't want to ever have to awaken again. More so, it filled him with a need to get Dakari away from him.

 

"Well isn't the young Prince a brave one. Though I don't know if I would rule him as simply naively stupid or idiotically courageous to refuse to follow the commands of someone who has fought me before" Erai giggled behind the wide sleeve once more. Green eyes simply sparkled with great joy. "Don't you worry, young Prince. If you wish to play as well, I suppose I can make time for you once I get what I came for".

 

"Erai....your fight is with me, leave the Prince out of this" Katsu growled low, just managing to hid the suffocating worry he felt for Dakari under his cold anger.

 

"Oh, but of course, my love! I wouldn't dream of giving more of my attention to the boy than is strictly needed. You are my prey, after all. I've come here to play with you, to remind you exactly who you belong to after so many centuries apart...and no little Prince will stop me.....But I suppose if you're jealous of having to share me, then I'll make sure you have my full attention" Erai grinned, an action that was so wide it threatened to split his face right in half.

 

Shifting his stance slightly to be able to move as fast as was his nature if the situation called for it, Katsu chanced a glance down at Dakari's stubborn animal form. "Dakari.....I will not tell you again, leave this place or I will make you leave. This is no place for a Prince" the snow leopard practically bite out those words.

 

He wouldn't have the time it would take to keep Dakari safe in the middle of his fight with Erai. It would take most of his training and focus to keep Erai from landing lethal blows. Or even landing a blow at all. The creature's poisonous touch had yet to leave his memory and he did not want to have to endure the agony of that poison again. However, if Dakari refused to go, Katsu was sure things would get a whole lot more messier than they had to be. He couldn't afford to split his attention and if the fight ended badly, he'd much rather Dakari be safely away from here than in the mercy of Erai's twisted humor.

 

"Oh posh! If the Prince wants to die then let him die, my love! I grow ever bored with your lack of action. Here, allow me to help you!" Erai's voice had Katsu's attention snapping back to him and what he saw had him springing into action.

 

Looking at the creature just in time to see him reveal that long, shiny black tail that had tormented his dreams as a child....Katsu didn't hesitate from wrapping an arm as best his could over Dakari's back and down his flank before he was leaping into the air with his added cargo, a strength not easily seen in his lithe form. His reaction saved them from being painfully impaled by Erai's massive stinger the moment it sank into the ground where they had once been standing seconds later. The creature's sudden attack having been far to fast for the inexperienced eye to be able to see clearly.

 

Locking his jaw to prevent the pained hiss from escaping him as Dakari's flamed back burnt past his sleeve and into the skin of his arm, Katsu kept a tight grip on the boy as he sprinted further into the forest and away from Erai's reach and sight. Erai's laughter trailed after them even if the creature didn't give chase right away.

 

"You can't run forever, my love! You will be mine by the end of this fight, mark my words!"

 

Sprinting a safe distance away, Katsu came to a halt facing the direction he could just catch the scent Yuuta and their army's camp miles away. They were still far off but if Dakari could make the distance, the kid would finally be safe. That was all that mattered at the moment.

 

Winching just slightly as he unwrapped the arm he had lifted hyena with and dropped the animal on the ground, Katsu manifested his sword in his other hand while turning to glare at Dakari.

 

"You will leave and you will leave now. This is not a fight you should be in. It is not safe for you. I can't keep you safe if I am to defeat Erai....So I'll tell you again, get out of here now, Dakari. You're life is far more important than others. You must live for the sake of this realm".

[LoneDigger]

"You want to play with fire? Sounds like my kind of game~!"

 

The Spotted Hyena cackled, head held high and his massive canines flashing a wicked grin.

Gods, he was terrified. But laughter was the best medicine, and it seemed to give his spirit animal power, even in the most dangerous of situations.

But this wasn't about him, Katsu was being threatened and mocked by this... thing. Dakari couldn't even place the scent. It wasn't like anything he had ever smelled. But it hurt his nose, it was something sickly.

 

Poison.

 

There was no way that he could have moved out of the way quickly enough when a barbed tail suddenly lashed in his vision he felt himself being lifted up. No easy feat, in his animal form he was at least 180. But judging from his build it had to be more yet Katsu seemed to sweep him away with ease. For a moment it made the prince feel small again, the way the snow leopard used to whisk him off when he was just a little brat by the scruff of his neck which was now a fiery trap.

