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« on: August 28, 2011, 01:45:54 PM »
Far above the Valley, on a ridge sticking out from the Great Wall, four figures watched as the Great Valley fell into chaos and destruction.
Tero stood back from the edge, overseeing the fruit of his work. Wherever Rheddo and Celya were, they had done an excellent job. Over in the southern end of the Valley, the fires had nearly consumed the entire forest, while a rockslide near the Thundering Falls had blocked the flow of any water into the Valey, aiding the spread of the inferno. But where could they be, the mute flyer thought to himself. Ah well, it doesn't matter. They've done their job now, he didn't need them anymore.
But on the end of the ledge, three sets of young eyes watched in horror and despair as their home was destroyed. Ruby, Petrie and Spike lay on their fronts, each with a small boulder placed on their backs; too small to crush them, but heavy enough to keep them down and stop them moving. Ruby and Petrie struggled desperately against the weight, but to no avail. Spike had aready passed out from sheer exhaustion of trying to free himself.
Her voice cracking from exhaustion and grief, Ruby once again turned to Tero and did her best to appeal to him:
"Please...Tero...Whatever you're doing this for, you don't have to do it! Just let us go, please!" she begged. All Tero did in response was to press down on her boulder, crushing her more. Ruby pounded the ground with a clenched fist, squealing in agony.
But the torture was brief, as a movement nearby caught Tero's attention. A shadowed form was approaching from the other end of the ledg. Squinting in thedim light of te flames, Tero could just about make out the shape of the approaching crature.
His faced grew pale in the light as he recognised Redback's unmistakeable form sprinting in his direction. He jumped back and staggered back as he heard the sharptooth's roar calling his name:
"TEEEEEEEEEEERRROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
Reback leapt up onto the ledge, panting with exertion and rage. Blood dripped gently from the myriad of wounds that covered his body, mingling with his sweat and tears. Bloodlust shone in his eyes, even though the RedWrath had subsided, and saliva dripped from his mouth, which hung open panting and snarling.
Tero backed away from the fearsome sight, his blank visage betrayed by his quivering legs.
"It ends now, Tero. Yer finished!" Redback growled.
The flyer's mind was racing. He had not anticipated Redback returning. Looking about frantically, he turned to face Redback as the sailbacked sharptooth chuckled.
"Ferget it, winghead. Rheddo and Celya won't be rushing to yer aid anytime soon."
Tero's eyes widened slightly as the truth dawned on him.
"Yeah, you got it," Redback said "I took care of those traitors before I got here. The Blackweed Brotherhood is finished, Tero."
He slowly moved towards he flyer, his face grim and stern. Tero moved swiftly, aking to the air, hovering just above the boulder that lay atop the weeping Ruby.
"Tero, what're you doing?" Redback asked "What do you want these kids for?"
As Redback made to approach further, Tero touched down ontop of the boulder, just above Ruby's head. The extra weight shfited the pressure of the boulder, which began to press down on the young fast-runner's skull.
Ruby's muffled screams rang out as her face was pressed into the ground, mingling with Petrie's shrill voice.
"Stop it! You leave me friend alone! No press on boulder anymore! STOP!!"
Tero bent over, bringing his head closer to Petrie, and gave him a thin, raspy "shh!"
Redback was about to make his move, when one was made right under his snout.
"YOU LEAVE MY FRIENDS ALOOOOOONE!!!!"
Littlefoot sprinted forwards from between Redback's legs, head held forwards like a battering ram. As he aproached the flyer, he leapt into the air, cannoning into Tero and knocking him clear off the rock!
Redback took the opportunity and leapt opver the boulders as well, "Littlefoot! You get your friends!"
The longneck got up from where he landed, a few feet from the stunned Tero and hurried over to the boulders imprisoning the three young dinosaurs.
"Littlefoot! Oh, Petrie never been so glad to see you!!" Petrie cried with relief as the longneck shoved the rock off of his back. Together, they assisted Ruby and Spike and got rid of the offending boulders.
Redback stood inbetween Littlefoot and Tero, who was just getting up "Now you young 'uns get outta here! Go help yer families or something!"
Spike, Petrie and Ruby obediently hurried towards the way down, but Littlefoot hung back.
"You sure you'll be okay? I could help if..."
"No Littlefoot!" Redback shouted back, turning to face his young friend "Sorry, but ths is something I gotta do myself."
The longneck was about to say something, when he saw the familiar red tinge beginning to clud the sharptooth's eyes. Littlefoot then silently nodded and hurried off.