He hadn't meant to hurt the other with his powers, but he had no time to calm the flames back down. But it seemed that Katsu wasn't the only one who was still riled.

Even in his animal form the prince could be easily perceived as glaring right back up at the elder with the shades of blue clashing.

 

"I don't want to be safe! I want to protect you! That bastard wants you good and I won't let him even fucking come close!"

 

To anyone else that would have just sounded like loud chirps and other indescribable sounds that hyenas made. But strangely enough his human voice seemed to ring out. But only in Katsu's and Dakari's head.

 

"How dare you... Just because I'm royalty you're going to start that bullshit on me? You think I'm worth more than than the others? What about Kisame? Or Hiyori? You've saved more lives in just your childhood alone than I've ever done. Who am I? I don't know, but one thing is for sure I'm not worthy to be called anyone's future King... Does that still make you think my life is somehow more valuable?"

[Full_Moon_Rising]

Glaring down at the hyena who had somehow found a way to project his voice into both their minds, Katsu felt a nerve in his jaw tick. While the teenager wasn't wrong....he wasn't entirely right either. Katsu would hand his life over to protect his sister, Kisame and any of their friends without a moments hesitation....but Dakari was their Prince. He was not meant to risk his life like the rest of them. He was meant to be guarded and protected. To be shielded from all who wish to bring him harm. He was far more important to the kingdom than anyone of them were. Sentinels were replaceable...hell they replace themselves everytime another of great potential showed promise to take their place. Dakari though...he was the current heart of the Kingdom. Their people would not be the same without him yet he seemed to be so unaware of that. His morals and determination were good, but against their current opponent....he didn't stand much of a chance.

 

However, he didn't get much of a chance to say any of that.

 

Hearing a sound that had a chill crawling down his back, Kagau snapped his gaze in the direction they had come from. The sounds of eight legs slamming down on the ground below them, crushing everything in their path and heading with great velocity in their direction. Eyes narrowing slowly, hand tightening on his sword, Katsu inhaled a deep breath of air and fought down the urge to gag at the heavy scent of poison that slowly but surely began to surround them. Movement in the heavy foliage of the forest around them had a soft snarl ripping it's way out of his throat before he was moving again.

 

Shoving Dakari hard against his flank in an effort to make to boy shift a few steps to the right, Katsu leapt off in the opposite direction just as a massive pincher slammed into the ground between them. The force of the attack had the pincher burying a few inches into the ground as its owner once more oozed out of the shadows. It seemed Erai had finally decided to lose the disguise he had previously worn.

 

While the violet haired man's torso remained the same, the bottom part of his body had transformed into something revolting. From waist down, his body had shifted to accommodate the body of a scorpion, and a entirely too massive one at that. Eight legs held the weight of a shiny, black body that looked almost to be plated with additional armor. And behind that body, was the long tail that held the strongest part of Erai's form. His stinger, something holding large amounts of poison in it that would make even the strongest Sentinel wary for a single drop of it could bring upon nearly impossible amounts of pain.

 

Crossing his arms against his chest, above the dual pinchers that completed his look, Erai smiled almost serenely down at the pair before his eyes were landing on the snow leopard once more.

 

"No more running, my love. I have longed for the day to be reunited with you and I will not have you ruin our time together. Face me, show me the beautiful beast you are and take off that mask of peaceful warrior. It has no place here" the scorpion commanded.

 

Growling softly, Katsu glared hatred at the creature before them before shaking his head and forcing himself to submit to the fact that there was no way around them. Erai would continue to chase them and Dakari would probably continue to be stubborn. Katsu couldn't afford to lead this creature to their camp and by the sounds of explosions and the scent of water in the air, Kisame had his hands full with Erai's partner to be of any help to them.

 

Forcing his body to relax, the snow leopard's eyes closed almost peacefully as the feeling of his element wrapped around him. The arm that had been injured with Dakari's flame slowly began to grow encased in a fine layer of ice, one that gave the skin of the arm a fine like sheen in the light. Slowly the ice traveled throughout the rest of his body, encasing his other arm, curling it's way into his hair causing several strands to fade to white and mix with his natural black hair. Ice covered the armor he already wore and his body shifted a bit to better help him with the battle waiting him. His tail slowly came to life behind him as did his feline ears at the top of his head, the pupils in his eyes became slitted and his canines grew sharper and more deadly. Nails grew into sharp claws and a twin blade to his already active one appeared in his second hand. The handles of both blades produced ice that wrapped around his hands up to his wrists, creating a sort of armor for them.

 

Ignoring the feeling of glee and excitement that slipped out of Erai at his noticeable change, Katsu twirled both blades effortlessly in his hands before addressing a few final words to Dakari, voice sounding deeper and holding a more rumble like feel to it than ever before.

 

"Avoid his stinger at all costs, a drop of his poison will have you wrenching on the ground in agony. His pinchers will crush you in seconds if you are caught in them. Aim for his legs or under belly, and watched for any releases of dark energy. Erai can manipulate minds if he so chooses, do not allow him past your mental defenses. Remember your training"

 

With that said, the snow leopard seemed to vanish in a blink of an eye. There was no sound or feel of his presence until his sword sounded sharply clashing with a hastily moved pincher by Erai. The scorpion had the grace to look surprised at the speed in which the snow leopard had moved but it wasn't long before eagerness coated his expression and he was sending his second pincher down towards where Katsu had locked his blades against the first one. Shifting his gaze, the Sentinel looked almost bored despite the coldness of his eyes. Blocking the attack with a well executed spike of ice exploding into existence between himself and the pincher, Katsu forced Erai back a few steps with a swing of his twin blades.

 

If he could keep the scorpion focused on him and distracted, then maybe Dakari could find a vital area of which he could attack to take Erai down quickly. The longer this fight lasted, the bigger of a threat Erai became.

[LoneDigger]

Dakari spun around with a snarl, smoke seeming to drift from his mouth. Now his jaw was dripping lava from his saliva burning up. His own body seemed immune to the heat, but only to a degree. He'd learned the hard way pushing his own fire out of control would consume him along with it. His element was even more temperamental and unpredictable than the teenager was.

 

The hyena stumbled back, saved again by Katsu's quick thinking as the stench of poison hit him. The very ground seemed to almost turn black from where the barb had dug into the snow, turning a putrid black.

Poison was a forbidden element that hadn't been in their kingdom for so long animals who were young like Dakari may have thought it a myth. But the prince never thought in his lifetime he would ever encounter someone who wielded it. They had been banished for a reason. Never to return to this realm, and yet this was the War they were fighting.

 

The hyena wasted no time, while Katsu had Erai distracted the hyena made a dive for the scorpion's legs with his heated fangs clamping down against the exoskeleton. Normally this would have been a hell no moment for the prince. He didn't like insects or anything resembling them in the slightest. But ironically his own revulsion of the creature made him all the more determined to destroy it before he could taint the land any further than already done.

He didn't wait to see if his teeth had gotten past the defense before he was already doubling around to avoid the retaliation that was undoubted to strike.

Dakari couldn't move fast, but it didn't mean he wasn't clever. All he had to do was find some kind of weakness. Maybe a plate that was already cracking. Or a range which the stringer couldn't reach.

[Full_Moon_Rising]

Hearing Erai's screech of pain at whatever Dakari had done, Katsu felt a small spurt of satisfaction that the bastard got a little taste of his own medicine. Maybe it wasn't much, but it was enough. Nevertheless, he knew he couldn't celebrate too quickly, Erai had never been one to take a hit laying down. Watching Erai's tail whip around to sink his stinger where Dakari had once been, Katsu couldn't help the pride he had bubbling in his chest for the boy. Dakari was brave for all that it was worth, and he knew exactly when to avoid an answering attack, he was learning well.

 

"You dare!"

 

The scorpion screamed in fury at the Prince. While the hyena hadn't quick managed to get completely through scorpion's defense, damage had been done and Erai was far from pleased about it. It was no surprise when the scorpion whipped his tail around in Dakari's direction again, intent on doing damage of his own. His movements once again too fast for the untrained eye to see and if Katsu had been slacking off even a little, the attack would have hit Dakari. And even if it had just been a nick, the poison in that stinger would have knocked the ground from under the hyena'a paws. Something he couldn't have happen.

 

Forming a wall of ice between Dakari and the incoming stinger, Katsu felt his worry abide a bit when the attack bounced off the ice even if he knew he had just made a small sacrifice of his own. While he would let Dakari fight with him, he would not allow the boy to be injured. No matter the cost to his own body, no matter if the boy wanted to whine about it later, he would not allow a hair to be harmed on the teenager. As long as there was breath still in his body, he would stand by that firm determination.