As he hopped down from the ledge, Littlefoot looked back as his friend. A small tear formed in the corner of his eye, and the longneck shook it off.
"Stay safe, please.", he prayed as he hurried to catch up with his friends.
Redback snorted like a bull as he watched Tero shake his head clear. Charging forwards, he grabbed Tero around his twisted leg, just as the flyer attempted to fly away.
"Oh no ya don't!!"
Tero grimaced as pain shot from the scars in his leg up his body. Redback swung at him with his free hand and scored a deep scratch in Tero's shoulder. he retaliated with a swift barrage of punches from each fist, and a clawed kick with his free leg. This kick caught Redback in the snout, which sent the sharptooth reeling slightly, making him let go of the flyer.
Shaking the blood from his nostrils, Redback roared as he saw Tero taking to the sky.
"COME BACK HERE, YOU COWARD!" he roared as he ran after he flyer, jumping from the top of the ledge.
Tero looked down at his opponent running below him. There was no way he could get rid of him in open combat, he was just too strong!
But as he flew over a patch of trees on the fringe of the blaze, an idea struck him. His thin mouth curved ever so lightly into a tight grin as he formulated a plan.
Flapping down to the trees, he dove through the dense foliage, gritting his beak as branches and twigs scratched and prodded at him.
He then arched his back in pain as, just as he was clearing the branches and nearing the ground, a rogue sliver of broken branch stabbed straight through his right wing. As he fell, his weight pulled his wing downwards on the sliver, tearing the delicate membrane of his wings right from its base below his arm, to its edge.
He landed on the ground in an undignified heap, in a small clearing, near to where the fires were eating away at the woods. Gritting through the intense pain that wracked his his whole body, he got to his feet and limped towards the glow of the fire.
He nodded with satisfaction as he found just what he needed. A fallen branch, partially ablaze at its knobbly tip. The flyer picked up the branch from the other end, gripping it in both claws.
He froze as he heard movement behind him. Squinting through the darkness of the trees, he saw the giant sillouhette of Redback entering the trees. Tero silently padded towards a nearby tree with an enormous trunk. Standing with his back to the trunk, he held his breath, gripping his improvised mace to his chest, ready to strike when the sharptooth followed his scent over here.
His heavy footfalls betrayed Redback's every move.
Stomp stomp stomp. He had just entered the clearing.
Stomp stomp stomp. He was just on the other side of the tree.
Tero shuddered with excitement, closing his eyes. Just one chance, that's all he'd need. Just one opening, and he'd snuff the sharptooth's life out with a well-aimed swing of his fiery club.
Stomp. Stomp. Stomp. He had just walked past the trunk. It was now or never!
Tero rushed out, club held high, wound up and ready to strike!
He swung!
But the strike never made contact. Opening his eyes, Tero saw nothing but trees.
"Behind you, idiot."
Tero froze in fear, his green eyes growing wide with fright. He felt the rough clawed hand of Redback reach from behind and close around his neck. He dropped his club as his arms went limp with fear.
The sharptooth lifted Tero close, almost snout to beak, as he looked his old friend in the eye. His fearsome, red eyes gazed deep into Tero's, as if looking straight into his very soul.
The flyer gulped slightly, as he opened his beak, speaking in the raspy, hoarse voice that no creature had heard for years:
".....M-mer...mercy!"
His eyes had been so focused on Redback's that he never saw the other hand reach out and grab his head. A shuder went through the flyer's body as Redback snarled at him. The flyer had never really noticed how big Redback's teeth were before.
"You really think you deserve mercy? After everything you've put me and my friends through? After you betrayed me?!"
Redback held Tero up high, one hand around his neck, the other gripping his head.
"Forget it."
Then, there was a sickening "CRACK!", and Redback felt the flyer's body go limp. He let go, and Tero's lifeless body slumped to the floor, like a ragdoll.
His leg was twisted, his wings were shredded.
His neck was snapped.
Redback took a deep intake of breath, and felt the rage and fury searing through his body subside as he breathed out.
His scratched snout twitched as he felt a droplet of water bounce off it. Looking up, he saw clouds moving across the sky, bringing with them a gentle shower of skywater.
He suddenly felt an involuntary smile break out across his face. Opening his arm wide, he shivered as the cold water covered him, dripping off his limbs and sail, clearing the mud, grime and blood that caked his body.
It was over. It was finally over.
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Good to see the Redwrath you've been hinting at in the RP's. Since you just have Redback and Tero in the RP, I'm guessing that somehow they'll come out of this together. No idea how it's gonna happen, though!