 

So when the barbed tail bounced off the ice, away from Dakari, and towards himself in alarming speed....Katsu knew there was very little way to avoid the redirected swing. Instead he braced himself and when the hard impact hit him, sending him sailing back through the forest and knocking the breath out of his lungs... he knew he'd be cursing himself over it later. Knocking down some trees with the force he had been sent flying back, a thick old oak tree was what finally stopped his flight when his back slammed with a sickening jolt against it. Taking a moment to sit there as pain flooded through him, blood trickling down his hairline and out of the corner of his lips, he snow leopard hissed in soft annoyance. As much as he didn't mind a blow or two every now and again, Erai was in a whole new playing field and this hit would definitely be leaving him tender for a few days.

 

Gathering his feet under himself again, Katsu carefully lifted himself off the ground. He couldn't quite see Erai or Dakari anymore but that didn't mean he couldn't retaliate with a petty attack of his own on the scorpion. With that thought in mind, the Sentinel had his fist slamming down into the ground beneath him and with it, he send the fury of his ice. Hearing the sound of Erai's cry of pain when a spike of ice erupted out of the ground where Katsu had directed it just beneath the scorpion, the snow leopard was launching himself back in their direction with missing a beat.

 

It took him a moment in his approach to realize the ground had begun to move and when he looked down, his eyes narrowed at the sight of dozens of scorpions squirming around underfoot, intent on defending and providing Erai with assistance. Leaping through them, Katsu hesitated very little on cutting down those who insisted on crawling on him. He hoped Dakari was holding his own against their new aggressors as well.

 

Locking eyes with Erai once the creature was in view again, Katsu brought his swords up and began to spin them in a windmill motion, creating a powerful gust of icy wind out of them. Wind that carried spears of ice in them, all directed towards the scorpion. And while Erai managed avoid most of the attack, the grim satisfaction that erupted in the snow leopard at the sight of a few spears piercing the creature's torso and one of his pinchers was enough to hush his annoyance.

 

"Aim for his underbelly! The right side of his armor has a old crack in it! Focus your energy on that!"

 

He practically barked the orders at Dakari as he made quick work of freezing the small scorpions that had begun to swarm him. There were others swarming Dakari but he had to believe the boy could handle them. Feeling the wind rush out of his lungs again when a massive pincher caught and smashed him against the bark of another thick oak tree and kept him held tightly there, Katsu snarled as Erai smirked, leaning down close to him.

 

"Now that's just rude, my darling. You shouldn't give your mate's weakness away to anyone. Especially not a mere child who knows nothing of capitalizing on it!" Erai laughed brightly.

 

While the scorpion had been injured, both by Dakari's prior attack and Katsu's assault, he seemed all too thrilled about the situation at hand.

 

Smirking at their enemy, Katsu casually leaned his head back against the rough bark while he gathered his element inside his chest in order to release himself from the scorpion's hold in a few seconds.

 

"You shouldn't doubt those of young blood. They might very well surprise you sooner rather than later" he hissed back at the scorpion coldly.

[LoneDigger]

Dakari had to admit, during all the trainings the elder had put him through his lifetime, and how every time he thought he had one up on the snow leopard the other's element of ice truly proved to be a real pain in the ass. So it was only more satisfying to see it in action working against the enemy. And maybe if this hadn't been such a serious fight or a blow that hard, maybe he would have been snickering to himself at Katsu's own power biting him back.

 

There was no time for that, the wall had bought him time. But now it left him and the scorpion alone. Or so he thought.

"FUCKING SHIT!!! THEY'RE EVERYWHERE!"

The very classy scream could be heard from all the way Katsu had landed. Seemed like Dakari had finally met Erai's little friends. The hyena quickly set his paws on fire and shot a burst of flame at the swarm around him. Once he created a path he quickly ran through it, feeling a few sickening crunches beneath his paws but thanks to the fire on his paws the creatures were destroyed before they could sting.

 

Katsu was back, and giving him a valuable piece of information. So instead of focusing his attack as originally planned on the legs, he switched sides and barreled for the fissure in the armor. It was so thin that he would have missed it if not for the snow leopard tipping him off. He launched right for it, crashing into Erai's side and widening the crack. He dug his fangs against the shard and yanked hard, causing it to spread until he had a sizable hole. He rolled underneath the scorpion's, dodging the legs as he sunk his heated fangs into the creature's underbelly. Hard.

 

The sensation that hit him next was more than unpleasant. A thick oozing spilled into his mouth and against his face. He didn't know it was blood or guts, whatever it was his eyes squeezed shut to prevent the liquid from entering them. It tasted putrid and burned his mouth. But he didn't let go, this demon had hurt Katsu in a way that should have never happened.

All Dakari knew was that he was going to make the bastard suffer for it. Bracing his paws against the underside he pulled hard, he could barely breath and when he did it felt like his lungs were drowning in the toxic substance.

[Full_Moon_Rising]

If Katsu could have afford to feel amusement at Dakari's previous scream when the scorpions came into existence, he would have outright laughed. Now though, at the sound of Erai's agony filled scream the smile that lifted the corners of his lips showed plenty of traces of the joy the sight of the creature's pain brought him. However, that joy wasn't as long lived as he would have hoped. Despite their opponent's agony. Katsu had known Erai long enough to know the creature had more defensive tricks up his sleeve.

 

Erai may have miscalculated against Dakari but that didn't mean he was out of the fight just yet.

 

It was the scent of poison that had Katsu's face draining of color. A poison too familiar to him to make him think it was anything else. Dark green smoke seem to ooze out of every pore in the man's body and between the plates of his armor. From where Erai held Katsu bound, the poison was enough to almost cause him to gag, there was little question as to what it was doing to Dakari. This creature was toxic in every way possible and while Katsu had lived through all this creature was capable of doing, Dakari had not. He hadn't developed immunity to the less deadly poisons and while what was oozing out of Erai was causing mild discomfort in the snow leopard's body, it was probably doing much more to Dakari.

 

Eyes widening when he caught a glimpse of Erai curling his tail and aiming his stinger down below his legs, no doubt to where Dakari was tearing into him, Katsu forced his body to move. Ice had wrapped around the bark he was currently bound to and with a command, sharp tendrils of it exploded out of the harmlessly glossy surface to scissor into Erai's pincher, effectively tearing it to pieces and giving the Sentinel room to breath. Ignoring the roar of pain from the scorpion, Katsu quickly got his feet below him and darted out towards Dakari. It was thanks to his speed that he managed to reach the boy before the stinger did.

 

Quickly dropping his swords in favor of wrapping arms around the thick stinger, holding it against his side and bringing its trajectory to a skidding stop just feet from Dakari, Katsu could barely hold back the need to cough. The poisonous gas was much stronger and thicker under the scorpion, no doubt a calculated move on Erai's part. If they didn't get out of it soon, he didn't know what effects it would have on the Prince.

 

"Dakari....we need to move now. This gas is unsafe, you mustn't allow yourself to intake too much of it. We need to pull back, right now!"

 

Katsu grunted a command back at the hyena. Even if it would be easy for him to pull back quickly, he would not leave Dakari and with the deadlock the teenager had on Erai, there would be no tugging him into safety unless he let go. Winching when a sharp pain flashed inside his head, Katsu released a soft hiss of air and panic began to swell inside his heart at the familiar sensation creeping through him. It had never been anything he could describe with clarity but every instinct in his body was urging him to move away from the source of it. In his minds eye, he could almost picture black tendrils of evil slowly reaching into his mind, wrapping around him and clouding his judgement, slowing his movements and making him hesitate where he never would have normally.

 

The left side of his neck began to burn and with it the horror he was feeling magnified. His body was reacting to something he hadn't felt since his youth and he couldn't let that happen. Not when Dakari's life hung in the balance. Gritting his teeth, trying to push back the darkness that he could feel creeping through him, he bit out between clenched teeth:

 

"Dakari, we need to move now!"

 

Above them, Katsu heard Erai's roar of laughter no matter the amount of pain the creature was in.

 

"What's the matter, my love? Are you truly insisting of fighting against the one you belong to?! Come now, don't make this harder than it has to be! Just submit and let us be rid of this nuisance of a Prince together!"

[LoneDigger]

Dakari's grip only slackened because he was starting to fade. He couldn't breath, his nose was bubbling with the poison and he could swear he felt it in every single breath, entering his lungs and choking him. But in his mind he kept screaming at himself to hold on, but his body wasn't listening. The poison was slowly snuffing him out, his eyes rolled back in his head and suddenly the hyena dropped to the ground. Yet his teeth were still locked so with him he carried a mouthful of gore. Pulling bits of the scorpion's entrails out with him even as he fell unconscious.

 

He lay there, seemingly unmoving for a good few moments while Katsu had the other distracted gave the prince just enough time to clear his nose.

Dakari suddenly seemed to jerk awake with a loud gag, coughing out the poison and anything else he had bitten off Erai and pawing at his face with a howl of panic. He could swear his whole face was melting off! But it seemed to be an illusion, if the poison had burned his mouth. It hadn't removed flesh.

The only thing that seemed to snap the hyena out of his nightmare was the Sentinel urging him to move. He staggered over to the elder and tried to push him away. He wasn't leaving without him.

[Full_Moon_Rising]

Concern for Dakari overwhelmed him and Katsu desperately wanted to check on the Prince yet he couldn't move. If he let go of the stinger, the danger would multiply and even if he wanted to let go, his body felt locked in place. It wasn't just the physical battle they were having that he was trapped in, it was a mental one as well. His will and determination slamming against the tendrils that threatened to swallow him whole, as they had done in the past.

 

The howl of panic produced by the teenager had Katsu's worried gaze snapping back at him over his shoulder, desperation in wanting to get Dakari safely away from Erai making his chest tighten. When he saw the Prince climb to his paws, a sense of relief filled him....but only just. They still were in very real danger. Looking down at the hyena the moment Dakari staggered to his side, Katsu knew he only had a split moment to act. Letting go of the stinger, the Sentinel once more wrapped an arm around Dakari and pushed himself to use his speed once more. It was difficult, his body was beginning to feel weak and weary but he managed to propel them out from under Erai and to a relatively safe distance from the massive scorpion.

 

Dropping Dakari gently beside him once they were out of Erai's immediate reach, Katsu raised a hand to his throbbing neck and did his best to push down the frantic feeling of panic that was gathering inside his chest. It was starting. He could feel Erai begin to awaken the mating bite he had once forced onto the Sentinel when the man had only been a child and at his mercy. The burning acid like sensation that traveled down his neck and through every fiber of his being was only the start of the agaony he knew Erai was capable of putting him in. The scorpion had planned this well. A mate should not strike against his own mate. It was the law of their kind, one as old and ancient as time itself. No matter how reluctant or if the bite had been forced upon an individual, fighting against one's mate only brought pain. At least for the one who bore the mark. And it was a pain he knew Kisame was openly experiencing at the moment. He could feel the shark's deep pain echoing at the back of his head.

 

And yet, the shark fought on. As any honorable Sentinel would. Just as Katsu would.

 

"Dakari.....cub, you've done your best....you must go.. please. It is no longer safe for you. That poison is only a fraction of what he can do. I'll figure out how to handle him"

 

Katsu spoke to the young hyena once more but instead of commanding, his tone hovered over pleading. He had to stop Erai one way or another, no matter the cost. Dakari had already been injured and every logical instinct he could feel roared at him to get the boy away from the danger they were facing. Katsu could handle this fight on his own.....and even if he couldn't, he would find a way no matter what he had to do. He couldn't allow Erai to win nor could Kisame allow Akuhei to beat him. Those two dark entities were impossibly dangerous, especially when they could dig their claws into the minds of two powerful, healthy Sentinels and force a way to control them. They had to be stopped, but Katsu couldn't live with himself if Dakari was caught in the crosshairs. The boy had already done enough as it was to help.

 

Digging his claws over the mark he knew had resurfaced after so many years of peace, Katsu winched again as another spike of unrelenting pain pierced his mind. Without having to look, he knew what the mating bite looked like. He still had nightmares of it on occasion. The typical puncture mark was surrounded by what looked like a scorpion's tail and stinger wrapped around it in a circle. The area around the mark burned and grew dark, almost black in appearance. Kisame's mark must have surfaced as well if the desperation he felt through his ties with the other Sentinel was anything to go by. However, unlike him, Kisame bore the mark of a spiderweb around his puncture...just as ominous in appearance as the snow leopard's and just as sickening to the pair.

 

"Help is on the way....you must reach them and inform them that two Dark Realm Generals have found access into the realm. They must be stopped at any cost, these two are too dangerous to be allowed free reign. You must inform the others of exactly what they're up against"

 

Katsu pleaded with the boy once more. He couldn't have Dakari remain here to face this with him. The boy was too inexperienced and if Katsu lost his mental struggle with Erai, he would hate himself for causing Dakari pain.

 

"My love, stop resisting. You know as well as I that your place is by my side. Submit to me, submit like you did once before. Return to me, retake your proper place. You belong to me, no matter how hard you struggle against my hold"

 

Erai's voice reached across the distance to them and despite his resistance, Katsu felt his vision fade for a moment, his eyes flashed a pale green in mirror to Erai's own eye color. Coldness began to creep in him, unlike his own element, it felt like a sickness was awakening inside him once more. There was a small, childlike cry in the back of his mind and with horror he recognized it as his own cry....yet it was a cry that belonged to the child he had once been. Fear began to overlap everything in his mind and it was because of this fear that he felt Kisame's answering terror reach for him. He knew his friend was as terrified as he was, but they had to remain strong until help arrived.

 

Even without his command, his element seemed to react to his terror and sprung to life in an effort to protect its master from the source of this fear. A cage like prison exploded out of the ground around Erai and with it came sharp spikes of ice that wasted no time in slamming into the body of the scorpion. The answering wail of fury and agony was satisfying to hear but Katsu knew his element wouldn't be able to hold Erai back for long.

 

"Dakari, please, go now.....Please, I can't have you harmed....you must go, I beg of you" the snow leopard turned begging eyes on the young hyena. Silently urging him for once to accept his order.

[LoneDigger]

Dakari let out a shrill sound of panic at the sight of Katsu's neck. At first, the prince thought the male must have been pierced by the barbed tail when he had grabbed it to save him. The hyena pressed his nose against the mark and sniffed, it still had that toxic scent... But not from the same poison. It was something much worse.

 

He panted anxiously, suddenly reeling away from the elder so that he could hack up. The acid burned his throat on the way out, but he seemed eager to rid himself of it. If anything, being a hyena came in handy. His mouth and stomach was a lot more durable than most animals. If he was capable of eating rotting flesh without a problem it seemed that poison was in a similar category. It was still sickening, but he was alive.

 

But nothing could have prepared him for this. How had he been so stupid? Erai had been hinting it, no screaming it out the entire time that Katsu belonged to him and that bite on his neck was only proof of Dakari's deep hatred towards the creature was justified. How could they be mates? This couldn't be happening... Yet there was no denying it.

I can't let you! You can't win! I hate him... I'M GOING TO MURDER THAT SON OF A BITCH!"

 

The hyena screamed out, the animal letting out a frantic sound. A cruel laugh and howl of pain somehow mixed into one.

 

"You think I'm done? I haven't even gotten started with him... I'll make sure he burns in Hell. Fuck, I'll even go down there with the bastard!

 

Dakari was burning now, flames were creeping up his legs and his whole back was covered. At least sixty percent of his body was covered. But when he heard a tone coming out a Katsu that was so small, almost child like the prince froze.

He'd never heard the snow leopard speak like that. He sounded broken, desperate, frightened... All in one yet he still had the honor to want to defend him. When in fact it seemed like the Sentinel was in more danger than the Prince was.

Even if he had been hurt, and at least partially poisoned. His own rage was giving him a new sense of strength. He wouldn't back down from a threat to someone he cared about so much.

 

But that look Katsu was giving him... Could he really ignore it? The hyena growled, he didn't know what the right thing to do was. Leaving the other with that... monster seemed wrong. But the other was begging him to go. If he could get reinforcements they would have a better chance of defending Katsu, or would it already be too late?

 

Dakari had already made his choice long ago, and since when had he ever listened to his Sentinel anyway?

Was the hyena crazy? Maybe. Going to unleash all hell on the one responsible for hurting Katsu. You bet.

[Full_Moon_Rising]

Feeling something clench in his heart at the sight of Dakari reeling away from him to show his true disgust when he saw the mark, Katsu felt the tingle of the miserable self hatred he had felt as a child. After the whole ordeal, he knew the mark he bore would make him unsavory to anyone else potentially interested in him. As a child, he had thought himself worth less than dirt whenever he saw the mark he bore on his neck. Kisame had felt the same, they had confided in one another time and time again and eventually they had fallen into bed together. Being with the shark had made him feel a resemblance of the confidence he had once had before becoming a prisoner of war. But seeing Dakari's reaction now.....he couldn't help but feel those dark emotions rise again.

 

He was a Sentinel, first and foremost, and as much as he cared for Dakari....as much as he felt attracted to the boy and his animal purred in joy at being with the kid....Katsu knew he wasn't good for him. How could he be, when he was so tainted in every way imaginable. Dakari didn't know of his past, of the hell he had lived through and the atrocities that had been done to himself and Kisame. When he knew, he doubted the Prince would look at him the way he had always had...But there was no helping that. Not now and not when things calmed down. At the moment though, what was important was keeping Dakari safe...to hell with the consequences.

 

Eyes widening at Dakari's sudden outburst moments after his physical reaction, Katsu watched the boy's body somewhat get engulfed in flames through wide, surprised eyes. He hadn't thought Dakari would react this way and yet....he couldn't help but hope a bit in the boy's reaction. That maybe all wasn't lost between them. Locking eyes when the boy when Dakari turned to him, resignation pooled in his gut at the moment he realized Dakari would not leave. Truly, why what Katsu expected otherwise. The Prince was as stubborn and hard headed as they came.

 

"Stubborn damable brat" Katsu murmured under his breath with deep fondness in his voice even as his claws dug deeper into the mark on his neck. "Princeling.....if I lose myself or if I attack you....strike me down. No matter what you have to do, make sure I don't get back up.....and by the Gods, don't allow him to take my body. I fear that will do more harm than good."

 

Pushing himself off his knees and to his feet again, Katsu growled low towards the scorpion as his tail whipped from side to side. They weren't done yet, as long as he had any semblance of control over his body, he would fight. While the pounding between his temples and the feeling of burning acid going down his body were distracting and rather painful, he would not allow himself to give in. If Kisame wasn't giving up, neither was he. He would never do so, he would fight until his last breath.

 

Hissing low as he jolted a step forward against his will, eyes momentarily clouding and judgement fading for a long terrifying heartbeat when Erai's voice grew louder in his mind, Katsu gave his head a firm shake and ripped his control back from the scorpion. He wouldn't make this easy, no way in hell would he make this easy.

 

"We attack from both sides. Aim for the area you managed to break through, do not physically touch him if you can avoid it. Use your flames the best you can to pierce him through and through, I will follow with my ice. It might not kill him but it will drive him and his partner back to their realm long enough for us to have some days to regroup."

 

The snow leopard ordered quietly, teeth clenched and eyes half closed under the mental onslaught his "mate" was giving him in response to his resistance. Exchange some valuable information with Kisame through their bond, Katsu bolted forward with his sword manifesting once more in his hand. It was now or never, they had to finish this before it was too late.

[LoneDigger]

Dakari seemed oblivious that his reaction had hurt Katsu deeply. Hell, for all he knew the other was just looking at him like that because of the discomfort. Sometimes... Well, the prince wasn't the most sensitive and perceptive of animals. He wore his emotions on his sleeve and did little to quell them from anyone.

 

"Heh, you know how long I've been waiting for you to tell me that? Who knows, maybe even this time I'll get lucky and manage to keep you down. Show the bastard who you really belong to.

 

Now hardly seemed the appropriate time to be making jokes, but this was a hyena Katsu was dealing with. They could only stay serious for so long before turning things back into a game. Even if Dakari was laughing, he still felt his temper burning inside him.

Hell, who was he even kidding? Katsu wasn't his, he never was. But the teenager felt something deep when he gazed into the other's cerulean orbs. Just maybe...

 

The prince turned his head suddenly when he heard Erai cracking against his icy prison. They only had so much time. Like the Sentinel had said, the longer this went on. The only more powerful the scorpion would grow.

The hyena inhaled deeply, his flames all but creeping back from his body as he held his breath in until his head was spinning and then suddenly exhaled and the flames burst hotter than before, yet there were more controlled.

 

He was ready.

 

The prince made a wide circle around the creature, waiting for an opening in the ice to break apart before launching his first attack. Spitting a burst of flame towards the spot he had bitten into previously. The stench of burning toxic flesh was less than desirable, but it seemed to be doing just as much damage to Erai. Or at least creating a painful distraction from Katsu.